Before you delve into the main premise of this article, I would like to ask: what’s on your mind right now? Why do you want to read
this? Take a few seconds and answer the questions.
If
you consider that I am not even there with you to hear your responses, you
would understand that the goal is not to question you but to help you make that
one decision; why do you want to read this? If your answer isn’t in
the form of a decision, you’ve likely left yourself on autopilot. I’ll reserve
this topic for another day. By the way, Happy New Year!
A new year? Isn’t it just a shift in the calendar?
As
2024 drew to a close, perhaps you prayed for 2025 to arrive, hoping for a fresh
start. You may have thought that since you couldn’t achieve your 2024 goals, it
was better to just wait for the new year, and you even promised yourself that
you would be more serious. As a result, you carried over your unachieved goals
and ideas into 2025. Trust me, I’ve been in this position before, and I
know that state of mind. We often make it look like it’s the year that’s unfruitful—not
us! It’s funny. But isn’t it simply a way to ease the discomfort of
unachieved goals and the emptiness that comes with them? ‘I couldn’t do it this
year, but I’ll do it next year.’ But isn’t this a way of avoiding the tougher
question: Why couldn’t I do it this year? Why?
The
year changes, but nothing changes unless you do.
Simply
thinking you’ll do better next year, next month, or next time keeps you in the
same spot because time changes nothing—it only reveals the results of your
decisions and choices. 2025 could be no different from 2024, or it could be
better or worse, depending on you. The year may reset, but life only shifts
when you do.
Since
a change in the calendar does not equate to a change in one’s life, how can one
truly create that change?
Turn
the wheel! Yes, for real—turn the wheel! Life is like driving a car—if you keep the wheel
straight, you’ll stay on the same path. Likewise, if you’re consistent with the
same mindset, perceptions, decisions, choices, and actions, your life will go
in the same direction and produce the same results. I need you to think
about who you have become as a result of your choices and habits. Compare it to
your ideal self: Do they align? Does it seem like you’re growing? Does your
goal seem closer? If you continued in the same direction, would you be any
closer to your ideal self in five years?
Please
stop reading. Think first! See, if you aim so high but feel so low—if you’re not even 10% closer to the
person you want to become—you’re obviously heading in the wrong direction. Turn
the wheel! Turn it!
okay, "Where should I start?" Isn’t this how you would frame the question?
Well, this time, you may not need to start again, but rather continue from
where you stopped.
Here is an exercise for you:
Take your mind back to 2024. Where did you stop in your
commitment to your life and destiny? Please think. remember where you stopped
in your goals. Just think. Have you done that? Pick up a pen and write it
down. Did you stop halfway? Yes or no? Write it down. You have to be
true to yourself; the virtue of sincerity is the first thing you need to
orchestrate change in your life.
Again,
take your mind back to 2024 and identify the various factors that
placed a pause on your commitment. Begin with the factors that were out of your
control, such as health challenges, economic conditions, and environmental
issues. Then consider factors caused by you or products of your indiscipline,
like fear of failure, distractions, procrastination, incompetence,
inconsistency, lack of confidence, etc.
The
goal is not to judge yourself, but to bring clarity and understanding. After
you’ve reflected, one thing you will notice is that 70-80% of the factors that
limited your ability to make progress and potential for growth in 2024 were
entirely within your control—you either caused some, or you allowed them.
Believe it or not, you are where you are because of your self-imposed
limitations.
And
because these limitations aren’t time-related, they didn’t simply expire in 2024;
they followed you into 2025. When problems persist, the result will remain the
same—whether it’s 2024 or 2025. The logic is simple; it’s not rocket
science. So, your question should be: How can I stop the factors
that limited me in 2024 from limiting me in 2025? This is not just a
question. Make it a decision! A decision that will cost you your ego, comfort,
time, sleep, and so on. it’s entirely up to you to ‘turn your wheel’ if you
want.
