Tired? ...take a LIFE-LEAVE

Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest. – Paul (The apostle)

The world demands so much from us. Indeed the demands on today’s adult far outweigh those our parents carried. I guess it brings to life the words, “to whom much is given much is expected”. We have been given much and so much is expected from us.

So many eyes look to us to produce results that we know within us are presently unrealizable. Parents look to us to make “many” money and solve all the family problems, they look to us to produce children that will make them grandparents - grand parenting is a class of its own these days.

Our ailing society looks to us and groaning the words, “Save Our Souls!” so loudly that our shut ears can hear clearly.

Our workplaces set obviously improbable goals and make the prayers we said the preceding morning seem as though they had fallen on divine deaf ears.

So we yearn for holidays – weekends or work leaves or maternity leaves – it does not matter which because we want any. Unfortunately, we get them and they fizzle away in an instant leaving us with the same burdened disposition we had before they came.

What we need is a LIFE-LEAVE! We all need our lives to rest while we get to do ALL we have to do.

How? 

First, get this into your brain: you are NOT going to solve all the world’s problems! Trying to solve all the problems of all the people you know is the fastest vehicle to failure, dissatisfaction and burden.

Second, seek for peace in your spirit. Shut the noisy world around you and create an atmosphere of quiet and serenity for your spirit. The peace within will grant peace without.

Third, understand that God wants you to have rest. Mathew Alphaeus quotes him as once saying: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” (The Message)

This "real rest" is the Life-Leave we need.

What Have YOU Become?

    It's never too late to be what you might have been. - George Elliot

I have noticed that most children have one thing or the other that they desire to become when they grow up. Can you remember those ambitions you had growing up? Mine was to become a Pharmacist. Now, I am a world away from that but I must admit that that ambition had its role to play in my life. What matters is the dream to be significant and it is OK to dream. The price you pay for dreaming is time and thinking energy. Since I have some time and lots of thinking energy at my disposal, I have always let myself swim in dreams.

A person’s ambition gives him a sense of purpose. It gives your life direction. When people go on with life without an ambition at heart, they are like directionless missiles. They could explode anywhere with great detriments to many.

Interestingly, there is in every person the belief that we can become whatever we choose. We all want to be successes in life. God placed that trait in us all.

        You need to determine exactly what you want: Such a clear-cut decision will make you an arrow in motion released from the hands of an experienced archer. This is important. Because people do not know what exactly they want, they move from one thing to the other.

You will also have to work with your strengths: make sure your ambition(s) align perfectly with your inherent strengths. This will first require knowledge of your strengths. Working out your ambitions based on this knowledge will equip you with the necessary tools required for the achievement of your goal. It will also make your goal fun to accomplish.

Make sure you break you ultimate ambition into smaller bits: one reason why we fail in life is because we are so troubled with the pursuit and immediate accomplishment of great ambitions. Every meal is easier to finish when eaten one bite at a time. Many things are impossible to accomplish with one swoop. Your ambition is one of those things. There is no need to fret though. Simply break it down into smaller, simpler bits and take one bit at a time.

What it is All About.

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”  - Albert Einstein

One of my students recently interrupted me while teaching and asked a question. He said: “Why do we do all this? Why do we wake up in the morning, get all set and leave our homes? Why?” With his question came sixty watchful eyes and attentive ears. They seemed more interested in the answer to this question than to any other thing I had taught in the last hour or so.

Lucky for me, I did not need to think too far to get what I hoped will be an appropriate response. This was because I had thought about this same question several times from my early secondary school days. I remember observing the early morning hustle and bustle of people and old vehicles in Kaduna and wonder why people needed to go through all these daily.

Why not simply sit at home and rest your life out?

The easy answer that presents itself is we do it for the money but I say no! I am not about to tell you that money does not play a part, after all it is popularly said, and believed by many, that money makes the world go round. But as writer, John Stainbeck states, “Anything that just costs money is cheap”.  My life should not revolve round only money and neither should yours.

