What Do You Have In Your Hand?
In the end, it is not what you do NOT have that limits you, it is what you have but do not recognize and do not know how to use.
Every first day of the month, I send you a letter focused on helping you become the best you. You can subscribe here so you do not miss any letters:
Really, what do you have in your hand?
That question becomes super important as January comes to an end. Why?
As is customary in the first month of a new year, vision setting and goal setting activities have been going around, with people getting pumped up and excited to achieve their goals for the year. Sadly, many of us often end up stuck in the goal setting and excitement phase. We seemingly are unable to move past that phase and eventually do not achieve our goals. A major reason is that, in getting started, we often focus first on what we lack instead of recognizing what we have. We focus on what we think we need before we can start on those goals, without recognizing and starting with what we do have.
So, could I ask you again; yes, you that you have got that big goal(s) for 2021, what do you have in your hand?
Perhaps your big goal is to launch your company or write that book or execute that project. It is easy to first look outwards for what you think you need to get or have before you can start on the goal. It is easy to focus on what you do not have – not enough time, not enough money, not enough knowledge, no office, not the right connections, etc. – because there will always be something you do not have. But the truth is that, in the end, it is not what you do NOT have that limits you, it is what you have but do not recognize and do not know how to use.
So, in getting started on your goals, visions, and dreams for 2021, recognizing and using what you have in your hand should become your first focus, not what you need or want. Before you look outwards, look inwards and identify what you have in your hand. In identifying, consider everything that you have and possess – your personality, strengths, talents and skills, relationships, money, fixed assets, education, attitude, your identity, influence, etc. If you really looked within, you would realize that you have got all you need to take that one small step that gets you started on that goal - And that is really all you need to start. It is time we stopped looking outwards and started looking within.
When I was about starting my podcast in 2019, an interview series, I needed guests to interview. Of course, I could have spent my time trying to get the Aliko Dangote’s to interview them on my podcast. Who would not want to start with such? I mean, go big or go home right? Lol. If I tarried and failed to start and anyone asked me why, I had a pretty good reason: I had no guests to interview yet; I was still waiting for the right guest. Sounds reasonable, right? Of course, it does, and you would empathize with me. But remember, the starting question is always, “what do you have in your hand?”
So, what did I do? I looked within and examined my relationships for people who had made and were making their dreams come true, to interview them. From there came Abolore Salami, Founder & CEO of Riby. From there also came Tosin Durotoye, Founder of The Bloom Africa and then COO of FilmoRealty. Interviewing Abolore led me to Olaoluwa Awojoodu (Co-Founder & CEO of E-Settlement Limited) and Temie Giwa-Tubosun (Founder and CEO, LifeBank Nigeria), and we have grown incredibly since then. Of course, because I have now got published episodes in my hand, I can more comfortably reach out to other potential guests. But I had to look within first, recognize what I had in my hand, and start with it.
Interestingly, from interviewing Founders, CEOs, and Executives across different industries on my Podcast, one of the things that I found consistent across board was that they all started with what they had in their hand at the time. For some, it was their relationships or their skills, and for a few others, it was income from their full-time jobs. Indeed, you can apply this principle to whatever goal or vision or dream that you have got for 2021: What do you have in your hand?
(Of course, I am shamelessly plugging my podcast link here 😊; Origins Africa, where we explore the origin stories of Africa’s dream achievers, asking the What, the When, the How, and the Why)
So, as you set your goals for the year and as you get all excited, do not get stuck in looking outwards before starting. All you need to start is right there in your hand, where you are. All you need to do is look, really look, inwards and recognize what you have in your hand.
Remember, at any point in time, you have always got what you need to start. No matter how little. And that, usually, is enough. Whether you believe/accept it or not.
I leave you with this quote from Arthur Ashe, the late American tennis player:
START where you are
USE what you have
DO what you can
Cheers to you starting in February!!!
Love and Light,
O’Seye
P.S. Please, like the post and/or leave a comment if you found it helpful. It could be the motivation I need to start the second, lol (Did I hear someone say, “No, O’Seye; focus first on what you have in your hand 😊).
This is helpful ....thanks O seye
Thanks for taking time to write this. Great reminder!