Take every opportunity as the last opportunity; because life is never predictable
Over time, i have learned that in life, there is always a second chance. And many a times when people experience the setbacks or failures in life, business, or any other avenue, they always find solace in the saying that “there is always a second chance”. It is a more optimistic approach to live a life. The conviction that you can start anew and can get going again once, twice, thrice or even countless times. But today, i want to share a different view.
How about you viewed and indeed took every opportunity as the very last opportunity you are coming across? Like Steve Job once remarked, “If you live each day as it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” And the same is true for opportunities, one day, you will land on your last opportunity and either utilize it, or blow it up.
Like always, i like sharing my life experiences and this is what has always taught me to be humble in life, focused, and grateful for every step i achieve. Sometime back, while in S.1, i was meant to go through transition after i lost my mum and was now a total Orphan, my guardian gave me instructions, which i didn’t follow (you know how children can be stubborn). Upon discovering this, she was upset because she knew i was becoming unruly. As she set out to punish me, she mentioned that she was giving up on supporting me through school. I couldn’t imagine what was going to befall me. in the middle of the discussion with my grand parents, my late Uncle (who was only 3 years older than me) intervened and asked my Auntie to give me the last opportunity because i was going to be swallowed by the village and that would be it for me. She kept silent for a few minutes and finally granted me the last opportunity to go back to school.
This was the greatest opportunity ever granted to me because it was the last opportunity for me to go back to school. I went back and in everything i did, engaged in, and avoided, what was at the back of my mind was, i was doing everything because i had my very last opportunity. I was able to go through O ‘level, and it is this last opportunity that has certainly made me what i am today. Certainly, had i not been given this last opportunity, i wouldn’t be writing this, there would not be a Brookings Institute, there would be no Youth Aid Africa, there would be no HTB Holdings and definitely, the KIgarama boy would be somewhere in Kigarama writing things different from How to start a BUSINESS in 10 days but yes, thank God i took this my last opportunity to go back to school seriously and glad am here now to share a few thoughts.
Business opportunities are something you should give a treat like i did to mine last opportunity to go back to school. I will be honest with you, there are always opportunities everywhere. And several times you will always see opportunities coming your way. I will also risk to mention that opportunities know no tribe, gender, political or religious affiliation, and sometimes, not even your level of education. but what matters is how do you take them up and what do you use them for. How you treat each of these opportunities will definitely determine whether you grow rich or poor. And i will also labor to share with you that poverty has been defined before, as the lack of opportunity to take care of one’s basic needs. So, the best piece of advice i will give you is to always take every opportunity you get as the very last opportunity, if you must profit from your opportunities. And remember, if you take each of these opportunities as your last, one day, you will be right, but the beauty is that you will have given your best to all the previous opportunities and certainly you will have reaped big, and not complaining.
Of course it is not easy identifying the right opportunities but that is why you must make a great effort to identify the right opportunities all around you. And don’t wish it were easy anyway, because if all were easy, then there would be no essence for hard work. I am telling you this because we all know that Uganda is a country of opportunities. You therefore ought to take to occasion to first identify these opportunities in life, business and other avenues, and then take them as your last opportunities, work like you have a lot to lose if that doesn’t work out, ‘you will thank me later.
Until, my next Note, Greetings from Kigarama.
Alexander Kyokwijuka, is a consultant, trainer and public Speaker working with Brookings Institute, among many other entities he has founded.
