IS IT PROCRASTINATION OR JUST RESTING?
“Procrastination is the nail used in building the houses of failure” this is what Dr Creflo Dollar told me two years ago when I first met him on LTV. Actually, I had postponed the writing of this chapter for tomorrow but remembering John Maxwell’s words “pay now play later, play now pay later” I’ve decided to pick up a pen and pepper and start scribing.
Procrastination is delaying to do something that you should be doing at this right time. You keep pushing it ahead usually because you feel you have some other important stuff to work upon if not being tired or lazy. Most of the time procrastination is mistakenly regarded as resting and most people dodge their responsibilities at a time as they postponing for tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year and so on and so forth.
We should not call procrastination resting neither should we call resting procrastination. In fact, God loves to rest His people but on the centrally He hates procrastinators and this is because He Himself is not a procrastinator. The Bible tells us that God created the whole world in only six consecutive days and rested on the seventh day. Being the creator He would have delayed the process by just one day to have a rest in the middle, but He never did that, He did all His work and rested on the last day. So, by making as in His own image God wants us to do all our duties on time and then rest after wards. There is something I’ve come to realize about procrastination and that is; it will never give you a chance to finish your duties and responsibilities, not at all.
I remember the days when I would postpone doing my home work for tomorrow in preference of watching the TV soup woman of my life on WBS TV only to have it still undone the next day and mostly I would realize it during class time because even in the morning I would be hurrying to catch up with daddy for transport to school and the end result would be whips from the teacher teaching that particular subject. And at end of the term my grades were horribly shocking. What does this mean? This means that every procrastinator knows what exactly is to be done and has work to do only he’s lazy and sluggish. William Danforth gives a hint about breaking this habit, “the best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb its routines” he says. For my case the teacher had to give a spank and daddy and mummy monitored my television watching schedule. I was only allowed to watch only news and quiet interesting my grades had risen by the end of next term.
Procrastinating is surely one way through which we dodge our responsibilities given to us by God and in this way one slowly but surely kills his God-given gifts ( Talents), yet He who gives the talents cannot at any one moment afford to see His precious gifts perishing, decaying and being misused. Remember the story of the three servants who were given talents to keep, and what happened to the third servant? It is quite sad that even the one talent he had eventually the master removed it from him and gave it to the one who had put his to proper use. As if that was not enough for an example. Jonah chapter one is yet another good reference for this case. We see God sending a violent storm over the waters and a huge fish to swallow stubborn Jonah and put him in the right place from where he is supposed to put his God-given talents to proper use. And the same applies to you; if you become stubborn dodging your responsibilities God will either take that responsibility away from you or He will forcefully put you in your rightful place.
“Hey, do you mean to say, that we should be working twenty four seven?" No, but I want you my brother/sister to clearly understand that there is a big gap that separates between procrastination and resting. When resting comes as an excuse for work then you are procrastinating. Understand that procrastination moves along with a bunch of excuses that are mostly not worth at all. And whoever is good at this game is what Pastor Peter Ssematimba calls AN EXCUSIOLOGIST. Are you one? If so, then what have you done to get rid excusiology? Nothing? Now you should understand still that the God we serve is a God of exercise not excuses, a God of challenges not chances. And He does not entertain excuses especially when they are given against His will over His beloved Image-Man. Jeremiah 1:4-9 gives a very good example here. Jeremiah thought that being young and having difficulty speaking would surely ‘save’ him from the responsibilities God wanted him to fulfill. However, this wasn’t going to be true for him. Perhaps, ‘young’ Jeremiah did not know that he was talking to a God who knew him before he was born.
In verse seven we see God dismissing Jeremiah’s excuses and commanding him at the same time. “Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to and tell them every thing I command you to say.’’ Says the Lord. When God gave you that talent, He certainly was commanding you to go and serve His people through it, and you serve them first for His glory and your success.
‘He spoke to Jeremiah, now how do I know if He is speaking to me?’ You might be asking. God speaks to us in different ways and ideas are one way. In this case, the ideas are developmental and more still they are to develop all God’s children in a way that glorifies Him. Some times we get such good ideas but after two, three minutes we forget them just like that. This is how I usually advise friends who face this problem. If you cannot maintain a good idea within your head, then write it down. For even the Lord tells us in Habakkuk 2 that, “ Write down clearly what I reveal to …… because what I show you will come true.” Surely you should the culture of writing all your ideas because they won’t, something must be done about them and the immediate thing you can do about them is to have them written down and you refer to them latter when you’re done with your daily work. This system works a lot of wonders especially for those who are so forgetful like me. I’ve used it for years now and the last time I counted my journals they were over twenty. All full of ideas, stories, motivational and inspirational stuff, nice pictures of flowers and cartoons from news paper cuttings. Wow, it’s just wonderful opening the pages of my journals.
