The terrible three

There are three terrible things that kill potential and prevent people from living out their true destinies. Fear, guilt and inferiority complex. But these are mere scarecrows that shouldn't stop anyone.

Find what makes you tick and be tick

To begin with FEAR, someone has rightly called it an acronym for "False Evidence Appearing Real". It's a real scarecrow because when confronted head on, it always gives way. Very quickly. But given chance, it enslaves viciously as we see in the tragic story of Okonkwo, a man so driven by the fear of being thought weak that he kills a boy under his custody and later a white official. Realising too late the enormity of what he has done, Okonkwo commits suicide and is buried like a dog, all his exponential prosperity coming to nothing. That's the trick of fear; it rushes you to do things and thereby crashes you. The only way to overcome fear is to understand its cause, and snuff it out with courage, perseverance and a sound mind. These help you to stay sober amid challenges and cope with hope.

As for guilt, it's antidote is in acknowledging your mistake, and making amends. All human beings are flawed and we all have been failures in one way or another. Even if you killed a man or betrayed your best friend, that guilt piercing your heart like an arrow can vanish when you eat humble pie by saying I'm sorry, seek forgiveness and forgive yourself. It's the only way to heal from the past and move on.

Lastly, inferiority complex is a terrible disease that often begins with wrong upbringing, and is exacerbated by comparisons. This world will always have people that are better than you physically, financially, intellectually and otherwise. So you have to quit comparing yourself with others and delight in your uniqueness, discovering and nurturing that one thing that makes you tick. Before you know it the world itself will be eating from the palm of your hand!