The Sunday Mail
THE difference between winners and losers is that winners finish what they start whilst losers don’t.
This year started with many of us setting lofty goals for ourselves, but some months into the year some of us no longer remember where we even wrote the goals. Some people actually are not even motivated to look for them because they tried everything possible but nothing seems to be changing.
They seem to be failing in everything that they do.
There are instances where you feel you have ploughed in more energy but there is nothing that is coming out, and you feel like giving up. We all reach this moment at some point in time. What makes the difference is the discipline to finish. Discipline means going against convenience, going against your feelings for the sake of your destiny. Discipline is not easy, it is painful, but relieves us from the pain of regret.
Do not quit
We are nearing year end; this should not mark the end of your dreams. It should mark a moment of reflection into your goals and your achievements during the year. I want to challenge you this week to commit to finishing what you start regardless of how difficult it might be.
Anyone can start a race but only a few can finish it. There is more honour in finishing the race than just starting it. The key component of success is the ability to hold on to the end. No one was ever paid for merely starting a job but for finishing it.
Nothing meaningful would have been achieved on this planet if all people chose to leave whatever they would have started unfinished.
Imagine if Thomas Edison would have decided not to complete his vision, will we be having the modern light? Imagine what the world would be if the Wright Brothers had decided to shelve plans on the aeroplane? We would not have the vacuum cleaner today if James Dyson had chosen to throw in the towel or simply shelved the idea.
John Stephen Akhwari:
the story
John Stephen Akhwari was a Tanzanian-born athlete. He participated in the 1968 Mexico City Games. He was involved in a gruelling race where most people got injured and quit.
It is believed that 74 people started the race. He was the last of the 57 competitors who completed it.
Notably, during the race he fell, cut his knee and dislocated a joint. Despite the fact that he had been injured, John gathered himself up and continued with the race.
There is no better justification to quit a race than on the grounds of injury. This was not the case with John.
Even though he knew that someone had already won the race, he continued to run, going into the ‘empty’ stadium. He was even struggling since he was worn out. He slowly managed to reach the end of the race.
Journalists could not wait to take photos of this man. The remaining crowd was very surprised by this bandaged man who was still running.
One journalist among others who came to interview him had the audacity to ask John why he had continued running when he knew that someone had already won the race.
Akhwari looked surprised at the question. Then he simply said, “I don’t think you understand. My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”
Encourage yourself
Sometimes the best motivation you will hear comes from yourself. It is not everyone who is going to encourage you. Some will look in awe and patiently wait for your downfall.
John had a way of encouraging himself that enabled him to do what most people would not have done.
Devise ways of
encouraging yourself
In the case of John Akhwari people would not have found any reason why one should continue with the race. His conviction and determination encouraged him to finish the race and, at the end of the day, he even secured a place for himself in both motivational books and history books. John managed to win himself title of “a king without crown”.
In 2000 he was invited to the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He also appeared in Beijing in 2008 as a goodwill ambassador in preparation for the 2008 Games.
The joy of introspection
As we near the end of the year, we really need to sit down and ask ourselves some very practical questions about the journey that we have travelled thus far and our experiences. Success is never a matter of miles; it is a matter of the significance of the miles.
Counting the months in the year is not an achievement, but making the months count certainly is. What did you set out to do this year? Where are you now? Are you exactly where you wanted to be? If not, what happened along the way? What efforts did you put in to make things work? Did you seek help from other people who could help? What do you think about your future?
We need to learn to ask the right questions so that we can get the right solutions.
Before just throwing in the towel, sit down with yourself and answer some of the questions that I have asked above. Discipline yourself to finish what you start. If you have not finished something, continue from where you left from.
Every vision comes with its provision; look around it, you will find it. Do not quit.
It’s not going to be easy
The purpose of motivation is never to make life easy, but to inspire you into action. Whatever that you ardently desire in your heart is possible provided you are prepared to work and see it through.
That business is not just going to grow in minutes. It is going to take time. Sometimes it might mean sponsoring it from your own pocket.
It might mean investing more in your workforce, and spending more time in working on strategy. Challenges are going to be there, but what will make the difference is the discipline to finish.
Run your race
The fact that someone started exactly what you wanted to do or start should not discourage you from pursuing your vision. You are unique, and let the uniqueness in you shine.
There is a certain point in time that I wanted to shelve one of the books that I have since published. This was because I had seen other books on the same subject.
When I got to master the principle of finishing my own races, my life has never been the same. Seven of my books have been approved by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for use in all schools in Zimbabwe.
Do not give up because someone has won the prize
Like John Akhwari, gather the momentum to move on and finish what you would have begun. Your mandate in life is to finish the race. Losers are champions who decide to give up.
Champions are losers who resolve not to give up
Booker T Washington once noted that, “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.”
Greatness is your portion! Unpack it
Join me on Star FM on Wednesdays (9:30am-10:00am) for moments of inspiration on “the Breeze” with Tariro and Iyati.
Arthur Marara is an attorney, author and speaker. He is also the author of “the Personal Development Toolkit”. Send your feedback to [email protected]
