One of my dad’s favourite quotes is by Winston Churchill, which he states thus – For a while I pondered why my dad always used this quote when addressing my siblings and I when we came up short, be it in our grades or sporting competition. Was he indirectly telling us to succeed at any cost? Yet, I know my dad to be an honest man.
I decided to find out more about the famous quote and discovered that it was made during the Second World War when the British army was at their lowest ebb. Yes, Churchill knew they were doing their best to defeat the Axis Alliance in World War II but to win the war, they had to go beyond their best. Suffice to say; we all know how that ended up.
Similarly with all great achievements, noting spectacular comes from just doing your best. It is the extra we put in which insures that our efforts get the desired results because often times “our best” may not be good enough to achieve our goals.
In this regard, we have to reach deep down and call on our innate abilities to really apply ourselves wholeheartedly to achieve our goals – “Doing what is necessary to succeed”.
That, my dad knew all along.
Advice Papa Gave Me written by: Chukwuemeka Anyiam-Osigwe