Coming in from the cold

By

Dr. Agoso "Arnobb" Huladeino Bamaiyi

Are you an underdog, a rank outsider? Are you living under; underestimated, underappreciated, undervalued, underpaid, and under everything negative? Have you been beaten down by life; defeated, dusted, bruised, and left on the ground? Are you left standing in the cold? Do not give up hope. Stir yourself up and give life a fight. You can beat the odds stacked against you. You can come in from the cold and be taken into the warmth of victory and success.

The legendary American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882), made a very powerful statement that I want to draw your attention to. He said:

“Noble souls through dust and heat, rise from disaster and defeat the stronger”

Defeat is never the end. It is not meant to be. It can be a retreat to reconsider and refire for a relaunch. You can rise out of it stronger and better. You can rewrite your script and act out a noble and glorious life. The question is; are you ready and willing to act nobly? Let me tell you about a lady that acted nobly and turned her story around. She did not give up when the going got tough and the odds were stacked against her. She is Yeka Onka, winner of Idol Nigeria 2011.

Yeka Onka is a good example of how determination and doggedness, a never-say-never and never-say-die attitude, can cause one to triumph against all odds and do better than people more talented and more gifted than you. She first auditioned for the show in the regional auditions in Enugu and was rejected by her judge on the grounds that she was not good enough for the reality TV show. That rejection would have forced any ordinary soul to give up their dream of becoming an international singing star, but not Yeka! That did not discourage her. She quickly gathered her things and travelled to Calabar and auditioned for the same show and was rejected for the second time for the same reason by the same judge! Certainly this is the end of the road for Yeka Onka? No!

Yeka Onka gathered her things again and travelled to Lagos for the final audition. As circumstances would have it, she appeared before the same judge who rejected her twice before, in Enugu and Calabar! When she came in and saw the judge, she felt like the ground should open up and swallow her! But, instead of turning around and running away, she gathered her emotions, steadied herself and put her entire soul into her performance, giving it her best. This time around, the judge was impressed and gave her the nod to join the show!

During the show proper, Yeka Onka was taken to task by the judges on several occasions and was bitterly criticized, especially by Yinka Davis who allowed Yeka no breathing space. Yeka Onka kept her cool and went through the show with equanimity and grace, believing and confessing that she will win. She made it to the finals and contested against Naomie Mac, a girl without doubt more gifted than Yeka but not as determined and desirous for victory as Yeka Onka. Naomie must have concluded that her talent alone will push her to victory. Big mistake! Talent is a great thing, but without pushfulness stemming from a strong desire to win, it will always come short. Yeka Onka had both talent and a jumbo-sized drive. Her desire was apparent and infectious.

Against the expectations of experts and those knowledgeable in music, and against the expectations of the judges on the show (Yinka Davis, Audu Maikori, and international super star -  Jeffry Daniel), Yeka Onka was voted winner by the international TV viewers! Her determination and self-belief paid off handsomely. She walked home with a prize of 7 million Naira, an SUV, and a recording contract, among many other things. Today she is an international singing sensation. She came in from the cold into the warmth of victory and success, living out her dreams joyfully.

Yeka Onka’s tenacity and dogged determination takes my mind to a famous statement made by William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994). In it, he shows the link between success and determination:

“Success is sometimes a series of failure held together by strong hands of determination.”

You are created and wired for success, but life will not give you that success on a platter of gold. Because you deserve success does not mean that success will come to you cheap. You will have to fight to get what you deserve. You will experience defeat and encounter setbacks along the way, but defeat and setbacks are not an excuse to give up. They are a spur to dig in deeper and bring forth the awesome resources in you. They are a call to stir yourself to greater mindfulness and resourcefulness. They are a training to build and strengthen your muscles so you can hold on and move up to better things. Do not give up. Keep holding on. Keep believing. Keep working. Keep pushing forward. Just like Yeka Onka, keep gathering your things and moving forward to confront the next challenge. The cold will not kill you, as long as you do not give up. You will come in from the cold into the warmth of victory and success.

“Great things always happen to those who persist. Winners are people who are willing to try one more time” – Mike Murdock.

Keep moving forwards and upwards.
See you at the top.
I love you.

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