We get up in the morning, take our baths and leave our lovely homes so that we can add value to the society. Without value everything is worthless. Indeed you must think in the direction of value for anything you do be worth your effort.

You are a nurse so that you can add value to the profession and society’s well-being. You are a policeman or woman to protect the lives of people, thereby adding value to the profession. You are part of clergy so that you can build people morally and spiritually, this adds value to the vocation and society.

It is always a sad thing meeting professionals that care little about the value they add daily to the society through their jobs. They would rather pray change comes by some divine impact than add their part of value, little as it may be, to the society through their fields. I dare say your little part of value is more important than your prayer. If you go the extra mile and combine the two you will have an explosive combination!

Lead NOW!

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled,they will say: We did it ourselves. - Lao Tsu

   
         You have all it takes to lead in our highly competitive world.

     People and performance are more often than not defined by the word, “Best”. All through our lives we have been pushed to outperform our peers and be better than they. This indeed has helped us to develop, improving from one state to the other, but it has also led to the under-utilization of personal potential. We may become the best in our class but never the best we can be.

     Nevertheless, to lead does not necessarily amount to being first. Indeed, to lead means many other things rather than what we have believed it to be for so long.

     To lead means to have vision. All visionary people are leaders irrespective of their position in the hierarchy. This also means that not every one occupying a position is a leader because it is possible to have a portfolio and lack vision.

     To lead means to influence. Many people have titles without influence. I have seen many instances where the person people truly follow is sandwiched somewhere in the hierarchy. Such a person is the leader without being the boss.

     To lead means to grow. Everyday progress is made in every field. The prevalent information in all fields is overturned with fresher ideas and concepts every few months. To lead in your field will require you grow with the progress made in your field. The person with the fresher information and concepts automatically leads the flock, and he or she does not need to be the boss to achieve this.

     To lead means to take initiative. Most people, including those in highly placed positions, do not take required actions unless prompted by someone higher up the stack. Such a person is not a leader. To lead you must learn to take initiative and act!

     To lead means to follow. If you must lead then you must learn to follow because it is in follower-ship that you find your leadership path. Benjamin Disraeli said: "I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?" Many would-have-been leaders failed here! They assumed since they should be leaders then they do not need to follow anyone. They were probably never taught that the way up is down.

     So, you can lead! Do not wait for an office or portfolio. Have vision, influence positively, grow, take initiative, and follow. This way you are a leader already.

180-DEGREES TURN TO YOUR SHOKOTO (Concluded)

         All you are looking for in Sokoto is in YOUR shokoto (trouser pockets) - Yoruba Proverb

“Much food is in the tillage of the poor…”, (Proverbs 13:23). Did you see it? Every time I read those words I grow goose bumps. The proverb says the poor man has all he needs in his land!

     Are you asking the question on my mind? Why in heavens name is he then poor?

Well for one he was obviously too familiar with his field. Familiarity they say breeds contempt. And so he looks at his field and says: “What is my talent compared to great talented people?” Or he says: “This thing I have is too small to make any difference”. Or he scoffs and says: “This thing? No it can’t be any better.”

     On the other hand, he may just be a lazy boy and say: “Nobody succeeds in this type of business, there is no need trying.” Or, “I am a Christian; God will do it for me.”

     Our poor man may just be someone who lacks discretion; he is unable to make responsible decisions. It was the fault of his wife that he didn't go to the field in the last week.

Finally, but not conclusively, he may just lack the necessary skills to manage the deep needs of his husbandry. He took the leap of faith and went to farm even when there were no rains, but does not have a clue what to do next.

     It really does not matter which among the above ails our poor man or if he is plagued by a combination of all of them what really matters is rather than run away from his field, he takes a 180° turn to the opposite direction, and plough. This he must do if he will not have the same destiny as Ali Hafed.

     You must recognize that YOUR field has diamonds! You must discern how to mine it. You must be diligent to plough your field. You must be discreet and learn how to manage the intricacies your own vocational-husbandry. Then, and then alone will you ensure you are not the poor man we just spoke about.