JUST ONE

On the 7th of September, 2021, I had the privilege of celebrating my birthday alongside my induction into the Pharmacy profession on the same day (Awesome right...). Since my birth, the only birthday I had celebrated publicly was my naming ceremony and trust me, its most likely that I was asleep all through the program. This was the first time I would be inviting people on my birthday and the thought of it scared me to the bones. Moreso, Pharmacy Induction was like the convocation ceremony of pharmacy school graduates and this was a big event on its own already. By the time I had finished writing my budget, I would be needing nothing lesser than 250k and I had lesser than 1k in my account. Eventually the 'd-day' came and it turned out to be even bigger than I expected. All in all it was one hectic day I would never forget. In the midst of the whole jamboree and excitement that day, I was surprised that I was not quite as happy as I thought I would be. I could say the analytical part of me got the better of me that day and I couldn't help but ponder on the the popular saying that every single day spent meant one day lesser in our mortal lives. I could not help but ask myself some questions that day; "So far, have I made any meaningful impact in my lifetime?", "Is the world a better place with me in it?", "Has my life been a burden or a blessing to humanity?"....

I eventually had an awesome birthday that day even with all the stress (many thanks to the lovely people God has blessed me with) but this self evaluation did not leave me the same. These questions and many more that flooded my mind had become a propelling force for me to adopt a new culture I named "Just One". The culture of just one dictates that if I can do just little of something I hope to achieve each day, I will have taken a step further in achieving my lifetime pursuit. This meant that if my goal was to take a thousand steps in my lifetime, taking just one daily meant only 999 would be left the next day.

Do you believe in the power of one? Most people ascribe significance to many numbers but rarely do we take much time to ponder on the significance of one. 'One' might look very little and insignificant but trust me, the smallest of things can be the most powerful. Let's consider a few applications of this culture and I hope you'll stay with me till the end.

Just One Soul(JOS)

I was at a commendation service of an old man that passed on recently and admist a myriad of things that were said about him, one particular account shook me and remains engrafted upon my heart. Someone said (of this man that had passed away) that he once went to his office when he was in dire need and after the man who was now dead had given him the money he needed, he prayed for him as he was about to go concluding his prayer with the words, "Lord please send me again today someone I can be of help to". Prior to that day, I had never prayed that kind of prayer in my life. In fact, I sometimes found myself trying to dodge those that needed help. Like Dorcas, although this man had died, he was still very much alive in the good works he had left behind. What legacy will you like to leave behind? We all must come back to realize that true legacy is not what a man has acquired or achieved but rather how he has lived, how he has loved and how he has served humanity. 

Bearing fruits that abide is a command that God has given us and one primary way we bear fruits is by doing 'Good works' (being a blessing to others). If you have a dream of making enormous and trans-generational impact, making a commitment to blessing at least one soul each day of your life can go a long way in achieving this. That's 365 souls thanking God for your life each year. This will only be possible if you are intentional about it every single day. You might not be able to donate a million dollars to the needy yet, don't fret. Your gifts to people, your prayers for them or even feeding that homeless man on your street will go a long way.

Just One Chapter(JOC)

I was privileged to learn early in life the life transforming power of reading. It became clear to me that a man that refuses to invest in knowledge will inevitably face the consequence of his ignorance. Since then,  I've always had the desire to read a lot of books in a bid for self development. However, although I had the passion to invest in knowledge by reading, I came to discover that hardly could I finish a book in a month. Not surprisingly, I always had an excuse for this (some legitimate and some just silly). Adopting the culture of reading just one chapter of a book each day can go a long way to transforming your life. You could even set your stop watch for 30mins and make up your mind not to stop till the alarm rings. You'll be surprised at how much progress you've made (especially if you are fully focused when reading)

Just one Hour (JOH)

When was the last time you took a few minutes to watch the sunrise or the rain? When was the last time you dedicated time to your loved one or when was the last time you sat down to do an audit of your life's journey? Even on the days when we're not cumbered up with our daily activities, we spend almost the rest of our free time in front of a screen. 

As Robin Sharma puts it in his book "The 5am Club", it seems that our generation has been plagued with a 'Superficiality Syndrome'. We are always in a rush. We continually live our lives like a programmed computer game and rarely do we find time to stop and think. Our inability to do this is a major reason why many of us keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. On the other hand, the life of great achievers is one of 'granularity' (a life that takes time to reflect and go into the nitty gritty of things). The culture of 'Just one Hour' is taking just one hour out of each day to reflect/meditate. This is the secrete of transition from Superficiality to Granularity. The culture of Reflection/meditation has so much benefits (even more than can be discussed in this article). Apart from helping you have a grateful heart, you'll be freeing yourself from the robotic lifestyle of our generation. You can incorporate prayer and planning for the next day into this hour. This culture is one that will greatly help your keep your gaze on your life's vision. It will also help you ponder on how you spent your day, where you made mistakes, what you can improve upon, where you've derailed from your values and help you in planning how you can make the next day ultra productive.  

What's your own idea about adopting a 'Just one' culture? 

PS: Thanks for reading till the end. I hope it blesses your soul...