As I’m reading Conquering The Poverty of the Mind – MaZwane’s Story written by Rita Zwane and Isabella Morris, she says something quite interesting when she got a job below her credentials:

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Basically, it was the position of glorified tea lady. Glorified was a step up. I was disappointed because I knew what I was capable of, but hunger does not leave room for pride, so I interviewed for the job, and I got it. However, my secretarial skills did in fact come into play, because they were responsible for my rise in that company, and that job gave me the real boost I needed to achieve my dreams.

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The line “but hunger does not leave room for pride” resonates so well.

I’ve been in awful situations in which I was required to carry out tasks that were outside and sometimes below my skills, yet I had no choice but to do so because doing those tasks would bring me one step closer to achieving my aspirations.

I have learned that sometimes in life: you have to do what you have to do so that later you can do what you love.

As Ryan Holiday so well puts it, “pride or ego” is the enemy within us. Pride keeps us from putting ourselves through the fire of starting again from scratch and working our way up to greatness.

When MaZwane initially arrived in Johannesburg, she found work at a hair salon and secretly slept in it because she had no place to stay. She is now the proud owner of a remarkable restaurant.

She began her business life working in a shipping container and eventually established a successful business that she named Busy Corner.

From a container:

to a thriving business:

If you really want something, truly want it, you will put your pride aside and go for it.

It seems like the question of “how much do you want?” will never go away.

How badly do you want it?

Hunger does not leave room for pride.