ASPIRE for Greatness

We all aspire for greatness. Indeed, the potential to be great is inherent in every one of us. So how do we harness the greatness that resides within us? In this brief article, I have captured with the acronym A.S.P.I.R.E , some key ingredients required to tap into the greatness within.

A – Articulate your dream. Everybody wants to be great. Everybody wants to have a good life. But those are very vague. You should be able to articulate to a reasonable degree what exactly your dream is. Many of us have dreams and aspirations but they only exist in our minds. We may think about them often but the first form of tangibility your dream gets is when you are able to articulate them verbally. Put your dreams into words. Have them written somewhere you can see them. The shortest pen beats the longest memory. Don’t rely on your memory alone. Have your dreams properly articulated by writing them down.  

S – Solidify your core values. It takes a certain character to achieve a corresponding dream. Soldiers by virtue of the important role they play in defending the sovereignty and territoriality of their nations, go through intense training where the necessary character for their job is built. But character is informed by the core values you embrace. Ask yourself: what kind of person achieves my kind of dream? What values must I live by to be that kind of person? 

P – Plan, prepare and persist. Big things don’t come about by happenstance. They are planned for. You must have a plan that you continually revisit and revise in other to actualize your dream. Failure is guaranteed when planning is absent.

Preparation can include acquisition of the relevant skill/knowledge. If solidifying your values speaks of character, preparation speaks of competence. Your plan is like the map that shows you where exactly you are going. Preparation is gathering the resources you will need to embark on the trip: the right kind of vehicle, the required luggage, etc.

To persist is to have staying power; your ability to forge ahead in the face of opposition and daunting obstacles. Your dream will not be handed over to you on a platter of gold. You must be ready to fight for it. You must persist. Persistence always trumps resistance. Sometimes the difference between a winner and a loser is not intelligence or skill but persistence. The most skilful and most intelligent of people will face situations that will make them consider quitting. At such crossroads, it’s persistence that makes the difference. If you think your dream is worth anything, fight for it. Persist!

I – Implement. Until you start taking tangible steps towards the actualization of your dream, you have a 100% certainty that it will never come to pass. Articulate all you can, develop the best of character, plan and prepare all you can, if you don’t actually start, having acquired all the knowledge, nothing will happen. Book that appointment, make that call, send that letter, bid for that contract, whatever you have to do, no matter how small or trivial, just do it. 

R – Re-evaluate periodically. This is how you measure your progress. That you are making movements don’t always mean you are moving towards your dreams. You don’t want to get to the top of the ladder only to discover it is leaning on the wrong wall. Re-evaluation ensures you stay on track or get back on track before you veer so far off. 

E – Enrich your life with healthy relationships. Life is an aggregate of relationships. If you do not cultivate healthy relationships, you short-change yourself. Be kind to people regardless of their status or class. It speaks a lot about who you really are when you treat the waitress at the restaurant with disdain while kissing the feet of the girl you are in love with. At work, respect not just your bosses but your subordinates as well. You never can tell who would be in a position to help you tomorrow. God help you if you had treated that person shabbily yesterday. You lose nothing being nice to people. Rather you stand to gain a lot.

This is by no means exhaustive but it sure is enough to get you started and going. See you at the top.  

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