Strive Hard

It’s obvious this kind of topic isn’t new to us. You’ve probably spoken on something related or probably the same topic. But the truth remains that it’s easier to speak on it than to live in accordance. If we were to take a sensor on how many motivational speakers there are, you’d be surprised. But how many are actually successful, is it because they don’t have what it takes or luck isn’t on their side? No there’s just one thing most fail to do and that is strive. They fail to strive to get the market, fail to strive through the odds and adversities. Now I’m not a motivational speaker neither is this directed at motivational speakers, it’s for everyone, please take your time to read.

You might not be a fan of football but must have in one way or the other heard about the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two veterans dominating the world of football. Messi holding six Ballon d’Or and Ronaldo following with five. The next to these two, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, all having three each. Something nobody has ever done, these veterans dominated for ten years, exception of two years ago when the award was given to Luka Modric (midfielder at Real Madrid) and Lionel Messi taking it back last year, impressive right. Imagine just two players out of hundreds, collecting the ultimate award a footballer could dream of for ten consecutive years (2008-2017). Now you’re wondering where I’m going with this, well that is the part of their hard work. They didn’t get to this level because other footballers decided to let them have it or because they were just lucky or they probably fell from heaven with the skills and talents, no! absolutely not, they train just like others, just harder. If you are someone who follows them closely you would have heard that these two usually reach the training ground before even the coach not to talk about the players, reaches there. Is that just it, no, they also stay back for extra training when the usual training is over. Now tell me why they won’t be successful and why they won’t dominate. If they didn’t, in the African way we’d say their villagers are after them. They strive, they know what their life is about, they know that’s what they signed up for, to play football just like every other player but they didn’t just stop there, they refused to be an average player, they refused to sit back and be okay as an average player even after they make the starting line, they are not the first players to play football, they strived to be the best and even when they reached the top they didn’t quit they determined to stay on top and see what it got them. You can’t talk greatness in football and not mention them, even if you eventually have to pick one over the other. They simply worked hard, and it paid off and they’re still working hard and we can see them dominating, single handedly carrying their club unto victory many times.

Well, enough of football not everyone is a fan of football, but we all use the social media. Have you ever asked yourself how it works? how it operates? who the “kingpin” is? Well that kingpin will be Mark Zuckerberg, the top prospect in the social media world. There is no way on earth you will say you connect with people online and not make use of at least one of his platforms, no ways! And there’s no way you’ll have a phone and not socialized using his platform except if you’re anti-social. Now was Mark born this way? No, did he inherit it from his parents? No, did the company just appear out of nowhere and out of nothing? No. he struggled, strived. Some of his friends who started with him in an interview said that there was a time when they went into a kind of isolation, no going out (something most people can’t do without), no cooking, just eating snack which they stored up. Now what were they doing during this period, playing games? Chatting? No, they were writing codes, codes on which the Facebook you use operates on. That took determination, now that’s not even half the story, there’s the part of him failing in school, you can dig into that yourself to find out more. Where I’m going is that he didn’t make this much impact in our social world by sitting down and doing nothing or once he got the Facebook working just sit back and fantasize about how big the company could get, he kept on striving and you can see where it got him. Now everybody wants to be him, but are you following a good plan or just looking for quick success. Nowadays almost everybody is a blogger, posting this news and that news, some even posting rumors and expect people to follow up, no! it doesn’t work that way. How do you expect me to leave my usual punch and the likes when you’re not giving me something unique? I won’t be surprised if in the nearest future someone else creates something like read cash. They had a lot of time to think, but didn’t come up with anything useful, now they want to copy someone else and make it like them, think again! 

There are so many opportunities when it comes to the tech world, with Bill Gates (CEO, Microsoft Corp.), Steve Jobs (late) (Apple Inc.), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google Inc) and others dominating, but you just want pick the same things as your friend, you write three hundred lines of code and you’re a programmer. Is that how it is done? Is that how Mark made it? You need to wake up, think of something and implement. I’m not saying you can’t create a social platform also, but what are you doing in making it unique? Why should I join you when I have Facebook? You ever think of that? Or you think you just create and boom people are rushing in? no way! You have to show people and prove to them you have something that’s worth it. Now that goes for just the social media part, but that’s not all. That a tip of the iceberg. There's also blogging, blogging is very lucrative, but are you a blogger because your friend is, you don’t have to be a blogger because your friend is or because people are making it from there. Some people don’t even know what it takes to be a blogger but they want to be a blogger, what a world. Have you tried web design, have you tried graphics design (lots of people are also rushing in with nothing unique to offer, they just like to be called a graphics designer), have you tried video editing, have you tried data analysis. Wake up!

