Takeaways:
– Failure Must Not Be The End
– The Time Syndrome
– What Will People Think?
– I Can’t Get It Right
– You Don’t Know It All
– Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
– Courage Birth Endurance
Teasers:
“Are you having a meeting with yourself now about what people are thinking about you and your dream or vision? Or perhaps trying to measure up with what they think you can do and cannot do according to your background, position, financial, material, and marital and gender status? My friend, wake up!”
“A Bird Naturally Is Meant To Fly, But Still Practices How To Fly”. Ornithology, a branch of zoology dealing with birds reveals that birds learn how to fly much like a human toddler learns how to walk. In fact, it is a combination of instinct and practice.”
Note, majority of birds would not be able to fly until their muscle structure has had time to develop. You see, you cannot flow in your talent or gift or be good at it until you practice and develop it spiritually and naturally. While in process of developing their muscle structure for flying, to the baby birds, the nest is their place and the whole world or planet. And there is an African proverb that says, “The child who never goes out thinks his mother is the best cook in the whole world.” The fact being that he would never taste other foods and know there may be another good cook second or first to the mother. Here we find the importance of getting out the box of your traditions and culture to see, learn, practice and grow and become a better person who can dream and achieve your dreams as well — And to do this, you need courage.
“Remember, human beings always think about themselves first, and this knowingly or unknowingly make the human nature thinks, “Why Him or Her?” In effect, only the Godly, honest and humble ones will support or rejoice with someone who has a dream, or dreaming the remarkable that looks impossible.”
NEVER MIND…WHY NOT?
One of the worst things you can do to yourself in life is not to pursue or quit on your dream or vision. And if the only reason why you are living is to eat, drink, sleep, have a career, pleasure and some material possessions then you are, or will be miserable than anyone else in this world after all. Life is more than food, drink, career, material possessions and sex. Don’t let the pleasures of this world blind you on the realities and truths about life. You are not just here to have fun and feel good about yourself and die one day to return to the dust.
While success can be measured on different levels of life, life expectancy, circumstances, fulfillment, and people’s purpose and destiny, one of the ways for you to know if you have fulfilled your purpose and destiny or not, is to ask yourself this question: Have I reached my full potential? Meaning, have I done or achieved all I could in consideration of the life, health, talents or gifts, position, money, materials, intelligence, knowledge and wisdom God has granted me? Have you developed into actuality all that you are capable of doing in life or on earth? If your answer is yes, Congratulations! And God bless you. But if your answer is no, then know that you are justly and divinely liable to wake up and do something good with your life, and with your possession, position and disposition. Don’t let anything discourage you and paralyze your dream or vision. Don’t let anything hold you back from reaching your full potential.
Failure Must Not Be The End
One among the many things that can discourage you in pursuing your dream or vision is failure. Many dream rest dead when they experience failure, but failure should not prevent you from trying again and again. Keep the dream alive by remembering yourself why it is important to fulfill it and have a sense of urgency. Winston Churchill, a British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War (WWII), and widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders said, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” Lessons learned from failure can help you get it right the next time you try it again. Learn from your failure find out why it didn’t work that way and use another method or way to succeed and get to the dream.
Over the centuries, it has been proven that there is no great achievement without the risk of failure. All great discoveries, inventions and conquests went through failure and the test of success. Thomas Edison the American inventor, scientist, and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb declared about his failures in the process of invention, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” That’s right! Did you hear him? Your failure shouldn’t discourage you to stop working on your dream. Collect the reasons why it didn’t work the way you did it the other time, handle it and try it the other way until you win or succeed. An unknown poet once wrote:
Failure does not mean I’m a failure;
It does mean I have not yet succeeded.
Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
It does mean I have learned something.
Failure does not mean I have been a fool;
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.
Failure does not mean I have disgraced;
It does mean I have dared to try.
Failure does not mean I don’t have it;
It does mean I have something to do in a different way.
Failure does not mean I am inferior;
It does mean I am not perfect.
Failure does not mean I have wasted my life;
It does mean that I have an excuse to start over.
Failure does not mean that I should give up;
It does mean that I should try harder.
Failure does not mean that I will never make it;
It does mean that I need more practice.
Failure does not mean that
You have abandoned me;
It does mean that
You must have a better idea.
The Time Syndrome
One of the reasons why you are afraid of dreaming and fulfilling it is the processing time. When you focus too much on the time it will take for your dream to come to pass, you may be discouraged. When you focus too much on how long it will take you to accomplish your education or get that degree, that position, succeed in that business, maintain that marriage or relationship, get a good husband or wife, pray for your rebellious child or loved one to be saved, heal and delivered, you may be discouraged.
Time has always been an enemy of the human nature, because naturally human beings don’t like waiting. But do yourself a favor, take your eyes and mind off the time it will take for the dream to come to fruition and focus on the benefits of the fulfillment no matter how long it will take. Remember, by the time you get it done, you will forget the wait and it will be like you only started yesterday. The sense of fulfillment and joy will overcome the fear and frustration of the wait time. When a woman is pregnant, especially in her difficult moments of the pregnancy, she cannot wait for the day of birth. But when it comes and the child is born, the life, the cry and the presence of that baby makes the mother forget how long it took her to have that baby and perhaps, the malaises she experienced. Therefore, don’t let the time of an accomplishment prevents you to dream, fulfill it, and win in life.
What Will People Think?
