The Sunday Mail
Hunt for Greatness
Milton Kamwendo
Keep discouragement out of the door and put your best foot forward. Whatever happens do not stop believing in your dreams, in your ability and the huge opportunities and possibilities that exist.
If you cannot see something that does not mean that it does not exist. What you see is not all that exists. Persist, seeing the unseen and knowing what your heart knows and sees as real.
Do not be discouraged because the task is huge and the calling is high. Never underestimate your capacity, tenacity and creativity. It is when you put a new demand on your resources and capacity that new ideas and possibilities start to flow and you grow.
Do not despair because you are in a tight space and the resources are scarce. There are resources that are waiting for you to look up, and be ready. There are connections that are waiting for your mind to light up and your spirit to open up.
Do not quit simply because your breakthrough is taking long and nothing seems to be changing. Not everything can be microwaved, your strength grows as it is tested. Some things simply take time. The day of conception is not the day of birth. Growth takes time. Do not uproot a plant to check if the roots are growing and if the shoot is now coming. Do not turn back because no one seems to be backing you up and you seem to be in a lone battle. Being alone does not mean that you should be lonely. You need the space alone to do deep work.
Keep raising your chin high and you will make it. Do not despair. Keep the prophecies of doom away from your dwelling and working spaces. If you are cycling you are advised never to look down at your feet, but to look ahead at where you are going. So it is with life; do not let your head hang down in frustration. Raise your chin, look fear in the eye and face whatever you have to face, while dealing with whatever you have to deal with in order to be great.
Confront with faith and confidence the brutal realities of your situation and do not lose the conviction and confidence that in the end you will prevail. Do not allow yourself to plateau and lose steam. Do not allow anyone to announce your expiry. Do not look like history and talk like an ancestor. Get up, bury your failures in the sands of time, dust yourself and get busy. The journey is not over yet and there is so much waiting for you to show up, light up and get up.
Play
Stop playing with time, talent, treasure and the turns of opportunity. Get serious with your life and goals.
This life you are living now is not a dress rehearsal and you are not preparing or practicing to live. Today is the real thing and your goals and dreams are the real stuff, despite the rough rides. Do not waste time playing victim sports, and joining in blame games and making fun of those who are trying.
You have the power to play to win and not just playing to play. When you take yourself seriously, life will take you seriously and others will see that you are serious including those that used to laugh at you.
Put action
Stop just talking, threatening and complaining and start putting action to back your goals and dreams. Kick yourself into action, do not wait for life to whack you into action.
Make this your action year, action month, action week and action day. While others are waiting for things to change, take radical action. While others are waiting to be changed, take focused action.
While otherwise are waiting for the right wind, the best cloud, just take consistent action. You will never go anywhere if you work only when there is fair weather and you feel like it.
You will never go anywhere working minimal hours and prioritising your comfortable bed. Put action, more action and you will see what happens.
Pray
Pray always and with all kinds of prayer. Just ensure that you pray often whatever way you feel. It will give you strength and courage to face challenges what look bigger than you. There are many types and kinds of prayer that you can pray. A useful one is the serenity prayer that was written by Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971), the prayer has been widely used in sermons for many years. You can also join in to pray this prayer. It read:
“God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.”
Prayer knows no age, defies boundaries and crosses time. You may have heard of the prayer of St Francis of Assisi. He was born Francis Bernadone in the town of Assisi in Italy in 1181.
Never look down on yourself because of your place of birth or circumstances of today.
What is hard toward will not always be difficult. You have the capacity to rise above any situation, go beyond any barrier and become anything to dream and dare. After living a carefree childhood and young adulthood filled with filthy entertainment and unbridled pleasure, Francis fell ill at the age of 20.
Then his thoughts began to focus on eternity and his relationship with God. Francis turned from his wealthy carefree lifestyle and decided to give his life over to the service of the church.
He passed in 1226 after rekindling the love of God among thousands and founding the Franciscan religious order that continues today.
The Prayer of Peace, attributed to St Francis of Assisi reads:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen”
Decide that as you head forward you will be an instrument of peace because without peace everything falls into pieces.
Resolve that your life mission is to be used for noble purposes and the pursuit of great goals and ideas. Someone once said, the “eye for an eye” policy leaves everyone blind. Choose to be the difference maker and sow the right seeds. When others throw stones, choose to be the builder and use the stones purposefully.
When others flee and shun responsibility, choose to be engaged and to take positive proactive action. While others sleep carelessly, keep your eyes wide awake to opportunities that are fleeting by. While others fold hands and wait for change, get your hands on deck and into the matter of greatness and development. Think and do, but do not resign from action and tire from thinking solutions.
Persist
Keep persisting and doing what you know will take you forward. Some will say that you will never make it and think that they are giving you favourable advice. Just keep plodding onwards. Even if it feels like you are never going to make it do not ever sigh in doubt and sign off.
Dream big and hope that you will make it in due course. As the problems multiply, others will multiply their advice to you to give up go home, do nothing and be nothing.
Quitters never got any prize.
Dig in your heels deeper and shoulder the burdens you can. What they said you cannot do, you will do and they will soon be saying they knew you would do it.
Persist when your muscles are aching. Persist when your body is tired. Persist when your energy is low. Persist when all others have quit. Persist and keep hunting for your greatness. You are destined for greatness and let us settle this here and now: greatness is not for the mindless and lazy.
Committed to your greatness
Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, author, and growth mentor. He is a cutting-edge strategy, team-building and organisation development facilitator and consultant. His life purpose is to inspire and promote greatness. He can be reached at: [email protected] and Twitter: @MiltonKamwendo. His website is: www.miltonkamwendo.com.
