Before You can be a leader, you must learn to be a follower

It changes my mindset and it motivates me when I attend a sermon by Keith Tay, City Harvest Church, Sunway City. During the sermon of “The Season of Life” topic, he asks us a question “Are you preparing yourself?” from through verses in the Bible.

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. And hope to the end. For the grace that is to be brought unto you. At the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1st Peter Chapter 1 Verse 13

I have been bad in management regardless of time, financial, project or even life. I live a life of happy goes lucky. I am very impatient person, I don’t take thing seriously and I had been neglecting unimportant things. I constantly look for easy way out. Today, Keith changes my way of life and gives me a new challenge in managing.

Prepare your mind for action. Be self control.

“I will be prepare and someday my chance will come” – Abraham Lincoln

I always understand that success is not easy and to be preparing which I learn years ago when I was a Malaysian Scout, “Selalu Bersedia” (Be Prepare Always). I have forgotten till I heard once again with meaning and answer to my doubts.

Success always comes when opportunity meets preparation
For every minute spend in preparations, an hour is earned
To be prepare is half the victory
If you are not practicing, somebody else is
Someday somewhere he will ready take your job

If you are not practicing..
When problems arise
The weaklings will cry
The efficient instantly find a solution
The wise already have one in reserved
And the wise already prepared

Once again I ask myself… Are you preparing yourself?

Keith shows me more depth example which really reflected my own life where I always compared with others. One example such as…

“When you are in primary or secondary school, I constantly think that I can get better result than this person. It just a matter of weather I wanted to do it OR not. If I do it, I can be better than him. It is just that studying is not my cup of tea. “
Then it reflects the following fact and truth.

FACT : Is weather I want it or not. I just don’t want it.
TRUTH: I didn’t achieve it and you don’t score nor success

It shows me that I am living in denial. I am feeding excuses just to be neglect from my own season of life. That reflects a motivation words;

There is no shortcut for success.

I know this words but I don’t practice it all the time. I will try to use His strength to achieve my short term goal and forget about any shortcut for success.

Are you preparing yourself to be successful? Then Stop feeding EXCUSES.

Keith mentions a type of person which he branded as Last Minute Person. This type of person’s effort to achieve his task will always be merely PASS or OK. The reason is people will have lower expectation because there is no proper preparation.

Being last minute all this time, I face a lot of challenge. Burning midnight oil, frequent small mistakes, stress and trouble social. In my mentality, as long I just meet the dateline, my task is done. I waited for the result and my superior said acceptable. I was so happy.

Is this what you really wanted?

Of course, NO!

Keith said that
God wants us to be EXCELLENT and not just a merely PASS or Average.

Everyone wants to be success but yet there is no one able to execute their planning until last minute. Don’t let people expect less from us. Don’t whine about tough situation which limit your success.

There is no shortcut for success it is a result of preparation, hard work and learning from mistake.

I will be prepare myself for success.

So…

Are you preparing yourself?