Striving To Finish: The Path To Endurance and Success

Why One Must Strive to Finish

Salvation only exists at the finish line, and it is the one who endures to the end who is saved. Every race, journey, or sojourn has a beginning, and the beginning is often filled with encouragement, enthusiasm, and goodwill, usually fueled by the cheers of others. However, as the race progresses, the athlete or racer must learn to rely on their own inner drive and goodwill, and this fire of enthusiasm must burn bright until the finish line.

There’s no reward between the starting point and the finish line—just personal effort. The friends you will meet along this path are endurance, tolerance, and even long-suffering. Without these companions, you may exit the race without reaching the end.

Strong starts are important, but strong finishes matter more; the finish is what counts. And since the finish is what matters most, anything that helps you finish strong becomes equally important.

There’s a caveat, though: no one can finish what they haven’t started. In a 100-meter race, for example, an athlete who jumps in at the 30-meter mark won’t be recognized at the finish line. At best, they will be seen as someone who strayed onto the track. Only those who start at the proper starting line and finish the race are recognized. In a 100-meter sprint, where only the top three athletes with the best times are rewarded, simply reaching the finish line—while essential—doesn’t guarantee a medal.

Counting the Costs

To finish anything, one must first plan for the finish. Not every endeavor that is started can be finished—this could be due to gaps in personal ability or external circumstances. It's important to plan not just for starting, but for finishing, and in doing so, one must evaluate their own ability and capacity.

A great example is tertiary education. The university system is quite different from secondary school in many ways. Beyond the rigorous academic calendar that demands much from students, there is an expectation that students behave like adults. There are no teachers constantly checking up on you. You are expected to take care of yourself, which is a challenge in itself. Add academic pressure to this, and you have the university system.

To finish well academically, one must attend classes, study, and ace tests and projects to earn a degree. To do this successfully, students must demonstrate emotional strengths like tolerance for others, endurance to handle the rigors, and long-suffering to stay afloat amid challenges. Evaluating these traits beforehand will help determine whether one can undertake such a rigorous course of study.

The Role of Comfort and Suffering in Finishing

Sometimes, suffering can cause someone to quit before finishing, and sometimes comfort can do the same.

One of the debates in Nigeria’s social media space is about the quality of degrees from public versus private universities. Many believe that a first-class degree from a public university holds more weight than one from a private university. Others believe that it’s easier to graduate from a private university than from a public one. Why is this?

It boils down to a choice between comfort and suffering. Public universities typically offer less comfort than private universities, and this discomfort can drive high performers in public institutions—though being motivated by discomfort isn’t enjoyable. In private universities, comfort motivates high performers, while discomfort demotivates them. This is a key difference.

Comfort has its downside, too. Too much comfort can lead to complacency, just as too much suffering can breed indifference. In finishing, the question becomes: What is your inherent bias—comfort or suffering? For someone whose tolerance for suffering is high, comfortable situations may seem foreign, and their response to this discomfort could impact their ability to finish. Conversely, someone who thrives in comfort may struggle to finish in an environment filled with hardship.

This choice between comfort and suffering must be considered in all endeavors.

Succeeding in Nigeria vs. Succeeding Overseas

Nigeria has its own story, and to succeed in the country, one must understand and evaluate themselves against that story. Those who have succeeded here haven’t done so through comfort alone—Nigeria is generally more attuned to suffering than to comfort. This may explain why the children of successful Nigerians often don’t stay back in the country—their tolerance for suffering is too low for Nigeria’s generally harsh conditions.

Other Nigerians who understand this dynamic either stay and persevere or move overseas. Those who move have realized that their comfort levels are better matched with life abroad. And since belief often becomes reality, their belief in an easier life overseas shapes their new experience.

When thinking about finishing, one must consider whether building a life in Nigeria is worthwhile. To finish well in life, choices like where to live should be part of the evaluation.

A good start is wonderful, but in all things, only those who endure to the end are saved.