My dear Jack, there’s always pain involved in the realisation of a vision. The larger the vision the larger the pain involved. Vision entails pain. You can’t realise a vision without critical capacities. There’s drive, there’s intelligence, there’s patience, there’s perseverance, there’s fortitude… A whole lot of capacities are needed to realise vision. But there’s also need for a plan. A vision is hardly realisable without a plan. A plan is the product of a methodical mind. It signals mind discipline. A plan assumes thinking and coordinating capacities.
In designing your blueprint you must also think of cost. Nigeria has that challenge. The country is saddled with an unaffordable system of government. Evidently the designers didn’t think about cost.
But planning is one thing, implementation is another. The two are not the same. One does not assume the other. Implementation without proper plans leads to cost overruns. Plan without implementation is a waste of ideas. Without implementation wonderful plans go to waste. Those who never plan and those who never execute plans belong to the same fraternity. If you don’t implement, all the wonderful outcomes imagined remain locked up in the plan. But a plan must be well thought through if you’re going to have efficient execution.
In technology there’s something called “yak shave.” Don’t ask me to explain how the name came about, but it’s a series of tasks you have to perform before you even get to do the real work. In your planning identify yak shaves.
Execution is not easy. You have to have project management skills. Which means you must learn to go about things methodically. Better to write things down when you’re executing. Things tend to fall through cracks.
If you’re faced with a large project there comes that point at which you’re emotionally drained. Especially if you’re spending a lot. Execution drains emotionally. You have to face the issue of emotional tiredness. Easy to get tired when a project just drags on and on. And large projects seem to drag on. When you get to the point of emotional tiredness, just keep going, just keep going… The only way to complete a project is to keep going. Have the end in view. That’s faith. The more wonderful the end result will be, the more the emotional fortitude you need to just keep going. It’s why you don’t waste your emotions on inanities and useless quarrels. You need your emotional energy to accomplish worthwhile things in life. Don’t waste your emotions on non-strategic pursuits and expressions. It’s a huge waste. Which is why you need peace in your relationship. You shouldn’t be fighting on all fronts. You’ll be depleted.
Learn perseverance in life. Too many people give up too early. You can’t give up on your life. Yes, discouragements will come but you must avoid feeling sorry for yourself. It’s an urge you must fight. That’s not saying there’s no basis to feel sorry for yourself, especially when people are trying to make your life difficult, or blocking your path.
But obstacles are meant to be overcome – either by lateral move, or helicopter leap, or confrontational effrontery. If you need to burrow under the obstacle, do. Just defeat the obstacle. You must have a mind-set to defeat obstacles if you want to be an achiever. Some give up on their dreams at the slightest challenge. You won’t be an achiever with that mind-set.
Without focus you won’t have inner strength. Focus helps you concentrate your energy. Avoid distractions if you want to be an achiever. Distractions dissipate energy. They disperse energy forms making them lose potency. And it’s important to be an achiever in life. As a man you have a better chance with the opposite sex. Without drive you can’t achieve. Attainment requires a certain level of drive. You must be inner driven.
You must also learn to take initiative. Which means you have to be able to intelligently assess a situation, think through solutions and possible outcomes, and make a decision. You can’t be indecisive in life. You’ll be unstable and unreliable.
When the world sees hunger and drive in you, traffic parts. And when traffic refuses to part for you, you must be able to think of alternative routes. You don’t stay stuck in life’s traffic without effort. To be an achiever you must also be able to take reasonable risk. No venture, no gain. Some people are so risk averse they’ll never try anything new. But that limits you in life. And it takes away the sense of adventure.
Everyone has potential. Achievement largely depends on how you program yourself. It’s in your mind. Is it going to be easy? Of course not! If it is, everyone including the lazy will be rewarded with achievement. Don’t go for easy targets. That does you no good in terms of capacity development and disciplinary rigour. If you want the spectacular, aim for the spectacular.
Ultimately, it’s about your life, the kind of life you want to live. If you want to be a victim, just fold your hands and be sorry for yourself. But know that “sorriness” – the art of feeling sorry for yourself, seeing yourself as a victim hardly gets you anywhere. And people soon get tired of you. People may sympathise with you for some time but over time you outlast their sympathy and they move on to other things.
So aim to attain, to become an achiever. It’s about mental fortitude, it’s about belief in your dreams, it’s about having a vision, and pursuing that vision. That’s not saying you should bring out your elbows in trying to get to the top. There’s a price to pay with that methodology and it’s never pleasant. You become known for nastiness and attainment at all cost, including important relationships.
Don’t buy into the myth you can’t be successful and remain married. There are many successful people who have successful marriages.
Develop a habit of discipline. Develop the habit of finishing stuff. Your life should not be littered with uncompleted projects. If you have a dream and you never do something about it, it’s really no different from not having a dream.
Also take a long term view of life. It will make you circumspect in the things you do as you aim for the top. Nothing beats preparation. When you’re prepared you’re more confident. Do preparation. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small assignment or a big assignment, prepare well. Who knows where that small job will lead? There’s always an invisible audience – people we’re oblivious to who are watching us. They take note of our work, make their determinations and store the information for future use.
Make excellence a way of life. Don’t compromise on standards. Then your life wouldn’t be mediocre.
I’ll reply your other mail when I come back from my travel.
Your mentor, LA
© Leke Alder | talk2me@lekealder.com.
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