It’s Not Over Yet

Dear lovely people,

The year was 2007, how can I forget it? I remember that week, a week during which for three consecutive days, I went without food. Yes you read it right, I was not fasting and had no appetite problems. I simply did not have food to eat and not even a dime with me. I was jobless at that instant, my bank account was in the red, my landlord was at my throat for accrued unpaid rents, my utility bills were pending and my car had a breakdown.

I had just finished pleading with my landlord to give me some more time to get his rents when my phone rang and it was my account manager this time around, reminding me of my delinquent loan. At the end of the conversation, I was reflecting and cursing when my son walked into my bedroom to remind me of his pending school fees. He had actually been in the house for a week without school because of school fees and then my phone rang a second time, it was a friend from whom I had borrowed money, and he had been on my head for over two months wanting his money back.

It is said “it never rains but it pours.” There are times in your life when you are completely broke in every sense of the word. That is where I was that morning and to tell you the least, the happenings were kind of blowing my mind. Despite all the dreams and plans I had to improve upon my world, not only was I stuck, not knowing from where to begin but I felt as though my world was crashing down on me.

I however learned something after fighting tooth and nail to get back on my feet. I learned that being broke is bad. Really bad. I realized that I had a dream? A wonderful dream but, was too broke to implement it; I felt too tiny to do it and too small to accomplish it. I realized it was not even the first time it was happening to me.

The hard fact is that life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by, just because you are a nobody. People will want your products but not you. It’s a tough world. If you aren’t already famous, or rich or "connected", you will find it rough. Doors will be shut on you. People will steal your glory and crash your hopes. You will push and push and yet nothing will happen.

Your hopes will be crashed many times over. You will be broke really, really broke, as broke as I was. You will get to do odd jobs for survival. You will be unable to feed yourself as it happened to me. Oh yes trust me, you may end up sleeping in the streets. It happens. Yes, it does not by design but due to some unfortunate circumstances.

Here is how I got out of it. Never let them crush that dream. Nonmatter what happens to you, keep dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes, keep dreaming. Even when they turn you away, keep dreaming and even when they shut you down, keep dreaming.

No one knows what you are capable of except yourself! People will judge you by HOW you look and by WHAT you have but, please, fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. Never ever give up! Even if it means selling all your clothes and sleeping with the dogs, it’s okay! As long as you are still alive, your story is not over.