Secrets of Success in Africa.
1) Passion
Everyone has a passion for something. Unfortunately, in the typical African society, the passion for music,
sports, the arts, fashion etc. are considered inferior to the rote learning of algebra and grammar.
Those people that truly succeed and are genuinely happy, are doing what they are passionate about. Those who fail and are destined for a mediocre life are those who are still carrying on with activities that they don’t have their hearts in.
They drag themselves along everyday and if it is enterprise, they flee at the sight of the first adversity. Unless you can re/discover what you are truly passionate about, it will be thankless.
Take time off and ask yourself what you really like. What can you do all night long without a wink of sleep? There are stories of bankers who became comedians, lawyers who ended up as fashion designers and doctors who waxed lyrical as musicians. They found passion!
2) Grit
In Africa, life will punch you in the face and kick you in the gut. Yes it can be that dramatic. You will find yourself in difficult circumstances, but we should not feel powerless in the face of challenges.
We need to understand adversity. We were born great! Stop reading now and say to yourself. I was born to be GREAT.
You can choose to feel powerless and helpless, allowing life to roll over you, making mincemeat of your inability to take control of your circumstances, or you can stand and be counted.
Your responses to the events of your life produces the outcomes you desire or don’t desire. Stop feeling powerless and take control. You need grit. You need persistence, because the tough times won’t last.
And if you fall, land on your back because if you can look up, you can get up. Fall forward, learn from your mistakes, but don’t give up. Remember even gold had to pass through fire to become a precious metal. And diamond is carbon under pressure. Grit, is definitely a secret of success.
3) Going the extra mile.
It takes an extra to be extraordinary and those who find success in Africa always do a something extra. They stay in the gym longer, read a little more, research a little longer, practice a little longer, rehearse a little longer etc.
That is what makes the difference. Those who lose lack staying power. They are unable to go the distance let alone the extra mile. They apply themselves to the minimum.
They cannot outperform because they are already hardwired to under-perform. Like in other places, there are no short cuts to success in Africa. You have to put in the extra. Period.
4) Focused on Outcomes/results.
One of the characteristics of those who succeed in Africa is that they set goals. It is highly improbable that you will amount to anything if you have not set out to achieve anything. Having clear goals keeps your mind focused on results. That way you will not be distracted by how much effort you have put in.
Losers misconstrue effort for outcome. This is a distinct flaw in their thinking and they wonder why they are not successful. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.
Progress implies that you know what you are trying to achieve and you are on your way to achieving it. Achieving results in bite sizes can also keep you motivated. So break it down to manageable chunks, for example, one blog at a time or a page at a time. Each result takes you closer to your goal.
Your head lamps do not see the entire journey just the next 100 feet, yet that’s all it takes for journey of a 100 miles.
5) Flexibility and Adaptability.
The proverbial saying that if one door closes, 10 windows open could not be more true for those who win in Africa.
They are focused on their outcomes but flexible and adaptable in their methods.
Winners keep an open mind, they understand that all the planning in the world will still not prepare them for the unpredictability of implementation, especially in Africa.
They take it in their stride. They learn quickly. They adapt their methods to deliver the results they seek. Losers quickly find an excuse. They incessantly complain about how the current circumstance is not in conformity with the plan. Stuff the plan and embrace reality.
6) Your Crowd
One of the easiest things to find in Africa are those people who will tell you that you can’t do stuff. In Africa we call them the PhD…Pull him/her down. It is thus crucial…even imperative that you are able to distinguish between those who are going to give you constructive advice, and those who discourage you because they themselves can’t perform.
They reflect or even want to impose their poor self-image on you. They know everyone who has tried and failed. Avoid them. They make your minds arid and help you choke on the dust of your own regrets.
Those who succeed in Africa are those who surround themselves with people who can reinforce their convictions, and whose encouragement fan the flames of their burning desire.
7) Action
There is no amount of brilliance or intelligence that can compensate for Action. Success in Africa sits with those who acted whilst others waited on the sidelines for the perfect time or opportunity. But the opportunity is always around for those who take action.
Action is the differentiator. The ability to move and seize the initiative. I shudder to even contemplate how different my life would have been if I did not take action at critical points of my entrepreneurial life.
Source:[ Motivating Africa ]