African Business School — When you are about Give up or Give in, just Give it STICK!
You are where you are in life because of the choices you’ve made. Whether consciously or knowingly you have made a call which has led you to where you are standing or sitting right now. Life is hard, yet no matter how hard it gets you don’t ever let up on life. Steel is made strong by heating, beating and cooling repeatedly, life toughens you the same way. With determination, courage, passion and hope you can overcome the challenges life throws at you.
To give up and give in are similar expressions with different meanings and can sometimes be confusing.When you “Give up” you are abandoning hope and you stop trying to do something because you are not having success doing it. When you “Give in” you are acknowledging defeat or yielding to pressure of some sort. When you “Give it STICK” you commit whole heartily to an endeavor in order to succeed. Life is about giving it stick, our elders say “Do not let go of the club when the baboon fakes compassion.”
Here’s 6 ways of how to just “Give It STICK!”;
1. Self-Belief- “The elephant does not limp when walking on thorns.”~ African Proverb. Neither should you. Whatever you sincerely believe in, ardently desire and relentlessly execute, surely will come to pass. Nothing beats self-belief when it comes to succeeding. If you believe you can, you can, if you believe you can’t you won’t. It is the foundation of all endeavors. First establish a mental picture of what success looks like, plan for it and then execute. The clearer the picture, the more detailed the plan, the easier it is to successfully execute. Simply put (Picture + Plan + Execution) x Self-belief = Success.
2. Daily Action- “He who doesn’t clean his mouth before breakfast always complains that the food is sour.”~ African Proverb. Act now as if there is NO tomorrow as if your whole life depends on this. Win every minute so you win the hour. Win every hour so you win the day. Win everyday so that you win in your life time. A simple mantra can help you hit peak performance. “I treated every game as if it were a cup final” ~Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United and Belgian International soccer player said when he was growing up playing kindergarten football. Make every day a cup final, in other words Daily + Action = Results.
3. Raison D’Etre- “We desire to bequeath two things to our children; the first one is roots, the other one is wings.”~ African Proverb. This is the wish of every parent regardless. You only succeed if you have a strong enough reason why. Do it for your family, for your faith, for your freedom, for fame. If these reasons are not strong enough then do it for yourself, or “Just do it”. The stronger the reason why the stronger the desire to succeed. Most importantly is to find the “why”, then the “what” and the “how” and success becomes attainable. The formula here reads something like this Reason Why + What + How = Achievement
4. Be Realistic- “If while climbing a tree you insist on going beyond the top, the earth will be waiting for you.”~ African Proverb. Be reasonable about your goals, it doesn’t happen overnight. “Nine women cannot make a baby in One month! It takes One woman nine months to conceive a baby”~ African Proverb. Goals are time bound and expectations must be brought into line. Get this wrong and you “Give Up”, thinking the objective was unattainable. You get frustrated and “You swallow whilst the chewing is still good”~ African proverb, losing all the goodness of a wonderful experience. It takes Hard Work + Determination + Time = Goals, with a little bit of realism for seasoning.
5. Be Specific- “If your only tool is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail” ~ African Proverb. If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. The clearer the goal or objective the clearer the route or actions to achieve the goal. Simply put — Write it + Define it + Plan it + Time it + Do it = Achieve it. If it’s not written it won’t be done. If it’s not defined it won’t be clear. If it’s not planned, it won’t happen. If there is no timeline, it means anytime, and if it is not executed it remains a thought or a dream.
6. Be Accountable- “If you pick up one end of the stick you also pick up the other”~ African proverb. Self accountability is good if you have the discipline and the will power. Public accountability is best as the scrutiny of a third party or parties keeps you honest and on track. Tell someone, whether it be your spouse or friends so that they give you the necessary push when will power fades or dampens. After all “One who washes willingly with cold water doesn’t feel the cold.”~ African Proverb
“When you show the moon to a child it sees only your finger”~ African Proverb. It is only as the child grows up does it distinguish between the finger and the moon.To “Give Up” and to “Give In” is easy, you simply throw in the towel and walk away frustrated and angry with the world playing “Victim” and blaming everybody but yourself. To “Give It STICK” = Self-Belief + Daily Action + Raison D’etre + Being Realistic + Being Specific + Being Accountable. When life presents you with a choice, to “Give in”, “Give up” or “Give it STICK” always chose to GIVE IT STICK!
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