Talking more about resting, you shouldn’t get me wrongly. You shouldn’t quote me as saying that we mustn’t rest, no. In fact I love resting and to be honest I want to tell you I am one big sleeper. I sleep till late because I know that God is the initiator of resting, (Gen 2:1-4). Nevertheless, I realize there is one fundamental rule about resting, for Him to rest, God finishes all His work and should His image. For your resting to be due and worthwhile, exercise must come first. Therefore, if you rest before you work then that ceases to be it, it instead becomes procrastination.
And more still, it is no guarantee that one must rest after each and every exercise. No way, there will be certain instances when rest must by all means be interrupted. Take for example; Jesus was woken up by the disciples to calm down the violent storm, (Mk 4:38-39). This means His sleep (resting) was interrupted as duty was calling.
Note that Jesus never gave any excuses to have to complete His sleep; instead He woke up immediately to stop the storm. ‘Why, He would have continued with His sleep’ one young lady told me. ‘Be cause, Jesus knew better, that he who is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else.’ I replied. George Washington is quoted for saying that ninety nine percent of failure come from people who have the habit of making excuses. Our Lord Jesus Christ never had this habit and I think that is why His mission is full and complete.
Therefore, beloved, even though it is your right to resting, it should not be a step to giving weird constant worthless excuses since they can only breed procrastination and eventually you’ll find yourself going downhill.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
STAR OR CELEBRITY: WHAT DOES GOD WANT OF YOU?
STAR OR CELEBRITY: WHAT DOES GOD WANT OF YOU?
The Bible in Mathew chapter two tells us that a brightly shinning star appeared on the sky the night Jesus was born. And it is that same star that directed the three men from the east to the place where the redeemer was. Apparently, we have heard of people ( particularly singers and movie actors ) calling and being referred to as ‘Stars’ but I think we need to differentiate, know and understand who stars and celebrities are in line with what really God created us for.
A star is more like a candle that burns out constantly to provide light to others but not necessarily for it’s self. Meaning, Stars shine to provide to those without, add unexplainable beauty to the atmosphere, surrounding and above all for the glory of the creator. A star gives pride, hope, inspirations, motivation and life to those that watch it. A star is created and born with all characteristics of people prosperity, which might be the other side of the coin for a celebrity since he/she has all the power to choose weather to shine for others or not.
Therefore, in this case we should certainly understand that a star can be at the same time a celebrity yet it might take some more effort for a celebrity to become a star. A star does not speak for his/her works instead; he let the works shout out for him. Just to go by the notion, ‘Action speaks louder than words’. That is one major characteristic of stars; they say less to work and achieve more. Jesus seldom liked people spreading news about His presence, works and miracles He preferred they kept quiet as His wonderful miracles shouted even louder. Mark 5:43 says “But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell any one……” and the same command He gave to Peter when he declared Jesus the Messiah. This shows that a star doesn’t put him/her self in the limelight, but he considers other peoples’ most pressing needs and takes them as his first priority. I guess you really understand what I am trying to mean here.
Take examples of people like Mother Teresa who worked hard and smart to relieve distress among the disadvantaged in Kalkhatha India, Martin Luther king Jr never had a comfortable sleep while he still fought for the rights of the minority African-Americans, while Mahatma Gandhi of India and Nelson Madiba Mandela of South Africa, are some of the world’s ever shining stars today and for all generations. In this case I cannot forget our own Dr Mathew Lukwiya who contracted the deadly EBOLA virus from one of his patients at Lacho hospital in district Gulu in the name saving lives, Philly Bongole Lutaaya the first person to publicly confess that he is HIV positive and come face-to-face with the virus that causes Aids. He made the public aware of the epidemic and I highly believe all this he did in the name of saving not only Ugandans but the entire world the most recent to join this club of stars is little YVVONE NAMAGANDA, a twelve years old heroine from the Buddo junior school, she dared loose her life while saving others from the fires that gutted the dormitory early 2008. (May the good Lord reward her abundantly.)
All these among several others, worked, fought and suffered to make the world a better place for other people to live in. like a candle, they painfully but patiently and gladly burnt out to shine alight for you and me. Actually, God wants us to be stars not mare celebrities. For a star fights and shines for a noble cause, which thing mare celebrities some times find difficult.
