All posts by : Success Bridge

Let’s try to put ourselves in Lincoln’s shoes. Why does he need to sharpen his axe for six hours when he has just eight hours to complete the task? He is probably wanting to ensure that the axe is sharp enough to allow him finish chopping the tree in two hours. It would be a tragedy to spend eight hours on the task and still not finish it because the axe is dull. That sounds like smart work. Let’s try to make an analogy between hard work and smart or intelligent work.

Before the invention of modern means of transportation, people would travel on foot for hundreds of kilometers to get to where they are going or travel very far to the stream or river to get water. Today, the same journey that would have taken two days to complete on foot, can now take just one hour or fifteen minutes, depending on the means of transportation you choose. You can also have water running from the tap in your bathroom. Unless you are doing a charity walk, it would be ridiculous to embark on a foot journey for two days when you can go in a car, or travel to the stream to fetch water when you have it running from the tap in your bathroom. When you use less effort to accomplish a task with more efficiency, you are working smart.

If you want to be successful, you have to work both hard and smart. For example, it takes a lot of effort to study a topic until you master it. Ever wondered why the highest paid people are people who do the most thinking? Sue Grafton gives us the answer in this quote, “Thinking is hard work, which is why you don’t see many people doing it.” However, if you can muster the mental discipline to think very deeply about things, you will surely succeed. Please do not run away from stressing your brain to find solutions to problems because it is hard work. Remember, all hard work pays.

When you work smart, you will save a lot of time. Again, you may have heard that “time is money.” People will pay you money if you can help them save time. Think about why you have to pay for transport fare. It is because the driver is saving you time. For example, if you are struggling with a particular topic, you can pay someone to explain to you, saving you time. Recently, I bought a software, but I did not know how to use it. I spent almost a week on Youtube trying to figure out how to use the software. Then I thought that I could quickly pay someone to teach me. I paid the person, and within 30 minutes, I had known what I could not in a whole week.

You also have to remember the goal you are trying to achieve as you work both hard and smart. The best principle I can recommend is work hard until you know enough to be able to work smarter. At the initial stages of taking up any task, you are going to find it difficult. As time goes on, you will find that it becomes more comfortable for you. If you have learned how to play any musical instrument, you will easily relate to this. You start as a complete novice, no matter how smart you are. If you work hard practicing, you will soon find that you can play well. Always look at the goal in front of you to motivate you to work both hard and smart. 

If you apply this principle, there is no way you will not succeed. If you have any issues, please reach out to us on info@b2sl.org and we’ll be there to support you. 

I will love to hear from you. So, please drop your questions or comments in the comment section below. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alero Babine is a writer, professional photographer, and Secretary of B2SL, where she works to empower teenagers to succeed. You can reach her on alero@b2sl.org

“The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Samuel Goldwyn

Some people do not like to work, and adding hard to work makes life more complicated. However, if you want to succeed, you not only have to work, you must work hard because success does not come by luck!

A hardworking person is committed to work and puts remarkable effort into doing and completing tasks. Hard work is different from regular work. Attending class, copying notes, or being punctual cannot be hard work; they are statutory responsibilities for any student. Routine work is something we must do to survive or maintain the status of belonging. However, if you put in another two hours of study to understand a difficult topic after school, that is hard work!

People who succeed in their field always go the extra mile from sports to academics, medicine, sales, politics, entertainment, etc. Novak Djokovic, the world number-1 tennis player for men, does 90 minutes of practicing tennis every morning, and another 90 minutes in the afternoon. That is three hours of practicing tennis daily. The three hours are not inclusive of the time he spends meditating or stretching.

Ash Barty is the world number-1 tennis player for women. She attributes her success to a lot of hard work on and off the court. Barty does 45 minutes of body preparation work in the morning and then another round of movement sessions before training for two hours. She has a little rest before going to the gym to work out or back to the court for more practice.

What do these two guys have in common? The amount of hard work and time they put into their profession! Their hard work off the court is what translates into those spectacular shots on the courts. Is there any wonder why they are at the top? You may not be Djokovic or Barty, who are tennis players, but you must work hard if you want to succeed in anything. For you, it may be becoming better in Maths, English, Physics, etc. or improving your communication skills, or becoming better at some sport or music. Whatever it is, you must decide to start working hard today.

I love to hear from you. Please drop your comments and feedback in the comments section below. You can reach out to our team at info@b2sl.org if you require any assistance.

Catch you soon!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry Ibrahim is the Content Creator at B2SL. He loves working with young people to help them discover their purpose in life. You can reach him on ibrahim@b2sl.org.

“There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance” – Buddha

According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, “knowledge is the information, understanding, and skills that you gain through education or experience.” It is also the awareness of one’s ignorance or weakness concerning one’s experience. When people are ignorant, their capacity for success is weak. Knowledge can be gained through learning, striving, seeking, and constant practice, failing, etc. Overcoming ignorance comes at a cost. It could be your time, money, pride, etc. There are many benefits, but we have listed a few below.

ENABLES PROBLEM SOLVING

Every problem in life calls for a solution. However, solutions are provided by those who know only. Problems are inevitable in life, and you should train yourself to be a problem solver by getting knowledge. When you do that, you become relevant in your society. For example, doctors cure illnesses by providing medications to patients, but they cannot do this if they are ignorant.

BUILDS CONFIDENCE

When you are knowledgeable, your level of confidence increases. Without confidence, you will be unable to provide solutions to problems. Knowledge helps you believe in yourself. When you face a problem, your level of confidence in approaching it will depend on what you know about the subject. People who know are usually not scared. They might even be happy when problems arise because it is an opportunity for them to shine. Think about how stars shine in the night while we struggle to see.

