THE SECOND BIGGEST ENEMY AFTER FEAR AND ITS 6 CURES

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”~ Calvin Coolidge

No doubt that the greatest hindrance to progress and success is fear. Everyone agrees about this. However, at some point in time, there are those who will dare face it head on and break it's hold on them.

I have come to realize that fear has a very strong relative...whom many people will face immediately after smashing him in the face with an inspired action.

In my very first post on Life Signatures, I encouraged people to break the paralysis that fear brings by being active in doing something...anything. That message still makes sense. There is no bigger cure of fear than a visionary finding something physical to engage his mind in. Fear's primary agenda is to paralyze people from expressing their signature on earth.

For many people who are in the process of conquering it, they know that fear is not conquered by one blow of action. It is conquered by incessant and persistent action. That is why fear has cropped up a very strong relative called inconsistency so the two of them can be successful in their primary agenda.

You know that it has been rumoured that habits create character. Habits are born out of persistent and consistent action. Consistent action is both a function of passion and discipline.

I have come to learn that we were created to be engaged in something we are passionate about. Yet I have also learnt that that passion will not come to the fore by itself...passion must be pursued by persistent action.

Let me say it again: The second biggest enemy after fear is inconsistency. When you go out and start something then you break the cycle...you get exactly what fear wants you to get in the first place...paralysis.

If you see a successful person, they most certainly would have paid the price of staying consistent in their pursuit of dreams that matter to them.

Many people will tell of their varied secrets of success, but none of them beats this: Never Giving Up!

Here is what you can do to guarantee consistency:

1. Plan your actions: Before hand, make sure that you have set aside two things: Time and Place for the action that you will be taking. Make sure that everything on your timetable is planned around your inspired action. The biggest reason as to why people are inconsistent is because they do not plan to be consistent!
2. Track Your Actions: There is a lot of inspiration that comes from daily tracking your action and rewarding yourself some scores whenever an action or actions are completed. These will effectively help you track your performance index. Granted, sometimes the chain might be broken, but with a tracking formula, you will be able to record the reasons as to why the chain was broken and act on them.
3. Use manageable pieces: People give up because they bite off way too much than they can chew at a go. Someone has never run 4 Kilometers in years...yet they want to start off by running 10 Kilometers on their very first day of taking inspired action! It will backfire on you. Start slowly, increase the temple over some days. Take your time. Remember, it is a coalition of small things over time that will guarantee major changes...not grand and major things at once.
4. Use small time intervals: There should be a very minute time interval between your inspired actions. A long delay between your inspired actions attracts laziness and causes you to be susceptible to breaking the chain of inspired actions.
5. Accountability: Throw your heart in the ring. Tell someone like a mentor to hold you accountable on a consistent basis on the action that you promised to take
6. Review your progress occasionally: It is important to take a look back at where you have been. See how you have been doing. See what can be changed. See how better we can do some things.

It is not just taking action that kills fear, it is incessant persistence of inspired action that finally delivers the goods.

Have a persistent day, won't you?

THE SINGLE MOST POTENT CURE OF DISAPPOINTMENTS

 “What on earth would man do with himself if something didn’t stand in the way?” ~
H. G. Wells

 

There is no doubt that we all face disappointments at various levels in our lives. It would be naive of me to suggest that there is a foolproof cure for disappointments...yet I know that if I had the formula to circumnavigate them, my phone would be buzzing off the hook. I kid you not.

One of the people that I know would never bother to call me up for the formula of avoiding disappointments include Mike Murdock, Bill Gates, Peter J Daniels, Steve Jobs (if he was alive), Uhuru Kenyatta and yes...Raila Odinga...and well, Jack Bauer.

Why? Simple. All these great visionaries and many more others know the importance of uncertainty in life. They know that planning is indispensable...yet not all plans will go according to the book. I heard Peter J Daniels (a self schooled Billionaire) say yesterday, "Make a decision and move on...you can always change it...it is better to have a decision than have none".

See what I mean?

Anyway...the crux of this post is about anticipation. Let me say this...life does not offer us one outcome on all expectations.

That little statement is extremely critical. Scores of people have been disillusioned, disappointed and left stuck for great seasons of time because they do not appreciate that statement. Let me say it again: life does not offer us one possible outcome on all of our expectations.

This can easily be controversial especially in the Christian circles, since it kind of suggests that it is useless to have faith. Yet very many Christians have been single-minded in having faith in one thing...so much so that they never dared to consider or better still to clarify the all rounded gist of the outcomes of their expectations.

