One anonymous speaker once stated that success is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent respiration. I love and live by that quote. I enjoy reading and listening to biographies of people I consider successful and inspiring (those that I know personally, in my community and those that I have dreams of meeting one day). We all have different role models who inspire or have inspired us in different ways. For the lengthy period of time I have been interested in studying biographies, I have come to realise that most successful people have one thing in common; it is the drive to do what they have in mind.
Everything that you see around you, all technological inventions you can think of, the songs you listen to, all these started as little ideas in someone’s head. The person who had that idea did not sleep on it, they dared themselves to do the best they can to bring them to life. It is not an easy process trying to convince others to support believe in our ideas. Carrying on even after people have shown less interest is the drive. Believe me, there is no such thing as an invalid idea as long as it is to make life better for humankind. There are people who you will meet on your way up discouraging and making fun of your ideas.
I believe being driven is a choice someone has to make for themselves. You cannot be forced to do something and do it well as if you were to do it willingly. You have to decide to keep going against all odds, to not get discouraged and to be optimistic. Being driven has nothing to do with one’s intelligence level, racial background or gender. It is a great desire to succeed that one has to carry down in their hearts. It is a desire fuelled by passion and sincerity. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, it is easy to give up. We are faced by challenges everyday and it is the passion that determines how driven you are, after you have failed a few times.
In all reality, opportunities are not presented to us equally in life. Some people have to start from A- Z by themselves, some are just suppose to connect the dash between Y and Z to finish the line. But even that little dash between Y and Z requires a driven person to get it done. We know of children who were born in well established families but they did not have the drive to maintain the family legacy, and we know of people who started with nothing at all but went on to achieve enormous success by staying focused and driven. Whether you are in high school, in university, having a business idea or having thoughts of starting a youth organisation in your community, it is the drive that gets you to start and to finish what you have started.