While it is important to dream, while it is important to aspire to bigger, audacious, and hairy goals, it is also important that we acknowledge, appreciate and accept our winnings while working hard grow.

About three years ago, on a Saturday morning, I was trekking in the Karura forest in Nairobi. It was a five kilometers trail. The trail was well marked and when it is time to take a turn you will have an arrow pointing you in the right direction so that you don’t get lost. After walking for four kilometers, I came to a clearing where I could see the building that marks the end of the trail. I was excited and could not help but keep gazing at that spot. While doing that, I lost focus and missed the turn. When I came back I realized that my path will not take me to the destination, in truth there was no path. I had to go back to where I missed my direction, followed the arrows that finally led me to the end of the trail.

Life is exactly the same, we sometimes tend to focus on the future to the extent that we forget to pay attention to the present. In the process we miss the path leading to the future which is our major purpose.

I once heard a song which said, if you don’t get what you love, love what you have. You may be considering walking away from your current relationship thinking of finding better happiness somewhere else. You may be right, however, there is no guarantee that you will have a happy ending. So consider loving the one you have. Are you still sending those surprise love notes you used to? are you still ordering flowers, are you still surprising him /her with gifts?

How about your current career? About 20 years ago, my work colleague “Joy” went for further studies and passed with flying colors. She came back with higher qualifications, better skills, and more knowledge that would have allowed her to deliver her work better. She came back expecting that she would immediately be promoted and given more responsibilities and possibly a team to lead. That did not happen. She was asked to do the same job that she did three years before going for her further studies. She complained “This is not fair, this is not right. How can I do the same job that I did when I joined the organization and yet I am now more qualified?”  Since she was focusing on a bigger position she was not giving her all in the job that she had at hand because she was focusing on the destination. Like me, she was not following the signs posts that will lead her to the promotion she wanted. She missed the turn. When Joy presented her complete to the Human Resources department, this is what she was told: “Joy, I congratulate you that you did well and you came back with excellent qualifications.” Then the HR Chief continued, ” But Joy, what we have seen over the last six months is, despite your qualifications your performance is poor, you don’t meet deadlines, and your work is not done to the expectation of the organization”  Joy could not deliver even the small assignments that she was given, how could she execute higher responsibilities? Failing to pay attention to our current tasks will prevent us from achieving the results propel us to higher positions.  The promotion that Joy really wanted to was delayed.

In the early years of my career, I worked for one of the best and highest paying organizations in the country. Despite the decent salary that I was earning at that time, I was always broke. Why? I always wanted more, I always wanted to achieve more in life. I bought land, I bought a car, and I took a loan to finance some of the assets that I may not have needed at that time. That caused a lot of financial distress. There were always “ too much month at the end of the money”As I look back to what happened to me in Karura Forest, as I reflect on what Joy went through, and when I reminisce my earlier career, I am convinced that if you don’t get want you to want, loving what you have and working hard to achieve what you don’t have is the best recipe that will get you to the top.

Know your destination but pay attention to the present. Look at your goals often and take the right step towards your goal on a daily basis