Somaliland: CANDIDATES; YOU WERE ALL WINNERS

“If things are happening according to your wish you’re lucky; if not you are very lucky because things are happening according to ALLAH’s wish”

Somaliland’s second local government election was held on 28^th November 2012, this day as always was a special occasion for all Somalilanders regardless of their involvement, either acted as a candidate, president or civilian. In one way, it was a test to evaluate how this small non-recognized country can manage such election, in other way it was a proof that Somaliland is a mature enough to hold such election. It was a day that everyone was a responsible to keep the fragile and volatile stability in Somaliland and fortunately everyone showed that responsibility. On the other side, it was a day full of joy that left a lasting mark in the heart of all Somalilanders.

It is evident that in every competition there are many groups of participants and its human nature that Each individual or group always has a passion to win in any event as Henry Ford said “we were born to succeed, not to fail” also it is a part of life that every competition there must be a winner and a looser but does that mean the winners are better that the failures, not at all,

Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure, it does mean you haven’t succeeded yet. Failure doesn’t mean you have accomplished nothing, it does mean you have learned something. Failure doesn’t mean you have been a fool, it does mean you had a lot of faith. Failure doesn’t mean you have been disgraced, it does mean you were willing to try. Failure doesn’t mean you don’t have it, it does mean you have to do something in a different way. Failure doesn’t mean you are inferior, it does mean you are not perfect. Failure doesn’t mean you’ve wasted your life, it does mean you’ve got a reason to start again. Failure doesn’t mean you should give up, it does mean you should try harder. Failure doesn’t mean you’ll never make it, it does mean it will take a little longer. Failure doesn’t mean ALLAH has abandoned you, it does mean ALLAH has a better idea!  Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.’

Success is nothing more than the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

A lot of research has gone into the subject of success and failure. All that we need to do is learn our lessons from history and it’s better to keep in mind that every success story is also a story of great failure.

Failure is the highway to success. Tom Watson Sr. said, “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”

If you study history, you will find that all stories of success are also stories of great failures. But people don’t see the failures. They only see one side of the picture and they say that person got lucky: “He must have been at the right place at the right time.”

Let me share someone’s life history with you. This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21 ; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52. Successful people don’t do great things, they only do small things in a great way.

All success stories are stories of great failures. The only difference is that every time they failed, they bounced back. This is called failing forward, rather than backward. You learn and move forward. Learn from your failure and keep moving.

In addition, Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb, Demosthenes, the greatest orator of the ancient world, stuttered! The first time he tried to make a public speech, he was laughed off the stage, Napoleon (most successful warrior in Europe) was a humble parentage and far from being a born genius, he stood forty-sixth in his class at the Military Academy in a class of sixty-five.

Another point that determines and separates losers and winners is having the will to win, those winners of life had that will, all they had passed difficult times and situation they persisted their will to win, for example, Oprah was raped at the age of nine, Bill Gates did not finish University Education, Ben Carson (one of the best neurosurgeons in the world) struggled academically throughout elementary school, Lionel Messi (the top scorer in the calendar year ever to see) used to serve tea at a shop to support his football training, Steve Jobs (founder of Apple Phone) used to sleep on the floor in friends’ rooms, returning Coke bottles for food, money and getting weekly free meals at a local temple, Tony Blair’s (British prime minister 1997-2007) teachers used to call him a failure and President Goodluck Jonathan (current Nigerian president) had no shoes.

What gave these great individuals the stamina to overcome severe setbacks and become successful? It is this bounce back ability and having a will that determines success.

Each person had an inner dream that lit a fire, which could not be extinguished. Great visions begin as an “inside job”. Napoleon Hill said, “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprint of your ultimate achievements.”

All of these men and women had one thing in common they had a passion for their work and sense of high self-esteem.

