eBusiness Weekly
Arthur Marara
Wow! How time flies, some 366 days ago we were in 2022, and now we are in 2023. Let me start by congratulating you for making it into the year 2022.
For me, I lost several friends and relatives in the previous year, so I really do understand the importance of the gift of life.
What I am particular about, however, is not the duration of the life, but the effectiveness of the life. As we are starting 2023, I want to share with you some thoughts which can help you start your year effectively.
Stop wishing, start acting
The most familiar phrase this period is, “I wish you…” It is often punctuated by some very positive sentiments covering prosperity, wealth, health, relationships, business, and many areas of life.
I do not know how old you are, but for a minute just reflect on your age, and how many “I wish “you”s” you have received in your entire life. What have they changed in your life?
Truth be told wishes do not change anything. In 2023 let us not wish people anything; let’s speak the truth to each other. I recently saw one article on WhatsApp, whose contents I agree with totally. The writer said,
“For this coming new year, I am not wishing anybody;
If you want good health, see the doctor, eat well, and work out.
If you want money, go to work
If you want a lover, be honest and sincere in your relationships.
If you want success, work hard, be patient and perseverance,
If you want happiness make your neighbours happy
If you want salvation, trust God and do his will.”
I have been accused of being abrasive in my talks, but whoever wrote that piece, spoke the truth.
The challenge with Zimbabweans is that we do not want to hear the truth. People rather spend the night hearing someone telling, “Your life will change, your life will never be the same, you are going places”.
This does not change your life; it does not change the economy as well. I am not saying it’s bad to affirm yourself or receiving words of encouragement. What is the purpose of affirmations if they are not pushing you into any action?
You can hear all the positive words, and all these promises, but nothing changes if you do not change.
Remember 2023 is just a calendar year. Nothing will change in your life until you take the steps to change it.
“Focus on Good Planning and Hard Work”
King Solomon who is often considered the wisest person who once lived gave us a very interesting nugget, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty…” (Proverbs 21:5 NLT).
I took a bit of time to reflect on this statement. I realised that it was indeed pregnant with success principles. There are at least four or more principles that come out from Solomon’s observation.
The four principles might shock you a bit, but I try to clear the doubt. I will just focus for this part on the four;
You can work hard, but lack a good plan, you will not be successful
You can also have just a plan and work, you will not be successful.
You can also lack two of the elements (good planning and hard work), you will not be successful.
There is no shortcut to success, but there is a shortcut to poverty. Resultant effect is you will not be successful.
PRINCIPLE #1
You can work hard, but lack a good plan, you will not be successful. The problem with many people today, and if I may narrow down to Zimbabweans is not that we do not work hard, the problem is that we work hard but we do not have good plans.
If you want to see hard working people, look at Zimbabweans. This might even explain why they are employable wherever there is an opportunity. Some people even work hard for years in companies which are not even paying them a salary for years.
Look at the time some people wake up, and go to their places of work, either formal or informal. Some people wake up very early in the morning. We work hard! We have a culture of working hard!
Truth be told, working hard alone will not make you a successful person. You can even work hard and be broke! You can even put in hours to the work, yet there is no meaningful turn around in your own life and in your business.
You can even work hard and fail to own even the cheapest piece of real estate! You can even work hard but still go hungry! Harsh statements as they may sound but that’s the truth.
Hard work alone is not enough, you need A GOOD PLAN.
Some moments of reflection will help at this stage. Are you not in this category of people who work hard but do not have good plans? If so, what are you going to do differently?
PRINCIPLE #2
You can also have just a plan and work, you will not be successful. There is also a category of people, who have a plan, and they also work, but this will not guarantee you success.
What guarantees you success is a “good planning”, and “hard work”. We are beginning January 2023, and some people are holding on to “plans”, and they are “working” on their plans.
It is also unusual for some businesses not to take time to actually check whether the plan is “good”, and to check if they are “working hard”.
It is not enough just to plan, you need to plan strategically.
Whilst it is easy to take the easy way out and blame everything on the economy, successful businesses take it upon themselves to plan strategically and work hard.
Do you have a good plan? Are you working hard? Are you maximising on your potential?
PRINCIPLE #3
You can also lack two of the elements (good planning and hard work). This is the category which accommodates people who are seriously not serious. They do not have any plan for their life.
They have no idea of the future that they want; all they want is a long life with no clear indication of what that life is meant to achieve.
These are the people who are afraid to die yet they do not have a reason to live.
There are people who are waking up every day, and watching television, chatting on WhatsApp, generate dirty messages for free circulation on WhatsApp, eat, sleep and wake up the following day to do nothing of value.
Some parents are even housing such people.
If you are in this category you need to wake up, and take charge of your life. It is also possible to employ a person without a plan, and does not work at the same time.
These are the very people who are expending data streaming every dirty video they can find or even search for online, spending time on WhatsApp instead of working, spending time on social networks everyday as if they are being paid to be on those platforms.
Do you know it is possible to be idle and busy? This is what many of the people in offices are doing. Idly busy! If you do not have any meaningful plan for your life, or your business, there is no growth to talk about.
PRINCIPLE #4
There is no shortcut to success, but there is a shortcut to poverty. A hasty shortcut is the shortcut to poverty. Solomon might have envisioned Zimbabwe when he was writing this thought.
Many people in Zimbabwe are so obsessed with shortcuts; they want to get rich quick. They want to drive the latest Mercedes without putting in the work.
People think they can turn around their lives overnight, by liking a post on Facebook, or typing “amen” to a post on Facebook or “receive” their car by merely saying “I receive”.
I am not trying to downplay “church” or “faith” here but if you fall prey to this practice on social media you need help.
I am also a devout believer, but an understanding and practice of the success principles has changed my life.
This is what I believe; an “organised non-believer will succeed, whilst a disorganised believer will fail”.
There are no shortcuts to success!
A chain message claiming “God has said this…” will not change your life, and neither will an “anointed pen”, “anointed desk calendar”, “anointed pen and its holder”, “anointed cup”, “anointed pot”, “anointed tea”, “anointed sugar and all its ingredients”, “anointed trousers” will change your life.
Beverly Sills rightfully said, “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going”.
You do not need to be a “small house” for you to be financially free. You do not need to ruin another marriage in order for you to rise.
You do not need to run down your organisation through corrupt practices in order for you to rise. Shortcuts will always backfire. What goes around always comes around.
Great people take charge of their lives. They plan their lives. Most importantly, they look for opportunities to serve and not to be served.
Take charge of your year.
Join me on Star FM on Wednesdays (09:40am-10:00am) for some moments of inspiration on the Morning Galaxy with V Candy.
Arthur Marara is a corporate law attorney, keynote speaker, corporate and personal branding speaker commanding the stage with his delightful humour, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. He is a financial wellness expert and is passionate about addressing the issues of wellness, strategy and personal and professional development. Arthur is the author of “Toys for Adults” a thought provoking book on entrepreneurship, and “No one is Coming” a book that seeks to equip leaders to take charge. Send your feedback to [email protected] or Visit his website www.arthurmarara.com or contact him on WhatsApp: wa.me//263780055152 or call +263772467255.
