Lesson from the Highway.

When I got my car earlier this year, I had gotten a lot of exhortations during dedications which stare at me, sometimes knock my head any time I try to misbehave behind the wheels: speed kills, easy does it,  it is he who arrive home safe that knows how to drive (the Yoruba version is richer), see every other driver as insane, blah blah.

 

It has made me a better driver, or say an extremely cautious one. I only do my 160 when I'm in the mood (occasionally), I try my best to banter only the over-aged, and I fell in love with my mirrors, as pupsy always suggested.

All these instructions and one more little thought were in my head as I hit the road this weekend for Ibadan.  I wanted to arrive home safe, be as careful as I've always been, but I also wished to drive all the way and have no one overtake me. Crazy huh? It was just a wish...I have always had it but I seldom see it through.

So, the party begun, slow and steady, then faster and a little faster as I let my leg hit the gas pedal. Good music coming from the radio, oye pumping from its vents, it is just matter of time before I get to Ibadan.  I started taking on the buses, cars and trucks one after the other. Some fought back, some too overloaded to notice me breeze off right before their eyes.  

This was becoming fun until something terrific happened. Calm down, it wasn't an accident, just an oldie approaching on top speed from nowhere. I first saw the headlight through the mirror. It was far away I thought, so I drove on unperturbed. The next time I checked my mirror I saw nothing and was smiling to myself thinking I had lost him when he honked, right beside me and overtook me. Some old pile of wtf*! How on earth did that happen? I thought I was invincible.

"O kere," I whispered, as I started my comeback. I can take it when young Sequilla 2009 or a younger 2010 Toyota Camry overtakes me and leaves me behind. I am not always hurt even when my age mates mess with me on the road, but for this old ragged Carina God-knows-what-model to just come and dazzle like it has got Lewis Hamilton behind the wheels?  Impossible! The production of your clan has even been discontinued.  I accelerated hard, heard clearly as the car transmitted automatically and entered top speed, but my oga-at-the-top as I later found out had other plans.  he had discovered what I was up to, and he was willing to give me a run for my money. He drove on in full speed too.

People we drove by could tell there was a race on. "Maybe his speedometer doesn't even work," I cursed, as I discovered I was doing 140+. I gently hit the brake as we approached 2 trucks dulling off their destinies. One was trying to overtake the other and you could tell it was gonna take eternity before that happens. We've got to overtake them both before the space chokes.

Carina E did as I expected, overtook the latter truck and I watched him sashay away as the truck blared the horn and closed the gap. I jumped in my seat and beat myself as one truck snail-ly overtook the other. By the time they were done crawling, I only saw 2 red tail-lights far away.

*          *          *

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong...Eccl 9:11

Most times, we humans see life as a competition. I've got to do it better, be more famous, be richer, wear it better. We compete with people whose destinations differ from ours.  people whose purpose in life are world's apart when compared with ours. Just go ahead and do your thing your own way. Don't make other people's life your yardstick for success. The learning point is to "drive" and make sure you arrive home safe.

You are not limited by age, skin color or anything. Don't look down on yourself.  you can achieve anything. The content matters as much as the container. The driver of that supposed old car did not feel inferior. He knows what he's got and what he is capable of. It takes a good driver to win the race, not just a good car.

Speed still kills.  That was my consolation as I drove on silently on a night I had to settle for being the second best.  Now that you have picked the "tori", this festive period and beyond, I take God beg you, please let's not be like that oga who was over-speeding o. God go dey keep us o. Compliments.

ONCE MINT, NOW MUTILATED

Someone told me the value is still N1000 Naira, “but in this Nigeria of ours, it will be rejected, couple of times, back to the holder before he finally gets to spend it”, I responded.

Everyone I know prefers mint notes to the readily available just-fit notes and the seriously-used, fragile mutilated ones. Bring out a fresh packet and people will be willing to exchange some and up their wallet’s game.  A colleague once said mints even make some fools go hungry; they blatantly refuse to spend the ones they have got in their wallets. Even a toddler, when offered an “untouched” note (like folks around here call it) and a dying one, will quickly smile and leap towards the shinning one. Someone said the beggars too have started refusing bad notes.

