Without willpower, it is not easy to succeed in honest pursuits.

Take a certain sub-Saharan African country, for instance. Bad behavior and crime often get rewarded faster than hard work and honesty. So, it takes mental fortitude to overcome feeling like a fool for sticking to your guns.

Then, there is the sheer weight of surviving despite the rising cost of essential goods and services. The constant traffic, noise, and chaos. You find pockets of sanity, but you know not when they will come, nor are you in control of them. This unpredictability lends a crushing blow to your mental health; after that, inertia creeps in.

There are Three Stages of Inertia

First, you convince yourself you are just taking a break from excellence. After all, “No be only you kill Jesus.” Then, that break lowers your standards. After that, everything slowly goes downhill. Good enough becomes the norm. It’s not as if your effort was noticed or appreciated, to begin with. Your company didn’t pay you enough, yet you kept seeing your mates spending easy money on Instagram. Inertia is now fully locked and loaded.

Take a Bow, Operations Rock Star!

Can we take a moment to applaud those who operate or manage companies in countries plagued by “anyhowness”? How you do it, I do not know. You have an internal energy that is not easily deterred. You keep showing up and moving forward and that effort ought to be celebrated.

Now, Back to Matters of Inertia

Unfortunately, inertia makes you give up too soon. You change yourself, instead of transforming your circumstances. It’s not easy to remain steadfast, but it’s possible.

Your kind is rare. I have traveled the world and let me tell you a secret. Excellence is not as common as you think and has no geographical exclusivity. Organizations need you, but they must know you exist. You must put yourself forward to be seen, experienced, and then referred for opportunities.

You need a season where all you do is write your testimonials and apply for things. And don’t let anyone deter you from celebrating your achievements on LinkedIn. Keep posting. You are inadvertently creating a public resumé and online footprint.

Here’s My Advice

Apply for at least ten opportunities to start with. Don’t be alarmed. Once you complete one, you can update or adapt your content and documents for others. Plus, every application refines your story. You become better at crafting your narrative and elevator pitch. Even if someone wakes you at 2am, you can intuitively spit out your pitch.

One of those platforms will eventually click and you will be invited to a brand new world you never knew existed.

So get to work now. You have my support and I believe in you.

For more, please read Dream Big. Work Hard. Never Give Up!

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