The Power of a Forward-Thinking Mindset

Esther Solomon-Turay

OTHER BOOKS WRITTEN BY ESTHER SOLOMON-TURAY:

It’s Time to Heal – A woman’s journey to self-discovery and freedom.

Completion – From the perspective of brokenness.

From Glory to Glory – Great beauty in seasons of pain; strong at the broken places.

All books can be found on: www.authenticworth.com/books

THE POWER OF A FORWARD-THINKING MINDSET 

Breaking strongholds in the mind

Copyright © 2020 by Esther Solomon-Turay

This publication is designed to provide competent information, advice and encouragement regarding the subject matter covered. Scanning, uploading and distributing this book without prior consent from the author is a theft of Intellectual Property (IP).

All rights are reserved. No portion of this book without permission may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form – scanned, electronic, photocopied or recorded without written consent of the author as it is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author Esther N Jacob with specific direction to the original content.

If you would like to use material from the book for short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study, this is permitted (other than for review purposes).  However, prior written permission must be obtained on request by emailing the author on authenticworth@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting the author’s rights.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible in several versions including the New International Version (NIV), English Standard Version (ESV), New Living Translation (NLT), King James Version (KJV) and Good News Translation (GNT).

Published by Authentic Worth

Printed in the United Kingdom

Website: www.authenticworth.com

Email: authenticworth@gmail.com

Authentic Worth is bringing worth back into you through storytelling and book-writing!

ISBN NUMBER: 978-1-9160600-7-4

Acknowledgements

The gifts we have must be used to inspire those around you; to give back to a generation that didn’t get the chance of living a life they wanted. I use my life in demonstrate the purpose I have in writing and storytelling in a way that transforms the mind of the reader. Your story is expensive. For this reason, I want to continue my journey of inspiring and supporting the wider community.

The words ‘thank you’ are not enough to express how grateful and humbled I am. First of all, I will always be in standing ovation of my Heavenly Father, who has seen me throughout my life, teaching me about consistent strength in my challenges. The ability to articulate my words on paper and turn them into books has only been by His Grace. There is no way I would have started my fourth book without Him. I truly give God all the praise for His consistency and downloading ideas in my mind.

I appreciate and thank my beautiful family including my parents; Mr and Mrs Jacob. As the third child of the family, it has been my utmost desire to make them extremely proud as any other parent would want for their children. I am the seed they planted and has blossomed into a beautiful being. To my lovely siblings; Ruth and Nathaniel-Faith, my loved ones and friends that stood by me and supported my three books; It’s Time to Heal, Completion and From Glory to Glory, I am forever grateful.

My first and late sister, Glory Chidinma Ngboye Jacob, who would have been my biggest cheerleader for witnessing this book, I thank you for the strength you imparted in me. You fought and conquered. Glory, the book I wrote for you is changing lives! Thank you for allowing me to write it and continue your great legacy.

To my amazing dear sisters in Christ, thank you for reminding me about the importance of purpose and actively strengthening me with your powerful words of prayer and strength regarding the gifts God has invested in me. The race is not for the swift and giving up is not an option. There is so much work to do! I pray and believe that you will make an impact in your own way and not hide your gifts. Above all, thank you for picking up this book and believing that it will change the trajectory of your life going forwards. You are blessed!

Introduction

Life. Oh life. Everything about life starts with the mind. Your thoughts can take you higher, make you complacent, or keep you in the past. Regardless of how tough life gets, keep moving! Make the most of the opportunities around you. If you miss opportunities, don’t despair, create your own and keep moving. Don’t allow the whispers of doubt and fear to make you give up, causing you to analyse why your plans did not come to fruition.

Your mind works in your favour if you show it tender loving care. Your mind is sensitive to your thoughts and words. The mind does not like stagnation; in fact, it is more effective when ideas are implemented. You are in control of every thought your mind produces, and if used wisely, despite what is against you, whether it is rejection, you will eventually see it as a blessing in disguise.

Can you intentionally discipline your mind in overcoming negative thoughts, particularly about not feeling good enough? Take a look at your life; your feelings will inform you of what is missing, what could have worked out and why you are still in the same position. Nevertheless, it takes consistent effort to develop a positive mindset, and I am here to tell you that IT IS POSSIBLE!

