I was at a company and in the cause of our discussion, the Chief Executive Officer diverted the discussion to Abuja Big boys and their rides( cars like Ferrari, Aston Martins and other sleek cars) and he said “Those guys are so rich, they have money I can’t make it in a lifetime, even my generation and those of my children”.
This was a man that had a very high stock to me but this decreased as I saw the Financial limit he has placed on the dimensions of his dream. The dimensions to the realities lies in your continuous ability to expand and be innovative with your dreams. Dimension as used here will “mean the size or extent of something” as defined by Microsoft Encarta, which will man your dream in this context.
Over the years, I have come to note that that your initial dream creates an Ideal tomorrow but the complexities of the “simple”, “straight-forward” and “well planned” dream and its uncertainty increases dimensions to this ideal tomorrow. So preparation is needed against overwhelming odds in order to extend the foundations of the dream.
To acquire success therefore in your business, let us study a foot soldier. I love many things about Soldiers; the discipline, focus, deference and endurance among other important factors.
In terms of discipline, I am sure some of us have heard the quote from George Washington “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak and esteem to all.” It is time to take charge of how you spend your life, your time and your resources. It takes discipline to manage people and resources.
Learn to be focused. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The only prudence in life is concentration” . To win this impossible war, the foot soldier focuses on strategy and methods. He has signed up for this and will do anything to see its victory. He is not distracted by the sound of the gun or the grenades around, he has always expected that. So forget the odds against you and start a worthy venture. Channel your energy towards your carved niche and not running around to be a master in many fields; and old Italian proverb says “Often he who does too much does too little”.
Speaking of Deference, Christopher Delvan once said; “Instruction is the master key for an extending lifestyle”, you can’t fight this war without listening to instruction from your Generals; this generals will be the authorities that have fought this war before you they know every twist and corners of brand and concept development, they have made their beautiful scars from their various fields,. Read their books, attend their seminars listen to their tapes, watch their Videos, advance on their knowledge and manifest in their wisdom. As Isaac Newton rightly said, “If I have seen any further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.
About Endurance I will say again about this foot soldier, never give up on your dreams even when it seems lost; Life’s toughest battles are the ones with the phrase “No retreat , no surrender”; know that you have done everything possible to succeed at this your chosen field.
It is expedient to note at this stage that what creates the distinction for Good soldiers is their ability to approach this phase with an “unconventional method”, meaning the art of doing things differently which sometimes comes from instinct (used here as “a natural gift or skill“); funny thing about instinct is that it is a product of your basic knowledge. You can’t learn to fly by instinct; you can only create your own unique way by it and this unique way must have the foundational knowledge of how to fly. Isaac Newton again said when asked on his exploits in the field of science he said ” I have studied these things- you have not”. It takes knowledge to be outstanding. Wealth of knowledge is therefore no longer through experience (perhaps you will be very old to acquire knowledge) but through learning by books and from other successful people, even people that have failed sometimes. Learning is a slow and enduring process, so it is of no surprise therefore to see that most people are not rising above the status quo. The little that have succeeded has seen a different light from those who just see with their eyes only like Plato said in the Allegory of the cave.
At this stage I should say that life will NEVER give you the perfect tool to fight your battle; you earn it through consistency in hard-work and creative thoughts, this produces Smart-work. I will put it in Les Brown profound quote, “We must look for ways to be an active force in our lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance, and truly begin to live our dreams.”
You must live to overcome each day’s challenges by always advancing in strategy, this is the only way of achieving dimensions. For you to become a general in this field, you have to master the art of doing things differently, it must be uncommon, inspiring and outstanding.
Take note therefore, that there are no Ideal foot soldiers.
Let’s meet again next week Sunday for a more captivating and life-changing topic.