“Two people can be born under very similar circumstances, go through similar experiences and yet arrive at different destinies. People sit in the same classroom and listen to the same teacher, use the same textbooks, do the same assignments, sometimes even get the same grades, but then as they grow into their future roles, they do not achieve the same levels of success in their individual pursuits.
inspiration with Cynthia C Hakutangwi
The same applies to corporate bodies, organisations and nations. Most of us have had the bitter-sweet reunion with an old neighbourhood or school acquaintance after about 10, 15 or 30 years of separation and realised that although the two of you have a lot to talk about in the past, you have very little in common to share with your present lives. Sometimes you become aware rather painfully, that while you might have made a lot of meaningful progress with your life, your friend is still basically settled at the same place he was when you last parted company. Your conversation after a few nostalgic jokes and back slapping, lapses into an awkward silence. Your beginning was similar but your present has become very different. Sometimes it would not be your friend who is lagging behind but you become aware of your own personal underdevelopment. You realise that whilst your friend has made some impressive hop-step-jump, you are still warming up on the fringes of the tracks of life.”
Can you get back on track?
The above quoted passage is an introductory narration of A Tale of Two Paradigms in the first chapter of Mensa Otabil’s book Buy the Future. When I read this short narrative a while ago, I realised just how hopeless one can feel when they realise how far they still need to go to redeem lost vision, opportunities and time. Sometimes life throws major curve balls at us that can fling us off track for years. There are many instances where individuals, families and organisations have failed to “get back on track” in pursuit of their vision. Sometimes the inner drive to rise up again and refocus is drained and there is no one available to jump start and switch the light back on for an entity to get back on the road. This “fizzled engine syndrome” is one of the reasons why some of the most potentially explosive individuals and organisations have stayed stagnant in park mode.
What are you feeding yourself on?
We may not realise it, but we are always feeding ourselves. What we watch, listen to, the people we are around, the thoughts we are dwelling on, feed our inner person. If you go to lunch with people that talk bad about the boss, make fun of a co-worker, put down a friend, they are feeding you gossip, jealousy, disrespect. Here is the key – whatever you feed is going to grow. If you feed guilt, fear, it’s going to get bigger. What if you spent that same energy feeding your faith, hopes, dreams? The people and thoughts that you focus on, are they inspiring you, building your faith, pushing you towards your dreams, or are they feeding your guilt, negativity, mediocrity, and causing you to compromise?
Develop and invest in yourself
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In early childhood, learning different things helps with shaping our adulthood. This process of personal development does not stop at any subsequent stage of life. There are always opportunities and ways of improving personal development at every moment of our life. Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realisation of dreams and aspirations. By doing an exercise only once or by simply attending one seminar, you cannot be expected to change your mind set forever. You must be willingly to immerse yourself in different forms of personal development every day with discipline. With your investment money, you need not invest only in your marketable skills. Going to the spa or by undergoing a massage you can increase your physical and mental health. Other personal investments can be in the form of purchasing books, subscribing to magazines and journals, night school, seminars or online courses and even a membership at the body building club.
For history or for destiny?
When you consider the significant relationships you have invested in today, do you feel that you are watering seeds or weeds in your life? Sometimes we invest so much energy into feelings, thoughts and individuals who take us in the wrong direction. Even though we may have faced setbacks, disappointments, heartbreaks and tragedies in our lives, there is no need for us to prolong seasons of mourning into a life time. The beat of life should still go on. We need to step into the rhythm of the present moment as we stretch towards our significant future. We must make decisions to weed out fruitless thoughts, ideas and individuals that keep us stagnant or pull us back to our past. Feeding disappointment will not bring you to a better place. If someone left you, realise that their part in your story is over. You need to get out of every negative environment and keep away from people who are bound by mediocrity. Do not surround yourself with people who tell you what you cannot become. Starve the weeds and feed your destiny. if you’ll quit looking backwards, mourning over what didn’t work out, you will find that your greatest joys, victories, accomplishments are still in your future.
Cynthia Hakutangwi is a communications and personal development consultant, life coach, author and strategist. Wholeness Incorporated Coaching offers you strategies you can implement today to become a critical thinker and problem solver. E-mail: [email protected]. Facebook: Wholeness Incorporated.