It isn’t always easy because we are limited resources. There are only so much our minds can take because the capacity to fit all our thoughts will be too much to handle. When life ‘looks’ as if its heading backwards, learn to pick yourself up and keep going. No matter what you are going through, everyone around you has something they are battling with; some more intentional than others. No matter how big it is, you are in charge of your thinking. You want debt to go away? Sort out your spending habits. You want people to support you in time of need? Start supporting others.

These are winning results that prevent dysfunction and a beautiful destination that awaits you. There is so much to learn every day and it is up to you to grab these opportunities with two hands and embrace it. 

To the reader, The Power of a Forward-thinking Mindset gives you the opportunity to look within yourself, analyse your thoughts and ask whether your mind is in the right place. Right now, many are battling with unspoken pain; those internal battles that gradually break ones’ self-worth. It is okay to be broken especially when you find it hard to express yourself. Being vulnerable starts with valuing yourself. Don’t feel the need to always have it together, because it won’t. People will only show you what they want you to see. Not everyone may have the confidence to share their story or show their scars; this is a process.

Our minds can either tell us we are winners or failures. What matters is understanding your thought-pattern and what it’s teaching you at this moment in time. It’s the middle that is most uncomfortable, but ultimately, the decision is yours to go back or move forwards. There is a lot to learn in the in-between stages.

Every decision you make can’t always be influenced by others; there must come a point in your life where the choices you make come from within you. Your life is worth so much and in order to function effectively, you have to discipline your mind by surrendering your emotions. The level of your faith should not be shaken by how you feel, but on what you believe. Nevertheless, BATTLES WILL COME when you least expect it; the same way blessings will come when you least expect it. There is no one that won’t go through battles. They ARE intended to come at any stage in your life. You don’t need to be a perfectionist, either. The road to perfectionism is not real!

Your life is doing what it needs to do right now, and your mind will follow. The mind is smart. It can dictate how you feel and give warning signs of when you are about to lose control. Feed your mind with healthy thoughts and it will present peace of mind, good health and long-lasting friendships and relationships. Your mind is powerful but to add a key ingredient, apply wisdom. Don’t occupy your mind with clutter; it can only take so much. Your thoughts should produce better results every day. Take the time to create solutions rather than amplifying problems. Every day won’t always feel good, but you can make it good according to how you position your mindset. The decision is yours; are you willing to be a forward-thinking individual? Let’s dive in...

Contents

CHAPTER 1

Broken Faith

CHAPTER 2

Boring Christianity

CHAPTER 3

Focused and Firm

CHAPTER 4

Influence and Purpose

CHAPTER 5

Internal Discipline

CHAPTER 6

Journey with the Enemy

CHAPTER 7

Personal Private Prayer

CHAPTER 8

The Three T’s – Tests, Trials and Tribulations

CHAPTER 9

The Authentic Few

CHAPTER 10

The Cost of Hesitation

CHAPTER 11

The Personality of God

CHAPTER 12

The Gap of the Gospel

Epilogue

References

Contacting the author

CHAPTER 1

Broken Faith

WHEN YOUR FAITH IS paralysed

Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

How can you believe in what you can’t see? Think about the wind; you can’t see it, but you can feel it. It is important to have a vision for how you want life to look, but how do you make this happen and where do you start? The last time you tried using faith to plan your life, it didn’t seem to work.

I know how it feels to have faith and doubt living in the same room...

