I have had a long time to think up what I want to tell you guys but I felt I would be cheating and lying if I continued spewing inspirational pieces when I myself am lacking in the required self-motivation. I was dealing with so much that I had to prioritize, and this side-project (BMIC) was not as important as finishing up school or looking for serious investors to bankroll my ideas. At least that was what I was trying to convince myself was the case but in actual fact I was not achieving much in terms of my so-called priorities either, school has and never will be a priority of mine no matter what I pretend; I mean I want to become a graduate but I honestly don't think a degree is a guarantee to success - its more of a safety net to fall back on. On the "serious" investor front, I really thought that I had found what I was looking for when the summer ended with the arrival of a new opportunity in the form of an investor I have codenamed the Business Consultant; but I have come to realize that he is not the "liberator" that I made him out to be initially. In the end, I will have to be the harbinger of my own success - and that realization spawned this particular blog. It is common for people to say something like, "I had an epiphany" but this is different in that I suspected before that nobody can help me succeed apart from myself so I must stop being lazy and making up excuses and just get down and dirty with the bloody war I declared against THE SYSTEM....remember. But this time I can't expect the help of any other ally but God; but then I am inconsistent in my relationship with Him so I can't expect favoritism (miraculous help) on His part.
It may sound trite to say this, but this year, 2010, is going to be my year; but then why not, so was last year and the year before that. So long as I have made it here alive and kicking at least I have achieved something. When the big material things you want are not available then the only way to make yourself happy is to appreciate the little things that are actually the most important; life, love, family, health and friends - the very things that we tend to take for granted. And this holiday season has seen me being much more sentimental and thoughtful than would normally be the case. Perhaps it is because of the striking difference between my life when I am home in Accra and when I am in school in Kumasi. Perhaps I owe this sentimentality to seeing so many old faces and reliving old memories of being a carefree, spoilt brat where now I am a hustling young Business Mind. And I don't need anybody to believe in my extremely lofty, and seemingly unachievable goals - I know how almost impossible it may seem but I firmly and fully believe in myself, my ideas and I WILL SUCCEED; I don't need to reaffirm this belief with anybody else. I recently had a conversation with the Business Consultant and it boiled down to a discussion of risk, money and motivation; in the end I guess I have realized one thing it will be foolish of me to expect anybody to look out for me but myself. Americans have this saying, "Always look out for Number One" and I have to ensure that I am no fool a second time around, trusting blindly and putting all my cards on the table when the other party is not being as forthcoming, hiding behind a veil of insinuations while keeping their trump cards well hidden. But overall I have to say that I enjoyed dealing with the consultant, it gave me several insights into a certain type of mentality I will have to learn to deal with, as well as my own capabilities and limits. I certainly wish him well and I have to say that his business acumen is admirable, but I would hope that he does not forget that when the lion leaves the comfort of his pride to quench his thirst, even he has to be wary of the crocodiles lurking in the muddy reaches of the watering hole.
I am in search of sunrise, I am on a quest for daylight but all around me there is deep dark night. I am only plodding on in the belief that the night is always darkest just before the break of dawn. It will take time, even more tears, pain, sweat, disappointment, failure and the learning curve will be steep indeed. I am bound to trip and scrape myself hundreds of times, I am bound to bleed from several wounds, I am bound to slip down the hill and have only a branch for support. As I am nearing the top I am bound to be cold and be assaulted by freezing winds, I cannot look to anybody to guide me unselfishly, I will have to pay a price for advice. The experience will be nerve wracking, it will be involve a lot of nail biting but THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! There exists no shortcut, I MUST take this long and arduous road alone, but through the tears of blood and pain, and fears that will scar and stain, I WILL GET TO THE TOP. And when I do I will take a deep breath and cry for joy and pray with thanksgiving. Even If I don't make it, I will die knowing that I lived chasing my dreams with all my heart, and that in itself is victory! Have a great year folks, but fasten your seatbelts because its going to be a bumpy ride.
Great piece there, Mr. Ampofo!
ReplyDeleteI must further add that the SEARCH FOR SUNRISE needs to be sustainable and evolvable and should not get terminal eventually. But self-relying SYSTEMS that even counter-check themselves would need external intervention (e.g. battery replacements, lubrication, etc)at certain periodic intervals for it to be sustained.
