Ukiona Vyaelea Jua Vimeundwa

 

Discipline and consistency are the two words that have been doing rounds in my mind. On today's podcast where Jimmy Carr was being interviewed by Steven Bertler, Jimmy mentions how talent is a myth. If talent does not work hard, its outcome is as good as absent. So who is to say it ever was there in the absence of the hard work? This reminded me of a recent argument with a neighbor from around the corner a couple of weeks ago. The argument was about attributing different individuals' success to luck. I took, and still tend to take it not too kindly when people say that person so and so got to where he is because he is lucky. I find it too simplistic, though I'm not trying to argue that luck doesn't exist or affect our success. Luck is real and necessary to make great leaps and achievements. That having been said, it is my take that luck accounts for at most only about 10% of our results. This being the reason.

 ...luck accounts for at most only about 10% of our results.

When John and I had our convergument, we were in the middle of discussing a business partnership. We were setting up a Tours gig to take tourists on hikes around Menengai crater, in Nakuru. The analogy that I came up with to support my argument was;

Assuming John and I took up the challenges of setting up the desired business and succeeded in the venture, one could say that John and I were lucky to run into each other. In that sense, luck played a role in our eventual success. But if someone simply said we got success out of luck, I would be deeply offended. Before running into John, I had spent a lifetime studying how companies are founded and run, what makes certain products popular and others not, what makes one ad campaign successful vs another, how a political candidate's public perception affects his vote count, etc., and other intricacies in the world marketing. Besides that, I have also studied the same subject matter to a significant degree at University. 

 ...if we did not have a lifetime of dedication to our crafts, we would have never had the possibility of collaborating on a project that would later be referred to as a lucky overnight success

On the other hand, John, who knows the surrounding bush area like the back of his arm has also spent a lifetime of experience acquiring the knowledge about the language of the bush. Which footprints belong to which animal? What are the signs something walked by recently? To which end does this path lead? etc... these bits of prerequisite knowledge do not magically materialize out of thin air. They are a result of a lifetime of learning and relearning that takes time and effort. Like we say in Swahili, ukiona vyaelea jua vimeundwa, if you see them floating, know they've been built, an adage to the fact that if you see boats floating by, know that time, effort, and craftsmanship were invested in them. In the case of John and I, you can see how small and almost insignificant a role luck plays. Yes, John and I could have met. But if we did not have a lifetime of dedication to our crafts, we would have never had the possibility of collaborating on a project that would later be referred to as a lucky overnight success. Not even with all the luck in the world. 

Explore the entrepreneurial journey with me! Follow me on X, formerly Twitter @lucky_griffin_ for a behind-the-scenes look at my ventures in Nakuru. Let's build something amazing!