Growing up in a wonderful country like mine (Nigeria) is one of the best things that happened to me. I guess you are wondering why I have made such a strong statement; well it is simple- I have naturally learnt, not by being taught in an economics class, how to manage scarce resources and produce significant results. Yes, the results or achievements might not be great or world class, yet they are significant.
I did not grow in luxury, yet I lacked nothing a child needed; I said NEEDED, not WANTED! Both parents were teachers- in the years when their monthly salary was about 2,500 naira; and life went on normally.
We lived in a good apartment, ate at least 3 meals, went to privately owned schools and had a family car to take us wherever we wanted to go. Although we did not rely totally on the monthly salary; we had both crop and livestock farms and had vegetable gardens. My Mum was involved in small businesses; guess what- I was her Chief Accountant from age 10. So I was privileged to know how much was available for family spending.
A few years ago I went to renew my internet subscription with 5,000 naira; then the question popped up- How did my parents manage to pay the flat rent, school fees and still feed the family with such meager salary? I asked my Mum; trust what every Nigerian will say, “My dear it was God’s grace that kept us”. This is true and I totally agree with her. She went on to say “one day at a time; that does not mean you should not plan”.
I have noticed that many of us have great ideas and plans but when we think of the resources needed to accomplish them, it is quite scary because it seems you may not be able to meet up. This fear of the unknown, fear of lack and failure restrains us from trying out the great ideas we have. Many ideas, dreams, inventions, talents and visions have died a natural death because the one who bore them was afraid he or she did not have the resources or ability to implement them, so they never tried. In most cases they did not even share these ideas with anyone.
Due to my early exposure to the business world, it became a hobby to start new things, try out ideas and share with friends and colleagues. In my experience, I have come to know that everything you need for whatever endeavour you are incubating is ready and waiting for collection. The problem is you may never get to know that the resources are already available until you take a step toward implementing and starting something.
Sometime ago while I was an undergraduate, I wanted to do business. I decided to supply milk in the town where I was schooling, but did not have start up capital. I mentioned it to a friend; luckily she just got some cash and willingly lent me five thousand naira (N 5, 000) to be refunded a month later.
If I nursed my fears of not having start up capital for the business, maybe I would have forgotten about it. But just mentioning it to a friend got me the cash I needed to start. A month later, I paid back the loan, had 10, 000 naira and a few sachets of milk for personal consumption. It is pertinent to mention here that this money was used to sow the seeds that have grown this company (Teo-Inspiro International) to what it is today. There are many instances around us and even documentations of people who had ideas and dreams and did not allow their lack of resources stop them from trying.
Everything you need to make that dream come through has been given; all you need to do is work towards it. Do not just sit there and have a pity party. “If I had a million naira I would have done so and so business”; that is not an excuse- What amount do you have now, start there.
Let us rise above every fear that stops us from trying out our innovative ideas and plans. If we really want to achieve great feats this year, we must push ourselves to believe first in our ideas and dreams or goals and then take bold steps no matter how small to achieve them. Do not allow the fear of tomorrow’s lack rob you of the joy and satisfaction that comes from seeing your ideas, goals, targets and dreams come through.
