The One Thing That Keeps You Waiting

by Christopher Kabamba
(Lusaka, Zambia)

Everything is really up to me

You wait for something good to happen in your life just to be told that you are going to die.

That is a paraphrase of my favorite line in the movie, Last Holiday which stars Queen Latifah playing the character Georgia Byrd, a shy woman who spends her lifetime dreaming about possibilities of a better life in the future until a visit to the doctor changes the course of her life. The doctor's diagnosis causes Georgia to resign herself to the fact that she has only a few weeks to live. She quits her job, liquidates her assets, and sets off on a dream vacation. This sets the stage for a very thrilling story.

That we all have dreams for a better life is self evident. The desire for freedom and happiness is the desire of the ages. It is a desire encoded deeply in every human spirit; it is the longing of every heart. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, all around the globe, in every culture and every land, the people of the world are crying for the same thing; they want to be free; they want to be happy.

For many, this cry seems to be met by the tyranny of circumstance. This is what seems to stand in the way of their dreams. Many resign themselves to the fact that the tyranny of circumstance must be waited on. The dreamer waits for the right time or for the right set of circumstances before they can pursue their dreams.

Even those who have clear visions of their life purpose, sooner or later, seem to dance to the tune of waiting ? waiting for the right time; waiting for the right set of circumstances before they could launch into the deep. Their hope is deferred. As if that is not enough, they are met by the reality of death. Their time on earth is over. All that is left are regrets for missed opportunities and the life that could have been - if only they pursued their dreams in spite of circumstance. This seems to summarize the human experience.

Personal conscious growth and awareness has become my passion. I am reminded of the times I have sad down to think about the nature of life, trying to understand what really holds people back ? the one thing that holds people from achieving the cherished dreams of their hearts. What holds the dreamer from pursuing his dream? Is it time? Is it circumstance? What about fear? What is the nature of circumstance? What is the right time? At times these questions seem overwhelming. And many times, I am tempted to suppress them and just live a normal corporate life. But just as often, I am reminded of the words of the US President, Barrack Obama; suppressing ideas has never succeeded in making them go away. With these words, I resume my search for truth back of all things.


You see, there is one fundamental reason back of all the flimsy excuses that are advanced as to why people are not living their dream. As you read this article, there is one reason why you are not living the life of your dreams. This is what I want to share with you today. Like all truth, it is not a strange concept. It could be something you have heard before. Therefore, I share with you, not necessarily to teach you but to remind you.

Before I do so, allow me to echo the words of Anthony Robbins. It doesn?t take a lot of ideas to change your life. It doesn?t take complicated ideas to change your life. All that is takes is an idea that YOU are willing to take in and use. Those are the words of a man who has touched the lives of many in profound ways. What you need to change your life is an idea that you are willing to use. This might just be the idea you need. You see, the power of ideas is not in the ideas themselves. It is in the successful application of those ideas. I therefore, encourage you; if this is something that resonates with your heart, take it in. Let it change your life, for the better.

The one fundamental thing that is holding you back in the pursuit of your dreams is the essence of the person you have become. In the final analysis, it is neither circumstance nor time that is holding you back. In fact, as a matter of Law, the essence of what you have become is what is projecting those stumbling blocks between you and the abundant life which is your birthright. What is holding you back is your level of growth and awareness. What is limiting you is the person you have become. It is not your employer, spouse, politicians or the economy that is holding you back. The essence of what you have become - a product of your own growth and awareness is what is at the root of your problem. Your enemy is your ignorance. The difficulty is not in the thing; it is in the lack of knowledge about the thing. And this lack of knowledge is not in the thing. It is in YOU. Therefore, you are the one you have been waiting for.

In James 4:8, we are told that when we draw close to God, He will draw close to us. The Bible in Romans 8:18 records that all creation is waiting for the manifestation of the Sons of God. On both counts man and woman are being waited on, to make the first move. If this is so, who are you waiting for? Could it be that you are the one you have been waiting for all your life? Are you content to keep yourself waiting for you? How long will you keep waiting for YOU?

Today you can decide to change course. This freedom is the gift of your Creator. Discard the illusions of circumstance and time. You are the one you have been waiting for. Your own level of growth and awareness is what is keeping you waiting ? holding you from pursuing your most cherished dreams.

Pursue conscious personal growth and development. Awareness is everything. Invest in your-self. The best gift you can give the world and the people you love is by becoming MORE. Through awareness, challenge your limiting beliefs. Eat that frog ? the thing you have been putting off for years. Don?t wait for the right time because NOW is always the right time. Success is not convenient. It is said that the people who have achieved great things in life did not know how they were going to do it. They only know that they were going to do it. You don?t need all the pieces of the puzzle to be in place before you can make the first move. The first move is all the world is asking for. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., Take the first step. You do not need to see the whole stair case. Just take the first step. That is how life unfolds. First, do the thing and then you will have the power.

It is in the realm of uncertainty that your passion is found and throughout the centuries the men and women who have blessed this world were those who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision and their passion to fulfill it (Anthony Robbins). They were men and women who lived their lives in such a manner that they were constantly be-coming. With every step they took, down the road of the unknown but not the unknowable, they were be-coming MORE.

Let nothing hold you back. Start from where you are. The man who wants to be a force to reckon with in the Mkushi farming block need not wait for the right time and conditions. Immediately, he must proceed to start making use of the piece of land in his backyard. In that moment, he would have started on his journey to Mkushi. The young man or woman who would like to captivate great International audiences with his/her compelling messages must prove himself/herself by sincerely reaching out to his family and friends. The young lady who wants to become an accomplished musical artist need not wait for the future. If she has to realize her dream she must immediately begin singing to her self and her neighbors. The young man would want to take up a carrier as an author, must go home and begin to write and read his own books. It is only when we are faithful in small things that the Universe brings more our way.

Life is so constructed that we grow into things, not by leaps and bounds but by a natural progression that takes a step at a time. This is my message for you, dreamer. Take the first step; don?t wait any longer. Feel the feelings of having already achieved your dreams. All causation is mental. To put it more accurately, all causation is Spirit. The struggle within every human being is the conflict between the conscious and the sub-conscious mind. The lack of congruency between these two is the source of all misery. Do the thing and do it now.

NOW is always the right time to move forward. It is the only time there is - the present moment. This is so because that is the only time we can act. All action and all thinking are done in the present moment. Even when we think about the past or the future it is through projecting our thoughts from the standpoint of the present moment. For things that we hope to do in the future, we have to wait for the future to be brought into the NOW for us to act. It is therefore, self evident from the foregoing that the only time there is, is the present moment.

Today is surely the day of salvation for you and me; not tomorrow; not yesterday. Never wait for tomorrow when you can do it now. When you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Do it while it is called Today. All I am asking you is to begin. Usually that is all you need to do. Begin. And with every beginning, will follow the momentum that will surely push you to your destiny. Master the courage to begin.

You are not only a human being. You are also a human be-coming. Constantly fill the place you currently occupy. Always seek expansion starting from the standpoint where are currently are. As you wait to go into the whole world, start immediately working in Jerusalem, Judea and the Samaria. In that moment you will have started impacting the whole world. Everything is really up to you.

Thank you and God bless you.