Dear God,’ he prayed.

 …If you give me another chance I will make you proud.

 One hundred chances, later.

 “God, please, just one more chance”, he prayed.

 So…

 I told him a secret.

 I said.

 “One day soon…

 You will move about with pains that nobody can see.

 It will be a heavy burden of regret…

 …for your glorious future that died unborn because of the chances that you didn’t take….

 You thought another chance would come.

 But it never came.

 This thing will happen.

 You can’t stop it.

 Your future will be that of silent regrets.

 …if You don’t take your chances now…..

 Look around you.

 What can you see?

 The man in his 60s driving that old worn out truck?

 That man?

 He was once like you… full of dreams.

 Today, he sees his old childhood friends.

 One is a senator.

 They don’t talk anymore.

 Their paths “parted” a long time ago.

 …laying in his 35yrs old mattress, his third wife by his side,

 two young kids fast asleep on the floor,

 he can’t cry aloud, but his heart is broken.

 The tears flowed.

 “I was more brilliant than Kola in primary school.”

 He looks around…in disbelief.

 “Room and parlour?

 “Is this really me?

 He is in the middle of nowhere.

 Deep in the hearts of the bushes of Amoyo.

 20mins drive…behind the University Of Ilorin Remedial campus.

 He wonders… “what happened?”

 And till he enters his grave, he will keep wondering.

 No one, I repeat no one… in his teens or twenties, plans to end up in their 60s with a head full of silent, painful regret.

Nobody want sufferness at old age…

 But it happens all the time.

 And if you don’t” take your chances now….

 It can happen to you.

 But the shocker is…

 You know how to win (yessss).

 Everyone has won at something before including thee and I.

 Remember?

 Think now.

 You have won before.

Maybe in your 400M race at inter-house sport in primary school…

Maybe you came first in class..

Maybe anything…

 Question.

 How did you do it then?

 By folding your hands?

 By being fearful?

 By being overconfident?

 I am certain it’s none of those things.

 Remember one now?

 So how did you win?

 I am guessing…

 “you took your chances”.

 A calculated risk.

 But a risk all the same.

 And as it happened…

 “it was the right move.”

 And you won.

 But now things have changed….

 Failure is enticing you (like Fried rice)….

 It’s disguising itself as “wisdom”.

 “overconfidence”

 All of a sudden….

 You feel immune to failure.

 But ask the guy who is 65 (the one I told you about earlier)…

 The one who wishes he could go back in time and correct all his mistakes….

 That man.

 He will tell you this…

 “I was a fool but didn’t know it and I only found out when my time has passed.”

 Don’t you get it?

 Intentionally nobody plans to fail at all (everybody hates failure)..

 But you are immune…to failure.

 I forgot.

 Sorry for wasting your time ,

 I said, walking away….

I’m signing out,

 Dolapo Hamzat

 P.S:

When it’s all said and done…

 …some students will come out of this:

 > stronger

 > smarter

 > richer

 > wealthier

 ….But, many who hoped that this is Armageddon, will bury themselves due to their fearful decisions and indecision.

 This bad economy (especially) will conquer your mind first.

 I see it already doing that to a lot of you.

 After that, everything that was good in your life will be gone (not a curse).

 It is like war.

 Many will die.

 Few will create wealth.

 Same war.

 Different results.

 It all boils down to one thing.

 “Decisions”

 And

 “In-decisions”

But I will pick money and wealth every time…

P.P.S:

I hope you picked today’s lesson here?

You didn’t?

SMH…

Read again and tell me the lessons you deducted…