KEEP TO THE PROCESS

 DON'T SKIP THE RUNG.

Attempting to reach the top of the slab covering the entrance foyer on one of my construction projects, permanently resting on the edge of the slab is a ladder I have always used to access the top of the building.

This time I had gone round the parapet slab and wanted to descend the ladder, I felt I could skip one rung as they were close to each other so I can get to my destination faster, I could have gotten to my destination even faster than I thought but with regrets, luckily I was alert to the impending plucking off and quickly regained my balance, I would have landed awkwardly and sustained a serious injury.

Succeeding in life is like ascending a ladder, you must go one rung at a time. On our journey to the top, diligently following the process a step at a time, and consistently growing through it is the only guarantee for a lasting stay at the top.

As governed by the law of gravity whatever goes up, jumps up will surely come down no matter how long it stays up, but whatever grows up, stays up. If you attempt to jump or skip the growth process with the mindset of getting to your destination faster, you can actually make it there faster but you will not stay there for too long.

It may not be easy or convenient to go through the process, but going through the process will ultimately make life easy. It is the desire of everything to go up as there are more spaces up there than down there. A seed also desires going up, but it realizes that it can't stay up by going up, it decides to go into the ground and start the process of growing up. This seed births a seedling that eventually grows into a tree and in due time begins to produce fruit for the benefit of everyone who would have a need of it.

The process is as important as the destination if not more, because what we become on our journey to the top is more important than what we get when get there. It is what we become that gives us the strength, knowledge, experience and expertise to remain there.

Make the process your priority not the destination, DON'T SKIP THE RUNG.

John Kamikun (Author 366 days of wisdom)

LESSON FROM TWO FRENEMIES.

 THE TEETH AND THE TONGUE.

The teeth and the tongue are inseparable partners and cohabitants, so it seems, but in reality they can be separated but their separation does not come without consequences; pain and malfunction. No human being can live independently, everyone must depend on something and someone for survival. This may be in different forms, but it is very important for their growth and progress in different areas of their living and existence.

As close and inseparable as the teeth and the tongue is, they sometimes have points of disagreement, the teeth, though major protector of the tongue would bite or harm the tongue, this will initially cause the tongue to retreat from associating with the teeth, but it will return to the teeth for comfort and caressing, gladly the teeth will help the tongue in its healing process despite being the cause of the hurt.

There is a big lesson to learn from the relationship and behaviour of these two, they teach us what real progressive relationships and coexistence should be like. Humans are the most complex of all living creatures and the most advanced in knowledge, but there are a lot humans have learnt and will and should still learn from both living and non living creatures.

There is never a perfect relationship without the determined effort of the people in such relationship to be the perfect person for each other, irrespective of what the relationship is about. What makes relationships perfect is the willingness of the parties to be perfect in the relationship. There would always be differences and diversity of character, opinions, and thoughts but being able to manage those differences and diversities are the bedrock for a sustainable, progressive and perfect relationship.

Sometimes, when we are hurt by the people we consider our ally, those we regard as family and friends, and believe they cannot cause us any harm, it is not out of place to retreat from them just like the tongue would do after a bite by the teeth, but we must also think of what might be the cause of such attitude at that time, we must after a brief retreat return to discuss and understand their reason or cause for what they did.

Life cannot be fully lived alone, and there is no one who is not capable of offending another, but in spite of offences we must always look for avenue for resolution and reconciliation, because it is in living together that growth and progress becomes easy.

John Kamikun (Author, 366 days of wisdom).

STAY IN THE GAME

DON'T BREAK THE TRAIL

Sometimes, the journey of life is like a journey without a map. You embark on a journey with only a vision of your destination in mind not knowing how to get there, but following as the unfolding of time and events lead.

These journeys aren't always as smooth as expected and envisaged, and if we are not careful and determined, we might be tempted to abandon the journey, quit our pursuit, and rescind our decision to follow through to the end, but we would have wasted every resources and efforts that had gone into the journey until that moment.

