Go The Whole Hog

One of my favourite analogies for growth in life relates to the seed - That each one of us is allotted a certain seed to plant, which seed must first be buried  in order for it to germinate and break through the soil for light in to a new life.Similarly,the human  process of personal growth is usually characterized by periods of soul-searching,pain,self-doubt and near moments of despair.It doesn’t matter at what stage in life one is in, when that point comes (and in most cases they are several), it is usually quite humbling.

When one is able to overcome their personal challenges, substance is born.Therefore,the stronger the resistance, the higher the growth;and to this extent,life is fair for the simple reason that we all face an equal share of problems,according to our abilities- from the king to the peasant.

How we deal with our respective problems ultimately determines how much we grow. We  can either accept them as challenges that are necessary to discover our better selves, or give in to them and never know what we might have become had we persevered.

Substance

One of my best friends in high school, whom for this piece we shall call Tom,was always top of the class when it came to studies and a very affable guy too.However,the young man had zero-talent when it came to sports.We would actually tease him that he had two left feet.

While the rest of us would rush to the dormitories after classes to change for the games,Tom would be left behind to finish up his homework and later  on do his personal cleaning.

After field work, we would dash for the showers all sweaty and raging with testoterone but not before  kicking out the ‘weaklings’,even with soap on their faces and all, because the big boys needed space(sic).

But come the selection date,Tom was always on the school team.

You might want to know how.

While everyone else was in the field,conditioning and bruising in their respective sport, fighting for the limited slots available,Tom would be busy consuming  a lot of sports facts and would share them with anyone who would care to listen.

We now take for granted the ease with which we can access information via the internet on any subject across the world including its respective images and videos,but as recently as in the mid-ninetys,one had to hold the physical book,magazine,article or interact with the  particular authority for information.Thus, anyone who was privy to such information appeared to be an authority figure in the area regardless of their source. It was a matter of time before the games patron got wind of Tom’s resourcefulness especially when it came to rules and other useless facts,for instance,that basketballer Shaquille O’neal’s shoe size was No.34!,which we found quite amusing at the time.

The rest was history.Tom never missed any sports trip and would accompany our very talented basketball and rugby teams,though as a water boy, to every tournament or friendly match with other schools.Of course he became the envy of many who would trade their week’s bread ration in a heartbeat for a seat in the YF,as we fondly referred to our Isuzu school bus at Kangaru School.

Our militant Deputy Principal then, - the late Mr Rutere (aka Tes)  - a total  disciplinarian - would always scream out his lungs every chance he got that we ought to be Men of Substance and that wearing trousers alone didn’t qualify one to be such.

Tom must have taken this piece of advice to heart before most of us could appreciate it.To this day, I hope he went the whole hog.

Whole Hog

Also referred to as ‘snout to tail’ ,whole hog refers to the old practice of livestock and butchery where no portion of the animal carcass was left to waste;for instance,the skin was tanned for leather,bones for fertilizer and bonemeal,hooves were processed for glue and so forth¹.Having taken many variations over the years,the phrase is used in modern day parlance to mean doing something thoroughly and as completely as possible.

World champion Julius Yego in action

At times we face the temptation to quit in the middle of a task or course due to reasons imaginable or otherwise;but the many times  we persevere and see them through,we become emboldened to complete the next endeavor as it is apparent from the sense of fulfillment we get that perseverance pays.

Tibetan spiritual leader,The Dalai Lama talks about approaching love and cooking with reckless abandon.In other words,no emotion or task is to be undertaken half-heartedly since it is meant to enrich humanity.

All this begins from a point of honesty with oneself-knowing that you don’t know,what you don’t know,  and taking steps in learning what ought to be learned and doing so to one’s highest potential.

Thus, whatever one aspires to do should be backed by a strong desire for not only completion,but done par excellence.Of course it starts with the most mundane of tasks as the spiritual leader reminds us,and once hardwired in to the system, it will  be evident in everything we touch. 

Success expert,Brian Tracy,clarifies that there’s nothing like income gap(You know,the kind you read in economics journals that income is distributed in an uneven manner among a population,the rich continuing to prosper at the expense of the poor etc).The truth is,there’s only a skills gap.

Rich people continue improving their skills and read a lot,while the poor form in to cocoons, be it Trade Unions or the like,hide in their comfort zones and demand for salary increment or lay down their tools.They forget that you can get the best in life by demanding the best from yourself and not from any other source.     

Small guy in the gym-Big guy at the library

I have often found these two people fascinating in that,if you see a small-bodied person religiously working out,most likely he or she has honestly searched himself  or herself and come to the conclusion that this one factor unless dealt with early might inhibit his or her future opportunities in various ways.In the same token,if a regular doorman or bouncer as they are referred to in this part of the world,is seen sauntering in to a library or a classroom,then that guy must have had a Eureka! Moment at some point, and wait until you see what these two will accomplish with their lives if they sustain the discipline.

They will most likely have various other pursuits that enrich their lives and this is just one fundamental dimension they are trying to cross off in their list.They could have interests in arts, sports,public speaking,food,music,travel,theatre,technology,you name it; and their desire is to get the best out of these experiences.They have aspired to live full and die empty(Les brown).

I have pointed this out because the smallest guy in the gym is usually the biggest guy in the classroom and vice versa.But take note of the afore-mentioned henceforth as they have managed to conquer their fears and are going the whole hog in all that they do.

Most of us fall somewhere in between these two kinds of people and that is why we are caught up in our comfort zones.We have not tested how far we can go.Sad, isn’t? 

Success fanatic, Evan Carmichael, quips that Michael Jordan is not the greatest basket-baller to have ever lived simply because the greatest basket-baller did not follow his real passion and he is now a lawyer,or a butcher,or a TV anchor,or somewhere toiling in quiet desperation.

This brings to mind a dialogue I once heard in a movie between two middle-aged men as they discussed hypothetically,what they would advise their younger selves were they to meet them, and I thought to myself,if I had gone the whole hog in my passion for football or Swahili literature which I excelled in,life would be a bit different.

But then again, who’d have written this piece?

Imagine a scenario where the seed said it was too dark ,that it will stay in the soil since it cannot see the light,do you see it living any longer?Likewise,while we might all have been by-passed by certain opportunities since we didn’t give our all in terms of preparedness, we can still bloom where we are if we conduct our respective affairs thoroughly and completely.Excellence is way of life, and not a one-off event, to paraphrase Plato.

I’ll conclude with this famous punchline by Jim Rohn:While dealing with those you love and what your passion is,Love like a mother,kill like a father;or protect like a father,kill like a mother!

P/s:I’m looking forward to seeing Tom as a guest sports analyst in the on-going Olympic games in Rio,Brazil.

      

1.Source: wiktionary.org

         *Edited by TMK