4 Things to Do this Year

The new year is upon us. As usual with the turn of every new season comes new expectations and renewed hope for success.

The human mind is such that it is expectant every time something changes.

You will agree with me that the past two years, 2020 and 2021 will go down in history as some of the darkest years.

This is a period when the world grappled with a serious pandemic that still threatens to wipe out humanity.

We have come to accept the reality of the situation and have survived the pandemic. However, we continue to live side by side with it.

We must, therefore, look with optimism at what lies ahead and not dwell on the past. For we cannot change the past but can influence the future.

As individuals, there is even an increased demand to be more responsible than ever before. The world as we knew it, has changed.

Perhaps this is the best time to reposition yourself and prepare to face the changes that lie ahead. If you have not taken the time now is the time to do so.

It is probably the best time to set your goals and aspirations that will help move you through the rest of the year if not your life.

The previous years as mentioned were very challenging, but you should thank God that you still have a life.

Every challenge comes with opportunities that are begging to be explored. It is better to be prepared than to miss out on an opportunity because you were ready.

Yes, I know that we lost a lot of productive people, young men, and women, to the pandemic. But do you realise that their loss also created vacuums that need to be filled?

The loss created opportunities for you and me to fill in. I am not being a sadist or taking pleasure in losing people, it’s just the reality I am trying to bring out.

Life is such that someone’s loss is some else’s gain. You may be complaining about not having enough opportunities yet someone else is seeing the direct opposite of what you are seeing.

Stop complaining about not having anything to do. There is always something that can be done. Position yourself and face the challenges of life head-on.

Start Where You Are

To move forward one needs to assess the assets they have for the job ahead.

If you are going to do business you may want to know how much capital is required and how much of it you have. This is both financial and human capital.

You cannot go to war without armor and expect to be victorious. It would be like committing suicide. Neither does a carpenter expect to produce good furniture without proper working tools?

You cannot also afford to wait to have everything before you set out otherwise you will have a long wait. The perfect time to start is now.

Start with what you have and gradually improve on them. Make a point this year to invest in yourself. You are the greatest asset you can ever have.

If you need to get an education make sure you set aside the time and resources for it. Above all take good care of your health and well-being.

My point is, just make sure you have a deliberate policy to invest in yourself this year and start with what you have.

Stop looking outside of yourself. Sometimes we waste too much time looking elsewhere yet we have the abilities and solutions within us.

Stop waiting for the unknown to arrive and work with the known. You will never know what you can achieve with what you have if you do not try.

Stop trying to figure out how to achieve your dreams and just get down to work. The how is God’s responsibility yours is to implement and ensure you get the results.

Dare to Count Your Blessings

Do you realise that you are more blessed than you think? That there are more people who are worse of than you?

Many of us think we are not simply because we do not realise what we have. The only time we come to appreciate what we have is when it is taken away from us.

If you have a roof over your head, you are more blessed than many people who spend the night on the streets.

I believe that everyone with the breath of life has a chance to make it. Because God desires that we live an abundant life.

It is when you list what you have that you realise how blessed you are. Most of the time we are not fully aware of what we have.

At the beginning of every year, I normally list down my possessions and belongings. This normally includes both financial assets and non-financial assets.

Along with this list, I also include what I don’t have these will typically be things I want to achieve. These are my dreams.

In the non financial assets, I include things like relationships, personal health, and many others that cannot be quantified in monetary terms.

If you think you are not blessed just list down everything you have and compare it with what you think you are lacking.

Whatever the result is, start making plans to work on what you do not have. This small exercise will only bring out the reality of your life.

It has helped and continues to be of great help to me. I have been able to make significant strides towards achieving my life’s goals.

Continue Dreaming Big

Your dreams should be the driving force for your life, keep them alive and stay motivated to achieve them.

I was listening to Les Brown the other day and he said you should have big dreams even, you are scared of them.

Aim for the stars so that when you fail you will have reached the moon.

The bigger your dreams the more you are expected to put in. If your dreams are small you will not achieve much.

Work every day to achieve your dreams. Do something that helps move you towards that which you want to achieve with your life.

Every event that happens is an opportunity for you to advance and show the world what you are made of.

God always allows us to express ourselves because that is his nature. He wants his children to be the light of the world.

Make Every Step Count

The Chinese say “that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Do not neglect to do the small little things that seem not to be important; they are actually very important.

It’s the small things that make the big ones. Every block in a building is important, take out one and the strength of the building is compromised.

The things you do every day are what determine the direction you are taking with your life.

If you are unproductive most of the time, that’s exactly what your life will be, UNPRODUCTIVE.

Life is always full of challenges. But it is the lessons we learn from them that help to shape our lives.

The strength and tenacity we derive from the challenges prepare us for what’s coming ahead.

Conclusion

What you have achieved is less than what is there to be achieved. There is more to be done out there that is still begging to be done. The Bible says “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

Originally published at https://insakanet.com on January 6, 2022.