WAKE, PLAN, DO, REPEAT...

Dear September,

            This is the one where I tell you how to be a badass….    

I think too many times, we get comfortable with doing the bare minimum to ensure that we aren’t failing, which gives us enough time to meddle and do the things that don’t add any sort of value to our existence.

As you can see in the picture, this girl is a ballerina. She is aware of the commitment that being an exceptional ballerina requires. So even though she is taking a coffee break, she is not really taking a break because she is still on her tip-toes. She knows that to be a badass, she cannot really afford to take a break. This is a quality that not many possess and a realization  that not many people come to.

            Recently, popular Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage was at the forefront of a huge scandal. Her husband tried to kill himself and everyone had something to say about it. This was just a reminder that we live in a society and a time where people are so distracted by social media and gossip that they have totally neglected their own lives.  If people were truly focused on their own lives, they would have no time to spend deliberating and dissecting other people’s problems.

Vincent Van Gogh once said “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”. I think this quote is important and extremely relevant, because it addresses the huge misconception that doing great things require making these huge moves that the majority of people do not feel like they have the resources to make. We tend to forget that baby steps still move you forward. So, often people use this an excuse to become victims, they sit pretty in the little cocoons of comfort they have created for themselves and ignore reality because it is easier.

Another reason why people do not take charge of their own lives and make meaningful changes is because everyone leaves it to the next person. It comes back to people thinking that the problems in society are too big for them to take head-on, which they are. However, people fail to recognize that if every person folds their arms and puts it on the next person, nothing happens. But if every person makes the little changes and takes steps to become better, the whole world will become a better place to live in. No one sees themselves, as special enough to be the first one, so the change that we so desperately seek, slips further and further away.

This period of history has to be recorded as the time where ‘”peer pressure” was as its peak. People too many times, look to other people for validation and acceptance, so they shy away from doing things that society would consider “strange” and “different” and “weird” and “quirky”. This is a crying shame because if we looked a little closer, we would see that all the magic and the badass-ness is in the “weird” and the “quirky” and "strange" and "different".

WAKE

            Wake up every morning knowing that Beyoncé has the same number of hours as you do in the day. To “wake” means to emerge or cause to emerge from a state of sleep. The word “sleep” connotes a state of being unaware of one’s surroundings. A state one who wants to be a badass, cannot afford to be in. Being a badass, require you to be two steps ahead at all times. Being aware and awake helps one to carry out the plan for the day seamlessly.

PLAN

            There is a popular saying “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”, in other words, making no plan at all is also a plan. Do not make goals at the beginning of the year and forget about them. Make goals at the beginning of the year and break them down into smaller goals. This will help you do something every day to ensure that by the end of the year you have accomplished everything you set out to. I think that goals are dreams that have been written down. Now, I am aware that often life gets in the way and things do not go the way we plan. Life isn’t perfect and it is important to be aware of this. However, I do think having a plan ensures that you have a mental picture of where you want to be, which is extremely important. Besides, it’s your life, it’s your call, so you can always make changes to the goals you have written down.

DO

This is the one that I find the most difficult to do, because I often procrastinate and do things at the last minute. One of my goals for the year is to break this habit. I think that a really important part of making sure that you are getting things done is to give yourself “realistic” goals. In the sense that, the goals you set should not be ridiculous and too far from what you would do ordinarily. This is because, it may feel good to do them for the first couple of days but they would not sustainable. It is important to keep in mind that once you stop, it would be very difficult to regain a rhythm and get back into the swing of things. Also, it is important to keep the goals realistic because the less things you commit to, the more effort and time you can put into each one.
REPEAT

            This is the most important part. This is why it is so important to set daily goals that are “realistic”. It is good to be able to keep up an incredibly intense schedule for a few days, but to become successful you need to be able to keep up the rhythm long-term. This is why you have to do what you have a passion for and what truly makes you happy. The "repeat" clause is all about consistency and persistency.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “consistency” as a steadfast adherence to the same principles, course and form. Basically, this means being physically and mentally committed to the goals you set for yourself. Find someone or a couple of people who have accomplished what you hope to and adapt the common principles you find, to your own journey. Consistency is putting the same amount and quality of effort every single day. Consistency is being willing to put in the work every single day, no exceptions. Consistency is being just as prepared as you are on your best day, on your worst day.

“Persistence” is the quality of being persistent.. I know, bloody incredible definition there. Ok, really... It can be defined as continuing steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition and remonstrance. On the path of success, there will be many different obstacles and stumbling blocks and that's a given. But I’ve also learned that often the biggest obstacle is often “you”. Yeah, I said “you”, when obstacles and adversity set in, there is likely to be self-doubt and living in a society where being different is different, well… it just adds fuel to the fire. So this is why having this quality is so important. Look at your own journey for inspiration, look at where you were in the past and where you are now. It is real life indication and guage for where you can be in the future if you keep going. “Persistence” is never giving excuses and never taking “no” for an answer. Persistency is being patient, and this important because it often takes a while to convince yourself that your dreams are valid and they can come true. Persistence is all about perspective, you can see obstacles as an indication that your dreams are impossible or you can see them as learning experiences. An obstacle is never a dead end, there are infinite ways to accomplish any given task but one cannot be forced to see things this way, one has to learn.

So, my dear September, it is very easy to be an “average bitch” and take the easy way out, but being a badass is a choice and a full-time job.  Unless, you are willing to make the sacrifice, you will always be a follower and second-tier title. Ok, I think I’m done rambling but hopefully you found this helpful.