Can I give you the life Signature's definition of 'Wealthy'? Here it is: Being wealthy is simply having a luxury of options. And here is the thing...the more we stay unplanned on our alternative outcomes,  the more we deny ourselves of the necessary options that will keep us on our feet. I think successful people constantly avail themselves options even in their single minded pursuit of their main life goal.
 
My advice today is simple. We need not just to talk about it...we need to really have a well documented 'Plan B'. No kidding! If you are expecting something...it is very easy to go sleep and become complacent...and PLAN ONLY in one direction of your expectation.

This is wrong. For the sake of managing disappointments and really moving on in life with great resilience it is important that we come face to face with the very opposite of what we expect. 

It is important that we analyze it thoroughly:

1. How will it affect you?
2. Who else in your life will be affected?
3. What projects will be affected?
4. How will your vision be affected?
5. How will my non-negotiables be affected?
6. How will my daily projected routine be affected?
7. What are the options that you have in case your expectation did not materialize?
8. When can you get started on these options?

These are critical questions to ask and not just ask, but also have the documented answers to them.

It is normally said that failing to plan is planning to fail. Let me say that only having plan A is a recipe for disappointment.

So you expected a breakthrough in one thing...you waited for it and it never materialized...what if you did not have a plan B...and all you had is faith?

Here is what will happen to you.

1. You will probably be thoroughly disappointed.
2. You will probably be pretty much derailed...
3. You will probably lose direction
4. You will probably lose time
5. You will probably lose motivation and inspiration
6. You will start looking down on yourself..counting your losses instead of your blessings

However, if you had a Plan B in place...

1. You will mentally acknowledge a disappointment and at the earliest opportunity, navigate away from it.
2. You will stay an action oriented person
3. Your life will not come to a stand still
4. You will build lots of resilience in your life
5. You will effectively be fully in charge of your life
6. You will be able to take back your life after giving it away to an expectation.

Brothers and sisters....do you have a PLAN B? If not...you really need to have one...especially most of you who have expectations in the immediate or near future.

Does this make sense to anybody?

5 THINGS TO DO WHILE OBSCURE

"If a man is called to be a street-sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beeethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pase to say, 'Here lived a great street-sweeper who did his job well" ~ Martin Luther King Jnr.

No matter who you are, at one point in time you have been obscure. You started as a non entity...virtually, a nobody. Tell me of anybody who was never obscure. I do not think there is such a one. 

I believe the message of the season right now has to deal with Obscurity. Obscurity in my own definition would be the state of being irrelevant to other people at any one point in time. Notice that we are talking about being irrelevant to others and not to yourself.

That should tell us something. I have always wondered how a man can be in prison for nearly three decades, come out and in the immediacy of being released, become the President of Africa's Superpower. How did he qualify for that? How did he know how to run a country while in Prison? Those are some of the questions I would ask Nelson Rohilala Mandela when I meet him.

The point however is that we need to radically change the way we look at our moments of obscurity. We need not to look at our irrelevance to others as a curse...or as a phase in our lives that has to be wiped out of our life history and forgotten.

We need to look at our obscurity first of all as a temporary phase. Next, we need to see our irrelevance to others at this moment in time not as a waste...but as a seed. We need to look at our obscure moments as an opportunity to grow. We need to look at it as a necessary phase for our development.

That being said, there are five things that I believe are an absolute must for all of us to know and do while we are yet obscure. These are what will hold us up when our prominence shows up...because one way or another, our moment of prominence will appear.

