The Sunday Mail
I’ll be honest; it is not every day you get to meet a complete stranger and have him/her share with you lessons that can easily change the way you view life. For me, such was the case. About a few weeks ago, I was on my way out of a local hospital after seeing my beloved friend who had been admitted on a caution-based admittance due to a migraine headache.
He was recovering well and since the ‘visiting hour’ period was coming to an end it was useful for me to leave him so he can rest. As I slowly walked from ward to ward reminiscing about the fun times I had with my friend, my eyes met those of an old man who was lying helplessly on a bed.
Trying to look away from him, the man quickly called out to me. I quickly realised that there was no one in sight and that he was referring to me; as such I had to return in the old man’s room to see what he needed. Maybe he wanted a nurse, you never know! Since I was in no rush, I entered the patient’s room and looked at him intently.
He cautioned me to move closer so I can hear what he had to say. As I reached the side of his bed, he observed my face and suddenly had a remarkable smile that ignited my inner self and somehow made me feel comfortable. I greeted him with a smile like that of a clown and he responded likewise.
He raised his wrinkled hand and said ‘Young boy I just want to talk to you about something I have been meaning to share’. I stood there transfixed as I thought the man was confusing me for his family however the essence of conversation is something I enjoy so I thought why not, let me hear.
He then said ‘You see, I lay here on this bed and all I can do every day is to rethink about my life and what I have done. I am not getting any younger and my days are numbered. But for you are still young, vibrant and still have the energy within you. Let me give you some advice that you may need to become a success in such a world’
Without stopping, the old man then gave me these lessons that he observed from his youth:
Refuse to watch your life sink in the middle of nowhere!
When I look around, I see people who have lost stuff and have probably been deeply affected by life’s miseries and they have truly missed out. They have lost their homes, their families, their normal lives, their dreams, their passions, their goals.
Every little thing that they had hoped to do was taken away from them. Life is said to take more than it gives but not today and not in your life because you are stronger than anything that tries to kill your drive towards success.
For once, stop running away from anything that surrounds you and start going against it. You will realise certain abilities and strengths that you never thought you had. And though the battle might seem difficult and life-threatening, it will be all worth it.
It is high time you refuse to watch your life sink as you watch, and refuse to point fingers at other people for your misery blaming them for where you are. You are an uncommon breed and the success of your life rests in your own hands.
Don’t listen to what other people say about you.
A lot of times we always have this belief that we have all the time in the world to pursue our dreams and aspirations. In fact, when we see how people can respond to our dreams we then tend to shelve them away from the limelight so that no one will laugh at us.
I am here to remind you that regret is a heart-breaking emotion. Don’t find yourself in the hospital, regretting all the things that you wish you could have done. START NOW.
To add on, the old man then said ‘I remember when I was working I had acquired enough money and I had prepared myself to start a potato farming business however after being criticised by family and friends on how the business was not good for me I decided to reject the whole idea.
However, in that year a number of potato businesses made huge profits and I was left wondering why I did not just pursue the dream’. Don’t fear doing anything because you might regret when you are 80 years old.
Have you ever thought about doing something creative and you actually knew it was going to help you but because you had fear you just brushed it aside? Have you ever thought about a new business that could actually give you millions only to leave the thought after fear took the best of you.
My friend, life is too short to remain fearing everything especially if you are getting older by the day. If for anything, now is the time to start striving towards everything that is in your heart.
If its doing business, put in all your sweat and tears into it, if it’s getting ready for an exam, go all out and read like it will be the last sitting, if it is proposing to a woman, do it as if she is the last woman on earth! Because at the end of the day when you are now wrinkled the only thoughts that will be in your head will only be of whether you did your best or you just loitered around in life.
Choose friends who make you positively greater.
In life, it is common cause that the people that have an effect towards us constitute of those in our circles. Choosing friends therefore has become a daunting task because you need to pick them wisely. You need to choose a friend or friends who bring out the best in you.
This is because friends who are motivated towards doing good and what is right tend to bring the best in you and make you better able to go for your ambitions. The old man then said ‘When I was your age I had friends who were only interested in looking for girls, partying and drinking as well as not doing anything productive.
They never motivated me to dream of a brighter future neither did they give me space to be a better man because all they wanted was to make me a fool’. In life, one needs friends who strengthens and motivates them to work hard and push towards success. If they tend to be interested in not giving you good advice when you do something wrong then you might as well reconsider.
Stay positive, you will always win in the end if you keep your eyes on the prize.
Failing in life doesn’t mean you are a failure neither does standing in a garage make you a car. It has been a common phenomenon to see people of all ages losing hope when they fail or when something bad happens to them.
Just because you lost in that race does not mean you will never win, just because you did not get the marks you were hoping for does not mean you will never pass. Now is the time to put your foot down and take control of your life.
Tell yourself that you will stay positive no matter what happens because in a few years from now you may become a very wealthy and successful person. The old man then added on and said ‘So many times in my life, I have failed in almost anything I have tried whether it is school, work or even just trying out something that I liked, however though I failed I kept on pushing myself to become the best that I can be and I did win in the end.
Though today I lay here on this bed all I can do is share my story with other people so they too can reach for their goals and not regret at the end of it all’.
As the old man concluded he then slowly pointed at a picture which was on the wall and said ‘I have lost so much in my life but in the midst of it all I have built everything from the ground and my life was all worth it for me to come back again because I did it all for the people I love. It took courage and it was something that was worth doing. I had the desire and I pursued it all’.
In that moment, a nurse came in to tell me that the visiting hour was over and I had to leave time for the patient to rest. The old man then looked at me intently and said ‘My hope is that since you have heard everything I have said, it is now on you to do something about your life or just remain the way you are’.
He waved goodbye as the nurse closed the door. Without a doubt I left the room feeling very motivated and inspired and all that was in my head was on whether anyone was going to believe such an experience.
As such, my ultimate motivation to anyone is that in life, we need to learn not to nurse our wounds but be willing to take the hits that it throws at us because in the end we will win if we keep on keeping on. All that it takes is to remain determined and focused.
Now is the time to stop whining and start grinding towards your school, work or life. It is time to stop viewing life as a dead end but as an opportunity for your everyday. You can make anything happen, all it takes is getting out of your comfort zone and going for whatever it is you want. Believe in yourself!
Kingsley Kaisi is an Aspiring Development Practitioner, Blogger and Motivational Writer. He is currently a 2nd year Development Studies student at Lupane State University.
For feedback E-mail him on: [email protected] Or check his blog: www.k1ngs7eykaisi.wordpress.com
