The world rewards visionaries, the determined and decisive. Indecisiveness, sitting on the fence and readily changing the mind lead to failure. Decisiveness can be confused with stubbornness. Decisiveness often goes with fear and stubbornness with foolishness. Decisiveness is often required when out of fear and lack of boldness or courage of doing the right thing, one is overcome with fear of (supposed) loss. Stubbornness, on the other hand, often results from ignoring all warnings about the wrong course taken, ignoring evidence shown of such wrongfulness and ignoring warnings and advice and continuing with wrong actions. Stubbornness can be said to be decisiveness in the wrong thing. Even when one is pursuing the right thing, it may be necessary to change course from time to time to achieve the goals. Often when such required change in direction is ignored even when doing the right thing, that stubbornness creeps in and failure occurs. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 December 2023.
You’ve got to maintain an open mind always. It does not mean that you will agree with the advice, but it is always best to maintain an open mind. And when you do not have much to lose but your pride at stake, it is prudent to heed the advice and change course. Advice can be rejected if those giving it are more concerned about their losses should you not heed it than they care about the impact of such decisions on your goals. At the same time, there is no general formula for doing life, and one need not be too rigid about how one does life. The important point to consider should be that constant evaluation and discernment be maintained and the right decision made to achieve that elusive success. Because life and its events are not linear, evaluation of possibilities without being double-minded is imperative.
Some believe in coincidences and luck and others believe those events are divinely inspired and their occurrences not coincidental. Now those believing in the presence, influence and involvement of a deity cannot ignore those small voices advising a change in direction. The divine voice is reportedly not loud and can be missed, yet its impact endures. Thus, it is easy to miss such divinely inspired advice especially when pressured for time to decide. When pressured for time, decisions that do not violate morality and ethics cannot be wrong, unless by divine inspiration your gut somehow warns you against making such hasty decision. Without turning this into a formula, hasty decisions invoking greed or fear of missing out cannot always be correct.
Good decisions should question your belief in your goals, test the strength of your resolve in pursuing them than they should invoke greed or fear of missing out. It becomes clear that every major decision made should be well thought-through and never made in haste and abruptly. Sometimes life is unforgiving, giving one a once off chance with lifetime consequences either way. That does not mean that one cannot be redeemed later when one changes one’s mind for the better. It could mean that one would have to wait decades before one realises another breakthrough. Some people can make mistakes repeatedly and still be successful, whereas others only get given one chance in life. The unfairness of life is a mystery and instead of fighting that type of unfairness, it might be best channelling all those energies in making a success of the new life situation.
Success is like a good crop emerging from a good seed, soil and nurturing. Unlike weeds that emerge uninvited, success requires constant nurturing, removal of unwanted weeds and protection from pests and other destroyers. Success is hard work and a process requiring time and divine intervention in terms of “letting rain” come at the right time and in the correct amounts. Otherwise, disaster follows. Because we live in a fallen world, failure comes by default and success through toil. Persevere in your chosen course and while maintaining an open mind, keep adjusting your plans to consider changing, disturbing and unforeseen events.
Success is not a straight line but a series of meandering paths, valleys and often troughs of despair. These challenges are taxing even to a strong person and can ravage a feeble-minded person. Ask for help but from trustworthy people able to maintain confidentiality and not those known for gossip. Mental health is key to achieving success and maintain an open mind. In such situations, that is when true deity should show “themselves” and if unhelpful, it might be time for a rethink of the worthiness of beliefs in such a deity.
Wishing you prosperity, peace, good health and wisdom in the new year!
