Self-mastery means becoming the heroes of our own lives. Once you embrace these empowering ideas laid out in the pages of this book, you will give up being victim in favor of being a master.

Blame is a convenient way of explaining why our life is not what we would like it to be. To become master of your life and live your highest potential, the habit of blaming others or circumstances has to stop.
 

Self-mastery begins with an honest inventory of our lives. As Socrates said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Start with taking responsibility for what you’ve created and learn from it. Next, see yourself how you want to be. This is an essential step in achieving your goals — to envision yourself already there. “If I can see it, I can create it," needs to be your motto.

In this study, all of the most successful people had a vision and were committed to it. They were self-motivated and believed they had the power to master life. And that’s one of the themes of this book.

Abraham Maslow developed a ‘psychology of being,’ which meant not striving but arriving, not trying to get someplace but living fully. Can you guess the common denominator he learned about how to thrive? I'll give you a hint. It has to do with faith and believing in yourself. And here is what he found:

We can experience enthusiasm for life when we work closely with God. The word "enthusiasm" is from Greek derivation and means "to be inspired by God." Let the beauty of nature inspire you every day.

Life is hard, and learning to live with sacredness takes more time, but the fact is, we can slow things down. We can face our own challenges, however large or small, with equanimity, on our own terms.

When we are caught up in the whirl of today’s hectic lifestyle, it’s easy to forget the truth of our potential. When we feel an inner emptiness, we are most tempted by any ‘quick fix’ that comes along. This is the time to turn within and seek inner guidance. Breathe deeply and welcome the quietude.

Power is drained, not created, by surviving in such a fast-paced world. The intense pace and stress of our daily lives can very easily put our peace, happiness, health and spirituality at risk.

When you compromise your dreams and values to live a life that is expected of you, rather than what your heart asks of you, you give away your power and disconnect from your soul.