Sundaymail Editor
COMPLIMENTS of the new season to you all, wishing you a prosperous 2022. Thank you for the feedback that you give via different platforms whenever I write this column. Feel free to keep the feedback coming, it is appreciated.
The Question
“How can we make it in 2022?” This is the question that I received the most in this past week. What an interesting question it is because I also want to make it in 2022. This past year was challenging in many aspects. The pandemic, financial challenges, the social struggles as well as mental health issues were some of the negative effects of 2021, to many people.
I must admit that I suffered all these challenges as well, including many others that I didn’t mention. Nevertheless, 2022 is upon us, we have to face it and we have to make it alive and well in one way or the other. According to research and own experience, in order to be effective with the How part of it, you need to understand the What? the Why? And then the How comes along.
The Fact
Life is a battle. It is a series of fights and good things do not come on a silver platter, you have to fight. You are born to fight and you are destined to win, the struggle is real, but the victory is certain when you fight with winning strategies. It is not a matter of fighting anyhow, it is a matter of fighting strategically.
The solution/plan
Having a plan is one of the most important winning strategies of life. Before I go further let’s hear what other authors say about this. Luke 14:28-33 says: “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”
Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace . . . ”
Psalm 90:12 says: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
A goal without a plan is just a wish. Failure to plan is in other words planning to fail. Before you take off, slow down and make a thorough plan that will lead to your goal. What is it that you want to do and why do you want to do it?
Answering these two questions will help you to come up with a detailed plan on the how part of it.
Obviously many other winning strategies like commitment, perseverance and consistency will play an important part.
However, planning is the starting point. You cannot reach the end without the beginning, neither can you close without opening in the first place. John F Kennedy says: “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”.
This simply means that you should have planned for 2022 already before entering 2022. Nevertheless, it is not too late to start planning and if you hadn’t done so, begin today.
Here is the tip, don’t wait to feel motivated to start, get started and feel motivation along the way.
The key behind your future is planning, come along now and get started.
Instead of spending this first week of the year wishing for a better 2022, spend it planning and by next week you should be in the action zone together with others who started already.
Always plan ahead. “It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” — Richard Cushing Zig Ziglar” It is not what happens to you that determines how far you go in life. It is what you do with what happens to you.”
This brings us back to planning. When things happen, plan. On the other hand, when things do not happen, plan also. In other words, when you acquire what you like, plan on how to maintain it otherwise you lose it. When you fail to acquire what you want, go ahead and plan on how to get there. Every stage of life requires planning followed by action and this is how we ought to fight.
Whether you are a student, young adult, parent or grandparent, you need planning as the foundation of your success story.
Employees, managers, business owners, entrepreneur and other people across different sectors require planning in order to succeed. Many, know where they are and this is a place of disappointment, dissatisfaction, broke, inexperience, joblessness etc.
Many also know where they want to be and this is a place of joy, peace, success, abundance, fulfilment and many more.
What is probably causing the rift between these two places is lack of planning and direction. Your life cannot go according to plan if you don’t have any plan. If you do have a plan and your life still fails to go according to plan, then all you may simply need is to change direction and not necessarily the plan. It is therefore important to have a plan for your life.
Where to place your focus
A lot of times, many people focus on problems and challenges only. Do you know that many times, solutions are found in the problems and the challenges?
If you are one of those who have been focusing on problems in 2021, be encouraged to begin to look beyond problems in order to find solutions. Look at things from all angles, engage others in discussions, a different perspective may help you to begin to make a difference bit by bit and before you realise it, you may find yourself on top of the challenge.
In this past year I came across many people who spoke about how they failed dismally to be where they wanted to be.
At some point, I also thought that I failed because I did not accomplish some of the things that I wanted to. I decided that I was not going to give in to depression hence I started doing research on what it really means to fail.
I came across something interesting in one of the books that I read and it changed my thinking.
One of my fellow female Zimbabwean authors defines the meaning of FAIL in one of her books. Epi Mabika says “FAIL means Find Another Important Lesson.”
I believe this is the mindset that most of us need and we will not quit. Keep on finding important lessons in life until you reach the top and when you do, you continue to find important lessons again to remain there. It is my prayer and hope that 2022 treats us well.
May we be those that plan and act without ceasing. Be challenged, be encouraged, be inspired and make the difference.
Keep the feedback coming please and reach me on [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo official Facebook public page.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is an entrepreneur, HR consultant, team builder, transformational speaker and author. She’s managing director for Africanglow Enterprises that does corporate wear and interior designs. She’s very vocal and relentless in inspiring hope to the underprivileged to rise from setbacks and continue moving forward. Her strategic strengths come from the ability to see things differently to make a difference.
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