BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR

On Wednesday, the 3^rd of June – 2009, I once again had the privilege of listening to Tolu MOODY, one-time president of the Christ Ambassador’s Student Outreach, speak about a quite curious topic at the bible study meeting of the Student Christian Movement, both of them of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

This young man was simply the bomb! People like him remind me that there is hope for Nigeria. He spoke for about an hour on the topic – ‘BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR’. This unusual title had me thinking immediately, and the magical words – BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, have occupied my mind for quite some time now.

I have done quite some thinking about it, and it has sparked a new series, of which this is the first. Enter BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR 1!

In Habakkuk (2:2), it is recorded – put the vision in writing and make it clear on tablets, so that the reader may go quickly [BBE]. There are quite a few keywords in this verse and in the context of this post – they are: vision, writing, clear, and tablets.

1.  VISION

 If a man knows not what harbour he seeks, any wind is the right wind. - Seneca.

 According to the Encarta dictionary, a vision is an image or concept in the imagination, it is also the ability to anticipate possible future events and developments. What do you see? Where do you see yourself in the next one year?

It is important to find an answer to these questions, because you have to be able to clearly imagine and visualize (in your mind and if possible with your eyes) where you want to be – for you to be able to take steps in the right direction.

The question – what do you want to do with rest of your life? – seems quite big and hard to answer. Take a break, and think – what do I want to do with the rest of this year?

2.       CLEAR / CLARITY

 Your goals and your vision have to be clear. You sure don’t expect to hit a target on a blurred picture with accuracy. You have to define your expectations from the rest of the year quite clearly. Don’t expect to get just any car this year; expect to get a blue 2008 Toyota Camry with leather seats.

 Make your goals quite clear.

3.       WRITING, TABLET

 After getting a vision, the next thing is to write, and not in your mind – on paper. According to Bill Fitz Patrick, a recent survey indicates that only three percent of people have written goals, and only one percent reviews those written goals daily.

You need to make it your goal to become one of that elite one percent.

You need to commit your goals, your vision to writing. It is quite easy to lose things that we leave unattended-to in one of the many corridors of our minds. There is this special effect about writing your goals and putting it somewhere where you cannot help seeing it every day. After you get an answer to the question – what am I doing with the rest of this year? – put your answer on paper. Find pictures that correlate to your vision and goals, and put them on your desktop – if you have a computer, if not, paste them where you see them everyday – could be your bathroom mirror, or your bedpost or something.

Get your dreams on paper, attach dates to them, and then work towards them.

For now, I will leave you with the following words – A goal is a dream that has a date attached to it.

KOYE-LADELE Mogbekeloluwa,