GIANT STRIDES – Eight (8) unmatched steps to define your future beyond 2021

A giant is a person of extraordinary powers. Something unusually large or powerful. Legendary human like being of great stature and strength. Stride on the other hand means a step made while running or walking. Thus to walk or run by taking long steps. Many people across the globe have various ambitions or goals and they make resolutions to accomplish them each new year. Significantly, this year ushers us into the next decade which reaches its apogee by the year 2030 and therefore it offers opportunities and a great platform to “futurize” those goals. Let`s venture into eight unmatched steps which when meticulously followed, can lead us to our anticipated destination.

1. Place value on Small Beginnings: Small beginnings are crucial for future outcomes. Although the beginnings may not define entirety of future outcomes, the preparations and activities will count toward that. Four ways can help place us firmly in:  

A. Patience: the most important ingredient needed to ensure small beginnings are well nurtured and not despised. When seeds are planted, the processes of photosynthesis take place to enable it grow as expected by the sower. Patience allows for time and chance to happen and prevents half-baked talents to be rushed into action.           

B. Ability to Develop & Blossom: Working with little recognition affords one the opportunity of perfecting his gifts in obscurity in order to prepare enough absorbers to overcome any form of shocks. The biblical David was never held in high esteem by his family as a shepherd boy in the bush, but when the Prophet Samuel scouted and anointed him, all eyes saw the great kings in the making. 

C. Building a Solid Foundation: Most times it is said that, desperation is a byproduct of innovation. Small beginning and limited resource force a man to maximize his potential. There are reserves in the wells of a man’s ability that would go untapped, had their use not been needed for one’s survival. The foundation of a building is the most important at any point in time. This houses the superstructure, and therefore need to be very solid to do so and overcome any form of “aftershocks” or cracks that may be encountered.  

 D. Adequate Preparations: Things will not always remain the same because there will be growth, development, and one will get to the destination. Do not curtail or abort your vision because pregnant women do not show any signs externally of the development inside them in the early stages of their pregnancy. It remains obscured until the appropriate stage of development. With time, the traits of growth will show and eventually it cannot be denied nor obscured from external influence. All your small beginnings to age into a big blessing, because where you are is  not the end of the journey.         

2. Decision Making: “When men do not know their assignment on earth, they kill themselves psychologically and emotionally, wallowing in different careers and meddling in dreams of others. They become restless and engage in unhealthy competition living unfulfilled lives.” A great statement by Bernard Kelvin Clive in his book: “Personal Branding Daily”.  It is very crucial not to ignore the advice of parents (esp. as a young person under their roof) or the elderly but it is more important to fulfill God’s purpose for your life by aspiring towards that. Consistently pray to ask God to lead you on to your purpose in life and put in hard work to ensure it is achieved. Remember that all you are doing now is transitioning you to attain the ultimate, which is God’s purpose as that is the only way to bring fulfillment in your life. The Holy Spirit, The Word (Bible) and Prayer can do great in this regard.          

 3. Passion: Any man, who can go the extra mile to achieve more, is a man with passion. When you have passion, nothing distracts you from working towards attaining your goals. A passionate person is the one who can work consistently even at odd hours without consideration for compensation or rewards. Only passion can make a person opt against the majority in decision making, especially when he is positive about the outcome of such a decision. Passion is the vehicle which drives great men to fulfill their destinies. Show me great achievements of our times, and I will direct you to passionate men.     

4. Deal with fear of the unknown: The greatest mistake in life is to fear you will make a mistake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me…. Psalm 23:4. The young man David knew that fear would always be present, but he was also positive that he had someone who was greater than fear, and therefore he was never overcome with fear his entire life. He won many battles because he purposed in his heart never to depend on his own natural strength but rather draw his strength from the Almighty God.  You must be armed with power of faith, focus on the end product and be courageous with unflinching belief in God.   

