According
to Martin Luther King Jr., “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then
walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving
forward.”
Over the past
few decades, flying has revolutionized the way we travel. So, it bests other kinds of moving from one
place to another because it is the fastest and saves the most time. However, it
is easier to get lost when you are in the air compared to when you are on the
ground. The reason for this is that no matter how difficult the terrain is, there
are always some form of pointers that you can use to find where you want to go,
even if you have to do some guesswork in the process. On the contrary, there is
no chance for guesswork when travelling by air!
While
in flight, there are no clues that you can use to know where you currently are
or which direction you should take – just the vast open space around you. So, without
constant connection to navigational aids like Satellites, Air
Traffic Control Centres, Radars
and Specialized applications, it is likely to get lost mid-air, something that also often
plays out in real life.
Like
someone said, “life is in phases, men are in sizes.” As we apply ourselves to
our surroundings, we tend to take quantum leaps both forward and upward, causing
us to change our current “size” to a bigger one with each leap. In the process,
we attract: Authority, Dignity, Fame, Honour, Influence, Knowledge, Position,
Power, Prowess, Respect, Skill, Strong Network, Wealth and, in some cases,
Satisfaction. As it stands, the height is where the real might lies!
However,
we should know that it is quite lonely up there. This is because “Lift” (The
force that causes something to be raised upward) requires tremendous energy, which
a lot of people are not prepared to give, owing to laziness, a misplaced sense
of entitlement or pride. As such, they don’t reach enviable heights of
achievements in life. So they blame their landlords, teachers, bosses, the bad
economy, government and even their own family for their condition. Some people,
who take certain actions, reach lower levels of attainment than they are naturally
capable of and just plateau there. Very few people keep gaining the altitudes
that really matter. Now, should this set of people, who are taking giant
strides and making our lives count, stop making such required efforts? N-E-V-E-R!
Interestingly,
the thing about flying, growth and success is that as we reach great heights of
accomplishments in our personal and professional lives, it is easy to get lost in
the process. Unconsciously, we start to enjoy the cruise until we become too
full of ourselves and lose our focus altogether. This ought NOT to be. In fact,
it is at this point in time when the interplay of forces that can help us to
maintain our course and even soar higher, should become more and more relevant
to us. In the words of Sydney J. Harris, “The time to relax is when you don’t
have time for it.” Like it or not, the higher you go in life, the more you will
need help. It is dangerous to think that you can be self-sustaining and self-reliant
up there in the air.
So,
in order to reach our intended destination in life in one piece and remain
globally relevant at the same time, we must maintain constant connection to the
navigational aids of: Vision, Self-Discipline, Accountability, Openness to
Learn, Tenacity, Innovation, Collaboration, Gratitude and Kindness.
And,
hopefully, we will get there!
Peter
C. Uwadone
©
2019
No comments:
Post a Comment