“Today
is the tomorrow you once talked about yesterday”
–Arreytambe Tabot
If you haven’t realized
this then let me say it again in black and white ink, “TIME WAITS FOR NOBODY!” We as a people have had such a warped understanding
of time. We have adopted certain
truisms that aren’t true without questioning their origin and authenticity. For example we say things like “Life
begins at 40” who said so? Why would you wait to get to 40 to begin living when
you can start enjoying everyday life today? People make resolutions to have a
better New Year than the former but amazingly these resolutions never see the
light of day. They find themselves sliding back into the very things that held
them down thereby missing again every resolution they made in the New Year. At
the time of my writing this post it is already 30th January, 2014
and 2 days to February. Sometimes we wonder where the time went to. I’m sure
like me you can remember the 1st of January like it was yesterday. This
is exactly how the time passes by and before you or anyone can say Jack
Robinson, the year is over and we are again preparing to cross over into 2015. So
knowing that time waits for nobody and also taking cognizance of the fact that today
well lived will prepare you for a better tomorrow, what should you do before
this month wraps up in order to be guaranteed a great year 2014? Here is what
you should do…
1. Retreat in order to advance
1. Retreat in order to advance
I know this point was supposed to come
at the end of the year 2013 but I dare to share it here because I am certain
that there are many of you reading this article who didn’t have a proper
retreat before getting into the New Year. The importance of taking time out
from work, family, etc. in order to spend quality time with yourself and God
cannot be overemphasized. No matter how much of a planner you are without
getting God’s input on the matter you are bound to miss it or hit it but still
miss it because you hit the wrong target. Like I always say it makes no sense
running up the ladder of life only to realize that it had been leaning against
the wrong wall or running and finishing the race but getting disqualified
because you ran in another man’s lane. So call a time out, get a book or two
with you (I recommend THE COMPOUND EFFECT by Darren Hardy), your Bible, a pen
and go to some place where you can have a quiet time with God. Avoid carrying
things like tablets, phones and all. You won’t die if you don’t check your
emails or Facebook for three days.
2. Be
specific in your plans
“I want to have a better year” and
the question I will ask is “How better?” Saying you want to have a better year
than the past doesn’t help you in anyway achieve your goal for a better year.
It is not specific and when it comes to achieving goals you have to give your
mind something to work with. The goal is the input needed by your mind which
acts as the processor bringing together whatever innate abilities lie within
you to full force so as to help in the achievement of that goal. For example a
written goal like “I want to read web programming for 1 hour a day from 7a.m.
to 8a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday” is a specific goal which brings us to
the next point.
3. Your
goals must be measurable
Can you measure a better year? Of
course not it’s too vague. But the goal I wrote in the previous nugget can be
measured with precision and accuracy. All I need to do is come over to your
place or wherever you would be studying between 7 a.m. and 8a.m. and I will
find out if your studying web programming or not. If you can’t measure your
goals, I guarantee you that the probability of achieving them is close to 0.
4. Beware of the pie in the sky
You also want to make sure that your goals are achievable if not you may end up
experiencing burn out, frustration and eventually quitting. You can’t say that
by the end of 2014, you would have saved a million dollars when your monthly
income is not even up to a thousand dollars unless you’re planning to win it
big gambling at the Casino tables in Las Vegas. News flash! You are far more likely to get struck by
lightning on a dry day than win a million dollars gambling in Vegas. “But
what about Multiple Streams of Income?” Yes, you may have multiple streams of
income but the truth is this is still a very unrealistic goal. There is a
famous saying that “Most people
overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in
ten years.” Remember everything happens in the process of time so don’t
bite more than you can chew in a year.
In other words, your major goals for
the year must be broken down in smaller goals that can be achieved within a
day, a month or a year. In this way what you are doing is that you taking care
of the smaller things in such a way that they add up to the big picture. Another
element worthy of note when setting realistic time frames for your goals is the
concept of prioritization. You should ensure that you are spending more of your
time on the most important goals rather than the least important ones. Don’t
sweat the small stuff or the things that can be outsourced. Your time is your
life. Let nothing steal that away from you this year. You also want to make
sure that you eliminate procrastination completely or if you have to then it’s
better to procrastinate on the things that steal your time. When you find
yourself saying “I will, I will” wake up and just do it “Now”.
6. Be
thankful in everything
You may be wondering what this
has got to do with having a great year in 2014 but I will tell you that it has
everything to do with it. A thankful spirit will do you more good than an
ungrateful one. This is what brings every other thing into perspective. What if
after doing everything you know to do, the results you expect don’t show forth?
All you have to do is look at the one thing that worked and be thankful for it.
You are better off in many ways than
many people so you ought to give God thanks for that. A living dog is better
than a dead lion. If you are alive and still have breath in you then I assure you
that there is hope for a turnaround. Keep your spirit alive and you will be
sure to get what you desire. That’s the reason why I included this video from
the Thanksgiving service of December 2013 at Family Worship Center, Abuja,
Nigeria. It was after watching the video again myself that I felt like “wow God
is really good!” That got me fired up and enlarged my vision for 2014. Make a
decision to share with somebody what God has done for you and you will be
amazed at the results. Thankful people are blessed people.
If you need any further assistance on anything mentioned here please feel free to send me an email at tabotarreytambe@gmail.com and I would try to provide the best help I can to you. Have a great year 2014!!!
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