It may sound weird but sometimes all I want to hear is the ticking of a clock and not a sermon. Yeah, I take pleasure in listening to "tick-tock", it inspires me. After reading this article, it will inspire you, too; you will never look at this gadget the same way. You will see its value and the lesson it disseminates. However, I must also mention the fact that you should expect some level of anthropomorphic comparison in this article as I would be putting the attributes of humans and the clock side by side.

This device is a great inspiration because it reminds me of what I should be doing: working!

There are countless lessons you could learn from this ignored device; I said "ignored" because the only time we look at it is when we're keeping track of time. It's as they say, "You only recall there's an oven when you need to bake."

Here are some of the lessons:

The hands of a clock don't work only when they feel like it

They're always on the go except if the battery is bad or if it has other defects.

You must have heard people say, "I know I have to do this and that to advance my career, but I don't just feel like it." A wall clock never makes such a lazy statement. It's always on the go — morning, afternoon and night.

This ushers in the next point

A clock works in and out of seasons

Autumn, summer, and spring. No unnecessary breaks. It keeps ticking even while you go on vacation and turn off the light for weeks or months, it keeps ticking in the dark.

Its mindset is probably, "I will do my thing even while the boss is away and no one is watching." We need to copy this in our work ethics: doing the right thing without supervision; doing the right thing simply because "it's the right thing to do."

The three hands work independently yet, together

There's synergy as they work together. The arms don't compete with each other. Yet, if one gets bad, you can't accurately tell the time. At least, you won't be 100% correct.

This teaches me that everyone around me is important — don't look down on people. The truth is, without the people around us, we may not be able to achieve much. We need them to encourage us, inspire us, correct us, or even scold us. Some of them go as far as disciplining us when we fail to do the right thing. It's true that "no man is an island." But, even an island isn't totally by itself — it's surrounded by water just as you need to surround yourself with the right people.

We must rid ourselves of every negative attitudinal view of "I can do it myself" although it may be on the positive side if you mean you don't have to over-depend on others.

You need others!

The arms of the clock don't compete with each other

They have different speeds yet none compares itself with the other. They "complete each other" and not compete with each other.

They understand the value of individual differences; respect and appreciate that value and so work in harmony.

The hands have directions; they don't "walk away" from their route

This teaches me consistency. They go in circles all day. No sudden change of course. This also brings the idea of "growing where you were planted".

Don't try to do everything; stay in your lane.

We see many without career directions in our society: today, they're into law; tomorrow, they're delving into music and the day after, they're considering carpentry. If you let them, they could start thinking of becoming an undertaker — they jump into anything they find intriguing on the spur of the moment.

This also reminds me to connect with others but not to depend on their influence — just build mine!

They don't stand in each other's way

No obstruction because each of the arms sticks to its route.

Many professionals try to put off the light of a colleague to ignite theirs. The arms of a clock never do this. Each makes its move and allows others to make theirs.

I hope this article does not only change how you see the clock but how you see yourself. Learn from a clock!