“There’s no glory in the past so I look forward in high optimism with deep admiration of my scars.”
As humans we worry sometimes. It’s okay. But the leader will think instead of worrying. Many things happen in many ways. Why worry when you have everything: life. Why worry when you can see clearly: vision. It’s a natural instinct to make mountains out of molehills and subsequently trying to climb them. You’ll get to the top of the hill and notice that there is really nothing to worry about.
Worrying is natural, but it is also optional. The silent part of the ant’s story which we don’t often share in leadership workshops is that there is no room for the slothful. As a matter of fact, a lot of things are happening from the palace to the fields. If you worry a lot, you’ll miss a lot of opportunities. Your past will always cause you to worry, sometimes about nothing.
There’s no glory in the past so I look forward in high optimism with deep admiration of my scars. My scars is my past and my past is my rod. My present is shaped not to repeat mistakes of the past. This is why I don’t venerate my past. It’s pointless basking in past glories if the future promises more. Yet don’t denigrate the past because it provides a foundation for growth. The boy you were must sure be proud of the man you are now.
The Creator has made provision for tomorrow. You don’t have to sing another love song. You don’t even have to say a new prayer apart from thanking your maker. Just stop worrying. The wisest man, arguably, ever lived- Solomon- once said that there is nothing new under the sun. Honestly, you are not the first to go through issues. You can only worry when everything worries you, and you’ll never be worried if you know no worries.
It’s good to think than to worry. We often forget to think when confronted with issues. Yet, we worry instead. You worry for not performing at work? Why don’t you think through your underperformance? The thinking process should also probe your intellectual capabilities to provide solutions. Think through issues and not about issues.
You have to learn to think end to end. Tying all loose ends and leaving no gaps. Those bridges, broken chains and thinking gaps breed worries. Seek for help when you are lost. Call for direction when the vision is blurred. If you don’t, you’ll be worried about the opportunity cost for not seeking help, someday. Stop worrying and start thinking.
Don’t be left sitting in your little corner. Do you remember the story of the supposedly intelligent chap who always chose to be on his own in his little corner, keeping himself to himself? It came out that he wasn’t intelligent after all, when exposed to broader issues of life. He couldn’t appreciate other people’s views. He could only think forward. This was good. But he couldn’t think backwards, side and side. I mean the bigger picture. Not too good.
People like this, do miss a lot and they bother much over petty things. Of course, there may be petty issues peddled to do you in, sometimes. Lazy associates will gather and discuss you. Socrates echoed that ‘Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people’. Now tell me, which mind are you? I shared this with a team and the loudest exclamation was that leadership has gone over the roof. Why? Because a leader must sometimes react when people keep discussing personalities and not issues, at the workplace. I advise. Just get a heavy heart because there will be ‘heavy stories’ intended to break bones, crumble lion hearts, crash leaders and destroy teams’ focus.
Life is like a lens of a camera. It’s your choice to focus on that which is necessary to be in the picture. Be still to focus on what you want to capture. Keep the main things to the main things as always said. Focus is the word.
There are times you need people just to be there and well positioned in your pictures. But you wouldn’t find them. Remember that their actions for not being there, wouldn’t also stop the sun from not rising and not setting. Do you get the drift? Or should you still be worried? No need to worry, my dear reader. Laugh when you can, smile like you always mean it, apologize when you should and be thankful for your life, always. No worries.
Kill worries by performing your tasks, exceeding your targets and going beyond your job role to assist others. Function in the team. Lazy associates worry about everything. They whine, give excuses and sadly fail to see the bigger picture. To avoid worrying, try not to compete tasks but rather complete tasks. There is no need to be worried in the workplace if you lean towards performance.
If you are down today, just get up, clean up, dust off, spruce up, sit up, set up and show your colleagues who you are and what you are made of. You are that star. That’s why you have scars. You are the general made up of rough mineral. Not an underperformer. When you want to genuinely stop worrying, you don’t need to prove anybody wrong. You need to prove yourself right. We get worried sometimes as humans. That should be temporary. Don’t glorify worries. Get your confidence back and lead on. Hakuna matata.
