The PRO-Factor

The PRO Factor

We live in an age and time where people accrue to themselves, fancy catch phrase and tags, in a bid to appear different or be perceived through a distinct view lens.  The term "PRO" has largely used by many, who are using this self-appointed name to separate themselves from the amateurs, the not-too-good folks, and the unprofessional class.  Many people in a bid to maintain their "PRO" status, have discriminated others and trivialized the honest effort of others.  This segregation has divided our community and career space into segmentations created and institutionalized and sustained by us, we no longer place value on the achievements of other people.  We feel threatened by people outside our sphere of influence.  The concept of team spirit has been alienated from our midst,  as we seek only our only objectives, even at the expense of others, as long as we retain our "PRO" status.  But seriously, what does being a professional actually mean, and how is that suffix earned?

A professional is a businesslike narrative, describing someone who is conforming to the standards of skill, competence, or character normally expected of a properly qualified and experienced person in a work environment.  This goes to say that a professional is one who has risen above the mediocre stage through the steps of competence, skill, discipline, character, excellence etc. to the pinnacle of his career or endeavor.  Professionalism becomes the tool that helps you get the job, it gets you recognized, shows you're dependable and earns you more respect.  

As beautiful as all the fringe benefits of being a professional appears, there are certain forces we must hold dear to our heart, as we seek to climb that ladder.  On your journey to becoming a professional, you are expected to equip yourself with these factors, if you are to attain and sustain professionalism in whatever you do.

1. People:
Every system is built by people, around people and for people.  People are so important, that a drought of them in the right quality and quantity could spell doom for any system.  Every organization; either business, church, family, company, etc.; needs people to survive. The workforce of every organization is essential to provide goods or services that the company offers.  Skilled people with knowledge and requisite training can make a significant difference to the bottom line by bringing in new orders, meeting customers’ needs, developing new products, and performing heroic efforts to achieve an operational, financial or other company goals.  You could have a sound business strategy, your products or services could even be marketable, and your processes may be efficient, but it falls to the people within the organization to actually execute on the strategies, plans, and processes to make a business successful.

I know you have a glorious destiny with mind-blowing "what eyes have not seen nor ears heard" dimension of results, you may have seen the Lord Jesus hand you the blueprint of your life and destiny, you may have had countless visits to heavens and even partook in the worship of the One who sits on the throne, but if your life is void of strategic people, you may end up grounded, and sadly not only but the people whose destinies are tied to your rising will become stranded.  Many people heard God clearly when they started off ministry, they got the A-Z plan, but were too much in a hurry to understudy the letters in-between.  This is evidenced in how we have trivialized the factors God had infused into our success equation.  As powerful as the devil was, he needed the cooperation of a man; to perfect and accomplish the fall.  As powerful as God is, He still had to solicit and depend on the cooperation of a man to accomplish the plan of salvation.  And it might interest you to discover, that in both instances, the men deployed were women.  

Jesus, the image of the Father and man's hope of  salvation and reconciliation to God had His heavens closed, until He sought out the man who was pre-ordained to open His heavens for Him.  Elisha had a powerful prophetic destiny upon his life, and that destiny could have been aborted if Elijah had disobeyed God's directives.  Moses could have died earlier than he did, but for the wise counsel of his father-in-law.  Jesus needed to employ the assistance of a man on his way to Calvary.  The truth still remains that everybody was raised by somebody.  Every great leader or influencer was mentored by someone.  

If truly, our success in life, ministry, destiny, etc. is tied to people, then how come we are surrounded by so great a cloud of people and yet, there is no significant impact in our lives, or a remarkable change in our space?  Could it be that the narrative is wrong or is there something we are missing.  In my blog on "The Prophet's Reward", I penned down some thoughts as to how best we can maximize people, through the tripartite forces of reception, discernment/honor and reward.  I recommend you read that blog, it will bless your mind greatly.   God's blueprint for salvation was hinged upon your reception of Jesus.  It is those who receives His Holy Spirit that He gives the power to become the sons of God.  That same principle applies to man.  Many of us want to receive what people have or represent without first receiving them.  The kingdom life is too regimented to allow that error.  People have always, still are and would forever remain an integral constant in our success equation.

2. Resources:
The tools of resources is one veritable ingredient in the dynamics of our life that we can't afford to misplace it.  Resources could be financial, material, intellectual, technological, etc.  The absence of these resources could limit your dreams, potentials and possibilities.  Many people have veered off on their journey without adequate resources and midway, they had to abandon the trip. 

We see a classic in the narrative of the ten virgins as captured in Matthew 25, where two classes of people were cited.  Both groups had oil (resources), but only one group had extra oil.  That extra oil was the difference between sufficiency and indebtedness.  As long as there was no pressure, everything seemed calm, but when the long awaited time for delivery came, the haves and have-nots were seperated accordingly.  This is to say, you may have resources, but not enough of it.  The same capital you started the business with may not be enough to expand the same business.  The level of anointing you started ministry with may not be enough to take you to the next level you want to get to.  The quality of mind you started that enterprise with may not be enough to usher you into the next level you are at the brink of entering.  

