C-“O”-D-E.

O – Organise.

Once you’ve had that conscious awakening, when you finally see what you want and

what you don’t its time to get Organised.

And here’s the tricky part: what you do next matters. A lot.

It’s like that scene in The Matrix; the training simulation. Morpheus asks Neo, Do you

think the rules you’ve believed to be true in the matrix are actually true? And then he

gives Neo the key: “Don’t think you are fast, know you are.”

This is where everything shifts. You have to unlearn the mental habits that have

shaped you for years maybe even decades, while simultaneously building new ones.

It’s not easy. In fact, it’s deeply uncomfortable.

James Clear, the guy who wrote Atomic Habits, put it this way: “We don’t rise to the

level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems.” That’s the uncomfortable truth.

Success isn’t about having big dreams. It’s about having a system that makes those

dreams inevitable.

So, what does that actually look like?

Systems are the boring, everyday stuff. Your morning routine. The people you spend

time with. The environment you create for yourself. Take weight loss, for example. If

you’re serious about losing weight and keeping it off, you can’t just vaguely commit

to "eating better". You need to build a system: meal prep, regular workouts, friends

who are into fitness, and some kind of measurable progress.

When I was 29, I wanted a better-paying job, something that felt meaningful and

bigger then me. I landed on the sustainability and renewable energy sector. One

problem: I had zero experience. Worse still, one of the core skills I needed for the

role I was going for was public speaking and I was terrible at it.

That was my fork-in-the-road moment. Do you walk away, convinced you’re just not

"cut out" for it? Or do you decide that public speaking is simply a skill, something you

can build with the right system?

I chose the latter. I practised. I recorded myself. I studied other speakers. I put

myself up for speaking opportunities for free, asked for feedback and adjusted. Over

time, I got better. A lot better. Now, I’ve been a keynote speaker at more conferences

than I thought possible and I’m still improving.

My old boss used to say, “It doesn’t happen by chance.” He was right. Success isn’t

magic. It’s structural. It’s about being organised, building habits and systems that

create the conditions for success. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s

hard. Especially when it’s hard.

And yes I know it sounds cliché. But clichés stick around for a reason. There is no

wave without a ripple. And that old biblical line — “Heaven helps those who help

themselves” — is just another way of saying that action matters.

Until you get organised, take action and build the right systems, nothing changes. By Kaye Sotomi