Picture this: I’m a medical student at Moi University, buried in anatomy, physiology, and pathology books, when I stumble upon John C. Maxwell’s “21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.” It was like discovering a forgotten piece of a 1,000-shilling note. This book was the absolute jackpot. Imagine my amazement at realizing qualities like Charisma, Commitment, and Courage weren't just innate talents possessed by the chosen few but skills I could develop.
You mean I can build discernment, intuition, and passion like any other skill? The realization blew my mind. This book blew my mind. Back then, you couldn't just scroll through YouTube or swipe up on Instagram for self-help content. nope. No YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and other trendy social media platforms did not exist in 2004. Smartphones? Neither.
If you wanted inspiring content, you hunted down tapes. Yes, clunky tapes... the little plastic rectangles that played sound. I turned into a tape-collecting colossus, hoarding every motivational speech I could find. Ravi Zacharias? This preacher remains one of my top public-speaking heroes. The man crafted magic with words. And then there was a Zig Ziglar, whose words could ignite enthusiasm in any sincere listener.
As I devoured tapes from Covey to Ziglar like they might go out of style (spoiler:they did), a realization hit me harder than a microbiology textbook: I wasn’t just collecting these books and tapes for fun. I remained aware of what I had “escaped"—a tiny, impoverished rural village. Accessing the tapes and books was a luxury. I was not just reading and listening. No, I was on an earnest quest to transform my mindset from the ground up. This quest was about turning theory into action.
So, I cycled through these books and tapes like a DJ spins records. I noticed incremental maturity each cycle I revised any book or tape. Reading “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” became an annual tradition, like a Christmas choral, with life-altering revelations. Every leader should study the 7 habits. Anyway, cycling through a handful of resources turned into my magic formula.
Having the wisdom of self-help gold was not enough; I realized embodying the wisdom required intentionality. These cycles taught me that learning is like a spiral staircase—you keep cycling but always moving up. Hello, my name is Dr. Job Mogire, and I am a circler. I can be boring when it comes to the things I love; I habitually narrow down to a few resources and revisit them ad nauseam.
Now, you are wondering why I am telling you all this in the wrap-up of “Embody: Shift Your Mindset in Just 30 Days?” I sincerely hope that this isn't the end, but just the beginning. Your first cycle has laid an imperfect foundation for the transformation you seek. The transformation that sticks requires doing the work again and again. Each time you circle back, various chapters will hit you differently.
Each time you return here, wrestle with the ideas and live them out, new levels of transformation will emerge. The seeds of authentic transformation will take root and flourish with time, patience, and persistence. Trust me, this is the most potent shift in mindset, and I hope you will walk away with this first cycle.
Here's my challenge: commit to going through Embody more times over the next year. Each round you study this material, you will reveal more of the person God designed you to be. And why go alone?
Jump into the House of Matery's 30-day Mindset Challenge. It is like having a gym buddy, but for your mindset. It's a community where we hold each other accountable, share breakthroughs, and grow exponentially.
Comments