“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors,” once remarked Farai Maku­varo.

There is a good measure of aspira­tions that are just about to be thrown out through the window; there are brilliant business propos­als that are gathering dust in forgotten draw­ers and there are great songs that are unlikely to see their day of recording.
There are anthems of hope, love and trans­formation that may just miss a chance to bring inspiration to the world simply because someone is just about to quit sailing in the sea of the struggle for greatness.

We have come too far to give up just yet. This week I am a man on a mission: a mission to ignite a renewed desire in you to complete that goal and achieve that dream. I know that the going does get tough at times and we grow weary.
I know for certain that the steam for great­ness sometimes dies off when the dream seems distant.

There are times when you are met with so much pain and suffering and sweat trickles down your brow as you toil to meet your goal.
It is painful to watch your efforts seemingly going down the drain and out of agony you contem­plate just throwing that dream into the dust bin.
Please, don’t quit that dream just yet. Endure this dawn for joy awaits you in the morning.
Struggle births greatness

In life, as in war, great fighters are never immune to a few bruises.
Do not shy away from your struggle, for challenges often bring out the best in people.
Never forget your true value and your true worth simply because you are chal­lenged and sur­rounded by diffi­culties.

In the Bible, there is the story of a young man, Joseph, whose dreams were despised by his brothers.
His brothers later tried to kill him, but one noble Reuben (full of good inten­tions) sug­gested that they throw him into a well in the field instead of killing him (Adopted from Genesis 37).
I know there are times when you find your­self in a pit like Joseph and you contemplate giving up on your dreams, and you wonder what is com­ing your way.

Sometimes confusion may cloud your spirit and you do not know whether you are coming or going. Remember, you shall not stay in this pit forever.
You may later suf­fer more pain and be sold to foreigners like Joseph, but don’t quit that dream just yet.
Struggle births greatness. Stay in that pit with a smile on your face; see things not as they are but as they will become.
A king may be held hostage in a foreign land, but a throne of gold awaits him on his return home. The challenges that strain you shall bow right before you when your dreams are fulfilled.

Lessons from a silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materi­als. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain  or fermented feed known as silage.
There is a key lesson we must draw from silos.
Silos are built to a specific capacity. Although a nation’s harvest may vary from year to year and at times each silo is not filled to its brim, it never changes its capacity. Never forget your true capac­ity and your true potential.

Your per­sonal silo may be quarter full and fac­ing the danger of running empty, but that should not stop you from farming in the next season.
Your capabilities should never be diluted by your adverse circum­stances. An empty chalice may overflow tomorrow.
Do not compromise on your mental stam­ina simply because things are tight and your aspirations seem dis­tant.

This is the time you should actu­ally aggres­sively stand up and fight for your greatness. Do not give your adversaries an opportunity to cele­brate your demise while you moan and groan in a corner — stand up and refuse to be held down.
Like a silo, remember your true capacity and focus on your key com­petencies.

Focus more on what you have and less on what you don’t have.
The lawn next door always looks greener than that in your own backyard. You may be thinking that others are having it easy yet you do not know how they twist and turn in bed as they fail to sleep.
You are not facing pecu­liar challenges and you should learn to cele­brate the road you have travelled so far and the successes you have met to date rather than just glare with envy of others.

The dan­ger in paying so lit­tle attention to what you have as you try to reach out for more is that you may end up losing it all.
Be grateful for the distance travelled as you hope to journey more miles ahead.
Use that which is in your hand to get that which you desire. At times we look way too far for answers that lie far too close.

Remain sane in times of struggle
People often become restless when they seem to be falling.
They gust out in an attempt to survive and look to hold on to any­thing that can sustain their existence for an additional hour.
Be careful not to sell your dream away think­ing that you are advancing it.

Do not be too desperate to fulfil your aspi­rations to the extent of losing your sanity.
Remain sane in times of strug­gle; that is the only way you can pro­tect the glory of your victory.
Be care­ful not to hold on to rotten logs as you search for survival.

The danger in being hasty is that you make decisions with­out careful examination and cal­culation. I refer to this as “the any­thing goes despera­tion”.
Remain sane and remain calm. Don’t lose your per­sonal conviction that you shall emerge victorious.
Maybe what your dream needs is one more spirited attempt.

Seeking to achieve a dream is like open-cast mining: you may turn away when gold is just one more scoop away — keep at it.

Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell
Bell is the inventor of the telephone, but my focus today is less on the tele­phone itself and more on the struggle towards its invention. Research proves that Bell had over 30 failed attempts on the path to his success.

Bell was an ordinary person like you and I, but had the right tenacity to keep on in the face of many failed attempts.
If he had hung his boots on the 30th attempt, he would have met no joy in fulfill­ing his aspiration.
When one door closes, another one opens. But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened before us.
Each failed attempt is advancement towards a more stylish victory.

Do not give up on that dream just yet.
Help your aspiration meet its day of fulfill­ment by soldiering on and fighting even harder and smarter. I wish you well.

• Chrispen Muyeche is a professional char­tered marketing research fellow and the pro­prietor of Frontrunner Success Research Company. He is a motivational author and conference speaker. Join him on Facebook and e-mail chrismuyeche@yahoo.com.