Determination is not enough

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Life has taught me that no matter how spiritual you think you are, success is not served to anyone a la carte and it is no respecter of persons. True success answers to principles. What we call miracles are periodic supernatural interventions in the course of nature, especially when man comes to the end of his capacity. We were not created to live on miracles.

The principle of work as an offshoot of a desired outcome was established at Eden and demonstrated by God Himself. Man’s creation was preceded by the declaration of an intent or desire, “Let us make man in our own image…” But God did not go to sleep or start praying after that declaration. He went to work. He got His hands dirty by taking some dust and using it to form what He had earlier declared.

Determination, passion, perseverance are words that are often used when talking about success. However, I have seen thousands of determined people who still gave up their dreams on the altar of a substitute vision. It is very convenient to give up, especially when further pursuit threatens present comfort. The comfort of a salaried job is the only thing that stands between some people and their loftiest dreams. Trust me, I know the feeling. I have been there. A salary is what your employer thinks your dream is worth. It is what you are paid to kiss your dreams goodbye.

Don’t get me wrong. We cannot all be employers of labour. However, if your dreams are beyond what the current function permits, it is a sign that you are selling yourself short. Your only escape is to consistently add value to yourself through relentless personal development, such that another organization that has eyes for enhanced value can move you closer to your dreams. Determination, passion and perseverance are overrated and can actually be albatrosses if you are exercising them on a job or enterprise that has nothing to do with your desired destination. It is like revving a car’s engine at full throttle without actually engaging gear or engaging gear without a definite destination in mind. Even if you gain traction and speed, the question is, “To where?”

What sets champions apart from losers is tenacity of purpose. If you check the dictionary, you are likely to find that the word tenacity is synonymous with the three words I used earlier. All four words imply working against resistance that is trying to prevent you from doing something. Here is the difference. Determination is merely the decision to do something. Very often, many determined people have no clear picture of what the desired outcome really is! Tenacity has a compass that sets its pursuit and its direction. Tenacity is what you need when you have a vision and everything about your life is working to attain it. Irrespective of the quality or quantum of opposition, your life is so locked on the reality of that vision in the present that, even though there is nothing in the natural that indicates that it is realizable, you refuse to take your eyes off the mark. When obstacles show up, you are not thinking of turning back. You simply seek a way out. If you cannot climb the mountain, can you go under it? If there is no thoroughfare under it, can you go round it? If that is also difficult, can you find a way to blast it off the path?

Every athlete who competes on the international stage is determined to win. However, only the tenacious will practice even in the odd hours of the day and night, even when his muscles are almost killing him. Only the tenacious will come back after a surgery or an injury long before the doctor gave him a chance to.

There is no free lunch even in Freetown. Tenacity and purpose are Siamese twins. If purpose is the driver, tenacity is the vehicle. Life will present even the most favoured person with obstacles. Resistance is a functional part of the Law of Motion. One of Newton’s three Laws of Motion states that every object in motion will encounter resistance equal to its velocity. Tenacity is the force of the vehicle’s engine that continues to generate thrust to push against opposing wind and propel the vehicle in a GIVEN direction.

Without a definite understanding of WHY you need to attain a specific destination, you cannot manifest tenacity. You may be passionate about something but is the passion sustainable in the face of fierce winds?

Passion without a compelling “why” is nothing other than exaggerated momentary excitement. Vision provides an overarching, compelling ideal that is worth pursuing even at the risk of being called insane. It is the conviction of purpose that supplies the energy for tenacity. In being tenacious, you will be unpopular. You will lose friends. But not to worry. A meaningful life is not run as a popularity contest. What you lose by tenacity, you will gain by results.

Tenacity implies work. Those who want to drink the milk of Canaan must raise cows and those who desire its honey must raise bees. Manna doesn’t fall in Canaan. The people who have made up their minds to change their world are the only ones who actually do! Favour or a response to your persistent knocking may cause some doors to open and present you with some jaw-dropping opportunities. But when you walk in through those doors, do you have what it takes to keep them open?

When you see a genuinely successful man who is excellent at what he does, don’t despise him or desire his glory. Beg him to tell you his story. This is why I love biographies. I learnt that Femi Otedola, one of Nigeria’s billionaires lost $20 million in his first foray into the oil and gas industry. He bounced back, illustrating what tenacity does to a man. The billionaire owner of Globacom and Conoil is not called “The Bull” for nothing. In 1999, he set out to pioneer GSM telephony in Nigeria through his CIL Ltd with capacity for 10,000 lines at roll-out. In 2000, while CIL was waiting to be connected to NITEL, the national landline carrier, the Obasanjo government decided to roll out licenses for GSM telephony nationally. Bids were invited and bidders were to make $20m non-refundable deposit. CIL won one of the licenses but had issues with the frequency allocated to it. While waiting to resolve that, the time given for roll-off lapsed. Adenuga lost his $20m! That was enough to give passion a nightmare and make visionless determination beat a hasty retreat. Years later, he bounced back with Globacom. Glo took off with the per second billing that its competing predecessors, MTN and Econet had told Nigerians was impossible. The company also crashed the cost of acquiring lines. Its SIM cards were not only affordable but also came pre-loaded with bonus airtime! The company left its competitors gaping!

Do you dream of success? Have you decided why failure is not an option?

The drill is tough. But tenacity makes you tougher!

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

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