Push to Success- Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

While it is true that some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, the greater part of the people are not. Being born with a silver spoon also does not tell success. Success is a product of self-realization, principles, and hard work. It can be shown that more of the people that meet success in life and career are not favorably disposed. Not many had the privilege of already prepared grounds. “Great men are not born great; they grow great.” – Mario Puzo. I have seen and heard people blame upbringing for their ill fate. Coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, people have been able against all odds to break even. On the other hand, people with extensive reserves of fortune have ended up without achievements or influence. It then leaves me with the option to agree no less that background does not determine success

What then is the key?

Maybe you are asking this silent question, “If background does not necessarily influence achievement, what then does?  Here is the answer- determination to succeed. “Comfort paralyses your ability to bring about change; frustration activates your power to make a difference”. - +Fela Durotoye. There is naturally this comfort zone within every individual, rich or poor alike. This is always an enemy of success. For kids growing up, that tendency to stay lax and accept a situation is naturally there. To the affluent, it says, “your father has built an empire and left you a fortune. Why worry?” Yet to the poor it says, “You have nothing more to lose. What can you do but watch and wait?” Definitely, both will wash down the drain. Success does not come by chance. You plan and work for it. There is a push to success. When you get uncomfortable with a situation, the frustration activates the power of success.

Many great men, ancient and modern, have been able to overcome monstrous barriers and pulled through challenges to achieve great feats. They vehemently confronted their challenges, leaving the comfort zones and reaching the seemingly impossible. Their successes are resounding and worth mentioning. Permit me to tell about a few among the many.

Peter J. Daniels

Daniels came from a disadvantaged background and was illiterate in his early years. His family was third generation welfare recipients, he has two alcoholic brothers, 4 fathers and 2 mothers. Many of his relatives have been in jail. He failed at every grade in school and became a bricklayer. His teacher in school referred to him as “Brain Stupid”. At 26 years of age he was hopelessly in debt, until he attended a Billy Graham Crusade on 25 May 1959. That was when a drive for success and excellence ensued. Rising out of his predicament, he decided to take leaps to greatness.

Daniels went into business three times, failing each time, but without becoming bankrupt. He subsequently managed to build a large real estate business in Australia and South East Asia and serves as a director and chairman on a range of international boards. Today, Peter J Daniels is a successful executive, a professional motivational speaker and an inspirational achiever. He has written no less than thirteen books. His influence is great and increasing among young people today.

Abraham Lincoln

A man like Abraham Lincoln is an icon of success. He is one of the greatest American presidents that ever lived. Though he had challenges, he fought his way to greatness. His parents were uneducated farmers and lived in a one-room cabin in Kentucky. He lacked what it takes in terms of connections to people that mattered, charisma, looks, attraction, and formal education, yet he became one of the greatest presidents in US history. Abraham Lincoln’s rise to the Presidency has long been the stuff of legend. Lincoln was almost entirely self-educated stemming from encouragements from his stepmother, Sarah. He had only 18 months of formal education. He offset this disadvantage by voraciously consuming any book he could get his hands on. In search of success, Lincoln at age 22 packed his personal effects in a canoe and set out on his own. He did self-study, read up William Blackstone’s commentaries on the Laws of England, and became a successful attorney and state legislator in Illinois. Though he contested and lost the senatorial seat to Stephen Douglas in 1858, he remained dogged and focused. In 1860, he contested yet again with Douglas, and this time, won and became the 16^th president of the United States. One of his famous quotes, “things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle”, tells a lot about his philosophy. He believes that success comes with a decision to take ones fate in one’s hands. Nature should not decide. He made tremendous success in America’s reforms including the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863.

Innocent Chukwuma

Innocent Chukwuma is the Chairman of Innoson Group, a successful business group that has affected the Nigerian economy positively. The youngest  among  six  children, Innocent I Chukwuma,  was born into the family of Chukwuma Mojekwu in Nnewi, Nigeria without the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. What he lacked in affluent parental background, he made up for with intelligence, hard work, discipline, and business acumen - qualities that have continued to interplay remarkably in the success of his many ventures.

