Say Yes To No.

I always get into traffic when dropping my baby sharks at school. But It doesn’t bother me much because we catch up on random stuff and then say a prayer for the day before they get out of the car at school. Special moments those are. I’m committed to making enough memories that I will live with into my sunset years when my baby sharks are all grown and gone.

Earlier this week as I got back into traffic from school I tuned into Hope FM. It’s a Christian radio station and sometimes I like their topics of discussion. This guest speaker was speaking about living a productive life. He mentioned that the less we do the more we accomplish. But it was the opposite sitting in traffic. There were more cars on the road and little movement hehe… But we make the most out of it by listening to some wholesome talk on radio.

The guy on the radio mentioned that we should develop our less so much that it brings a lot more. In simple English, once we know our gift, talent, or purpose and put it to work then its impact starts manifesting. I have put a lot of effort in my 40s to be clear of my gift and mission on earth. We all have that one thing that we can do better than most people. Sir God is fair like that as far as talent allocation goes. Sadly many of us are still wondering and wandering about what we are good at and how we can deploy it to make the world and ourselves better.

Someone said that when we narrow our focus we expand our reach. Do you know someone so good at what they do? Aren’t they admirable? Even the Good Book says that they will serve before kings and not obscure men. Seems the fewer things we specialize in the better we get, the bigger the impact, and the more we are noticed. A life of specific skills well executed appears more enjoyable and effective than one of many things done on average.  There is hardly sufficient time to focus deeply on a particular task or line. That sounds to me like the hustler narrative. I don’t know about you guys but hustling to me implies overworking and still lacking. That’s not how I want to start the year let alone live it.

Why are we so gullible to distractions and multitasking that doesn’t seem to work well? Maybe it’s a resident panic or mentality that poverty is hot on our heels and we can’t afford to stop and refocus. That is my biggest fear too. It takes a lot of continuous effort to surmount that in my mind and craft a life of direction and meaning. To prevent or manage my panic, I try to ensure that I’m moving. And in the direction of my mission and not just round in circles. Martin Luther King told us to ensure that if we can’t run, we should walk. And if we can’t walk then crawl. Whatever season we find ourselves in let us ensure we are moving, however slowly. Movement keeps us consistent to some extent.

When we get distracted by stuff that’s not aligned with our core then we stall. We may be busy but just busy bodies. A few years ago to do this practically and daily I decided to write down at least three things I would do in a day. At the end of the day, I’d feel like I’ve been productive when I tick that short list. Folks, could it also be that we are busy because most of the stuff we are doing belongs to other people?

Warren Buffet told us that successful people say no to almost everything. Imagine that. The hoops one has to go through to get a yes are higher than the walls of a maximum prison. I’m still a work in progress with this. I often find myself saying yes to stuff without giving it clear thought. My personality doesn’t help because I am an extrovert and want everyone to be happy yet I’m not in the ice cream business hehe… Sometimes I have to undo a commitment I made when I realize I shouldn’t have in the first place. That’s my version of entanglements.

Maybe we need to be more stingy with our yes this year. See it as cash we are giving away whenever we say yes. We are often more cautious when spending money. May we say no more often and strive to do less but more thoroughly. That will be like saving cash and investing it wisely. For those of us from the mountain, I hope the comparison with chums has brought the point home hehe…

The last comment I heard driving from the school run before I got out of my car was the guy on the radio telling us to feed headquarters. An organization is as good as its HQ. We as individuals are personal organizations and our minds (heads)  are the headquarters of our lives. Whatever decisions are made in the board room of our mind is what our body, heart, and soul execute. A lot of our destiny is formed in our minds.

Folks, be more this year by doing less. Oh and feed HQ appropriately. And in the event of doubt consult sir God upstairs. He is the ultimate chairman of the board that’s our existence. My early morning briefings with him have helped. Try it, folks.