I worked in a Bank from 2005 to 2010.
I had several experiences while I was a staff of the Bank that taught me some very valuable Life Lessons.
SCENE ONE:
When I resumed for work, a young lady (a youth corper) came into my office and asked, “Are you the new architect?”
I confirmed I was.
“O my God! I absolutely LOVE Architecture! I had always wanted to be an Architect, but life happened…”
“What did you end up studying?”
“Economics”
“How old are you now?”
“22”
“Architecture is a 6 year course: 4 years for the B,Sc Degree, 2 years for the M.Sc Degree. You can still go in for it and fulfil your dreams and be an Architect before you hit 30…”
She laughed!
“Go back to the University and start 100 Level and spend another 6 years of my life? Naaaa- I pass. By then, I should be married with at least a kid”, she replied.
“You WILL spend the next 6 years of your life whether you study Architecture or not…”
She shrugged her shoulders and left my office.
That was 20 years ago now.
She is 42 now.
She is still working in the Bank.
She is still Single.
She has no Child.
And of course, she is NOT an Architect.
We run into each other once a while in Abuja- in traffic, in Shoprite, at the filling station, in restaurants, etc. When we do, I always bring up her dream of being an Architect. “Who knows the trajectory your life would have taken!”
She would voice her regrets in giving up on her dreams too early…
SCENE TWO:
There was another lady working in the Bank I became friends with. Her husband was also an Architect, that was how we became friends.
She later went on her annual leave and visited China. That was in 2005- London was the preferred holiday destination of the average nigerian then. I was curious to know why she went to China.
She told me she planned to resign from the Bank soon and went to China to look for business opportunities.
Fair enough.
Then she told me the business Idea she had: setting up Marquees in some gardens in Abuja to host wedding receptions, parties and any such social functions. “Churches may also use them for their services and programs”, she said.
I had no idea what a Marquee was, so she explained it to me and showed me pictures (it is a tent made with light, waterproof material on steel frames).
She then asked what my thoughts were.
“That’s a BRILLIANT idea, Sis! How soon will you resign and go build up this idea?”
She paused for a while, thinking…
“As soon as we’re paid our upfront in February”, she replied.
This was in October, 2005.
The Bank usually paid some lump sum money in February as “Upfront” and pays another lump sum in August as “Profit Sharing”, 6 months apart. Each lump sum varies between 2 Million Naira to 20 Million Naira, depending on your level. Hers was about 5 Million then, so she wanted to wait till February the following year to get the money before throwing in her resignation.
It made sense, yeah?
But no sooner she was paid the 5 Million, she decided to wait till August to collect the next 5 Million…
Then wait till February again to collect another 5 Million…
That delay cost her.
After 2 years, Abuja became saturated with Marquees!
Unknown to her, other people had the same idea she had, but unlike her, they did not hesitate: they took ACTION! While she was waiting for 5 Million Upfront and 5 Million Profit Sharing, others were running with their visions. By the time she was ready, the Market was already saturated!
She is still working in the Bank today, 20 years later.
SCENE THREE:
The Head of the Legal Department of the Bank was fired. He made an error in judgment on a case that cost the Bank over 50 Million Naira to resolve and he was sacked for it.
He became depressed, he started applying for work all around Abuja to make money- he had a wife and 2 children and the bills were piling up…
One fateful day, he met a woman who asked him, “why are you looking for a job? Younger Lawyers have opened their Practice and you have a lot more experience than them: why don’t you open your own Practice too?”
He had NEVER thought of that!
That woman sowed a seed in his heart and it germinated and grew: he opened his Legal Practice Office a few weeks later.
In about a month, he hit a big deal and made a lot of money from it. He bought a Brand New Range Rover and drove it over to the Bank to thank the Management for sacking him six months earlier! “If you hadn’t sacked me, I’d still be an employee collecting salary monthly and saying ‘yes Sir’ and ‘yes. Ma’am’ to you guys- and I wouldn’t have been able to buy this Range Rover!”
LESSONS:
DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS FOR ANY REASON, especially because you think it’s too late and you’re not getting younger: Age is just a NUMBER!
DON’T DELAY: delay IS dangerous to your dreams. Strike when the iron is HOT!
Not every Disappointment is BAD: Some are actually GOOD for you to experience before God lifts you to your Next Level in Life.
Shalom,
Haruna Daniels