If you are aged between 25 and 50 years, I hope that this post inspires and reminds you of your life goals and plans. You still have a choice to either actualize your goals/desires or else end up living in mediocrity.

Well, I will be turning twenty-five later in 2018, and it has become a motivation. I realized that the statement “when I grow up” is no longer applicable for I am now a grown up.Can you guess the major progress I have made so far? The most notable thing for these first twenty-five years has been growing up. I have developed mentally, physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. And I have made only baby steps as far as working, investment and professional development are concerned.

The ages 25-50 years are always the most interesting stage to live in and I am looking forward to it. It is my prayer that I remain energized and healthy throughout this period of time. There is so much I would like to accomplish and so much that can go wrong in the process. This is the period I want to be most alive, making the most of every minute, every opportunity and every relationship within my reach. It is not an easy journey and I know that I can persist until my dreams become true.

In this period of life,

• I will be the most responsible over the decisions I make. Family, friends, and relatives have usually set the standards for happiness, perfect relationships and indicators of success.
• I hope to be blessed with my dream woman and a happy family
• I hope to raise small humans with a potential to become anything they wish to be (babies)
• I hope to actualize my lifetime goal of being a global health researcher
• I hope to have abundance of wealth, time and relationships all around me
• etc

It will be a journey of self-discovery and self-actualization. I will need relevant people and opportunities for every goal I hope to actualize. Most importantly, I hope to be in the right state of mind to attract and actualize my goals and desires.

Of course, it is not easy.

• There is the need for a clarity of goals.
• Balance must be established between my personal, professional, family and society goals
• Risks must be taken, for which courage is necessary.
• Adaptive plans are required.
• The discipline in the pursuit of these goals is necessary.
• I must grow holistically towards my goal.
• Distractions will come and
• Life is full of surprises – you do not always get what you want.

But I will persist and believe I will succeed. Turning twenty-five has brought me in to contact with reality.  Here are four questions to reflect on:

1. Are you physically fit to pursue and enjoy your goals? If yes, maintain it. If no, please start working on your fitness!
2. Are your books, movies, podcasts and online media activity in tandem with your goals? Do they fuel your pursuits, or are they a distraction? e.g., an ambitious fiction writer ought to read more fiction books than an aspiring researcher that needs to read more of scientific journals
3. Do the people around you (not) help you with your goals? Most of what we call friendships are actually relationships of convenience. Look carefully and you’ll realize that very few actually care about your progress. Don’t be surprised that a majority of the people you know are neither cold nor hot as far as your life interests are concerned. Spend more time with the people you got serious business to do together.
4. What’s your purpose? For instance, why do you care so much about succeeding, or being famous? The things you crave for so badly are usually a means to an end e.g., success could be a gateway to fame and fame be a gateway to wealth. Wealth could be a gateway to philanthropy and philanthropy be a gateway to making the world a better place.

All in all, life is a journey. You know what you want from it but you don’t know what lies ahead of you. Would you rather live in mediocrity or take a chance to make a difference in your world? If you choose to live in mediocrity, life will be very predictable but not really exciting. However, if you choose the more way of life, life will have more ups and downs than a mediocre lifestyle.

Lead your life to reach your goals; live deliberately.