The principle that if you don’t sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice has led many to ignorantly sacrifice responsibility and self discipline to achieve success through miracles.
By Moffat Nyangu.
Lusaka, Nov. 05 – In Zambia, today, the pursuit of success is often framed as a mix of mysterious elements, from the elusive touch of luck to the intervention of miracles summoned by church leaders. Yet, a truly effective path to achieving success lies in principles as grounded and methodical as those in scientific discovery. It’s imperative to take note that discipline and consistency are foundational to this approach, creating a solid framework for growth and improvement, in much the same way that science relies on controlled, repeatable experiments to arrive at reliable conclusions.
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Without discipline and consistency, any effort becomes haphazard, like a scientific experiment lacking a consistent procedure. Success, in this sense, is not a one-time lucky break but a predictable outcome of effort and planning. And supporting the two foundational elements are hard work, patience, self-confidence, and sacrifice – all essential, active ingredients in what many see as an elusive journey to success.
Let’s, then, closely look at these six prerequisites for success and how they support our argument that a science based approach to success empowers individuals to be agents of their destiny:
◾Discipline: While motivation gets you going, discipline, the backbone of all achievement, keeps you growing. Discipline is what turns fleeting motivation into lasting progress. Without it, every other prerequisite for success falters.
◾Consistency: Consistency is what transforms average into excellence. Often a slow build, consistency is the glue that holds it all together, making incremental improvements stick, leading to excellence.
◾Hard Work: Don’t believe in miracles and luck, believe in hard work. There’s no substitute for hard work; luck may play a role, but it’s diligence that defines results, identifying potential and turning it into reality.
◾Patience: If you are losing the patience, then you are losing the battle because the road to success is long and winding. Patience ensures you stay the course without losing hope, knowing that every step, no matter how small, is progress.
◾Self-Confidence: Confidence is not like they will like me, instead, it is, “I’ll be fine if they don’t like me”. True confidence is the courage to move forward regardless of others’ opinions, providing the inner strength to stand firm in the face of challenges.
◾Sacrifice: If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice. The practical aspect of prioritizing your vision is the understanding that you must be ready to let go of certain wants that may appear as needs to achieve your goals.
Together, these qualities form a cohesive strategy, similar to the way that a scientific method incorporates various controlled variables to create meaningful, replicable results. Just as experiments are designed to withstand scrutiny and produce consistent outcomes, these traits ensure that one’s efforts can be sustained over time, adapting and growing with each new challenge.
By contrast, relying on miracles or luck is effectively leaving one’s future to chance, an approach that may feel hopeful but is ultimately passive and, in many ways, a disguise for laziness. Praying for success or hoping for luck can lead to inaction – a passive waiting rather than active doing. Without disciplined steps, there’s no system to build upon, no results to measure or refine. This mindset not only limits personal agency but also fosters a dependence on external factors, which offers no repeatable path to success.
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Unlike the scientific approach, where each effort builds on the last and each success is earned, the “luck & miracle” approach is unrepeatable and unreliable. A science based approach to success empowers individuals to be agents of their destiny, actively shaping outcomes through proven principles rather than leaving life to unpredictable forces. And remember the principle that, “If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice!” talks about how short term sources pleasure get in our to achieving our long term goals.
About The Author: Mr. Moffat Nyangu holds a Master of Arts in Political Science in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences from the Arizona State University (Carey). He also holds qualifications in Journalism and International Relations.
About Our Advocacy: Woodpecker’s Digest provides in-depth analyses and commentary on issues of national importance, alongside articles on personal development and health. We believe journalism can be a force for socio-economic change.
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