Though he was not in the top of the class in high school, some steps he took changed his career and brought him to limelight. He started from a low life and apprenticeships. Innovation was one of his strong points. Like Rockefeller’s quote, “If you want to succeed, you should strike out new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success”, Chukwuma went into automobile spare parts and eventually transformed the face of the automobile sector in Nigeria. Chukwuma made as automated assembly line for motorcycles and became the first indigenous motorcycle maker to join the class of Leventis and Boulos Enterprises. His initial success in motorcycles manufacturing led to his next giant stride. In 2007, Innocent Chukwuma incorporated Innoson Vehicle Motors (IVM), the first indigenous motor manufacturing plant in Nigeria. This was regarded as a mission impossible, but he remained undaunted. He has since then made tremendous success and with more prospects. Though he may not be listed in Forbes, Innocent Chukwuma’s IVM today is a success story, which has attracted effusive commendations and awards from various quarters across Africa.

Les Brown

Leslie Brown is a renowned motivational speaker, who has risen to international prominence by delivering a high energy message which tells people how to shake off mediocrity and live up to their greatness; a former Ohio politician, popular author, radio DJ, and former host of The Les Brown Show. As a motivational speaker, he uses the catch phrase, "It's possible”, and teaches people to follow their dreams as he learned to do. Les has had no formal education past high school, but with persistence and determination he initiated and continued a process of unending self-education which has distinguished him as an authority on human potential. In one of his quotes he said, "We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams."

Was he born strong and confident? No. Les Brown was born in an abandoned building in a low-income section of Miami, Florida. He was subsequently adopted by Mamie Brown, a then 38-year-old single woman who worked as a cafeteria attendant and domestic assistant. He was labeled mentally retarded with respect to learning while in grade school due to his poor attention to school work. The stigma gave him poor self-esteem. With the support and assistance from his mother and a teacher, he came out from his low estate and learned how to reach his full potential, a key point in many motivational speeches he gives today.

 

John D Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller was a famous American industrialist, business tycoon and oil magnet. He is well known for his career success. John Rockefeller was the first Billionaire, and is regarded yet as the richest man in history. His involvement in the early petroleum development gave him popularity. Although Rockefeller came from a not rich background, he took destiny in his hands. He needed neither a trust fund nor the example of a successful father to become the richest man in American history. His dad was a salesperson who was rarely at home in John’s early years. As a young man, he took a job as an assistant bookkeeper, learnt business principles, and made his savings. His combination of caution, precision, and resolve soon brought him the attention necessary for his expedited success. He then collaborated with Maurice Clark and others in buying a couple of oil refineries in Cleveland. In 1870, Rockefeller incorporated his holdings into Standard Oil, plunging fully into refineries.

Rockefeller’s business plan was simple; by obsessively increasing the efficiency of his refineries and pressuring railroad companies for discounted shipping, he successfully bought out the competition. He had the “soul of a bookkeeper”. He abhorred wastes and found every opportunity of eliminate that. Rockefeller soon owned nearly every aspect of the oil business, from refineries to pipelines. In one of his quotes he said, “I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature”. At age 40, Rockefeller was already a huge success. Such success netted him great wealth; he retired at 59 and accumulated an estimated $1,500,000,000 fortune much of which was used for charity. He devoted himself and his fortunes to building others for success.

Time and space would not permit me to write about Rosa Parks and others. One common thing about these men mentioned is that they had limitations that could have impaired them, yet walking over them, they get to points where they broke even and affected generations beyond their imaginations, background notwithstanding. Success is a platform attainable through self-realization, determination, and hard work, which entails innovations. When you find yourself uncomfortable with issues of life, there is no need putting blames on background. However, taking up challenge and responsibility is the step to you need. Background on the contrary, could be that very push you need for success… See you at the top.