During my university days over a decade ago, there were a lot of stories of young guys making money from internet fraud. These students were buying cars, building houses and dropping out of school. There seemed to be a lot of money to be made on the internet through fraudulent means.
This got me thinking; if people could make this much money fraudulently over the internet, there has to be legitimate ways of making money as well. I was attracted to the idea of making a living online, but I wanted to make it legitimately. I didn’t want to be involved in any illicit business. I wanted it clean and teachable. But there was no one around who had information on how this worked. In fact, at that time, any mention of the word internet and money, the only thing that comes to people’s mind was internet fraud; nothing else.
So I started asking around. I asked people if they knew anyone who had knowledge on how real internet business works. One of the answers I got was that, you had to create a website and then work with the telecom companies so that when anyone visits your website, the telecom company will pay you from part of their data subscription. It’s laughable to think about it now, but that was the explanation majority of people had.
Then I got the response from a friend; he said, “There are many people out there teaching how to make money online, but they are only there to take your money. You will end up getting defrauded for nothing. You might want to quit this inquisition and concentrate on building a normal business”
Without thinking too much over his response, I said to him, “If that is what it takes, I’m willing to keep losing until I start winning”
Indeed, I was willing to lose as much as is necessary until I figure out how this thing worked. I was willing to do whatever it takes to figure this out. It took me two long years after that encounter before I finally figured it out.
The one thing you must do if you really want to achieve success – whatever success means to you – because success means different things for everybody. The one thing you must do is whatever it takes. If you are willing to do whatever it takes, your success is guaranteed.
I saw this quote on a friends status update; “when people ask what you do; answer whatever it takes” Life is not going to hand you what you want; life will test your resolve to see if you really want what you ask for it. It will test if you are willing to do whatever it takes. If you prove worthy, life will make a way for you. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going”.
Are you willing to do whatever it takes?
Now you need to understand that doing whatever it takes does not mean doing something unethical or illegal. I didn’t go looking to learn how to become an internet fraudster in the name of doing whatever it takes. I believe that how you get there is more important than getting there. The journey is more important than the destination. There is no glory in taking shortcuts. Apart from the fact that I’m a Christian, I want to be able to look in the mirror and be proud of who is staring back at me. I want to be able to tell my kids real inspiring stories of how their dad faced his challenges and overcame; so that they too can develop the courage to dare greatly. I wanted wealth that its source can be explained without apology. I believe you want the same for yourself.
That aside, there are usually consequences of getting into shady deals for the lure of making quick gains. Like my course-mate who was of the habit of dabbling into rackets. He got defrauded from one deal during our final year and got into serious debt. While hiding from his creditors, he missed his final exams. He was in a financial mess. When we asked how he got into this mess, his response was that;
We have spent 5 years to get this degree. When we get out, you will be lucky to get a job that pays up to $300 salary… He continued …how many years would you have to work to have enough money to buy that car, build that house, invest, do those things you’ve wanted to do, get married, and raise your children in the right environment?
“How many years” he asked. “2, 10 or 20?
He chose this path because he didn’t want to wait that long to get the things he wanted from life. And this was his way of doing whatever it takes.
This is definitely not what it means to do whatever it takes. This was simply someone looking for a shortcut, and it came at a cost. Doing whatever it takes is about going the extra mile to discover what you need to know; it’s about putting in the extra work to do what needs to be done; it’s climbing over the wall instead of seeing a dead-end.
Now that we are clear on that, there are 3 things that hinder people from doing whatever it takes. If you can fix these things, you will develop a natural tendency to do whatever it takes to get what you want.
- Not having a compelling reason
Growing up as a teenager, I looked at the life my family had and was feed up of living way below average life. We struggled for the most basic things. One day, I looked my mom in the face and asked her a question that broke her spirit. I said to her in our native language, Mama, this thing we are living; is it life? Is this what being alive looks like?
I’ll never forget the look on her face that day. Watching my mom do demeaning things just to put food on the table for a family of ten, made me SWEAR to do whatever it takes to give her and the family I start a better life. If you don’t have a compelling reason to succeed, you will not have an internal motivation that will keep you going against all odds. You have to find a reason that is strong enough to drive you; whatever that may be. That is the true source of motivation.
- Ego
Another thing that hinders people from doing whatever it takes is there ego. They think they are too big to do certain things. I shake my head when people say things like, “I’m a graduate, that job is beneath me” Yet these people won’t have a problem asking other people for money. When it comes to work and getting things done, this is what I believe and what I have lived by; as long as a task offers a means to something more valuable like gaining useful experience, learning a new skill or even making some money to invest back into long term venture, it is worth doing. I’ve done all kinds of hustle and business. I’ve mentioned some of it on this channel; some I haven’t mentioned. I’ve don’t things many graduates with lesser qualification will consider beneath them, to raise fund to invest back into my business. But none of that matters now. What matters is that I did whatever was required to get to where I wanted to be. That’s the thing about doing whatever it takes. You have to put your ego to check and be willing to get your hands to work.
- Sense of entitlement
I don’t believe in being jobless. I believe being without a job is a choice. If you don’t have a job, you can create one for yourself, it’s that simple. It may not be easy but it’s that simple. No one is useless to the point that they don’t have anything to offer. People are just too entitled. They believe because they are smart in school, have a degree, are good looking or even the mere fact of being alive, they are entitled to special treatment and privileges. These are simply people that refuse to do whatever it takes. They will rather look for whom to blame, than take responsibility.
People who are willing to do whatever it takes go out and create opportunity for themselves. They may not get paid at first for what they do, but they know that they have a higher chance of getting better opportunity when they put themselves out there doing something.
Take Away
Here’s something to think about; for every 100 person giving up because of a momentary obstacle, there is someone overcoming against all odds. There are thousands of people out there who are doing whatever it takes to overcome their struggles and challenges, and you can be one of those people.
When I sit back and think about it now; when I go back over a decade ago and recall what live was like back then. It reminds me every day and I believe for the rest of my life that no matter what happens in life, you can always step up and do whatever it takes to find your way. If you are willing to do whatever it takes; within moral and ethical reason; you can be guaranteed that you can achieve what you truly desire. Until next time, YOUR SUCCESS MATTERS!
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