I have officially graduated and am now starting to explore the possibilities of the “real” world. It has taken me a (long) while, but alas, free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I am free at last; well at least for the next two years.
Time has been the greatest gift to me with lessons presenting themselves at every turn. It has been a remarkable journey that has taken me 5 years, 3 institutions, and 2 countries to reach the end of the chapter.
Now that I have the benefit of foresight at my disposal, I can say that it has been worth every tear, heartbreak, curse, blood, bruise and sleepless night. But hopefully, I have learnt enough to carry me into this next stage of my life and onto my next adventure.
With the risk of sounding arrogant, I have done some re-evaluating and have come to the realisation that this journey will need its own set of skills and cunningness that I need to learn. I may know how to drive this car but this is a new road with its own rules. I like being adaptable, I do not have a constant character and believe that people must change throughout life to remain relevant.
To help me stay relevant on this part of my journey, I have come up with a few strategies to help me:
Commit to developing a self-less habit for yourself
This is a self-less habit that I intent not to share widely. I can only say that it is for the little fish-ys and turtles. Somedays the effort seems like a waste but there are some moments during the exercise where I have clear answers some questions in my mind.
Get up Early 3 Days a Week
I am waking up early because I want to catch the sunrise, but more so because I get an hour and a half to myself before I get into gear. I realised early this year that it takes me a while to wake up so I thought of getting up earlier on days that really matter like Monday, Tuesday and Saturdays when all people want to do is sleep. I LOVE MONDAYS.
Read a Chapter a Day
Nourish the soul because life is mundane and you could become stupid, at least that was my initial motivation. I have never been much of a reader, but I do not want to feel as though I have fallen by the wayside since graduating. Reading a chapter a day has helped me get into books that I didn’t think I would ever read and has made me Developing a thirst for knowledge and reading widely opens your mind to ideas and experiences. NOT self-help books though. I am staying away from them. I only need the bible for that.
Count Weeks Instead of Days
There is never enough time to do alot in a day but you can achieve a lot more in a week! When I realised this, my mind was blown!! There are only 24 hours in a day and assuming you sleep for 6-8 hours. That is roughly 14-16 hours you have to leave a mark in the world. Not enough time when you are competing with crapola. But in a week, you could have 168 hours or 98-112 hours of live working time. That is heaps of time to do stuff worth doing.
Keep a note-book
I have invested in a note-book to keep a record of my thoughts and ideas for occasional reflection. I call it my million-dollar book because I think those ideas are worth that much. I just haven’t found how to make it happen yet. Having a book is handy too because sometimes the best ideas come at the most inopportune and precarious time. I have been known to pull over to the side of the road to write down an idea.
Build Character
All the above have been carried out as a means to building a character that will prepare me for the vices of this new journey I am on- starting from zero. I am committed to a year of instilling a set of habits in me that will help me jump in the fast lane as soon as possible. Getting up early, being selfish with my time, living with purpose, keeping track of my thoughts, and making myself version 2.0.
I am ready to take on the world. I am ready to get what I have spent 5 years learning exactly how to do it. Join me on this journey and you too may be inspired to do something useful with your life.
Until next time.
@iamhanslee
iamhansleedotcom.wordpress.com 