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Hunt for Greatness Milton Kamwendo
You are unstoppable and you can become whatever you dream to be. There are many things that threaten to stop and immobilise you. Just keep moving, keep focused and keep learning and growing. Doubt your limitations, and redefine your boundaries. Challenge the limiting beliefs that you have. Who told you that it cannot be done?
You will find that usually the biggest obstacle to overcome is in your head — in the way you think and process information. Some beliefs have outlived their usefulness. Some are outright unreasonable. Refuse to be bound to the fears of the past and negative conditioning of other people. What is going on in your head is more important than what is going on around you.
Like the Jonny Walker man, “keep walking!” You may have to walk slowly but do not dare walk backwards. Just keep walking, inspired by a noble vision and inspiring goals. Let your eyes look straight ahead. Do not look back, because the past is not history. Do not look down, because the future it is ahead of you and beckoning. Wherever your focus goes, there your attention will go. When your focus is broken it is easier for your spirit to be broken. Whatever you desire keep focused on it and keep working towards it.
Take personal responsibility for your greatness. Do not be tempted to draw up a blame-list. There is no one to blame. Take full responsibility for your life. You have to say if anything is to be it is up to you. Commit to doing whatever it takes. Whenever you blame anyone you give up and surrender the power to change.
Nothing really is impossible. The impossible is the undone. Do not let other people frame boundaries for you. They may set too low a ceiling and too small a space for your dreams to fit in. Move out of your comfort zone and be willing to go where you have never been, and do what you have never done before. Greatness can take time, but then what doesn’t? Do not be disappointed when things do not happen as fast as you thought they would. Keep patiently working on your greatness. Stick to the knitting and keep running your race and stay the course.
Keep the things that you desire in focus. Do not be disappointed because things that you desire do not seem to be happening as fast as you wish. “Desiderata” is a Latin word that means, “desired things.” This is the title of a poem that was written by Max Ehrmann of Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1921. He registered a copyright to the work in 1927. In 1959 Reverend Frederick Kates, Rector of Saint Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland, included “Desiderata” in a compilation of devotional materials for his congregation. The compilation included the church’s foundation date, “Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore AD 1692. Some people have erroneously therefore associated the writing of this poem with this latter date.
Here is Max Ehrmann’s “Desiderata” poem:
“Desiderata
GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”
The noise
See beyond the crowd. Hear the noise but do not let the noise drown you or cloud your thinking and vision. You cannot do what everyone else if doing and expect to get something different from what everyone else is getting.
Stand on firm ground and clear your thinking. In the middle of the noise, take heart and be still enough to hear the still small assuring voice of hope. Maintain your focus and keep moving. There will always be noise in the air, but do not let its negative rays prick your mind and blur your thinking.
The negative
You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can stop then from building a nest over your head. So it is with the negative. Do not let negative thoughts build a nest in your head.
Refuse to be a dumping ground of other people’s negativity. Focus on where you want to go and not where you do not intend to go. Do not let other people’s negative conditioning become part of your mental kit and thought-ware. Disconnect from sources that feed you with the negative junk.
Keep interested
Keep interested in your career, your vision and your goals. Keep developing yourself and upgrading your skills.
Past success is not a guarantee of future success. Keep a sharp edge by valuing skill and competence. Keep learning so that you can keep leading. Do not let disappointment tempt you to think that competence does not matter. Build your capacity and fortify your strong points. Keep building and strengthening your capacity. Be enthusiastic about developing yourself and improving your lot. Everyday become better than you were the last time. Do not plateau or else you will become irrelevant.
Be yourself
There is no one who can be you. Be yourself and the best version of yourself that is possible. Improve and work on yourself. Address your weaknesses, fortify your strengths. Bring your gifting and your flavour to the spaces you work in. Make your mark and make a difference. Be yourself and believe in God who already believes in you.
Nurture strength
Your spirit is stronger than your body. Nurture your spiritual strength and feed your spirit, not just your body. Even if the chips are down, always remembering that you are not out yet. You can rise one more time and survive one extra blow. Stand up tall when you are hardest hit. Do not let the past stop or delay you. Keep moving, growing and becoming better all the time. If you do not get better, you run the risk of becoming bitter.
Claim your portion
The world will not give you what you need, but what you go for. Express clear desires and goals. Enlarge your coast and strength your vision. Be assertive and focus on what you want and not what you do not want. Your words are creative and productive. What you say is a suggestion of what you want to be real in your life. Let your words align with your desire and faith. Words are powerful and do not take them lightly or throw them carelessly. What you speak is what you are becoming. Speak words that build and strengthen.
Take action
Nothing will just happen as you sit and wait for things you do not control to happen. Take action to make things happen. One simple act gets you moving and breaks the inertia. Take action, move forward and start doing what you have not done before.
Stop waiting for a big band event or a silver bullet. Take the small actions that are in front of you. The journey of a thousand miles starts with the simple single step, then another and another. The best way of starting anything is starting!
Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, author, and growth mentor. He is a cutting-edge strategy, team-building and organization 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.
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