Be Deliberate, Stop Leaving Your Life To Chances

Reflections are great. We all need to be able to look back at where we are coming from in order to appreciate the progress we have been able to make and also to analyze and strategize on moving forward.

How does one reflect if one had no expectations /goals?

As a child, I was one of those kids that would seat at the back of the class for fear of being perceived as too serious and uncool. I ignorantly thought anyone who set goals took himself too seriously. It took me a while to realize that it can be very dangerous sailing on the sea with no destination in mind. So, I started setting goals; mini and major goals. Along the way, I discovered that setting goals in itself doesn’t guarantee results but knowing that there is a destination you need to get to, keeps you going even at the low times.

Fear can be very intimidating. There were times I found myself giving myself so many excuses why I should not follow through on a plan I had because I was scared. I wondered what I’d do if I fail. I found out however that the road sometimes might get foggy and that one’s well mapped out plan might suddenly seem unreadable. The path one taught one has studied so well might become unnavigable but that time is not the time to give up. This is because fogs always clear. A Yoruba proverb says when one falls off a horse, one climbs the horse again.


Whoever you are and in all you do, be deliberate. Don't leave your life to chances, you need to take charge. It is absolutely necessary for us all to have direction for our lives and to rise above our inhibitions to truly shine.

I was going to write about something totally different before I got the urge to share this bit. Whatever you want to do or whatever it is you are doing, don’t be scared of anything. Fear never achieves anything. The worst thing you’d encounter is failure and trust me when I say you’d be in good company. There is no success story without its challenges.

So don’t be hard on yourself if you have not gotten the results you desire. Just keep at it and don’t be deterred by whatever stumbling block that might be on your way.

It is just the seventh month, there is still a lot of time to do amazing things. Don’t leave your life to be directed by whatever element, this is no rehearsal.

You only live once, live consciously and purposefully.