Abraham Lincoln, Cristiano Ronaldo, William Shakespeare, Kipchoge Keino, and Pablo Picasso, although born world-apart and in different times, share a fierce desire to make a difference in life. We admire the fame, wealth, and riches these people accumulated but few of us know the price they paid to have their names in the books of human history. There is something called the price for greatness. It may sound clicheish but the truth of the statement cuts both ways. If you are not ready to pay the cost, forget about greatness. It is as painful as it is rewarding. In your pursuit of greatness the first price, you are going to pay is honor…
- Honor
No successful person will mention honor as a price they paid for success. In my observations, I have observed that honor is a common denominator in all successful people. Honor can potentially shorten the distance between where you are now and greatness. Your journey to success will be surrounded by all sorts of people, friends, foes, bosses, and casual laborers. You will meet someone who has succeeded in what you are pursuing or working for someone successful in what they do. Those who succeeded before you might never give you money but from them, you can get information that would save pain, time, and energy. This happened to Jim Rohn. He submitted to the teaching of his mentor and out of the mentorship he learned wealth creation basics that made him a successful businessman and motivational speaker. All successful people crave honor from their juniors. Once you honor them, they will lavish you with their wisdom, and at best, you might get an inheritance that might change your life.
2. Humility
Humility is embedded in the heart of every successful man. All proud great men died before their time. Pride is a highway to destruction. Jim Rohn once said Evil has no match for good—but good must be active. Humility easily beats pride. Successful people know this. Humility appears weak at first but it is through it that a man gets access to the building blocks of his success.
All humble people have a student mentality. They are ready to learn from anyone or any situation contributing to their success. Humility is choosing to swallow your ego and accepting what life presents. When Aaron Lee Ralston was trapped in a cave for 5 days after a boulder fell on his right arm. Life presented him with 2 decisions, staying in the cave until he died or amputating his hand.
Ralston chose the latter. He cut his hand and made out of the forest alive. Now he is a successful inspirational speaker. Cutting his hand was a hard decision, having lived life with two. It’s probably the reason he stayed 5 days in the cave. I am sure he thought about cutting his hand but he couldn’t stand thinking of living with one hand. But life is a master at humbling us. It gave him the decision to die with two hands or live with one hand. With humility, he cut his hand and cheated on life.
Read: The Power of Humility
3. Determination
Life will kick you to your lowest level. No one gets out of life without tasting rock bottom. In your pursuit of impact, people will mock you, doubt you, discourage you and leave you. Jesus had His fair share of rock bottom. He almost aborted His destiny by asking God to remove the cup of suffering. From Jesus’ experience, we should know that rock bottom awaits us somewhere.
Rock bottom can only stretch us so far. Amid relentless determination, a person’s mind can conquer anything. After asking God to remove the cup of suffering from his life, he ended his prayer by saying, not my will but yours. These words strengthened him to face his next challenge, which was the death of the cross. He was determined to save humanity regardless of what he faced.
This is the determination we must all carry as we pursue greatness. Life will test you in ways you can never imagine only determination will give you the strength to rise about your challenges. You might lose a job, or a loved one, get betrayed, experience heartbreak or divorce, or get sick but these things are nothing compared to your determination to achieve your dreams. Surgeons might do their part in saving your life but the determination to live will ensure they succeed in their operation.
3. Skills
All successful people were experts at something. Winston Churchill was a powerful politician, Cristiano Ronaldo is a skilled football player, Kipchoge Keino is an expert at marathons, and Pablo Picasso was a master at painting. You must chase excellence to become great. Pablo Picasso would spend 14 hours a day on a single painting. He was a master of details. Pablo would spend hours on a painting to bring out his imagination.
Cristiano Ronaldo applies the same formula. He is currently one of the greatest footballers if not the greatest. Ronaldo has 901 goals, 5 times a Ballon d’Or winner, 4 times UEFA Best Player in Europe, 20 times top goal scorer, and 9 times Player of the Year among other accolades. He is popular for striving for mastery by stretching himself as a fitness expert and work ethic guru. The secret to his success is not a secret. It is written in his lifestyle. You must submit yourself to becoming an expert at what you do. Stretch yourself to become better at your craft every day. Despise being average and embrace lifelong learning. As James Clear says, improve your skills by 1% daily.
5. Finally, Self-belief
You must believe in yourself. You must accept that you are a champion before you become one. Everything starts and ends in the mind. The Bible says that we are gods, meaning we are the best version of the purpose God assigned for us. You must believe, you are the one for the job or any opportunity presented to you. Your beliefs will determine the kind of imagination and visions you will have for your life.
Abraham Lincoln had a champion mindset from his youthful years. He would wrestle at a young age and become a champion. He was a champion at heart before he became a celebrated statesman. He never went to a formal school but dedicated himself to learning law. He believed he could make a difference and he did.
His belief led him to create Emancipation Proclamation documents, which set all slaves free from their masters. The document led to a war but later changed the trajectory of America. Your belief must mature to become knowledge because God has never created anyone to fail. Everyone can choose righteousness or wickedness. Choose to believe in yourself and follow the aforementioned steps and you will rise to victory before you know it.
No responses yet