The intelligent Nigerian money-hawkers are not oblivious of this.  That’s why they always have mints readily available for sale at a particular percentage. It is what they sell day in day out.  Even when all the banks in Nigeria including the CBN itself claim there are no mints at hand, these guys have it. They are everywhere ranging from markets to churches and all around event centers. I wonder what they say when they want to advertise their goods “e ra owo e nawo o (buy money to spend o!)”, maybe.

I am not a freak for mint though. Give me all the mutilated notes u have and I will collect them from you. I’m even thinking of starting a business up in that line. I’ll call it MutiSweep. I’ll help change all the money being rejected in the circulation to ones that you can still spend, for a token too. Mine is different cos I won’t be offering mints in return.  Be that as it may, I also will prefer to have mints flashing in my wallet as against the “konde” collections I currently got. Mint rules.

Not to deviate, I am not trying to promote the locations where you’ll readily get mints to spend this Sallah. It was one of the bad notes that was dispensed to me by my bank’s machine that prompted this. I held that note with disdain and wondered if “this note too was once mint”. On the thousand note, Alhaji Aliyu Mai-Bornu looked as sad as sadness itself, like someone being blackmailed, with stretch-marks all over him. If you do not look closely, you will not know it is the picture of the first indigenous governor of Central Bank of Nigeria. Dr. Clement Isong on the other hand seemed to be crying. The look on his face was that of a prisoner who has just been denied parole. I imagined the number of different places it has been tucked, the number of pockets it has been squeezed. You know what I am saying. I turned it both ways to reconsider it; it was really in a pitiable state.

There was a time, long ago, or not too long, depending on the experience that particular note had, when it was mint too. Everybody wanted it, it was pampered and spared until say, one day, the holder got very broke and eventually spent it.  Maybe he bought roasted plantain and groundnut. As soon as mama plantain confirms it was not fake, slips it into the you-know-where, not minding its mint state. Later in the day, the farmer shows up with new supplies of unripe bunch of plantains as usual, and after checking it out, mama dips her hand, stained with sap, wax and charcoal, into the “foreign reserves”, sorts the money there-in and hands it over to the farmer who folds it thoroughly before tucking it into his inner pocket. Just maybe. The rest they say is history.

Pal, are you in a mint state right now and you are feeling fly? Have you got the tendency to look down on others because of their lowly state? Or you just believe outright that you are simply the best and no one compares? This short write up is for you. Take a cue from it.  No one knows tomorrow. No condition is permanent. Time and chance may just happen to you and things may just fall apart. Remember also that someone got it better. A $100 bill, as at today is 16 times minter than a N1000 note, so calm down.

For those out there who know deep down they are not there yet, I have good news for you: unlike in the currency story, where states simply deteriorates, human state can move from bad to good. In our world, no law reaches it that it must always get worse. You can consciously work your way to the top too. Work smart, pray harder, do things differently and try to break the habits.  On a lighter mode, drink a lot of Peak Milk cos greatness is in you.

I'll need a glass of milk myself to start with. 

Have a great day.

Derek Redmond's still Inspires [ VIDEO ]

I saw this video a couple of days ago and it really hit me hard. Happened some 21 years ago, but if you have not seen it, it is still news.

Derek Redmond was at Barcelona '92 with high hopes. Ready to take the world by storm. He was determined to win a medal in the 400 meters, irrespective of the color. He had previously shattered the British 400-meter record at age 19. All eyes on him. He was not going to let anything take the shine off him this time, like it happened in the 1988 games in Seoul.

He had made it to the semifinal heats, he only needs to be amongst the first 4 in this heat to qualify for the finals. He couldn't have had it better. This was his moment, the one he will be relishing for a long time.

In front of a crowd of 65,000 the race started. Derek broke from the pack in no time and took the lead. In his mind he'll be like "na me be this?".  Then something dramatic happened 175 meters away from the finishing line.

Check out the video and learn there are different ways of winning. 