God is not temporary and neither are his works and friends and their works too. Todate, every believer speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They have been present for all generations and they will certainly continue. More still, God doesn’t work with temporary men, a reason why He never worked with Lot but Abraham, He worked with David more than He did with Saul because, Saul never had developmental future plans for Israel-God’s people. Saul had a temporary mindset that fed him with temporary plans for Israel’s future. This precisely means that astar is made to shine for all generations while celebrities are short lived. As the word suggests, celebrities are merely celebrated. They are celebrated for ten, twenty or thirty years and eventually go off-scene. They are forgotten and that’s all while a star leads legacy even when he leads a lowly, simple life. To conform this read Gen15:5. God promises Abram such a wonderful and mind striking line of descendants. Abraham has a legacy. How can you mention the word BELIEVERS with out having his (Abraham’s) name at the back of your mind? You definitely can’t, because he is the grand father of all those who believe in God. Regardless of the different religious denominations we have in the modern times. But Abraham led a very simple life full of obedience and love for people and the almighty father in heaven. Therefore, whoever believes in God the father, son, and the Holy sprit has a strong bond with Abraham, which is what the word of God says, (Galatians 3). From the same man, comes such powerful men like Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samson, David, Solomon and to crown the rather long list is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
A star uses his talents and abilities to help others as a way of preaching the gospel and extending the love of God to His creation. At this point you should be in position to understand that each human being is created a star and that is what the creator wants us to be- just shine a light to others. It is such a disaster when we choose to hide our beautiful light from the lord’s people.
I am not a football fanatic but I’ve taken keen interest in the Brazilian striker Kaka. The man does not step at the pitch before he makes the sign of a cross. Interesting, and to me this means he plays as Kaka but in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit. No wonder he is a brilliant ‘goal machine.’ And that alone pulls other players aboard the salvation boat.
Look here my friend, you don’t need to live a high life in order to become a star, and our Lord lived a simple life but He still influences and impacts the lives of many people each day that passes. (Hey, get me well, living a simple life doesn’t mean being poor either.) On the same issue Donald Trump says, “Always remember that the most famous doesn’t always equal the best. But at the same time always remember that some of the richest and most successful people live very simple lives.” God wants and created you a star and above all He wants you to lead a very simple life of helping others. “Well I want to be helpful to others. Shine alight for the needy but I am poor I do not have money” You might say. And I want to tell you that stars are not limited by money. You can do more without it. You can smile, hug, shake a hand, speak words of encouragement to those that are loosing hope and all these do not need money. And in through such simple actions you’ll definitely be shining a light and in reward God will promote you.
Yes, promotion comes not from the east, west, north or south. Promotion comes from the most high. But you must not forget that it is you who choose either to become a mare celebrity or a star and be responsible for lighting that candle and let burn out fro others to see clearly in their darkness, since it is the same God who gives power to change your self and perhaps others, put in mind that if change is going to take place around you, it must begin with you.
I
The Bible in Mathew chapter two tells us that a brightly shinning star appeared on the sky the night Jesus was born. And it is that same star that directed the three men from the east to the place where the redeemer was. Apparently, we have heard of people ( particularly singers and movie actors ) calling and being referred to as ‘Stars’ but I think we need to differentiate, know and understand who stars and celebrities are in line with what really God created us for.
A star is more like a candle that burns out constantly to provide light to others but not necessarily for it’s self. Meaning, Stars shine to provide to those without, add unexplainable beauty to the atmosphere, surrounding and above all for the glory of the creator. A star gives pride, hope, inspirations, motivation and life to those that watch it. A star is created and born with all characteristics of people prosperity, which might be the other side of the coin for a celebrity since he/she has all the power to choose weather to shine for others or not.
Therefore, in this case we should certainly understand that a star can be at the same time a celebrity yet it might take some more effort for a celebrity to become a star. A star does not speak for his/her works instead; he let the works shout out for him. Just to go by the notion, ‘Action speaks louder than words’. That is one major characteristic of stars; they say less to work and achieve more. Jesus seldom liked people spreading news about His presence, works and miracles He preferred they kept quiet as His wonderful miracles shouted even louder. Mark 5:43 says “But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell any one……” and the same command He gave to Peter when he declared Jesus the Messiah. This shows that a star doesn’t put him/her self in the limelight, but he considers other peoples’ most pressing needs and takes them as his first priority. I guess you really understand what I am trying to mean here.
Take examples of people like Mother Teresa who worked hard and smart to relieve distress among the disadvantaged in Kalkhatha India, Martin Luther king Jr never had a comfortable sleep while he still fought for the rights of the minority African-Americans, while Mahatma Gandhi of India and Nelson Madiba Mandela of South Africa, are some of the world’s ever shining stars today and for all generations. In this case I cannot forget our own Dr Mathew Lukwiya who contracted the deadly EBOLA virus from one of his patients at Lacho hospital in district Gulu in the name saving lives, Philly Bongole Lutaaya the first person to publicly confess that he is HIV positive and come face-to-face with the virus that causes Aids. He made the public aware of the epidemic and I highly believe all this he did in the name of saving not only Ugandans but the entire world the most recent to join this club of stars is little YVVONE NAMAGANDA, a twelve years old heroine from the Buddo junior school, she dared loose her life while saving others from the fires that gutted the dormitory early 2008. (May the good Lord reward her abundantly.)