BREEDS SUCCESS

Knowledge serves as a bridge or key to success. The success of men is determined by what they know. The success of a student is determined by what you know of the subject in question. Let’s face it; we cannot prove that we understand an issue if we fail continuously. The fact that you are failing is an indication that there is still something you don’t know. Once you overcome that ignorance, success is born.

In conclusion, just like Barbara Sher said, “the cure of sorrow is to learn something”, we should learn to overcome our sorrows. We should also be willing to upgrade ourselves in areas where we think we know. Let us not fear failing in our quest for knowledge.

Please post your comments and contributions in the comments section below, and let’s continue to encourage ourselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Omole Richard & Beatrice Aiyedusho are secondary school students in SS2 and are members of B2SL Success Hub. They believe that a prosperous Nigeria is possible if they are successful themselves. You can reach them on this email- info@b2sl.org[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

“Knowledge like air is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it”. Alan Moore

Knowledge is one of the few things that are of great value in life. There is nothing to lose for always wanting to know better. The price you are willing to pay for a thing or service is equivalent to the value you place on it. For example, if you had to choose between buying a book or a dress, your choice will depend on the worth you place on either the book or the dress.

Everything valuable comes with a price, and Knowledge is not an exemption. Knowledge is very invaluable to our lives and ultimate worth. If you want to remain relevant, you have to continue striving to know. However, becoming valuable comes with a price. You become more expensive by becoming more knowledgeable or growing less useful by becoming less knowledgeable or refusing to upgrade what you know already. Here are some things that you can exchange for Knowledge. 

1. EFFORT

You must be ready to put in some effort. A student who wants to have Knowledge in Mathematics or any other subject must understand that people do not become knowledgeable by merely desiring it. They need to devote energy in the area of asking questions, solving exercises, reading, talking to people, digging deeper, mastering the art of observation, and focusing all attention on details of what they want to know.

2. TIME

All successful people know that time is more important than money. Time is priceless. If you desire Knowledge, you must be ready to give your time in exchange. It could be your TV time, or outing time, or time on the internet. Time is the one thing you cannot gain anymore in your life, so; every little piece of Knowledge will cost you a portion of your time. Learn to make every second count, mind how and what you engage in with your time.

3. SLEEP

You need to get adequate sleep to be healthy and agile. However, do not love sleep too much. When we were in Secondary school, someone posted a quote that made us think. “If you sleep for eight hours every day, by the time you are 75, you would have been sleeping for 25 years of your life”. We felt that was a bit harsh, but it was another way of saying, do not spend the whole of your life sleeping! Successful people who are products of Knowledge do not sleep too much. They lose their sleep in the process of getting Knowledge. While I am not prescribing any particular number of hours to sleep in a day, as I am not an expert, I am saying, losing some of your Sleep for Knowledge is not a bad idea.

Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to learn. Invest some effort, time, and sleep and see how much you can learn.

I love to hear from you. Please drop your comments and feedback in the comments section below. You can reach out to our team at info@b2sl.org if you require any assistance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alero Babine is a writer, professional photographer and is the Secretary at B2SL, where she works to empower teenagers to succeed.

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1597607280030{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius

In my first year at the university, one of my lecturers encouraged us to “forget everything that we already know.” I felt that was too rude. My primary and secondary school years combined were 12 years. How on earth could he dare say that? It was not until I started learning exciting things that I realized how much I did not know! I guess what my lecturer was trying to say to us was that there would always be something that we do not know, and we should take note.

The importance of knowledge to success cannot be overemphasized, especially in the information age that we are in now. Check to see people who succeed in life; they all know more than others that distinguish them in their field. You usually pay for what you don’t know in life. For example, you pay school fees because you want to learn from teachers who understand, you pay the doctor because you want him to give you the cure for the illness that you don’t know its treatment, you pay tailors to help you make clothes that you cannot make by yourself. Below are some of the things you can do to increase your knowledge.

PURSUE KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge does not come to you; you have to go after it. Thanks to technology, you can now have people coming to teach you in the comfort of your home through your device. However, you must still be the one to apply and accept to be informed before this can happen. I have not seen anywhere people force you to guide you. When you have difficulty in life, such as difficulty with English Language or Mathematics, you go to a teacher who knows for enlightenment. You may be required to pay or not. But take note of the process, you have to go to the one who knows.

Make that move today. If you don’t know something- ask from those who know.

BE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE

Knowledge never comes free. It must cost you something. If not money, it will cost you time or your pride. Understanding must begin with a price because it is valuable, and no useful thing comes free! Luckily, the internet has helped to democratize knowledge so that both the rich and poor can access information from anywhere in the world. But you still have to pay for data to get on the internet. At this level, you are laying the foundation of your life, and what you know is going to determine how valuable you will become. If it means you are skipping a meal to buy data to learn, do it. If you need to stay up all night browsing with free data to learn, please do it, and you will not regret it.

BE AWARE OF YOUR IGNORANCE

There is a limit to what you know, and you must be aware of that. No matter how intelligent you are, you cannot know everything. Accepting that you don’t know something and willingness to learn is not a sign of weakness but an indication that you want to grow. My advice is to learn as many unusual things as possible from those who know better than you. One thing you should avoid is the trap of thinking that you know what you don’t. Ignorance limits you and makes you panic, but you must always accept what you don’t know and strive to understand.

I love to hear from you. Please drop your comments and feedback in the comments section below. You can reach out to our team at info@b2sl.org if you require any assistance.

About the Author

Bessy Ebule is the Project Director at B2SL, where he works to encourage personal development and build success networks. You can contact him at bessy.ebule@b2sl.org.

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