Winners view obstacles as opportunities because they understand that without them there is no perfection for obstacles are the fire in your perfection process. You must know that a perfect journey starts with obstacles. Beating difficulties are what positive people refer to as a breakthrough whilst negative people never go beyond the obstacles in their lives and describe them as bad luck. The biggest question you have to answer is why some people turn obstacles into success while others allow obstacles to swamp them in failure. It all lies in an attitude. You need to decide whether you are a problem or solution orientated person. You must look for reasons why things should be done rather than reasons why they should not be done. Winners know that comfort zones are false havens. If there were no confrontation and pain, there would be no achievement. Obstacles are your greatest ally. You must view obstacles as opportunities.
The first step is to develop faith
What is faith? How does one develop faith? Faith is firm belief in something for which there is no proof, something that is believed especially with strong conviction. It is belief and trust in and loyalty to God. The difference between faith and belief is that belief is passive and faith is active. Belief is the foundation of faith. Knowledge creates belief. You must take action once knowledge has been acquired and belief in the creator and yourself created. Belief is tested by listening to what a person says and faith is tested by what observing what a person does. Faith and fear cannot live in the same body at the same time. It is when faith ceases to exist in your mind that fear creeps in. Faith produces discipline, action, persistence and patience. Knowledge put into action results in wisdom.
Discipline
Discipline is the suppression of basic desires, avoiding the path of least resistance and fostering self control and restraint. It requires use of reason to determine the best course of action regardless of one’s desires. Restraint may the opposite of what is exciting at that moment. Discipline is doing what one knows is best and do it gladly. Discipline keeps control of the pressures of today’s living including alcohol and drug use, sexual indiscretion and other activities that seem to be norm in society but make one loose self love and self acceptance and self respect. Winners understand that doing what is right increases self respect and the respect of people around you. It is your faith that you will emerge as a better person that allows you to do the daily tasks which are sometimes boring. It is the combination of those little daily things that makes you exceptional. Your faith in the positive results of your efforts makes discipline a pleasure. People who are disciplined have clearly defined goals, a plan to monitor behaviour and an accepting attitude toward setbacks. Whether you are looking to lose weight, attain financial security or graduate from college, discipline is a skill you can learn to improve your chances of success. Self-discipline requires mental effort, so it is best to focus on one area of your life at a time. Choose one area in which to improve your self-discipline at a time. Sometimes it helps no to everything except for the chosen goal at that moment. You must do the easiest things first. Keep in mind that core competence is required for all ventures that succeed. Also keep in mind that future winners are those who empower others. Remember that important things change the world. You need to invent your way out of the box and know that all big things or businesses started small. You must aim at leaving a legacy especially in solving the most pressing problems facing the world at that particular time. Being first, acting with speed and producing quality work at reasonable cost will serve everybody including people with little money. Once you have identified an area in which you need to improve your self-discipline, develop a plan of attack to achieve your goal. Choose a specific goal, track your behaviour daily, and tell someone about your plan. Avoid self blame. If you do get off track in your plan toward self discipline, be careful not to engage in self-blame or self-directed anger. Understand that even successful people fail sometimes, and self-discipline means having the ability to keep going after setbacks. Instead of lowering your self-esteem by attacking your self-worth, boost your confidence with positive statements. Everybody has weak moments. Think about why you had a lapse in judgment and identify better ways to cope in the future. Find your motivation because at the heart of self-discipline is motivation. To have self-discipline, you need to find a reward that motivates you to put in extra effort when the journey seems long. When you are truly motivated, self-discipline will be much easier to attain. Hard work is the cure for boredom. It is the antidote for feelings of low self-worth and incompetence.
Faith increases activity
Faith allows you to choose worthwhile goals. Faith gives you the courage to keep trying without the guarantee of success. Faith adds the determination and dedication to work. You need to identify areas of your life where you can increase activity. Do not expect to harvest before you have sown. Faith precedes all miracles.
Persistence
Persistence is the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. It is the state of occurring or existing beyond the usual, expected, or normal time. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. There are thousands of people with talent who are unsuccessful. The world is full of educated people who are derelicts. Unrewarded geniuses are common occurrence in this world. You should always know then that when a potential customer says no to a sale, the real meaning is not now or not today. Only persistence will convert the no to a yes.
Patience
Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on negative annoyance or anger. It is the ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. It is the exhibition of forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before negativity. It is the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Patience is one of the most valuable virtues of life. The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. You must seek patience and ask from God for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Published by Dr BA Mabaso, MB ChB, DHSM, MBA, MPhil
