A Pig driving a convertible!?

On my way to Paris in 2004 I sat beside a young man whom I considered too lively and too noisy for my liking. He sang and wiggled to the tune of his song right there on his seat and acted like he didn’t observe that I was there. Forty-five minutes into the flight he was still singing and “chair dancing” and I couldn’t take it anymore so I  glanced at him a couple of times expecting him to read my mood and calm himself down. At the second look his eyes caught mine and he looked straight into my eyes with a huge, wide, and exuberant smile and asked “are you OK Sir?” I thought to myself “I was thinking something was wrong with him and here he is asking if something was wrong with me”. I didn’t understand him at all. After a few minutes I decided to ask him the same question “are you OK Sir?” He shook his head and said “I don’t think I’m OK but I will be soon”. It was like he had been waiting for me to talk to him so when I did he told me his tale.

This young man told me the tale of his poor beginning. The microcosm of it all is that he never went to school due to poverty. His father had thirteen (13) children and feeding all of them was a huge challenge. Only the first three children could get as far as high school because their dad could not afford the cost of training all of them.

Here is the twist: At the age of 15 he was learning a trade under his uncle and because he had a creative mind, he always wanted to try different methods of doing things. One day he tried a new “move’ as he called it, but failed and in anger his uncle told him he would never succeed in life. He further told him that all other boys in the team were better than him and would fly abroad to pursue their trade, but that he would live all his life in their small village and die a poor man. Too much punishment for a minor misdemeanor isn’t it?

Rather than give up, he patiently persisted and pursued his dream and never gave up.  Few years later he performed one of his “moves’ and emailed it to some people in Europe and after all the protocols they concluded that the young man was a genius and must fly down to attend a meeting of top engineers to explain his hypothesis. When he got to this point his eyes glowed as he said “I was poor, rejected and nobody believed in me but today my story has changed”. You can imagine what happened afterwards. To cap it all, the other boys who were placed above him, were at this time, still struggling to survive; but he was on an all expense paid journey that could change his story. When I heard the story, I started “chair dancing” with him. Amazing end to a humble beginning!

The rich also cried

When you look around the world you will see that there are several famous people/ #celebrities who also come from very humble beginnings but today things are different. #Oprah Winfrey, Jay Z, Tom Cruise, Oluchi, Lucy Liu, Jim Carey, Celine Dion, J.K Rowlings, #JenniferLopez,  Jewel, Demi Moore and many more. They overcame poverty, rape, abuse, childhood illnesses and lots of challenges to be who they are. Some dropped out of school, were treated harshly, lived in unbelievable places, struggled with drugs and a whole lot; but somehow they made it through to the top.

You too can rise

I do not know what point you are at in your life right now but I chose to take this moment to encourage you; do not give up, you still can make it to the top. Are you struggling with poverty? No money to feed, no roof over your head, and it seems like you can never achieve your dream? Hold tight, keep trying your “moves”, someday something will click and you will shine. Did someone you trusted so much dump you and told you how you will never make it? Don’t believe their lie, there is something inside you that the world is waiting for and soon, very soon, you will be discovered. Did you just loose your job and it looks like all hope is gone? Did you drop out from school due to lack of finances? Did you abandon your project due to inadequate resources? Be strong, this is just a phase. There is something bigger and better brewing for you. Pick yourself up and go again, in no time you will find yourself shining.

Where there is faith…

There is nothing impossible to those who believe. Believe that God is with you and heavenly forces are backing you up as you take every step. Believe in yourself, there is something inside you that the world needs. Believe in your vision, nobody may believe in you and your dreams so you owe it to yourself. Your faith in your vision will push you to keep taking positive action and persevere through pain until your breakthrough comes. Where there is faith (with action) there is result.

Rich Piggy

The first time I saw the piggy pulled over by an officer for broken tail light, a couple of things came to my mind. 1) Some people look down on you so bad that they do not believe you can ever make it to the top. But everything is possible; that you are unable to afford it today doesn’t mean you cannot tomorrow. 2) The rich piggy probably has a very poor self esteem. When the officer asked “do you know why I pulled you over today?” 

He replied “Beeeeecause I’m a pig driving a convertible”. But the officer didn’t even think so. He was pulled over because of a broken tail light. Sometimes many people look down on themselves and blame it on others. You need to see yourself better than you do now. If you are from a lowly manger but now own a “convertible”, upgrade your mindset to reflect your new status. Your change will come, when it comes, change the way you think. (This piggy thing is one of my favorite commercials).