THINK OUTSIDE THE BoX

A young man, a father of four working as a rewire in a suburb lost his mind when he discovered that his wife is pregnant with quadruplet. This means that he will be a father of eight in no time. A rewire is the name that people who fix electrical and wiring problems in vehicles are called in Nigeria. (What are they called in your country?) During the course of the pregnancy, his house was destroyed by flood and he had to manage with one of his friends while the wife also stayed with a medical practitioner who assisted her to regain hope in life because she threatened to commit suicide due to lack of finance to take care of her children.

Photo by Eoneren from Istockphoto
Now, this is the nucleus of this story. A philanthropist was interested in helping this young man and his family when he heard their story. According to the young man, after four children all he planned was to have one more child and he couldn't believe it when he saw four at once. The philanthropist invited him to his house and asked him what job he thinks he can do well that will make him more money that will be sufficient to take care of his family. He promise to set up the business for him and provide food items for him so that the mother and the quadruplet can feed well and not look malnourished.

The philanthropist was disappointed in the young man when he said that the new business he'd like to take up is selling spare parts such as alternator, kick, batteries etc. The man gave him a life changing opportunity but due to his lack of belief in himself, he belittled himself by demanding a business that is similar to his present one. The philanthropist told him that he was was from a poverty-stricken family but he refused to have a poverty mentality which is the reason he has been successful in his life. The business this young man is seeking to venture into may not earn him enough to feed himself in a day not to talk of eight children and wife.

He is limiting himself probably due to his educational background or lack of experience or low self-esteem. He got an "open cheque", a life changing offer but he's limiting himself. There are businesses that he could have think of that the philanthropist will be proud and happy to assist him but he left him disappointed due to his poor choice.

So many people are in this man's situation and they may not know it. Life provides us with opportunities but we make a mess of it due to low self-esteem, inexperience, lack of adequate knowledge about other fields of life among others. The philanthropist suggested starting a food business to him, food is one thing that has high patronage all over the world with daily demands unlike spare parts that the man proposed at first. Most times, when people's alternator or kick get spoilt they prefer to repair rather than buying a new one, in short it may not suffice to feed a family of ten.

Let not life opportunities pass you by because of lack of knowledge - it is important to arm yourself with all the ammunition that will be useful for you to sieze opportunities as they come your way. Do not be caught unarmed. Learn to be vast in life and always think outside of the box at all times. In the case of this father of eight, he was still thinking in the line of his rewire business but he could have done better by thinking wide. Do not be this young man in any situation you find yourself, think outside the box.