How did you get to Success? On a Bus or in a Cab?
A story on the journey and route to success.
Francine complains to her friend Ella, “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?” Ella asks, dipping a few fries in the tiny plastic container with ketchup, stuffing it into her mouth, chewing.
“We were born in the same month and year, different date. We rule under the same Zodiac signs too. We eat the same food, attend the same schools and colleges. We both majored in fashion designing. We shop at the same stores and supermarkets. Go to the same hairdressers and nail tech. The only thing we don’t do together is date the same guy. We started our businesses at the same time too,” Francine recalls.
“And?” Ella asks biting into her chicken sandwich.
“Your business is more successful than mine. How come?”
Ella, put her sandwich down on the white paper it was wrapped in, stares into her friend’s eyes, searching for jealousy or envy. None was there, but sorrow and pain were.
“I wanted us to be partners, and you said no,” Ella reminds her.
“I just wanted to do my own thing,” Francine defends her decision.
“I had to get a loan from the bank to start mine. I was told no ten times before I was told yes,” Ella recalls.
“My parents financed my dream,” Francine said
“I had to pay for the fixtures in my store, so with limited finance, it’s not as elaborate as yours ” Ella informs.
“My father’s contractor friend did mine,” Francine boasts.
“I get to success by taking a bus. If I am not at the bus stop on time, the bus leaves me. Sometimes I have to wait for half an hour or more before the next one comes. I often wait in the rain, heat, or snow. Most times, the bus is packed like a Mariah Carey concert. I must stand all the way. Then it must make many stops before I reach my destination. Sometimes it doesn’t carry me near my destination, so I had to get off and walk the rest of the way. Again in the snow, heat or rain.”
“What’s your point?” Francine demands.
“You went to success in a cab, it picks you up at your convenience. You didn’t have to wait for anything or anyone, not even traffic. You get to your location in comfort and style. You didn’t share your cab with anyone, and you arrive in record time.”
“And?” Francine asks.
“On my bus trip, I meet people and learn many things. Walking to my location, the same thing happens. Between failure and success, that gap is pack with knowledge, discipline, experience, endurance, understanding, wisdom, strength, pain, sweat, disappointment, tears, and for some, blood,” Ella said staring into Francine’s eyes. “And during the waiting process, I picked up patience. On a packed bus, I learned tolerance. On my entire journey, there are hundreds of things to learn.”
Staring back in shock, and realization, Francine burst out, “So because I took a cab, I denied myself vital knowledge and experience that would contribute to my success lasting longer.”
Smiling Ella said, “Girl you threw that dart right into a bull’s eye.”
Sighing deeply Francine said in regret, “They carried me all the way, thus robbing me of knowledge and more. So the hard part for me isn’t getting there, it’s staying there.”
Ella nods and said, “And that is the area where many of us fail.”
As parents, we want the best for our children, and in that process, we sometimes rob them of learning life lessons that are vital to their living and survival.
How did you get to your success?
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