5 Key Life Lessons I Have Learned for the Last 12 Months.
It is important to take some time off and do a reflection. It is even more prudent to write those reflections down as reminders of how to sail through situations for future reference. That is not enough though. It is crucial that we share those lessons with others as an inspiration to them. After all, the holy book says it is more blessed to give than to receive. It doesn’t necessarily have to be material things to be given.
So, for me, the past eleven months have been a mix of moving through life in a rollercoaster-like way, running and walking through the valleys and highlands respectively, getting frustrated as well as making wins and most importantly growing in stature, in wisdom and in favor with God and men. And here are the top highlights from such a richly mixed life well lived.
- Stop too much worrying and strategize.
It is okay to worry a little. But worrying too much is unnecessary. At one point I found myself ‘served with a full plate’ and I wondered how I would manage it. I became worried that the to-do list was full of tasks that from the look of things needed a dozen men to finish. I almost lost my sanity.
Today, all those things are done and accomplished. And guess by how many men? Only one man, yours truly. What changed? I stopped worrying, strategized, planned and then swung into action. Now here I am looking back and sighing about great achievements attained.
- There is no such thing as a long or short time in life.
Maybe I should start by reminding ourselves first that we should always remember that we are not eternal. We are mortal beings who must stay on this earth for only a specified period. That is our time. Unfortunately, we don’t know how long that time is.
With such an understanding, some people have gone into a frenzy that there is never enough time, yet others have found solace that if anything they will work with the upper limit of knowing there is a long time since they will, if they should, die past a hundred years.
I used to look at one year as a very long time. Then I changed at some point a few years ago and thought one year to be a very short time. But now, I do not think one year is too long or too short. I believe that any time is enough to accomplish that thing you set your eyes on if only you are focused enough.
- Live like a man who has nothing to lose but think like a man who has everything to lose.
This one is a tall order. What does it even mean? A man who has nothing to lose never fears. He is the man who meets and talks to people and if they reciprocate back well and well, if they don’t, he has nothing to lose. He is the man who seeks out help and tries things without thinking about what other people will think of him. He does what makes him happy. He lives his life. Remember he has nothing to lose.
On the other hand, a man who has everything to lose is deliberate and calculative. He saves for the future. He invests in himself, for himself, his loved ones and then others beyond the family circle. He is the man who has a fallback plan. He is deliberate in action and calculative in motion. Unfortunately, some of us duplicate one path in living and thinking. Learn this new tact of the two sides of the coin.
- Always plan for the end at the beginning.
I have learnt some things the hard way but now I am a bit wiser. It is important to plan way ahead of time. Living through life should be likened to equity investment. A wise equity investor is one who has mastered the art of knowing the right time to cash out of a venture. They don’t wait to figure it out along the way, they figure it out from the very beginning.
And as you do so, be like the man who thinks he has everything to lose. Have the plans and let them be your plans. It is your end game and so people should only know and see you as someone who is planless (the man who has nothing to lose) and offer you insights which may or may not be helpful. If you get great insights that helps you, great, but if you don’t, remember you got your things figured out already.
As a rule of thumb, always have the end in sight at the beginning or as early as possible during your time of sojourner in any endeavor. And if you are unsure what the end will be like, still have some idea about your end in sight. Just use or rather follow your instincts.
- Life always goes on.
This may sound as a cliché but trust me, it is one very important lesson that needs to be reemphasized as much as possible and as always as may be deemed best. Remember always that even the coldest night still dawns and that even when everything seems to have hit a dead end, the sun still sets.
In a nutshell, understand that you are dispensable in some way somehow. And that even when you think nothing will go on after you’re dispensed, life will still go on. So, take a break if you must, enjoy life if you need to, live your life as best as you can and take care of yourself as much as possible. While you live, understand you are your own best cheerleader.
Finally, take with caution whatever people say to you. Never take people’s words to heart. Never take people’s words at face value. Perhaps you should learn to weigh people’s words against their efforts before even starting to consider their actions. You will be disappointed and frustrated at several points in this journey called life, but remember the universe owes you no apology. Life always goes on.