'Sir, Just To Start!'

This phrase resonates with me because it became a common excuse among my classmates back then in our Final year in the University (2015) especially during our Inventory Management and Advanced Operations Research courses. Both courses required us to solve real-world problems by deploying our analytical and mathematical skills. We didn't grab a few of the concepts at first.

We were usually given problems to solve after every lecture. After struggling with the problems, our lecturer who always felt all the questions were easy will look at us as though we were not just smart enough to be in final year. Just then you will hear someone say, 'Sir, just to start!' meaning we needed a little more explanation to solve the problem.

I have had to relate that experience to some aspects of my life. The fact is, I always have an idea of what I want to do,  big dreams, and many other 'light-bulb' moments but I have a challenge...just to start! I enjoy reading on a variety of topics especially success stories, inventions, innovations and about people, nations and societies that despise the odds to achieve their goals. I also love to write and I know I can be a great writer but I find it difficult to write when there is no deadline or when I don't have  someone to give me a topic to write about. Deep inside of me, I am aware that to develop my writing skills, I have to write very often so I can build confidence in myself.

I almost included writing an article every week as one of my goals for the year 2017 but I was scared I might not be able to keep up with it. What will I be writing about? Again, Just to start!

Thanks to Osho Samuel who started a page on Facebook (Writhaton) to encourage those who want to get past the roadblock of not being able to write consistently. The greatest push however came from reading Jayson DeMers' article on Forbes on 'How Writing An Article A Day Will Change Your Life (And Your Business)'. He shared lots of advantages of this task which I want to experience as part of my personal development. Among other things, he says writing an article a day will propel you to do a lot of research thereby making more information available to you, help build your vocabulary-base, keep you disciplined and ultimately lead to developing excellent writing skills. If you are able to put your articles on a blog (like I am doing) or on social media, you can increase your reach on the internet and improve your visibility. You can't imagine the audience who will now have access to the insights you share.

Now, I am not just going to write an article a week, but everyday! That is a big goal, but it is achievable. I have chosen to heed the advise of that Lecturer back then - 'start somewhere!'

I found a quote by John C. Maxwell that seem to be the driving force for me in the new year -

'You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine'. 

I find this very applicable to every area of life. You might not want to write an article day, but what is that thing you really want to see yourself do masterfully? The secret lies in your daily routine. You have to do something every day that contributes to your goal. You have to overcome that inertia!

A science student will quickly blurt 'Inertia is the force which opposes motion!' But to bring it home, Inertia is a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged (Oxford Dictionary). If you want to change anything about yourself, in your career, community or even nation, you have to break away from that tendency to sit still and remain idle. How do you do that? You have to set achievable goals, write them down, contribute to achieving the gaols daily and measure how far you have cone from time to time.

Do not sit back waiting for that push that will set you in motion, this article and many others is the push! Get up and start living your dreams! I'll see you tomorrow.

Image Credit: www.merryfarmer.net