Change the World?

I seriously am not interested in changing the world...I have no interest whatsoever in pioneering world change. Where people are involved, it is absolutely difficult to change their mindset. I have resolved that the only person who needs positive change is ME!

I am often a lazy individual with no regard for people's feelings (sometimes) and I have a huge problem when it comes to meeting a deadline. My room looks like Katrina and Tsunami both paid it a visit and I would use up all the hot water in the house without considering the next person. I can go on and on about my faults but I have made a mental resolve to change my awful habits.

I have decided to wake up 3.30 a.m every morning, say my prayers, make breakfast for my family and read a chapter each day of John Maxwell's " The 21 indispensable qualities of a Leader". So far, I have been doing a great job of changing (even if I say so myself).

This has come with challenges and rewards of its own. I am more relaxed, I give way to traffic both on my left and on my right (even though i know fully well that the guy on the left is to make way but what does it matter?). I make out time to send texts of encouragements to people around me, I even visit "friends" who dont know where I live?!

My mantra now is "what can I give to the Institutions and Situations around me?. I have decided I need not go into any venture with ME on my mind first.

Once in a while, when I see a well dressed person littering the streets, I walk up to them with a smile and say "Please can you pick up your trash and but it in this bag? I would throw it away for you." I give them the benefit of the doubt...if they saw a trash bag somewhere, they might have put their dirt in it. Sometimes they don't find it funny and ask if I am paid by the Government to force them to pick up their dirt...I smile ever so sweetly and say no, then i just pick up the dirt myself (I surprise myself sometimes). Truth be told, that happened only once and I am not so sure I would do the same if it happened again.

I set out to change myself and what do you know...I am changing my world in the process.

Maybe you should do the same...list out your bad characters and work on them.

Integrity

It is amazing how we respect people from afar and they disappoint us sooner than expected with their lack of integrity. As John Maxwell rightly said : "Integrity is not a given factor in everyone’s life. It is a result of self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be relentlessly honest in all situations in our lives". Basically, integrity is carrying out actions based on who you are and not what people think.

When your boss is not at work, do you facebook all day? Is your room a pigsty until your friends or "someone special" comes visiting? Are you notorious for making promises you cannot keep? We all need to set standards for ourselves and surpass them.

I'll go on with the rhetoric. Are you a christian who is gets to church 2 hours before the service begins but gets 2 work an hour late? We certainly all need to examine our lives, actions and beliefs.

Do you for a second think all those people investigated by the EFCC were just mere thieves who deserved what they got? It most probably started from pilfering stationary, beverages, toiletries etc. from the office; then it became electronics, a bit of cash and the next thing they knew, they became kleptomaniacs! OK, i might be exaggerating but you catch my drift.

How can we talk about a new Nigeria when each of us have "petty" sins that have not been addressed? We talk about the politicians who steal money when we refuse to pay our taxes. We talk about the girl who slept her way to the top when we beat the traffic light only yesterday. We talk about the filth on the street when we threw a banana peel out the widow 5 seconds ago. Come on! Let us all practice the art of removing the "bench" from our eyes before removing the "particles" from other people's eyes.

We need to be conscious, ever second, about the need to be held accountable for our actions. Even when other people do not notice what you do at the moment, do good anyway because it would become a part of you and you would have no fear of slipping up anytime soon.

As the bible says, do not be men pleasers...men have short memory spans. You do good today and tomorrow, when you forget to do something for them, you become the bad guy.

Basically, this note is to make you ponder on what you do regularly that needs amendment or improvement. Its all up to you.