Some years back, when I got admission to study at the University of Ibadan Nigeria, I did what we called clearance, registration and paid my tuition fee within two weeks or so.
When lectures and normal school activities were about to start, I took the last money on me and travelled from Ibadan to my elder brother in Lagos so he could give me extra money for upkeep.
In Lagos, I was welcomed with the greatest disappointments of life.
My brother was angry at me for not informing him before coming down. He told me how short of money he was and how things were not going well financially. He, however, gave me N2,000 to return to Ibadan that same day. A first cousin of mine in the same area also gave me N1,000 as transport fare.
When I got to my destination in Ibadan, I noticed the N2,000 was no more in my pocket.
It was all a misery.
I couldn’t explain how it disappeared.
I called my brother and he was so angry at me about the bad news.
The following day, I packed my loads to move to the hostel from where I was staying with another cousin before I was admitted into the university.
I was still having a balance of close to N500 on me.
Out of that, I put N300 in the back pocket of my trouser and the remaining in the front pocket of my shirt as transport fare to school.
On my way, the place where I took the last bus was a busy bus stop. You have to compete with other waiting passengers to get a bus.
After I struggled to enter the bus, I checked my back pocket and the money was gone again.
What happened?
My pocket had no either a hole or a tear.
That day, I was completely devastated. It was the first time I really felt the whole world was against me.
No money.
No food.
You’re down emotionally.
You’re sick.
And no one to give you anything.
How will son of man survive?
I was lucky that day to eat a “white concoction rice” cooked with groundnut oil and without pepper. It was cooked by a friend and roommate who was also broke at the time that he couldn’t afford pepper to add.
At night, when I thought through how my money was disappearing, I realised my pocket was picked while struggling to enter the bus at the busy bus stop…It was that same bus stop I passed the day the N2000 disappeared.
And that incidence thought a very serious lesson.
Throughout my period in school even till date after school, I hardly put money or any valuable thing at back pocket or even my side pockets.
You see, most times in life; most bad things, disappointments or bad situation that happen to us are always with messages.
Instead of complaining about how the world is unfair to you. Think through the situation. Look for the cause of whatever is happening to you. Learn the lessons and apply them to prevent such in future.
Don’t limit it to your personal experience. Learn from others.
If you will have to experience all the mistakes and failures yourself, your journey to success will be “longer than the longest” if you even get there at all.
Study people or businesses that have achieved whatever is similar to what you want. Choose mentors. Study their mistakes and successes.
Learn how to bypass the mistakes to achieve success faster and better.
That’s how to play unfair to win in an unfair world.
Talk to you soon
Olusola
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