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To reduce pressure and perhaps ease the tense atmosphere usually formed when my friend, Flow, and I are quietly working with our laptops remotely from home, we'll warble on any song that comes to mind.
Many times, we binge on really ridiculous music to add fun to our serious routine. You know, sometimes the pressure needs to be toned down, and playful singing does that for us.
Songs done in the Ibibio language, which is our native dialect, are mostly preferable because they easily amuse us and quickly create humour. We'll go on and on, laughing at our silliness.
The other day, while singing one, I couldn't help but reflect on the lyrics. Yeah! It was only meant to be a lighthearted moment, but my thoughtful self let me down once again as it began to paw into the meaning of the wording of the music.
Here's a rough interpretation of the song:
Lord, don't allow me to fall,
as I'm trying to do your will.
When my faith gets weak,
Lord, put it in your palms.
When my life's path gets dark,
Lord, help me to see,
the things you've prepared for me.
All the lines hold deep meaning. However, my introspection was more on the line that says, "When my life's path gets dark, Lord, help me to see the things you've prepared for me.
More often than not, people give up when their life vision gets blurry and they lose focus on the reward that awaits them.
Losing focus is similar to a person's life's path getting dark. When our life's path gets dark, it becomes difficult to keep our eyes on the ball. It will cause us to forget our set goals, get overcome by the present pain and discomfort, or be distracted by the immediate pleasures.
To succeed, we have to stay focused on the plan, but this becomes impossible when we can no longer see where we are headed.
On the journey to success, the best thing that can happen to a person is being able to see or focus on the gain that lies ahead, irrespective of the present pains. And that's the request the song writer made. The song writer wants to see the reward that awaits him when his strength is about to fail him.
If we can see the gain, then it will be easier to endure the pain.
Ask people who've ever succeeded in big ventures; they'll tell you that there were moments when their paths were dark and the vision was somewhat blurry, and that there were moments they questioned if all the sacrifices they were making were worthwhile, but somehow they kept going because they believed that there was a great deal that lay ahead.
In your journey, when you get to that discouraging point, do well to remind yourself of all that you could become if only you didn't give up; tell yourself of the gain that awaits you.
It's common to hear people regret their past actions. While doing that, they will often admit that they wouldn't have given up if they'd known that life would turn out the way it currently is.
You'll hear things like:
"If I'd stayed in school to get my degree, I would've gotten a good-paying job by now."
"If I didn't stop posting on my blog, it would've been monetized by now."
"If I hadn't broken up with my ex for no serious reason, I would've been married by now."
"I would've been a good programmer if I'd continued my programming classes."
The list is endless. But all of them depict a lack of foresight. They lost sight of the reward that was awaiting them.
People often give up when they can't see the reward that lies ahead. Lack of foresight has stopped many people from manifesting the gifts in them.
The potential of many has not been realised for lack of foresight.
No matter how gifted one is, there's always a place for developing that gift in order to serve the world better.
This phase of development is usually painful. And not many people are courageous enough to go through it.
Looking around, you'll see in people songs that may never be sung, books that may never be written, and philosophies that may never gain popularity—many forms of potential that may never be realised.
And one of the biggest reasons for unfulfilled dreams is that people often give up too soon.
And people give up because they either don't know the reward that awaits them or they lost sight of it—they couldn't remedy the darkness in their life's path.
The lack of foresight is similar to our path getting dark. When people regret giving up, all they say can be summed up as "if only I could see the rewards that await me, I wouldn't have given up.
It's foresight that made Thomas Edison continue attempting to invent a light bulb after hundreds of failed attempts.
It's foresight that made Abraham Lincoln still contest for the presidency of the United States of America after failing eight times.
Walt Disney would've given up after multiple business failures and bankruptcy if he hadn't anticipated the reward that awaited.
Like I said earlier, it's easier to bear the pain when you know the gain.
The best thing that can happen to a person is to see the reward that lies ahead.
When the path gets dark, your vision gets blurry, and you're about to give up, remind yourself of the gain that is waiting for you.
Trust me, life rewards.
There is a medal that has been crafted for you.
There's a trophy that has been prepared for you.
You only have to get to the finish line to make it yours.
May we not succumb to life's pressure and lose focus.