Coming to think of it, nothing on Earth is without some ability to transmit signals or some form of a dashboard when its state deviates from the norm. This doesn’t mean all things are alive and have some awareness, but all things show a sign of inherent changes over time.

Man-made creations and natural things alike, send out or show signals of some sort when certain conditions occur. Though not all signals are transmitted intentionally, some show signs indicating a change in condition of the substance. Some signals can be as a creek, showing distress or some strain. Others can be in symptoms pointing to the underlying cause of the problem for which a solution may need to be found to avoid destruction. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 July 2016.

Signals are warnings sent to communicate messages or inform about deviations from the norm. Some deviations are not too serious, but they indicate the current situation that can be corrected by a simple reset or by changing the path or course of direction. Some signals cannot be easily extinguished through a reset, but may necessitate a complete replacement.

No signal however trivial it might be, should be ignored. Should you wish to ignore the warning or no longer want to be alerted, rather remove or increase the threshold of the “sensor or nerve” detecting the state of being. You will thereafter receive no alerts against deviations from the norm until a new condition is reached.

Some people define unexpected good fortunes as luck and undesirable ones as bad luck. Despite the existence of the word, there is no such thing as a coincidence. What we deem a coincidence or luck or bad luck might actually be a meaningful explainable event occurring purposely. We might be attributing to coincidence what we find difficult to explain or understand are the causes of its occurrence.

Life is more than fair even when we don’t think it is. Though we use words such as “sudden”, “unforeseen” and “surprise” to describe unexpected events and occurrences, but the occurrence of such events (good or bad) is unsurprising. What’s unexpected is the timing of their occurrence than their manifestation. Good and bad experiences surround us though not necessarily in equal measure. We tend to place little attention to thinking about bad experiences to avoid placing ourselves under pressure.

Nevertheless, knowing about the good and bad surrounding us should make us accept that surprises are a question of “when” and not “if” an event would occur. We should live our lives expecting the possibility of the occurrence of “things”. Living with such preparedness in many aspects of our lives could improve our lives. Problems we encounter may not be owing to our lack of information but of the courage to find information we need to apply in our lives.

Living prepared is living intentionally and not ignorantly. Such is living an enriched life full of joy despite experiencing calamities. Such life is better than living without expectations and being unprepared.

Some people live unpreparedly perhaps owing to their current comforts and certainties. Over time life teaches us that no one is guaranteed freedom from experiencing difficulties, yet some prefer to be ignorant of warning signals.

Some people know by their conscience that they are on the wrong path yet continue unflinchingly. Such is obvious ignorance that leads to destruction. The beauty of life is that it is the final arbiter on what we should learn and from whom. Some people’s ignorance is meant to lead them to destruction that will be a lesson for others who have been doing wrong things unknowingly. By the graciousness of life, some are spared the destruction from their calamities, but are preserved to serve a different purpose in life. Ours is not to tempt life, but to do all we can to live purposefully.

Though we should heed all signals, not all come from carefully designed transmitters and through carefully planned processes. Neither are all signals important to justify us changing priorities attending to them. Despite our perceptions of their importance, we should not ignore important signals nor fail to attend to them because we undermine their source.

In business as in life, signals are always transmitted. Signals warn us to heed the danger. Others are sent to stop our ignorance and pursue opportunities we might feel the strong urge to dismiss. Good things do not often feel good initially. Only once we have pursued them in faith, enduring some hardships and earning our rewards do we then see with the benefit of hindsight, the worth of heeding those signals. Sometimes we might be overcome by prejudice when ignoring signals urging us to change. We must fight off that feeling to ensure we benefit from the good that comes out of the situation.

We should remember that the purpose of business is to provide solutions to problems commercially. Anything taking away from the creation of value or destroying inherent value is a problem for which a solution needs to be found. Solution to such might involve dismissing the issue either by lowering its importance and resolution priority, or by increasing the threshold of its detection. It could also be resolved by correcting the anomaly causing the signal to be transmitted.

This explains why we should not ignore anything that could increase value in business. We should strive to be part of the solution and not the problem. Our busy lives and schedules should not be the excuse for our failure to attend to the signals.

Life is gracious to everyone somehow. Only those who choose to be ignorant or live prejudicially would miss the fullness of life.

In business, in particular, we should strive to be meritocratic, developmental, transformative, maintain an open mind and promote diversity. These are positive signals which if heeded, could hasten our success and create sustainable legacies.

You do not want unpleasant circumstances forcing you to confront underlying causes of the signals you failed to heed when it was easier then to resolve the issues and take advantage of opportunities. Those unpleasant circumstances might occur at an inconvenient time. By then you might have lost the discretion and control you could’ve exercised for your comfort and convenience to prevent becoming a victim of circumstances.

Heed those signals, even if it is unpleasant doing so. Those signals could be your last warnings and a chance to redeem yourself from your imminent destruction unless you change course and behaviour. The signals could also be your last opportunity to take on a different path to result in you enjoying life’s gracious blessings.

Increase your discernment to prosper and avoid becoming a victim of circumstances.