The ideas come but birthing the faith seems difficult, and to some extent, restless and uncomfortable. You have allowed fear to become a voice to your ears. How do you cope with the pressure of trying to be a perfectionist? Urgh, that word! Who really is perfect though? Do you know what faith is? I am going to put a lot of emphasis on Hebrews 11:1 throughout this book because faith is the real foundation for a transformed mind. It says that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

What we desire isn’t ours yet, however, when practicing self-discipline, ensure your thoughts are in alignment to the goals you have set and it will come to pass. In December 2018, I decided to verbalise and write down what I wanted to see happen throughout the year of 2019. I wrote down the months I wanted to run my events, book launches and workshops. I did not focus on how I was going to obtain the funds because I knew it would be a potential barrier, constantly worrying and finding out how this could be carried out, however, I focused solely on preparing and positioning myself mentally and spiritually. I had selected few persons of who I wanted to take part in my events and workshops. Eventually, certain names started dropping in my mind and was able to do the following in 2019:

February 2019 – From pain to purpose book workshop

July 2019 – From Glory to Glory book launch

September 2019 – How to write a book (advanced book workshop)

December 2019 – Authors of our generation event

2019, in particular taught me the importance of having deep faith and being committed to the process. I enjoyed 2019 very much because it taught me what I needed to know about myself and my thought-pattern. My faith was being stretched to believe that anything I put my mind to was possible. Running a full-time business for over a year, not knowing what the outcome would look like taught me to trust the process. Was it easy? No, and I don’t believe starting a business and fulfilling your purpose is going to be. Taking this step was a big leap of faith and I am grateful for all the lessons learnt.

I also travelled to Brussels, Valencia, Dubai and Paris. I had to pull myself together and believe I had what it took to enjoy 2019. In my third book From Glory to Glory, chapter 5 explains why I resigned from my full-time position in real estate/property. I chose not to allow my emotions to control what I could or could not do. The opportunities I gained after leaving my role caused me to have several speaking engagements where I was invited by various companies to speak about the vision of Authentic Worth. I was offered an opportunity with Barclays Head Office in Canary Wharf and was featured on BEN TV which were both highlights in my writing career.

When your faith is consistently being stretched, you have to make sure discipline is at the forefront. If not, your emotions will endeavour to take over. Your mindset has a lot to do with the level of your faith. When you think of the word FAITH, what ideas or thoughts does your mind think of? Tick the options that apply to you or write down words that come to mind on the lines below:

-  Peace

-  Fear of the unknown

-  Confidence

-  Conviction

-  Doubt

-  Self-belief

-  Transparency/Selflessness

-  __________________________

-  __________________________

-  __________________________

-  __________________________

If I am honest with you, having faith is scary because you don’t know what to expect. You believe in what you can’t see, and yet, you have to be expectant that what you desire will come to pass. Faith cannot be seen; it has everything to do with your mindset and how it’s positioned. Your transparent moments cause you to flourish and excel, not only in your own life, but others will be inspired by your honesty and will want to journey with you. It is very important to be real, rather than making life look easy.

Suicide...fear...stress...depression...loneliness. All these can be prevented if one is transparent and honest. Our society has made it look weak to be transparent, but God wants us to be real with what we go through. He already knows. For every downfall, there will always be an opportunity to rise back up again. This takes great faith and you must be willing to put 100% effort into it. I am not saying that it will be easy, because anything can happen. You could wake up one morning and be distracted by lack of resources, sudden illness or a recent bereavement. We can’t avoid these areas as they are a part of our journey in life.

When a positive thought comes to your mind, it is easy because it makes you feel good. You are able to manage and nurture it. For example, you aspire to be an influential keynote speaker. You may not feel qualified, but in your heart, you have positioned to believe that what comes out of your mouth will influence others. Therefore, you start cultivating different ways of making yourself known. YouTube could be your first option as a open-platform to enhance your communication skills and engage new audiences.

As you continue doing this, people around the world will see and potentially follow and support. Remember this: people will only support what they believe in, so your content has to provide a solution, not add to the world’s problems. This is the sort of legacy one must learn to leave on earth. To empower local and global communities for the greater good of the world. It is a positive mind that will make this a great achievement.

Nonetheless, when a negative thought comes to your mind, it can turn you off completely and make you want to give up. No matter how many people agree that life will get better, you choose to reject it because every time you try, rejection becomes comfortable because that is what you are used to. It is your own faith that will keep you going. When rejection comes your way, use it as an opportunity to create something greater. You have to keep your heart open for rejection because there are valuable lessons to learn from them. It is better to go through rejection and become familiar with it, so that when you start building your legacy, rejection won’t have any influence over you.

