I was looking through some of my past notes this evening and I saw a story that I wrote down some years back because of the lesson which I do not intend to forget in a hurry. There was a  little Red Hen who found a grain of wheat (opportunity) and decided to make bread (success). She planned and prepared so as to achieve her desired result. She planted the grain, tended, watered, and harvested it.

This is nothing but action on display. She took the wheat to the mill to be grounded into flour. She made the dough, let it rise, and, finally, put it in the oven to bake. At each step in the process, she asked her neighbours for help but none was willing to offer a helping hand. Within some hours, the break was ready for consumption. She set it on the window sill to cool and its sweet scent floated up and down the street. At this point, some of her neighbours came to ask her for some loaves of bread. The hen refused and ate the bread alone.

We may think the hen was rather harsh in not sharing the bread with her friends. But, in reality, no one can give you success. So many a times, we depend on some other people (our parents, the uncle who is the Managing Director of a company, our aunties who have been in overseas since we were in Primary School, friends among other) to be successful. Most people have conditioned their mind to always be at the mercy of others. They want people to decide on a destination, design the map to the destination and probably set the ladder for them to the destination. These people only want to join others at the destination. They do not want to do anything but want to enjoy the good things of life.

No one can do the preparation, planning, and the work for you. If you are to achieve true excellence or success, you must take responsibility for your life and do the work to your most-desired future. You must dream your dreams, believe in the dream, make the plans, and act the plans. Nobody can and will do this for you. It is your call.

If you are serious about your life, you have got to create the kind of future you desire. Your parents, pastor, relatives or even friends can only help you on the way. They can not do everything for you. So, decide today to take responsibility for your action. Stop blaming people for what happens to you.  Remember, “You are not a failure until you start blaming people for what happens to you”. DREAM, PLAN, PREPARE, PERFORM, PERSIST… then, the sky will be just the beginning.

Post from: PACE with Emmanuel Oluwatosin

Are you in charge?

Technorati Tags: success, dreams