Moving from Zero to Hero

The way to success begins from the bottom. You don’t become successful by waiting to be lifted up overnight. True success begins from the ground floor.

 Ground floor implies ground zero and this is the right place to begin. If you are presently on ground zero, then you don’t need to worry about it because this is the right place to begin.

History is replete with people who started from ground zero and ended up as heroes. Pele is one of such persons. Pele of Brazil, one of the greatest soccer super stars of all time started as a “nobody” and became a Brazilian world hero.

Pele began his soccer career with a minor league club at Bauru, Sao Paulo. There, he trained hard to develop his soccer talent.

At 15, he applied to play for major soccer teams in Sao Paulo but none showed interest in signing him. Pele’s coach who knew what Pele was capable of doing could not convince any of those major soccer clubs.

 Later, however, Sao Paulo Football Club of Sao Paulo signed him for its junior team. There, he utilised his talent to the fullest and when they noticed his brilliant performance, they quickly promoted him to the main team. He won 9 Sao Paulo league championships for the main team and became a super star.

 At 16, he made his international debut in 1957. He, not only made it to the Brazilian national team, he also became an international star. Pele won 3 world cup championships (1958, 1962, and 1970) for Brazil. He later became sports minister in the mid 1990s and in 1999, the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) named him the soccer player of the century.

 Pele visited Nigeria during the Nigerian civil war and they stopped the war for 48 hours to enable everybody to watch him!

 Dear reader, what does it take to move from zero to hero and how can you utilise it for your lifting? Below are four steps you can take to move from zero to hero:

 1. Scratch and Keep Scratching

 The secret of success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching. It is not enough to be passionate about one’s career or vocation. It is not enough to have goals and be ambitious. It is also important that you start, right where you are, to work on yourself. Pele did not become a hero overnight. He did not even start from a major league club; he started from a minor league club. Starting from the bottom enabled Pele to train hard and develop his soccer talent.

 Dear reader, if you must move from zero to hero, the first thing to do is to develop your talent. Hone your skill. Don’t make haste to fly to stardom. You have to develop your wings first. Your talent and skill are the wings you need to fly to stardom. So, you must develop them first. If you don’t develop them and you get to the top, you may crash-land.

 Be wise. Take a cue from Pele. Pele’s success was great and enduring because he first trained hard to develop his soccer talent. And this is what you need do to fly high to stardom. If you work hard to develop your talent, you will not crash-land when you get to the top, because having developed your talent to the full, you are in a position to perform optimally. Heroism entails high performance. Develop your talent and hone your skill first.

 2. Let Rejection Inspire You

 Rejection has nothing to do with your ability. Rejection is not a sign of your incapability. History is replete with people who were rejected and written off and who still moved from zero to hero.

Rejection has always been the highway to stardom. If you have been or you are experiencing rejection from various quarters, it is an indication that you have not missed your way. Rejection implies that your potentialities and your effort are not yet recognised and appreciated.

If the major league clubs in Sao Paulo did recognise Pele’s soccer artistry, they would have appreciated him and scrambled for him.

Don’t let rejection abandon you to the point of making you abandon your career. If you have really worked on yourself, honed your skills, and developed your talent, you have nothing to worry about. It is just a matter of time. Some time, some day, somewhere, someone will notice your talent and skill and give you the golden opportunity you are looking for.

 In times of rejection, the most stupid thing to do is to lose confidence in yourself and quit. Don’t quit. You are already on the highway to stardom. Remain there and keep learning and improving on your talent and skill; for that is what you need to fast track your way to stardom. Be inspired by rejection because rejection always comes before a great selection.

 3. Let Your Gift Make Way for You

 “A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men” (Prov. 18:16). When the worse comes to worse, your only saving grace is your talent or potentialities. Talent is like the star. The star shines in the dark and darkness cannot stop it from illuminating the earth.

No matter how dark the night is, the star will always shine. Nothing can stop you from shining unless you refuse to develop and utilise your talent.

 Don’t allow rejection, obstacle, or difficulty to stop you from shining. In the midst of rejection you should keep shining.

 Like the star, someone will notice your performance and will give you the big break that will fast track your way to stardom.
Shine your way through rejection and you will emerge victorious at the end of the day!