People sometimes fail NOT because they are unqualified or incompetent, but because they are unable to manage themselves during hard times. They cave in under pressure. Our schools don’t teach us how to deal with adversity. I think they should. It’s because they don’t, that many true geniuses in poorly regulated environments like Nigeria’s, often struggle, get frustrated, and if lucky to gain access, flee abroad to succeed!

In this article, I share the kind of thinking that will enable you repeatedly overcome adversity and achieve progress in the pursuit of authentic success, with integrity – even if breaking new grounds in a very difficult environment.

1. Keep A Positive Mind Set: Many people today are so good at talking about how to be positive in spite of failure. Never to give up, no matter how difficult things get. How to carry on even if friends or loved ones stop believing in, or abandon you.

I often wonder just how many of the wonderful radio and TV presenters who “preach” while on air about going after your dreams, and never giving up, REALLY walk their talk, when confronted with challenges in their own lives.

Over eight years of personal experience convince me that very few people actually apply these principles in their lives when they are faced with difficult situations. Many people compromise. They say one thing, but do another. They fail to act with integrity.

I am not trying to make myself look good here, but my insistence on leaving a high paying job in a multinational corporation 10 years ago, to pursue my dream of being self-employed, won me little applause amongst those who knew me then.

I lost many “friends” (sometimes I wonder if I ever “had” them?). Most carefully distanced themselves, preferring to wait and see if I would sink or swim. Yet I stayed committed. Today, my work speaks for me.

To achieve similar results, you will need to maintain a Positive Mindset.

2. Visualisation: The ability to imagine what can be; to envision what is possible – regardless of what IS the current reality around you, is one that EVERY person who wishes to achieve his/her dreams MUST develop.

The picture you create in your mind and/or the images that dominate your thoughts, if kept positive, and in tune with your desires or longings, will ultimately attract to you, those things you want.

This is not some fancy theory or hypothesis. It is a concept that has been proven to work in real-life for as long as man has existed. I am able to say this because I have successfully applied the principles and philosophies advocated in a book written in the early 1900s that attested to this fact. The book is called Science of Getting Rich, and is available as a FREE PDF download on the Internet.

I recommend that, if you want your dreams to come true, start imagining in vivid terms what exactly you want to SEE or FEEL when you achieve your dreams -and then take definite steps to work towards achieving them. It is the key to your ultimate success.

3. Develop Mental Stamina: In the course of my work out here, I have studied a lot of people, and come to realise that most of them are really good people – deep down. Many do not want to be crooked in doing business. They do not really want to cheat others, if they can avoid it.

Unfortunately, they have not developed the ability to ENDURE prolonged suffering without seeking undignified outlets to escape from it. Mental stamina makes it difficult for adversity to wear you down or break your resolve or commitment to your goal. No one is born with it – you DEVELOP it.

Incidentally, one powerful way to develop your mental stamina is through visualization. In other words, keeping the vision of your desired “future” in mind, gives you needed mental strength – STAMINA – to keep going, no matter what obstacles come your way.

Summary

I often tell young people I coach that most times out here in Nigeria, many people who fail in their bid to achieve success in chosen endeavours, do NOT do so because they lack the technical competence or “know how”.

Quite frequently, they would have obtained needed training or education to competently function in their chosen endeavours. Unfortunately, they fail to equip themselves with guiding philosophies like those outlined in this article, to help them overcome inevitable setbacks.

It does not matter what you do for a living – Fashion Design, Music or Photography. Bad times will be mixed with good times as you pursue you goals. It is a FACT of life. How you react when things are not going the way you want, will determine to a great extent how successful you become in the long run. This explains why the most talented doctor, for instance, may not end up being the most successful or accomplished amongst peers.

So, study and apply the ideas offered above, and you will be better equipped to succeed.