EFFORTS, RESULTS AND REWARDS

In life, you will be paid for the results you produce, not for the mere efforts you expend. - Terry Mante

MY FIRST attempt at writing a book for publication was during my junior high school days in Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Then, my focus was on fiction. I wrote quite a number of stories with the intention of compiling them into what I called Tesmah Tales. Yes, intention, that’s all it was. I never went to press with my compilation. As good as I think the stories were, they never saw the light of day. Nobody saw them. They were never published.

After senior high school I made my second major attempt. I began writing Insights for Living. That too, was a windy effort. It got blown off midway. But in my final year at the University of Ghana, Legon, I launched what is officially recognised as my first book; Winning with Confidence. Because Tesmah Tales and Insights for Living never got published, no one recognizes them as part of my works. As a matter of fact, I’m the only person who is aware of the existence of such works.

So what’s the point? In life, you’ll not be recognised or rewarded for the things you start, but you will be rewarded for those you finish. You will be paid for the results you produce, not for the mere efforts you expend. Have you seen an Olympic race, say a 200-metre race? Even though eight athletes run, only one gets the gold. In spite of the other seven’s perspiration, they don’t get rewarded for sweating. The first three receive the honours for placing first, second and third respectively. The others receive nothing. Nobody will count Tesmah Tales or Insights for Living among my literary works unless I publish them.

I have learnt that whenever I start something worthwhile, I must endeavour to pursue it to its utmost conclusion. Whether I start well or not, I must ensure that I finish and do so remarkably.

Whenever you start something, begin with the end in view. Think about the results you want to have. Consider how you want to finish. Look at the consequences. Don’t do things without taking into consideration the end result; because at the end of the day, your reward will be based on the results. Nobody rewards efforts but results. It is said that actions speak louder than words but I have found that results speak louder than actions.

You must also know how to adopt and apply the right knowledge. On September 12, 2010 Legacy and Legacy Chairman Albert Ocran delivered the keynote address at the launch of my book It’s a Big Deal. Commenting on the critical role that knowledge plays in a person’s career, Albert remarked that career success is not just about “what work you do, it’s about the kind of understanding that you have.” Without relevant knowledge, your results will not generate reward that is commensurate with your effort. Without knowledge, your effort will be like a building without a roof. You will work so hard but when there is a rainy test, you will be overwhelmed. Give the acquisition and usage of knowledge an elevated position in your life and what you do will be elevated above the rains of life.

The ability to delay gratification also consolidates the results we produce. People who are able to delay gratification have the patience to endure until they see results. They have fortitude. They pay the right price for what they expect. Without the ability to delay gratification, your results will always come out pre-mature. People who are unable to delay gratification will not win the applause of their patrons. And they themselves will lose a bite of the satisfaction that comes with performance. Anytime you feel like cutting in and reaping up, check to be sure if the time is right. Otherwise you would be reaping pre-maturely.

Don’t get me wrong. Your effort is important because without your effort, there will be no results. But never lose sight of the possibility that there can be effort without results. So when you act, think three things: results, results and results.


© 2011 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana