How to eat a whole elephant

How does one eat a whole adult elephant? Possible or not possible? We’ll soon find out.

A young eagle had just rounded off his life training sessions with its mother and was ready to graduate from the nest to start a new life independent of the clan. Life was going to be amazing. He could take on any challenge and soar above any mountain. “My muscles are developed now. Just like Mum, I can hunt down any animal, irrespective of size.” As he reveled in his new-found confidence, bolstered by the assurances of a mother who had done a great job in training him for his future, he looked out from the nest and saw a big deer running around in the forest below.

“Waoh” he said to the mum, “that sure looks very yummy. I would like to go get it”

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“No my dear” the mother replied, “you are strong and ready to make your hunting debut alright but you are not ready to hunt something of that size. Start with mice”

Although a little disappointed, the young eagle listened to his mum. He had come to trust her judgment and had no doubt that she wanted the best for him. The training sessions, though sometimes grueling, had proved that her position on a matter could be trusted. So he took his time to learn how to hunt mice. After he attained an uncanny proficiency at hunting mice, his mind went back to his original goal of hunting deer. He broached the idea to his mum. Hoping that she would give him the okay, seeing how good he had become at hunting mice and how many he had killed and brought into the nest, he was crestfallen when the mother told him, “Not yet son. It is time to try hunting rabbits”. But he heeded his mother’s counsel. His desire for deer meat hastened his learning process. Soon, he upgraded his skills and became very adept at hunting rabbits. “I surely can kill deer now” he said as he went back to his mum to revisit the original goal, “I am a very good hunter now Mum”. His mum took a long look at him, saw the fire in his eyes but calmly said to him, “Not yet son. Time to take on lambs”.

“What?” he said to himself, almost finding it difficult to believe what he was hearing. But he complied. He started looking out for lambs and in a very short while, he was hunting them with ease. Initially it was not easy, but with each one he killed, his muscles were becoming stronger and his resolve becoming firmer. This went on for a while until killing and hauling a lamb into the nest became a piece of cake! Then one day, it looked down and saw a deer. His entire being was focused on getting it. But again, he decided to check with his mother. Without saying a word, the mother nodded in the direction of the deer in a way that unmistakably said, “Go for it!” He was excited! The moment he looked forward to had finally arrived. As he cruised through the wind in the direction of his game, there was a simultaneous rush of energy and exhilaration that seemed to exclaim, “I was born for this! This will be easy as ABC!”. In one fell, calculated swoop, he pounced on the unsuspecting deer and bingo, the deer was history! As he relished the sumptuous dinner, the young eagle looked at himself in self-congratulatory mode, thought of everything he had to do and the time it took for him to get here. He whispered to himself, “It was worth it!”

A few lessons to learn from this story. To significantly succeed in life, you need a compelling vision around which you need to set your goals. What is that huge objective that keeps you awake at nights and make you spring out of bed early in the morning before everyone else? The bigger your dreams, the better for your future. However, the vision will also determine the quality of preparation. You don’t deserve fulfilment of a worthy goal that does not stretch you and make you become a better person. A truly worthy goal will stretch you. True achievement is spelt R.E.S.P.O.N.S.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y. The ladder of success cannot be climbed with arms akimbo or hand in the pocket. If you sleep and dream of yourself as a billionaire with all the trappings of wealth, the fact that you will wake up and still see yourself on your bed in your current reality is a sign that you need to promptly go to work if the dream will not become your nightmare. Whatever money you make in your dream cannot be legal tender in the grind of daily reality. Work is what God still uses to connect dreams with achievement. You may cheat to pass an examination or cut corners and obtain a university degree but life will never deliver the certificate of success to you simply because you dreamed of it!

Learn to listen to wise counsel. The Bible teaches that there is safety in the multitude of counsel. But take counsel from the right people. The man trembling by the bank of a river is not the one to ask for directions on how to cross to the other side. No matter what you desire to accomplish, someone is already living in the reality of your loftiest dreams. Find them and draw from the fountain of their wisdom and experience. No matter the cost, pay the price of pursuit. The challenge for many of us is that we keep asking for directions from people who are as lost as we are because we are comfortable having conversations with them as partners in misery. Learn to build relationships around your destination, not around your frustrations. Those who lock you in the conversations of your yesterday won’t give you the key to access your tomorrow!

Take on small challenges. Learn new skills. Every challenge you overcome and master reinforces your capacity and faith for greater accomplishments. Before he confronted Goliath with a sling, only God knows how much target practice David in the Bible had had in the obscurity of the wilderness with rodents and birds in flight until he became a sharp-shooter! Then he took on a lion. Then a bear. Then the giant. Every giant stride begins with baby steps. If you see a broke man who despises the opportunity to earn N5 today because he has his eyes on the big pie, you are looking at a failure in 3D! The Creator of all things did not create all in one stroke. He did it one day at a time over six days! He began the human race with one man. Then a couple. Then a family until we have over seven billion of us today.

So, to answer my question, “How do you eat a whole adult elephant?” Simple.

Take one bite at a time!

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