Winning in life as in sports, does not come easy, and takes a lot of hard work, determination, dedication, and grit. It takes staying true to the course, the journey, the process irrespective of the circumstances, inconveniences, and challenges that may come our way. We must be ready to give our all to get to that desired destination.

Steve Jobs once said "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

It is only an unbroken trail, a process that is followed through till the end that can lead to a destination of difference. The forward movement may not reveal the true importance of the journey, but a retrospective look at the journey from the destination will tell the true value and essence of it.

Trust your process, trust the journey, believe in yourself and be ready to give your all. Be a trailblazer, not a trailbreaker, the journey will not be easy, but not impossible, will be tough but, eventually will be worth it. Blaze the trail, don't break the trail.

John Kamikun (Author, 366 days of wisdom).

The Necessity of Patience

A SEASON AND A TIME

The wisest man to ever live; according to historical facts and evidences, King Solomon wrote, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Everything that happens in life happen in times and in accordance with seasons. When the season for a thing has come, its manifestation is easy, and if it does not manifest in that season, it would wait until another season. Manifestations never come out of season.

When you plant a seed of orange and it grows into a tree, there comes the time when it should begin to yield fruits, but despite having matured at a particular time it would produce no fruit until its own season. Life as in nature, is governed by laws and principles. You cannot overlook, neglect, or shun the laws and the principles of success and productivity and expect to be successful or productive.

When the time for a thing has come and the season has arrived, nothing can stop that thing from happening. It might be delayed but it can not but happen.

Patience therefore, is a key to happiness, fulfillment and a glorious ending. Like someone told the story of a man who was sent to a convention by his organisation, and when food was been served and he was consistently being passed by, he dragged the tray of soup from the server which resulted in his cloth being stained and soiled. Not knowing he was to be specially served on the high table as he was a guest of honour at that event.

When his time came to be on the high table, he was called upon but, he couldn't get up to go up because, he had dragged the tray prematurely and spoilt his cloth, his lack of patience brought him great shame.

Wait for your time, watch out for your season, when your time and your season comes never let it slide without putting it to maximum use. Your patience and hard work will pay off, but you must also be conscious of the arrival of your time and your season lest you become weary and give up.

 John Kamikun (Author, 366 days of wisdom)

START NOW, IT IS NOT LATE.

 STARTING NOW IS NOT LATENESS

Until a phenomenon, an action, a habit, a sequence, an inaction, an idea, a day, a week, a month, a year, a season is ended, another cannot begin. The end of something always mark the beginning of another, and sometimes until something begins the other will not end. Until you end procrastination, action cannot begin; until you end inactivity, activity cannot start.

Starting afresh is an opportunity presented to every human with the dawning of each day. Not starting yesterday does not mean starting today is late. In fact, there is no lateness in starting at anytime, the most important thing is to start.

New beginnings always come with the opportunity to start as a better person. It is not unacceptable to go into a state temporary resignation, but it is unacceptable to stay in that state permanently or for too long. You can rest but not resign; you can be quiet but not quit; you can fall but not fail.

As we continue towards the end of the year, and in this eighth month, we should remember what the figure 8 stands for; 8 signifies 'new beginning', it also depicts infinity (♾️): Endlessness of opportunities, limitlessness, continuity.

The world we now live in has thought us a lot about starting afresh, it has made us to understand that even at the end there is enough opportunity to start again, ask the Chelsea team of 2012. Even as the end draws near we can start something now that will bring us to where we want to be and give us what we want to have.

You started and quit, start again; you never started, start now; you are thinking of start later, start today; like a popular saying goes, "the best time to start was yesterday, the next best time is now". It is better to start late than to never start at all. Starting late is not lateness, it is only the latest, and the latest is the freshest, the newest, and the finest.

Tomorrow is gone with the ills and glitches it brought; today is yours to take charge, the canvas is clean and plain, start now to paint the tomorrow you so strongly desire. Start afresh, start anew and create the ending of your dreams.

John Kamikun (Author, 366 days of wisdom)