Setbacks are inevitable in life. A setback can act as a driving force and teach us humbleness, you will find courage and faith to overcome the setback. We need to learn to become victors, not victims. Fear and doubt short-circuit the mind. Setbacks make the life enjoyable as Albert Einstein once said I am stronger Because of my Hard times, I am wiser because of my mistakes, I am Happier because of my Sad Experiences…  and I would like to add one more thought to this valuable epitaph, which is I am a winner because of my failures.

This complements the poem from unknown poet that says:

I asked for strength and

ALLAH gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and

ALLAH gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and

ALLAH gave me brawn and brains to work.

I asked for courage and

ALLAH gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and

ALLAH placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love and

ALLAH gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and

ALLAH gave me opportunities.

Ask yourself after every setback: What did I learn from this experience? Only then will you be able to turn a stumbling block into a stepping stone.one thing that keeps the moving towards success is Perseverance which means failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth. It is better to remember that our greatest glory is not never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

This life is full of risks that deserve to be faced and encountered and as every action has a reaction so do every endeavor has a risk , such as to laugh is to risk appearing the fool; to weep is to risk appearing sentimental; to expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self; to place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss; to love is to risk not being loved in return; to live is to risk dying; to hope is to risk despair; to try is to risk failure. Nevertheless, risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, or live. Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves, they have lost their freedom. Only a person who risks is free.

The men who take risks and try to do something and fail are infinitely better and more experienced than those who try to do nothing and succeed.

Success is not measured by our position in life but by the risks we took and overcame to get there. Success in life is not determined by how we are doing compared with others, but by how we are doing compared with what we are capable of doing. Successful people compete against themselves. They better their own record and keep improving constantly.

Success is not measured by how high we go up in life but by how many times we bounce back when we fall down. It is this bounce back ability that determines success.

What makes a person successful? How do we recognize success?  To some people, success might mean wealth. To others, it is recognition, good health, good family, happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. What this really tells us is that success is subjective. It can mean different things to different people. The definition that I feel summarizes “success” well is: Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.

One important factor that determines the success of a person is that the kind of attitude that person has which is either positive or negative.

A Hadith from our beloved prophet (PBUH) says

عن أبي هريرة – رضي الله عنه – قال : قال النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – : يقول الله تعالى : ( أنا عند ظن عبدي بي )

رواه البخاري و مسلم

“ALLAH only do what the people expect from him”, when you are in a competition always its better and helpful to keep in mind a positive expectation or result from that competition for example, being the winner of that competition you would play, so it is better to mind your thinking in a positive way about every action that you are taking, for example, If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t! If you like to win, but think you can’t, It’s almost a nothing and surely you won’t; If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost; For out in the world we find Success begins with a fellow’s will; It’s all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are, you’ve got to think high to rise, You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger and faster man, But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

Usually during competitions  you may hear someone saying “ I must not lose” you see he/she thinks of being looser rather than being winner and this is one of the characters of pessimistic people or negative ATTITUDE. As Yusuf Deyr once mentioned that Greatness comes with recognizing that your potential is limited only by how you choose your channels, how prepared you are, how resolute you are, and how persistent you are. In short, by your attitude.

Success is not an accident. It is the result of our attitude and our attitude is a choice. Hence, success is a matter of choice and not a chance.

As Shiv Khera said in his book, You Can Win, Winning is an event; being a winner is a spirit, for example, many candidates participated the election and only few candidates won the election and were awarded to be councilors. But does that mean that those who did not receive any award were losers or failures, not at all. In any event the participants have different objectives in mind; some might want to test their strength and they did and came out better than their expectations, others wanted to improve on their previous records and they did, While another group may had never participated an election in their life, their objective was to participate and show their ability to be among the candidates and they did it.

In conclusion I wish to say that the all the candidates participated the election were all winners regardless of who won the election.

Thank you.

NB: Failure is a delay not a defeat; it is a diversion not a dead-end.

AbdiRahman MOHAMMED

amaabby@yahoo.com

Makerere University

Kampala, Uganda 4862715