In this post, I will be expounding on a principle that pertains to how one’s positioning should drive achievement in any endeavor.
Before delving into the topic, may I inquire as to how your day has been? Regardless of your response, rest assured that we are in this together. There are numerous unseen partners, such as yourself and I, who are on this journey. Let us continue moving forward. This is not a competition to determine who comes first, rather, our goal is to support each other until we reach our final destination.
Let us begin. As a bachelor student, my class was among the pioneering set of my department and faculty, although not the first set. We were foundation students who laid the groundwork for upcoming students in various aspects, such as curriculum, outlooks compared to other departments, performances, student leadership at the departmental level, politics, and so on.
As a member of the pioneering set, I had additional burdens or, let me call it, responsibilities. My name was the first on my class list. Others did not need to know my registration number to check my semester results when released, even though our names were not always included in the results. All they needed to do was to check the first line. It was possible to trace my performance, take note of when I failed a course, or compare my performance with theirs.
That burden was on me throughout my undergraduate days, except when our results were not posted. I seemed not to be very well-known until our first results were released. I think the best results were attributed to another person who was more outspoken than I, and maybe next to me on our class list. It was not long before I came into the limelight because the topper was first on the list, and that was me.
So, it behooves me to shoulder my responsibilities. It requires a lot of effort to maintain the topper position. You have no major work to do if you are below the ladder, even if your performance drops, no one is watching. At last, the unexpected happened to me. The capital ‘F’ came and did not wait for me to respond to its knock when it happened in a general course. As expected, my performance dipped, but I never lost my position, courtesy of the dipping of most results in my class.
As a carry-over student, I took on another responsibility to call on other course repeaters to attend the lower class together, and I finally passed the course. The right attitude towards failure is an important factor there. I attended classes as if it was my actual year course, participated in course activities, and even encouraged my fellow repeaters. I love telling these stories of my failures. I did that in my previous posts.
How does this scenario relate to my current motivation? Until a few years back, I seldom liked to appear in the public space. I couldn’t and wouldn’t even make an attempt except there was a compulsion, but it was rare. When I did need to make a public presentation or talk, I prepared adequately, and I think I did well in most of the appearances, but not without extra energy. I am an introvert.
I was motivated to start some public stuff because I was ready for a change. Against my wish, making some of what I do appear in the public space pushed me to go for more. I was not ready to disappoint my viewers when they eventually saw that all I was doing was just noise. I want to constantly exceed expectations. I do not have everything, but I can go for everything because everything will not come to me naturally.
ICYMI: Maximizing Your Skillset (Video)
The key to keep going may be to put yourself forward for people to see what you are doing. That way, you are like a pioneer or first on the list of those in your class. I am sure you are not ready to be a disappointment. Any laxity will drop your rank. Any failure is like a shame, but it is good when it comes. You can learn not to do what you did that brought the failure.
As for motivating you, many of my mates also put up good spirits and try to do more. Some were even doing better than I eventually, but they couldn’t outperform me because I had a clear lead, and it was difficult for them to catch up. However, because each of us recognizes our individual strengths and weaknesses, it was not difficult to consult each other when necessary to strengthen our position. It means you do not have to start well to start doing well or dominate your niche. Start anyhow and anywhere. You will eventually recognize that you have the potential to dominate a particular space. Before long, it will become visible that you are a leader in the space. Those who dare try the same thing will need to borrow your key to do so. Do not be afraid to give them the duplicate because you can decide to change the lock without their knowledge. They will return to you for another duplicate after several trials to open without success. If they open without your consent, appreciate the fact that they climb the shoulder of a giant, and that’s you.
Remember to Watch: Becoming An Asset
I expect you to start doing more. Perhaps, I will have the motivation to sustain or improve my current drive, but we can achieve greatness together. I know you can, and I can as well. This is not another motivation, but a reality that is staring at you to go farther than where you are.
On you mark, get ready, Go !
ThePro 