BUSY BUT STILL POOR; STAGES OF LIFE by Olabanji Joel

I understand we are in a world where making it big is everyone's goal and even those who don't want to work want to live big. But wait, are you working very hard, busy all week but still not having enough? Calm down and take note of these. 

Life is in stages. You didn't start walking the same day you were birthed as it took time and this period, something was happening which was growth. On your path to being successful, understand the processes and stages which must not be skipped. Any alteration could lead to nothing but destabilization of the process. Don't destabilize the process due to pressure of getting rich quickly. Don't harvest when your fruits are not yet developed. Don't!

Imagine the process to making money as that of a farmer who majors in crop plantings. He gets busy at different levels till he sells his produce. Let's study the levels together.

1. Preparation time- This is a stage in life where you need to acquire all the things that will be needed to have a successful harvest. For a farmer, it is farmland and equipment preparation while for many of us it is a learning period in whatever field we have chosen.

2. Cultivation- A farmer in further preparation for the planting season puts into consideration what is to be planted, makes ridges, heaps, beds and many more. For us, this stage might be getting it right in the field we have chosen or securing a good job.

3. Planting: After thorough preparation, the planting season comes and this time, the farmer plants the prepared seeds/items as peculiar to the ridges, beds, heaps etc and for us, this might be settling down in a job or still searching for a better one.

4. Nurturing: This stage is one of the most important stages as all the previous time spent by the farmer could be futile if the plants are not well nurtured. Weeds surrounding the plants if not removed could either cause the plants to shrink off or kill it totally. Also, watering of the plants must be skillfully done so as not to over irrigate the plants or make them short of water. This, for us, might be the stage where we need to guide the good job jealously and work efficiently. We need to prove at this point that we have the needed skills and character to master and keep the job.

4. Harvesting: This is done by the farmer when his items are well developed or when there is a need for an urgent glean to prevent loss. This is a sensitive part as no stage should be skipped to achieve the best result. For us, we start earning based on the true value of what we offer and not just what is felt  to be earned. At this point, our value would have increased due to all the skills gathered over the years which is associated with great profit only if we haven't hurriedly gone into reaping.

6. Selling: This phase is where the farmer takes his produce to be sold to those who need it. He takes it to the market and makes great profit of all his hardwork over the months. For us, it is the stage where we chose those with the best offer, a stage where we get paid for our service and worth, a phase we get to pick the best from all the offers available.

7. Enjoyment: This phase, the farmer takes his profit out to buy things for himself, family, relatives  as he enjoys what he has worked for. For us, we spend what we earn, help people and do whatever we want with the money.

8. Reinvestment: The farmer after enjoying the gains from the market goes back into the farm in preparation for another season. For us, we reinvest in ourselves, take more developmental courses, books etc and ensure we keep growing.

9. Retirement: The farmer at old age retires to live on all his investments. This is the same for us, we retire to live on all that we have invested when we were highly valuable. IT IS AT THIS TIME THAT REST STARTS COMES IN.

10. Rest- It is at this stage that everyone stops being busy, it is the final stage and this permanent rest comes after the short rest that comes with retirement. IT IS DEATH and only our WORKS (either good or bad) lives on.

THINK ABOUT THESE STAGES OF LIFE AND MAJOR ON HAVING AN INNER PEACE IRRESPECTIVE OF YOUR STATUS

Written by Olabanji Joel

A Nurse, Writer and Socialist. 

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