CHANCES

This is an article posted by John Obidi the founder of Headstart Africa on his Facebook page for the youths. John Obidi is a man who is known to always share valuable, eye-opening and action oriented contents that would make anyone who has come under his tutelage eitye r by engaging in his Facebook posts or by interacting with the contents publisher by other authorities in Headstart Africa or by being a student Night school conducted by John Obidi to have a mind shift and start thinking like an elite.

He wrote, "In my journey, I've been blessed with opportunities that catapulted me to higher levels of income, impact and influence. 

There were also those juicy opportunities that I missed, not because I wasn’t competent, but because I hadn’t matured into knowing what that opportunity really represented at the time… so I treated them with levity. 

As I opened myself up to counsel and mentorship from those ahead of me, my error rate reduced… and my ascension accelerated again. 

In all, I’m grateful for the opportunity to play this game at this level, and to do it young. 

Doing it young is something I talk about all the time, and I’d like to appeal to the not-so-young to bear with me and not get emotional about this part of things. 

This is not the time to interject and say “You can be 50 and still make it.”

True-ish, yet debatable, but leave that aside. It's not the point. 

I’m trying to talk to those in their 20s who will be tempted by life to waste the opportunity of a lifetime. 

If you had a child, wouldn’t you like them to do better than you and take advantage of what you couldn’t? 

Ehen. That’s the energy I’m on. 

Back to the matter. 

This ‘bastard money’ we talk about… is very sweet to have while you are young. 

And even if you don't exactly make 'bastard money', you will still make enough to get you where you need to go.

And I don’t mean for frivolous expenses, but for critical aspects of your foundation that your 50-year old self would thank you for. 

There are certain awards you must win (or at least be nominated for) NOW while you’re still within the acceptable age range.

There are aspirations you must pursue now while the energy and zeal to do so burn within you. 

There are stamps on your passport that must be acquired in your 20s, that will make life significantly easier for the 30-year old you.

Step away from those that say "Let no one pressure you". 

I am pressuring you now!

You are young and tough. And even more, YOU ARE AFRICAN!

If you can survive this continent, you can handle this little pressure.

If you’re in school, focus on it and finish strong with a 1st class. Nothing less. 

Don’t drop out under delusions that you can always go back to school later when you’ve made money. 

Which money?

Life is not that straightforward. 

90% of those assumptions end up as 

“🎶  Vivid Imagination 🎶”

Do what must now. 

If you have a mentor that’s helping to ease your journey by sharing life lessons with you, pour into that relationship with everything in you, so that you too can reap the full rewards. 

Everything get time limit.

Tomorrow is promised to nobody, and I do not necessarily mean death. 

One of you might relocate or life might just switch up and shuffle the deck… throwing you far apart. 

It happens. 

You don’t want to be one day saying “We used to be close at some point”

There are people I have served so well, they’d do anything for me… ANYTHING, no matter how far they travel… as long as they can see my messages from there. 

And there are also people who have served me so well, that I’d do anything for them, years after we stopped working closely together. 

Such is life. 

In closing this, I’ll share something I learned from my father. 

Growing up, he never let me play with my age mates or study with those in my class. 

He believed that being the youngest and least intelligent in any crowd was the best way to stretch me. 

"Primus Inter pares", he called me. 

It's a Latin expression that means "First among equals".

Honestly, it may not be the most perfect life strategy so it probably should not be taken verbatim without due consideration to its downsides. 

However, the advantages paid off massively. 

Constant communication with people more experienced at the game of life helped me develop a greater appreciation for things that a man my age should ordinarily take for granted. 

I always had people I could call and ask about a particular opportunity and they’d tell me in 5 minutes what took them 15 years to learn. 

I could call them and complain about someone and after hearing me out, they’d tell me from the benefit of their experience that I was actually the problem, a truth that without them I’d have to toil for years to figure out. 

I say all the time that life is a game of snakes and ladders. 

When you’re young, it can be hard to tell them apart.

Life no too get template… but it will give you clues if you look for them.

Life no too get blueprint… but you can observe the footprints 👣 in the sand to see where one person sank and where another jumped out. 

Life no get any guarantee… but you can improve your odds at winning. 

And yes, life has always been a Game of Snakes and Ladders…

And it remains my prayer, that you learn to choose the ladders."

As an educational blog, we have found this teaching by John Obidi to be suitable for our readers because we are interested in the growth of our audience in every of their lives endeavors.