HUMILITY IS NOT TIMIDITY

“Humility is a choice we make to focus on higher issues. It is not a sign of weakness.” - Terry Mante

YES, I agree that humble people are expected to respect people, give consideration to others and exercise a great deal of restraint. Because of these attributes, humility has often been misconstrued as passive involvement, unbridled acquiescence and obvious timidity. Such misconstruction has caused a dilution of the virtue of humility. Hence the value of humility has been lost on many people, as if it is an attribute of weak people. On the contrary, true humility is real strength. It is strength under the clothing of composure, circumspection and consideration.

COMPOSURE
AFTER being unjustly incarcerated for nearly three decades (1964-1990), Nelson Mandela stepped out of his Robin Island cell to the cheers and applause of the entire world. The whole machinery of the South African state was at his disposal and the wider international community on his back. He had every opportunity and justification to exact his fair share of retribution against his jailors. Instead, Mandela adopted a gracious posture and let bygones be bygones. He chose to focus on weighty matters of reconciliation, development and other issues critical to the positive evolution of his country South Africa.

Mr Mandela composed himself. He did not allow himself to be driven by the pain and stain of his unjust incarceration. He remained calm and steadily controlled his emotions. He did not allow his emotions to drive his actions. That is what humility is; choosing to pursue what you believe to be right without necessarily responding to the provocation of circumstances within which you find yourself. By not pursuing vengeance, Mandela got the nation to focus on issues that would engender development and progress in the country. Humility is a choice we make to focus on higher issues. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a choice only strong people like Mandela can make.

CIRCUMSPECTION
HOW do you arrive at your decisions? Do you carefully consider the pros and cons as well as risks and consequences of your choices before you proceed to act? I know that in many circles, the ability to make decisions quickly, firmly and clearly is a celebrated virtue. It is called decisiveness. Inasmuch as I don’t discount decisiveness, I equally believe that taking time to weigh options and assess potential risks and consequences to arrive at a moderated answer is even worth more than gold. As a matter of fact, it cements and consolidates the decisions you make.

However in certain places, when you take time to decide, you are likely to be seen as slow and timid. But it takes a lot of discipline, intellectual dexterity and maturity to be able to hold on and make decisions. A weak person cannot do that. A strong person can do that. If you choose to be humble, you choose to be strong. You elevate yourself above your emotions and the circumstances around you. You are able to coordinate your responses to situations and live more purposefully.

CONSIDERATION
IN ONE sense, the Encarta World English Dictionary (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 1999) renders consideration as “thoughtful concern for or sensitivity towards the feelings of others.” Consideration is about paying attention to the feelings, difficulties and circumstances of others before you embark on an action.
Think about Jesus; a man considered to be part of the Triune God. As the second person of what Christians call the Trinity, Jesus has all power at His disposal including power over life and death. He has power to restore life to the dead, command the storms of the sea and walk on water. He is the one who died and resurrected on the third day of His death – a man of tremendous power and authority; a man who was also God.

In spite of all that, Jesus appeared on earth as a natural person, served God and humanity and got Himself unjustly maltreated and eventually executed by the Roman authorities. Why did Jesus do that? Why would such a powerful person allow Himself to go through such humiliation? Was it because He was weak? Definitely not! He thought about the impact His life, death and resurrection would have on the entire human race. He did not just look at His God-position, but He wanted the human race to have a dignified position in life. Certainly, any individual who purposefully gives up a privileged position for the sake of others is not a reed. Today, Jesus has become such a powerful phenomenon that His name is not just that of a person, but it is the centrepiece of the Christian faith – the largest religious ideology in the world. Jesus now lives in the hearts of many and is the first and final hope of many who are worn out, weak and weary.

HUMBLE people are not fumbled people. Meekness is not weakness but it is strength at its peek which is deliberately constrained. Choose to be humble and you will be strong.

© 2011 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana
http://terrymante.blogspot.com

STRANDS OF TIME

"You don’t need the whole day to do the big things you want to do. You can do them in many few seconds" - Terry Mante

AS AN author I have come to discover that I don’t need to have eight straight hours to produce one script for publication. I don’t even need to have one hour to be at my disposal at a particular moment in order to put together one piece of literary work. All I need is what I call “The Strands of Time” – a minute here to do a sentence, another minute there to cross a ‘t’ or dot an ‘I.’ The strand of time is probably the most powerful concept that has dawned on me in my quest to manage time effectively.

A strand is a thin piece of something such as wire, string, rope or hair which is put together to make up a complex whole. The strands of time refer to the inevitable moments of time that are often vacant. They are the minutes in-between meetings, hours in the queue at the bank, time spent in traffic, the ten or twenty minutes you spend waiting for the waitress to make good your meal order, the few seconds you spend while waiting for the lift or when you are in the loo.

The line “I don’t have time” comes up a lot when I interact with people, especially young executives. They are so busy that they are unable to even make time to add value to themselves, pray to God, maintain friendships and stay in touch with family. But then, in-between their busy schedules, they could exploit some opportunities to take care of certain important aspects of their lives. When you have a meeting and the meeting has not started, what do you do? When you are in a queue at the bank, do you complain or use time well? You don’t need the whole day to do the big things you want to do. You can do them in many few seconds.

