Opportunities In Disguise

The announcer had called out the 5 other essayists for their awards.



As the 1st prize winner came up, the hall went agog with thunderous celebration.



I don’t know who the DJ was that morning, but whatever he did was working.



Stand Up (For The Champions)—by the British band, Right Said Fred—blared from the speakers as the audience clapped along.



The glare from the cameras made it difficult for me to see as I staggered my way to the stage to clinch my prize.



It was a moment of victory. Only a moment. But the lessons I learned in the weeks leading up to that moment remain my biggest takeaway.



The day was Thursday, 11th August 2016.



8 weeks earlier, I’d stumbled on the call-for-essays notice for the 5th Annual NYSC essay competition organised by the Bible Society of Nigeria.



The moment I spotted the headlines at the NYSC zonal office that afternoon, something leapt inside me. It was a “Goliath opportunity” calling out to a David.


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I inched closer to make sense of the topic, competition rules, submission format, deadline and of course, the prizes to be won.



Long ago, a mentor had taught me to “never fight a battle until you know the reward.” That way, you can tell if it’s worth your attention or not.



Little wonder when David first set eyes on Goliath, he asked the other soldiers,



What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?



The rewards were inviting,
.


The king will give great wealth to the man who kills the giant. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.



Great wealth?
Exemption from taxes?
An all-expense-paid wedding ceremony with the princess?



“Count me in!” David must have screamed.



Unlike David, however, winning the essay competition would not exempt me from taxes or win me an all-expense-paid wedding ceremony with any princess.



It will win me an all-expense-paid trip to the next national symposium, a brand-new laptop computer and a ton of feel-good experiences that would remain in my memory file for decades.



I was excited but concerned.



For one, my host community had a TERRIBLE power supply. I was too broke—at the time—to buy data to research my essay ideas. Even if I beat the odds, what are my chances of winning?



So I let it slip. But I could not rest.



The more I tried to forget about it, the more uneasy I felt.



5 days to the deadline, my restlessness intensified.



I finally gave in to the urge to throw in my 4000-word essay.



The next day, I grabbed my laptop bag and trekked around town looking for any shop with a generator where I can “beg” them for a charging spot.



Dangerous move! But I had no choice.



God so kind, I found an ice cream/ice block sale point. They had these cold-rooms powered by a diesel generator.



The operator gave me a spot to charge my PC and work. But the noise was out of this world.



Wetin man go do? A beggar has no choice. 😂



In the days that followed, I squeezed out time to come there and work on my essay.



On some days, I return to the Corpers lodge near midnight.



All the while, NEPA did not smile on me for once.



Thanks to my sisters, I used part of the airtime they’d sent me to subscribe 100MB data bundle. I don’t recall the network provider, but it served for all my online research right up to the time I hit “send”.



A section of the call-for-essays stated that “only 6 finalists will be invited to the national symposium in Lagos to debate their ideas before a panel.”



I wasted no time!



After submitting my entry, I drafted my speech and rehearsed like crazy, hoping I’ll be one of the top 6.



All the while, I still had my doubts. But my mentor, Nathaniel Bivan, kept encouraging me to go for it. He made the time to read through my essay and fine-tune my speech. Thank God for the gift of mentorship.



Early mornings, I hurried to my PPA to practice my speech—in the school’s Technical Drawing studio—before students arrive.



About 3 weeks later, I received an email congratulating me for emerging one of the top 6 essayists nationwide.



It meant that I’ll finally get the chance to debate my ideas.

3 weeks after that, I delivered that speech on national TV and went home with the 1st prize.



To my audience, it was such a superb speech for a first speaker. However, that was my 40th time of presenting that talk. The rest 39 was off the camera.



2 weekends later, I got my first centrepiece feature on Daily Trust Newspapers. (kindly see the link in the comments).



The news spread like wildfire. The blogs carried it like crazy.



My first attempt in a writing competition became my first win.



It was a defining moment in my writing trajectory.



But the process leading up to that moment remains my biggest treasure.



I remember there was a fellow corps member I kept reminding so we could send in our essays at the same time. But he could not pull through; for the same reasons I had. Justifiably so!



What if I slacked too?



What if I did not take my chance because my location put me at a disadvantage?



Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”.



Now, imagine where you would’ve been if you took only 10% of the opportunities that have come your way so far?



Imagine if you scaled the odds despite your excuses.



The world will not remember your excuses. They will only remember what you did in spite of your excuses.



For someone reading this, a golden opportunity came your way but you told yourself, “it’s not God’s will for me” all because you did not hear a rumbling voice.



One lesson I learned early is, God speaks through opportunities, energy and favour. He speaks through that restless desire in your heart.



If you miss His regular messages, you will miss the spectacular ones too.



David never heard a thundering voice to take on Goliath. He saw an opportunity for his gift and grabbed it.



Esther, Queen of ancient Persia, did not consult a seer before going for the beauty pageant. The king needed a queen; she believed she matched all the qualities and off she went.



When an opportunity matches your skill and abilities, you have an advantage already.



A caveat. As it is with real life, this is not a cast-iron rule. Some opportunities could be traps in disguise. In any case, Wisdom is profitable to direct.



In the end, success is overcoming many obstacles.



Never let your disadvantages limit you.



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