Life's Blueprint (Part Two)

Read the first part of this article here.

“I have seen and gone through fairly enough,” the guy brings in another case study. As a usual thing, we both have friends, but our circles differ. Some of us keep big circles while others prefer small ones. The shopkeeper is now sharing something with me about some of his friends and the people he knows.

 

“A few months ago, I was in the village with one of my friends,” he narrates. “It happens that his phone runs low on battery and he’s to recharge it. My friend is a deals guy, and he makes pretty money often.” The shopkeeper goes on as I listen keenly. “Funny enough, my friend has nothing substantial back in the village. He gets embarrassed when he realizes that the guy who never went beyond primary school is doing so well.” “Who is this guy?” I interrupt.

He reminds me he is the village ‘kingpin’ guy—the guy I mentioned in part one of this article. When I ask the shopkeeper why his friend is not established, yet he has money; he takes me back to the start of our conversation. ‘Life’s manual,’ he insists that life has no blueprint. You never know what tomorrow might bring. He says his friend is good at making money, but he spends it as fast as he makes it.

I ask him about the village ‘kingpin,’ and he says, the village guy is wise and makes the best of what he has. For instance, the village guy has trees, different species, that he sells. The guy has several other kinds of stuff that he can exchange for money. Above all, he’s not extravagant. I pick a few instrumental lessons from the shopkeeper’s case studies. I’m able to look at life from a new perspective. Not that I had not before, but as a reminder, I can relate to a lot of things I see.

First, nobody has it all figured out. If you’d ask a 40-years old guy about their failures and achievements, and whether they knew how to get to where they are – and ask a 60-years old the same question. You’ll always get the same response. None of them had a roadmap. Some make it in life at a young age, while it takes others a lifetime to achieve great things.

The second thing that I understand is, although education is imperative, it does not dictate or guarantee anyone a bright future. From my understanding, learning, especially at the higher levels, help you to think more critically. It opens up your brain and your ability to learn. There are things you could not do if it were not for the high school, college, or university education. I’m sorry to say this, most of us end up with a piece of paper from college – an expensive piece of paper. Sadly, a good number of graduates never use that piece of paper in their entire lives.

Well, if education was a sure bet to making it in life, then why do many people struggle even after going through the system? Please, don’t raise your voice to give me endless reasons; I already know they are there. Did I say education is useless? No. Did I mention you can’t succeed with education? No. Knowledge brings opportunities – but the skills you acquire with the help of training are what matters. There is a lot I could write about education, but that’s not what I intended to do with this article.

The other thing that I realize is, it is not what you know or how wise you are that counts in life. It’s who you know and how you network. You can be full of solid skills. Knowledgeable about critical stuff – but without a proper network, it’s meaningless. You know what they say, your network is your net-worth.

What’s more, we are never the same and will never be. We can get equal opportunities, the same chances, but in the end, be different. Why? Because we were never created to be the same. If everyone could unlock their full potential, then we’re capable of doing great things. But as human nature, we fear the unseen – the failures and critics, hence pull back.

The struggle in life is real. It doesn’t matter who you are – we all struggle in one way or another. When I say struggle, I do not refer to financial struggles only. Some have all the money that others could only dream of – but lack peace. Some are wealthy but struggle to put their families together. The list could go and on. Always appreciate what you have regardless of how little it could be, and learn to live for the moment. I’m not asking you not to plan your life. But as you lay down your strategies, know anything can happen. Things never unfold as planned.

  

As I wrap up, I know we have different experiences. We all see things differently, and our beliefs differ. Maybe some of us have their lives figured out, and all they do is follow a planned path. I don’t know. What do you think about life? What have you learned in years you’ve been around? Share your thoughts with me in the comment section below. Thanks for reading.