To succeed, you must lose the fear of failure. It is so unfortunate that many people do not want to hang around failures.
On 22nd July 2016, different media outlets published a list of over 66 companies that they claimed are facing financial hardships and are seeking a bailout from government. The list included large companies involved in manufacturing, mining, hospitality and education. In the Uganda Vision 2040, manufacturing, mining, education and tourism are some of the core identified priority sectors for economic growth. The list contains companies linked to executives who have been at the forefront of entrepreneurship in this country.
The reaction from the public has been mixed, with most people using derogatory references to the owners and executives of the companies in question. This is unfortunate.
The best companies we see today have at one time in their lifetime experienced hardships financial or otherwise. So have been the most successful entrepreneurs. Many people are so quick to talk about the Asian Tigers, and closer home, the Rwanda and more specifically, the transforming face of Kigali city. What they are forgetting is that Rwandese underwent once of the worst genocides in 1994. The most successful people you see today have gone through or experienced the furnace of poverty. I am not saying you should sell our all your assets and first become poor. No.
I am saying that you should start to take risks. The entrepreneurs and companies seeking bailout took risk. And that is the key ingredient to success. If you are not failing, you are not taking risk. Without risk, you are not improving.
The good thing with risk taking is it tests our willpower and resilience to move on. No road is a straight line. Any business executive when faced with a challenge will identify the options available to fix it. Seeking government bailout is one option. Renegotiating terms with the creditors and bankers is another. You try the easiest option first. And that is what they did. Stop shouting and get out there and take risks and push against all odds. That is what willpower is all about. Succeed!
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