Five Qualities That Will Surely Change Your Life

In Proverbs chapter 22 verse 29, the Bible says "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men." In Daniel 6:3 (KJV), this is how Daniel was described "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm." (emphasis mine). Also, in Genesis 39:2, the Bible says "The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian."

In a world where everything is fast-fast food, instant messaging, the internet, and electric trains- we have become accustomed to quick things so much that we no longer care how we get them. Today, I want us to look at some qualities that will reliably make us successful, no matter our field of endeavour. They may seem old-fashioned to many of us in this fast-paced world, yet they are as applicable today as they were in the ancient days.

1. Patience

One online dictionary defines patience as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious." Everybody is rushing these days and patience has become a very dear commodity. Today, young people are in so much hurry that some see schooling as a waste of time. People are coming up with all manner of excuses for not schooling or learning a trade. Some think schooling or learning a trade will delay their progress and so they look for quick ways to get money. Some of these people start with betting, stealing and robbing people, fraud, and the like. Others end up selling their bodies for money and a seemingly easy life.

 

As a young person, patience is very important in your life. Without it, you may end up at a place you will not like. I vividly remember one advert which was shown on national television when we were growing up, with the caption "It pays to wait". Life is a process and a process is a process made up of many steps-and not one big bang that instantly changes your life to what you want. You need greater amounts of patience in every aspect of your life. Never follow seemingly easy get-rich-quick-schemes. Be diligent and patient as you wait for your labour to yield the desired results.

2. Respect

"Respect is reciprocal" is a common phrase that most of us are familiar with. It is true today as it was in the 1800s. Respect for humanity is a crucial trait everyone has to get to succeed in life. You should show respect to everyone that crosses your path. Arrogant people think they are more human than other people and so they tend to disrespect other people. If you are disrespectful, it can cause many problems for you. Therefore, try to respect everybody, including children because nobody knows what the future holds. 

Sometimes, some adults think they can disrespect younger people because they are older. The truth is that, if you disrespect people because they are younger than you, they will also disrespect you in return, because you have already shown them that it is good to disrespect others. You will need respect in school, to respect your teachers and schoolmates, and at the workplace, to respect your superiors, and your colleagues. You can choose to treat people with disrespect and you will surely face the consequences one day, perhaps very soon.

3. Open-mindedness

The online Cambridge English Dictionary defines open-mindedness as "the quality of being willing to consider ideas and opinions that are new or different to your own." From observation, it seems many people in our part of the world are very close-minded. Some lack tolerance. The reality is that, nobody can know everything about everything at every time. However, sometimes, some people mistakenly assume they have all the answers. They do not have all the answers-they have their limitations too. The Bible has said in 2 Timothy 3:15 (KJV) that "and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.", and in Proverbs 9:10 (KJV) "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" This means that anyone who goes to God and godly people to seek counsel, will have an open mind and something valuable to share, whether they are a child or an adult.

Sometimes, some people think their tribe or their ethnic group makes them a better human being than people from other tribes. Also, some people think they are more human than others due to their political party, hometown, region, religion, and financial status. All these are wrong perceptions that result in divisive stereotypes that affect national development. The boarding house system was supposed to have produced highly open-minded young people who tolerate other people and address issues objectively. We can become better at peaceful coexistence by addressing national issues objectively, devoid of nepotism, tribalism, favoritism and partisan politics.

We should learn to respect diversity and make the most out of it. If we can respect and treat everyone fairly, we can work everywhere in the world. The world has become a global village and things are constantly evolving. Therefore, we need open-mindedness to catch up with the fast pace of development.

4. Adaptability

One online dictionary defines adaptability as "the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions." As young people, we should not be too rigid in life. The world now needs people who can be useful in various ways. Unfortunately, our culture is impeding our development in the sense that, we tend to stick so tightly to already established norms, even in situations where these norms could harm us. Here in this country, people do not understand how someone who has never studied business can run a business successfully. Some of our older folk have never been to school before but they can run businesses successfully. That is adaptability in practice. But when someone trained in science performs well in non-science tasks, we marvel. There are inherent gifts people have aside from their education, which they can put to use, but in some societies, if you do not have the certificate for something, no matter how excellent you do it, people have a problem with you. The younger generation must shift our mentality from the old-fixed norms that raise needless boundaries in our lives.

We tend to major in minors in our society. For example, in this society, if no one has ever attended the university in your family, it is usually seen as out-of-place to  challenge the status quo. It is noteworthy that, to successfully compete at the global level, we cannot continue to live in mediocrity. We have to learn new things and unlearn the old bad things. It is a free world, without any limitations, except the ones we create for ourselves. If you are adaptable, you can thrive in any part of the world. 

 5. Excellence

Excellence is "the quality of being outstanding or extremely good." It seems this quality is lacking in our society that tend to reward mediocrity. Mediocrity seem to be so widespread that people tend to take others for granted just because there is not enough accountability. Dignity and integrity are no more prioritized but money and material things are the measure of success. 

If and when we hold excellence in high esteem, most of our problems will vanish.  Instead of rewarding excellence, sometimes, we rather try to punish excellent people in our society.  We can only develop when we renew our minds and commit to excellence and integrity. Our God whom we profess to serve, is an excellent and orderly God who does everything with perfection. Therefore, we cannot follow God and live a life of mediocrity.