Sometime last week, one of the African magazines I follow online shared a very interesting picture on their Facebook page. It was a picture of an African lady laden with a baby on her back, a bunch of baskets on one hand and a bunch of pots on the other. A caption accompanied this picture and it read:
“If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire” -George Monbiot
In the comments section, most people wrote “true” or “truth” in response to the caption above, almost like a choir singing in unison. This made me think!
I grew up in central Africa and for many years, witnessed the resourcefulness and hard work routine of African women. From running their households, nurturing children, running business, indeed, many of them work hard. And if hard work definitely produced success, then I agree that many would be rich by now.
Whenever we’re presented with ingredients to success , hard work often tops the list. But having read this quote and seen people’s responses, and reflected on my own life experience, I believe there is more to achieving success in life.
People who have attained remarkable success in life, have one common belief, expressed in the quote below by Theodore Roosevelt
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.”
So does hard work guarantee success? We can’t entirely dismiss hard work from the list of ingredients to success. Hard work has its benefits, but as you work hard, remember the one important aspect of things not to be neglected and that is building healthy and honest relationships with people, both in your personal and professional space.
It’s also worth saying, while on the subject of success, that who we chose to be our influence, our adviser and foundation in life determines how we progress in life. For us at 1Africa, God is the ultimate strength and foundation and provider of wisdom and everything we may need for a life that is fulfilled and successful. If you’d like to know Him more, please click on the banner below.