“Hope is not a strategy.” Vince Lombardi
A story is told of the man who was fond of going early morning to Church to pray for wealth. He made praying to God like an occupation. The first one in the Church, and the last to leave. He would go to Church, from Monday to Sunday.
Prayer is not enough without action. And action is useless in the wrong direction. And the action in the right direction is not enough without hope, which comes from prayer. Study carefully the figure below:
Which of the two people is likely to win the upcoming competitive Tennis game? You guessed right. The person on the left, involved in practising to perfect his or her game has better chances than the one just hoping to win.
Prayer helps only if it is supported by action. The teachings are simple:
Before you pray for a baby, first pray to find a wife or husband.
Before you pray for passing exams, first be admitted at University or school.
Before you pray for heaven, first pray for a great life on earth.
Do not jump the queue and I am sure that is what makes people miss the point. Religion provides hope and offers a value system to set a foundation for your success. The rest require action from your part that is logical and informed by strategy.
Hope is not a strategy. It is an enabler. The two go together.
However well-laid your strategy may be, without hope for its success, you may not go far. You will not have the key ingredient to keep your team motivated to execute it.
Like the way, people go to bed hoping to wake up and continue with their plans. Hope helps leaders continue with their vision, and sell the same with confidence and firm belief of success and better outcomes.
However, hope is not a strategy. It is an enabler. Without action, you cannot win. You cannot attain a result. To win you must plan, and the act. Those who go far or attain tremendous success do not act before making a strategy. Once they have defined their strategy, they gather resources and a team to make a consistent action. Which moves them in the right direction closer to their dream. And as they do this, they are bound by a belief that all will be fine. That hope that they will succeed, is what makes all the difference.
Remember, always support your prayers and hopes and aspirations with action. That is the difference you need to progress.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
