When I was in standard 7, I climbed the Kilimanjaro. It was a class trip chaperoned by a teacher. I remember the trip as if it were yesterday. The snow was deep and the air was dry. With every 3 steps up I went, I fell back 2 steps. The guide that was with us remarked on my slow pace, “It’ll take us forever to get to the top” he said. But I was determined to prove him wrong.
Thankfully I made it to Gilmore. We couldn’t make it to the top because I was exhausted but we made it as far as we could safely. At which point we made our way back down and I was the happiest little boy in the world that year. Looking back now I realize that was the moment I found out about my tenacity. I was never going to be the type to back down or stay down.
Of course at the time I was a child and had wrong motivations for wanting to make it to the top. I wanted the guide to eat crow. As I matured I shifted my focus from negative influences to positive ones. Like my tenacious nature, a positive quality that has seen my rise through my career from a 17-year old intern to manager and business owner.
It all started with that little boy climbing the Kilimanjaro. Almost 4 decades of hard work and consistency, a very painful process, have reinforced the same message as when I was on that mountain:
Had I gone up without down, I would only get there faster. Instead by going down I developed character.
Decades later, in 2004, as I was embarking on a different adventure in my career my boss wrote me a recommendation. In it he said,” Versi is tenacious”. I was, still am, very humbled by this. As this year rushes to a close, I want to share with you what reinforced my tenacity and kept me going in my journey year after year to the person I am today.
1. Belief In Myself, Improve And Try Again
The belief in oneself doesn’t mean to be arrogant and/or stubborn. Whenever I was told no, I took it but that did not mean the end. Instead I went back further improved on my concepts and came back again. Even when the going gets tough and painful I had myself and believed in what I was doing. Ultimately I always pulled through.
2. Get Creative, Not Shrewd
When it comes to succeeding there are no shortcuts. Instead of being shrewd and using ujanja ujanja to get ahead, put in the work. When faced with problems I had to get creative with how I tackled those challenges. I had to change my outlook, seek guidance and even try a number of things before finding a viable solution. You can’t get around problems; they exist to help us evolve. So welcome a challenge!
3. Get Beaten And Get Back Up Immediately
No matter what came my way, I would only let it deter me for a little while. But life goes on and I had to go with it. So mourn and come to terms with failure but do not let it get you down permanently.
4. Family
It was never just about me. I had been on my own and responsible for the upkeep of my family since I was 17. I couldn’t exactly afford to not keep going. The added responsibility of dependants and their support kept me going for many years.
5. Patience
Whenever there’s something to be done, there is a price to pay. The higher the price, the greater the returns. And in some cases the returns are greater over a longer period of time. The other side of being tenacious is patience, not giving and constantly giving even when you don’t get something back immediately. Because you know it will eventually pay off
6. Faith
Perhaps the most important one, I saved the best for last. My faith keeps me going and I wouldn’t know where I would be without knowing and trusting in a Higher Power greater than me to direct my steps. It’s one thing to have a belief system and a different one to believe in it. The latter is what has sustained me for so long and truly I take a lot of comfort and purpose from my faith.
7. Gratitude
When we’re on the surface we breathe normally and do not struggle. But while hiking to the top, the air is thin and breaths are short and labored. It makes you appreciate breathing a lot more when it’s easy and abundant. Be grateful for everything, no matter the difficulty level.
Gold only becomes gold when it goes through fire. In this case fire is a force for good. I went through the fire to be the gold today. What is your fire? How are you going to become gold?
With these parting words, I want to wish you a happy and prosperous new year ahead. See you on the other side, Inshallah. Tukutane baadae!