Are you having a meeting with yourself now about what people are thinking about you and your dream or vision? Or perhaps trying to measure up with what they think you can do and cannot do according to your background, position, financial, material, and marital and gender status? My friend, wake up! Welcome criticism because they help you better yourself and correct mistakes. But when you know that you know your dream is from God and is a good dream, and you are going in the right direction, never mind what people are thinking or will think about you. The truth even is that some are not even thinking about you or looking at you—they are minding their own business. And the ones that are watching you are either interested in your dream and want to help you get there, or they are watching and criticizing you because they are just jealous and want to see your down fall. Everybody will not like you because you are handsome or beautiful, talented, intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, hardworking or anointed. Remember, human beings always think about themselves first, and this knowingly or unknowingly make the human nature thinks, “Why Him or Her?” In effect, only the Godly, honest and humble ones will support or rejoice with someone who is being blessed, or dreaming the remarkable that looks impossible.
It’s a blessing to have the approval of people about anything you want to do, but keep in mind that their disagreement does not always mean you are making a wrong decision or doing the wrong thing. Again, evaluate criticism, suggestions, and advices, make corrections when needed with humility and respect, but never completely rely on what people think to make crucial decisions in your life. After all, who cares what people think when your dream becomes a reality and proven to be Godly and authentic.
I Can’t Get It Right
Who told you, you are good for nothing? And why do you believe in that lie? Hear the truth, you are good at something and it may even be what you are trying now and could not get it right. Just because you can’t get it right at this moment does not mean you can never get it right or be good at it. Do you know that even if you are talented or gifted to do something in life you may not be good at it immediately? Every talent or gift grows as you keep using or doing it. In other words, you can get good at it if you can practice. Have you ever heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect”? But it takes courage to practice and keep practicing. To perform or work at what you want to get right or be good at repeatedly so as to become proficient.
A Bird Naturally is Meant to Fly, But Still Practices How to Fly
I remember when we were children; we liked tracking and trapping birds with our home made traps and keep them in the house, feeding and raising them. We liked looking at their feathers and hearing their beautiful vocalization or songs early in the morning and at any time of the day. We basically had to save some money out of the pocket money (weekly allowances) our parents gave us to spend for breakfast or lunch in school to buy some items to make this hobby and interest a reality. But the interesting part of it is that sometimes, we didn’t have to track and trap the birds to possess or have them. We caught them while the parent birds were training and showing the baby birds how to fly.
You Don’t Know It All
Ornithology, a branch of zoology dealing with birds reveals that birds learn how to fly much like a human toddler learns how to walk. In fact, it is a combination of instinct and practice. Even though some birds are naturally created by God or meant to fly, not all birds are instinctive flyers; and the ones that can, still need training and practice with the help of their parents to do so — become good at flying or professional flyers.
It has been proven that baby birds of bird categories which can even fly, have a natural or inherent sense that flying is a natural act, something that constitute their being – They are birds, therefore they can fly. This fact is not difference from the one that shows human baby instinctively understands that standing and walking is a natural thing he can and must do, and it becomes one of the first dreams or goals of the baby to accomplish. Yet, the baby at the same time knows that, to achieve that dream he needs help and practice; and that’s why he tries to hang onto anything around him and keep trying to fulfill this goal or dream until he becomes a “stabilized walker” just like any human being.
Note, majority of birds would not be able to fly until their muscle structure has had time to develop. You see, you cannot flow in your talent or gift or be good at it until you practice and develop it spiritually and naturally. While in process of developing their muscle structure for flying, to the baby birds, the nest is their place and the whole world or planet. And there is an African proverb that says, “The child who never goes out thinks his mother is the best cook in the whole world.” The fact being that he would never taste other foods and know there may be another good cook second or first to the mother. Here we find the importance of getting out the box of your traditions and culture to see, learn, practice and grow and become a better person who can dream and achieve your dreams as well — And to do this, you need courage.
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
You must step out of your comfort zone if you want to achieve your dreams in life. Another thing to learn from this is, baby birds are not responsible for food gathering and protection of their dwelling place or nest, so they generally develop a psychological dependence which must be overcome. In effect, the parent birds would teach them the importance of flying by remaining a short distance away from the nest during feeding. If the young birds are to survive, they must step out and away from the nest. Without doubt, sometimes they would fall on the ground from the tree and in worse cases, get lost, found and brought back to the nest by the parents or even caught by human beings like in cases we caught birds when we were children. This is risky for the baby and parent birds, but they know that’s the only way to becoming a great flyer. You see, even birds know before you can become somebody, you need to step out of your comfort zone and try, train and practice what you even already have in you, despite the risk.
But then, the good news is, after all the falls, risk taking, loss, and captivity, they become so good at flying; because they have learned about the mechanics of flight. Now they know how to control falls and fly short and long distances. And even know how to easily escape when they are captured; because I recall how many of the birds we trapped and captured as children escaped the cages we put them in. The practice and imitation also help them learn more advanced flying techniques like how to use the wind for lift, how to spot rising thermals and how to make controlled landings.
Courage Birth Endurance
Ultimately, science demonstrates that flying is an arduous exercise. And some experts show it is equivalent to human jogging times ten. Wow! But birds do fly everyday any way. It is also said that many birds have air sacs which act as auxiliary lungs. Each breath a bird takes is much more concentrated than an equivalent human breath. Birds also have very well-developed pectoral muscles for constant wing motion and an exceptionally strong heart for endurance. Hollow bones reduce drag and the natural curve of the wings creates significant lift. Most birds are literally swimming through the air, using the weight of the air beneath them to keep them aloft.
As courage is a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, you can’t be courageous if you don’t know the importance and urgency of your dream or vision to endure what you have to go through to fulfill it. And if you can’t endure it, you may not be able to fight the good fights of your life to become who God created you to be, and do the things He created you to do. Know how important your dream or vision is and know that you are the person, man/woman God has chosen to do something good in this world. Find what it’s and just dream, work and let it come to pass so that one day you will be able to say with Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4: 7).
Don’t forget next time we will be discussing the sub-tible “OPPOSITIONS”, don’t miss it…
Willie Yeboah
