The Future Is By Choice, Not By Chance
A very important lesson that experience has taught me is that a lot of the good things of life does not happen by chance, but they are results of planning, choices, decisions, actions, and taking practical steps. That is, they are made to happen, not waited for them to happen by chance. You will agree with me that the future is full of possibilities but at that, they do not just happen by chance, otherwise you might not like what you will see. In order to have a great future, you have to consciously and intentionally plan for it. It is your today that will become the bedrock upon which your future is built. So take actions today that will become a seed for your tomorrow.
There is a difference between waiting for something to happen and working it out for it to happen. Similarly, there is a difference between those who just drift into the future that they are uncertain about, and those who plan extensively for it. It is true that one can experience luck or the likes, but you also need to understand that luck favours those who have worked and planned for it, not those who sit idle and hope on chance. Take your academics for example - you do not just sit and do nothing, and hope for the questions to be cheap, you have to prepare extensively and study your books, then it will become simple for you.
In life, preparation is not just about gathering resources (like money, assets, etc) or learning new skills. But it is also about your mindset. That is, being conscious and intentional about the fact that what you do today can and will greatly affect your tomorrow. Not just that, even your inactions (that is what you fail to do that you should have done) will also have effect on you tomorrow. Which means that your future is not determined by only your actions, but your inactions also have a part to play. A lot of people hope for opportunities to come to them, and some of them sit and hope for chances to favour them. But what they fail to understand is that there are lots of opportunities staring them in the face.
Have you ever asked yourself if you are ready for the opportunity that you are hoping for? Some people wait until opportunity comes knocking at the door before they begin to prepare for it. But successful people prepare themselves and stay prepared long enough and get ready for the opportunity. What you are hoping to get, if you get it suddenly, how prepared are you to make the most out of it? If you have ever been privileged to visit a military training camp, you will think that they are already in the midst of an active war. They do not have to wait until the day of battle to prepare, rather they prepare long before it and live prepared to face it. This brought to memory what a friend, who is in the military, once told me; "it is better to be a trained warrior in the kitchen, than to be a chef in the battlefield."
You may have seen athletes perform exceptionally well in their various sports categories. However, what you must know is that the victory was not won on the day of the competition. The long hours, days, months, and even years of practice and trainings were what birthed the victory. I once watched a documentary on Usain Bolt and the records that he set in running. What some people do not know is that throughout his profession career, the cumulative distance he ran was less than 10miles put together. However, he put in extensive training for months and years to achieve this. He was obviously preparing for the future while he was training and practising - no wonder he blazed the trail in his field of sport. The future is reserved for those who have prepared and planned for it.
I have noticed that there is a kind of confidence that is built when you have prepared for something. Preparation makes you to face the future with boldness without fear. Even though you may not be able to predict correctly what will happen, but you are already armed with knowledge, tools, skills, and the mindset that will enable you to face the future, adapt, and overcome.
Thanks for reading
