The Alarm Clock Is Ticking
It’s a tragic indictment on our society but many people are asleep 24 hours a day. There’s no light on inside.
I friend of mine rang me recently and said that he was in a major city and most of the people were all looking down at the sidewalk not paying any attention to anybody around them.
I see that too in many parts of the world.
They’re the “walking dead”.
Why haven’t they woken up yet?
There are a number of reasons I believe this is true.
It’s Time To Get Rid of Complacency
So many people are lulled into a state of ‘day sleep’ by complacency, apathy, compromise, procrastination, and a sense that they are hopeless to change the course of their lives.
They don’t have a purpose in life and aren’t committed to anything. Purpose and growth are the essences of living a happy productive life.
Maybe these same people are afraid of waking up and prefer to stay wrapped up in their nice warm comfort zone.
Many believe that the Western world is in a state of apathy, trapped in a state of “who cares?” attitude to life. People live with a “cruising mentality”, doing just enough to get by and no more. They say, “Don’t rock the boat, it’ll all work out in the end”. All they end up doing is settling for a life much less than the best.
Kill The Apathy
Apathy is one of the biggest killers of success. It kills motivation, implementation, vision, and destiny.
Apathy is a vile word in the English language. Apathetic people make excuses. The reason why they aren’t getting ahead in life or achieving.
One common excuse is that they’re waiting for the “big break” when all circumstances will be perfect. The reality is if you’re asleep with your head down to opportunities, you’ll miss all the breaks and opportunities that come your way.
I like what Og Mandino says:
“Be prepared to capitalize on the next opportunity that presents itself or, better still, to make your own opportunities.”
Stretch, Learn, and Grow
Why have a dream? One reason is to develop yourself, for growth in all areas of your life.
A vision for your future will cause you to stretch further, get out of your comfort zone and develop the necessary skills to accomplish your dream.
I remember a family friend asking my wife and me if we had completed a course when we first started one of our first businesses years ago.
It kind of threw us both as we were prepared to lean on the way and learn from people who had built businesses before us. During the early days of this business, we were just focused on getting the business off the ground.
As the company grew I had to become skilled in managing people, finances, marketing, and promotions. I didn’t learn those skills overnight.
Some of them took me a while to get a grasp on, and I remember that was a very steep learning curve. But the experience was vital and through it, I grew and have since repeated what I learned many times over.
Here’s a great quote I picked up:
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can reach. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors, try to be better than yourself.” Unknown
Without a vision, you will stay at the level of mediocrity.
Remember the words of Og Mandino “Be prepared to capitalize on the next opportunity that presents itself or, better still, to make your own opportunities”.
Incidentally, I did go on to study business and gained qualifications that have no doubt given me more knowledge. But I didn’t stop there, I continue to enhance my knowledge, and keep up to date with the constant changes in the business world on a daily basis.
Until next time
Live life.
David
