Fly above the storm

In order not to end up like the masses out there, who are merely wondering and unsure of their goals and dreams, your purpose must be clear.

On the other side of the storm, is destiny preserved. On the other side of the storm is destiny road re-routed. Sometimes, and most of the times, the challenges we face are there to mature us, to nurture us and to strengthen our character. These challenges are there to separate impurities in us and keep us for a new level in life. If we often find an exit door to every challenge we meet, then we will stay on the same spot forever. I mean, if we always release ourselves from the purification process that may be in form of rejection, persecution, trials of different kinds-then we will deviate from God' s purpose in our lives. Each of us is a work of art, and in order to be that artwork that stands out, you must follow God' s processes, who is the artist in this case. If we release ourselves from trials, for example, you maybe facing rejection in your workplace school or whatever life aspect; don 't quickly find an exit door. Sometimes, flying in the storm is what will promote you. In our example of rejection, God maybe using that to strengthen your character. Remember, man ' s rejection allows for God' s direction. In that phase of rejection, God maybe nurturing a unique character trait that will promote you tomorrow. However, if you quickly find an exit door, you will miss out on the development of character that you could only earn in that situation. Just as much as you need an examination to be promoted at school, likewise in life, you have to take an examination to be promoted to a new level. And as much as you are not promoted in school if you do not pass, you cannot be promoted to a new level in life without passing the exam. Therefore, if you keep finding exit doors for your challenges, you are simply postponing the exam and you will still need to write it one day. The problem with postponing life ' s exam is that it will always be waiting for you at some point and you will retake it till you pass. That is why sometimes you find yourself going through a challenge you should have gone through ten years ago; but because you got yourself a hiding place, then you stayed in the same spot. Like those small birds, you will get yourself a hiding place, like the drivers who park their cars during that storm and like the cancelled flights, you just get yourself a temporary hiding place, but when the storm is over, you are still on the same spot and even delayed parts of your destiny sequence.

For some, a worse case scenario, like the small birds that die in their hiding place; you may utterly die while trying to hide from the storm. In other words, you may still be alive physically but your dream may die in the hiding place. Your purpose might be killed in that hiding place and your destiny route totally blocked in that hiding place. For example, in facing the storm, you may want to get out of the pain of reality and maybe take some alcohol and perhaps a few shots of those drugs. This will of course hold you up for a few moments but the same process will repeat over and over again until you utterly die in that hiding place. That great man/woman you ' ve always wanted to be, will die in that hiding place. That great dream, that great career, that great game changer and world transforming person you ' ve always dreamed yourself being will die in that hiding place and you will bear the great sorrow of destiny unfulfilled. An eagle flies straight into the storm and stays above the storm. It faces the storm because it knows that it still has a life after the storm; it still needs to hunt after the storm, it still needs to fly high after the storm. It knows the storm will not last forever, the storm is actually for a good cause-its filling the oceans, watering the ground so the eagle will have healthy prey to hunt for. That' s the eagle mindset. So what' s your storm today? Fly through it. It' s not meant to kill you, it' s instead meant for your good. It' s actually there for your growth and the watering of some aspects of your life.Is it debt? Fly through it, don 't hide. Again, fly through it. It' s meant to strengthen you and re-arrange your future. If you had not gone through that financial situation, you wouldn 't have taken time develop your financial literacy skills. Fly through it. Fly through the storm and let it get the best out of you. When the storm begins, the eagle does not proscastinate, it flies through the storm. Do not look around for your disturbed plans, the storm is here to re-arrange your life. Just accept that the storm is here, and you just have to fly through it. Aperson of vision always bears in mind that"Better is not good enough; the best is always yet to come.

I F G O L D M U S T B E G O L D , I T H A S T O G O T H R O U G H F I R E .

the journey to the top of the world

A N E A G L E E A T S F R E S H M E A T A L W A Y S

Sithandweyinkosi S Sivela

Fresh fish, fresh snake, fresh goat, fresh food all the time! That' s the eagle. When it needs food, the eagle rises and looks for a live prey. It takes the time to soar around, focus and connect its eyes fully to find that one meal for it and perhaps for its eaglets too. Nomatter the season, the time, or perhaps the struggle the might have had for the day, one thing remains-a fresh hunt. Have you taken the time to reflect on your life and some of your failures? If you take some time to have an honest self-introspection; to see how much of stake you had in some of your failures, you will see that most of the time you are the majority shareholder. Remember, failure, sometimes, is not that we cannot do it, at times, it is not investing enough effort. One of the ways we often fail is because we think that we ' ve got this. We just look back and think " ,I' ve done this before, I

don 't need to sweat again this time. " In your studies, in your job, in every aspect of your life, sometimes you may find yourself falling into the temptation of thinking that this is your routine so you

don 't need to sweat again and again. In the process of such a mentality, we don 't give our best. I have come to understand in life that success and victory is like an orange tree. It bears fruit each season. Note that it bears fruit as per season. It means that every season, it has to suck up that water from the ground, gather that sunshine, bloom those flowers that will be pollinated by bees. It does all this at the right time because it knows it has to bear fruit for the particular season. When

Remember yesterday is history, today is opportunity, and tomorrow is mystery. Therefore, you need to take hold of this opportunity, appreciate and forget yesterday ' s long gone fruit. If you do not bear fruit this season, then you will be that orange tree by name but with nothing to show for. And if you do not give it your best then you will bear bad fruit and be cut down. Each day has its own highs and lows; its own good and bad, therefore, we should be ready to approach each day from the different angles. Everytime the eagle goes to hunt, its focus is not on how it killed the snake the last time, but on how to kill it this time. Because, today ' s snake may not be like yesterday ' s snake; today ' s snake might be very wild and heavier, and may therefore require a different tactic, it may need more effort on the wings, it may need a tighter grip. Likewise, in our lives, this year is its own year, this month is its own month, this week is its own week, today is its own day, this hour is its own hour, this minute is its own minute and this second is its own unique second. You will never find a day like this today in your lifetime again because today is today, uniquely created to be today. Therefore, give it your best. Take today from today the time comes, it shades off some old leaves and grows new ones in preparation for a new season and the bearing of new fruits. Imagine if the tree just sat there on a particular year and did not bloom those flowers and did not play its part and just told itself that it' s an orange tree- if such happened, then the tree will be an orange tree by name with nothing to show for. And most of the times, the owner will not waste their time and space keeping a barren tree, therefore, it will be cut off. Most of the times in our lives we dwell on the past season ' s fruits to dictate today ' s direction. We sit back and say Ï know I will bear fruit, I did it last year. " We forget that last year we had to work hard to suck that water up, bloom those flowers that would attract those bees so we could bear fruit. Why then do we think it will happen magically this time around?