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More often than not, the challenges that confront someone have their roots in the Inside. This means that for you to overcome the challenges that lie on the outside, you need to first look inwards and overcome the challenges on the inside. The truth is, there is no "external conquer" without fulfilling the demands of the "internal conquer." To be better on the outside, you must first strive to be better on the inside.

<center>![Screenshot_20211219-181749_Chrome.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUqYDx2mV3Nx2aCWusjCnmvVSrk4auP65Cx72GBEK3VJS/Screenshot_20211219-181749_Chrome.jpg)</center>

<center><sub>Image from [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/vectors/analysis-automation-business-man-3606761)</sub></center>

If you have ever been privileged to cultivate cocoa, you will be familiar with a particular disease of cocoa. This disease attacks the cocoa inside but the outside will still be looking unaffected. However, after a while of the infestation of the disease, it will start to eat up the cocoa from within. If this is overlooked, the disease; at the last stage; will manifest on the outside and the cocoa would have been way beyond redemption. You see, before there is a manifestation on the outside, the inside would have been affected first.

There are many things that you have to settle from the inside first before they can manifest on the outside. For example, for you to live peaceable with others and for you to follow peace with them, you must first achieve a state of inner peace. If your spirit is without peace, it will be practically impossible to give peace to others. So you see, there is a need to make peace with yourself (including both your past and your present) before you can make peace with others.

The best in you can only come out if you put in actions to be better on the inside first. You will agree with me that when you want to wash a plate, the first and the most important point of call is to wash the inside of the plate because that is what matters. When the inside of the plate is clean, then it will become usable and the outside will also be clean. In the same way, when you become better on the inside, then the outside will follow suit.

It is saddening to see some people striving to be better than someone else and thereby subjecting themselves into perpetual competition, whereas they have overlooked the most important thing - striving to be better on the inside. The truth is, even if you become better than someone else but you have not become better than your own self, then you have not improved. Your improvement is not a function of how many people you are better than but how you have become better than you were yesterday.

It is worthy to note that the only one you are in competition with is not anyone from the outside but your own self. Trying to be better should be what to do on a daily basis. Instead of focusing your attention on competing with someone or attempting to beat their records, why not focus more on getting better and beating your own records? If you cannot conquer yourself, then it may become challenging to conquer others.

<center>![profits-1953616__480.webp](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSEj18BDjWMJz3vi5XaFyHMohkVGTJ3K64znkRaBWrqBD/profits-1953616__480.webp)</center>

<center><sub>Image from [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/illustrations/profits-revenue-business-income-1953616)</sub></center>

It is true that no one has achieved a state of perfection, but it should not be an excuse not to put in your best towards building up yourself. Even if you make a mistake along the line, you should not allow it to define you but you should get up quickly and make things right and not give excuses for them. To be better on the inside, you have to learn to take responsibilities instead of giving excuses or trading blames.

***Thanks for reading***

<div class=phishy>Peace on y'all</div>

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