Thoughtful Thursday Prompt #16 : My Life, My Rules

I used to think that it was somewhat abnormal to have laid out rules or guidelines in your head on how to live your life as most people I've met seem to be just living. They figuratively tend to move in any direction the wind blows them to but whilst growing up, I realized that setting some basic ground rules is essential for everyday living and seeing this week's prompt made me well aware of the fact that there are others out there, just like me.

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1. Setting And Working On My Goals :
   I believe that as humans, we all look forward to something,we all aspire to either be like someone, better than someone or better versions of ourselves whether in regards to our personalities or our finances. We all crave something more, something better and being part of the human populace, I'm also engineered towards this train of thought. I often ask myself, "where do I want to be in the next 5-10 years?, What measures can I put in place to achieve those goals?, What actions can I take to attain that full upgrade I always envision?.

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After pondering on these and getting accurate answers to them, I begin to lay out my goals : both short and long term goals. I lay out daily tasks engineered towards achieving my main aim and then I pray on them, seeking for God's guidance at every step of the way. Growing up, I used to hear the aged folks say that, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". It's the same thing with setting one's goals, you can't say you want to be in a better position later in life and then fold your arms, in other words, doing absolutely nothing to get to where you want to be. I believe that unless I work on my goals today, it will always remain tomorrow's dream. I basically set my goals, pray about them and proceed to work on them.

1. Cutting Off Distractions :
   When I say this, I'm definitely talking about a certain type of human beings, people who I earlier described as "just living" (goalless, un-purposeful individuals), unfriendly friends ( people who you think are for you but are secretly against you), fair weather friends (people who only stick with you in good times but are nowhere to be seen when troubled waters threaten to drown you). I'm hell-bent on ultimately avoiding and cutting off this pedigree of human beings because with these type of people around, I might never achieve my life's goals. There are people who come into your life just to pull you down, their presence blocks every good thing coming your way, in other words, their aura gives off nothing more than stagnation, retrogression and a whole load of negative energy. How can one be focused when he/she is surrounded by fun seekers who really have no ambition?, How can you possibly move forward when you're surrounded by envious people who may secretly plot your downfall so that you're never ahead of them?, How can you plan and save for your future when you're plagued by devourers under the guise of friends?. Everyone has or has had at least one of such kind of people around them but for one reason or the other, we choose to ignore the warning bells in our head telling us to do away with them either cause we enjoy their company most times or we don't want to hurt their feelings or perhaps injure their pride but left to me, once you fall into any of these categories I've mentioned and I can't count on your love and support as a friend then I'm cutting you off as subtly as possible.

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I believe that having a strong and credible inner circle is tantamount to active growth, I also believe that one's enemies can only plot his/her downfall but can never actualise it without a "friend" of their enemy present. On that note, I can say that I try my possible best to choose my inner circle carefully and rationally do away with the unnecessary lot. It's far better for me to work alone than to be surrounded by people that I can't possibly count on.

1. Establishing Necessary Connections:

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I do understand that no man is an island, most times, if not every time, I need people in places to clear my path and ensure I have a smooth passage, people who would provide the steps on my ladder of success. It's not a criterion that they must be people of elevated status in the society or people with extreme wealth and luxury, what matters most is the amount of influence and experience they have in that particular endeavour that I'm trying to pursue, how firm is their push to shove me in the right direction?. Becoming an acquaintance of such individuals is one of my top most priorities because believe it or not, we need people's assistance to grow, everyone who is friends with you has one or two things they stand to gain from being with you,be it advice, finances or companionship which I honestly believe should be mutual not one sided. It's this category of people I intend to draw into my inner circle because being someone bent on purpose and ambition, it becomes a healthy symbiotic relationship with each one giving a helping hand when need be, we each grow in our various fields of endeavors knowing fully well that when the chips are down, we can conveniently count on one another.

https://pixabay.com/photos/people-group-friends-fist-bump-2569234/

With these guidelines, I can happily assert that each new day has brought me closer to making every single one of my dreams a reality and in the end, I can only thank God for seeing me through every step of the way.

Thank you for reading!