1. Find your Why of Living: Moments of obscurity should provide for us opportunities to question the very reason for living. There is no better place to find our passion, vision and mission in life than in obscurity. It is seldom in prominence that such life defining questions are asked as to why we really are alive. It would be a great disservice to one's life if you come out of a season of being hidden without knowing what your passion in life is.
2. Create empowering habits: Being obscure is not a ticket to check out on life and let it pass by as you wait for something to come up. Waiting is a pathway to death! Once you have your main defining vision in life, make sure that you have stocked up daily or occasional and consistent action points that lead towards that vision. The focus of most people in obscurity has always been to come out of it. It is how you come out of it that will determine how long you will stay out of it. You need to come out stronger, better, more focused, and more disciplined.
3. Define What You Be remembered by: Again, there is no better opportunity to define your legacy than in an obscure phase of your life. Start by writing this sentence down... "I will be remembered as...." Write as many answers as possible. The one's that draw deep passion in you or even make you cry are those you need to focus on. This is critical...am told only 2% in the world have completed that sentence.
4. Build a pictorial Portfolio of where you are going: Nothing is more inspiring than having a pictorial representation of where you are going with your life. Instead of looking for the exit door out of obscurity, take the paintbrush if you will and start painting the kind of life that you are heading to...the kind of person you will marry...the kind of house you will stay in...the kind of schooling your kids will have...the kind of car you will drive...the countries you will visit...the clothes you will wear and so on. Powerful stuff.
5. Perform a thorough introspection of your ASSETS: Take some time to document both the tangible and intangible things that you have under your belt. This is seldom done...yet extremely critical. It helps idenfity your Point A...which is imperative information needed to get to your destination. Identify your Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. We all have our SWOTs. Herein lies the map to our acres of diamonds. Instead of looking for the exit door from your obscurity, use it as a cover to go to this all important quest. Know your strengths...what comes naturally and what you have been skilled in so far. How can you benefit from them? How can you serve the world with them? What are your opportunities? Anything you can always have done even when in an obscure phase? Great stuff.

Use the obscurity as a cover to develop...not as a season to curse and look out for breakthroughs. This is a radical approach...a faith filled approach...a hope building approach to mastering your obscure moments. One thing is for sure...you shall come out on the other side! What do you think?

3 REASONS WHY YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING OBSCURE

Here is the thing...everyone born of a woman, starting from Jesus Christ to the Queen of England, from Nelson Mandela to Barack Obama was once obscure. You might be saying...well...Jesus Christ was not obscure...but you might be wrong. It would not need a front runner to point Him out of a whole crowd of people if He were as prominent as you think. The very Son of God was also obscure at the beginning of His ministry!

Life Signatures has been read by thousands of people all over this world...but guess what? Three years ago, Life Signatures was a mere random thought...obscure at its best! One can still argue (and indeed I am arguing) that Life Signatures still is thoroughly obscure in relation to the vision that I have.

The funny thing is that many people would like to put off that garment of obscurity like some flee-infested garment. It is a matter of perception. Of course people would tell you that being obscure is not such a good thing.

The result? Many people are shouting/ touting themselves to prominence without savoring the fruits of being obscure. Many more never leverage their obscurity, but spend the precious opportunity scheming for a way out...as fast as possible, seeking prominence.

For the sake of this blog, prominence can be taken to mean the moment you ascend to your own platform to be recognized by others. It could mean attaining a goal...like finally being married. Yet the best way to stay prominent is through the darkroom of obscurity.

Sounds paradoxical right? Let me explain:

1. Obscurity is Nature's way to shield you from falling long before you can Master Walking: It is what you do while obscure that will most certainly count when you get your moment of prominence. This effectively means that we should love obscurity much like we love the shade of a tree that shields us from the hot sun. Here is the thing though..we should know deep inside our hearts that  being obscure is a temporary phase...of which we are in control of the exit door. 
2. Obscurity is an Opportunity to explore your Potential: You have absolutely no idea what pressure you would be under when prominent. People think that when they have ascended their thrones, that is when they will be able to explore their potentials...that's hogwash. When nobody is recording....no cameras are rolling...that is when you can explore your full potential without any form of pressure. You can't practise giving a good speech when you have just been elected can you? You do it in obscurity. Embrace obscurity at all costs...but realize that it is for a temporary season of which you are in control of the escape door.
3. Obscurity is the Dark Room to Develop your Beauty: For good measure, obscurity can be a painful phase in someone's life. When you are a bride's maid instead of the bride, when you are an assistant for years instead of the C.E.O, when you are bypassed for that promotion....when you lose that job, when you get dumped by your fiance, when you are thrown out of the house of not being able to settle the bills...it is a dark room. However, this dark room is absolutely necessary for any life signature worth its salt. You need this, believe me you do. Nelson Mandela had is 27 years in prison. The Prince of Egypt had his 40 years. The Prime Minister of Egypt (Joseph) had his half youth years in Slavery...and then in prison while in Slavery. Most certainly, Lawrence Namale has had his time in obscurity too...like those years he went barefoot in the village not even thinking he would ever go past visiting his mother's home...Our beauty and depth of our platforms is developed strong in obscurity!

Obscurity is not necessarily bad....

A great mango tree was once an obscure seed...look at your obscurity season as a seed rather than an eternal season of harvest

Anybody want prominence? Try obscurity...you will get there!

