This is the fourth Lecture in the series of How to Succeed in 2020 or What You Must Do to Succeed This Year.
We started on the first day of January 2020. I told you our theme for and focus in 2020 is one word and one thing, SUCCEED!
That word is an instruction, a command, and you must make it your intension and pursuit. Success does not come by accident and it is not a product of luck. Success comes as a result of definitive intension and specific series of actions taken by a person in life.
Sometimes when people tell you about their success, they may tell you the sweet part and not tell you how they sweat for a long time before they made it in life.
But if you’re a student of success and a good learner, you’ll be wise enough to ask deep and deeper questions that would make them reveal the real story behind their great glory.
Based on my years of research and from studying people from Bible, history and today, I’ve discovered that no one personally and permanently succeed by accident; every successful person succeeded by intension and deliberate actions.
They do so by first taking one step at a time, walking, running, and later they were able to start jumping and then start flying. The methods may be different and the areas of success, degrees of success and the success stories may vary, but the process is always the same, they all begin by knowing what they want in life and per time. That’s exactly what you and I too must do to succeed this year.
First, know what you want to achieve this year. Second, write what you want to achieve this year. Third, choose what you want to pursue this year. Now, the fourth thing you must do is plan how you want to pursue it in order to truly achieve it this very year.
What and what will you do that will make you achieve those things you have chosen to pursue and selected to achieve this year, and when would you do each of them?
It is planning that gives you direction and helps you to know what to do per time and what you should focus your attention upon. It helps you to know whom to talk to and whom to refrain from each time of the year. It helps you to know when to work and when to play so that you will not waste your life away.
Planning tells you when you can watch a movie and when you must focus on working. It helps you know when you can visit people and when you can’t receive visitors. Planning helps you to get your life organised so that you can achieve your vision per time. If you want to succeed this year, you must plan how.
This year, not everyone can call me whenever they like and have me respond to them. There are specific days and times you can call and get my attention because everything is already planned. I might not even know that someone is calling because my call phone wouldn’t be with me all the time.
But there are days that I’ve specifically planned to play, meet and pray for people this year, when anybody can get my attention whether we have appointments or not. Everything is needed for success, both the work and the play and must be well planned.
However, there are certain people’s calls that no matter how busy I am, I must pick once I see their names, except if I don’t know they are calling. Those are people most important to the achievement of my goals and plans this year.
Before now, anyone could call me at any time they like and I’ll respond, even in the middle of the night, whether I know you or not, I pick every call. That’s how I lived my life. And I counsel everyone at every time.
Those were the plans for that time. But in 2019, I started focusing more on those who are serious about their lives and stopped wasting time on those who don’t take to advise.
But this year, my focus is to succeed in specific areas of life, so I need to channel more of my time, energy and resources to those areas. This year, I’m working for and working with only those who want to truly succeed in the areas I can assist and those who can help me succeed in the areas I want to succeed too.
In the last few years, my concern was just to help everyone, whether they want to be helped or not. So, I spent much time, energy, money and resources helping everyone I saw needed help, irrespective of whether they want it, use it, appreciate it, acknowledge it or not. And I wasted so much energy and time.
But it was not really a waste. It was the plan for those period. That way I was able to help many thousands of people everywhere and spent much time doing so. I wasn’t even sleeping much, until February 2019 when I started focusing on those more serious about their lives. Then in April I stepped it up a little higher and I started having more time to rest and for myself and family.
In this 2020, my plan is to focus on only those who want to be truly helped and are ready to help themselves and pay the price. So, you must plan your life and time based on what you want to pursue and achieve each year. You must recognise the season you are right now.
You need to know and then plan whether you need to work for free for more people this year, or volunteer to serve somewhere, or do more of prayers and fasting, or focus on making more money, or if going to more parties, meeting more people and making more friends is what will help you succeed more and achieve what you want this year.
You must sit down, think well and plan it. How will you succeed this year. What must you do to achieve what you want to achieve this year? If what you’ve chosen to pursue this year involves you playing with more people in order to achieve it, then that’s what you must do this year, plan it.
Don’t get unnecessarily serious when you should be playing. Don’t work by another person’s plan. If much playing is part of what you need to succeed this year, you must take those playing periods very seriously. That playing period is your own business this year. So, do the business.
That may be what you need to achieve your own success, get more customers for your sales, more clients for your business or the right person to marry, so you must know what you need and plan how to get it.
If you are a student, you have chosen to excel in your studies, playing much can’t be part of your plan for the year but rather studying more and increasing the number of hours you spend in the library and to do your academic works.
If you’re looking for a life partner, you might need to become less too serious and improve in your playing skills this year. If you need more clients, you must include interactions and more communications with people in your plan for the year.
If you sell things in a neighbourhood, you must plan how to stop and greet, talk, joke and laugh with more people in that neighbourhood this year. You must know what you need to do that will help you achieve what you want to achieve this year, and deliberately plan it into your time and daily routine.
That is why you must run your own race this year. Don’t copy someone else’s plan. Don’t say because you see someone playing all the time or being on social media most time, you too must start playing. That may be what they need to succeed this year which you don’t. So, the play to them is work.
Plan what you need to do this year to achieve your dreams and succeed in life, and in your studies, career, business, marriage, family and relationship. Sit down now, think deeply, make the plans and follow your plans. I’ll tell you the next thing to do in the next Lecture.
Talk to me at +2347030371153.
I am A. T. ADENEKAN
Founder, The King’s People Connection & Happy Marriage Training Programme