FINISHING STRONG

“Your REASON for waiting on the right person and the right time must be a deep and strong one. The reason has to be higher than you…that’s the only way you’re not going to succumb to the need to “JUST HAVE SOMEONE”.

I kept staring at these lines while reading an article and gradually it all started to make sense. It was 00.59 GMT and still my eyes were wide open, I knew those words were speaking directly to me and finally it hit me…these are the answers to the many questions I have been receiving from friends and family. I wake up most days and see bbm messages from different friends asking the same question in different ways – So who’s the guy? Anyone on board? When are you inviting us? Have u started dating? Whenever I celebrate friends who are getting married, it’s a constant reminder by friends that they are still waiting for my turn. I love my friends because I know they care about me and want the best for me. I do too. 

The truth is that definitely there is a higher and deeper reason which is greater than me. It’s a magnetic force that pulls me back each time I try to go off limits or beyond my boundaries; it always reminds me of the importance of finishing strong. It is not about how well you start, but how strong you finish. It’s how you paddle the boat when the storm sets in, how you hold on to the last ray of hope even when everything tells you to let go. So many times we get entangled in the lovey-dovey ecstasy and forget to consult LOVE himself (God is Love). We choose to get carried away so suddenly that we dive into an empty pool without even noticing there was no water in the pool. Do we look with eyes wide open or eyes shut? Are we looking without actually seeing? Are we listening but not hearing anything at all? In business management, every consultant thinks of developing a strategy that will help the company survive the intense heat of the global market on the LONG RUN. The financial advisers also tell investors to invest in LONG-TERM returns. It’s the same way in relationships. Sometimes we choose to get lost in the pleasure and live in the moment; we succumb to that soft & tender kiss on the lips or the warm cuddle that makes us sleep like a baby. We forget to invest in long-term goals. This is why some relationships crumble before they even get started leaving both parties hurt and broken; and then with the hurt there’ll be an urge to “just have someone” to soothe the pains. This is not a good enough reason to go into a relationship because the foundation will be laid on weak stones and the probability of it surviving during a storm or fire is less than 15%. Be sure to invest in long term goals, ask yourself how hard you can paddle when the storm comes. 

How do you invest in long-term goals? Seek to add value to your partner daily - it’s the little things that we do that matter most not the big ones. Look beyond the physical and material because what lies within supersedes the superficial. Help him/her to achieve their dreams, help them become the best of themselves. Go into a relationship with genuine reasons; let it be strong enough to make you stay. Let it be deep enough that all you see is possibilities and positivities. Nobody starts a business and wishes to see it fail; no matter what, he/she will fight to see that it grows, that it is nurtured well and that it survives irrespective of the challenges it may face. It’s the same in relationships, let  what you feel for each other be strong enough to make you willing to stand-up to any opposition in order to finish strong. 

The magnetic force I spoke of earlier can only be God. It is a force deeper, higher, stronger, greater than me and who am I to question my maker? Don’t go into a relationship just for the sake of “having someone”. Relationships should be based on a solid foundation with GOD as the pilot. Having said that, I want to start well and finish strong and if that means succumbing to this greater force then I’ll let it have all of me and when that day comes I’ll definitely let y’all know J

"You have to find someone you
    love enough to be able to take risks,
    jump over the hurdles and break through
    the brick walls that are always going to
    be placed in front of you.

    If you don't have that kind of feeling for
    what it is you're doing, you'll stop at the
    first giant hurdle."

    --George Lucas

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