GO FOR IT! --by Kreed

http://www.ie.edu

“And this ain't no place for the weary kind

This ain't no place to lose your mind

This ain't no place to fall behind

Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try”

Earlier this week, I had recalled that sometime in 2009, I had watched the making of the movie 'Crazy at Heart' and I had fallen in love with their soundtrack. But I wasn’t in possession of a ‘good phone’ then, if you know what I mean. So early last month after almost 8 years, I finally downloaded the track. The above lines are the chorus of the track and I must admit, I didn’t expect it to be so lyrically ‘charged up’. The song was on replay for the first 2 weeks after it was downloaded but just like the others, everything often comes to an end. And oh, there is the other group that believe they are not yet ready, that they need to hit the gym for a full year before they can muster a mustard seed size courage to stare the obstacles between them and their goals in the face, procrastinating for a living and not actually living.

Everybody wants to be successful but only few are willing to get up every morning to work towards their dreams. If you ask at random, 100 people you come across what they want in life, majority of them will you ‘They want to be successful’. If you probe them further however, majority actually have no plan on how to get there. Somehow they believe it's spontaneous, not planned. Not a result of consistent actions, just some stroke of luck or something.

 Many people are eager to start up projects but very few have a ‘why’ for starting the project. Most shiver at the thoughts of the challenge, while others give up as a result of some imaginary fear their minds cook up.

Anyway, before I expend all my points in the intro, I'll just list below the few things one must do, if he or she is to get anywhere near his/her dreams. I know you've come across several tips like this but add this to your knowledge box.


SET GOALS
It’s definitive not ambiguous. I want a car, is different from I want a G-wagon. The former is some random statement, everybody says that. It could be a Peugeot 504, Volkswagen ‘beetle’ (old model) etc. It could be any car. The later however, is specific. You must not be scared to declare the kind of things you want. EVEN THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE POWER OF THE TONGUE. Positive words always attract positive vibes. So don't be scared to say what you really want. Don't look at your present situation. I had not wanted to make this religious in anyway but if I didn't, I would be a big fat wolf. Faith is a key. You must be able to see your tomorrow; you must be able to see beyond your nose (i.e. look past the challenges of today). I always prefer to see my challenges as mere mirage or illusion, just serving to distract me from seeing the real thing. So goals are the most important. It is the first step. You can't set targets if you don't have them. You need to have goals.

BE BOLD
Enter Action with Boldness: that's one of the laws in the book '48 Laws of Power'. Truth is, if you're not going to give your all, then don't start it at all. If you have no intent of winning it, then don’t compete at all. Don't be afraid. Some of us are too timid and often end up doing less than we actually desired to. Half-baked effort–in my opinion–is worse than no effort. 'Anything that is worth doing is worth overdoing'. Don't be fearful as to what the future holds. Rather be excited by the prospects of your dreams. Remember, you have to see beyond your nose. See what the world hasn't. Now you know why you need goals. Without it, it is almost impossible to have any form of focus.

Don't be fearful of who you'll offend either. Sometimes what you mistake as compassion or respect, is in reality, fear. Learn to look at the world with dispassionate eyes. DON'T JUDGE WITH YOUR EMOTIONS, people will play you and exploit you. Learn to rule your life with your head and not your heart. Don't accept everything that is given or offered. By that, I mean don't settle for less. Sometimes you have to be bold enough to say NO. This is especially important when negotiating business deals. Nobody is a friend at the table of negotiations, everyone has a vested interest. Don't try to please people at your own detriment. Don't be scared of what people will think of you. Regardless of what you do, people will still have an opinion about you, that's the truth.

BE CONSISTENT
Call me a hypocrite for all I care but I'll still say it: If you lack consistency, trust me, you'll only produce sporadic feats. Trust me; you need to be consistent in your pursuit. You need to channel your desires and passion fiercely into the pursuit of your goals. How bad do you want it? How bad do you want to win it? Then this is not the time to rest. Keep pushing till you achieve that goal. There will be time for rest but not just now. As long as you have not reached that goal, don't be contented with the progress, yes be very grateful but don't be contented till you have reached the destination–the goal.

Don't sleep. No, don't wait till tomorrow and hell no, you won't do it later. Do it now, yes, now. Clear off those tasks on your task list and then you can party for the rest of your life (no actually, just that day). Don't save the difficult ones for later, start your day with them. Procrastination is the greatest enemy of consistency. So don't fall a prey to its subtle tricks.
You can have goals, you can be bold but if you're not consistent, it's a damn waste.

DON'T PROCRASTINATE:

There should be a life sentence for those who do this (though I’d be in the prison if there was one). This is likened to what hawks are to chickens: a dreaded nightmare. I will do it tomorro....shhhhh, don't even say that, if it can be done today, then do it today. Tomorrow is pregnant with its activities already.

Don't complain that the day ends too fast, you just don't discipline yourself. God gave us 24hours for a reason. If it was too short He would have increased it. If it was too long, He would have reduced it. So don't complain that you don't have enough time. You need to discipline yourself.

LEARN TO PERSEVERE
This is the last, not the least but the bitter truth. If you think this journey will be a smooth sail, then you're a joker. It won't be. This will push you to your limits but don't shiver, because when you're against the wall, that's when you're most creative. So, don't pray for a smooth ride because there won't be one. The bible says 'No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper'. It didn't say no weapon will be fashioned against you. It is through this challenges that we become better. Trust me, if there was another way, every one would have met their goals. This trip isn't for everybody, so you can just step aside and be ordinary–stay in your comfort zone. But if you want to be more, then here is the truth many people don't know, "Eventually, the storm always comes to an end. Eventually, the clouds run out of rain". So don't turn away from this challenge. Run towards it! Oh, I almost forgot: when all seems lost, God will always meet you the point of your need.

Personally, I'm yet to achieve most of my goals and I'm probably still unknown so, I may seem not to be the Michael Jordan for the basketball lectures. However, in my defense, I know I will get there. It's just a matter of when. So, why should I wait or procrastinate till then? If I do, maybe Dangote or Elon Musk, will have a similar idea and write a piece as good as this before me. By the way, that's what happens when you wait 'till you're ready'. Someone else does it before you and sometimes even better. It is time to stop wishing. It is time to start acting. So don't wait for your dreams...Go for it!