The Sunday Mail
Rutendo Gwatidzo
I believe that many of us have laid our plans for the year in a manner that should set us up for success, if we act upon the plans.
The Bible says, “Faith without action is dead”.
Coming back to the topic of planning that I wrote about last week, the above extract from the Bible simply means that planning without action yields no results.
For years, some of us have been good at planning, but poor or bad at actioning the plans and this is probably the reason why we remained in one position.
Others have actually become worse off despite having amazing plans each year.
While there are many factors that contribute to success, execution of a plan is the most important ingredient for success.
Why act?
Until you action your plans, you are like someone who has seeds without soil.
Every year farmers buy or reserve seeds for the next year.
However, when rains come and those seeds are not put under the soil, they remain seeds and with time they may lose value.
Eventually, the seed may have to be thrown away. The same applies to plans that remain on paper and are not put into action, they eventually become outdated and irrelevant.
We are already in the second week of January and it is, therefore, crucial to begin to act now if you had not started already.
Everything big started small.
There is a Chinese proverb that says “the journey of a thousand miles started with one step.”
Be encouraged to start from wherever you are.
The process might take long for you to reach the desired result, nevertheless keep moving. Martin Luther King Jnr said, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl. Whatever you do, keep moving.”
The main challenge with some people is that they lack patience with the process.
They want things to happen fast and when things do not go their way, they give up.
Reality check!
Let us look practically at different scenarios. A house cannot be built in one day, even when there is ample labour and material resources.
A child is not conceived and born in a day. A business cannot be founded, become established and do well in one day.
Life itself is a process that involves going through different stages.
I then wonder why some of us want to reach the top in a day. Let us look at authors, from whom we learn different things. Coming up with a book is a process; the author cannot write and publish a book in one day.
Education is also a process; a degree, for instance, cannot be attained in a day.
Therefore, after coming up with your plans and strategies to achieve your goals, be patient with the process.
All you need to do is to keep moving towards your goal.
It’s doable!
Break down your plans into priorities in order to see which goals require action first and review progress as you go to see if you are on track.
The road may not always be straight, you may come across turns and twists, as long as the road leads you to your goal then commit to focus and endure the process.
Break up your plan into small easy steps to avoid overexerting yourself.
This will also help motivate you as you tick off goals accomplished step by step.
Momentum will eventually kick in and help you to keep going.
Try to always reward yourself when you reach a target.
Waiting to reward yourself once-off after the bigger goal has been met may drain your energy levels especially if it takes long to reach the goal.
Take heed: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far then move with others. It is, therefore, important to understand what you really want to achieve before you take off.
If you need company, then make sure you walk with destiny-helpers not destiny-killers.
Understand what you have in common with those you move with and see if it tallies with your values and principles because this is what will keep you together when the going gets tough.
Do not despise humble beginnings.
Be your number one cheer leader.
In as much as encouragement from others is crucial, you should be able to encourage yourself.
A man called David in the Bible was a great king and leader. Oftentimes, he encouraged himself in the Lord. Times may come when everyone else fails to give you the support in the way you want.
There may also be times when your partners fail to understand you.
These are the times you need to rely on your own inner strengths. I believe that everyone knows what helps them stand or makes them fall. Use that knowledge to your best advantage and keep moving.
Nelson Mandela said: “Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely day dreaming, but vision with action can change the world.”
Put your plans into action to avoid living in a fantasy. It all seems impossible until it is done. So, get up now and begin to act.
Be challenged, be encouraged, be inspired and make the difference.
All the best.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is an entrepreneur, HR consultant, team builder, transformational speaker and author. Contact: 0714575805/ [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo official fb public page
