Success is achievable, attainable and possible for anyone who desires it strongly. However, the important question is, are you ready to pay the price of success? It took me three years of writing, re-writing, learning, un-learning and re-learning to write and publish my first book, titled “Maximise Your Life” in 2010. Every month within this period, I spent more than half of my monthly allowance to buy books and tapes, attend seminars, research and travel.
I can vividly remember that in August 2009, I spent all my money on a seminar at the cost of celebrating my birthday. Most times, I had to travel once or twice a week to meet great, experienced and successful individuals to tap from their God-given knowledge and learn from their success stories. I sacrificed frivolities for a better life and an expensive lifestyle for a rich knowledge bank.
Here was the result. Three months after I had published and launched Maximize Your Life, my life was transformed. The press were anxious to know my success story. Television stations, radio stations and tabloids shared my story to inspire their audience.
Treasured connections
Another valuable gain I enjoyed was the calibre of people from all walks of life that became my friends. From the Managing Director of a multi-million naira company to the security guard, a lot of people were touched by the message of my book. From revered pastors to well-respected imams, religious leaders agree with the gospel of Maximize Your Life. From emeritus professors to secondary school students, diverse people were challenged and inspired by the content of my book. They became my friends, advisors, mentors or protégés.
I enjoy easy access to men and women of high calibre, captains of industry, business magnates, technocrats par excellence, religious leaders, and ambitious boys and girls who aspire to become super achievers. I once visited the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology of a particular state in Nigeria in 2014. The secretary said the guests could not see him because he was very busy. I picked up my phone and called him. In the blink of an eye, he instructed the secretary to let me in and that was how I was able to see him. These are some of the numerous gains you will experience, if you are ready to pay the price of success.
Inspiring model
The life struggle of the late President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela lucidly illustrates that there is always a price to pay for success and that the higher the price, the greater the reward. Mandela was an African icon, an international hero, a vital force in the fight against injustice, and the struggle for human rights and racial equality. He was the most significant African leader and won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize and many accolades in his lifetime.
But his success did not come on a platter of gold; it came at a solemn sacrifice and huge price. President Nelson Mandela spent 27 years within prison walls. He was transferred from one prison to the other in South Africa. During his days in prison, he was given various options for freedom which he rejected. He personified the struggle of his people and led the fight against apartheid with extraordinary resilience and vigour. He sacrificed his private life and youth for his people.
The result of his unflinching sacrifice is a progressive South Africa, where the blacks are not inferior to the whites. And the whites are not superior to the blacks. There is always a price to pay for greatness.
President Mandela paid the price of success and persevered through tough times. In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, he said, “I have walked the long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds out that there are many more hills to come. I have taken a moment to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back at the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.” If you are ready to always pay the price of success, the world will continuously pay your prize.
Further Allusion
Let me share with you another story that depicts “nothing comes for free”. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. His speech, “I Have a Dream”, is one of the most popular speeches in the history of mankind. He was a hero and was well-respected across the globe. But all these didn’t come without a huge price. When he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, his house was bombed; he was arrested and he suffered a lot of pains. In fact, he was assassinated due to his struggle for justice and equity.
Dr Martin Luther King Jr. is dead but his dream came to fruition when, in 2008, President Barrack Obama became the first black person to emerge as President of the United States. In one of his numerous quotes, he said, “Human progress is neither automatic, nor inevitable… Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
It is worthy of note to say at this juncture, that it is not every one of your achievements you have to struggle for. But it is a truism that the most rewarding victories of your life will come with a lot of sacrifice and pain. Merriment, fulfilment, greatness, joy, success and profound ecstasy are the final products for those who pay their dues and go through the pains stage of turning their dreams to realities and becoming high achievers.
Again, are you ready to pay the price of success? If yes, nothing and no one can stop you from achieving your ideal life.
ACTION PLAN: Analyse the price you must pay to live your dream. Identify the sacrifices you must make today to have a better tomorrow. ACT NOW.
AFFIRMATION: I will persist until I succeed. I am blessed and highly favoured.
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