Greeting friends,

Nothing makes a difference in any organization or somebody’s life than success. Success makes a huge difference in life. Once you are successful, you’ll definitely attract a huge number of followers. No wonder most people say failure is an orphan and success has many feathers. The interesting thing about success is that it makes a whole lot of difference in the life of any progressive being, company, association, political party, entrepreneur or any industry you are in.

During the course of this article, we shall discussing how results can make a difference in our lives. We’ll end by sharing some quotable quotes to inspire us to achieve success.

According to  John Quincy Adams. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. A Leader is not necessarily somebody who dishes out command or authority as the case may be. A true and genuine leader is one who inspires and produces more leaders. But what makes a leader unique is what he or she brings to the table, but more importantly, the trait of the leader or his or her propensity to produce results at the end of the day. That’s the hallmark of leadership. This is because, every rational and informed leader will like to leave legacy to be remembered when he or she leaves office.

I was inspired to write this article when I saw great tweets on social media about the transformation work the  President of Rwanda Paul Kagame is doing in his country. Of particular importance is the development and change he has brought to Rwanda which has taken the country to an enviable height. It’s worthy to note that prior to emergence of Paul Kagame, Rwanda was seen as one of the poorest countries in the world, but fast forward to the year 2000 when he was elected President, he transformed the country with great infrastructural and technological development and the results are have been seen by the global world. My question to you today is, what are you doing to make a difference?

In order to make a difference, you must have the courage to take risk. You don’t have to be concerned where you are from or what you have been through, your major concern should be where you are going. Brian Tracy brilliantly captured this point when he said “It doesn’t matter where you are coming from, all that matters is where you are going”.  Making a difference is not easy, sometimes you have to create the opportunity yourself if you truly believe in yourself and your products. Nobody will believe in you  your product if you don’t believe in yourself and your product. As a matter of fact, your chances of success is determined by your belief in yourself.   When you put yourself out there, people will see your work, they will also see how passionate and credible you are. These singular trait is what attracts people to you when they see your integrity.                     

It is an undisputable fact in life that nothing good comes easy. Success takes a lot of hard and smart work namely: sacrifice, research, training, failure, sleepless night, networking amongst others. What most people see in real life as success is an accumulation of different factors to achieve a goal. In the spirit of determinism, there’s no smoke without fire. For every cause, there must be a corresponding action. When you have an idea to create a business or invent a product, never allow it to perish like a mere thought or imagination, try to put it down and create a realistic plan to bring it into existence. Nor matter how big or small the idea is, don’t underrate it because most big things start small. You may get distractions and nay-sayers saying it’s not doable, but always know that impossibility only exist in the minds of fools. By the time your idea has seen the light of the day, your nay-sayers will be the first to check out you work. In the journey of life, most people are not concerned about the process, their major concern is the outcome of results. So don’t allow your thoughts to perish. Always watch your thoughts, because they do become your words, ,your your word metamorphose in your actions, your actions thereafter can manifest into your habits, your habit can gradually become your character which will ultimately become your destiny all things being equal. Believe in your dreams because they dreams do come through. The moral of this point is that, your thoughts are seeds of greatness that can make a difference in your life if properly harnessed. According to Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not an act, it’s a habit”.

 A typical example of a result that can create a difference is an entrepreneur. During the process of manufacturing or apprenticeship, he/she might get little or no support, rather the effort might be seen as building castles in the air, but when the product is finally achieved, the storyline changes to a success. Let’s take the case study of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. These two great minds had many failures and difficulties when they were trying to produce the IPhone and Microsoft. Some people regarded them as mad men, but they weren’t deterred from that negative opinion. They not only believed in their products, they believed in themselves and at the end of the day, they were able to make a difference with their products which in turn made life more conducive for humanity. I don’t know what you are working on, but I have just one message for you, just keep working on your craft and at the end of the day, you’ll definitely make a difference all things being equal.

In order to make a difference, entrepreneurs always have the mindset that the process is equally important like the results. According to this category of people, their major inspiration is the process they had to go through in order to make a difference, but to the global world, the result is more important because it makes the difference. That is the irony of life.

Furthermore, to produce the results that make a difference in the world, you must be prepared for the task. According to Miguel Saavedra, “To be prepared is half the victory”. Determination and preparation is normally the first step to achieving success. Most people are fond of saying, I will, I want to, I have a dream, passion, vision, etc., but very few are able to hit the ground moving. They fail to realize that opportunity only comes to prepared minds. According to Benjamin Franklin, “Well done is better than well said’. Moral: Talk is cheap, you must take the bold step.

Finally, it’s imperatively important to note that in whatever we do in life, the end result is always important. Life is not really how far, but how well. It is the end that truly justifies the means. So as a matter of advice, always have the end in mind by asking yourself, what do I intend or hope to achieve with this project? What do I have to gain by joining this organization or association? What to do I have to gain by attending this event, class or training? This is a call only you will answer because at the end, your success and failure stays with you, nobody will share it with you.

In conclusion, I will leave you this great quotes from great minds to encourage and inspire you in whatever craft, business or work you are doing to make a difference.

Opportunity is missed by people because its is dressed in overall and look like work- Thomas Edison

Anything worth doing is worth over doing- David Letterman

Innovation distinguishes a leader and a follower- Steve Jobs

There are no short cuts to any place worth going – Beverly Hills

It’s more fun to arrive a t a conclusion than to justify it Malcolm Forbes

Plans are nothing, planning is everything- Dwight Eisenhower

Champions keep playing until they get it right – Billie Jean King

It is not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up – Vince Lombardi

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com