{"id":20416,"date":"2015-08-14T00:11:04","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T00:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/7-ways-to-emancipate-yourself-from-mental-slavery\/"},"modified":"2015-08-14T00:09:50","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T00:09:50","slug":"7-ways-to-emancipate-yourself-from-mental-slavery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/7-ways-to-emancipate-yourself-from-mental-slavery\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways to Emancipate Yourself from Mental Slavery"},"content":{"rendered":"

{{By}}: { {{Brigette Hyacinth
\nDirector & Founder of MBA Caribbean Organisation}} }<\/p>\n

Hyacinth was the name given to my forefathers by their slave owner, then bowing under western supremacy my parents called me Brigette. I cannot trace my lineage as far back to Africa, only to Grenada and St Lucia however, all I can safely conclude is that our slave master must have been quite a small owner because there aren\u2019t many Hyacinth\u2019s around.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/figure>\n

{{On August 1, Emancipation Day}} was celebrated throughout the Caribbean. This commemorates 1 August 1838 when full freedom was granted to all slaves in the British owned colonies. Between 1662 and 1807 Britain shipped 3.1 million Africans across the Atlantic Ocean in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Africans were forcibly brought to the Caribbean and sold as slaves to work on plantations. Despite being held captive many slaves resisted their enslavement and refused to be broken.<\/p>\n

Although slavery is no longer tolerated, many of us are held captive by limitations placed on us by ourselves or others. {{My whole life I\u2019ve been told \u201cYou can\u2019t.\u201d}}<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

These limitations inevitably lead to many of us suffering from the “Baby Elephant syndrome.\u201d The story is told how elephants are trained. When an elephant living in captivity and is still a baby, it is tied to a tree with a chain or rope nightly. The baby elephant tries with all its might to break the rope but it isn\u2019t strong enough to do so. It tries and fails many times until realizing its efforts are futile, it finally gives up and stops attempting for the rest of its life.<\/p>\n

Later, when the elephant is fully grown, it can be tied to a small tree with a thin rope and could easily free itself by breaking the rope or uprooting the tree but because its mind has been conditioned by its past experiences, it doesn\u2019t even make the slightest attempt to break free. This powerful animal has confined its present abilities by the limitations of past experiences hence, the “Baby Elephant Syndrome.”<\/p>\n

Human beings are similar to the elephant except for one thing, we can choose not to accept the false boundaries created by others or the past.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

{{Here are my 7 tips to break the chains that are holding you captive.}}<\/p>\n

{{ 1. Believe in yourself.}} You have to believe in yourself ultimately. Always Think big and Dream big. Focus on your strengths and work on developing your shortfalls. Don\u2019t compare yourself to others and don\u2019t let circumstances dictate what you are capable of achieving.<\/p>\n

“Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you.\u201d ~ Cynthia Kersey<\/p>\n

{{ 2. Work hard}}. Do what you can do. Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Take responsibility for where you are. Stop feeling like you\u2019re owed. In life, there are no handouts. If you want something, you owe it to yourself to go out and get it. Nothing worth having comes easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetermination and perseverance move the world; thinking that others will do it for you is a sure way to fail.\u201d ~Marva Collins<\/p>\n

{{3. Be Positive. }} Turn negatives into positives and make it a growing experiencing. Don\u2019t dwell on others opinions of you or take things personally. Don\u2019t blame and harbour toxic emotions. It will only hold you back. Let it add fuel to the fire. Envision the future and maintain your focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom. I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.\u201d ~Nelson Mandela<\/p>\n

{{4. Never give up.}} Be confident. Ask for what you want. Purpose in your heart that you will keep fighting for your dreams. How many times will you try before you decide to give up? This is your dream and you have to protect it. I try every door until I have exhausted all options and yet I don\u2019t give up. Once there is a will, there is always way and I am determined to find it!<\/p>\n

{“You’ve only got three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got. ~Unknown.}<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

{{5. Be Patient – }} For everything there is a time and season. The waiting period can be the most difficult but it’s important to not let doubt and fear creep in. <\/p>\n

\u201dNo matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. \u201cYou can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant\u201d ~Warren Buffett<\/p>\n

{{6. Have a strong support network.}} You can\u2019t do it alone. There are days when it becomes too much for you. You may need a little help to get back up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you.\u201d ~Edmund Lee<\/p>\n

{{ 7. Have faith that things will work out.}} Some things are out of your control. I trust that God will take me through those difficult moments and this gives me peace even when things don’t go my way. <\/p>\n

\u201cFaith is like the radar that sees through the fog\u201d ~Corrie Ten Boom<\/p>\n

Additionally, as my grandmother would always say, \u201cMake books your friends!\u201d It opens your mind to new possibilities and helps you learn from the experience of others.<\/p>\n

{ The saddest state a person can reach is mental slavery. They have already given up. Everyday I counsel individuals and I wish I could make them believe in themselves, but I can\u2019t. They will have to remove the shackles for themselves. This is your life! Don\u2019t let anyone else write your story. Take back the pen and make a great ending!<\/p>\n

“None can destroy iron but its own rust can. Likewise, none can destroy a person, but his own mindset can” ~Ratan Tata.}<\/p>\n

{{Source: Linkedin}}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{{By}}: { {{Brigette Hyacinth Director & Founder of MBA Caribbean Organisation}} } Hyacinth was the name given to my forefathers by their slave owner, then bowing under western supremacy my parents called me Brigette. I cannot trace my lineage as far back to Africa, only to Grenada and St Lucia however, all I can safely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000069447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-20416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000069447,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton20416.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton20416.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton20416.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton20416.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton20416.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton20416.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000069447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20416"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=20416"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=20416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}