Introduction
I spent some time on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at Joseph Adu-Peprah’s ongoing drum-a-ton attempt in Accra to beat Allister Brown’s (UK) current world record of 150 hours and 1 minute set in Lisburn in 2023.
After spending hours at the venue, encouraging him to go after this worldwide achievement, I realised that success does not come cheap. Your ability to accomplish your goals will require an investment of time, money, and energy.
I have learned the following five useful lessons from the entire marathon:
1. It requires perspiration
Observing the activities closely on Sunday, I saw that Joseph had to perspire to accomplish his goal. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to perspire is “to emit matter through the skin”. Stated differently, nothing great comes without sweating and working hard for it. It was not possible for Joseph to have remained at home, kept his composure, and hoped that he would beat the world record. It requires physical exertion.
This teaches us that hard work is the key to success in all aspects of life. You will still perspire even in a chilly, air-conditioned room. If you want to win a football game, you will perspire. If you are mining for minerals, you will perspire. Hard labour is necessary for every successful endeavour.
2. It requires perseverance
I also observed that persistence in the face of obstacles and hardships is necessary to break a world record. Joseph faces obvious difficulties, such as sleep deprivation and his inability to live a regular life as he did before the marathon. He now leads a routine and controlled life.
You can’t give up on something before you reach your destination. Never give up until you accomplish your objective. You will never receive the incentive as specified if you give up. Push past your discomfort to accomplish the goal. According to Paul, the apostle, he pressed on towards the goal to win the prize (Philippians 3:14). Continue pressing until you succeed.
3. It requires people
I also discovered that reaching your objectives requires a team and people to succeed. Joseph requires others to give him medical advice, feed him, play music, snap pictures and videos, and serve as witnesses. Above all, he needs visitors who will lift his spirit. The people who gather in front of the glass to honour him and dance to the music are his biggest source of inspiration.
We all need people to help us in one way or the other. Family members join us in celebrating our graduation. Everybody has friends that support them during difficult times. If we want to succeed in life, we need to replace the negative people in our lives with positive ones.
4. It requires power
The final, but not least, lesson is that Joseph’s marathon shows us that perseverance and strength are necessary for success. With regulated food intake and little sleep, he needs to burn off energy to finish the challenge. To continue, he requires mental, emotional, and physical toughness and endurance.
You will stumble and fall along the path if you cannot summon your inner strength to journey on. Develop your ability to handle shocks and surprises before they happen. Create coping mechanisms for when you feel helpless. According to the Bible, David found encouragement in the Lord. That was the key to his victory over the Amalekites, who launched their initial assault on him (1 Samuel 30). Success in life requires inner power.
5. It requires progress
The marathon has taught us one more crucial lesson: reaching major goals requires reaching smaller ones first. His goal is to drum for 160 hours. Every hour is a leap, and every drum stroke is a tiny step forward. The team celebrates each milestone since it means they are making progress.
Any long-term project can be completed if it is divided into smaller goals. When a plane reaches well-known locations, a person flying far away will be happy since it gives him comfort to know they are getting closer to home. In order to reach our major life objectives, we must learn to appreciate our small accomplishments.
Conclusion
Show respect and draw inspiration from those who are successful in life. Being successful doesn’t come cheap. It’s going to need perspiration, persistence, people, power, and progress. The same ingredients that everyone needs to be able to do anything good in life are also what Joseph needs to break the Guiness World Record. Following the aforementioned guidelines will guarantee success to brea, your own life record.
