Since U Been Gone
6 months. 14 days. 21 hours. 16 minutes.
As I write this, 6 months, 14 days, 21 hours, and 16 minutes have passed since I officially launched my blog.
6 months.
It is actually insane when I think about it, but surprisingly enough, I am not ashamed about the time that has passed because all things work together.
Now even though I am not ashamed, it does not mean that I am not disappointed in my disappearance. I did not intend to be gone for as long as I was, but I have a tendency to disappear into my cave without bothering to peek out for sunlight.
So let me quickly catch you up with my life.
After I launched my blog on April 22nd, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, the looming cloud that was a fixture over my head relented when I officially announced and acknowledged the existence of zizzlyzo.com. I was so happy because finally I had obeyed the instruction I was given but what comes next? What do I do next?
Because I am the expert procrastinator that I am, the next thing I do is go into a new cycle of procrastination. I became complacent. I settled in the cave of “I launched it, I’m good” while disguising it as a break. Soon enough, the cave that I settled into became a tomb. A tomb that I quickly got comfortable in. I went from “I’ll post a blog next week” to “I’ll post a blog next month” to “what do I have to say anyways”. And that’s the problem, y’all, delayed obedience will always be disobedience. Whenever you get an instruction, you need to act on that instruction regardless of how you feel or how you think it might be perceived. It is your job to do it and not question the instruction.
In Psalms 81:10 NKJV, God says to us, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it,” and He said to me, “Pick up your pen, and I will write it.” So here I am, picking up my pen and He is writing this.
We are created to create, but oftentimes in the process of creating, we fall into a pattern of perfectionism. We strive for perfection in the things that we create, and when they do not meet the idea or standard that we have in our minds, we automatically assume that what we created is not excellent. I have learnt that we cannot strive for perfection because by our nature, it is inherently impossible for us to be perfect, so if we ourselves cannot be perfect, therefore, whatever we create cannot be perfect. So while creating something or developing an idea, instead of striving for perfection, we have to work in excellence.
A metaphor that completely encompasses what excellence is supposed to be is Chick-Fil-A. Now, I am not here to debate which Chicken sandwich is better (cough cough Popeyes), but rather, I am here to highlight the practices of a great company. Chick-Fil-A is an example of excellence because it doesn’t matter if you go to a franchise in New York City or Little Elm, Texas, the practices of the employees will always be the same. A Chick-Fil-A employee will still walk you to your car with an umbrella in the pouring rain, and they will always say “my pleasure” after your “thank you.”
Another company that is an example of excellence is Disneyworld/Disneyland (I honestly don’t know the difference between both monikers, but that’s beside the point). The employees of Disney theme parks demonstrate excellence because it does not matter who an employee might be in the hierarchy of Disney, they are required to be committed to the Disney experience. To the extent that they are not allowed to walk past a piece of trash without picking it up. This means that regardless if you are Cinderella or a village person, as an employee of Disney, you are required to play your part by always keeping the park clean. As a result, Disney theme parks are notoriously known for their cleanliness, and to me, that is excellence.
You have to work in excellence by ensuring that no matter what you are doing, you are doing it to your best ability. No cutting corners but instead always putting your best foot forward.
As you work in excellence by doing your best at all times, there is always room for improvement. You can move from one level of excellence to another, but when you strive for perfection, you can cripple yourself by always chasing that elusive state of perfection. So let us learn to work in excellence.
This was all to say that although I fell into a cycle of procrastination, I am byke, and I’m ready to properly kick this blog off!
Until our next rendezvous,
Zizzly Zo ✧