 5. Take the risk: A popular saying has it that: “seed and harvest time do not matter as the period between the two, which is the moment of waiting.” The period between the two makes room for risk taking and other associated activities to ensure the aim of planting is achieved. Risk taking cannot be separated from lifestyles of mankind. In finance, it’s established that those who take the highest risk are those who get the highest returns in investments. Risk taking is crucial for progress in all aspects of life. When students submit themselves for examination, it simply means they are ready to either get promoted or be graduated after completion of studies. One differentiator of successful people in entrepreneurship and those who are not, is risk taking at every level of development. “Living with fear stops us taking risks, and if you don’t go out on the branch, you’re never going to get the best fruit.” (Sarah Parish).

6. Partnership: And God said; let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26). As the Almighty God, He has neither restriction nor limitations and can do everything by Himself, but He recognized partnership in the business of creation and it surely brought great results. Partnership is basically coming together of two or more people to fulfill an assignment or accomplish a particular goal. People ignore the place of partnership in striving towards attainment of their purpose. The place of God and other men in our pursuit of life`s purpose cannot be taking for granted. No man has it all but will need another man to partner along the way. There is a place for everyone in accomplishing God`s purpose. Partnership takes away struggles, and when you try to do what you have not been graced for, you are likely to fail.

The place for partnership is indispensable and vital for attainment of life`s purpose. Helen Keller said thus: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Solo efforts generate solo results, but partnership generates a thousand results. Partnership ensures that we put our expertise on the line for the good of others. In return, we are rewarded with same or even better results per our association with others.          

7. Sacrifice: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 emphasis mine). This is by far the most popular verse in the Bible and it shows the greatest sacrifice in history; thus God deciding to allow His Only Son die on the cross to atone for the sin of mankind and bring reconciliation between Himself and man. It is almost impossible to see beyond the horizon without a form of sacrifice. It is one of the most crucial ingredients in bringing the bigger picture into focus. Sacrifice is what enables man to put significance or great importance on anything he loves and cherishes.

Sacrifice is needed in many areas of life including writing a book, playing soccer, preaching, dancing, examinations, etc. Sacrifice shows lots of preparations and self-denial in order to achieve the expected final result of an activity. Sacrifice and cost are best fellows and cannot be separated. Every sacrificial activity has an element of cost incorporated in it and for any person to see beyond the horizon, there will be a price to pay for the cost element. In the first stanza of Ghana`s alternative national anthem, ‘Yen ara asaase ni’ written and composed by Ephraim Amu, there is a portion that conspicuously indicates that our forefathers shed their blood to secure our land and future. It was a priceless venture carried out by them in many wars and conflicts, and it`s our time to also contribute our quota through similar sacrifice. On many occasions, sacrifice has resulted in the shedding of blood, and eventually death especially when the reasons transcend religious and political boundaries locally or internationally. Sacrifice involves spending quality time, self-denial, and paying the price.     

8. Prayer:  In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. (Mark 1:35 emphasis mine). Prayer is a platform for empowerment. There is no God given task which can be accomplished in the energy of the flesh, because all God given assignments will come under attack. The devil can sense the kind of task given you and will pursue until he finds his way. Only prayer and His Word can sustain you.

Jesus showed great example of the need for prayer and the Word in Matthew 1:4 when He was tempted by the devil after fasting and praying for forty days & nights. Prayer fuels the pursuit of greatness and for that matter your God given purpose on earth. The devil will keep pursuing you in the process but prayer will sustain and keep you alive. It is not an option but a necessity for life. However passionate you are, without prayer, your passion cannot be sustained. You never stop praying until you see God`s purpose manifesting in your life.

 

Conclusion

Defining the future requires tenacity of purpose to bring that to fruition. There must be positive, deliberate efforts with unshifted focus to work things out even as we make crucial commitments in prayer. You cannot afford to postpone actions that help define the future because the future is now!

Begin the journey now and be a giant in your stride.