 

click here if the YouTube plugin doesn't work on you device. 

Have a fabulous day.
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CONTENTMENT: a refresher course from my Indomie aboki.

I closed late at work, as usual, with stacks of customers’ complaints left unattended. This is another unfulfilled day in summary. Famished as I was, the only other thing that got my attention was the little boil forcing its way out of my eyelid. It was drizzly, so it wasn’t hard to decide what I was to have for dinner: hot aboki Indomie it is.

He was in the middle of a package when I got there. "Shall I go for a package too, or the total package", I thought.  The last time I went for a total package, I wasted a ton of it. I will rather settle for a bite I can chew. As I peeped to see how far along the sizzling pack on fire is, he caught my gaze and regarded me with a warm salutation “Oga welcome”. The smile was the only other smile I remembered after the few ones I gave when we just opened to customers earlier in the day. Wait, did I even smile at anyone today? Maybe the other day.  I have been gloomy at work of late, zobo-red eye worn around most of the time.

“Which one you want”, he interjected. “Gimme one medium-sized Indomie and two eggs”, I replied. “Tonight, I am not a man”, I thought, “neither am I as hungry to consume and contain the hungry man size package”. He smiled, got a cup and started the ritual.  He is always fun to watch, but not tonight. The smoke, stirred up by the soft weather was drifted everywhere and wouldn’t lemme enjoy how he does his thing. With a pack soaked up in hot water in a cup, he got another cup to mix the eggs and the sauce. While doing all this, he chatted me up about work, asking if it was good. The traditional “fine, thank you” came by reflex. This abokis can be nice sha! Then I remembered another of my bachelor servicing mama-puts. That one go just bone like say somebody die. She no dey even get change. This aboki is far better than mama Sunday, walahi.

Instant noodle is the name; it wasn’t long before I was served.  I paid.  He deserved a tip, but the penny-wise being dwelling inside me inclined me to collect my change. I was now set for where I packed my car. Then the thoughts came: what motivates him? What makes him and keeps him happy at this job? He seems to have it all. I went further to analyse how much interest he could have made on my package. Maybe 50 Naira or a little bit more, or less. If he is able to sell 10 of that, he could have made N500. 50 of that and he would have made N2500? I get tips fatter than this on a very good day! Now that’s crazy. How does he sustain his family? How much does he save? Does he even own a car? Does his hajia wear Brazilian hair? Strings of questions queued in my mind unanswered.

I concluded it is not about how much the money is, it is about been happy with what have, what you do at a point in time. It is not about driving the latest car, or using the latest technology. With time and chance, you can attain whatever you desire, but you gotta be content with what you have now! I mean, if some of us are asked to trade places with him, we’ll just nag ourselves into extinction or something close.  He may as well over-flex his muscles assuming he is a god, if endowed with that “riches you are not content with”. There is always someone who has it better and someone who has it worse. Some of my readers out there are already earning the armed-robber salary, so to say, and we are never contented. Don’t get me wrong, I am not clamouring for you to be complacent, or that you should not aspire for greater heights, but, hey, while you are doing that, something tells me you ought to live a healthy life. Be satisfied with what you’ve already got. A bird in hand, whether dead or alive, is worth more than ten thousands in the bush (except, of course, you own a poultry farm somewhere in the bush). Being content is a neurophysiological experience, whatever that means. *smiles*

Uncle Lao Tzu was at our place the other day and said “be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.  When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”  You don’t need more to be thankful, you just need to be more thankful. I have learnt a new lesson, and I will be applying it a long time. The meal, by the way, was good as always, you need to try it out sometimes too.

Great day awaits you!

You can engage me on twitter @bimbolanko

What if all you have is 40 years?

Do the math. Let’s say you are 20yrs old already! Then you have a whooping 20 years more. In football, one will say you are at the “half time” period of your life. From your perspective, life is just getting started. You have time; you can always do whatever you want to whenever you deem fit. You can always take it easy, no rushing. No pressure. No qualms.  In reality, you are half way done. Life is like a Blackberry battery, better still, a Nokia battery. As soon as you disconnect the charger, it starts discharging, running low and low, depending on the activities, until it is flat and out.  Of course, some maximize this battery life while available: quality phone calls, presentations, publishing, sharing, ads, quick searches and look-ups, what have you.  Others do other things which just make the phone go hot!

