The power of connections

You are distinct from others but not separated. Your life is like a piece on the canvass of a jigsaw puzzle. Every scrambled piece needs to connect together to make an integral whole. Everyone who plays the jigsaw puzzle understands the importance of the big picture. The goal of the game is to bring the scrambled pieces of that picture together connecting them into the sockets of other pieces that hold a fragment of the big picture. Until the pieces connect appropriately, the big picture remains a mirage. The operative word in the jigsaw puzzle is connection.

No matter what we seek to become in life, it would take series of connections with others and other things in creation to succeed. The self-made person is a myth that is so far removed from reality. The world is yet to see a self-sufficient man or woman.

You were made for CONNECTION. No matter how you name or describe it – destiny, assignment, purpose, or ikigai (life essence in Japanese) – it means NOTHING until it is CONNECTED with those who need it.

Nothing and nobody, no matter how good, enhances its/his value by itself or himself. The value of everything in creation is altered positively or negatively by the significance and quantum of the connection it makes with other things in creation. The nucleus of an atom is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The atom itself is the least particle of the element that translates into matter. As Albert Einstein discovered through his Theory of Relativity, everything in creation is energy and mass in various forms of displacement. The whole world is a field of energy. Everything of value is produced by the combination of various factors and elements in this vast field of energy we call the universe. Chlorine is a toxic gas that, in its natural form, is heavier than air. Sodium is a chemical element. Taken separately, each one of them is potentially injurious to health. Nobody can cook with either of them separately. The combination of the two substances is what gives us the table salt that enhances the taste of our food. No nation on earth prospers significantly through the wholesale exploitation of raw materials. The wealth of such nations will always eventually return to the pockets of the nations that buy the raw materials and combine them with other things to add value, which they turn round to sell sometimes ten times the price of the raw materials.

Who you know and who knows you are far more important than what you know. Who can speak for you when and where it matters? Do you find it easy to work with others in teams or you are one of those who only enjoy their own company? In case you did not get the memo, nerds who live like hermits, though usually brilliant, hardly lead conglomerates! Great organizations don’t become so because of the strength of their leaders, essential as that is, but because of the synergy of their component teams.

Prayers are essential but remember that God answers through people. The answer to your prayers may be right by you, but you have refused to connect with it or them! It only takes one meaningful connection to fix your frustration.

There are some ESSENTIAL connections you must make if you want to be truly successful in your calling.

The most fundamental connection you will need is with your SOURCE. Whether you know it or not, you cannot connect with your true self until you connect with your Maker. Godlessness is not wokeness! Function proceeds from a design. Your Maker knows what He designed in you and what he designed you for! Your value system is shaped by your deepest spiritual convictions. Those who have neither consciousness nor respect for the divine essence will live their lives recklessly and without scruples.

Connect with YOURSELF. Be comfortable with your own essence. If God wanted you to be another person’s duplicate, your fingerprints would be the same as those of that person. The successful man is just another ordinary person who found peace with his real self and functioned accordingly. Frustration is largely the result of needlessly and endlessly comparing yourself with others. Nobody has a sense of lack until he benchmarks himself with another person he views as more endowed. You are a walking treasure house. Abundance is first inside you before it manifests around you. You cannot ascend to a throne with the thoughts of a slave. No throne has royalty on its own. Realkings bring royalty to the throne. Pauper language does not have the vocabulary for abundance.

Success is closer to you than you think. So, connect with your ENVIRONMENT. The abundance you seek is not far from you. It is simply awaiting manifestation. What you are seeking is seeking you. Every society is a trove of problems seeking solutions. Listen well. Be teachable. Be sensitive and discerning. Stop analyzing all the problems of society and getting orgasms from negativity as if it is a badge of honor. Sometimes, all you need for your breakthrough is to take a closer look at a common problem, find a solution to it and let the people who need the solution be aware of what you did!

Connect with PEOPLE. In His infinite wisdom, God places the answer to prayers in people. Your net worth can never exceed the quality of your network. Sociologists have made us understand that every person on earth has the innate capacity to influence, for good or bad, at least ten thousand people in their lifetime. That is huge! Think of the inherent potential in that. Every person you influence positively will mine his network for you when the need arises. Don’t just look for people to bless you or give to you. Generosity and gratitude are the world’s greatest door openers!

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Not every contract or position is advertised. In fact, the most valuable ones that come with significant reward packages are given by referrals because of the trust required at that level of responsibility.

Who is in your corner? Whose corner are you in? Who can mention your name in connection with a problem that requires a solution? Does your name pop up as the solution to a real problem?

People are an integral part of your success journey. They are your ladder to the top. Love people. Appreciate people. Be kind to people. Make friends across the jaundiced boundaries of tribe, race or status. Treasure people. Remember that your current highest aspiration is already somebody’s reality. Successful people are usually willing to share their secrets with those who connect appropriately.

The best way to cultivate relationships of value is to always put value forward. Demonstrationof significant value is the only way that people will know your capacity and potential. It’s the only reason they would think of you when there is space at the next level of your aspiration. But if you are the type who stays aloof from people and expect them to come to you or always give to you because of your deep-seated entitlement mindset, you will forever remain a victim of the Lilliputian universe you created for yourself…continued.