One of the most thought provoking quotes I have ever heard reads as follows, “It is not in the nature of the oppressor to give the oppressed freedom. Rather, the oppressed must demand their freedom.”
Then in Physics I learnt about the Laws of Friction, one of which states, “To every movement, there is an equal and opposing force.” This implies that for movement to occur, the force in the intended direction of movement must be greater than the resisting force of friction.
In church I heard, “Unless your righteousness is greater than that of the Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven”
Lastly, I give you the famous one, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters.”
Can you see a pattern forming here? I can clearly see a pattern which I have named The Greater Than Principle. And a game changer needs to master The Greater Than Principle.
In the original Game Changers article, I pointed out two of the hallmarks of a game changer, namely, refusal to accept the status quo and a dogged determination to change it once they are convinced they are onto something. But what I forgot to mention is that in the course of the game, change will not be handed to you on a silver platter; it will be contested, and sometimes to the death.
It is a natural law. Change is so crucial that it will be heavily contested. And by us choosing to be game changers, we put ourselves in a spot where we become prime targets for resistance. This is just a natural law, so do not take it personally when, as you embark on your project to bring change in your league, you face resistance from people, circumstances and even luck!
The issue is not whether or not you will face challenges as you attempt to change your game; that’s a given. The issue is, is your fight greater than the fight coming against you? This is where the men are separated from the boys. We call it staying power. We can all talk and even roll our sleeves to start on an ambitious project to change the game but few will eventually follow through to the end and harvest the rewards. No wonder then most people in life are perfect averages; it is tough being a game changer. Only game changers alter the course of events decisively.
See, it’s very interesting to note that after embarking on the journey of changing the game with much pomp and flair, when we get discouraged by circumstances and people, we become bitter and then feel like the world owes us something. We reason that what we are doing will benefit humanity after all, so why can’t it be easier for us to just set things in motion and change the game smoothly?
Oh but we forget that change will be contested. Something priced will always be contested, be it money, power, a life partner, a dream job or whatever else we can think of. But when the going gets tough, the true game changers get going! Bon Voyage!
