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Biodun Da-Silva: What’s The Secret Formula to Success?
Having the grit to succeed isn’t a gift or talent…
Over the years, my close circle has come to know about my love for military and ancient Greek mythology, history and movies. I enjoy watching military generals strategise during crises or warfare and how they take calculated risks to implement those strategies, utilising people and their skills to accomplish their missions. It requires mental fortitude and exceptional leadership to inspire people to see your vision.
In reality, we are constantly at war; we are in a battle with ourselves, our lives, our social circle, our workplaces, and society at large. Just because we live in a society that frowns at overt aggressive behaviour doesn’t mean that passive aggression isn’t directed at us by people we come in contact with. This may not necessarily be our fault because we have no control over other people’s perceptions of us or their emotions. You could gain an enemy by simply being yourself. Your friends and associates could see you as competition just because they desire what you have or wish to move ahead of you. Therefore, it is naive to think that we have no foes and everyone is rooting for us to win.
The truth is that people won’t hesitate to throw you under the bus to save their skin the first chance they get. Nothing good comes easy, so we have to fight for everything we want or desire to move forward in life. Life itself was designed in a way that makes it nearly impossible for us to win. The struggle of everyday living is enormous and capable of frustrating us to complacency. We work from dawn to dusk to be able to afford our lifestyle in an ever-changing world. And we are all frustrated.
Politicians also create and implement bureaucratic policies that stifle growth and productivity. This means they get to adjust our way of life without any logical reasoning. The economic system around the world has always been rigged against the masses, therefore we need to carve a path using our own strategy to manufacture a win for ourselves and the generation behind us. At every stage in one’s life, there will always be an impediment to progress. But there will also be a formula to navigate successfully, you simply have to find the blueprints that work for you and your innate aspirations. Like everything else in life, there are strategies for winning, and these are as important as winning itself. It has been said that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. When you add planning, determination and timely execution to the mix, you are bound to win.
Emotions also play an important role in our quest to win. We should be careful not to allow emotions to cloud our judgment and sense of reasoning. We have to detach our emotions from facts when making important decisions that could impact the outcome of our endeavours or the quality of our results. Also, it is imperative to get all-encompassing information about how to attain your goal and stay winning. When you engage in tasks or take up assignments you have no prior knowledge of, performance and implementation will be sub-optimal.
Winning is not extended to those who have been through the worst of times. It is furnished to those who have demonstrated an incredible level of perseverance and focus and created strategies to face challenges. Having the grit to succeed isn’t a gift or talent; it is the reward we get when we’ve shown a reasonable amount of hunger, desire, and willingness to go after what we want in life. There is no success without the determination to succeed – it’s that simple.
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