THE REWARD OF PERSISTENCE AND PESEVEARANCE

A strong-willed man was born into a prominent royal and political family.  His father was a political icon and he was a non-executive president in his home country for about two to three years.  His maternal grandfather was also a king in their hometown.  It will not be awkward to say that kinship or prominence runs through their veins.

His parents invested a lot in his education, to the extent that he studied for his O-Level and A-Level examinations at a reputable college overseas.  He began some courses over there but left soon afterwards.  He returned back to his country to teach at one of the well-known senior high schools before going to read Economics at a prestigious University in his home country, where he graduated with honors.  At some point, he trained as a lawyer under the apprenticeship system where no formal law degree was required.  Shortly after that, he was called to the English bar and later called to the bar in his home country.  He also worked with an office for the U.S law firm and after a while, he co-founded a law firm.

Along the line, he became interested and actively involved in politics after he joined a political movement.  He participated in a few political movements, most of which stirred up his political ambition.

Pursuing his political ambition, this strong-willed man competed for the presidential candidacy of the political party he joined, but lost to another candidate under the same party umbrella, who subsequent won the presidential election and assumed office as president of his home country the following year.  He was the chief campaigner for his competitor during the elections.  He however became the first Attorney General and Minister for Justice of his country, after which he later moved to one of the reputable ministries of the government.

Although he lost to his competitor, this strong-willed man still did not give up.  He persevered and kept pushing hard towards his political aspirations of which he dreamt of one day, becoming the president of his country.  There were countless voices of discouragement, saying to him, “it is not possible, you can never become president,” but he persistently endured the preparation process which at that time, seemed like a wilderness period for him.  He kept fighting for what he believed in.

Several years later, he became the popular candidate tipped to win the presidential primaries of the political party he represented.  He ran for presidency twice with an interval spacing of four years but he lost on both occasions to the opposition party.  As a matter of fact, he legally challenged the results of the election the second time he tried contesting.  Despite his legal challenge, his opponent from the opposition party, still became the outright winner. This strong-willed man accepted the court’s verdict in the interest of economic stability and international good-will.

Two years after that, this man, still fueled with determination to rule his country, announced his intention to seek his party’s nomination for the third time ahead of the next elections.

In the same year that he declared his intention, he won, the primaries with a very huge margin.  Two years later, the sitting  president of the country he was aspiring to rule, conceded defeat to this strong-willed man.

             LESSONS

1.      With hard work and determination, you can achieve your dreams.

2.      Ambition or aspiration will make you set some goals but consistency and persistence will help you realize and achieve those goals.

3.      Not everyone will believe in you and your vision; not everyone will be able to capture the picture you have of your future.  Therefore don’t worry when your vision does not make sense to some people.  It will make sense to the ones who believe in you, and they will make room for you.

4.      Persistence indeed breaks resistance.

5.      Not everyone needs to understand your vision or journey, once you do that’s all that matters.

6.      Delays is not denial.  The vision is for an appointed time, though it tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come.

7.      The fact that you have been denied does not mean it is impossible.

8.      The world will not give to you what you deserve but what you strive for.  Build capacity and tenacity.

9.      Your destiny does not lie in the bossom of men or in lips of mortals, trust the report of the Lord.

10.  Perseverance is the test of your passion and your passion is the fuel to your success so keep your passion alive. 

11.  When an attempt does not work out, re-strategize and give it another try.

12.  When men step out, God steps in.  Find God.

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BERNARD ELBERNARD NELSON-ESHUN