PREPARATION!

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”― Abraham Lincoln

Most times we yearn for things and want things so bad, or even want to achieve things, and even feel that we deserve them. We envision it, we see ourselves there laying hold of what we yearn for, but we solemnly forget to ask ourselves this question: “am I prepared for it?” Just ponder on that a little. Let it simmer and brew a bit before answering yourself. The answer will require an honest and truthful examination. After you realize you are so unprepared then moments and time pass by and one gets frustrated. You not getting what you have hoped for, you have prayed for, you have talked about. Little did you know that it is all aligned. Then you enter a season called “The Waiting Period“. This season doesn’t ask you if you want it to come into your life or not, at its time it takes a role of a guest which pays you a visit, be sure it comes for a while and its departure is depended on you, sometimes it can be lengthy or short. Your response to the lessons the season provides is what determines the timeframe of its visit. To some, this season will come and go and to some, it will pay a visit again and even several times until you understand the concept of preparation. You can not get what you are not prepared for, it will damage you or harm others, or it will lay dormant, it will not bear fruit, it will not prosper, it will not fulfill its purpose.

You ask, but what do you mean. Believing that you deserve something doesn’t necessarily mean you are ready for it. Being ready means preparation. Preparation also comes in dimensions, I will explain that later. How often do you ask yourself how prepared am I for the new season that is upon us for instance. If it were winter, you would plan for it right?, you’d make sure you have blankets, a heater, electric blanket(s) for some, gas bottles filled before the season begin to take advantage of the low prices. Clothes for yourself and loved ones are placed near and summer clothes packed at the back. Even groceries change, coffee, tea, soup, rusks, and hearty stews. That is good! The question remains, how well are you prepared for a new season in your life for the things you yearn for? It is a new job you seek, a new house, a partner, a business, a pet?, etc, you better prepare or else you will wish and it will never come and your visitor “The Waiting Period” will be a permanent guest. Your life should be ready for what you hope for. The preparation will require that Your mind, attitude, focus and desire to change, in order to welcome the new. You will need to make decisions to get you the expected results.

Destructions

Destructions carry the greatest delay. They keep your mind busy on them and move your focus away, to forget your goals, dreams, and plans. To attain what you need, the first dimension of preparation is to get your mind prepared. Fix your gaze, correct the way you think, believe you have what you want and see how you will get it or what will take to get it. Move all focus from distractions and find solutions to deal with them and get your mind on your goals. Sometimes this is the biggest hurdle for some, it might seem high and hard just like a high jump cord waiting for you to visualize the jump, to still your mind, to strategize, to quiet the noise, even the cheering and centralize your focus, then prepare for the jump. It all starts in the mind.

Procrastination

“You may delay, but time will not.”― Benjamin Franklin

You will need to do away with procrastination, set plans in place and do things as they come, don’t put them for later. This is a process of changing /eliminating the habit of self-sabotage in your life. If it is correcting your CV so that you can apply for that job do it, or learning a new skill so you can have a competitive advantage or just advance your knowledge, reading that book you have bought and is gathering dust, set boundaries in a toxic or self beneficial relationships or even leaving the relationship altogether and you have put it off for long scared to be alone or that people said you look good together but it is killing you or damaging you and wasting your time. Or paying for that learner’s license to finally be able to drive and buy that car, whatever it is; it will need you to get up and stop making excuses, to stop limiting yourself, to stop putting things for tomorrow because tomorrow it is not promised. We have today and we need to make the most of it. Look at ways to better plan your time and implement those relevant changes. If it means to seek help do so, get coaching or mentoring, whatever it takes to get you to prepare for the future you dream about, it doesn’t come magically, you put the work and effort for it. Prepare today and see it come alive tomorrow. We all get 24 hours in a day and the successful don’t have more time and how you use your 24 hours determines your hunger for what you desire. Set plans and follow them through no Excuses. I used to procrastinate a lot but when I honestly look at it, I see that I had too many excuses and lazy to go for what I wanted, I thought I had time, I am young and one day is one day. I had so many plans and ideas and never worked on them, the hunger and drive were not at its peak. I was still settling for comfort. Truth be told, that led me nowhere but in the same position, I was at and complaining about. Be truthful and honest with yourself, ask yourself real, uncomfortable questions, creak that wall and evaluate what makes you procrastinate. Check your hunger and drive. But if I tell you the truth, I would say you either don’t have a WHY or your WHY is not strong enough to get you moving regardless of how you feel or what life through in your way in your journey.

Fear

We have to put away the fear and be brave for what we want and take that risk of fearing to be humiliated, the fear of failure, the fear of what people will say, the most painful one is the fear of thinking you are not good enough. Fear stops progress and motion. It steals dreams and kills opportunities. May we trust that we are on earth for a reason and it is an injustice to leave this planet without doing or implementing something that will cause a positive change, renew hope and propel creativity and starting with our own lives all because we feared. 2 Timothy 1:7 in New Living Translation reads ” For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

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Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom. _ Marilyn Ferguson

To-do list & To not do list

Preparation means putting the old down and looking forward to the New, It is a shift, it symbolizes movement. Gather your resources, get that pen and paper, set that time, make that call, send that message, fill those forms. Do the research, study that industry, shadow that person who inspires you. The newness requires a change of environment, change of habits and what to do and/or what not to do/tolerate anymore. This is an aspect of Intentional living. Make time and do schedules if you have to. Cut TV and entertainment time or less leisure time. Get to the habit of writing things down and reading. Like you write your tasks to do at work, write the tasks you need to do in your life, to advance yourself, write your plan down.

“Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.”― Shannon L. Alder

I was listening to a message called “Make Room for the New” by Steven Furck, Pastor at Elevation church if you are able please do listen to it either on Podcast APP or any other platform, Youtube or Spotify. It talked about making room for the New. It really challenged me and spoke to me in length.

I edge you to prepare for every aspect of your life. Some incidents happen when we least expect them and we were never prepared, but once they are here we need to face it in the eye, accept it and channel our minds on how we deal with the situation best and that is the preparation. If you want a job, prepare for it, get your CV ready and refine it, do research on the company and the position or industry, the salary scale, the requirements, and the sacrifices the position comes with such as traveling and high pressure. If you want to be married, understand the call to marriage, what it entails, what it is it in full essence cause it is a ministry, not an accomplishment, it is a platform for serving and not a self-seeking one. If you want a child, prepare mentally, how you do things, see yourself as a parent before it is evident in your life, evaluate the influences in your life as they will impact your child, your habits and attitudes, your childhood traumas will plant a seed in your child so it will be wise to deal with them. Preparation is the key to the new level you desire. An athlete will practice to run a 30-second race but spend four years preparing for it. Their WHY is what pushes them to keep going even when they feel like giving up. I end this post with this note from me to you, Never get tired of improving yourself and preparing for life and its events, the process of preparation is essential and vital for your growth, one day you will thank yourself for the time you spent preparing. Selah!

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ― Abraham Lincoln

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Signed: Lerato M