“Somebody is watching you consistently to reward you eventually.” — Pastor Mobolaji Adam-Adeyemi
An old friend whom I met as an undergraduate some five years ago recently reached out to me via Facebook. He wanted me to collaborate on a brilliant initiative—an elite, virtual book club.
Here are his exact words: “You’re the first person that came to my mind. I can never forget how resourceful you were to a similar project in our undergraduate days.”
We were members of a small society of poets back then in the university. We’ve not spoken in years until he messaged me some days ago.
Wondering why I’m sharing this story with you? Two reasons. You will get the two reasons in the rest of this piece—one under each subheading.
Why you should be fully present wherever you are
We all have different temperaments and personalities which affect how we interact with others. But we can’t deny that interaction with others is key to our survival and success.
What am I getting at? To maximise your experience in a place, you must make deliberate, conscious efforts to be fully present there. It makes no sense to be in a place and not be truly involved. It makes no sense at all.
The fun is in getting involved. Active participation is where the memories come from. Whether that is in college or at the workplace. Or even in life itself.
It’s often said, “Don’t just pass through school, let school pass through you too.” How then does school pass through you? It’s simply via your full participation. Wherever you are, be fully there―spirit, mind and body.
I joined the quiz and debating society while in the university. It was quite an experience. We won and lost, and I learned profound lessons from the experience. For instance, I learnt that while there is no I in team, there is I in win.
The society of poets I mentioned earlier earned me some great friends at the time. It also gave me a platform to express and hone my writing skills. And it’s still opening up new opportunities for me now.
Sometimes, I regret not participating even more fully in the university. I envisaged I missed out on so much fun, valuable lessons and relationships.
Be fully present wherever you are. Take part in the extra-curricular activities, not just the main ones alone. You will be surprised your ultimate self-discovery may come from these other activities. Share on XSeveral people met their best friends and spouses during extra-curricular activities. Several others discovered their talents and gifts via these activities. Your biggest gift might be in those “extra-curricular” activities you’re ignoring.
Cultivate this attitude for endless rewards
Why was I the first person my old friend thought of when he needed help launching his idea? You guessed right: excellence. You’ll notice he mentioned my outstanding resourcefulness.
And we are back at the introductory quote.
How do you go about your duties and responsibilities? Do you strive for excellence or do you just do the bare minimum? Do you go over and beyond or you just coast along? Your answers to these questions determine if you’ll get an eventual reward or not.
Someone somewhere is watching you. And someday, they will reward you if you remain consistent. You might not know them. In fact, you don’t need to. Your job is to excel―to do your job with passionate industry. Share on XStories abound of people eventually getting awards for excellent service they thought went unnoticed. You’ll be surprised who is watching. Your reward is just by the corner if you don’t wane in your excellence.
Take a moment to evaluate yourself. Are you fully present in that relationship, workplace or institution? Are you fully committed to excelling in your duties and responsibilities? If the answers are noes, now is a good time to change for the better.
Be in a place fully or don’t be there at all. Do that thing with all the zeal you can find or don’t do it all. Half presence and half efforts do not produce half results―they produce no results at all.
Just give it a try. Be more present in that school, in that friendship, in that office. Strive for excellence in that assignment, in that project, in that service. And see what happens in the next few weeks and months.
Trust me, the rewards of full, active participation and excellence far outweighs the required efforts.
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PS: The book club I mentioned at the beginning is open to new members.
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