You are not looked down on because of your flaws, you are looked down on because of the way you perceive yourself.

We all have vulnerable moments and insecurities, no matter how much we want to cover them up; scars, a dysfunctional upbringing and abuse, but how you see yourself will determine how your life will look. Do not paralyse your faith because of a temporary situation. Remember it is only temporary. Your current circumstance is not your permanent circumstance. Life will turn us upside down and may bring the hint of giving up.

The journey of life will take your entire living. You won’t always get it right, but with what you already have, it is important to utilise it before it is gone. What you think won’t be possible, give it to someone else and see how they will make it better. Don’t lose every opportunity that comes your way just because you’ve failed. Learn from failure, pick yourself up and keep going.

When life becomes heavy, it is tempting to quit because some situations are beyond our control. However, due to poor mental stability, it creates open doors to poor decision making and external influences that cause internal friction. We have all made mistakes in life, whether it was out of fear, lack of support/advice or lack of vision. Truth be told, we have issues, even those we think make it ‘look easy’ on social media. Note to self: being in authority does not make one exempt from the issues of life; it is how one handles the situations that determines their position. God is not a respecter of persons; struggles can come to anyone at any time; be humble!

We should be aware that God who knows all things can heal us with immediate effect, but why does it feel like a lifetime? I didn’t know that God wanted all my hurt, although He already knows the areas of my life that cause frustration. He still wants me to surrender them to remind me that I can’t handle anything on my own. I am in desperate need to be dependent on Him alone before anyone else can come in. This would require me to be transparent, rather than my past making me stay comfortable. I’ll decide to be honest even to the extent of crying because tears heal the soul. When pain becomes comfortable, it’s easy to stay there and numb it, but remember, you can’t hide what you are going through for a long time.

Something will have to give, and whether that is finding someone you can trust to be real with. I tell you; it isn’t easy opening up that quickly, but the relief will make a big difference. I remember crying to a dear sister about how I felt in a particular season. As I was typing on WhatsApp, I started tearing up. Even when I tried to voice note, I would still cry. I was in a season of painful transition and growth! I remember that day SO well! I felt attacked in all areas of my life.

In my season of transition, I had to remind myself that faith was my greatest strength I had to keep me going. Being crippled mentally and deciding what to do in my season of vulnerability had me feeling so many ways, asking whether I made the right decisions in the past and how my future would look. I am always intentional about working hard and being able to position myself for years to come, however, I realised if I keep focusing on how I am going to make it and not use what’s in front of me, I may end up starting from ground level zero which I don’t want to go through again.

Faith thrives in uncertainty; you don’t have to be big to be great – TD Jakes (A flickering light sermon; March 2020)

Having faith can feel extremely scary because you can’t see how it works, but you can believe it IS working for your good. How you view faith will either work for or against you. Being hopeful and expectant for what is to come is a great way to eliminate the external noise of fear. Yes, the world will scream, God helps those who helps themselves, but without faith, you can’t move God into action (Hebrews 11:6).

Before God helps you, your faith needs to be stirred and strengthened. When I get anxious or worried about something, at times, my neck will feel super stiff. Who gets that feeling? It happens when I don’t have control over anything, and then realise why I’m putting so much pressure on myself. Not being in full control can affect different people in several ways. I was recommended by a friend to meet her mentor, Ms. Sasha G. Smith in September 2019. Being able to listen attentively and give accurate advice in my season was timely. I will never forget these few words during our first meeting:

The process is making you self-sufficient in God.

Trust and obedience.

The silence in that moment made me reflect as it was what I needed to hear. Those words made me feel better. I went home with a brand-new perspective on what I needed to focus on going forwards. I had to use these words and apply them in every area of my life, especially when uncertainly came knocking. I was battling between purpose and full-time employment and felt uncomfortable because of my eagerness to know what’s to come. As we are limited resources, there is only so much we can do.

As each day gets better, I am reminded that I don’t have to provide resources in my own strength, but solely depend on God who graciously gives to those who ask (Matthew 7:7).

The world teaches how we should live our lives within a specific time-frame, however, this doesn’t produce healthy results. We secretly compete and look down on ourselves