Destination X

Lanre Amodu

Robert awoke one morning feeling excited. He sang to himself as he walked from one end of the room to another, dressing up for his big day. He had been unemployed for five years, but his luck was about to change. He locked the door of his tiny room, and headed out of the overcrowded compound. On his way out, he met Tina. “Wow, you seem quite motivated today, Robert.” “Morning Tina,” he replied, “Today is my big day.” “A job interview or something?” she asked. “Not quite. I simply have this deep feeling that something great is coming my way today, so I’m going out to find it.” “That’s good. So, where exactly are you going?” She asked. “I don’t know yet,” he answered, “but I think I will start from Victoria Island. There are very big businesses there”. “VI is a pretty big place. Don’t you have a list of the companies you wish you visit?” Tina asked concerned. “Nope! That will limit my scope. I need to keep my options open for my big break”. With that, Robert left.

After several hours of wandering around in Victoria Island, Robert saw a black Mercedes Benz SUV about to drive into a big office complex. He rushed towards it and pleaded for the attention of the occupant. The middle-aged man wind down the car window to find out what Robert wanted. Robert explained to him how desperately he needed a job. The man asked him what he could do and Robert said he could do anything. Shocked, because anything actually meant nothing, the man asked him the course he studied in school and he said Biochemistry. “Do you know what we do here?” The man asked, “This is an auditing firm!” “Well,” said Robert, “I can do that too.” “What did you do with your time for five years, while searching for a job?” The man wanted to know. “Nothing sir. I decided not to get actively involved in anything because my dream job may show up at any time. I had to be focused. I also couldn’t settle for a mediocre job for the same reason. Once I get my big break, the five years will be worth the wait.” The man looked at Robert pitifully and said, “When you know what you want to do with your life and you have developed your capacity in that direction, I may have a few suggestions for you.” I believe we can learn a few things from the experience of Robert:

• Optimism without direction: while it is great to have a positive disposition towards life, you must have a direction. A lot of people are excited about a new day, month or year without really having a plan. A plan is always the first step. Zig Ziglar said that without fail, those who don’t take the first step will never take the next step.
• Lack of vision: Robert neither knew the exact kind of opportunity he wanted nor where to find it. According to Dr. David Oyedepo, “If you don’t know where you are going, everywhere will look like it”.
• Big break mentality: the problem with “big breaks” is that many people wait without doing anything. Your big opportunity will come, but it must meet you prepared. “It is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared,” says Les Brown.
• Disrespect for small beginnings: Robert felt he deserved more than the little opportunities around him, so he waited for the big one. What most people don’t realise is that those small opportunities in life help to prepare them for greater ones. If you refuse to handle small projects because you think they are beneath you, how will you acquire the necessary skill and experience to handle the big ones? Learn to have respect for every opportunity.

Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This can be your year if you want it to be!