adminArthur Marara Motivation For Success
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”(NIV) Ecclesiastes 11:6.
The key to transforming our incomes is set out by King Solomon in the above verse. This is one of the articles that will not be good for many employers, but help many employees.
A good employer challenges employees to discover their gifts and also maximise on them. The only way to add value to your company or organisation is by adding value to the people you work with. This also means giving them knowledge of how to enhance their incomes through utilisation of their gifts.
In the event that the company goes through a dry spell, employees will be cushioned as well. Why is it also important to write this article? The reality is that many people spend their lives on jobs which they don’t want, and even hate sometimes. Many people get very worried when Sunday comes because they know that Monday is approaching, and they dread going to that office again. Life ceases to have any joy and excitement which must accompany it. As the year 2015, you need to set one of your goals in the area of Financial Freedom, if you have not attained it as yet. This week I will share with you, a simple way of attaining this by taking charge of your time.
Facing the facts
That the country is going through economic hardships cannot be disputed, but what I can dispute is someone’s insistence that they cannot change their own lives.
The news of retrenchments, anti-retrenchment measures, winding up as well as judicial management among insolvency actions is common now. It is no secret that the several people are landing on a hard place when such cases strike. At least with my legal background, I can confirm the reality of this.
This week I am speaking to someone who is religiously looking at their pay slips and thinking they are going to change the course of their finances through it.
I am talking to someone who has been selected for compulsory retrenchment and has no clue on what to do to fend for their families. I am speaking to an employee who has not been getting paid for months, and is in oblivion as to what to do.
You can transform the state of your income, by transforming the state of your mind. When you refuse to be a victim, and choose to be in control of your life, you can move your life from where you are to where you ought to be.
The secret, which is not even a secret, is Ecclesiastes 11:6, and this week I want to share with you fundamental principles which can change your production habits. There are many things that I can share on how to enhance your sources of income, but I just want to focus on Ecclesiastes 11:6 for this article, and will address the other aspects in coming editions, so make it a point to buy the Manica Post.
“Sow your seed in the morning”
In contemporary definition, this means you have to go to your job if you have one. This is what many people do every day between, 08:00am to 5:00pm. So, if you have a job, go and work and serve your employer to the best of your ability. The challenge we have today, is of people who go to work and don’t serve competently. They simply work for the sake of working.
The trend is to look at what they are being paid, and formulate a measure of performance which is commensurate with the remuneration. You can choose to do what everyone is doing and end up where everyone ends, or you can choose to do the uncommon and end with up an uncommon result. If you are going to run your own business effectively, learn to serve other people’s businesses effectively. You are not paid for appearing at work; you are paid for the value that you bring to work.
“…and at evening let not your hands be idle”
This is the interesting part of Solomon’s advice. The key words are “evening, hands, idle”. Many of us put our brains and hands to sleep once 5pm comes. We come back very tired and exhausted and all we think of is just to eat and sleep and wake up the following day to the routine that we hate most of the time.
We stop thinking about working because we were serving on our jobs. Idleness is an interesting word. Idleness is a state of doing nothing. A lot of people are idle after their normal working hours. We are not using our hands after we finish our day jobs.
We are also not using our time effectively after we finish our day jobs. Once its 5pm, we think that it’s the time to go and sleep, watch movies and lots of television as well as invest more time on social networks.
Why do people do these things? The defence is simple, “tired and need to rest”. This is a consistent defence which many are holding on to everyday. If your life is going to change, you have to change the way you are doing things. You cannot be tired for your own growth; you cannot be tired for the betterment of your life. You have to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. Break the routine and start making yourself useful.
Take charge of your time
The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people lie in their time spending habits. How do you use your spare time? You can never change the course of your life, if you do not change your time spending habits. I am not moved by people who claim to be busy, and even busy for their own development. You can never be busy for your own growth. Create time for your own growth. For those who have jobs; you finish work at 5pm, and I know of many people who are punctual at leaving their workplaces and some even leave work earlier than 5pm. Your employer controls your time from 8am-5pm, and the remainder of the time is entirely at your disposal.
From 5pm-8am of the following day, you have 15 hours at your disposal. How are you using this time? I have told you many of us spend this time on television watching programs and news channels that even instil fear in us.
Imagine what will happen if you can be disciplined for at least two hours of that time, in order to pursue your own business, develop a business idea or grow yourself.
Out of the 15 hours that you have, you can commit just ten minutes or 600 seconds to read an entrepreneurship book, or listen to inspirational teachings which can teach you on how to start and develop your business. Take advantage of this time as well to communicate and link up with your potential clients after work. You do not change your life by huge gigantic steps, but by small consistent steps.
“. . . for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”
This statement suits so well what is happening in Zimbabwe. There is always an element of uncertainty in business. What is causing many people to struggle is that we are looking at just one source of income, and when that source is affected, we land on a hard place.
This affects a number of professionals who hold on to their University Degrees or College Diplomas and insist that they will only focus on what they went to school for. Well, it is very good to focus, but it is equally important to diversify, and widen your sources of incomes.
If you are going to look into some businesses in Zimbabwe, the salaries are not necessarily coming from the business itself, but from other sources of business. If you are an employee, expand your sources of income, and stop just looking at your pay slip. Find and discover more of what you can do.
God has deposited amazing gifts in all of us, but many of us only know what we learnt at school, but we do not know anything about our gifting. The words of Jim Rohn can give you some insight, “Formal education will make you a living.
Self-education will make you a fortune.” You do not know what will succeed, whether your day job; or your work after hours.
◆ To be continued
◆ Join me on StarFM on Wednesdays (9.30am-10am) for some moments of inspiration on the Breeze with Tariro and Iyati. Arthur Marara is an Attorney, Author and Speaker. He is also the author of the Personal Development Toolkit. Send your feedback to [email protected] or Whatsapp: +263 772 467 255 or visit www.arthurmarara.com.
Online Reporter