Luke 14:28 asked a very important question, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?".  This already explains that for the mere fact that you had some resources sufficient to start the building, those resources may not be enough to finish the same.  so, the beauty is not in starting, but in finishing what you started.  Many people have their lives littered with negative narratives they should have changed for the better.  The story of their past is garnished with a plethora of dreams that were not lived, visions that were not actualized, songs that were not written, lives that were not affected, destinies that were not impacted, etc.  All, because they started off without first sitting down to count the cost.  

There are certain levels of advantage only appropriate and adequate resources can bring your way.  There are dimensions of ease you step into, when you have the requisite resources.  Many humongous challenges will be greatly trivialized when the right resources are in place.  Oh, how easy life would be to execute when you have resources readily available.  Many a times, our access to resources configure our demands and usage.  The more resources you have, the more you can do with them and vice versa.  This explains why many dreams are still unrealized, not because the dreams were wrong in themselves, but the resources needed to execute them which are within reach, are not adequate.  Resources are very important, there is so much you can accomplish when you have them.  Jesus had finished His assignment of the substitutionary sacrifice, but His body was still hanging on the cross, having purchased our eternal salvation through His death.  It took resources to provide a tomb for His burial.  The upper room were the last supper was eaten was someone's space, what would have become of that feast, if the man had declined consent of the use of his property?

In your prayers to God for people, be thoughtful enough to pray for resources, both for you, the people whose rising depends on your rising, and the people you need to rise.  Deficiency in any of these quarters would dearly cost you, your destiny and your assignment.  This is why we should strive towards a society where everyone is sufficient in themselves.  This would reduce (if not eliminate) total dependency.

3. Opportunity:
Opportunity probably is the most unpredictable of all three factors, because you never can tell when it will come knocking.  You can treat people right and you are sure they will come back again.  You can multiply resources and you are guaranteed of their continuous existence, but when it comes to opportunities, even a well maximized opportunity is no guarantee it will come back again.  Many have used opportunity so well that if opportunities rewarded people by coming back again, they would have had more opportunities.  The closing statement of Ecclesiastes 9:11 tell us that "but time and chance happeneth to them all".  This is a very powerful and instructive revelation, in that it tells us first that time and chance can happen and then it happens to a certain class of people.  In my blog on "This Race Called Life", I did discuss how that bread, riches and favor were products of wisdom, intelligence and ability.  I did show us that there are dimensions of bread, riches and favor that only the forces of wisdom, intelligence and ability can birth in our lives. 

Opportunity is a double edged sword, it comes with three geometric variables; chances, choices and consequences (watch out for my blog on this).  Every opportunity provides you with chances and demands that you make a choice, however, that choice made has an attendant consequence.  Many times, we jump into decision making without recourse to the likely consequences of that decision.  We makes choices recklessly, as though consequences never exists.  Our inability to see through the long-stretch of our intended actions, has resulted in our colliding with various dire repercussions that could have been avoided if only we had taken out time to think that chances through before making a choice.

One of the attributes of a "PRO" is the canny ability to make the right choices amongst many seemingly positive choices.  Making this right choice that will result in positive consequence is where the wit and mastery of a "PRO" comes into play.  Every organization is looking for a PRO, because they are always faced with changing chances (opportunities), and because the margin for error is supposed to be minimal, the choice must be apt and precise.  No two opportunities are the same, no matter how similar they appear, and so, you cant have same approach or make same choices in both instances.  David was faced with same opposition on two different occasions, but if he had applied same approach, he would have ended up a casualty.  This we see in 2 Samuel 5: 19-25.

Knowing fully well that the certain of opportunities coming our way is inevitably undeniable, our level of preparations is the major determinant of how well we take advantage of them when they come.  You may have the gift of quality people by way of strategic relationships, and the resources at your disposal are both core and relevant, but you still need to make the most of those opportunities when they come knocking on the door.  The essence of having people and resources, is to the end that we maximize opportunities when the window opens again.  Many people have lost out on a lot of life changing opportunities, not because they couldn't recognize them, but either they could not leverage on the people and resources they had at the moment to seize those opportunities, or they did not have the requisite people and resources to do so.  So, while gathering people and resources, let opportunities be the focal guide.  Opportunities will always come in different shades and fashions, but the kind of people and resources you gather will determine the kind of opportunities you can maximize.  It's the same as being at the right place at the right time with the right people, and being armed with the right resources.  You become an unbeatable force.

In closing:
The PRO-Factor lies in your ability to know the right people to have in your life, the appropriate resources to accumulate and then the proficiency with which you can identify and seize the right opportunities when they present themselves.  The world is filled with all three (people, resources and opportunities) but you should know which is suitable for your purpose, because until you know what you want to achieve, you wont know which combination and configuration of the three will be beneficial to your life's journey.


Grace and Mercy!!!
Amb. Emmanuel Etukudo
Kingdom Wealth Ambassador

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