7 REASONS WHY YOU MUST BE A TOUT

My excuse for using public transport is that my car got an engine knock some time back. That was a traumatic moment for me that I do not want to think about. I just would like the whole episode to be wiped out of my mind.

So this morning, as I knew my schedule was not that tight, I found a taxi from Kampala road that was plying my route. It was virtually empty. Needing some time to just relax and clear off my mind, I decided to study the attitudes of the people around me...starting with the driver of the taxi and of course the 'noisy' tout who was calling out for passengers.

In a developed public transport system, there are designated bus stops and taxi parks, thus obliterating the touting system out of the roads. That was not the system that I was using today...or any other day.

The taxi being empty did not discourage the tout from calling out for passengers. He was aggressive, and creative enough. The driver on the other hand was smart enough to act as if they would be on the way any minute...to maintain the already captured passengers who might be in a hurry.

I realized the following things:

• I would not have entered the vehicle if I didn't hear the tout calling out my route.

• More people would not have kept filling the taxi if the tout stopped touting.

• The tout seemed to have this automatic faith that at some point in time, the taxi would be filled.

• If the tout did not work (tout), he would not be paid even if the passengers got in without his efforts. And this is the most interesting fact.

• With the increase in number of passengers, it is easy to convince more to get on board since they know that the taxi would be moving on soon.

The road to success is never like the organized transport system I talked about. Success, as much as we want to organize it to comfort and less disturbance, will only thrive to the degree that we tout...think about that.

The following are seven lessons as to why all visionaries should become their own touts for their Life Signatures

1. Find a taxi to tout about: This speaks of your passion/business/job...yet we would encourage you to make sure that whatever it is, it contributes to your Life Signature. Unless you find your passion, it would be difficult to talk about your own success. It is imperative that everyone finds their 'mountain' and climb it...and like I have said it here eternally...make sure that this matters to you!

2. No matter how unlikely and empty it is, get started! We all like finished products...but somebody worked, took action to make it a reality. In my next post, I am going to talk about the beauty, safety, and advantages of obscurity. To be honest, nobody will be successful if they waited for their 'taxi' to be filled up. All successful people have one thing in common...they were obscure at some point!

3. Success is not designated, it is touted: Waiting just never works. The more you wait, the more you delay. You might fulfil your purpose in life finally but after so much wasted time. Think of how many people would have been impacted.Waiting is wasting! Then again, success is never handed to us. It never knocks on our doors. We are the ones to go after it, knock on its doors and if need be, smash its gates opened with our incessant actions. You cannot wait for success, you tout it out!
   

4. The more you tout, the faster your results: Anybody can run a two Kilometers race.There are however those who would finish that small race faster and move on to other things. Here is the thing...the more we churn out actions about our 'mountain' the more we find the ways to climb it in a shorter time. There needs to be a very small interval if any, between our last shout and our next shout about our taxis.

5. You just grow a thick skin: Do you think the tout gives a hoot what other people think? Hardly! He could not care less! His sights are set on filling the taxi with passengers...that is what matters to him now...and he is gonna get it done.  That is exactly how we should go about developing our passions. Of course there are people to please...but who cares? I am serious. If we would stop for a minute to see how many people we can please on our pursuit of our assignment, we would not succeed. That is why touting our way will make us grow this thick skin that would help us not be bothered what others might think. Just grow that thick skin as you work on your genius. By the way, it normally is an illusion that people will think, they have got enough on their plates to be bothered!

6. A bird in the hand...is worth two in the bush: Take good care of your 'acres of diamonds'...it is what you have now that attracts what you want. The most underrated thing on the face of the earth is what people already do have...relationships, talents, skills, passion, opportunities and so on. Most people want the granduear to think 'this is it!' To be honest, if you would document what you have for you now..and just use those, your taxi would be filled sooner than you think.

7. Loud and consistent: Let not a single second pass when you are quiet. Keep working on your genius...researching, reviewing, promoting, marketing, connecting, adding value...just keep doing it. Nike said it best, "Just do it!" Nothing can replace this. If that taxi  has got to be filled, that tout cannot let a single minute pass without touting. It is in one minute that a family of seven can pass by looking for your taxi while you are quiet. Keep touting! You never know who is listening! Keep working on your genius. You just have no idea how far it goes.

Sooner than you thought, your taxi is full...and when it is, there is no stopping you. We all really need to borrow a leaf from these taxi touts, don't you think?

