adminBen Chiganze A Bass Fisherman’s Approach
After our adventure in the marauding storm at Darwendale Dam recently, we opted to go to a smaller dam at Carolina Wilderness the following weekend. We chose a smaller dam where good fishing spots could be accessed easily by fishing from the banks. So we were contented to cover a lot of the distance around the dams on foot. The three of us came prepared with our gumboots and light clothes. As the day progressed we found ourselves running from one end of the dam to the other in order to catch up with the others.
Crossing the dam was not easy either as refraction does not give the reliable indication of depth of any spot. Even where it does, it is difficult to judge accurately whether there is soft sand or hard sand.
Alan and I lost our gumboots while trying to cross a spot which appeared shallow but has soft sand. We sank right up to our chins and as we tried to free ourselves, our gumboots remained stuck in the mud.
Though it appeared basic, no one had ever taught us that you cannot cross a river while putting on gum shoes. Once gum shoes are filled with mud they can actually weigh you down and can cause you to drown.
Does one give up fishing when one has lost his gumboots or one continues because as long as the fish are in the dam it is still worthwhile fishing? Anyway we continued fishing.
We had to spend the whole afternoon walking barefooted, which exposed our feet to cuts and bruises from small stones, tree stumps, hard grass and other hazards.
We had no choice but to soldier on. So long as the bass was biting, we were happy and less worried about the other hazards as we treated them as sweet pain encountered in every good occupation. However, I woke up the following day with a swollen arm. All my arms and legs had bruises and other parts were swollen from insect bites.
Below my knees I had bruises from the use of gumboots. My kids took almost 30 minutes attending to my injuries.
One of them mentioned that I was injured because I did not fish smarter. Despite all the pain from my injuries, deep down in my heart it was well with my soul.
I was completely content and fulfilled for the first time in many years. My mind was at rest and stress free. I felt a liberated man. My mind was completely free from the worries of many social ills afflicting me and economic disadvantages.
I was a happy man. I could safely define it as one of my quality moments of enjoyment. Good things in life come at a price. This incident reminded me of the story of King David in the Bible when he upon returning home from battle he heard that the Amalekites had invaded his Kingdom and ransacked Ziklag. (I Samuel Chapter 30).
Women and sons were taken into captivity including his two wives. To compound King David’s woes his army was heavily depleted and he only had 600 men. About 200 of the 600 men were extremely tired and were not able to fight another battle. Despite these shortcomings and fatigue King David pursued the Amalekites and won. He recovered everything that had been looted from his kingdom.
These two stories demonstrate the reward for perseverance and clarity of purpose.
Though fishing is enjoyable one has to go through some pains to get the benefits of fishing such as quality catch and relaxation.
Most good things in life do not come on a silver platter. King David only enjoyed the extra loot after experiencing rebellion in his own camp and fatigue from the previous battle. Life battles are won by putting extra hours of sacrifice. Work hard during preparatory and implementation stages.
Recent management theorists argue at length about the benefits of working smarter.
Literally many people have taken this to mean spending less time working. Others think it is getting more results from less effort. Most people are mistaken to think that the actual execution of the task is where hard work should be visible.
One of the legendary soccer coaches of our time, Jose Mourinho, works very hard during training such that when he achieves his desired results on match day he is hardly surprised. There is no doubt that he spends more time working during the training sessions than on the execution day. Therefore, working hard is essential for success though we expect more work to be done during preparatory stage than during execution.
Even after going through drills during your preparatory stages you still have to have the heart of a lion during execution time because this is the time that you might find yourself drowning in soft muddy waters which are seemingly very shallow.
Nonetheless working hard during preparatory stages does not guarantee success if one is not brave enough to go to the battlefield even if you are coming from another assignment like King David.
Most well crafted strategies have remained beautiful paper plans nicely tucked away in executive offices because most executives are scared of “bruising their legs and arms” in the ensuing battles against the perceived hostile social, economic and political environment.
The most convenient excuse advanced is that we are waiting for the right time to implement. Would King David have reclaimed his kingdom’s possession if he had waited until his whole army had fully recuperated from fatigue? There is nothing which is as more satisfying than achieving success. However, there is a strong correlation between achievement, pain and sweat.
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