There was a game that was commonly played a long time ago, it was called change your style. The kids would take all kinds of position at the call of ‘change your style’. Some would squat, sit, stand or strike a fancy pose and keep changing it until the caller says ” be like that!” and everyone would go still. The idea is to never get stuck in an uncomfortable position because then, the kid would likely not hold the position for long enough and would be out of the game.
In some ways, life is similar to that game, constantly and continuously changing. A reality that people fail to acknowledge and which affects us ultimately – everything changes!
Nothing remains the same, trends change, people change, styles change and even you, you are designed to change.
Many times, for some people, the shout happens and you remain stationed in one spot. It’s like hearing the sound of the assembly bell back in school. That bell was a call to hustle up and get down to the assembly grounds ASAP. It’d be odd to see someone standing still or dragging their feet at the sound of the bell while other students are rushing past. In life, we hear shouts of pain, of loss, grief or unresolved issues and they may cause you to be still for too long. Like one who is stuck in a rut, you become a spectator in your own life, carried away by trophies of success. Not moving, standing still, rooted in a spot by fear and comfort zones self-imposed by you.
Beloved, it may be time to change your style.
The man in proverbs said, I can’t come out for there is a lion in the street.
What is your lion in the street? What has kept you in a spot and hindered you from taking that bold step forward? Everyone deals with a measure of fear and uncertainty. Sometimes, stability is the enemy. Yours might be your past achievements, trinkets that dazzle and deceive you that you have done well and need not reach for more. Remember lot’s wife! She had the chance of going forward and fulfilling destiny but she looked back, thus, we remember her not as salt seasoning her world but as a stagnant pillar of salt.
Personally, I struggle with procrastinating on tasks amongst many others weaknesses and I have learnt that we all deal with our measure of weakness. So how do we deal with it?
1. We acknowledge that we have these issues. These little foxes that spoil the vine. We acknowledge and accept them. You can’t pretend it away. You can’t wish it away either. The first step to a victory is acknowledging that there is a battle.
2. Get to work.
Don’t be making the mistake of trying to figure it all out first of have the perfect structure in place before you branch out. Borrow a leaf from the Nike slogan and JUST DO IT!
Dump the excuses, forfeit cute ways of playing around your flaws.
Do you need to lose weight? Exercise!
Need to pursue your dream? Go for it!
Need to submit a proposal? Submit it!
Whatever it is, just do it!
Forget how disappointed people are with you, let go of the guilt, you are not your failures or your flaws. You have the capacity to change your style.
Styles get outdated! Trends change! The Word of God is the thing that never changes. You have a weapon capable of effecting change and you can actively participate in setting new and better trends for your life.
If you don’t like it, change your style.
Remember the game we spoke about earlier, it didn’t stay the same. The game is now called the mannequin challenge.
In order to be relevant, you must change your style. Embrace the new, rebrand the old! Learn the lessons and move on.
Stay relevant!