Life is hard, but you are harder!

A wise friend once told me ‘Life is hard and you have to stand up to it at all times and never forget that no one owes you a living’ This is perhaps one of the greatest hard truth you will ever hear. It’s 2015 and the ecstasy is still very much in the air. For some, 2014 was a year to remember. However, for some others, it was a year to forget with all its frustrations and disappointments. Whatever side of the divide you are, the good thing is that 2014 is gone for good. However, the thing with life is that unless you set out to actually change it, things will remain the same even if it is a new calendar year. Life is hard. It will not always give you what you deserve. It will not always be kind to you. There will be moments when your dreams will be like a mirage before your very eyes. There will be times when everything will conspire to frustrate you. It’s life. It’s just life. You have to be tough for what is ahead. There are times when you have to be your own greatest motivating factor. You have to encourage yourself always because there will be time when nobody will be there. It’s a sad reality, but it’s the truth.

Beyond the exciting things people have said about the New Year, I want to remind you all, that 2015 will unleash fresh troubles and challenges. There will be new devils ahead. Things will not always go your way. People will hurt you badly. Yes, it’s life. In 2015, you have to make up your mind to be tougher and irrespective of what life throws your way, you have to keep going at all times, with your eyes fixed at the prize. The truth is that life is not nice in equal measures to all men. Some have a lesser turbulent path due to their background, family or heritage. But, for some of us who have the odds staked against us, we have to be strong for the future we envisaged. To survive in this race, you have to first decide in your mind to never stay down on the floor each time you fall.

It is a year that you have to paralyze fear and render it incapacitated in your live. You have to be ready to experiment things. Be flexible and be open to try new things. Always have this mindset when you want to try anything new ‘The worst that can happen is that it does not work.’ Just do it! If 2015 must be the new beginning we are all declaring it to be, then we have to throw caution to the wind and just do it. Remember as Les Brown once said ‘If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.’ The truth is that there will never be a perfect time to achieve anything. You have to somehow, create the perfect time and just do whatever it is you have to do. Great moments are born from making your own opportunities count.

In 2015, you have to identify what drives you. What makes you do the things you do. What guides your thoughts and your everyday actions? Desire is a powerful thing and if you could identify the core of desire in your life, you can push yourself to a limit. If your desire is strong enough, you can go any length and defy any odds. You can go through hell, and keep going with a belief that your destiny is more salient than the hell of today. They say champions keep going when there is nothing left in them. It is so true. You have to have a burning desire that keep making you go one step further. Thus, the question is always ‘How bad do you want it?’ It is your action that answers that, not by words only.

Finally, never forget at all times that it is your life and no one will be more concerned about it than you. Whatever you make out of your life, you will live with it. When all is said and done, it is your life, it is your canoe, and you alone will paddle it.

Let no one delude you. It’s one sojourn you have on this earth; making it count is not an option. It’s a must. In 2015, always ask yourself, ‘what am I doing with this one precious life of mine?’ Life is hard, but you have to be harder! Penultimetely, always stay close to the one who can make all the difference in your life: God!