Gain control over your weekends
Over the last four years, I have developed keen interest in playing squash. I find it relaxing, refreshing and a good way to exercise both physically and mentally. I play the game for an hour nearly every day. Besides all the above benefits, I learn a lot of life skills in squash. One of the lessons I have drawn from the sport is that between the two players, the one who controls and directs the game almost always wins the game. You can almost never win the game of squash unless you control and direct the game. Whenever you observe that your opponent is controlling and directing the game, you must win back the control and start to direct the game. When your opponent is directing the game, they will even make you work out and tire easily while they are not working as hard and conserving their energy to punish you more!
I believe that in life, too, we cannot win and we cannot achieve much unless we gain control over our life. Besides God, we need to direct our life as far as we are able to. We cannot leave everything to chance and sheer luck. But that is what happens for most people at weekends. They leave their life to external forces. While most people have some shape or form for their activities from Monday to Friday, little is done to organise the weekend.
We understand why Monday to Friday cycles are organised. This is the period when we make our bread and our food. For most of us, our life is organised by the boss at work. Others are forced to organise their life during this period as they drive their business—so it is really out of necessity not really a voluntary and proactive matter. It is a good by-product of the necessity to carry on the core business that supports the person and his family or dependants.
On weekends, most people carryout out activities planned by others. That is why we do not do much apart from going to Church—which is an essential component of one of the pillars of your life—the spiritual life. Besides Church, people will attend weddings, bridal showers, some entertainment or social events, watch TV and listen to radio and anything that comes by. The point is that we tend to look for things that can fill our time based on what is happening at weekend. That is good, in fact great and important. However, we need a good component of what we proactively plan to direct and control the weekend.
Every weekend, we must ask ourselves, what one, two or three things that I will do next weekend which I have personally planned and chosen to advance my life? This could be to read and finish a good book. This could be farming every Saturday. This could be running a construction project to build your house. And yes, we do see some people who are organised and they do things this way. Watch them. They are the people that are advancing and going past us with time. To catch them or to be like them, we need to begin to plan, organise, direct and control our weekends a lot more than before. Do not leave your weekend entirely to chance and to dance to the tune of external forces. Gain some control.
As you contemplate on how to continuously improve on your life, consider whether you genuinely direct and control your life. Recall that like in the game of squash, where you rarely win unless you direct and control the game, in general life too, you need to gain charge over your life. In particular, focus on your weekend schedules and consider how much of it is under your direct control. Translate your reflections into actions for transformation and you will come back to this column with some testimonies soon! Good luck! n
