A Lifetime Journey

I started my life journey 35 years 47 days ago. As for today I have spent almost 45% of my life span on earth. It’s a pretty intimidating thought !

When I read business magazine, leadership articles, news on TV, I saw many successful business woman at much younger age from me. They already settle with their life, have great family and have already contributed to the society where they live. Whenever I read about them, watched their testimonies, there was a feeling of uneasiness. Here I am, living single, work in the job I do not enjoy to earn just barely enough to make ends meet every month, still not recognized by the society where I work or live. Did I waste my 45% of my life just to reach my stage now?

God has set specific course for every human He created. Some get their success early in their life, some finally get their breakthrough at their mid stage or even at the end of their age. There was Mark Zuckerberg who became millionaire through facebook at the age of 25, then Susan Boyle shocked the world during “Britain Got Its Talent Show” with her amazing voice at the age of 46, Colonel Sanders started his Kentucky Fried Chicken franchising at the age of 65. Mbah Surip (an eccentric Indonesian singer) just enjoyed his fame at the age of 52, then at the midst of his success (for around 3 months), he died of heart attack in 4 August 2009.

The challenges were different for those who started at different stages of their lives.
1) Early starter
· Has more time to develop their business and adapt to changes
· More learning opportunities to implement fresh ideas to build the company or their career
· Need stability and creativity to maintain their success amidst of tough competitions from new competitors who will keep coming

2) Mid starter
· Time is precious, so they have to calculate their actions more carefully
· Excellent job quality is a must to differentiate themselves with the current market players or younger competitors

3) Late starter
· Wiser in taking every actions
· New leaders mentoring is a top priority

Time is slipping away so fast. When we evaluate our life at the end of our day, one thing we should ask ..,” Have I taken every opportunity I come across today? “

The opportunity can come in many faces.

Say hi and smile to strangers we meet in lift
Call old friend that we haven’t contacted for 3 months
Offer help to strangers lost in their way
Contact old customers that have not ordered again for one year
Learn more knowledge in what we passion about

One opportunity taken can lead to wider door of opportunity open for us. We will never know which opportunity will get us the breakthrough we long for.

Sometimes it is hard to keep ourselves motivated when our hopes are deferred, especially when we face failure and what it seems as high wall in chasing our dreams. We are so fortunate that we have history in our side. The world has seen amazing man and woman that has made the world become better place simply because they do not give up… and this is a journey of life time.

Ø Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa at the age of 76 after became prisoner for more than 25 years
Ø Thomas Alva Edison invented light bulb after thousand of failed experiments.
Ø Abraham Lincoln finally became the president of United States after experiencing series of failure episodes in his life
Ø Joseph rose from prisoner to Pharaoh’s prime minister after spending 13 years as a slave and prisoners in Egypt, despite receiving his vision when he was just 17 years old
Ø David spent 13 years as runaway before crowned as the King of Israel
Ø As apostles for the gentiles, Paul faced so many oppositions, from the Romans empire, Jewish priests even his fellow workers, but he stayed faithful until the end and wrote 13 letters that became the foundation of Christianity.

God has so much more in our life, if only we do not give up on Him and in ourselves. We learn from our mistakes, failure, problems and challenges. Embrace them because they make us wiser and stronger each day. Seize for opportunity every time it comes and our breakthrough will come when we are ready. As long as we still live in this world, our journey is still not over and God still has something in store for us.

Whenever despair and boredom come accross my mind and my heart, I remind myself one thing, “This is a lifetime journey and my lifetime is not over yet.”