The ManicaPost
Arthur Marara Motivation for Success
If our lives are going to change we need to evaluate the choices that we have made or we are making in the various areas of our lives.
The quality of choices we make in life, determines the quality of life that we lead. Invariably what distinguishes human beings from animals of all kinds is the power to choose.
This is a gift that has been vested in all of us. You choose how you to use your life. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross years ago shared profound thoughts on choices, “We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind’s greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear.”
Choices make you or break you
You are a product of the choices that you have made in life. The problems that we have today are arising from the exercise of the power of choice we have or have made. Some people drink away their health, some people spend their money into debt, and some people cost their marriages in their exercise of their choice.
A legitimate question is often asked, “I did not choose to be born in a broken family, I did not choose to be born through incest or any other sexual indiscretions, and I did not choose to be born in a poor family or to be born to divorced parents.” This is very true! You did not choose it, and guess what; you do not change anything by choosing to hold on to the past.
You cannot change the fact that you were born through sexual indiscretions, you cannot change the fact that you inherited a business that was in tatters, you cannot change the fact that you were tasked to chair a board of people from diverse backgrounds, but this is what you can change; what happens from now going forth. You can choose to let go of excuses, and make meaningful progress with your life.
You don’t just find yourself in stuff
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” (Eleanor Roosevelt). You can choose your way into a situation or you can choose your way out of it.
Corrupt people often want people to believe that they found themselves in corruption; the same way couples who engage in extra-marital affairs want people to believe that they just found themselves in adultery; even a struggling business can blame its state on some other factors. Yet in all these scenarios, there is a fundamental element which contributes to where people end up eventually, CHOICES.
There is no one who was forced to be corrupt, corruption is a choice. There is no one who is forced to be lazy, laziness is a choice, there is no one who is forced to be a truant at work, and truancy is a choice. No one just woke up with a small house; it was a choice that was made. What choices have you made in the past? What choices are you making now?
Greatness is by choice and not by chance
Deep within each and every one of us there is greatness, but our greatness will be not unleashed by chance. You can die an ordinary person, or you can choose to live and die great. If you are going to make a difference in your life, chance is not the word, CHOICE is the word.
Make a choice to be a great in your area of calling, and commit to management of that choice. “Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” (William Jennings Bryan)
Stop being cry-baby
“Be miserable or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” (Wayne Dyer). Talk about choices, the first thing that will be presented before you are excuses justifying why one is where he or she is. Honestly if you are going to achieve greatness in life, stop being a cry-baby. This might sound harsh, but that is the truth. You will not bring food on the table by reminiscing the winding up of your company, you do not change the course of affairs by complaining about how unfair the business environment is.
Your thrust should be how to make yourself relevant in the business environment. Figure this out, in the same economy some people are crying foul, some people are expanding their businesses and even opening new branches. In the same economy where people are crying liquidity, Nyaradzo Group is busy increasing branches and its services throughout the country, Innscor is everywhere increasing its branches, and Transerv is opening even more branches in a market where almost everyone is crying about counterfeit parts as affecting business.
Choose to take charge of your life
“Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept situations”. (Tom Brady) You can choose to be a victim or you can choose to walk out a victor. Your life, your business will change when you decide to take a stand for it, and declare that your future is in your hands, and you will not allow yourself to be limited by your situations, but you will rise above your situation.
Growing up I used to struggle a lot in writing, and written English was one of my worst performances, and not surprisingly I consistently got “Cs” through to University. This might be difficult to believe, but that is the truth.
It took one day for me to make a choice that I will pursue, my writing passion regardless of my academic background; I will pursue my speaking passion despite the fact that I had no previous public speaking background.
The simple choice I made changed my life. I no longer live my fears, I live my dreams. I have written seven (7) A-Level books, approved by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for use in all schools in Zimbabwe, and five (5) motivational books to my name.
I had a choice, one of them was to think that there are people who are better qualified than me to write these books, and the other choice was to tell myself “I can do this . . .” Choose to take charge of your life, choose to take that step of faith, and choose to take that risk.
Choose to be different
We live in times whereby compromise is being celebrated at the expense of values, where morality has been eroded and certain practices have been okayed. It is not unusual for “small houses” to be celebrated regardless of their effects on marriage, corrupt people thriving at the expense of people of integrity, people who cut corners seeming to succeed even more than those people who follow the principles.
We can not dispute the fact that there have been various changes in our society, but you have the power to choose. You can choose to be different even when people are conforming to a certain way or conduct. Choose to be different in the conduct of your business.
People complain so much about police officers demanding bribes, but there is no way that bribing can succeed if people from whom bribes are being sought refuse to pay them. Choose to do the right thing, and not only the convenient thing. If you behave like everyone, you will end up where everyone is. You can choose a life of integrity where everyone is corrupt; you can choose to live a life of values, where everyone is choosing the easy way out.
Review your choices
“We must make the choices that enable us to fulfil the deepest capacities of our real selves.” (Thomas Merton). Your success in life is dependent upon the choices and actions you take in life. This week, I want to challenge you to review the choices that you have made in the past. Take a moment and answer some questions below:
What is the future that you desire? (Write it down)
What choices are you prepared to make to achieve this future?
What is your choice of friends or associations?
Are they taking you anywhere or are you taking them anywhere?
What is your choice of literature?
Is it adding any value to you?
What is your choice of entertainment?
Is it building values that you admire?
Arthur Marara is an attorney, author and motivational speaker. He is author of motivational book, “Personal Development Toolkit”. Send your feedback to [email protected] or join him Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ArthurMarara or contact him via Whatsapp +263772467255.
