I remember the first time I saw this acronym; I thought to
myself, “What is up with this YOLO-ing everybody seems to be going on about?”
Then I decided to google it (thank God for google). Lo and behold, it was
revealed unto me (my “Owwwww, I knew that” moment) that it simply meant You Only
Live Once! (If you also didn’t have the slightest clue on what it could have
meant, now you know) And indeed, I agree with this statement – you only have
one life to live.
I do wonder who came up with it and the reason behind its
radical reinforcement. Maybe they were lying on their death bed realizing all
the opportunities they had in life which were never seized or were tired of
moping about life and its hurdles – deciding to take it as it is and living in
each moment, making the best of each or it was simply a random thought on how
to get the masses hyped up about a truth that is usually taken for granted in
excuse to live recklessly and squander days in the name of fun and excitement.
One can only wonder. But amid all the possible reasons as to whom facilitated
its existence and why, it can be used to positively impact lives and change
mind-sets.
I was thinking the other day, in reading Bonang Mathebas’
success story; about the unending opportunities that one has access to – to be
whatever they want to be and to achieve anything they hope to achieve. Success
is not dependent on your environment, what you have or do not have and your
circumstances but on you – what you make out of yourself. Her story conveys the
virtues of hard-work, perseverance, believing in oneself, making the most of
what you have no matter how small and most importantly doing what you love –
what you are passionate about. She is where she is today (young as she is) not
because she had some magic formula but because she is living her life to the
fullest and capitalizing on every opportunity that comes her way. What is success anyway? According to the
oxford dictionary (the definition I like) it is, “the achievement of an aim or
purpose.” It is not necessarily having money and fame (though it comes with it
most times but not always); it is living life exploring every dimension of your
potential, gifts and talents, not being afraid to take risks (good ones at
that) and reaching your optimum best – what we can summarily say: being the
best that you can be in every level.
Thinking about this made me ask myself a couple of questions
like: what am I passionate about, am I working hard at the moment to achieve
what I am hoping to achieve, do I believe in myself – that I can do anything I
put my mind to and am I doing anything worth living for and pursuing. The
disheartening truth is that time is of the essence. The time one has now they
will not have tomorrow, neither will they get it back. Waiting for perfect
moments to begin doing what you are passionate about or for opportunities to
avail themselves only takes away the little time you have to fulfil your
God-given purpose. My advice to me and you is: let it be now because we only
have this life to live. There are no second chances in the afterlife. What you
are unable to achieve now, here on earth, will never be achieved (by you). A
few key principles in Proverbs that one can draw from:
1) Before
anything and everything else, surrender your dreams before God. Proverbs 16:3
says, “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He
will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your
plans be established and succeed.” What we normally do, myself being
guilty of this; we make plans and do things without surrendering them or
enquiring about them before the Lord and when they do not work out, we blame
God. Yet the Word notes that the submission of ones’ plans before the Lord is
key to them succeeding and being established.
2) Make the most of each season in your life. Whether you are
studying, working, no job, single or married - make each season count. Do not
waste that time complaining and doing just about nothing. Proverbs 12:11
states, “He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows
worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and is without understanding.”
If you till your land; work hard, embrace God-given opportunities, persevere to
achieve your God-given dreams then you shall be satisfied. Your life will have
meaning and purpose. And in making the most of each season, make sure you are
not following worthless pursuits – profitless pursuits.
3) Do not be lazy. Most times it is easy to sit and get
comfortable in one’s life; feeling no need for change or new endeavours because
change and new endeavours demand risk – taking chances. Proverbs 20:13 refutes laziness voicing out
that, “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and you will
be satisfied with bread.” Idleness breeds poverty and not essentially
material or financial poverty but a kind of lack that engulfs almost every
aspect of an individual’s life. Like the modern saying, “You snooze, you lose!”
Get up and do something. From the little that you do, God will open more
opportunities. YOU know what you are passionate about, YOU know what God is
calling you to do, YOU best know your gifts and talents therefore get up and do
something about it. Remember that the time you waste can never be regained; you
only have one life to live.
4) Do not let your life be grown over with thorns and nettles.
If you get comfortable being at the same place in life - not seeking to strive
for more, the purpose that God has called you to will soon subside into the
background. Other issues of life will surface and suffocate the visionary in
you, the dreamer in you or the believer in you. Proverbs 24:30-31 reads, “I
went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man of void
understanding; And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were
covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down.” Strive for
more!
Much love, be blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment