PILLARS OF SUCCESS

  By: Hon. Taiwo Akorede (Member, Lagos-State Youth Parliament)

     Success doesn't come by dreaming of it only, it comes through strong dtermination, hardwork and some other important pillars of success. One can be successful either positively or negatively. It depends on the one you dream of and make your topmost priority. Attaining the position of "Chairman, Chartered accountants" is a success while attaining the position of "Chairman, Bus conductors" is also a success. There is just a clear difference between the two. One is positive and the other is negative in another viewing.

      Basically, there are lots of pillars of success, but most are under one of the below listed "10 ten" because they are the most important pillars of success.

                     (1) Determination       (6) Teachability

                     (2) Character             (7) Knowledge

                     (3) Integrity               (8) Respect

                     (4) Humility               (9) Monitoring

                     (5) Challenge           (10) Spiritual Maturity

 (1) Determination: Most people who dream to be successful in life know that determination is one of the pillars to their success. But it doesnt just stop at been determined only. You need to ask yourself "how determined am i?" Are you strongly determined to achieve successful goals and targets or you just been determined to be successful with strong determination that when others are falling, i shall stand on my feet, that when others says it can't be done, i will give it a trial to make it done?

   To be positively successful in life requires utmost determination. In the course of pursuing your goals, dont get discouraged with whatever challenges or obstacles you may face but rather keep moving, summon the courage and be more determined then your success story will not be painted red.

   Yes, to be successful in life is not easy and whosoever says it's easy should come out and proove it. Nothing good comes easy but you can only make it more easier for yourself with your strong determination and focus that no matter what it takes, you will achieve your goals and targets and be successful.

              "It always seems impossible until it's done"

  (2) Character: This is also one of the topmost pillars of success. If you want to be successful in life, u have to be of good and compensating character. The good character you will entail shouldn't just be because you want to be successful but also for good reputation and beneficial opportunities. If you must win the prize of success, you must pay the price of success. To accomplish your targets, to get to the topmost top, to be an outstanding where others are standing, you have to be of good character by according people their due respect. If you don't find it difficult to respect the elderly ones, the dignitaries, your leaders and even your younger ones, you won't be a second choice when the opportunity that will benefit your life comes. You will be called upon before any other person because of your good character and optimism. In a situation whereby your character couldn't be align with your ambitions, you will get denied of beneficial opportunities which might add to your success story in life. Treat people with respect, love amd discipline..

  (3) Integrity: To be honest & reliable, to be somebody who people can pledge their loyalty for, to be a straight forward person and a person of high integrity is also an important pillar of attaining success in life. If you cant be trusted, you would be denied of some privileges. If you arent reliable and honest, your success attainment is shaking and even if you get successful forcefully, it wont last longer. It will fade away when you dont expect. Try to be somebody people could vouch for either in your presence or absence, somebody that can be trusted among groups of people, somebody with strong moral principles, somebody who could stand and say "I am a man of my words" wholeheartedly, somebody who train people If you can be, your success is undebatable.

  (4) Humility: Everyone in life has a gifted talent from God, everyone has his area of specialization and everyone is better in one way or the other. No matter the position you may find yourself, dont think you are bettet than others and never think you are the best. It's just an opportunity that you attain that position today. Someone else might be there tomorrow. As somebody who wants to be more successful in life, you have to be humble among your colleagues, be humble to your leaders. Don't feel too big and say you know more than them. Let your humility make you stand out among others. Let it serve as an example for others and be felt among your competitors. If you are humble, people will accord your dignity and respect you for whom you are.

   For you to be successful gets more easier than those that are arrogant. Bring down your feathers totally, dont tell people you are this, you are that, let them discover the values in you and you will surely be compensated with success. Values maketh a man and woman. It's who you are that distinguish you from the next person.

  (5) Challenges: Challenge as a pillar of success is in two forms. The first one is personal challenge and the other one is encountered challenge. To be somebody who could be proud of a successful achievement, you have to keep challenging yourself positively. Say to yourself "what Mr. A can't achieve, i will achieve it" with your strong determination and good character. Say to yourself "in some years to come, i want to be this, i want to achieve this" and then ask yourself what exactly are your values - what is driving you - what would you trade your life for - what network or connections are you to make? If you can be able to give the best answers to all these questions and overcome the challenges, your success is unshakable.

   On the other hand, while on the pursue of success, its certain that you encounter both positive and negative challenges. It then depends on the way you prepare yourself for the unseen and unknown challenges that might come your way. Don't get discouraged nor depressed when you are encountered with challenges. Some challenges might be negative and pessimistic at first, don't get derayed, give yourself more courage and say to yourself "I will get there". If you can say this buoyantly with undoubted mind, you will surely overcome the challenges no matter what it may be and you will attain your dreamed success. Prepare yourself more for challenges, dont think everything goes on smoothly. It gets bitters sometimes but later get back sweet. Always remember "when preparation has overcome challenges, success is inevitable"

  (6) Teachability: Everyone has one value or the other either known or unknown, everyone is a teacher in a particular aspect and everyone has something other people dont posses but no matter what you have or know, no matter where you find yourself, always submit yourself to be teachable and be ready to learn from anyone who possesses want you don't. Deem it fit to learn even from your younger ones. Remember "no knowledge is useless". You will achieve more if you submit yourself to be teachable. This submission will never deprive you of your personality nor bring you down in any form. It will rather increase you in knowledge and at the same time add to your success. If you want to learn character, submit yourself to be teachable and you must decide you want to achieve success from the thought knowledge and ideas.

  (7) Knowledge: Knowledge is also a very vital key to success. So far you haven't gotten to where you goimg in life, don't ever stop seeking for knowledge. Even when you get successful, always remember knowledge is one of the pillars that hold your success.

  Most people today hope to be successful in life, they are active & vibrant, they are buoyant & courageous, they have good character and at the same time, they are humble but the only thing that deprive them of success is the lack of knowledge. You really need to seek for knowledge that are beneficial and useful for your goals. Don't waste your time seeking for knowledge that you already know it's not beneficial in your discipline & goals. For instance, "a lawyer seeking for medical knowledge" The knowledge won't be a waste if attained anyway, but it will be rare for you to apply its usage. Ask yourself "what knowledge am i to acquire?". If you really want to be positively successful in life, you have to unrelentingly seek for beneficial knowledge.

  (8) Respect: To be successful in life, you must have "respect" as one of the pillars of your success. It's said that "respect is reciprocal". For you to get to the peak, you have to treat people with utmost respect. Accord the elders due respect, your mentors, your leaders and even your junior ones. You have to bring yourself to the least bottom of respect to the extent that you give the compliment "Yes Sir" to those below you. They will feel honored and will be glad to  respect you much more. Haven't done these, getting successful will be more smoother and easier for you. You will be given more privileges from different angles because people already know you will surely accord them due respect in the process no matter how small or big they are. For instance, you are seeking for a job and you are called for an interview with numbers of people. Among them all, you are the only one who deem it fit to answer the interviewer with the compliment "Yes Sir, No Sir, Exactly Sir...", your tendency getting the job is higher than other.

M:B: You using "yes sir" for both young and adults doesn't call you a fool nor make you worthless neither it depreciate you but rather it gives you more power of championship and take you to success.

  (9) Monitoring: To attain success gets easier when you plan more to be someone who the whole world will celebrate. You have highlighted your goals & targets, you have written out your work plans and have started its execution. Ask yourself this brilliant question - "Do I make follow up"? If you don't follow up your plan, no matter how powerful and optimistic they are, they get unattainable and you keep wondering what makes you fail often....it's because your plans for success are not been monitored. It's easy to bring up ideas and have a good work plans but what matters most is the follow up you give to it. You have to create time out of no time to monitor what you have started and planned to achieve. Remember "it's not how far but how well it is"

  (10) Spiritual Maturity: Haven't molded your character, humility, knowledge, respect, determination, integrity, teachability, monitoring and also the challenges you encounter in pursue of success as pillars of your success, what makes it all stronger is the level of your spiritual maturity. You need to first put everything in the hand of God in the best way and metthod you can. The fact is, you might have all the above listed pillars of success but if this is out of it and you are too lazy to speak to God by yourself, you can't be as successful as you want. Create time to tell your creator all the best you want for yourself, tell Him you want to be successful in life and in His infinite mercy answer your prayers.

  Some people often think they can always do things on their own and God should see them striving and compensate them with success. Of course He can but He might not if you don't ask Him to. You have to develop some level of spiritual maturity to steadfast your  pillars of success and make them more and more stronger that it won't get collapsed easily.

  In Conclusion:

   Start molding the pillars of your success today and if you have, don't relent your efforts at the same time, don't get depressed nor discouraged. People might tell you "You can't" but say to yourself "I can"!

    The probability that you may fail in the struggle ought not to differ you from the support of a course you believe to be achieved. If you doubt your dream, you might not go ver far in life but if you purse significance, you will succeed beyond your imagination. Believe in the power of your dreams and develop the courage to pursue them until you succeed. You have to be grieved with sense of urgency. Look at situations from every angle and always provide alternatives. You have to be committed to achievements and be relentless in pursuit of your success.

  "Whoever says it's impossible should give way to those making it possible"

Thanks and God grant you success.

HON. TAIWO A.G AKOREDE

akoredetaiwo.ta@gmail.com

07032933789