Its Time to change the view

The other day I as I was taking a walk I noticed a man cutting grass in a field. I was very impressed by his level of focus and effort. The grass he was cutting was to feed his animals. Those animals provided a livelihood for his family. The activity he was therefore doing wasn't cutting grass. It was providing a livelihood for his family. This level of insight gives us the energy to do what we need to do on a daily basis. It makes us appreciate our work rather than looking at it as a type of punishment. As I walked away I asked myself quite a few questions: do I work as hard as this man, do I put in the effort required, am I as committed to the tasks I do as I should be?

I didn't have time to answer the questions because when I looked back up. I noticed that the field went on for almost as far as I could see. Suddenly the thoughts racing in my mind were very different. The field was no longer a small patch that could provide a livelihood for the one day. It was a world of opportunity. A space where livelihoods of many families could be gotten. I then wondered: has the hard working man seen what I have seen, does he understand the opportunity, Is there anything he should be doing differently?

Many times we work very hard on the tasks or roles that are ahead of us. We don't take the time to look up and see the opportunity that exists beyond the task. If you had a greater view of the world perhaps you would require different tools to make the most of the opportunity. Perhaps to use the new tools you need to gain some new skills or connect with some new people. For us to get the most out of the opportunities around us, we must be as diligent as the hard working man. Then we need to step back and see the big picture that is unfolding around us.

It all starts with what you can see. For us to #jumpstart our careers or lives we have to make the deliberate decision to think and see things differently. After seeing the possibilities we have to take the first step to prepare ourselves to make the most of the opportunities around us.

As we end the month of January, please take a moment to ask yourself, what opportunities are there around you. Secondly, identify two things that you will deliberately do differently to make sure you don't waste those opportunities in this new year?