Z For Zeal

It’s been a while since I’ve been here, not because I didn’t want to, but because I was forced by circumstances to not be here. You see, I had an unwanted visitor in the form of a mammoth migraine. Let me just say the migraine migrated with its entire extended family and cramped itself into the tiny space that is my head. Needless to say, there is little I could have done with any kind of screen, unless it was screening my eyes from light.

Being in this situation wasn’t easy considering that not even the anti-migraines I got were working! I had no choice but to stay away from my MacBook, which I have to admit has been very challenging to do. It is for this reason that I was unable to do the last alphabet of the Survival Alphabet series on time as I should have. I felt bad not finishing the alphabet series like I should have, and I couldn't help feeling that I have let you my reader down big time. Every time I’d think about it I’d have this worrying feeling at the back of my mind that I had disappointed you for not finishing the series. But then at the back of that same mind another thought comes that tells me, “but it wasn’t your fault that this happened Liz. You got sick and couldn’t do it.” There is not a day since the 27^thof May that I haven’t thought of this article on my blog, but no matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t much I could have done about it because I knew for sure the pain in my head would not allow me to do what I had in mind.

But like I have come to realize, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason may not be obvious especially while you are suffering or going through painful moments in life, but once you breakthrough the situation, eventually when you look back it all begins to make sense. The most important thing at that point is to never lose hope when you are down. Instead, find ways of keeping your hopes up and your commitment to the process unwavering, so that when you recover your footing again you can continue from where you left off like nothing really happened. This is what I call a zealous spirit, that spirit that forces you to keep going after your goals and dreams no matter how many times life or circumstances in general put your down. It is like your floater when swimming at the deep end. That spirit will keep pushing you back up no matter how many times you are put down. And that is why today, my last word in the Survival Alphabet Series is Zeal. Z for Zeal.

According to my usual online dictionary, the word zeal means, “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” In other words, if you have zeal, you're willing, energized, and motivated to pursue something to the end, no matter what obstacles or challenges you encounter along the way.

There are times in life when things happen that you have no control over. Say for example how just a few days ago I lost my sense of direction and couldn’t find my way home. To date I’m still thinking about this incident and quite frankly, am still baffled as to why it happened.

You see, after the meds I was taking for the migraine refused to work, I decided I wasn’t going back to hospital or take any more meds. Instead I decided to use exercises to weed out the headache from my system. Actually this was my son’s suggestion because there is a time I had a similar problem and working out solved it completely. So I decided to go for a “light” jog (7 Kms). On my way back, I lost my sense of direction and couldn’t find my way home for about 45 minutes. Please note that this is not a new route I was navigating. This has been my route for over 4 years, meaning I know it like the back of my hand.

How and why I got lost is still a mystery.

By the time I got back home every part of my body was aching, and the headache had intensified instead of subsiding. Anyway, the very next day I decided to go for another job using the very same route I had gotten lost on the previous day. Surprisingly, I was able to get back home without a problem though it was dark and late just like the previous evening had been. I forgot to mention that in addition to the migraine, I was also suffering serious insomnia. To make you understand how bad it was, imagine not sleeping for 3 consecutive nights and days!​ 

To date I am still trying to figure out why I lost my sense of direction, but this is where the lesson of the day stems from.

You see, no matter how lost I got, the one thing I knew in my mind is that I have to find my home. Unfortunately I hadn’t carried my phone so I couldn’t use Google maps to find my way home. Secondly, for some strange reasons I wasn’t comfortable asking any of the guys I met on the road for directions. But one thing I was sure of is that no matter what happened, I would sleep in my bed that night. I was fully convinced and there was no single doubt in my mind that I would find my way home.

Remember what the dictionary said? The definition of zeal is “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” In my case, my cause or objective was to get home safely, and that was my only focus for that particular moment.

While you are pursuing your dreams and goals, you will face many obstacles. Question is, are you zealous enough to deal with those obstacles until you eliminate them? Are you energetic enough to keep pulling yourself up every time you fall down as you pursue your goals and dreams? Will you still continue having that deep passion to follow your dream even when you “feel lost” somewhere along the way and can’t seem to find the direction to your dream? Will you still be willing to keep going even when darkness envelopes you all around and you can’t seem to see anybody trustworthy to seek direction from? Will you still continue pushing yourself to go after your goal especially when you get so tired and frustrated because you seem to be going round in circles instead of moving forward towards your goal or dream?

Without zeal, you will give up along the way.

I know many of you have encountered major setbacks since COVID-19 hit the world. Many are looking at their goals and thinking to themselves that there is no way they can make them work in the midst of all the uncertainty the pandemic brought to the world. Sadly, I have even heard of people who decided to commit suicide because during this season they’ve lost everything they had.

Each one of us is going through different challenges during this season, but only those with real zeal will rise above those challenges and continue moving forward. 

• Zeal will cause you to look for a way out even when you can’t see one. It will force you to keep looking until you get one. 
• Zeal will cause you to go back to the drawing board over and over again until you get a plan that will carry you through whatever crisis, challenge or pain you might be going through right now. 
• Zeal is what will kick inertia out of your system forcing you to change before change changes you.
• Zeal is what will keep you moving even when you feel like you don’t have any more strength in you but you still find a little left to push yourself to stand up on your feet after life has dealt you a near technical knockout.
• Zeal is like the fuel needed to run a car. It is like the wind that powers the windmill, or the sunrays that produce solar energy. 
• Zeal is the glue that holds it all together; your goal, your purpose, your dreams, your destiny. 

So, my question to you is, how zealous are you today? Remember; don’t count the days that have passed. Instead, start today and make the remaining days of this year count!

Choose to make today the beginning of the rest of your life.

To listen to the episode on Z for Zeal click here.

Be ignited. Be inspired. Be influenced to become the best version of yourself as you zealously go after your dream without fear or favor.