When you
look at your life right now, are you thankful to God for the place you’re in? Or
do you wonder “Why is life so unfair”?
A few
years ago, my father planted a bamboo shoot in our backyard. He would water it
day after day. He observed it after one week… there was no change, after two
weeks… nothing. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years… STILL
NOTHING!! He eventually gave up. Then one day, I noticed something interesting;
the bamboo shoot had grown slightly. Within a few weeks, there were several
shoots over 20m tall. Needless to say, we now have a forest.
Similarly,
we may start small just like the bamboo shoot. Many of us work hard in school
knowing that we will secure a great job in a great company. But after we leave
school, the truth is, only a handful of people end up getting those “great
jobs”. Most of us end up at the very bottom of the food chain, working in an
unknown, perhaps unlicensed company, filing papers and running errands for the
boss. Others who are not so fortunate end up selling airtime (no offense),
selling cigarettes on a stand or even hawking just to pay the monthly bills.
All this
time, you feel like your human dignity has been stripped and wonder why you
went to school in the first place. Someone who’s less qualified than you is
doing better than you. Some of your ex-classmates are living in the fast lane…
Nice car, nice apartment, nice clothes, great boyfriend / girlfriend, exotic
trips, shopping whenever. And you? You stand in a long winding queue (that
seems to vanish into the horizon), waiting to enter a semi-decent bus to take
you to a room (home) you can barley afford. You look at the work you are doing
and ask yourself, when will things change? When will I get a decent job? When
will my business succeed? When?
Good
news is… you’re not alone. Many of the greatest achievers started at the bottom
just like you. Abraham Lincoln was once a bartender. The Wright brothers used
to repair bicycles. Tyler Perry, entertainment mogul and billionaire, was homeless.
He did odd jobs like selling used cars and collecting bills all while trying to
finance his dream. Richard Branson, world renowned businessman and billionaire,
once sold records from the trunk of his car.
Closer
home, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was once a houseboy. Retired president Kibaki worked
as a tout!! Even closer, I meet successful farmers who started with very
little. Some started with one cow, now they have a herd. I met one particular
farmer who started with 300 Kshs. and used to water his crops with a jug!! He
is now a mentor, consultant and millionaire.
Don’t
despise small beginnings. They’re there to prepare you. They’re there to show
you life is not only about competition and money. They are there to mould your
work ethic and character. Unless you accept where you are in life, you can
never move on. Where you are, is not who you are. Forget about the success of
your friends and work hard in that small position that you have. You may work
and even for years see no growth but one day, the shoot will grow. You may be
starting a business, working in an organization at the very bottom or even
working an odd job to sustain you. Whatever the case, give it your all.
That is
the place where God wants you to be, to cultivate humility in you so that you
will be able to handle the future success. In the Bible, Joseph was a slave!!
David was a shepherd. Paul was a tent-maker. Peter was a fisherman. Jesus was a
carpenter. Be patient and don’t despise small beginnings.
