Few lessons I learned along the way
My steps have been ordered to discover some secrets of the universe. I have applied them, watched others apply them and I have seen them always work. Well, they aren’t much of a secret because they all lie in plain sight.
A lot of people struggle with the question of what they should do. I found my answer in this verse. Do all things. Yes, all. There is no magic to finding it out. If you are searching, do all that interests you. You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigour. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. – Ecclesiastes 11:9 MSG
Life should start out saying a lot of yeses… then with the passage of time, more clarity, and focus, you have to grow your number of nos. I used to say yes to everything that comes my way. I still say a lot of yeses today because I’m yet to arrive. Now my list of nos has been growing as well. The way that tends to work out is beautiful to behold. Start with a lot of yeses and then increase the nos with time. Don’t reverse the equation. You won’t be young forever.
Curiosity is not rated enough. It kills the cat but it liberates and gives life to the human mind. Curiosity is the fuel for growth and the oil of sustainability. It allows you to discover new territories and empowers you to gain dominion in those territories.
Embrace failure. A common question I like to ask anyone who wants to have an interesting life is how many times have they failed in the past and on how many things have they failed? I don’t know how you can have an interesting life without a lot of failed attempts. Remember what I shared on optimising your life for interesting stories. Failure is a feature then and not a bug, I concluded. I want to fail more.
Note, your failure should not come out of a bad work ethic. That’s not for us. It should come because you are too early, you tried all you can, you went to all lengths possible… Simply put, failure should be an inevitable one.
Take responsibility. It is so easy to shift responsibility especially if you are someone who has or knows a lot of “village people”. But come off it, my friend. It’s time you look beyond all those and start seeing yourself as being responsible for everything in your life. And even if it’s crystal clear that you are not responsible, still take responsibility. You will be amazed at how much that will accelerate your life to the desired destination.
God’s delight is hiding things. Human glory lies in searching things out. This was a revelation that I am still grateful until today for discovering. I doubled down on searching for knowledge and insights since I learnt this fact and the more things I search out the more the universe unveils itself to me. Crowned with glory. Learn to go down the rabbit hole.
How the world works. All attempts to build an aeroplane failed until some people understood better how the world works. And we wouldn’t even be where we are today until we learnt the laws of nature in physics, biology, and all else. The knowledge of how the world works will give anyone who has it an unfair advantage.
Be in haste to work to put food on your table. After that, put on the garment of patience towards the work of your hands. Because haste is not good for this business of life. Compounding is the rule of the world. And my friend, it takes time for results to show. You can’t hurry the sunrise no matter how hard you try.
Humans have all sorts of problems. But the most unsettling one is their inability to predict the future. Nearly all humans will withstand all forms of adversity. If they knew with certainty that at the end of the adversity, they will have the kind of end they desire. Faith is what gives that “certain knowledge”. I don’t dismiss faith, I live by it. It is nearly impossible to live without faith.