Adversity Doesn’t Discriminate (Part I)

Like smoke in the air, so will COVID-19 and its adverse effects fade away. How soon we shall recover from the “W.H.O declared pandemic” is at best debatable but it’s certain this phase will also pass away. As I reflect on how even the advanced nations and socialites/elites have been humbled by the noisome pestilence, it occurred to me that “Adversity doesn’t discriminate”. This quote is credited to Dr. Lucy Hone a “Resilience expert” who took on the uncommon role of supporting victims of Christchurch earthquake through their ordeals. In like manner, we currently have overwhelmed but resilient medical crews attending to cases in different parts of the world. It is truly a challenging moment in the annals for the world. 

Of a truth everyone face adversities at varying degrees and dimensions. No one is immune from adversities whether at individual, corporate or national level. It’s a fact of life that “the rich also cry”. Why is it that what break some do make others? This is the trillion dollar question. The answer could be as diverse as there are individuals on planet earth. However, we can agree on the fact that it takes self-will, courage and resilience to overcome adversity. History is replete with many who buckle in the face of adversity and a handful who turned out as source of inspiration even several years after death. 

Studying physics in the high-school, Albert Einstein was my inspiration. What’s the reason behind my high regard for Sir Albert?  He was such a brilliant mind who also dared the odds of life to succeed. History had it that he suffered speech impairment from tender age and was also replete with memory loss. We learnt that he was actually not taken serious by his professors and peers at Swiss Polytechnic Institute where he graduated at age 21. Albert was jobless after graduation and started work as a “patent Clerk” about 2 years after. He picked himself up from this humble beginning and the rest is history. Not much credit (if any) was accorded him in history at family level. He went through divorce, had extra-marital affair and his father died believing that he was a monumental failure. 

Albert lived through life a lonely path charting a new course in scientific discoveries. He practically transformed the way physicists of all ages handle space, time, energy and matter (STEM) with support of others. His thoughts were “unbelievable” in his hey days until he proved his peers wrong through perseverance and irresistible facts. Today, several years after his death, he is synonymous with “genius”. He remained one of the most iconic change agent of our world. He’s noted for his influence in philosophy of science, theory of relativity, law of photoelectric effect for which he received Nobel price in 1921 and his famous energy-mass equivalence which according to Wikipedia is “noted as the world’s most famous equation”.

Are you faced with any adversity? Is it sickness, barrenness, unemployment, miscarriage, divorce, academic failure, imprisonment, resignation or termination of employment? Have you lost your loved ones or valuable property? Are you suffering unjustly or going through calamity of any sort that you have no control over? What painful experience are you going through at this moment in time? Are you scared stiff about COVID-19, it’s local implications and global dimension? All hope is not lost! You see, none of these should hinder your uplifting/advancement in life. With focus, passion and resilience success is around the corner. You can put the pieces together and come-off this terrible looking situation shinning as gold. 

Starting All-over Again

Change is good but it can be daunting given the requirements for discipline, perseverance and consistency. “The journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step”. This is a popular saying attributed to Lao Tsu or simply put, a popular Chinese proverb. After many years of contemplation, I joined two friends to Tee-off at the golf course. It was such a nice feeling. More of an ecstatic experience in a dream land. Why did it take so long? I wish I had a ready answer. One thing I do know now is that my excuse about being busy does not hold water. 

It’s not for lack of trying. The “will” was there but the body failed to cooperate. I bought my first complete set of golf clubs around 2005 but did not set my feet on the driving range until around 2011. Even at that, my foray lasted less than 3 weeks. That was how my first attempt ended abruptly. If anything, I submit that the presence of a coach this time around and myriads of encouragements from many quarters sustained my interest. Notwithstanding, I made up my mind never to fail on this last attempt at making the budding dream a reality. 

Coincidentally, this was not the only venture that I had failed to nail at first attempt. Around my birthday in October 2011, I started my blog - “The Winning Concept”. The first article posted was “The power in power-point” but few days later, it was shut down for reason I may never know. I had opened another blog with the same title shortly after that incident but I never operated it until I stumble on it in the first week of December 2019. For just no reason, I had typed my name - hoping to see whether google recognized my being, I guessed - and bang, Winning Concept popped up among other details. The spirit of a writer was re-awakened and here I am churning out my thoughts twice every month. 

Am I writing for its sake? No! I have a mission. One that is beyond me. If there is only one individual without hope out there who come across my musings, let it be that such will never remain the same until he/she attains set heights in life. My goal is to be an inspiration to just one man or woman out there and in the process I may just impact many more. Oh how I wished there was not a moment “my pen dried out”. A moment of grave silence and unheard inner yearnings. One in which the flow of thoughts that welled up inside of me refused to be unleashed. It felt like I had wasted time that may never be recovered again. Is it all gloom? Not quite. I am glad that I listened to my inner voice. The one that nudged me on to start all over again. The sense there is that if I do, I stand a chance to continue on a successful path. One whose trajectory defines a legacy of subtle but indelible impact.

This write-up is not about me but I am using my experience as a learning aid. It’s about encouraging someone in need of change. One who has either given up or about to do so in any aspect of life’s endeavours. It’s about someone who wanted to start a venture but easily gave up. The truth is that you will always find one thousand and one excuses why you are too busy to create time for it or why it will not work. It doesn’t matter how many times you have failed at that good venture, you can encourage yourself and pick it up again where you had stopped. Yes, pick it up again no matter how long it may be. It is never too late to begin all over again. In the words of Luminita D. Saviuc, “It’s never too late to start all over and rebuild your life from scratch; never too late to become the person you were destined to become. If you are still here, still living and breathing, then you have all it takes to move in the direction of your dreams....Don’t give up!”