Growing up as a young man in Africa, I was one of those who believed you don’t have to travel abroad to be successful in life. However, in the year 2000 after finishing my first degree and I started working, I was surprised when I was flooded with thoughts of pursuing my master’s programme in Canada. Like any christian will do in such a situation, I prayed about it, compiled my portfolio and submitted my application. Two years later, I found myself in the United Kingdom pursing a master’s degree. In the midst of all that, I started a relationship with a beautiful lady who is my wife today. Meeting her steered the direction of my plans. In hindsight, that was one of my defining moments in life and I am grateful that I met her.
Fast forward to 2010, married with two kids living in the United Kingdom for 8 years, the thought of relocation started flooding my heart again. After two years of praying, researching and counselling, we decided to move to Canada in 2012. Having taken two years to make the decision, we thought we were sure, yet it didn’t turn out the way we expected. All our plans and attempts to formalise the relocation fell through. We were quite disappointed and depressed about it. We picked ourselves up and reviewed our plan, moving forward.
Thinking about it now after two and half years, I can summarise our adventure with this statement:
Ink your purpose, pencil your plan. Life, though scripted, is lived out as an unscripted journey with many twists and turns.
Your purpose in life hardly changes; it evolves over time based on your understanding, insight, experience and exposure. Your purpose in life is definite, sure and constant. Your plans on the other hand, can change or will change for many known and unknown reasons. As you get a better understanding of your purpose, you may need to change some of the action plans. That is why it is advisable to pencil your plan and not cast it in stone. It is easier to write, erase and rewrite than not to write at all.
Tyler Perry started out with a vision to make theatre dramas. Today, he has a complete movie studio where he directs and produces his movies. Desire to make theatre plays has evolved into making movies worth millions of dollars. It takes time to build something great. Don’t stop too soon on your purpose! When a plan fails, don’t give up on the purpose. Review the failed plans and develop another one. Just because things are not going the way you planned does not mean they are not going the way they should.
Ink Your Purpose, Pencil Your Plan February 22nd, 2016Wole Sosanya
Tagged: Journey, Life, PLAN, Purpose
