I have been away from this medium for about two weeks now. Those who are close to me should know the reason; our beautiful princess arrived on April 16 2009 to the glory of God. That is a post for another day, we thank God that my Queen n Princess are both doing very fine.
What I am writing about today is a topic that always surfaces every time something is triggered in me. I remember it when I think about the past and the many experiences I had to go through. It also comes to me when I see some things happening in the present.
This topic is not only going to help us in our business dealings but in our love life and other decisions we will have to take in life. It is the power of recognizing potentials and also the ability to resist writing people/ideas off. One thing I have noticed about a lot of people is their tendency to be very inflexible with a stiff stand on opinions. I am going to tell some stories to illustrate my points.
Growing up as I have said through this blog was a mixed feeling. It brings back fun memories but at a stage, it smelled of acute want which bordered on the line of poverty at a point. I remember some girls back in our neighborhood liked me because they thought I was brilliant while some detest me since my dad did not have much. There was even a day some of them including guys made me the subject of discussion saying it should take just 2 seconds to count the number of clothes in my wardrobe. That could be very disheartening for a 17 year old, University 200 level student. I kept my calm and kept on reassuring myself that it would be well. Today, I need to ask myself where they are today with the nothings they had that they thought was something.
Within the University was another experience. One thing I had going for me back then was my ability to understand vividly that I should not JUMP. I knew at that point that most babes on campus will probably not see the real me but the cover that was not glamorous. I must add at this point that some saw through me and I appreciate them for that. I also behaved myself very well in fellowship and not until my final year did I have the gut to ask a babe out 😉 (Not ready for that story o lol). I am not trying to be vain but I am sure that with present circumstances; some school colleagues (both male and female) are asking why they did not know the real Ayo Oladejo in OAU. I went to visit someone in a room in Awo Hall in my 100 level. I greeted everyone in the room and just this one guy came to me asking why a Sesewa should enter their room. The room mates told him he was being sarcastic and should know I am not one. I never forgot his face and I know how much of no impact he made on that campus.
A lot of people know ‘Gbenga Sesan today and they think he always had it good from childhood. But this same young man who speaks in front of Kings and Queens had to contend with a lot of putting down whilst growing up. Someone even told him computers were not meant for his kind. It takes men of vision to see into potentials. I am using personal stories not as a means of gratification but to drive home the point in a very practical way.
Now let us talk about business. How possible is it to know that a new business idea will fly? It is very hard but knowing how to discern and act is a virtue. I remember the Coca Cola story. The original owner of the recipe sold it at a very ridiculous price because he thought there was nothing much to it. Lets also look at the Google guys, Larry and Sergey. If Sergey did not have the spirit of discernment and the ability to read into potentials, he would not agree to the crazy plan of starting Google and same goes for Larry. A lot of people have missed out on the early stage of possessing stakes in later to be big corporations because they were blind to the inner strength exhibited by the ideas. These same people might come in later to buy stakes at a very high rate or maybe never would be able to do so again. The first Venture Capitalist firm that invested in Google are very happy people today.
Our society is even more guilty of this as it encourages get rich quick lifestyles where people are only interested in buying high yield shares instead of bringing companies up. We have seen the consequence of this as the stock exchange crash and some people are already contemplating suicide. My advice today is for us all to understand the virtue called patience and know how to practice it. Never be too hasty to write off a brother or sister. 5 years down the line you might regret ever talking down on her or him. Never be too hasty to condemn a business plan – that might be your gateway to joining the Millionaire league. Even if you are not willing to put down your money as a risk averse person; there are subtle ways of handling the situation which does not necessarily have to end up in acrimony.
And to those who have been on the receiving ends of the people we have been talking about. My philosophy is simple – whatever does not kill you can only make you stronger. Sometimes we need nasty people to talk us down to actually get out of our shell and do exploits. I have been turned down by a woman before but I bless God for that because I wouldn’t have married the best woman for me if that did not happen. So before you start killing yourself for being resented; think very well and look at all the opportunities for improvement. I know a guy who was turned down and 4 years later, he married the same lady.
If your business idea was shot down by an overzealous talker – remember, he might not even have money to bankroll the project and just looking for a way to destroy your drive. Forget him/her and move on, there are many fishes in the ocean lol. The greatness of a man is not in his ability to stand always but that when he falls; he knows how to get up. I will close this by saying that we are in funny days and we need every of our imaginations and will power to survive. There is more to you and the World is waiting to discover the gold in you. One day we will examine the factors to look out for in identifying potentials.