Pause…
I remember having an argument with my friend; a fitness trainer, on the way a tread mill works. I was of the opinion that the person on the tread mill exerts close to zero effort. I believe it was as simple as using the escalator. My scientific mind was quick to assume that since the tread mill was powered by some form of energy the user just needed to be steady and have a firm grip on the device. I was however told that this is not the case, my friend explained how the tread mill works and how the users needed to exert some form of effort else they fall… The conversation this morning is not about fitness, it is about the sad fact that many people exert effort in their lives journey but do not make significant progress.
It is only fair that life doesn’t celebrate efforts but results, I am writing this morning specifically to those who seem to be doing so much but achieving results far below the effort they are putting in. People who are sweating on the treadmill of life’s journey but can’t seem to record any level of progress.
My first instruction to you is this PAUSE.
We live in a world that celebrates being busy and mistakes it for productivity, the world that mistakes motion for progress. Don’t be deceived when people say you are hardworking, some of them are only being sarcastic. So it’s OK to PAUSE.
Now that you have agreed to take a chill pill and pause. Be sincere with yourself and ask yourself some serious questions and provide sincere answers. You should spend time asking yourself; relative to the kind of results I want, am I putting the right input? Am I intentional about my choices? Self-delusion or deception is a great disease, be sincere with yourself. Ask questions and make sure you get the right answers. For you to make progress you need an accurate or near accurate estimation of your current position. Don’t just rush through the motions of everyday life, pause and ask questions.
Once you ask the right questions, you are sure to get the right answers and a proper estimation of your current position. NOW you should proceed to draw a picture of your ideal destination. The truth is that we can only succeed in relative and measurable terms. What will the ideal you look like? What kind of results do you really want to achieve? I advise you write this down. I know success means different things to different people, so you would like to write down what success means to you in a way that can be experienced. Don’t just say I want to have a successful career. No. I want to build a career that is fulfilling, satisfying and that would conveniently pay my bills and … The point is that in drawing the picture of where you want to be, there should be some level of clarity.
The next question is now how do I get to where I want to be. The truth is that once the question of destination is answered, how to get there often shows up. To find out how, you may need to look at those who have the kind of results you desire and ask them how they did it, some of them are occupied so reading their books or listening to them is the closest you can come, but if you do that diligently, it would take you a long way. The truth is that if you knew better you would do better, so one major missing link between where you are and where you want to be is what you don’t know.
As humans, we are creatures of habit, and one very difficult thing to do is make adjustments, the truth is that on this path you would need to make painful adjustments.
On the journey to finding out how you will meet with things that challenge your thoughts and previous approach or outlook to life. Sometimes you would even squint and wonder why, but at this point, you must keep your eyes on the ball.
And I should tell you that it may take some time, but you would realize that you are getting closer and that you are not as far as you used to be.
As humans, we are wired to make progress, reach for more, this is why we feel discontent, uncomfortable or sad when we seem to be putting effort without substantial result… My recommendation is this
PAUSE…GET YOUR POSITION RIGHT…LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE…GET A ROAD MAP…AND MOVE…
SOMETIMES YOU REALLY DON’T NEED TO PUT IN MORE EFFORT, ALL YOU NEED DO IS PAUSE.
This thought was inspired in preparation for a career mapping and clarity session… (some thoughts were not fully captured, but I hope you find this helpful)
Olaoluwa Mamora
