This article is not going to remind you of the importance of going to school, and all the pros/cons of making the decision to get a good decision; if your parents/guardians have not had the talk with you, I believe another medium will be made available to thrash out that matter. I am going to address this more from the angle of opportunity, and what lessons I have learned, some from my recent past, of how important it is to properly utilize them.
I believe that in addition to change being a constant thing in life, another constant in life, and even of more consequence as far as this line of thought is concerned is opportunity. I have been studying startups like Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like, and I have noticed that for the inception of all of these outfits, no committee was constituted, or bills passed by houses of assembly, or grand announcements/launching ceremonies conducted. They all started with an idea, meant to solve an immediate and localized need, and the wind that has fanned all these into the fire that has made them global multi-millionaire companies is opportunity. They seized their chance and ran with their vision, and now, their visionaries have become consultants in decisions concerning the direction of global social media, as well as leaving more than a bit of change for them to throw around. After reading these accounts I stopped asking God for money; instead I now ask God to give me my own idea that would be used to change the face of my generation, and the grace to take the opportunity when it comes. Money will follow afterwards, with the means to sustain it’s continuous flow into my coffers.
I have come to realize that education is indeed a privilege, and an opportunity. I have seen people that could not read or write, but were healthy and vibrant, probably because they never had the chance to, or they had the chance, and let it slip from them. I have seen people with the right mental capacity and aptitude to handle some jobs, but because of inadequate education, they are left in pools if regret and depression, hoping that such an opportunity would present itself. I have also observed people with what anyone would consider adequate education, but lose out because of a lack of comparative advantage. Some of the readers of this article are students of a sort, and have developed a lackadaisical attitude towards their studies. I know that this could kick you hard, and leave you with a lot of regret. Irrespective of what social opinion might state about the importance or otherwise of education, it is an opportunity that will not always be there. Take advantage of what you have and run with it. Avoid the regrets and frustration that will ensue if you don’t.
More than education, more in life, take advantage of the opportunities that come your way, even if you are in the midst of a crisis. It will amaze you at the number of opportunities that are interwoven in our problems/challenges, and more often than not, the magnitude of the opportunity dwarfs the problems that have presented themselves. A very special friend of mine summarized it in three words: Time, Chance and Choice. A time will come when a chance will come your way, and you will choose whether to utilize the opportunity or not. One opportunity might be all that it would require to take you from mediocrity and obscurity to influence and affluence. It would be a very risky stance to assume that another chance would come, and so decide to let this one go, that is unless there is an absolute conviction not to, else that opportunity should be taken full advantage of when it comes around. Look for these opportunities, create them if you have to, and make the most of them. Even when opportunity knocks, a man still has to get up off his seat and open the door.
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