There was a young man who wanted to make a lot of money, so he went to a very rich man and said; “I want to be on the same level that you are.” And the man said if you want to be on the same level that am on, meet me at the beach tomorrow at 4am. The young man liked the beach, but he said to the man, ‘I said I want to make money not to swim’. The rich man said, “If you want to make money, meet me at the beach tomorrow at 4am.”
So the young man got there at 4am wearing a suit, and the rich man asked him, “how bad do you want to be successful?” The young man answered, “Real Bad!” Then the man asked him to walk into the water and go way deep inside. So he walked into the water and went way deep. When he got out, he thought to himself, “This man is crazy. I said I want to make money and be successful and here is this man making me swimming to the point of almost drowning.” Then he walked up to the rich man and said, “I don’t want to be a lifeguard, I want to be rich and successful.” And the man said to him, “When you are ready to succeed as bad as you want to breathe when you were in that water, then you will be successful.”
Let me ask, have you ever seen an asthma patient trying to breath in fresh air? The only thing they care about at that moment is to catch some fresh air. They don’t care about clubbing. They don’t care about partying, watching football, sleeping, seeing friends, or hanging out. The only thing they care about when they want to breathe is; FRESH AIR. It’s the same way it works with becoming successful in life. When you get to the point where you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.
The problem is, most people say they want to be successful, but they don’t want it bad enough. They don’t want it as bad as they want to party; they don’t want it as bad as they want to see their bae, they don’t want it as bad as they want to sleep. And they don’t want it as bad as they want sex or as bad as they want a smart phone (BlackBerry, iPhone, etc). That is why they don’t have it.
It was Napoleon Hill who said, “every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ship and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire to win, essential to success.” It is also said that those who don’t quit can’t lose. Those are men who want success real bad. And I believe that it was because Winston Churchill wanted success real bad that inspired his response when he was asked what his aim was: “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs—Victory in spite of all terror—Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.”
The process of success comes with pain. But the pain is temporary. It may last for a day, a week, a month, or even a year. But the truth is, it will eventually subside and something else, called success will take its place. However, if you quit in the midst of the pain, there is every tendency that your unpalatable condition will remain the same.
Therefore, the most important thing at the moment is to sacrifice what you are for what you will become.
By Emmanuel Odoemelam