To have a goal is good, to pursue it is better, and to do so on time is the best.  You cannot continue to push tasks off to the last possible minutes. If you think it is stressful to do it now, wait till when you settle to do it later and find out how much pressure has mounted. Executing your idea may seem overwhelming and stressful, pushing it forward only compounds you woe.  Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow. The old mantra says “Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today”. I’ll rather kill today’s trouble than push it forward, and add it up to tomorrow’s.  If it is worth the effort, then you shouldn’t wait.

The gospel truth is, the longer you procrastinate, the lower your self esteem gets. The sense of fulfillment is not there. Self-doubt creeps in at will. The odds are higher that you may not get to do what you ought to do as you allow time tick by. Start! Dive in first. Something tells me the farther you go, the more committed you’ll get. Come to think of it, I procrastinated writing this blog. Occasionally I just drifted away. I even left it completely for Wordosaur the other time. See! The easy things are always really not worth it after all.

Quick appraisal: What were the targets you set for yourself, say, 1^st of January this year? How many have you seen through? Did you truly pursue them?  Some of them do not take 8 months to achieve, remember? You’ve still got more than enough time before the year runs out….”maybe not”.

You only live once. Sad enough, most people utter this as a defense for the reckless life they lead; the easy escape route. It is the perfect excuse to waste life.  You only live once, but the impact you have could be eternal. Solutions you bring may be unquantifiable. Time is of essence.  Time is a resource, manage it. Idle time seems to pass more slowly than occupied time. In reality the time ticks seconds after seconds. It is our perception of time that differs.

Do something, it’s almost midnight.

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Don’t fold your arms.

Who invented electricity?  

That was the question that came to mind instantly.  I already know who invented Facebook. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, right? Yippee!!! Brilliant me! I sometimes stare hard and long at the pictures of that guy. 29 years old. He looks as normal…and as distracted as the rest of us. Jeez! looks can be deceiving.  So I turned to Google, my second best companion, to check out who really brought about electricity.  Different names started popping up: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, Allessandro Volta, William Gilbert and soooo many others. I was bent on knowing the friend and the foes. I just needed a name. How on earth will someone invent something that just shocked the hell out of me earlier in the day?

The first link I clicked was reluctant to open, thanks to MTN Nigeria. Then another thought dropped into my mind: what if these inventors folded their arms? What would we have got? My wild imagination resumed full time and I could see a 10-million capacity stadium  filled to the brim with Arsenal and Aston Villa fans, all holding binoculars and telescopes as long as, if not longer than, the Vuvuzela, trying to catch a glimpse of the proceedings on the pitch. It’s either you watch the game live or you get nothing.  I wouldn’t even be able to recharge my phone or laptop – that is if the ones who brought about the invention of these gadgets didn’t fold their arms too.

I imagine our Facebook inventor folding his arms, graduation with honors, being employed by, say, Google? He will not just be on his supposed competitor’s payroll, Maybe we would all still be on Hi5 by now.  It also means there wouldn’t even have been internet. No Google? No yahoo? (maybe naija woulda been better off with the riddance of yahoo bois and girls tho’), no automobiles and aircrafts? It is hard to imagine, but I think all we would have been left with are lush green attires, manna from heaven, and we would have continued to be fruitful and multiply. 

Evidences of engaged hands abound everywhere. Just look around you. From penicillin to the food stacked up in your cabinet. The boogie-boogie you rock and those cute shirts that make you look fly. Imagine a world without cassava bread (laughs), preservatives, anesthetics and you’ll know what I’m talking about. We can go on and on. The list is inexhaustible.

    

We don’t know what we are missing until we have it.There are a lot of thing the Milky Way still deserves. Don’t fold your arm, who knows what you’ve got in there? Maybe you will be the one to bring about the kind of electricity that doesn’t shock!

Do something!

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