Bathroom time: When I was much younger, I used to read newspapers in the toilet. At that time I was not conscious of the fact that I was redeeming time. But as I kept reading the papers over time, I realised I had become quite abreast of current affairs and that I could discuss many issues. In my present life, I read not only the newspapers in the toilet but I also read the Bible and other books. So I am able to kill many birds with one stone. Sometimes, I use that time to meditate and pray. So while I attend to my needs in the toilet, I also get other things done. But hey if you are experiencing constipation and you find yourself on the white throne, this advise may not be good for you. Just stay focused on your mission for being there.

Waiting time: In Ghana, one of the ways we experience leakages in time is to be on time for a programme or meeting. You arrive on time for a meeting with a CEO and you are asked to wait because the person is engaged in something else. Or you arrive at 5:30pm for a programme scheduled to start at 6pm. What about when you arrive exactly at 6pm and the programme starts half-an-hour or even an hour later? In all these situations – waiting for CEO or waiting for a programme to start – how do you make use of the waiting time? When you visit the restaurant and place your order, do you just sit and wait? Have you considered the time you spend every Saturday waiting for your turn at the hair salon?

From my experience, I have seen that such waiting times could be used productively. Most of the time, you would find me reading a book at that time. Other times, I would be sending a text message or checking out what the latest news in town is or updating my Facebook page – courtesy my phone. You must also decide to make those moments of your life count. While you are in a queue at the bank, that’s when you could send a quick “I love you” text to your loved one, determine your shopping list, or read a few lines of an enriching book you might have on you.

In-traffic delay: Traffic situation in Accra gets quite annoying and frustrating sometimes. A simple trip that should last as short as 15 minutes could take over an hour to complete. How can you make the best use of such a situation? If you are driving your own car, that’s when you may want to catch up on radio stuff or play some uplifting audio – music, book, training material, sermon, etc. If you find yourself in public transport – taxi or what we refer to in Ghana as trotro – you may read, meditate or do something else that is practicable and important rather than merely being anxious or angry at the traffic.

REMEMBER that time that has passed is irrecoverable and that there will be moments when circumstances may want to push some of your time under the bridge. That is when you can redeem some time and use it to do a bit of something that you may not have the bulk of time to execute.

© 2011 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana
+233.268.816.545

GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF GREAT

The most miserable people in life are not those who have a poverty of property but those who are poor in legacy - Terry Mante

THE seminal book, Good to Great by Jim Collins opens with a paradigm-shifting thought: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government.” In the view of Collins, “Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good – and that is their main problem.”

At age 32, American talk show host Oprah Winfrey became a millionaire when her show went national in the United States. This is the woman who later replaced Bill Cosby as the only African-American on the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America at age 41 with a net worth of $340 million. Since 1995, Oprah has been the only African-American to have consistently ranked among the elite list of the 400 richest people in America.

For an African-American lady who was born in rural poverty and raised by a mother on welfare in a poor neighbourhood, that would have been enough achievement for her media career. That should be enough for her to say “It is finished.” Not for Oprah! She went on to syndicate her show on a plethora of television channels in more than 140 nations. For me Oprah’s life is an example of a great life. She did not just become an American champion (which would have been good) but a major international icon whose life and work has motivated many people to pursue various altruistic deeds. A great life is not just one that achieves success but one that becomes a source and channel of inspiration for others.

A great life never stops achieving. It keeps excelling and breaking frontiers. After 25 remarkable seasons and nearly 5000 episodes of the Oprah Winfrey Show, she brought down the curtain on her show and moved on to establish her own television channel; the Oprah Winfrey Network. This is when she is just three years away from the legislated retirement age. A great life doesn’t stop living. It keeps going and doing. It keeps jumping and leaping. It continues living even beyond death. A great life doesn’t mark time forever. It marches on.

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT LIFE
TO HAVE a great life, you must have a sense of mission. You must know that your life is not just about having a great amount of wealth or a high level of education. Life is not just about having an enjoyable family life. Don’t get me wrong; all these are good but the real essence of life goes beyond these. Each of us must take note that there is a special calling on our lives which must be fulfilled before we eventually enter the tomb.

Second, you must pursue your mission with excellence. You must desire to go the extra mile all the time. Be willing to work while others play. Stay awake while others are sleeping. Don’t only aspire to meet people’s expectations; instead endeavour to exceed the expectations of people. In Matthew 5:41, Jesus recommends that “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (NIV).” That is how to become great. Nobody would give you a standing ovation if you only do what is expected of you. But if you take the initiative to voluntarily do what is not naturally expected of you, you will be on your way to greatness.

And third, decide that you would leave a legacy. A legacy is the remains of your life. After all is said and done, how do you want to be remembered? Will your life be relevant 100 years after you are dead? Today people like Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Kwame Nkrumah, Albert Einstein, Princess Diana, Alexander Graham Bell, Helen Keller and so many are still alive in the hearts of many people long after their death. If you are thinking of a great life, don’t think about cars and houses. Think about your legacy. Your legacy will portray the worth of your life. The most miserable people in life are not those who have a poverty of property but those who are poor in legacy.

PEOPLE who live great lives are not always comfortable on the outside but they always feel fulfilled on the inside. Your quest for greatness will cost you enormous wealth of comfort. That is why in every generation only few people become truly great because not many are willing to pay the required price. Take note though that greatness is deeply satisfying and internally rewarding.

© 2011 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana