A few years ago, I attended a program where a young man, who became one great journalist of international repute, told the story of how he made it. He recounted the many challenges and obstacles he faced on his journey to the top yet in spite of all these he succeeded. This young man was the late Komla Dumor. He spoke of how he had to abandon his initial plans of becoming a medical doctor because it was not working for him. How people began to call him names, insult him and the slander when he finally found what he enjoyed doing. In spite of all these he never gave up once he discovered what will give him fulfilment and essence.
Every beautiful story has its own “in spite of”. It may be the story of how the Bright Brothers never gave up and in spite of their initial failures succeeded in building the first aeroplane.
Any story of success that lacks an “in spite of “is not worth telling because it inspires nothing. In fact, it will kill people with its boredom. Our lives are made up of a lot of stories but not all are products of an “in spite of” story. The ones with the “in spite of “character are the ones that mark defining moments of our lives. They bring tears to our eyes, challenge and motivate others. This is because they are testimonies of our tenacity and refusal to give up.
What makes these stories ever memorable is the discovery of purpose, passion, dedication and discipline that drives it.
Each one of us must discover our purpose. You are not a product of some chemical reaction. You are not a mistake of your parents. You are put here for a reason. It is called purpose. Find it. Discover it. Explore it. Pope Benedict XVI says “each one of us is a thought of God. Each one of us is loved…” Scripture says “you are fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:14). It doesn’t matter how you look, where you come from, God has a purpose for you. Until you discover your purpose you will never find fulfilment.
Passion is defined as an intense desire and enthusiasm for something. When you have discovered your purpose, you must passionately pursue it. The word passion comes from the Latin “passio” which means “to Suffer”. To have passion then is to be willing (i.e to have the will) to suffer and bear whatever difficulties there may be, towards attaining your goals. Passion keeps your focus on your goals in spite of your challenges.
You must be disciplined to attain your dreams. Discipline is the ability to do what you know must be done and do it. This implies that you need some knowledge of what your dream entails. You adequately know the demands and you oblige yourself to do it in order to attain your goal or dream. To undertake the demands of our aspirations and dreams is the best test of our willingness to succeed. Elbert Hubbard calls it self-discipline. And he defines it as “the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it whether you feel like it or not”. If you are hemophobia (one who fears blood) and yet you discover your purpose is to be a doctor, you must work on overcoming that phobia. Jim Rohn says “discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”.
You too can have and should have an “in spite of” story to inspire another person. But you are not going to achieve that, trying to be like others and not taking up the challenge that life throws at you. Get up. Discover. Get to work and get dirty and give us some inspiration.
By Fr. Delight Arnold Carbonu
