A Man’s Self Talk

I could’ve done better in how I treated myself throughout the years. But I don’t regret anything because that was my path. To be quite honest sometimes I really needed that tough self talk. It got me through a lot of difficult things. Some really low moments. But that was then. Now I’m learning to be a little more understanding of myself while keeping that balance of accountability and not slipping into the I can do no wrong category.

Every time we wake up in the morning we can either defeat ourselves or give ourselves that push we need to get through the day. To be present. To be the man that is planting that sapling on the last day before the world ends.

Life is not always going to be ideal. A lot of the times you’re going to find yourself inside of the pain and the lesson. But one of the tragedies I kept putting myself through until I finally learned it is this.

When Allah gave me a test and I didn’t learn from it, didn’t look for the wisdom in why I was being tested, I would think to myself, woe is me. God is testing me again. Right when everything was looking good He pushes me down. That is the dumbest way to look at things and the most miserable place a man can live. Every single time I adopted that attitude you know what would happen? Allah would give me the same exact test again. Maybe three months later. Maybe two years later. Same test. Different moment. Until I learned it.

But every time I sat with the test. Said Alhamdulillah. Actually asked Allah why this was happening and looked for the wisdom in it and endured it with my chest open, that test went away. It did not come back.

And here is what I noticed on top of that. Every time Allah gave me victory through a test and another one came along, it was not as heavy. Because I was ready. Emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually.

The test does not change. You change. That is the whole thing.

Talk to yourself like a man who is being built. Not destroyed.