What would the satellites do without frequent space visits by the astronaut who mounted it there or generations after them? In short... "GYE NYAME" (unless God). The closer you are to Him, the more fond He becomes of you. But who would favour an enemy's son over his in a clear case of "like father like son".....NONE!
I must say that our beautiful struggle does not only involve getting out of this darkness we pitifully dignify so much. It involves, to the best of my knowledge, striving out of the darkness to sunrise and making sure that one is not blinded by the light either. That scaringly makes the the journey lengthier, right? Oh yes, we have seen ideas mature into legacies only to die in the hands of spoiled lavish-living heirs/heiresses. How sad. But perhaps this was only so because the father of the idea, when it succeeded (or GOT TO THE TOP), decided on a lavish lifestyle and in the end created his own monsters (heirs/heiresses) to kill, if not him, his idea and toil.
"I WILL GET TO THE TOP" gives me vivid memories of my mountaineering expedition to Mt. Afadzato. In an hour's struggle against gravity to the top, coupled with the woozy feeling that my fear of heights gave me, some could not make it even halfway. When I finally reached the top I spent so much time catching my breath, wiping off my sweat and soothing my muscles. In this uncomfortable situation I still prided myself that I was better off than those who "chickened out" or lost FOCUS.
If it had taken me 6 hours to get there, perhaps I would have had time to rest on the way, get over my fear of heights, spare sometime to enjoy what was up there and fit enough to descend. Yes,descending is harder than climbing- believe me. Either ways, PACE does not matter; only STAMINA. TIME does not matter; only LIFE. ...the race is not for the SWIFT but those who ENDURE to the end. I do not know who else wants to side with me, but when I succeed I want it to be well managed and sustained for others to continue but not blown out of proportion in celebrations.
Regardless, if I should use this medium to ask everyone who has been there (THE TOP) before if the view really merits the struggle, I am positive that the answer would be "NOTHING".
But we should be thankful to the Almighty, if and only if we are FOCUSED amidst the backslidings and derailments, because only then can you COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS or shall I say ASSESS YOUR GROWTH IN BUSINESS.
Mr. Ampofo, I must congratulate you on your efforts so far. It is only because a year after I met you, you still have the first piece of paper on which you documented your first thoughts....STANDING OVATION FOR YOU and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours.
Wow....now this is a whole Blog Post by itself Kofi Gyimah and I must say I am more than impressed by the response. It really does make a difference once you make up your mind to achieve something you must do all that is necessary to see it through to the end.....It is uncanny that you should bring Mt. Afadjato up, I have also made that climb when I was 16 and I must tell you this, it was really difficult since it had rained before and the trail was slippery, steep and most difficult especially the closer we got to the top. Many people quit before they made it but I am glad that I was one of the ones that made it......I am glad that I was on of the people who can say they have been to the top of the tallest Mountain in Ghana.....And i don't know about you but the view was BREATHTAKING......up above the clouds and the trees, by that rock standing there taking pictures....it was a surreal experience.....and we only spent 15 minutes at the peak before descending but that was way worth all the effort, time, slips, dirt and mud on our shoes and clothes, IT WAS WELL WORTH THAT.....and just being reminded of that experience brings a smile on my face.
ReplyDeleteBut the most important point you raise is that of God and the role he plays in our success. I believe that God provides each and every one of us with all the tools and opportunities for us to succeed, achieve our dreams and be happy i.e. if only we are able to see just how blessed we are and all the things that we have and are able to effectively utilize them.....Then we will not just have our needs taken care or but our WANTS as well.....often times we fail to see all the building blocks surrounding us and lament to Him when he has already given us the key not just to salvation but to prosperity as well.
You make some really salient points though and I truly appreciate that my brother. Descending IS more difficult than ascending; trust me I know too....THAT IS WHY WHEN YOU GET TO THE TOP YOU NEVER WANT TO COME BACK DOWN.......and may we all make it there and stay there.......A bigger standing ovation to you and may 2010 see you making strides and not just improving your life but impacting others positively as well. Happy New Year and May your efforts bear fruit....for you and yours!