All these among several others, worked, fought and suffered to make the world a better place for other people to live in. like a candle, they painfully but patiently and gladly burnt out to shine alight for you and me. Actually, God wants us to be stars not mare celebrities. For a star fights and shines for a noble cause, which thing mare celebrities some times find difficult.
God is not temporary and neither are his works and friends and their works too. Todate, every believer speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They have been present for all generations and they will certainly continue. More still, God doesn’t work with temporary men, a reason why He never worked with Lot but Abraham, He worked with David more than He did with Saul because, Saul never had developmental future plans for Israel-God’s people. Saul had a temporary mindset that fed him with temporary plans for Israel’s future. This precisely means that astar is made to shine for all generations while celebrities are short lived. As the word suggests, celebrities are merely celebrated. They are celebrated for ten, twenty or thirty years and eventually go off-scene. They are forgotten and that’s all while a star leads legacy even when he leads a lowly, simple life. To conform this read Gen15:5. God promises Abram such a wonderful and mind striking line of descendants. Abraham has a legacy. How can you mention the word BELIEVERS with out having his (Abraham’s) name at the back of your mind? You definitely can’t, because he is the grand father of all those who believe in God. Regardless of the different religious denominations we have in the modern times. But Abraham led a very simple life full of obedience and love for people and the almighty father in heaven. Therefore, whoever believes in God the father, son, and the Holy sprit has a strong bond with Abraham, which is what the word of God says, (Galatians 3). From the same man, comes such powerful men like Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samson, David, Solomon and to crown the rather long list is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
A star uses his talents and abilities to help others as a way of preaching the gospel and extending the love of God to His creation. At this point you should be in position to understand that each human being is created a star and that is what the creator wants us to be- just shine a light to others. It is such a disaster when we choose to hide our beautiful light from the lord’s people.
I am not a football fanatic but I’ve taken keen interest in the Brazilian striker Kaka. The man does not step at the pitch before he makes the sign of a cross. Interesting, and to me this means he plays as Kaka but in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit. No wonder he is a brilliant ‘goal machine.’ And that alone pulls other players aboard the salvation boat.
Look here my friend, you don’t need to live a high life in order to become a star, and our Lord lived a simple life but He still influences and impacts the lives of many people each day that passes. (Hey, get me well, living a simple life doesn’t mean being poor either.) On the same issue Donald Trump says, “Always remember that the most famous doesn’t always equal the best. But at the same time always remember that some of the richest and most successful people live very simple lives.” God wants and created you a star and above all He wants you to lead a very simple life of helping others. “Well I want to be helpful to others. Shine alight for the needy but I am poor I do not have money” You might say. And I want to tell you that stars are not limited by money. You can do more without it. You can smile, hug, shake a hand, speak words of encouragement to those that are loosing hope and all these do not need money. And in through such simple actions you’ll definitely be shining a light and in reward God will promote you.
Yes, promotion comes not from the east, west, north or south. Promotion comes from the most high. But you must not forget that it is you who choose either to become a mare celebrity or a star and be responsible for lighting that candle and let burn out fro others to see clearly in their darkness, since it is the same God who gives power to change your self and perhaps others, put in mind that if change is going to take place around you, it must begin with you.
I
AGGRESSIVENESS: YOU HAVE GOT IT IN YOU.
To be aggressive is behaving in a very determined and forceful way in order to attain a desired goal. For a talented man to become successful through his talents, he has to learn to wear, look and get immersed into the spirit of aggression and still act with aggressiveness especially for the follower of Christ because Christians are given the power of the Holy spirit by our lord Jesus Christ who himself is a warrior God. And the same Holy Spirit gives us the power of thinking to make worthy positive decisions.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me”
(John 14:6)
So the bible, the word of God plainly tells us that there is a way and Jesus is the way -this means that we should never give up because the way is readily available and it also means that God has a plan for those who are willing to step out of the comfort zone, walk the path and work for success. Now what can I do? This is the question that most people ask mostly when they feel they are going down hill and things are not working out, and my answer is clear and simple. Never give up! If there is any thing better in this world then it is never to quit, but rather to keep pressing and pressing on. You know what, dearest? God does not give you the power of the Holy Spirit to quit but keep you going even when it feels harder that you thought it would. Just keep on and God will definitely find on the way. Take for example, Moses never gave up on his journey to the promised land even when he came face to face with the red sea, and what did God do? He surely made a way for him and his people to crossover.
