STAND OUT AND SUCCEED BY ISRAEL KASHIM AUDU MUSTAPHA (FOUNDER KADIFF)


Many people out there are extremely talented, smarter, more skillful and have a far better advantage than you. There are more talented writers, painters, singers, coders, photographers or whatever area it is that can do their craft without shedding too much sweat.
But there’s a way you can stand out among them.
If you can cultivate a spirit that always strives to improve and produce no matter how difficult it is, you’ll be rewarded.
Best-selling author Cal Newport once said:
“If you can’t learn, you can’t thrive. If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive — no matter how skilled or talented you are.”
The excuses you tell yourself that you can’t do it because you’re not talented enough are lame.


 Your limiting thoughts create boundaries on the possibilities you can achieve.
You can learn and improve if you do something that many people can’t.
As Thomas Oppong said: “Begin to plant seeds every day that will yield the best and most fulfilling life now and in the future.”
Go On Even When You Don’t Feel Like Going On
Michaelangelo, a renowned painter once said, “If the people knew how hard I had to work to gain mastery, it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all.”
If you can see your future on a crystal ball and find out that it will require you thousands of practice before you can create your brand, would you do it.?
If you discover you’ll need to wake up early every day to practice and train, would you embrace it?
If you find out you’ll need to sacrifice and even give up some of the leisure things you do, would you take the challenge?
Most people will not do it.
Many talented, smart and rich people think they have all it takes to stand out in the game. They are like the hare in the story “The Hare and the Tortoise.” They all have the advantage to begin with but they remain complacent thinking their abilities can secure their safe zone.
What they continuously discount is that there are some “tortoise” out there. Those who appear very tiny and seem to can’t pull it off yet have the discipline to keep going no matter what. Because of their attitude of “keep going on”, they reach the finish line without even realizing it.
The commitment to improve every day is not an easy feat.
There will be times when you’ll feel your efforts are useless because results are not what you expect them to be. There will be voices in your head that will tell you that what you’re doing does not make sense and you’ll be better off to give it up.


You’ll be deceived by the limiting beliefs you have that maybe, it truly isn’t possible to win.
At least, that’s how I feel at times.
Developing consistency and focus are the most challenging things I’ve done. When I started the kaduna international film festival last year, I was so scattered. I kept jumping from niché to niché chasing where the huge chunk of the audience is and sponsorship.

When you consistently improve yourself, opportunities will start to open and you’ll be rewarded for the sincere efforts you do. But make no mistake! It’s not going to come easily.
Not every output you produce will be accepted. Not everything you do will give you great results. Not every second will be a happy moment. It’s like producing ten but only two will bring home the bacon.
This is the exact reason why most people will not do this training. Even renowned writer Stephen King knows how hard this is. As he shared in his memoir On Writing Well:
“Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.”
Are you willing to keep going even if the currents are not sometimes in your favor?


“You have to be willing to allow the person you are today to DIE so that you can give birth to the person you are meant to become.” — Les Brown


When you consistently improve yourself, opportunities will start to open and you’ll be rewarded for the sincere efforts you do. But make no mistake! It’s not going to come easily.
Not every output you produce will be accepted. Not everything you do will give you great results. Not every second will be a happy moment. It’s like producing ten but only two will bring home the bacon.

 Even renowned writer Stephen King knows how hard this is. As he shared in his memoir On Writing Well:
“Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.”
Are you willing to keep going even if the currents are not sometimes in your favor?


Do One Thing That Will Make Everything Else Unnecessary
“It doesn’t matter what others think. If you believe in something and if you can create value, go for it.” — Darius Foroux
Many people mistakenly think that in order to create a brand, they have to be everywhere. They overwhelm themselves with many activities thinking a new software or strategy is the final ingredient to their success. They appear so busy but actually don’t go anywhere close to their goals.
It is a common misconception that to produce quality outputs, you must work long hours.
Some people can effectively do it but you don’t have to. There are other priorities in your life that also deserve your attention.
Your output suffers when you are scattered and lack clarity on your priorities. Before you start anything, you have to know your priorities.


Best-selling author Gary Keller advice choosing only one thing so that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary. He frames his questions this way:
“What’s the ONE thing I can do:
For my spiritual life
For my key relationships
For my physical health.
For my personal life or career
For my finances
For any area that matters to me.

Be determined and strive for good things without quitting and see yourself succeed ~ Ezzykash

If you’re clear with these, you’ll have a clear compass that will serve as your guiding force to drive your actions and decisions.

May Allah in his infinite Mercy and wisdom shower his blessings on us!