...CULTIVATING AN INSTINCT THAT DISTINCT!

It was a Saturday morning during winter. I rouse to catch a glimpse of nature. I stood on the balcony, arms squatting on the metallic balustrade installed to prevent any fall.

From this vantage, I overlooked the garden of my home having a visual meal. The sight below was a delight. My aerial position advantaged me to view all that was below without missing any single detail: well-mowed grasses - almost carpet like, fresh wet leaves soaked in early morning sweat – dew, tree branches swaying gently in the direction of cool morning breeze, flourishing species of chrysanthemum, lily, hyacinth, rose, hibiscus and sun flowers adorned the sides of the walkway of the orchard, birds with feathers of fine colours tweeting melodiously as they flitted happily from nest to nest – their voice nightingale-like, so sweet and harmonious! So honey-like!

That morning was near perfect as tranquility was also at its very best. The calmness was of peace not the graveyard’s. The whole session was just too sensational! Nature is truly a beauty to behold! An eye-pleasing spectacle!

In just few minutes in the atmosphere, my mind became pregnant with ideas; solutions and way-outs fell on one another like trees cut down by Lumbers. The classic inspirational writer, James Allen is not wrong after all that “calmness of mind is one of the beautiful Jewels of wisdom. And the more tranquil we become, the greater is our success, our influence and our power for creative vision.”

After a thorough moment of reflection, I brought out my pen and scribbled a chapter out of my soon-to-be published book. This is what I wrote in my thought catalogue that cool misty morning:

Saturday, Sept. 13 1980

…Cultivating the instinct that distinct

Competition is inseparable from living. Economists admit the fact that ratio of wants and needs is lesser and not equal to the figure of human beings that desire them, hence, scarcity, cut-throat rivalry and competition.

However, this phenomenon is not an exclusive preserve of mankind alone. It also extends to all nooks and crannies of existence.

For instance, there is no one product or service brand in the whole of the universe that is monopolistic. Also, there is no one firm that has the exclusive right to manufacture a type of product or provide a type of service which others are forbidden to do so. No. For example, Omo, Klin, Bimbo, Aerial, Sunshine, are some brand of detergents in Nigeria. The fact is: Everyone with (or without) the knowledge of a business is allowed to venture into the terrain of such business in as much as s/he has the financial muscle and some legal certifications such as licensing of company, operation permission from related regulatory commission and so on is met. The door is wide open thus competition!

Consequently, in attempt to compete favourably in the marketplace and win the brand preference, trust and confidence of buyers, a lot of these companies producing products that serve same purposes go the extra mile. From attractive packaging of products, low pricing, customer reward scheme, available distribution, direct marketing advertisements to promotional efforts on print, and electronic media, each of them strive to win the lion share of customers and ultimately, to become the market leader.

Dear friend, like it or leave it, competition is to life the way food is to the throat. Without contenders, there is no winner. In actual fact, if it is not a contest, it is not excellence. Distinction is a survival of the fittest thing. The Christian revered book is clear on this in Matthew 11:12 that “from the days of John the Baptist, the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent takes it by force.” It is not only the kingdom of God, but also the kingdom of radiant success.

Interestingly, employers are on the look-out for that little thing a job applicant or an employee has over others; that edge, that niche, that area of comparative advantage, that added value, that extra-competence, that extra capacity.

Dear friend, how can you develop the instinct that is distinct? How can you grow yourself into a value of unique indispensability? Do you have enough of that thing that qualifies you as the best man for the job? If you don’t, here are few tips that can be of help.

Solitude fosters altitude; cultivate the attitude. Remember Allen’s words on marble that: “calmness of mind is one of the beautiful Jewels of wisdom. And the more tranquil we become, the greater is our success, our influence and our power for creative vision.” Set time aside for reflection; it increases the efficiency of your mental faculty. Do this in a calm environment. Think and proffer solutions to knotty issues that directly affect you or invariably affect you. It may be ways to recycle waste to power, etcetera. Don’t forget that you are a problem-solver. A solution-provider!

Maintain Focus. To be spectacular, you must be regular at your curricular (goals). When you focus on something consistently, it won’t be long before you to emerge a Focus. Scattered energy is wasted effort.

Feed your seed. The human brain is like a seed that must be watered with knowledge and constantly fed with informational material. It is also like a pot of soup that must be frequently and timely warmed up lest it turn rancid. “What is cultivated develops while what is left un-prune deteriorates.” – Hippocrates, 400 B.C

Develop a rigid sense of Integrity. One of the sterling attributes that distinguishes a person and/or increases the chance and speed of an individual’s journey to the top is credibility and reliability. Start developing one if you don’t have it. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Desist from lying or compromising. The truth is: even the corrupt will not associate with a corrupt talk less recruiting such person.

Be visionary. Where there is no vision, the people perish! Have a foresight of what you want in life. Don’t let anyone push you around. Make yourself an example unto others. See the end from the beginning. That way you avert aimlessness.

Operate separately; be a path-finder. You can beat them. So, please don’t join them! Don’t be a prisoner of tradition. Be exclusive! As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Anyone who is unwilling to test his or her limit or leave his or her comfort zone lives life in an envelope. It takes a risk-taker to be a world-taker.

Dear friend, start cultivating that instinct that distinct. It is your unique selling point. Your latent ability, your gift and talent is peculiarly yours. You have the monopoly of it. Discover it, sharpen it and use it to edge this competitive world. It may be your saviour when everything (education and connection) fails. Combing the pages of history unmistakably reveals that the greatest men that ever-trudged the surface of the earth attain their height of immortal achievements courtesy of their inborn creative talents and natural gifts.

Talk of Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Ebenezer Obey, Asa, Dangote, Sunny Ade, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Wright brothers, Lionel Messi, Williams Sisters, keep mentioning dear friend and draw inspiration from their lives. Thanks for the read. Follow me @Imodoye_1 on twitter for more discussions. Enjoy your day!

© ‘Káyọ̀dé Oyèró, 2015

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