I’m usually amazed by how I try so hard to do some things, and they never seem to work! Have you had those experiences? You believe something should work, it feels good to the ears and looks good on paper, but it just doesn’t fly. As a speaker, I often tell people about Thomas Alva Edison, and how he never gave up on the light bulb until it was done, but really really don’t we all just try and try and eventually just pack it up and give up? Haven’t we advised people before, with information such as, I have tried that before, it doesn’t work? Have you? I have discovered that I have been guilty of not practicing what I preach. I have many stories of things I tried, that failed, and somehow whenever I see what looks like them again, I run!

Something amazing happened for me this year however, and in looking back at this year, I have learnt a vital life lesson that I think would benefit you big time. It’s a small piece of wisdom, but it’s wisdom that we all need to succeed.

Most times, things fail, not because it cannot succeed, but because it’s not yet time!

If you understand that statement, it will set you free. This year, I have attempted and succeeded at things that I had tried before and failed at. I actually didn’t even want to try them again, because I thought, “what’s the use, I’ve done that before”. They have however gone on to succeed beyond my wildest dreams. Why? Because every idea, every opportunity, every achievement has tied to it, a set time! All labour must be until that set time, if work stops before the time, then there will be no worthwhile experience.

I particularly like the way Shakespeare renders it

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”

If we miss the tide, it’s shallow and miseries.

I like the way the wise king also renders it

“I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time” – Ecc 9:11

What actions do these statements lay on us?

1. Whatever you are doing, there is a right time at which it can work, keep at it until that time shows up. Don’t give up.

2. Be sensitive to right timing, don’t throw ideas away because of your past.

3. Don’t pride yourself on your speed, your strength, your wisdom or your skill. Nothing is as valuable as timing, and that is a God factor!

4. Look out for the floods in the tide, understand the trends, be like the sons of Issachar (understand the times and be ready to work)

5. Be involved in honest diligence, work through the shadows and miseries, and be willing to take the current when it serves.

6. We are always surrounded by opportunities, we only need to be sensitive to when to put in our buckets!

7. Develop an intimate relationship with the author of time, the one who lives beyond the boundaries of time in a timeless eternity. Say with the Psalmist, “our times are in your hand oh Lord”.ИДЕЯ ЗА ПОДАРЪК