The way of the winner.

There are countless metaphors of human success, the analogy in most, if not all, being the subject achieving number one status in whatever they do, or getting to some dizzy height at least. I won’t stand around and dish punishment like I haven’t been also guilty of focusing on how these folks get to the last step at the top of the ladder, totally ignoring the climbing process.

I read something the other day that provoked my thinking in this regard, poor you for having to read through what I think on, this mind can be quite a maze. I understand how diverse a people we are, with the lines of not only race, gender, height and physique, to mention a few dividers, we have one of the factors that cut thick lines between us yet it’s those very lines that somehow encompass all of us at the same time, I’m driving at religion.

Now, regardless of what you believe in, you will agree with me that there’s one thing that stands out, and that’s the manner in which these teachings encourage swimming against the tide. You’ve been wronged by someone? Pray for them in positive harmony; rather than sitting back and accepting gifts, there’s more joy in giving instead, look, I could go on forever. Maybe one might say, hey, what about us that don’t believe in anything, well, I’m glad you asked, because even in the world of those who believe in nothing, yet having aspirations of being a winner, the concept of resilience is a familiar one. When you fall, you get up and try again, when your efforts are despised, you just keep going until your brilliance is noted, in essence, there’s no relenting until the goal is attained.

Now look at how the same ribbon binds us all! With all our physical and spiritual differences, there is only one way of the winner, and its swimming against the tide, going against the norm, holding on through rough seas and high waters, as opposed to taking the easy way out, giving up. In the words of one man who has certainly made his mark where winning is concerned, “I have never learned anything from success”, so profound, a reminder to me and you that the focus when dreaming of winning shouldn’t be on the victory itself because at the end of the day, the torch will always be passed to another person, but the focus should be on the journey to the top, because that’s where the wisdom, the treasure of life is buried, and get this, wisdom, unlike the title of “number one”, never dies, nor can one lose it to another; it lives on forever under the  face of advice!

We are not all fortunate enough to find a bed that’s already been made for us to snuggle up in, for those like me that have dreams and have to not only navigate our way up, but also draw the map as we go, ours is the way of the winners, the real winners.

Calm seas never made good Captains!

Keep well and stay winning.

Lethu.