Another good example of aggressiveness is in Luke chapter 5. The two men had to climb up the roof, remove the tiles and lower their sick friend down in the midst of the room from where Jesus was teaching.
“And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. And when they could not find by what way they could bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus”(Luke 5:18-19)
Aggressiveness and determination cannot go unrewarded, “And when Jesus saw their faith, He said unto him, man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” (Luke5:20). Perhaps these two gentlemen were talent in helping the needy and the suffering, and they surely knew what it means to be aggressive. They knew that to have their friend healed they had to do every thing possible including carrying him atop the house. What an act of aggressive faith! But these were not the only ones with that spirit; also that woman who was suffering from a hemorrhage was aggressive to the extent of squeezing herself through a crowd, in order to touch His cloak and be healed.
While you read this, it is also paramount for you to understand that Jesus Himself doesn’t want the kind of spirit that quits. And this is because He’s not a quitter. Now, just imagine, if Jesus abandoned His mission to redeem this world, how would it look like? Why then should you quit? Luke chapter 19 tells yet another story of an aggressive man named Zaccheaus. Zaccheaus had to climb a tree when he realized he couldn’t see Jesus “….because he was little of stature” and he knew exactly where his talent lay. Still to show his appreciation to aggressive ones, Jesus gave Zaccheaus a historical visit. This really shows how God appreciates and rewards those that move out with determination to exercise their talents. So, you don’t need to wait, you have what it takes to become the best. Just wakeup and start on it. One thing to note about the people given as examples here, their aggressive spirit, works together with their determination and personal faith.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, American swimmer Michael Phelps set a world record of winning eight gold medals in all eight games. The secret to this overwhelming success is that every day he spends six hours practicing. And that is the kind of the kind of aggressiveness and determination if you are to have success at your disposal. However, to succeed does only mean being aggressive and determined, it also carries an act of faith. Firstly, have Faith in God, because he gave you that talent and ability to succeed. And, secondly, faith in yourself that you can surely make it to the top no matter what.
As if that isn’t enough for the examples, Genesis chapter one shows that God the Father is very aggressive at doing His work. He never stopped to rest a little, not until He finished creating this beautiful world. He is aggressive and determined to finish what He starts at, and so should be the people created in His image.
Quitters are failures. With talent you have to work around the clock to attain success and where it seems harder, press on, because success comes when you dig a little deeper. John Maxwell put it that, “Every person who has become successful has simply formed the habit of doing things that failure dislike doing and will never do” Failures are characterized of many things and no determination and less focus are just a tip. At school, failures never take hid to read and do research with zeal and purpose. At work, they tend to come late and demand to leave just as early as those who came earlier. I was very much surprised but encouraged to learn that Donald Trump goes to bed at 1:00am and jumps out at 5:00am ready for work. No wonder he is a multi billionaire.
Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “Every generation needs a new revolution.” You need to be aggressive at your way of doing things. And John C Maxwell simply but powerfully added, “If your vision-talent-doesn’t cost you something then it a day dream” to which I would like to make conclusion that there is only one time to make a difference in life and that is NOW.
OPPORTUITY VERSUS RESOURCES
Whenever the word opportunity comes to my mind, I quickly remember the words of my friend Ddungu Gaston when he said, “When an opportunity knocks at the door only fools can complain Of the noise it makes while others grab and use it.”
You find that God created this world with a lot of resources and opportunities for us human beings to utilize fully, first, for his glory and for our own development and success. Instead, we live our precious lives groaning and blaming God for our failures. By the way, what is the difference between an opportunity and a resource, and how do I know if there is one at my disposal? An opportunity is time when a particular situation makes it possible for one to do or achieve something while a Resource is something that one can use to help him/her achieve an aim or goals. So you realize that opportunities are timely, they come once at time and may never come again. Yet resources might be available for all the time. Therefore, if you have not been utilizing the surrounding resources, then you are in a total mess created by you. Donald Trump says that only an incompetent person could create and continue the mess but competent ones take their failure as a form of opportunity. Personally, I view failure as success turned upside down and inside out.
The first, free and readily available resource is YOU and the opportunity is the life God gives you. You have that energetic body and the ability in you to make it happen and for success to begin flowing your way. Another opportunity and resource is the environment and surroundings. The almighty father created and placed us in regions where we can best exercise our talents for our success and his glory. It is rare to find competent a swimmer in Karamoja but pastoralists. Uganda is endowed with a good natural environment and two rainy seasons a year, provides her an opportunity for crop growing yet Libya is good at oil mining being in semi-arid region.
