3 Lessons From Chinua Achebe

Dead men are remembered based on what they did whilst they were alive.

The last book I read before entering 2013 was a novel. For many years, I put away Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart on my book shelve but later picked it up and pushed it to the end. I never regretted ever reading such a masterpiece. The man who wrote this book is dead but dead men are remembered based on what they did whilst they were alive.

This week, I want us to take some life applicable lessons from the famed story teller and largely dwell on his book Thinks Fall Apart. I dare say that it is not enough to say he was great but learn from his life and works.

1. HE SETTLED ON ONE THING.
He was known for writing stories. It is very clear that when you mention Achebe, nothing will jump at you except novel writing. The mark of successful people is that they are trapped in a cage of one thing they are good at. They do not scatter their focus and energy on many things. They focus on one thing. What is the one thing that you are committed to? Have you discovered it already? Mastery flows to people who have a grasp on few things.

2. HE STARTED SMALL.
Settling on one thing doesn't guarantee success until you start small. Achebe started his writing career by publishing short stories in his university years. We never know him for the short stories he wrote but we know him for the bestsellers he wrote as a result of gaining confidence from starting small. Starting small gives you the rare opportunity to grow with your dream. It is a direct correlation. As your dream grows, you also grow. Start now with what you have!

3. HE SETTLED FOR MORE.
What about if Achebe had settled for writing only short stories? I believe it takes the spirit of pioneering and risk taking to echo that 'I will never settle for less'. I can imagine that he said this to himself and then translated his words into actions. It wasn't an overnight success. Although only 2,000 copies of Things Fall Apart were published in 1958, by 1995, it had made a hit sale of over 8 million copies. In whatever you do, never settle for less!

I could have easily written more than 10 lessons but I believe that the fewer the achievable. Not all of us dream to become published authors. Each person has a unique placement on earth. What makes greatness, like Achebe, are the principles we can learn and commit to daily practice. You can make it too. May you be changed!

© 2013 Eric Otchere
(My passion is to build
individual and corporate capacities
through knowledge-based products.)
Email: [email protected]
Weblog: www.ericotchere.blogspot.com