The Sunday Mail
Hunt for Greatness
Milton Kamwendo
While you wait, time is passing and you either get better or you get bitter. This moment may look scary, littered with challenges all around.
This is the smell of opportunity. It is time to take a step. One step forward is not too much to ask. If you do nothing; nothing may ever happen and you may never earn or learn. Scared is what you are feeling, but brave is the action you take and action changes seasons. Stop scaring yourself and telling yourself horror tales and exhibiting evidence of failure. Head into action and move with focus. If you fail, learn. If you fail again, learn a little more. If you fail again, then take action again. Stop wandering what people will say and action. You cannot procrastinate and think that is a substitute for doing. Get busy and get engaged. Take A-C-T-I-O-N! Today is the youngest that you will ever be.
Ask
If you do not know what to do — just ask and keep asking until you get the answer. If you do not know who can help you — just ask and even if you have to ask for a long time you will finally be led to the person who can help you. If you cannot do it — just ask how it is done. If you are too scarred — just ask what the worst that caulks happen. Do not be embarrassed by asking.
Remember the words of the Evangelist Matthew who said: “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 The Amplified Bible).
If you do not ask you may never get an answer and may never learn. Do not bother trying to look like you know the answers, just major on the asking. Major on the inquiry. What you know you already know. It is what you do not know that will move you a step further. Keep asking and you will be surprised what you will stumble upon. Asking powerful questions will get you moving and taking bold action. Ask questions that jolt you out of complacency and recreational complaining.
Come
Come to the edge and you will stop fighting yourself and fly. Stop being in the comfort zone. Shake the dust off, shake off the slumber and come to the edge. Stop living in the grey zone of life where you know neither pressure nor challenge. Come to the edge and you will be surprised as to what will happen and what adrenalin will be pumping.
I am always inspired by this poem by Christopher Logue, written in 1969. Originally it was written on a poster to advertise an exhibition by Guillaume Apollinaire. Just come to the edge and you will grow the wings that you need.
Do not allow fear to tame you, or doubt to blunt you. Come to the edge of your catalogue of fears: fear of failure, fear of taking the first step, fear of the unknown, fear of fear or the fear of whatever. Whatever the fear, come to the edge and you will fly. Here then is Logue’s poem:
“Come to the edge,” he said.
“We’re comfortable back here,” they said.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
“We’re too busy,” they said.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
“It’s too high,” they said.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
“We’re afraid,” they said.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
“We’ll fall,” they said.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
And they did.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.”
The little potent poem peels off the layers of excuses and limitations. Peel off your excuses they do not have any market value. Challenge your limitations and go beyond them. Do what you have never done in order to become what you have never been.
Come to the edge and get out of your zone of comfort. You will never go anywhere when you just want to hover around the familiar. Familiar spirits are not angels. Come to the edge and do things that you thought were impossible. You will grow wings when you come to the edge because that is where creation resides.
It is that little push, that nudge, this one, that you need. I hope this article could just be that little nudge that gets you over the edge. Come to the edge and stop drawing circles, pacifying your fears and explaining your doubts and rationalising your timidity. Come to the party of the brave who dare pursue great things.
Talk
You never make any new move talking to the same people that you have been talking to all along. If you want to take new action talk to new people. Talk to people that are producing the results that you want to produce and you will get new ideas.
Talk to people that know something that you do not and you will be exposed to a new world. Talk to people that are older than you, you will be wiser. Talk to people that are younger than you, they will jump start your imagination and give you ideas you never had. Talk to strangers and your worldview will be stretched. The first action that you can take today is to talk to someone. Life moves forward on the wheels of empowering conversations.
Ink
Until you ink it, it does not exist. It is when you write it down that it comes to life. It is when you write the goal down that you give it life and form. It is when you sign that you commit. Before then it is just an intention. Go ahead, ink it to begin it! That is what action is all about.
When you write it down, you commit and you influence. You cannot move forward without making a decision. It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is decided. Mere suggests will not shape or make any thing tick. Ink it and you initiate it. When you write it then know you know you mean it. You start by writing down your goals, working on them, then the goals start working on you.
“O” = Zero
A few years ago it was popular to hear people say, “zero on it!” I think it is still a beautiful expression. Put a “Zero” focus around what you want to do. You cannot do everything but you can do something. You cannot go everywhere, but you can go somewhere. You cannot start everything, but you can start something. Focus your efforts.
Define your priorities and play to your strengths. The fewer the focal points, the more intense the power points and the precision. Focus your effort. What is the one thing that you will do this day? This week or this year? What is the one thing that your life will focus on?
Take that “O” and put it somewhere meaningful. Write a big “O” and fit just three things that you want to do. Focus on these and work at them with fanatical zeal until you are done. Others will tempt you with shiny things and flashy acts. Just focus. Refuse to be seduced and see with blinkers. Be known to zero on things.
Develop talent and capabilities with laser focus. Focus on an industry. Focus on a market. Be intense and you will burn through doubt and obstacles. You cannot boil an ocean but you can boil a pot. Zero on your goals. Pick one or two goals that really matter to you and really focus.
Now
Value this moment and do not take it for granted that it will always be there. Squeeze all the juice from this moment, make the most of the opportunity and space that you have. Take radical and immediate action. Do it now! Now is no moment to waste, waiting for a better time. Take action and start moving. You need the focus and the momentum. Stop being busy in matters that have no bearing to your goals. Use this moment, maximise the moment. Get on the move. Be a fire fly.
Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say and do. There is big work to do and there is small work to do. Do something now with what you know. Use and maximise now. Be on the wing. You can use the lesson of the firefly that gives its light when it is on the wing. Be inspired by these words of Og Mandino to Act Now:
“Henceforth, I will remember the lesson of the firefly who gives of its light only when it is on the wing, only when it is in action. I will become a firefly and even in the day my glow will be seen in spite of the sun. Let others be as butterflies who preen their wings yet depend on the charity of a flower for life. I will be as the firefly and my light will brighten the world. I will act now. I will not avoid the tasks of today and charge them to tomorrow for I know that tomorrow never comes. Let me act now even though my actions may not bring happiness or success for it is better to act and fail than not to act and flounder. Happiness, in truth, may not be the fruit plucked by my action yet without action all fruit will die on the vine. I will act now.”
Committed to your greatness.
Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, author, and executive coach. He is a cutting 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 or WhatsApp at: 0772422634. His website is: www.miltonkamwendo.com
