..By SAMUEL UFOT EKEKERE…
Let me do a rewind. Do you remember having to visit church the last night before this year began? You prayed and received prophetic declarations over the New Year. How about the New Year resolutions you made? How far have you gone with the goals you set out to achieve at the beginning of the year? I am sorry for bringing this up now, but I thought it would be necessary for us to do a postmortem of the first three months of this year.
The year has not been easy. I had assumed that after the prophetic declarations and the many amen that followed, that the year would begin on a rosy note. Well it seemed like it was going to start well but then I hit a rock and got bruised. My wounds are still healing and I hope it heals fast enough for me to make a fast return to the race.
I began my year by writing out my goals. I needed something to push my energy forward and the truth is I did push and got going with my first goals just in time. I made two January goals. I needed a job so badly just to get out of my dry house and I needed to declare to the world my allegiance to God by water baptism. I got my January goal to a good start when I got fixed with a job just four days into the year and the first Sunday, my pastor declared a water baptismal class. I guessed that was a fast one as my goals were pushing right before my eyes. I was glad and felt peace that I could as well begin the pursuance of my February goals from January, which I began as a smart guy. However, I was wasting my time. My boss did not pay me my January dues and my pastor failed to organize the baptismal class. I left the firm empty, sad and despondent and I have not felt at ease in church ever since. I have been battling with my January goals since till now and my February goals are not in site. The March goals, I decided to march on them.
You may be like me feeling a bit despondent and losing hope like the many faces I have come across since the beginning of this year. Well I am a strong believer in goal setting and each time I read my goals, I try to picture what my life will look like if I can achieve just a half of those words written down. You might have written some words down as goals and you have not achieved the ones you thought you should achieve. Well I thought like that too. I went back and read my goals again just to mock at my big dreams. Do you know what I observed? I had achieved part of some goals though I expected to have achieved them in a more glamorous fashion.
Though I have not achieved my January goals, my February goals are still sleeping, and my march goals are far from these part of life, I have begun achieving a future May goal of meeting and interacting with renowned writers and editors one of whom is the emeritus editor of Newswatch magazine. In addition, I have achieved more that are not in my goal list within my little resources than I had anticipated. The message I am trying to pass across is that you might not have achieved your goals for the first three months of this year. Well it is saddening but check again, chance is you have achieved something that you might not have anticipated or that you had expected to achieve far into the year.
Since I made this discovery, I decided well that since I can achieve this little or much that perhaps maybe I had to be patient a bit. Rather than feel despondent and gloomy, I have to keep a smiling face and go search for people who I can put smiles on their face too like a comfort. So I have been putting smiles on faces and I have been feeling good about it. Well you may not be like me, but rather than feel bad about your situation that you expect to have changed by now, you can count your blessings and name them one by one and you will discover that indeed some things have changed even if it was not what you expected. You can trust that if that little deed has been achieved, that great ones that you so desire to see come through will see light too in the right month.
The year has begun on a good note for some. If it has for you, it is great and I celebrate with you. Some of my friends and neighbours have had perfect landing and have being scoring all their goals since the year began. I see new cars, new businesses, and new houses springing across my small village. It is great when you can make goals and see them come through. You would wear smiles and fat chins. Often though, we let the success obtained from achieving our present goals get into our heads that rather than push towards the achievement of future goals, we accept the mediocrity of our current achievement. Whatever you have achieved, you need remember there is much to achieve and you should not stop driving because you have reached the first bus stop. You have to keep driving till you reach the home zone.
I just thought I should usher you into part two of 2014 just to assure you that you are not lost on this path when God rides with you. You sure will win. Keep faith with your goals.