WHAT IS IN YOUR HANDS

It’s Monday again, yes!
For some people, it is exciting to wake up on Monday mornings to pursue their passion – that is, what ticks their heart and gives them a sense of fulfilment- while for others, Monday mornings come with trepidation – they wake up thinking “Oh No! why so fast?”
When you do what you love and enjoy, every day is a Monday, it’s all the same. That sense of knowing that what you do makes a difference, and every little action takes you closer to achieving your life aspirations and biggest dreams. But are we all there yet? Do we all get that tingling feeling of excitement on Monday morning? Are you in that place where you rule your world and understand how you fit into the big picture? Or that your efforts, small or great, counts and goes a long way? Do you experience the pure joy and delight of knowing that you are impacting your world with your ideas, work and diligence? This is something we all desire.
How do you change the narrative from feeling sick when it’s Sunday night because you have to resume at the office in the morning because you are doing something that drains the life out of you or something which you find no pleasure doing?
Let’s talk about a few things to help you wake up better on a Monday morning if you didn’t like it before now 
1. The Power of Choice
You may not love what you do but you have the power to make the choice to enjoy it even as you work towards your dream role or assignment.
One of the greatest capabilities of man is in making choices. You may not be able to help what people do to you but you have control over how you react and respond to them. You may have little or no control over the circumstances of life thrown on your path but you have the power to decide how it would shape you. You may not have total control over your current job – but you certainly have control over how you chose to do it, so what would your choice be? Will you choose to be sad about a job you cannot change immediately? or Will you choose to make the best of your time without wasting any time on negative emotions and feelings that drain you? Make the right choice!
2. What do You Have?
Many people hate their jobs because they do not feel they have what it takes to excel at their roles. However, God created each one of us in His image with unique capabilities and skills. We spend time looking at others with skillsets that do not come naturally to us and feel inadequate. What we should be doing is asking ourselves the question, “what skills do I have and how can I maximize it in my present role?”.
I currently work as a Sales Person and while i do not enjoy sales at all, I do love interacting with people and building valuable relationships. I have been able to focus on my natural strength of making friends easily to build my clientele and as a result of my excellent relationship-building skills, I easily get referrals to new prospects in addition to guaranteed repeat business. If you do look deeply inside you, there is something you possess that you can turn into your advantage at your current job.
3. Seek to Always Add Value
There is a popular saying that to lift your spirit, find someone who needs lifting and lend a helping hand, you automatically feel lifted too. This is a tried and tested principle. In your current role, find ways to add value to others, to the work, to the process, to everything around you. Do not stay focused on yourself or your dislike for the job/assignment, that just gives you a bad attitude.
When you add value always however, you set yourself up for recognition and upliftment. I particularly love the story of Joseph and he is one of my favorite male Bible Characters, coming closely after David and Daniel .
So what’s so special about Joseph? Here was a young lad who was sold into slavery at the tender age of 17, far away from home or any form of family, a long distance away from his culture and belief. It was enough for him to be lost and forgotten in history but not Joseph. He brought so much value that he was put in charge of everything in Potiphar’s house – his Egyptian Master. Being a slave couldn’t have been pleasant, especially being a slave hundreds of miles away from home with no familiar face or thing; in a country filled with strange gods and customs, strange meals, strange clothing and different way of life. Nevertheless, Joseph was too valuable to be ignored. Potiphar must have had other servants and slaves, even those much older and maybe with better years of experience in slavery  (no pun intended actually) but you get my drift. He was a Value adder (new word alert!). Did Joseph want to be sold into slavery? He sure didn’t. He did not choose to be a slave but that was where he was, and he made good use of the opportunity by adding value.
Remember when Pharaoh had a dream and needed interpretation of his dreams? That was when the butler (whom Joseph had also interpreted his dreams to while in prison) remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Joseph was summoned from prison. All he had to do was interpret the dream but Joseph with his attitude of being a Value-adder, went on to provide Pharaoh with a solution to the problem highlighted by the dream. He not only interpreted the dream with the help of God’s Spirit but further proffered solution to a very clear and imminent challenge of famine. So you see, solving problems especially when you didn’t create them is adding value. I am certain that was what set Joseph apart even in Potiphar’s house. Even though he did not choose to be a slave yet by adding value constantly everywhere he went, in due time he was elevated.
So dear reader, you may not be where you really want to be however you can make good use of where you are now as you chart the course to where you want to go. Use your choices positively and focus on things that give you energy and make you happy, start from where you are – look inwards and find that one thing that is unique to you, I am certain you will find a way to apply it to your current role to make your output better and erase your feeling of inadequacy; lastly cultivate the habit of adding value by being a problem solver not a problem creator – be the one with a solution.
God bless you.
Writer:   Ademorayo Apara