A farmer decided to plant pumpkins in one of the planting seasons. The germination and early growth happened without any problem and a few months down the line, the pumpkins began to form. Before the pumpkins grew into their usual big sizes, the farmer, for no good reason, decided to place two of them into glass jars. He was neither sure of what he was testing nor the expected results. At maturity the farmer observed something strange. All pumpkins had grown big save for the two that had been placed inside the glass jars. The two had taken the shapes of the respective glass jars and only grown to fill the glass jars. How come the pumpkins that had potential of growing huge like the rest succumbed to glass restriction and grew small?
In life, many people perform like these two pumpkins. Many people live below their potential not because of innate deficiencies but because of mind conditioning. Many people have their lives surrounded by glass jars of different forms. Their thinking hits the walls of the glass jars and they end up settling for less. For some people, their glass jars are their environment; they perform consistent with where they live. For others, their glass jars are their associations; they perform consistent with the performance of their friends and associates.
Others are crippled by negativity from family, friends, workmates and bosses. They have been told that they cannot succeed beyond certain limits and they have believed. Certain traditions have also spelt doom on others; they have grown believing that traditionally they are not wired for certain successes due to their gender, education levels and clan characteristics among other traditions. Worse still are those who are their own enemies; those who have chosen to believe that they cannot make it in anything. They have surrounded their minds with self-inflicted negativity. They wallow in self-pity.
Which glass jar are you operating in? I imagine that while inside the glass jar, the two pumpkins were able to see their fellow pumpkins ballooning up into full size but their growth remained curtailed by the glass cover. Many of us have been reduced to witnesses of other people’s triumphs. We watch others achieve and move from level to level through our glass covering. We only afford to wish it was us. These glass jars have reduced potential masters into servants, leaders into followers and employers into employees.
The only way the two pumpkins would have grown into their full potential size without the intervention of the farmer, was to force-break the glass jar from inside. The same solution works for us. In order to break our respective glass jars and realize our true potential, we have to force-break the glass from within us. No one will do it for us. We have to liberate our minds and begin thinking and believing in our great potential. We have to tell these limitations that we are bigger than them. Our own creator never created a lesser person. He will therefore never be happy to see us living below our full potential. We have to push from within!
In order to break this glass, we have to shun negativity of all forms and subject our minds to positivity. We have to associate only with sources of positivity in order to streamline our thoughts and tune them into the world of possibilities. We have to run away from negative people because all they do is add glass covering to our potential. We also have to begin by defining our true identity, our mission in this world, for when you have a mission well defined; no glass of whatever thickness will stop you until the mission is accomplished. Do not follow the wind; do not conform to your environment. You are a unique product of creation with a unique mission to accomplish.
Do not allow a mere glass jar to condemn you to living below your privileges. Refuse conditioned life, refuse poverty, refuse stagnated businesses and refuse stagnated employment for all these are not your portions. Make deliberate steps to break the glass limitations by remaining positive and committed to your course. Stand and work for your rightful positions, do not fold your arms for it is never late to break the glass jar. The best part of your life lies right ahead of you, claim it, for YOU CAN DO BETTER!
Roy Okonji
Trainer | Motivational Speaker | Team Builder | Life Coach | Mentor
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