The Sunday Mail
Rutendo Gwatidzo
I WAS recently involved in a discussion that was both sad and eye-opening. One of our family friends started building her dream home two years ago.
She intended to have completed the project by end of this year.
However, as a result of the pandemic, her income was cut significantly.
Her husband lost his job and they were unable to complete the project.
The couple decided to put up a roof on one side of the house so that they could move in while they saved money and progressively complete the project whilst staying there.
As she shared this story, she shed tears.
Why cry?
“Why are you crying?” I asked her.
“Do you know that many people long to be where you are right now?” I asked again.
She looked at me and continued sobbing. She then reminded me of my uncle. Years back, my uncle started building his dream house in one of Harare’s low-density suburbs. He was so determined to finish the project to the extent that he forgot about himself and his family in the process. He drove around in a problematic Mazda 323 vehicle even though he could afford to get it repaired or even buy another one.
He did this in the name of saving money for the building project.
His family could go for a very long time without enjoying delicacies just so that he could save money for the project. It took three years before his double storey mansion was at roof level.
One day, my uncle got sick. One thing led to another and he sadly passed on. We all cried bloody tears, but this was all in vain because it was too late. Only if he had paused for a bit just to enjoy his achievements while he could!
When is it the right
time to celebrate life?
At what point should one pause to celebrate life? Life is a series of battles and challenges at every stage. We need to overcome these challenges in order to move to the next phase of life.
Edwin Louis Cole said, “Life is lived on levels and arrived at in stages.”
This simply shows how we ought to celebrate life at every stage.
I wish my uncle had paused before his death to celebrate victory when he completed the foundation level. He could have done the same when he completed the deck level and when he reached the roof level. This would have given him a chance to celebrate his hard work while he could.
Think about it!
As we come towards the end of the year 2021, a lot has happened, both good and bad. I would like to remind someone that for being alive only, you ought to celebrate. Some managed to complete certain grades at school, some moved in to incomplete houses to save money and you ought to celebrate that move as well, especially if the incomplete house is yours.
Some lost their jobs, but they still have all their family members alive.
The list is endless.
The limitation is that, some people put themselves in a bad place because they feel that their victories, when looked at in comparison to those of others, are not worth celebrating. Sometimes the beauty of achievements can be seen when we refrain from comparing ourselves to others unnecessarily. Here are some of the helpful tips to help you celebrate life.
Train your eyes to see what is good in every situation.
In as much as we set targets for ourselves, let us pause to celebrate every milestone we meet despite how small it may be. When you really feel that you have nothing to celebrate, then join the celebration of those people you know and share community with. Consider their victory as yours also.
Celebrating victory does not mean you should stop working towards more achievements, it is just a way of re-energising yourself for even greater accomplishments, keep going.
There is an African proverb that says, “Those who celebrate the small victories and simple pleasures win the game over and over again.”
Find something worth celebrating as we end the year. This will boost your energy levels for the upcoming year.
A simple remark from someone saying, “Because of you, I didn’t give up this year,” is worthy celebrating because you made a difference in someone else’s life.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is an entrepreneur, HR consultant, team builder, transformational speaker and author. Contact details 0714575805 / [email protected]
