As we gracefully find ourselves in a new year, with high hopes and expectations, I feel it is important to narrow down to 5 things that affected many of us in the previous years and have become barriers somehow to achieving our biggest dreams.

I have been seeing loads of new year resolutions and lamentations in some places, about the previous years. Well, they are all fine really, but there are certain things we need to fix and do rightly, including myself.

So, here we go

1. Procrastination : Procrastination they say is a thief of time. Every time you carry over a necessary thing, you unknowingly postpone success or achievement. This is my biggest problem as a man. I push aside so many things because of my kind of person who believes "easy does it" but I have learned to understand very recently that "ko sohun to fe ka so'hun afi eyi ta ba fagbara se"- Nothing wants to be done except that we forcefully do.

To read and pass for an important exam, you must force yourself.

To eat when you are sick and get strength. You must force it.

So, one thing we must learn in our pursuit for excellence is learning to deal with procrastination. And a good way to making it work is to see the action or task to be done as a "must" do thing.

This has helped me greatly the last year and have also been reasons for some regrets too.

And one good dose for this, is to find someone close to you who can share your vision and dreams with, possibly someone who have achieved that thing you are currently dreaming. They are constant and best push.

If I had made anything meaningful in my life today, it is mostly because someone somewhere is expecting the best from me, and I must not disappoint myself. Yes, don't be bundle of people's expectations, but still have a reminder in people you can trust.

That someone is reminding you to apply for that job or when are you getting married, is not always about negativity or pressurizing, most times, for me, it puts me on my toes. After all, they are things that I still pray I get over. So, don't relent. Get a timer in people. It helps.

2. High life's Taste : Unknowingly many people are their own worst enemy for growth and they are not paying attention to that.

One of the biggest problems you can have as a "grass to grace dreamer" is when your taste in many things are way too high in contrast to what is obtainable. As a realist, I first factor in what is achievable before daring the system in optimism.

Many people are not dreamers but a miracle expectant. Yes, nothing is impossible, but for me, going first for the possibilities is everything.

You have nothing in place to guarantee a beautiful house on banana island or latest car and your biggest prayer for next year to God are both. Lol, you're only using God to catch grooves. Work with realities of your present.

Embrace humility in desires and hope for the best silently..

A guy here hopes to start making 20 million next year and presently he has an empty account with nothing much of actions underneath, isn't such laughable??

Some people don't want to climb any ladder in life, they only believe in miracles of flying to the top.

Hoping to hop from N1,000 salary to 1 million naira next month is like a primary school student hoping to start writing his final year project thesis next session. Lol. E go hard o.

3. High Expectations: One of the funny parts of life is that it usually doesn't give us what we want or even deserve, rather it plays us. And that is why prayer is good and acceptance of things in good faith is better.

This is the best way to cope with life expectations. But unfortunately many people lack the patience to understand life for what it is.

I remembered my days in school, when exams are fast approaching.

I have some reading course mates who will say "Hey, Elu you see this BCH 304 na A we must get ooo" and I will smile.

Even after the exam some will still come and show their expectations . And result will come - sometimes we still get A together and sometimes life happens that what you see is what they say you got. Lol.. And you will see lamentation and depression sometimes..

For me A is the plan, B is still fine and C is not bad - after all, 3.50 is the benchmark. And the days I get anything below A grade, I often don't look dejected as others and not because I didn't aim high but because I understand life better. And the days I have A's, I don't look too happy or basking that it is expected. This has been helpful over years in coping with life vis-à-vis shortcomings and realities.

4. Overdo: This is another way through which many people kill themselves. They see others doing something, they already wanna do same without factoring their present ability.

I told someone in 2018 that I wanna change my TV to 40k tokunbo LED and the range he is suggesting to me are not only beyond me but outrageous. I had to tell him, come no be to watch telly? You see that 150k you say I should use to buy this ehn, If I have that, I will tell you 5 great things I will do with it.. And he smiled.

When you earn 50k and everything that catches your attention are stuffs that cost 3 times your salary, it will be hard to grow cos you will still lack in many unavoidable ways. You are not earning much and you pay for this and that, all of which can still wait for a more convenient time, you will find it hard to grow.

5. Fear: Hmm. Fear is nothing but a killer of dreams, a confidence eater and a Demoralizer. It has crippled many and might almost render many useless, including myself, if you don't fight it head on. How do I fight my fear? I pretend as If there isn't any in me, even if it is choking and burning me inside. And when I succeed, I go indoor and rest off the anxiety. And the next time I'm undergoing same action, the lucky charm is because I have done it before successfully, hence my fear dies naturally.

The other way is to plan out for an Alternative - peradventure I get defeated, I know there is another thing you run to. When I'm going for Job interviews, the mindset that If I don't get the job, I will still have little money to spend from my hustle puts my mind still rest, so I get scared less. The worst is get out of here and I go back to where I was coming from. So, doing something for yourself might make you have a better interview session and less desperate , like when you are Idle at home and all you want in life is for every job interview to click and when it doesn't, you get depressed.

Finding all alternative or Plan B, helps greatly. As we enter a new year today, I will only say face your fear because being fearful is natural to some of us that we have learned to devise a coping mechanism. Work on your self to achieve more.

Happy New Year!!!

©Elu 2020

Source: https://naijalocals.com.ng/5-silent-barriers-to-fix-in-2020-as-a-youth-to-achieve-greatly/

Great advice.
Thanks

Your number three really touched me. I was depressed yesterday because all the deals for yesterday never clicked.

I guess it's best to work hard and accept all in good faith

Goldencheese:
Great advice.
Thanks

Glad it's useful

Dangrace01:
Your number three really touched me. I was depressed yesterday because all the deals for yesterday never clicked.

I guess it's best to work hard and accept all in good faith

Exactly. Worrying solves nothing, but pushing and striving make conditions better.