Fine, you have the talent but the surrounding bar you from exploiting and developing it for your success. I suggest you move to a place that can facilitate your talent and excellence. Several occasions teams have traveled to Europe for practice in preparation for major tournaments not because Europe is a very nice continent-Africa is better- but because it offers the right conditions for talent development and a step to success. A one but sure way to be successfully is to think success, and one way to have success is to question your surrounding. If the environment and people around you do not offer, an opportunity, then better step off and find a suitable environment less it rots within you.
The book Exodus tells the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. God saw that the Israelites couldn’t effectively exhaust their God –given talents in Egyptian environment, thus He moved them to where they could worship Him and exhaust there full potentials. In his book Think like a billionaire, Donald Trump writes” Think of your self as a one man army. You are not only the commander in chief; you are the soldier as well. You must plan and execute your plans alone” for success.
Wise men search for more opportunities to add on those they find. Be curious. A successful person is always going to be curious. You have to de alive to your surroundings and hungry to understand your immediate world plus the opportunities they can offer you. If you do not do this then you really lack the perspective to see beyond yourself and abilities. Often ask questions and make research to find out what better opportunity does the new surrounding offer?
However, you should always do this mostly in your line of excellence to avoid self-confusion. It is not bad to know about what is actually happening in other fields though. Nevertheless, this should be done with great care since it might derail you. I know of a friend who is a netball genius, but when she discovered that d basketball is interesting she definitely joined and the next day she was in music but now, she is one of the street comedians in town. The last time we met she told me she is abandoning it to do something else. Isn’t this what the singer Fred Ssebata refers to as gambling? She is actually gambling talent and very soon she will be ‘retired and expired’
Therefore, when it comes to resource utilization and opportunity grabbing you mustn’t be over zealous, though. You cannot be good in all disciplines, you know only God is. What I mean here is that even multi-talented people need mentors to help them find where they are best. But still, such people should be careful while dealing with the mentors remembering that if we listen to others we listen to their dreams and many will not be shy to force their plans and dreams on us, thus the mentor’s job should be to teach you to be independent and guide you along the path to think independently.
Never look down on any opportunity that might run your way however small because in life the seemingly worthless things are the ones worth a huge value. In the world of talent and success they actually little things that really matter, and they are those little steps we make that push us up to the highest pick of a mountain. Take for instance; all believers are descendants of Abraham (Gen 15:5) and a once music-play-boy in King Saul’s palace, David became a powerful king of Israel- more than his predecessor. I know of a man who died form a pimple after surviving serious head injuries. I bring this example as an emphasis to the point of never under looking little things.
While you are trying to cease an opportunity do not fear making blunders, remember only those who do nothing make no mistakes and mistakes are part of the journey to excellence for they offer still another opportunity for you to learn even more. The queen of Hearts in Alice in wonderland once told her servants, “ Never let go of a dream until you are ready to wake up and make it happen” so mistakes shouldn’t shadow you from achieving your dream either. You don’t need to wait for someone to show you an opportunity for they might not. Better look out and then grab and engulf the opportunity. “What if the surrounding doesn’t favor me?” If you feel the place is so pathetic for your talent development and success the better move.
Edmund Hillary- The first man to climb MT Everest told a story. “In a small town an old man lived in the same house for nearly fifty years. One day he surprised he surprised every one by moving next door. When asked why he said, ‘I guess it is the gypsy in me.” Some times you’ve got to act you way without listening to anybody. David never listened to listened to his brothers before he killed Goliath. (1 Sam 17:26-54)
Fruitful opportunities come in several ways and many at times come clothed that we fail to see them with our naked eyes; we need wisdom provided to us by the Holy Spirit.
Dorothy stated as a volunteer at one primary school that never wished to employ her at the end of her volunteer task. Realizing the school had such a limited perimeter yet with out funds to buy land, she put her proposal writing skills at us and secured some money from which land was bought. To cut the long story short, she is the school’s Head mistress today. She made the board realize her potentiality and abilities after they had not thought of her as being all that useful. Now, what would you do if you were in her position, would you wait for the school to consider you before you considered your self? You’ve got to consider your self first and fast.
“If you think you can, you can. And if you cannot you are right.” Said Mary Kay Ash. Thus discover new possibilities for you life when you begin dreaming bigger dreams and living with more faith. Certainly, you will be astonished to discover that you are only an attitude away from success
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me”
(John 14:6)
So the bible, the word of God plainly tells us that there is a way and Jesus is the way -this means that we should never give up because the way is readily available and it also means that God has a plan for those who are willing to step out of the comfort zone, walk the path and work for success. Now what can I do? This is the question that most people ask mostly when they feel they are going down hill and things are not working out, and my answer is clear and simple. Never give up! If there is any thing better in this world then it is never to quit, but rather to keep pressing and pressing on. You know what, dearest? God does not give you the power of the Holy Spirit to quit but keep you going even when it feels harder that you thought it would. Just keep on and God will definitely find on the way. Take for example, Moses never gave up on his journey to the promised land even when he came face to face with the red sea, and what did God do? He surely made a way for him and his people to crossover.
