When I was little, there was a field near our house where boys bigger than I played football, but they would not let me join. I told my mother, and she smiled: “We can fix that!”
So she bought me the latest football, and sent me back. They let me join the team!
What is the life lesson here?
“If you want to play with the bigger boys, make sure you have something they need. Don’t go empty handed.”
King Solomon put it better: “Your gift [that thing which only you can do well] will bring you before kings…”
It has never been about “who you know” that matters. Even if people tell you that a thousand times, reject it. Focus always on “what you know” to get yourself a seat at the table, or a place on the team.
There will always be obstacles along the way, whoever you are. Some will seem huge and others tiny like a mosquito, both very difficult to tackle. Don’t let them stop you. Figure out how to #Climb, #GoThrough, or #WorkAround them, as Michael Jordan once said.
Look at this amazing athlete in the photo! This is the power of focus and resilience. Whatever life throws at you, keep going.
I was attending a conference a few years ago when I spotted a tech titan from Silicon Valley. I introduced myself and waited for an opportunity to make “a two-minute elevator pitch”.
It went something like this: “I want to play. I have a ball—over 50,000km [at the time] of Fibre across Africa. I have the fastest growing network of Cloud Storage infrastructure. I’m holding the ‘Ball’ for this game when it comes to Africa…”
Answer: “We need to get together; how soon can you send a team to Silicon Valley?”
I was on the #Team! No #Pity Party here. I knew how the “game” is played and how to get on the team.
Now you don’t have to have all that stuff that I have, but you must have something in your own hand.
I have always known I must show my gift to the other side.
Where is your own “ball”?
I know you want to play, but what do you have in your hand that you have nurtured and developed to the point that you and you alone deserve a place on the team?
#KnowledgeUp!
#SkillUp!
Time is not on your side.
“There will always be difficult obstacles in your path. Don’t allow yourself to be one of them”.
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