- Get multiple streams of income. This has been said so many times we now take it for granted.
- Take a risk. If we die, we die! Though I must add here, let it be a calculated risk. Really calculated if you have people depending on you to work or be alive.
Happy New Year! We are at that time again when everyone becomes a motivational speaker. But in all honesty, 2019 was a father, not even a mother. Wah! We made it though. Proves we must still be here for something useful. Something bigger. Allow me to share with you some of the things I learnt about life in 2019. The year that forced me to think beyond my nose.
Be patient with yourself but be consistent. Keep doing the thing you need to do. Patience does not mean stopping. It just means you do not put undue pressure on yourself. Keep showing up, it is bound to come together.
You do not have to always tell others what you think. Sometimes let people be stupid. Let people fail. It is their path. Trying to make them do otherwise will create unnecessary tension. Human beings are very strange creatures. Unwanted help, even when you know they need it, can often look like sabotage.
Get multiple streams of income. This has been said so many times we now take it for granted. But you guys, get another revenue stream. Even if you earn just Sh100 in profit daily. You know when you tell a person to get a side gig, they immediately look for tenders and an office space from which to fill the tender forms. My friend, do not be uppity, go back to basics, start in your living room, your car, just secure the bag.
Rest. Really shut down and rest. We come from a society that applauds you for working like a donkey. A society that feels that resting is a sign of laziness. They just want you busy, not productive. A society, I beleive, that masks its insecurities and mental issues in ‘hard work”. Just chill, before you get ill.
Take a risk. If we die, we die! Though I must add here, let it be a calculated risk. Really calculated if you have people depending on you to work or be alive. Think on it, pray on it, research on it. Then act. Make sure you execute. Whatever it is. Relationships, career, business, travel. Move.
Rest. Really shut down and rest. We come from a society that applauds you for working like a donkey. A society that feels that resting is a sign of laziness. They just want you busy, not productive. A society, I beleive, that masks its insecurities and mental issues in ‘hard work”. Just chill, before you get ill. (See what I did there?) There is nothing wrong with taking a day to bum in your underwear. Just do not make it everyday.
Be grateful more. We like to complain a lot. We like it so much that if we do not complain people think we are showing off. But stop the complaining. Life is much better when you look for things to be thankful for. I know this sounds flaky with everything that is going on, much of which is bad. But good things are happening. I knew a lady who made it a point to say something good to everyone she talked to. Sometimes it was so hard to find something good to say to someone she would just say, “ You hold your pen really well!”
Take nothing for granted. Take no one for granted. That you can breathe on your own. That you can see your children’s faces. That you go to the bathroom unaided. That you can taste the food you are eating. These simple pleasures, cherish them.
Get a pet. Especially if you have children. Caring for an animal that cannot talk back does something to humans. Having to figure out their needs makes us kinder beings.
Some of us have reached the age where we are the ones on funeral committees. Life just got real. Death even more so. If you still have your parents, spend as much time with them. Be patient with them. Hug them a little longer. Some of us are veteran orphans (as my sister calls us), we would give anything for an extra day with our parents.
Love on your kids, your siblings and the people who care for you. Ignore the haters but take note of their deeds.
Get a pet. Especially if you have children. Caring for an animal that cannot talk back does something to humans. Having to figure out their needs makes us kinder beings. I did not know this until we got, more like tricked into getting, a cat for my kids. Now we have five cats. One of which is blind. (I know, it was not by design, but here I am)
Most important take away lesson from 2019 for me, have faith in yourself. Cheer for you. Be kind to yourself. You know what you need. You can do it. Just start and see.
So as we start this New Year, I wish you all good things, I wish you strength and grace to overcome the bad things.