Shoot Your Shot
I Either Win Or Learn - Nelson Mandela
I would [rather] go 0-30 before I would go 0-9. 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game… The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.
-Kobe Bryant
Set your sights. Calm your mind.
Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.
Slowly.
You can do this: you DO do this.
Believe. Concentrate: eliminate the noise.
Be Present.
Leap.
Execute.
Score.
Now, Do it again.
Consistency, Faith, Confidence. When you shoot your shot, these are key elements to success.
This isn’t only about basketball.
One Shot. One Punch. One Prayer. One Question. One Run. One Post. One Step. One Page. One Click. One Investment: YOUR path to success begins.
You Miss 100% Of The Shots You Don’t Take. – Wayne Gretzky
Unlike professional athletes who must optimize every move in life, it's often our willingness to take action that counts most. It's about seizing opportunities rather than calculating their efficiency.
If you had 10$, Would you buy a book on personal finance or lottery tickets? Consider the lottery: a gamble that preys on hope without effort. Americans spend 5x more money on lottery tickets than books - A testament to seeking fortune in chance rather than empowerment through knowledge.
Is there such a thing as applying to too many jobs?
When looking for a partner, do you ask out one and then give up?
It's not the number of attempts but the breakthroughs that shape our lives. Like finding the right key after trying many, victory isn't in how many keys you've tried; it's in unlocking the door.
Whether pursuing a new career, starting a business, penning your story, or seeking companionship, the essence is clear: take that shot. Embrace the possibility inherent in every risk. With each step forward, you craft the narrative of your life, a series of attempts where each one could be the turning point. Trust in the journey, act with intent and watch as the doors open before you.
Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished. - Marcus Aurelius
Beginning something new is always hard. However, Once you start, half the work is done. The rest is just plain old consistency - persistence and perseverance, AKA: WORK.
Consider these scenarios
Mahamoud started going to the gym, but now it’s getting cold. School is getting tough. Work projects are piling up. His knees hurt. His friends are too busy. He stops going to the gym yet knows he is at a crossroads: He started working out to feel better. If he gives up now, he knows he’ll return to where he began. But if he persists and perseveres, he knows he will achieve what he envisioned when he started.
Similarly, professions yield the same issue. Take Ayesha, for instance, tired of her job. She’s been applying for the last six months and has only scored three interviews. Does she abandon the job search entirely and stick to the job she hates? Or should she tweak her resume, revisit her application strategy, and keep going?
Much like Ayesha, many entrepreneurs face a similar dilemma. Let's observe Michael, who started a textile business. Ten months in, he still hasn’t turned a profit. He thinks of giving up but remembers reading that Amazon wasn’t profitable until 2003, 8 years after it was founded. Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest cement producer, was not profitable until 2010, 12 years after it was established. Uber just had its first profitable quarter in 2023, 14 years after it was launched.
Or reflect upon the Fawziyath, the artist, each stroke of the brush, each line of the verse: a shot at expressing the inexpressible, at touching the hearts of the unseen audience. To her, the canvas is both a playground and a battleground, where fear of failure and the joy of creation dance in a delicate ballet.
And then there's you, with your unique court, your own game.
So, as you step onto the court of your dreams, remember every shot taken is a step towards your goal, no matter the outcome. The key is to keep constantly revising your approach, learning from the feedback, and shooting your shot again and again.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao Tzu
After reading this, I hope you reflect and see what we are doing here at Diaspora Dollars: Africa is a continent of hope and opportunity. The true measure of success isn't just in the shots we make but in the courage to keep taking them. The stories of Mahamoud and Ayesha aren't just narratives of personal strife; they are microcosms of the larger story each diaspora member cultivates. The path is fraught with challenges, yet it is our collective resilience and determination that turn these challenges into opportunities.
Success here, as anywhere, demands consistency, confidence, and faith. Let these stories inspire you to keep striving, using every shot as a stepping stone toward your own definition of success.
This is a wonderful post. Great life advice in general that starting is the hardest thing in any endeavour. As you say, after that comes the need for consistency.