The Choice

Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom - a popular verse from the Holy Writ. It's a year today that Incredible Courage was birthed and I thought it's a good time to reflect, especially as it coincides with the end of a regular year.

A year ago, it was about pouring out my heart to share my journey in my new status. Very quickly, the mission was modified to sharing my life as a whole. The vision didn't change - to enable others draw courage to preserve in life's journey, in spite of any challenges by drawing hope and inspiration from someone like them, who's been there, is there and by God's grace and mercy keeps rising no matter how many times she gets sidetracked or falls.

Thinking back over the past year, a few words come to mind in trying to summarize the year. One of them is Choice. Others are Proactivity. Wisdom.

It's always about the choices we make, isn't it? We can't always control the circumstances that come our way but we can and must be deliberate about the choices we make. Choice requires thought. It also connotes deliberate action. Even doing nothing takes a process of evaluating the options, and deciding nothing is the best thing to do.

We shouldn't be reactionary all the time either. We need to anticipate and make plans for various scenarios that we envisage so that we can act, rather than react in our circumstances. We need to try to shape our circumstances by the seeds we plant and the advance actions we take. It's impossible to make perfect plans, but we must still plan. Failing to plan as they say, is planning to fail. Chess is a great game for strategy. Anticipating several moves ahead and positioning are key skills everyone needs.

Wisdom is the ability to determine the appropriate action to take in any situation. A lot of it comes from knowledge and experience, but I've found that inspiration, or instinct is vital as well. That inspiration comes from God, if you are one that looks to Him for daily help and guidance. I have found it invaluable and certainly couldn't have made it this far without His help.

Looking ahead to the coming year, I've decided what my focus areas are. They aren't new, just areas that need to be improved upon and deciding to chase those improvements with more determination. What are you focusing on for 2016? What are your burning issues? Those same three words that summarize 2015 will be needed in 2016.

There's really no new strategy, it's the choice and application of appropriate strategy that's crucial. Action, implementation, both doing words - verbs. For us in Nigeria particularly, it will be a year in which we need to be creative and really think more proactively within the box as well as without. Tough times are ahead no doubt, but we will find a way to rise above and make the best of the year. Some things will  need to be scaled up while others will need to be scaled down.

I am grateful for all that has happened this year - good and bad. The good, obviously because it was good. The bad, because it taught me lessons, revealed to me things I wasn't fully aware of in some cases but overall I also realize that what I saw as bad still was used in the grand scheme of things to keep me on the path of purpose.

God has truly been good and I can't express my gratitude enough. To fulfill purpose is my heart's cry. I can't echo that enough. I intend to make each day count, so help me God. There are things I've neglected because I just couldn't fit them into 24 hours. I can pick them up now because some other things have ended, thus making room for those neglected items.

2016 represents an opportunity to reset and start some things afresh. New commitments, new decisions. A renewed commitment to those things that will continue from this year. Here's wishing everyone a wonderful new year that takes you further in the fulfillment of purpose.

See you in 2016! Blessings on you and yours.

Causality

Causality, defined as the relationship between cause and effect is a word I heard for the first time (to my recollection) in one of my MBA classes.

The MBA, a journey that started on January 15th, 2014 is finally over. One of the major things we did as part of our assessments were reflections and one member of my cohort said she doesn't want to do any more reflections in the foreseeable future. I rather tend to agree with her but I think I need to do one last reflection, lol. 

December 2015 features Bunmi v2. I am a much-improved version of myself, both in thinking and some action. The action hasn't completely caught up with the thinking, but we are getting there. Whether v2 is completely, 100%, directly as a result of the MBA is arguable, but no doubt it has contributed.

I'm thinking about causality as I reflect upon Bunmi v2. A lot has happened in the last 2 years. My family wasn't sure I could take the rigour of starting an MBA 2 weeks after I was widowed but I was willing to give it a shot. They probably secretly thought I had gone bonkers, lol.

I certainly couldn't have done it all on my own, I owe a lot to my learning team and my family and friends who supported me in various ways in the course of the 2 years. Most importantly, I owe the biggest gratitude to the Triune God - my dear friend, the precious Holy Spirit, my wonderful Father and unseen husband, God the Father and my precious saviour, Jesus the Son, who made it possible for me to become a part of spiritual Israel.  

Leadership and self-awareness were a major focus of my MBA programme. A change in career direction was also a major goal. A fresh perspective and new insights were things I hoped for. An international network and exposure to a different culture were key requirements. I am glad to say 100% of those goals were achieved.

Our lifes are the sum of many parts. I completely believe that everything that happens to us leaves a mark and affects us in some way - this isn't particularly profound. That being so, it means we need to be very deliberate in our actions, taking the time to weigh many things before a decision is taken. We need to control as much as possible, that which we can because there is already so much outside our control. I have said in one of my posts on decision making that I never take a decision without sleeping on it, not always literally, but simply that I will usually not say Yes or No without thinking through. Ah - yes, my MBTI profile did confirm that I am a thinking person.

Our experiences affect us to varying levels, unlike statistics, where some function may not necessarily affect another parameter. We must think before we act. We must think not just about the effect on us directly, but also the ripple effect on everyone that is connected to us - family, friends and professional associates. We are part of an intricate web and  there is an effect for every cause. There's no running away from that.

Coming back to Bunmi v2, am I advocating for everyone to go do an MBA? Heavens, No! But if you think it might facilitate your career and life prospects, I would say explore it. It certainly made a difference for me.

Enjoy your weekend and be good. 

Blessings on you and yours.