Another good example of aggressiveness is in Luke chapter 5. The two men had to climb up the roof, remove the tiles and lower their sick friend down in the midst of the room from where Jesus was teaching.
“And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. And when they could not find by what way they could bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus”(Luke 5:18-19)
Aggressiveness and determination cannot go unrewarded, “And when Jesus saw their faith, He said unto him, man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” (Luke5:20). Perhaps these two gentlemen were talent in helping the needy and the suffering, and they surely knew what it means to be aggressive. They knew that to have their friend healed they had to do every thing possible including carrying him atop the house. What an act of aggressive faith! But these were not the only ones with that spirit; also that woman who was suffering from a hemorrhage was aggressive to the extent of squeezing herself through a crowd, in order to touch His cloak and be healed.
While you read this, it is also paramount for you to understand that Jesus Himself doesn’t want the kind of spirit that quits. And this is because He’s not a quitter. Now, just imagine, if Jesus abandoned His mission to redeem this world, how would it look like? Why then should you quit? Luke chapter 19 tells yet another story of an aggressive man named Zaccheaus. Zaccheaus had to climb a tree when he realized he couldn’t see Jesus “….because he was little of stature” and he knew exactly where his talent lay. Still to show his appreciation to aggressive ones, Jesus gave Zaccheaus a historical visit. This really shows how God appreciates and rewards those that move out with determination to exercise their talents. So, you don’t need to wait, you have what it takes to become the best. Just wakeup and start on it. One thing to note about the people given as examples here, their aggressive spirit, works together with their determination and personal faith.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, American swimmer Michael Phelps set a world record of winning eight gold medals in all eight games. The secret to this overwhelming success is that every day he spends six hours practicing. And that is the kind of the kind of aggressiveness and determination if you are to have success at your disposal. However, to succeed does only mean being aggressive and determined, it also carries an act of faith. Firstly, have Faith in God, because he gave you that talent and ability to succeed. And, secondly, faith in yourself that you can surely make it to the top no matter what.
As if that isn’t enough for the examples, Genesis chapter one shows that God the Father is very aggressive at doing His work. He never stopped to rest a little, not until He finished creating this beautiful world. He is aggressive and determined to finish what He starts at, and so should be the people created in His image.
Quitters are failures. With talent you have to work around the clock to attain success and where it seems harder, press on, because success comes when you dig a little deeper. John Maxwell put it that, “Every person who has become successful has simply formed the habit of doing things that failure dislike doing and will never do” Failures are characterized of many things and no determination and less focus are just a tip. At school, failures never take hid to read and do research with zeal and purpose. At work, they tend to come late and demand to leave just as early as those who came earlier. I was very much surprised but encouraged to learn that Donald Trump goes to bed at 1:00am and jumps out at 5:00am ready for work. No wonder he is a multi billionaire.
Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “Every generation needs a new revolution.” You need to be aggressive at your way of doing things. And John C Maxwell simply but powerfully added, “If your vision-talent-doesn’t cost you something then it a day dream” to which I would like to make conclusion that there is only one time to make a difference in life and that is NOW.
OPPORTUITY VERSUS RESOURCES
Whenever the word opportunity comes to my mind, I quickly remember the words of my friend Ddungu Gaston when he said, “When an opportunity knocks at the door only fools can complain Of the noise it makes while others grab and use it.”
You find that God created this world with a lot of resources and opportunities for us human beings to utilize fully, first, for his glory and for our own development and success. Instead, we live our precious lives groaning and blaming God for our failures. By the way, what is the difference between an opportunity and a resource, and how do I know if there is one at my disposal? An opportunity is time when a particular situation makes it possible for one to do or achieve something while a Resource is something that one can use to help him/her achieve an aim or goals. So you realize that opportunities are timely, they come once at time and may never come again. Yet resources might be available for all the time. Therefore, if you have not been utilizing the surrounding resources, then you are in a total mess created by you. Donald Trump says that only an incompetent person could create and continue the mess but competent ones take their failure as a form of opportunity. Personally, I view failure as success turned upside down and inside out.
