Hi there,

I’ve been thinking about how important it is to stand guard at the gates of your mind.

What goes into your mind influences your thoughts, and your thoughts affect your behaviour.

When something has that much impact on your life, it makes sense to pay attention to it. Right?

This week, I saw this play out. On Sunday, I had a conversation with a friend I hadn't spoken to in a while, and we were catching up. He spoke about a project he worked on earlier in the year, the challenges he faced, and how he persisted until he got the result he wanted. It was his way of encouraging me to be “obsessed” with my content creation journey and take it more seriously.

That conversation actually made me make a decision that I implemented within the week, and as of today, I've been consistent (only skipping a day😅). So in a way, the conversation influenced my behaviour because it pushed me to do something I’ve been stalling on.

Earlier today (I'm scribbling this on Thursday evening to edit and post tomorrow morning Nigerian time), my colleague and I were talking about a stressful situation at work. Before that conversation, I left the house intending to complete two tasks. I even woke up early to give myself a head start with the first one.

Let me add, the conversation was a valid one with a real pain we were both experiencing, but that conversation dampened my enthusiasm to work because I felt so discouraged afterward. That was because my mind was now focused on a stressful reality.

I forcefully powered through completing the first task and couldn't work on the second. If I had that initial energy from early in the morning or worked from home today, I'd have been able to finish that up.

Yes, we can act despite what we hear and what we feel, but how much more optimistic and productive we'd be if we intentionally surrounded ourselves with conversations that edified and propelled us towards positive decisions.

Now I'm not saying sad, vulnerable moments don't have their place. I'm pointing out an observation on how a single conversation can dilute or strengthen your convictions, so it's something to watch out for.

Create space for real talk and emotional support, but know when to block out distracting or discouraging noise.

Also, create an ecosystem that uplifts and doesn't constantly drain you. You do so by being intentional with your friendships, conversations, and the content you consume.

It’s okay to take a break, to excuse yourself, to unfollow pages or people that don’t serve you.

Because even if it feels like it's not doing anything, what you talk about often is what you think about often, and what you think about often is who you eventually become.

So yeah, it's worth being intentional about.

Alright, that'll be all for now, until next time.

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Light + Increase,

Osose Christabel.

Question for you: Think of a conversation that changed your opinion, conviction, or desire recently. Was it in a good way?

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