The other side of staying power

In the first part of this article, I shared my thoughts on the importance of Staying Power and made reference to the story of Stephen King – a New York Times bestselling novelist who made his name in the horror and fantasy genres with a number of his novels already adapted for film and TV.

In this follow up article, I will be writing on – The Other Side of Staying Power.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE OTHER SIDE?

The Other Side is to be determined by your goal, what you’re attempting to accomplish, the final results you’re after and what living a value-adding life means to you. The Other Side is typically the light at the end of the tunnel, depending on what you’re looking for. An example would be things falling in place for you after a long waiting period such as: securing a job, becoming a parent, getting married, becoming an accomplished author etc. This is the point at which you start to enjoy the fruits of your Staying Power and its results start to materialize.

“I hated every minute of training, but I said to myself, ‘Don’t quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”- Muhammed Ali

We all like inspirational stories of Superstars, Business moguls, Olympic champions etc. But we often overlook the part of their journey that includes; injuries, tough training, rejections, depression and sometimes outright failures. Here are a few cases that further illustrate the journey to – The Other Side : Arriving, Surviving and Sustaining it.

Arriving at the Other Side – an interesting personality is Lamont Marcell Jacobs. For the first time, the world’s fastest man is an Italian. Lamont stunned the world by winning the men’s 100 meters final, giving Italy its first ever gold medal in this category. After his win, he commented, “I don’t know, it’s a dream, a dream, it is fantastic. Maybe tomorrow I can imagine what they are saying, but today it is incredible”. After his unexpected victory, he now has endorsement deals with Asics, New Balance amongst others. Achieving such a victory is no small feat, he worked tirelessly to realise his dream, he Arrived at the Other Side. However, Arriving at the Other Side is one thing, Surviving it is another “kettle of fish”.

Surviving the Other Side – “If you are persistent you would get it, If you are consistent you will keep it” – Harvey MacKay.

The iconic boxing match between James “Buster” Douglas and Mike Tyson is a good case study. At the time of the fight in 1990, Tyson was the world champion and everyone believed he couldn’t be stopped as he prepared to face his next opponent – “Buster” Douglas. Douglas arrived at the Other Side after his shocking victory that crowned him the undisputed champion of the world – sadly, he couldn’t survive the Other Side. Douglas got carried away with the perks that came with his victory and neglected to prepare to defend his title in the match with Evander Holyfield. He was out of shape and got knocked out in the third round. The defeat practically ended his boxing career – he was neither consistent nor disciplined enough to survive the Other Side.

Arriving at the Other Side is one thing, Surviving is another, whilst Sustaining it is a whole different ball game.

Sustaining the Other Side – You must plan ahead, be willing to pay the price and work extremely hard to ensure you sustain the success you’ve achieved. One of such examples is Warren Buffett, who began his wealth-building career at age 11 with the sum of $100. Now at the age of 91, he has a net worth of over $102.3 billion. The interesting part of his journey is that he experienced various highs and lows throughout his life, some of which include; depression, wars, pandemics, personal and financial losses, changing demographics, the internet boom, volatile financial markets etc. Evidently, all these things have not deterred him from achieving his objectives. Warren has been able to Sustain himself at – The Other Side.

The Other Side has numerous advantages – Impact, Fame, Money, Power, Influence etc. This is why crossing over to the Other Side is desired by many people.

Here are some Tips on How to Survive and Sustain yourself when you get to – The Other Side

1. Enjoy Your Victory

“Take your victories whatever they may be, cherish them, use them but don’t settle for them” – Mia Hamm

When you reach your goal or complete something you set out to do – congratulate yourself on your new accomplishment. You should also thank those who assisted you to get to where you are (your support system). Now, you don’t want to waste too much time dwelling on your win, many people do this and lose focus. Celebrate your achievements, set new goals for yourself and keep moving forward.

2. Remain Humble

Their tales are all too familiar. The self-motivated high achievers who reach the pinnacle of success and then allow it derail them. They abandon the values and principles that have made them successful. A personality that defies this norm is Lionel Messi. He is arguably the best player in football history with 6 Ballon d’Or awards, 6 European Golden Shoes, 10 La Liga and four Champions League titles. At the age of 13, he began his career with FC Barcelona. He recently left Barcelona for PSG after a 21-year career with the club, but he will always be remembered. Messi’s humility has been acknowledged by the majority of his teammates and coaches. He is often referred to as a “grounded individual”.

It’s clear that humility plays a huge role when you are at the Other Side. It will propel you to greater heights while keeping you grounded in your principles, ethics, and ideals. So, remain humble.

3. Set New Goals

“No matter how many goals you’ve achieved, you must set your sights on a higher one” – Jessica Savitch

It’s always a great feeling when you reach your goals or overcome a challenge. However, after a while, these emotions fade away. Just like so many others who have succeeded, they are faced with the question of what to do once their objectives have been met.

The answer is to Set New Goals. There is always room for growth in every aspect of life. Michael Jordan is an example of someone who embodies this philosophy. Jordan moved on to establish new goals for himself when he retired from the NBA in 2003 after years of dominating the league. Jordan set his sights on becoming the first Black man to own an NBA team and he did so in 2006 when he purchased the “Charlotte Hornets”. Jordan’s net worth is likely to exceed $1.6 billion by the end of the year, making him the fifth-richest African-American, according to Forbes. ​​

So, there you are – you’ve made it to the Other Side. You must remember that Staying Power will help you get there, but for you, Survive and Sustain yourself on the Other Side, you must take note of these three things; enjoy your accomplishments, remain humble and set new goals.

Till the next time we meet here, remember we all have “A Role to Play.”

Bank-Olemoh is senior special assistant to the president on education interventions.