In swimming through the tides of the river, determination is of utmost importance. One cannot succeed without a predetermined intention to. This was the case of a man I know so well and very closed to. His success story is always an encouragement to me and I often use it to encourage people around, whether young or old, male or female.
This man was born in the late 70s into a poor family of 8. This number is due to genealogical mode of procreation in the olden days. He's the last of them all and the only male child of the family.
The disposition of his parent's financial status got him pissed off that he determined to make his future a better one.
In his early years, while in primary school, he would go to work for people in the farm to help his parents with his school fees and this is outside the time he spends in his parent's farm working for them. He could figure out extra time because he was already of a reasonable age, about 10-12 years and was wise enough to handle few life's challenge. Sometimes, he would miss classes just to go source for little cash to get him going. There are days he would not even bother to go to school for the same reason. Sometimes he would fetch fire wood to sell to people around and use the money to pay his school fees and also give some to his poor parent, especially his mother.
Not long after, he graduated from the primary school and had to stay back home an extra year before proceeding into the high school. This was not because of inability to pass his primary school leaving exams but for the lack of finance coupled with the fact that his parents had an achaic notion that after primary school, a child can be conveniently allowed to live his life and afterwards grow up into the farming business and be married afterwards.
This was not palatable for him, especially seeing his mates dressed in an high school uniform and going down to learn in a different environment, most of which he was older than. But he didn't allow himself to be reduced to nothing by his present challenge, since his parents had promised to send him to the high school after one year when they would have gathered enough money from their farm produce.
How time flies? Before the eye was twinkled, one year had passed and this little growing boy was excited having to start high school. His friends had been ahead of him by a year, but he was never moved. Amongst his peer then in the primary school, he was the most brilliant and had wanted to be a business man haven't heard of many successful elites in the village, one of which happens to be his father's close relative.
To cut the long story short, he tried all his possible best and finally entered into the final year in the high school where he would afterwards graduate and enroll into the university. Prior to this time, he had a reason to drop out of high school if not for his unhindered focus and the influence of a man he met in his third year.
Let's not forget that he's from an humbled beginning. This situation continued all through his high school and then his parents were growing older.
Just while he was in his third year in the high school, he met a man, his fellowship pastor actually, who also happened to be his mathematics teacher. This man took him like his own child and promised to guide him through the tides of life so that he would at the end of all be a success. He gave him a slogan to always reiterate to himself Everytime he thinks of the future because he was almost giving up then. This is the slogan " determination is the crown of success, if you can see it and want it, you can achieve it". This became for him a constant song. He inscribed it in his room so as to always see it. This teacher took him all the way and ensured that he came out gloriously in his final exams in high school.
In all this, he had to struggle through times and seasons, working here and there for people to make life ends meet. He ensured to carry out one of the suggestions made to him by his teacher and mentor, which was to save up ahead of his graduation from the high school. He did this and had a reasonable amount to enable him apply into the university and also settle some of his bills.
Eventually, when the final examination in high school came, he came out with a flying colour and was so excited. At this point, he was already about the age of twenty. Without much ado, he applied into the polytechnic and obtained a diploma in business administration. Just after his graduation, his close relative earlier mentioned came home from the United States and requested to help him travel down to continue his academics and also reside there afterwards. He was so excited to hear such news of such a great opportunity and immediately embraced it. Then he remembered how he wanted to give up at a point and thought to himself- this is how I would have missed such a great opportunity.
The man then traveled back to the United States after which he made all necessary arrangements for his going down there. From this young man's storyline, he told my brother who happened to be his friend that, this relative of his placed calls through to some university explaining his financial status, after which one of the universities contacted consented to offer him a scholarship which includes- all expense paid for flight, accomodation, tuition and even a monthly stipend to enable him concentrate well. In no time, and an opportunity to work and study. This was how he traveled down to the United States. At this point his success was about to climax.
He tried all his best to study well and surprisingly, he graduated as the best in his department, a man from an humble disposition, who at a point wanted to quit trying.
Today, he is a graduate in one of the reputable school in the United States and has since then not stopped studying, he derived so much interest in education. Aside the diploma he obtained back home here in Nigeria, he also banged a B.Sc and holds a master's degree in business administration. Not only that, he is today a PhD degree holder from the same university that offered him scholarship. He is also a certified and licenced emigration personnel in the United States. He is even at the verge of becoming a professor. He his now a business owner like he wanted to, both home and abroad. He runs a charity organization to help those who are success minded but do not have the means to achieving it.
He is married with three kids who are all citizens in the United States. His poor parents now shuffle between home and abroad, living a life they never even dreamt about.
In most of his speeches, he would always reiterate his teacher's and mentor's slogan given to him and sometimes in tears, considering his family history, what he went through and what he had achieved despite that. Moreso, he considers success to be in people and not in things. He believes that a man is only successful based on how many lives he imparts per time.
His life would always be an encouragement to the young people around him that success is first of all a determination before it can be helped by any external person and no challenge is strong enough to stop one from succeeding.
He would end most of his speech with the encouragement that " determination is the crown of success, if you can see it and want it, you can achieve it."
Thank you for stopping by to read this. Enjoy the new month.