Recently, I listened to the sterling-story of a significant and successful leader in Nigeria. His story reveals that people fail in life, not because they are not brilliant, but they fail in life because they are lazy. He failed in both primary and secondary schools, not because he was not brilliant, but he failed because he was extremely lazy. He was not diligent a hoot.
Towards the tail end of his stay in secondary school, he changed and became diligent and from there, he began to do well in school till he left the university and today, he is a very recognized leader in our country! Sweetheart, if you will apply what I want to share with you here, you too will begin to do well in school, business, leadership and life generally. Without being diligent, you cannot become either successful or great. Greatness is only for diligent people.
We live in a very religious environment where people believe that without being diligent they can become significant, successful and great. Evaluating the quality of life of our people in the last 100years shows that without being diligent, no one is allowed to live a good life. It is a lie from the septic-tank of hell for anyone to think he or she is going to become successful and great just because he or she is religious. It has never happened and it will never happen.
Also, you need to understand that Nigeria does not need to change for you to become successful and great. Many are waiting for Nigeria to change, so that they can change. No! Those who become successful and great do not wait for their countries to change before becoming successful and great. Buddy, if you will change as an effect of this piece, you will see that your life will start moving northward even while your country remains unchanged. It is up to you, not your country.Kindly understand that success does not listen to excuses. If you desire to become successful, now rise and give it what it takes! You will need to reduce the number of hours you spend sleeping. You will need to reduce the number of hours you spend playing. You will need to reduce the rate at which you eat. You will need to end some relationships. You will need to stop visiting some places. Whatever success demands from you, you must be willing to give it.
What then does diligence mean? It simply means to be thorough with work or effort. What does it mean to be thorough? It means to do something completely with great attention to details. The issue of diligence is so important because without it, you will continue to lose your place in the midst of the earth. Remember, you do have the potential to live a very significant life on earth, but without diligence, that potential will never see the light of day.
Now, before talking about the issue of diligence, we need to first establish the issue of purpose. Why? One, it is because it can be so painful being diligent, doing the wrong things. Two, diligence will become a burden, on the condition that you are laboring outside your sphere of purpose. Your sphere of purpose talks about the reason why you have been sent to Planet Earth by God.
Also, your purpose is intertwined with your talent. You cannot be gifted outside of your purpose. Your talent is to help you fulfill your purpose in the midst of the earth. Take for instance, a fish in water is in its habitat. A bird in air is also in its habitat. But if you take a fish out of water, in a period of time, it is going to die. If you also put a bird inside water, it is going to die.
One of the reasons you find it hard to survive and thrive in life is because you are probably functioning outside your place of purpose. You are like a fish outside of water. You are like a bird inside of water. Working hard and being diligent is not the first issue, locating your place is the first issue you will need to settle. This is non-negotiable.
What’s your talent? Your talent is the bridge that connects where you are to where you are going. The purpose of education is to help sharpen your gift, turning it to a skill and not lure you away from your talent. The dilemma of most people on earth today is that formal education has lured them away from what they are carrying on their inside. They went to school to study the wrong courses! You need to understand today that formal education becomes a waste if it takes you away from your area of strength, your sphere of purpose. Most Africans need mentorship on this crucial area.
Back to the crucial issue before us this week, true diligent people are only committed to one thing. Michelangelo was committed to only painting. Michael Jordan was committed to one thing. Many youths are not excelling today because they are pursuing too many things at the same time. Single out one thing that you are passionate and gifted on and put all your life into it. In the next five years, if you will put at least 15hours into it on a daily basis, people will start knowing you with it. The secret of people is usually in what they daily do. Never forget this as long as you breathe!
For the umpteenth time, diligence means being thorough with work or effort and to be thorough means to do something, paying a great attention to details. At this stage, it is important that I unravel to you—two attitudes of diligent people:
One, they finish anything they start. They do not stop half way. I do not care about the number of years you have spent on the project you are working on, until you finish it, you are not diligent yet. Diligent people are finishers!
Two, diligent people pay attention to details. To become diligent, you will need to start paying attention to details.
Lastly, diligent people are not special people; they are only committed to one thing that they believe in. Pushing a project from zero to 99% makes you lazy. It is like hunting without roasting what you hunt. Till (you roast what you hunt, you are lazy) you finish it with breathtaking excellence, you are not diligent yet. Discover your purpose and stay committed to it till you are known on earth with it. This is where your success is. You need a counsel on this? Talk to me. Till I come your way again next week, see you where diligent folk are found!
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