Is Nigeria having birth pangs? To say that Nigeria is in a good state is a obvious falsehood however Nigerians’ tenacity to keep going is always commendable and noteworthy just like Nneka said ‘If you’re able to grow up in Nigeria and go through certain things,  if you can survive in a city like Lagos or Warri or Niger Delta, as far as I’m concerned you’re able to tackle anything around the world because you’re able to live wherever’

From the youngest to the oldest individual, a Nigerian living in Nigeria has been innately configured to be rugged. Sometimes, I wonder how some children scale through to surviving in an unwelcoming/harsh environment. One of these instances was when I saw a woman with a baby on her back as she sold pepper in the rain. She wore a nylon raincoat to cover herself and her baby. I thought to myself, ‘Is it even safe to protect the baby under a raincoat? Isn’t the baby prone to suffocation like that?’ Not to talk of the fact of having a baby under the rain with possible contact with pepper.

On different days, I have seen where the mother attended to the  baby  with the same hands she used to sell pepper to her customers. Other days, she will place the child in a big bowl while the child plays, the mother  sells her goods. 

This baby girl looks chubby and active that one tends to be  attracted to her. Some children don’t experience half of these and they suffer health challenges. Quite often, with acknowledgement of How it started Vs How it’s going  I look at  my life’s journey with gratitude and when I get to some places/people I say to myself ‘How do these people manage to survive in harsh situations and finally get out  of the unpleasant environment?’

This reminds me of how people like Nelson Mandela, Wole Soyinka managed to survive in harsh/inhumane situations. I reasoned within myself that the first thing to do is to decide that one’s mindset will not be configured or restricted to that harsh environment or situation. This is not an easy feat to achieve but I’m sure it can be achieved  by taking deliberate charge of the subconscious mind.  

Some years ago, one of my friends said to me ‘ Ife, do you know that one of your super powers is your subconscious mind? It’s like you have a grasp of what goes on in your mind…’  I only smiled and didn’t give a verbal reply but it tilted me to pay attention to my mind and needless to say my friend’s observation was not far from the truth.

So, how can you take charge of the subconscious mind?

1. Clarity: Be clear on what you want in your mind. If you are to describe your ideal kind of mind, what would it be, how will it be? What do you identify as content pillars in your mind? For me, peace is one of the content pillars in my mind.
2. Guard your mind: You have a responsibility to guard your mind. This can be achieved with intentionality and discipline. Whatever endangers your identified pillars of the mind, discard it as soon as you notice. It could be a conversation, a chat, a social media post, a book or movie. Be in charge of  your mind’s reins.
3. Continuously speak the positives that you desire: Reconditioning the mind is an active process that needs you to actively speak positivity in your life. For example, I call my name to myself more than other people call me. I often say words like ‘Ife you are blessed’, ‘Ife you are wise’, ‘Ife you are stupendously wealthy’, ‘Ife you can do it’.

 These three shared tips as simple as it seems are active hacks that will successfully help you take charge of your subconscious mind and maintain your sanity in a world filled with diverse upheaval.

What can we say about Nigeria? God bless and deliver Nigeria. My Naija people, let’s stay strong. The journey to birth a new Nigeria is ongoing, it takes birth pangs and travails to finally birth. We stay tenacious and resilient in our becoming as a nation.

Have a pleasant weekend and please stay safe. Je t’aime mon ami