I was thinking this morning..... I was invited to the commissioning of a multibillion naira facility during this past week. After the commissioning, the MD invited me to his office to tell me his story. He recounted how he rose from a humble beginning sleeping on the bare floor and mats in a remote village in Delta State to becoming a very successful businessman today. 'I have always made it my guiding principle not to see the hundreds of people that work for me from the lens of MD vs Worker, because I was in a worse state than them many years ago.'
He told me how information got to him about a tenant in one of his blocks of flats in Port-Harcourt. 'I was told how the children of this tenant were sent home from school because they were unable to pay the fees, and I was really touched. If they couldn't pay school fees, how can they pay the rent? I imagined. It reminded me of how I was sleeping on mats and bare floor for many years. I immediately called my lawyer and instructed him that all 12 tenants in the block of flats should no longer pay rent. That was 6 years ago.'
As I listened to him, I imagined how wonderful the world would be if everyone who had a humble beginning like him would give a helping hand to people in difficult situations. As I mused, I recalled the words of my young wife, 'When the gods break your coconut, stay humble.'
It's very easy to feel proud and walk like someone wearing a shoulder pad because you 'don hammer.' There are some very successful people from very poor backgrounds. Today, they treat their former classmates and other not so fortunate people like rag. They avoid them saying 'this one is not in my class.' Just a personal reminder from my wife, 'When the gods break your coconut, stay humble.'
It's been a Hindu tradition for ages to break coconut during auspicious occasions like buying new cars or even starting a new business. To them, breaking coconut is synonymous with prosperity. In that context, not everyone is lucky to break coconut. They've done all within their powers and even prayed for divine support, but the coconut refuse to break. You may or may not have exerted energy, yet your coconut broke, and you are enjoying the succulent white fruit. As you enjoy, remember that 'When the gods break your coconut, stay humble.' Remember Proverbs 18:11-12.
Stay hopeful. God's got our back.
Happy Sunday!
......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey