2017: The Year We Make History

So thankful for 2016, our resolve to stay the course of mastery in our craft that we began earlier on is now unshakable.(Please refer to 2016:Mastery of Your Craft)

Irrespective of one’s profession or vocation, one can now weigh their economic worth against the best in their industry and pre-determine with some degree of clarity on how much more time and effort they need to invest in, before they can be counted among the top 5% in that field.

For the dedicated, time spent on perfecting their craft might be less compared to those who for various reasons do not bestow the same effort. A self-awareness of one’s deficiencies in terms of competencies, character and spiritual well-being will ensure that one does not,in the long-run veer off the goal of mastery.

Competencies

Perfection is a moving target.

This implies that once a goal is accomplished, resting on our laurels is counterproductive if not self-defeating. What you accomplished in 2016 will form the next step towards becoming your best.

The way to mastery is pegged on attainment of one competency after another and doing it repeatedly until new information is processed fast in our minds and optimal solutions arrived at, as and when needed.

To attain this, a mentor’s role cannot be gainsaid. For starters, it is prudent to study leaders in a specific field and find out the price they had to pay to become masters in it, and endeavor to emulate them.

In the art’s field,  prodigies may be assisted to conceptualise the process the master underwent on his or her way to mastery.This will assist them to assimilate certain fundamental disciplines in to their own personality and talent,thus producing authentic work rather than duplicating others'.

Networking through professional bodies as well as association with like-minded people will provide platforms for gauging and demonstrating your value. This can be corroborated by various studies which indicate that you become the average of the five persons you constantly associate yourself with!

Reverse mentorship for the executives or senior staff is just as important. You are not too senior to learn from your juniors, the younger generation or even children! Entrepreneurs strive to keep up with technology,if only to assist them to adequately tap in to the potential of the generation Y and Z.

Use of apps,social media and the internet generally might be a tall order for the older generation, therefore, getting a young,tech savvy person to mentor you on this might facilitate swift adoption to change and ultimately capitalize on opportunities. Young persons may also test their significance in an organisation by how much their seniors rely on them in such instances. It also displays a mark of confidence in the junior staff when their bosses are willing to learn from them.

A day spent without learning is a day wasted. Therefore,another sure way of attaining competency is by self-education. Note that there’s what you will learn in school and also from experience through mentors. It is, however, what you learn by yourself that will be the game changer. One of my favourite author’s ( Jim Rohn ) famous quote is, ‘Formal education will earn you an income,but self-education will earn you a fortune.’ An inquisitive mind will always be your best friend as you self-educate. Someone once quipped that you should approach life like you do Google - you only need to know what you are searching for.

Character

Each one of us is a work in progress; even the good book reminds us of this in Ephesians 2:10. Therefore, continuous improvement of ourselves through application of proven success methods like goal-setting and time management skills will enable our competencies form firm building blocks towards mastery.

Character is a like white sheet of paper, a Japanese proverb goes. When it is blotted with a drop of ink,one cannot return it to  its former state however much they may try.  It is a struggle doing what is right in today’s society when doing wrong appears to be so rewarding; but with character and the right values hardwired within you, making correct decisions becomes effortless.

Attending to tasks that you have been procrastinating on is a mark of growth. You win every time you complete a task that you have been avoiding. Also, observing your daily rituals and habits to greatness such as exercising, reading and so forth, especially when you don’t feel up to it, will in the long run produce a star performer in you.

You will ultimately become a person of substance, a necessary stamina which will get you back on your feet fast when life knocks you down, oh and it will knock you down severally, dear reader-but you will rise up and march forth to your next,bigger challenge as a result of who you have become.

Unclutter your life from all negativity and everything that has overstayed in your life. Socrates once said that, ‘He who is nearest to God is he who needs the fewest things’. Live light.

Self-discipline is another trait that will ultimately determine if you can walk the talk. Time management guru Brian Tracy points out that success is based on completion of projects and thus one should focus on single-handling. That is, zoom in single-mindedly on a specific task until it is complete.

Character and work ethic, therefore, will be the needle mover in your productivity.This will be a boon to your emotional intelligence (EQ) which will help you develop in to an excellent  team player.

Spirituality

‘‘We are not physical beings with a spiritual existence, but spiritual beings with a physical existence.’’

The above wise words from Corrie ten Boom underscore the futility of the ways of nihilists and other disbelievers.

It is the ultimate wisdom to connect to the Source ,however you regard Him,or you will just be full of yourself. And since God is love,this will manifest in how you relate with family and other relationships,with generosity and being quick to forgive as ultimately you really are on the same team.

Being sensitive to the plight of others,what world you will leave to the future generations as well as kindness to animals demonstrates your oneness with the universe,and thus an aptitude for tapping in to the higher power of the creator of them all.

Decades from now we will look back at 2017 and say that that year made us discover our higher selves from whence we’ve never looked back.

Edited by:TMK