7 WAYS TO CURE A BROKEN HEART :SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO KENYAN VOTERS

"Life doesn’t come with a money-back guarantee, and yet many of us live like it does. People are certain that they’ll keep their jobs. They’re certain of living a long, healthy life. Others might be certain that they’ll lose their jobs, or get sick and die young. Certainty comes in many forms, and it rarely corresponds to the truth". ~ Kim George

A story is told of a young man who had a group of friends visit his house. Amongst them was his girl friend, the one he was seriously making up his mind to marry. The thing is, he had never introduced her to his mum...yet she was able to point the girl out with absolute accuracy!

The boy was shocked! "Mum, how did you know she was the one?", he exclaimed! "Because I hate her", replied the mum.

Amongst these is the 4th Kenyan President in 2013

Not funny at all. It's not funny when what we 'hate' (read dislike) comes our way. A heart break is composed of losing that which we so seriously want in our lives. A heartbreak is set up of single-mindedness...which in itself is a very good virtue.

Am not saying that to avoid being broken-hearted we should be double minded.  I am saying that there is always a 50/50 chance that when we take a stand or the pusuit of a life signature, we will either make it or we will be disapointed. Now that is life. What we need to learn is that as long as we live here on earth, we are all exposed to our hearts that we have given away to someone or a cause to be broken.

• A child's heart can be broken by a parent...
• A parent's heart can be broken by a child...
• A boyfriend's heart can be broken by a girlfriend...
• A girlfriend's heart can be broken by a boyfriend...
• A pastor can break the hearts of a congregation
• A congregation can break the heart of a pastor...
• A car can break the heart of its owner
• A student's heart can be broken by exam results...
• Arsenal breaks the hearts of its fans monthly...
• And finally...millions of Kenyans' hearts will be broken by the Election Results in 2013

It is not a question of if...it is simply going to happen.

The Kenyan story of heartbreaks is fueled by some 'Prophecy' that I came across. It dawned on me that the results could go either way of the two most popular candidates. When that happens, inevitably, some Kenyans will be disappointed.

How do we deal with this heartbreaks...and specifically, how do Kenyans who have voted for their candidate cope with the heartbreak of not winning the elections? If not careful, many Kenyans will carry the emotional baggage for months when their candidates don't win.

The following are some of the nuggets you can use to carry through a disappointment or a heartbreak:

1. Expect to win, Prepare to Lose: We do not control outcomes. We however can control how we react to outcomes. It is imprudent to think that only one outcome is the right one. We need to have large hearts that recognize beforehand that this can go either way: our way or away from us. When what we expected does not materialize, it is painful yes, but not the end of the world. We need to understand this before we give away our hearts. It is wisdom.
2. Navigate your emotions immediately: Healing of a broken heart is connected to how fast we make decisions. The most important decision you can make at the time of a heartbreak is to immediately accept that which is not under your control. Your heart is aching Yes. Accept that too. But immediately surrender to the prospect of the rough outcome. The worst decision you can make is to reject that which is beyond your control and linger in your pain for days. It doesn't help. Moving on...as fast as possible...is the wisest decision to make in a heartbreak.
3. Talk to Someone:This one helped me a great deal in the last general elections. I felt cheated. I felt mocked. I felt pain and disappointment. I was heartbroken. So I talked to a friend of mine whom I knew supported the winning candidate, but was mature enough to empathise with me. Talking to him soothed me and calmed me.
4. 

   Realize that It's not the Worst: Right now, powerful emotions of heartbreak can easily cloud your judgement. That is how suicide spirits work. Infact, the anatomy of Post Election Violence has its backbone on this illusion that this loss or failure is the worst to happen ever. They cloud people's emotions to think that this is the worst thing ever to happen...and that if their way is not the way, then there is no point of living...and that the only thing that makes sense is death. Your loss is painful...but it is not the worst. You are more resilient than you think. Let me tell you the worst that is yet to happen: It is you coming to your deathbed having not fulfilled your potential. That is the only thing that will matter then and so let it matter now more than anything...including this heartbreak.
5. Crutch Yourself with the Disappointment: Are you still alive? Of course! Are you in pain? Most definitely Yes! You have two options: First, you could wallow in your pain and count your dream dead and buried. Second, you could hope for the best in the days to come regardless of what you are not in control with. Feel the pain. Feel the bitterness. Feel the disappointment but channel it for your greater good. Make a decision to do the exact opposite of what your pain and heartbreak tell you. You are much more in control of your mental and emotional faculties than you think. Greater things are yet to come.
6. Reassure Yourself With Hope: Conceding defeat is healthy. Yet you need to speak to your heart. Tell your heart that you tried...you gave your best. You did all you could...but still...Lock yourself in a room..and if need be, just let go of the emotions. Acknowledge the disappointment. Acknowledge the pain. Feel it...then break the silence, and like a preacher fighting bees, start preaching hope to yourself having forced yourself to see the positives out of all the surrounding illusionary negatives that you are feeling. There is hope. Use this encouragement to reassure yourself with hope.
7. Immediately, wish them well who trounced you: The key word here is immediately! At the very earliest opportunity, find people or someone whom you know was in the opposite camp...congratulate them from your heart. If you need Divine help here, please go get it. I assure you that this move alone will set the ball rolling for your heart to be calmed.

