Every one of us has the dual power to succeed or fail; the thought of good or bad; success or failure that we allow in our minds plays a major role in what we eventually become, the result will be determined by the dominant of our thoughts. Our future is actually made inside us. While we all mostly have the default state of failure, the path to success requires our conscious effort and planning. And where we failed to plan then we have inadvertently planned to fail.
Few years ago when I was preparing for my professional examinations in insurance I experienced both success and failure that clearly illustrate the point am stressing here that we all have the inbuilt power to either succeed or fail in life, or whatever it is that we lay our hands on, depending on the choice we have consciously or unconsciously made.
Taking Up The Challenge:
It took me a while to got to know that some of my course mates at the polytechnic had started writing professional exams and immediately it came to my knowledge I made up my mind to enroll instantly, which I did and I had to borrow the registration fee and money for course books. I couldn’t afford the fees charged at the tutorial so I made up my mind to study on my own. So I got down to business instantly and started studying about seven months to my exam.
Hardly had I made my intention known that I started receiving series of advice from my course mates that were already writing the examinations. They were all of the opinion that I should not put in for life business, to them it was no go area; students that write the paper every year were too scanty because of the difficulties encountered in passing the paper. Their word was anything but encouraging, and was I deterred? Not at all, rather I became more curious and determined to explore the path most of them are afraid to follow and see things for myself.
My enrolment for the life business and inability to afford fees charged at the tutorial classes made it double challenge for me. And my critics believed that for me to pass the exams I must enroll for the tutorial class.
Few years ago when I was preparing for my professional examinations in insurance I experienced both success and failure that clearly illustrate the point am stressing here that we all have the inbuilt power to either succeed or fail in life, or whatever it is that we lay our hands on, depending on the choice we have consciously or unconsciously made.
Taking Up The Challenge:
It took me a while to got to know that some of my course mates at the polytechnic had started writing professional exams and immediately it came to my knowledge I made up my mind to enroll instantly, which I did and I had to borrow the registration fee and money for course books. I couldn’t afford the fees charged at the tutorial so I made up my mind to study on my own. So I got down to business instantly and started studying about seven months to my exam.
Hardly had I made my intention known that I started receiving series of advice from my course mates that were already writing the examinations. They were all of the opinion that I should not put in for life business, to them it was no go area; students that write the paper every year were too scanty because of the difficulties encountered in passing the paper. Their word was anything but encouraging, and was I deterred? Not at all, rather I became more curious and determined to explore the path most of them are afraid to follow and see things for myself.
My enrolment for the life business and inability to afford fees charged at the tutorial classes made it double challenge for me. And my critics believed that for me to pass the exams I must enroll for the tutorial class.
Determination:
In every challenge we face in life and or business, our will power to succeed amidst difficulties and uncertainties goes a long way to determine our achievement at the end of the day.
Consequently, I didn’t allow the obvious obstacles and every word of discouragement to deter me from becoming a chartered insurer within the shortest time possible. Even though then I didn’t know the concept of autosuggestion and positive confession, I was telling anyone that cared to listen that I was going to study on my own and pass the examination. And I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to pass the examinations.
Adequate Planning And Preparation:
Success in every endeavor depends on adequate planning and preparation. What challenges are you facing in your life or business? You need to evaluate the situation and consciously design a workable plan that would ensure you succeed. You must also be adequately prepared to work your plan. Failure to plan is an invitation to fail.
Hence, the first thing I did was to get all the course books I would need. And honestly, it was not easy to raise the money then. Thereafter, I began to study long time before the exam commenced. I actually study the course materials eight months before the exam and at that time others were busy doing something else. I became familiar with the course materials that, as the exam was getting nearer, each time I pick them up my mind reeled off the content of the materials so easily that my appetite for them was declining due to too much familiarity.
It is worthy of note here that I didn’t have the whole day to myself because I was working on a full time job and at the same doing part time programme in the polytechnic. The only time I have to study for my professional exam was in the night. In fact this is what brought about my long time preparation.
“War doesn’t claim the life of a wise cripple; because he would have exercised the wisdom to leave the war-threatened-zone long before the war started”---Proverb, Yoruba, Western Nigeria
The Right Association
The people you associate or hang out with have a lot of influence over your success or otherwise in life and business. They determine your faith to a greater extent and because of this you must be very careful of those you associate with. Just like somebody said: ”Show me your friends and I will tell you whom you are”
I have few friends then that we study together in the night after the office hours and I was particularly close to one lady among them. We were everywhere together (whenever this was possible) studying and teaching each other what we have learnt to the best of our abilities and whenever any topic or concept is not clear to us we consult our course materials together for clarity and better understanding. When it was a week to the exam we both took casual leave from our offices and she moved over to my place. No funny stuff though. And we began revising our notes and those topics we had treated previously late into the night and many time we would felt asleep right on top of our books.
One vital thing we never did throughout this period of our intense preparation, amidst stories of how we could not pass the exams studying on our own and all that and how most students are failing the exam every year, was to entertain fear or doubt about passing the exams or not. Because of our long preparation, I had a high level of confidence, positive and right mindset toward the outcome of the result.
And The Reward Came
I was very exhilarated when the result came out and I passed the four papers I wrote that year with two distinctions sandwiched in between. It was a great achievement for me that year because most of those that went to tutorial class could not record such achievement.
This really taught me a lesson on hard work and adequate planning and preparation on everything I want to do in life. As you read on, the essence of this sentence would be clearer.
Turn Of Events
The following year I enrolled for the second stage of the examination but the settings and circumstances have changed. The preparation and association have changed, they were entirely different and so was the result at the end of the day.
Negative Confessions And Inadequate Preparation
I had the misfortune of preparation the second stage of the examination with another friend who was anything but positive minded. She was fond of calling amidst our study and said that:
“Taye, do you know if we fail this examination it won’t matter because it was our money”, “I really don’t know what to write in the exams”
…and series of negative thoughts and confessions like that.
Before I knew what was happening I had bought into her thought and when the exam came I wrote the papers amidst fear and uncertainties.
The result
You guess right. I was even lucky to pass one out of the four papers I wrote in the examination and my negative-minded friend never passed any of her papers!
Conclusion
Much later as I study more and begin to have insights into certain concepts and principles that guides our human life; I was able to realize that I was actually responsible for both my success and failure in the examinations because of the state of my mind, my belief, the people I associated with during my preparation. Both friends had influenced my thoughts in different ways and that brought about the different results that I had.
More stunning is the realization that many are going through series of events in their lives without realizing the enormous power they have by simply controlling their thoughts and associate with the right people that could turn their lives around for the better.
My message to you is that arise and make use of that power within you because if you do not; you will be fully responsible for whatever happens to you on this planet and you can't blame your creator, maker or any higher power not even unluck, as many people are fonding of saying: "He is just lucky or Am just unluck" or so so and so is responsible for my misfortune.
Change your thought and your associate and you will dramatically change your life.
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