Nowadays the kind of movie you watch that will make people think you’re “cool” is “animie”. Well you can decide to watch anything, but have you ever thought on how they are made. Do animations just occur or are they real beings? No! definitely now. Someone sat behind a computer and created every single animation you have ever watched. Now, is he a genius? Not compulsorily, Does he have two heads? No, was he born that way? did he just grow up with the skill and knowledge on how to make animations? No, he learnt it, he learnt every single line of code that resulted in what you watch. Is that kind of lesson for a special set of people? No. can you also learn it? YES. The truth is until you get to a point where you don’t make people define every aspect (I used every because there are some rules that don’t change) of your life, you’ll continue to be below them. You watch an animie and say you don’t like it, why not create yours! An animator earns at least $60,000 a year for just beings an animator with a job. Can’t that be you?

One issue we have generally when it comes to starting a business or learning a skill is doing it because a friend is. Well that’s not bad, but do you have a set out plan? how do you intend to win the war with your competitors? Or are you just running into it with no plans? There was a time when we had tailors and few fashion designers, now out of every 10 girls, 3 are fashion designers, 2 of them probably do not know what they are doing. I have a tailor I use, so can you please convince me why I should leave my tailor and sew from you. That’s what many can’t answer. If I am not a fashion designer and all my friends are, who do I sew from? And why do I pick you over the others. You need to stop following and start leading by your own rules. Don't start a business because your friend is into it, even if he/she is making it. You don’t, in fact, you should never establish a business because your friend is into it. In the city where I live, event centers became the top prospect because people here love ceremonies, soon landlords started sending people out of their houses and converting them to events centers, not minding the location. Soon there were event centers in the bush, who does that!? At a time, it was gas stations, if not that the government stepped in and stopped the construction of many maybe the whole city would have burned. Gas stations right and left, why? Then when they are not making it like they should they start tampering with their pumps and cheating customers trying to make their money, something that could have been avoided. That someone made it one way doesn’t mean you will through that same means. Cooking gas plants are multiplying by the day presently because a lot of people now use it in cooking, very soon every street will probably have a gas station, to what end?

Now please don’t get me wrong, I didn’t say stop your business, I didn’t say don’t implement that idea you have already, I’m just saying have you thought it through, that plan might seem good but have thought of the battles that confronted past establishment and are you willing to face that, do you have what it takes to fight that battle? Think about that so you don't spend too much and then quit halfway because you can't go forward any longer. If you’ve started and you’ve not spent too much there’s still a chance of changing and if you have you can still make it, you just have to be willing. There comes a time in every business when a battle will arise, when there will be storm, how do you intend to win, how do intend to survive. There are people who have passed through the same thing, did you bother to ask them how they survived? Instead you say you don’t cross a bridge before reaching there, do you have to struggle to cross the way they did when you can just adopt their method and go smooth. There are easier ways to make it, now I said easier not easy, there's no easy way, even the so called g-boys work hard, so you have no choice but to work hard.

So, what I’m saying in essence is,

Before you start a business:

• Think it through, is that really your calling?

• Outline how you intend to get the market.

• Outline how you intend to win the war with your competitors.

• Be willing to fight any battle for your idea to reach the top.

• Be unique.

• Don’t be afraid, take calculated risks.

• And work hard, even after doing all these somethings will still come your way that you didn’t plan for.

• And most importantly, pray, irrespective of your religion.

There’s no limit to where you can reach, there was no computer at a time, there was no internet at a time, there was no Facebook at a time, some people sat down an invented them, they are helpful to use today. There’s something we don’t have; you might be the one to discover it. It might be that idea you decided to kill because you don’t think it will be possible, think a little bit more and you’ll see there’s a way. You just have to be willing and be ready to strive hard to make sure it succeeds and don’t be a copycat. There's over a 7 billion people waiting for your idea, don’t give up on it.