The first, free and readily available resource is YOU and the opportunity is the life God gives you. You have that energetic body and the ability in you to make it happen and for success to begin flowing your way. Another opportunity and resource is the environment and surroundings. The almighty father created and placed us in regions where we can best exercise our talents for our success and his glory. It is rare to find competent a swimmer in Karamoja but pastoralists. Uganda is endowed with a good natural environment and two rainy seasons a year, provides her an opportunity for crop growing yet Libya is good at oil mining being in semi-arid region.
Fine, you have the talent but the surrounding bar you from exploiting and developing it for your success. I suggest you move to a place that can facilitate your talent and excellence. Several occasions teams have traveled to Europe for practice in preparation for major tournaments not because Europe is a very nice continent-Africa is better- but because it offers the right conditions for talent development and a step to success. A one but sure way to be successfully is to think success, and one way to have success is to question your surrounding. If the environment and people around you do not offer, an opportunity, then better step off and find a suitable environment less it rots within you.
The book Exodus tells the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. God saw that the Israelites couldn’t effectively exhaust their God –given talents in Egyptian environment, thus He moved them to where they could worship Him and exhaust there full potentials. In his book Think like a billionaire, Donald Trump writes” Think of your self as a one man army. You are not only the commander in chief; you are the soldier as well. You must plan and execute your plans alone” for success.
Wise men search for more opportunities to add on those they find. Be curious. A successful person is always going to be curious. You have to de alive to your surroundings and hungry to understand your immediate world plus the opportunities they can offer you. If you do not do this then you really lack the perspective to see beyond yourself and abilities. Often ask questions and make research to find out what better opportunity does the new surrounding offer?
However, you should always do this mostly in your line of excellence to avoid self-confusion. It is not bad to know about what is actually happening in other fields though. Nevertheless, this should be done with great care since it might derail you. I know of a friend who is a netball genius, but when she discovered that d basketball is interesting she definitely joined and the next day she was in music but now, she is one of the street comedians in town. The last time we met she told me she is abandoning it to do something else. Isn’t this what the singer Fred Ssebata refers to as gambling? She is actually gambling talent and very soon she will be ‘retired and expired’
Therefore, when it comes to resource utilization and opportunity grabbing you mustn’t be over zealous, though. You cannot be good in all disciplines, you know only God is. What I mean here is that even multi-talented people need mentors to help them find where they are best. But still, such people should be careful while dealing with the mentors remembering that if we listen to others we listen to their dreams and many will not be shy to force their plans and dreams on us, thus the mentor’s job should be to teach you to be independent and guide you along the path to think independently.
Never look down on any opportunity that might run your way however small because in life the seemingly worthless things are the ones worth a huge value. In the world of talent and success they actually little things that really matter, and they are those little steps we make that push us up to the highest pick of a mountain. Take for instance; all believers are descendants of Abraham (Gen 15:5) and a once music-play-boy in King Saul’s palace, David became a powerful king of Israel- more than his predecessor. I know of a man who died form a pimple after surviving serious head injuries. I bring this example as an emphasis to the point of never under looking little things.
While you are trying to cease an opportunity do not fear making blunders, remember only those who do nothing make no mistakes and mistakes are part of the journey to excellence for they offer still another opportunity for you to learn even more. The queen of Hearts in Alice in wonderland once told her servants, “ Never let go of a dream until you are ready to wake up and make it happen” so mistakes shouldn’t shadow you from achieving your dream either. You don’t need to wait for someone to show you an opportunity for they might not. Better look out and then grab and engulf the opportunity. “What if the surrounding doesn’t favor me?” If you feel the place is so pathetic for your talent development and success the better move.
Edmund Hillary- The first man to climb MT Everest told a story. “In a small town an old man lived in the same house for nearly fifty years. One day he surprised he surprised every one by moving next door. When asked why he said, ‘I guess it is the gypsy in me.” Some times you’ve got to act you way without listening to anybody. David never listened to listened to his brothers before he killed Goliath. (1 Sam 17:26-54)
Fruitful opportunities come in several ways and many at times come clothed that we fail to see them with our naked eyes; we need wisdom provided to us by the Holy Spirit.
Dorothy stated as a volunteer at one primary school that never wished to employ her at the end of her volunteer task. Realizing the school had such a limited perimeter yet with out funds to buy land, she put her proposal writing skills at us and secured some money from which land was bought. To cut the long story short, she is the school’s Head mistress today. She made the board realize her potentiality and abilities after they had not thought of her as being all that useful. Now, what would you do if you were in her position, would you wait for the school to consider you before you considered your self? You’ve got to consider your self first and fast.
“If you think you can, you can. And if you cannot you are right.” Said Mary Kay Ash. Thus discover new possibilities for you life when you begin dreaming bigger dreams and living with more faith. Certainly, you will be astonished to discover that you are only an attitude away from success
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