The Gravel Road

When you succeed you party, but when you fail you ponder! –Tony Robbin
concept. I‘ve missed more than 900 shots in my career. I‘ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I‘ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I‘ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeeded—Michael Jordan.

When everything is not working out in my own life, I ponder. Greatness doesn’t happen in a hot party, it comes out of pondering. It comes when you are down to earth. When you hit the ground, the only place to go is to go higher. But life doesn’t end on painful days. Pain doesn’t last. It is a bridge to the other side. The Media today shows us stories of many successful people at its end. We see the money. We don’t see how broke they went trying to capitalize into their work. We see the anointing, we don’t see tears and sacrifices. We see their testimonies, we don’t see their tests. It started somewhere. Everything starts somewhere.

Donald Trump moved from being a multi-millionaire and lost millions of dollars and was even in debts, owing billions of dollars. However, he bounced back up again and made even more. He lost the money but he didn’t lose the value. Small beginnings reveal our value of what you are doing. It instils a certain mind-set and a certain attitude. Many well-known preachers didn’t have platforms at one stage, they had messages but nobody wanted to invite them. Many big musicians can relate to the struggle of moving from zero to one in the music industry. Many Successful Entrepreneurs are even worse, they will tell you that nobody wanted to invest into their work. Sometime seven the big shots in your industry you are involved in may see you as a time waster. Sometimes it gets too lonely and too hard that only music can be your best friend. Music understands and articulates the pain of your soul. What can I link life to? To me, life is defined by Time or a season. Mike Murdock said, “Life is like a man and some meals are for later”. Life is whatever you discover. Life is whatever you have not forgotten.

I was one day bored and decided to get on some research to get inspirations. I bumped into a life that changed my life by an Investor called Tai Lopez. He was talking about why he is driving big expensive toys ,his reason was not because he wanted to show off ,it was not because he loves materialistic things but he said, “ The reason I drive a Lamborghini ,Ferrari and have bought a Messaratti before is because I wanted to remind myself of a dream ,a dream of financial freedom because not too long ago I was sleeping in a little couch with only 47 dollars in my bank account .

It all started on that couch where he began to imagine, picture and to visualize his dreams. He says on that couch, with tears flowing in his eyes, he made a decision that he would not return to that couch again. Many young people need to double check the kind of decisions you have been making. Stop blaming your dad who doesn’t support you. Stop seeing others who are succeeding as a threat because you cannot receive what you do not admire.

When you are on a gravel road, you must be aware that dreams delayed are not dreams denied. Your time will arrive. Everything God has spoken about you shall surely come to pass! You are a peculiar nation, a royal priesthood and sons of a Mighty God. People don’t know that pain is a seed for Wisdom. Pain doesn’t bring change; it produces a desire for change. Discomfort is a key to exiting your comfort zone. Experience is sometimes the slowest way of learning but its teachings give unparalleled wisdom.

My painful days taught me that wisdom is the principle thing because every problem is always a wisdom problem. You do not have money problems; you just lack wisdom concerning your finances. You do not have family problems, you have wisdom problems. What makes a man wise is when he realizes how much he doesn’t know. Every fool thinks he is wise. What makes wise people to learn is because the more they know, is the more they realize how much they don’t know. Knowledge speaks and wisdom listens.

Money is not the principle thing, wisdom is. A car is not a principle thing, wisdom is. I know a man who had 1000 dollars, he had an option to buy a 2nd hand car or to buy a couple of books that would challenge his wisdom. Something said to him, “Tudor, if you buy the 2nd hand car, you might walk for the rest of your life but if you buy these books, you will drive any car you want”. He bought books instead of a 2nd hand car and today he speaks in large audiences, many travel abroad to listen to his wisdom and he is financially wealthy.

The problem with our African young people is that they would rather have a R1000,00 smart-phone and R1000,00 to look smart but they cannot invest in a book that can develop your mind. The first thing they think of when they finish varsity is big cars to show their fellow mates they are better. It is not a car that makes one rich, it is Real Estate. They look smart but they are not really smart. Looking smart doesn’t pay any bills, it gives you a false image before the masses but sooner or later the reality will start sinking in. Books are treasures you can start investing in. You may wonder why I talk of books and wisdom. The truth is wisdom is not information but I strongly believe that knowledge and understanding are the two pillars of wisdom. Fools despise knowledge. Knowledge is to gather information. Wisdom is the application of the knowledge you have gathered. Wisdom is also a divine solution in human problems.

Mentorship is learning through the pain of someone else. Mentorship is learning through the mistakes of someone else. What took someone 20 years, you can learn in one year. Your mentor is like your friend because your friend loves you the way you are but your mentor loves you enough not to leave you the way you are. You friends are interested in giving you affection but your mentor is interested in giving you knowledge, direction and correction. The founder of Facebook, who is also a billionaire, was mentored by Steve Jobs. Bill Gates was mentored by Paul Allen.

When you walk with 5 wise people, you will be the 6th, if you walk with 5 Millionaires you will be the 6th Millionaire and if you walk with 5 fools you also will be one of them. Hang around with people who inspire you to become a better version of yourself. If you do these things you turn your gravel road into a tar road.

For Scripture reference read:

• Proverbs 4 vs. 7
• Proverbs 5 vs. 1-2
• Proverbs 13 vs. 20

photography by Jane Fearby