Man is born to trouble as sure as sparks fly upwards. That includes us being prone to heartbreaks, failures, disappointments and setbacks.

May God bless Kenya...and reconcile the hearts of those who lost with those who won.

WAITING IS NOT SPIRITUAL...ITS THE PATHWAY TO DEATH!

Waiting is never a place of power. So why do we wait so much? Why do we wait to get happy? Wait to get married? Wait to become rich? Wait to propose? Wait to get a job? (the biggest of all killers)

 

It does not matter how super-spiritual you could be. It does not matter how scriptural you are. If you subscribe to the 'waiting' mantra you are draining yourself of power. Period!

 

No city was built on waiting for good weather.

No marriage lasted on waiting for feelings to ignite romance

No Cell phone was innovated while waiting

No job was created while waiting

 

OK, let me explain.

 

As much as there is the good side of waiting (which I might explain later), we normally miss out on many things because of the waiting.

 

Waiting makes you powerless.

Waiting kills you softly...but fatally

Waiting incapacitates you

Waiting is never fun

Waiting deceives you that you have no permission

 

 

Let me explain again...with a story.

 

I have been writing long on this subject using my character called Ben a stuck executive. Ben has suffered several rejections in his life and at this moment in time, his confidence is an all time low. So he sits in his house waiting for the phone to ring...waiting for a miracle.

 

His wife gets tired of him and finally demands that he gets out of the house and do something for himself. Ben knows and is even embarrassed of how much he had been hoodwinked by the doctrine of waiting.

 

The waiting doctrine says that if you are good enough, and pray hard enough, the Divine will perform a miracle for you. Nothing could be further from the truth!

 

So Ben swings into action and starts doing things revolving around his passion. He starts hanging around people who are working and can allow him space in their offices....acquaintances and friends.

 

He has a daily routine that he firmly and religiously follows and tracks. So one day, a former colleague seeks his input. Her new company needs Ben's expertise which he so gladly provides.  Ben of course asks to be paid like any consultant should. They agree that once he submits his work, he would be paid pronto.

 

Ben does exactly that...and then lo and behold...she goes silent on him. He cannot find her on phone. What does he do then?

 

You guessed it! He sits and waits...waits for his phone to ring. Waits for one more hour to check and see if she was available.

 

In the meantime, Ben is restless and can do nothing. His routine is interrupted. He cant work on his daily schedule any more. He is effectively...unproductive...because he is waiting!

 

The online dictionary defines waiting thus: remaining inactive in one place while expecting something; the period of remaining inactive or stationary.

 

The issue here is control: Ben would rather work on what he has control over than sit and wait and hope...and pray. If he cannot find her on phone, there are two options:

• Choose to do something that he has control over right now
• Look for his friend at the office. Forget the shame and the embarrassment of appearing desperate. Life is at stake here.

Option 2 is exactly what Ben took...located his friend's new office. Found directions to where she was. It turns out that there was a phone network problem. She was more than willing to pay him.

 

The bad news is that Ben had wasted nearlly the whole day agonising, hoping, wishing and praying. All those are actions that rob you of power. Waiting is an emotion waster! Waiting transfers power from you.

 

You are depressed because you are not in control...you lack power.

 

Waiting should be done passively...that means that you are engaged in something that you have control over and leave what you are not in control over to its own forces. Waiting can be so subtle.

 

How many are waiting to get married?

How many are waiting to get jobs?

How many are wating to write books?

How many are waiting to make that proposal?

 

Waiting is a Killer! I kid you not! It is such a silent serial and mass killer than HIV aids.

 

This, I strongly believe finally explains what Dr. Myles Munroe says: "The richest place on earth is the graveyard"

 

Stop waiting. Pray and act. Jesus did the same to raise Lazarus from the grave!