A Must-Read For Every Young Entrepreneur.
One of my favourite sports is boxing.
So yesterday, I decided to see the replay of the fight between Anthony Joshua and Carlos Takam.
While personally I don’t really enjoy the fighting style of Anthony, I can’t of course take his glory away from him.
But then, in ring entertainment, I would certainly pick someone like Mayweather than Joshua any day.
Okay, that’s by the way and my own POV.
In that fight, Anthony won – defeating Takam in the 10th Round by what’s known as a Technical KnockOut (TKO).
But then, I didn’t like the way the referee ended the match. I think he passed that judgement rather too swiftly.
Even Takam was surprised and Anthony didn’t expect it.
Both men were ready to keep fighting; Takam was ready to keep taking and giving punches, but the referee felt he was done and simply ended the match.
Now, that I didn’t like the way the referee ended the match is my personal opinion.
However, I think the whole incident goes to re-echo a lot to us as young entrepreneurs.
There are times in business when you are faced with challenges, you have been hit by bullets, yet you are still standing, you haven’t given up, only for somone or people to pronounce you dead.
People sometimes write you off because they see the hard punches you have taken in business and they conclude that you won’t make it to the end.
Maybe your product didn’t sell, you lost your capital, you didn’t receive the funding, or one of your partners pulled off, or the deal wasn’t approved as you hoped for, leaving you dejected yet hopeful – only for you to walk down the street and behold your obituary hanging in every corner.
The media is very good at this. They write you off before you even say Jack Robinson.
As young entrepreneurs, we are most likely going to be faced with such human proclivity. But unlike Takam, we must learn to choose the ‘referees’ we listen to and the effect their early judgments have on our staying power.
Don’t give up on yourself because someone gave up on you.
The referee is not always right.
– By Chinonso Ogbogu
2 Comments
I watched that fight live and as much as I rooted for AJ to edge out Carlos Takam I was not particularly pleased with the referee’s decision of declaring AJ the victor much to Takam’s surprise and amidst his protests.My conspiracy and tentative theory is that maybe it was a bout that had been premeditated to end up in AJ’s camp.But just as you’ve expertly laid it bare,people write you off before you even walk into that fight(business).They talk you down and give you untrue reasons why you should settle for a spectator.They read out the scores of people who are much better than you are and have tried it but couldn’t live to see the light of day.But why should we let people’s myopic views dither us from getting to the finish line? #LessonForTheDay.
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