“Prodigies appear in the oddest of places.”(Lord Varys, Game of Thrones).
Prodigies in odd places like the highway, scrambling under the scourging sun to earn their daily bread. Rarely sitting idle to nag about life woes, didn’t opt to beg rather placed weight on their heads and hustle though the rain poured and the sun blaze.
Experts in accepting rejections and chasing after goals. How many times in a day are they shunned or told no? Yet they strive on and still find the courage to wear smiles. They smile so bright their eyes sparkle and you will think their lives were perfect. I wish one of them would write a book titled “How to deal with rejection,” because many have chosen the path of the grave just because they were rejected a couple of times.
There are days I feel these prodigies could give Bolt a run for his money. How they run and chase a speeding vehicle to sell a commodity from which they will profit just ten naira, is the sort of business determination that should be studied at Harvard. Their drive is forever apt, and their spirit fierce. Never ashamed of their hustle so you see them on the highway.
Though it has been years I still remember the day I saw Daniel, we were classmates in secondary school. I was in a vehicle and he came by the car window to sell sachet water, he saw me and smiled so brightly that it is forever stuck in my memory. I went home feeling ashamed, not because I had a classmate hawking but because I felt bad for the numerous times I shied away from helping my mom at her stall in the market, just because I didn’t want to be seen by my friends. Daniel might not know this but he taught me a valuable lesson that day, to never be ashamed of my hustle.
Frankly, some of these prodigies are so young that it’s heartbreaking to see their life so hard. Weathering such harsh conditions at such a young age is never a pretty sight, and in a sane society, such wouldn’t occur. As humans, we often seek for inspiration and ways to get motivated, hence, we wallow in motivational books. Sadly, we see these prodigies, undiluted sources of inspiration but fail to view them in that light.
Today I will be bringing to your consciousness the lessons you can draw from these fellows.
- When next you are displaying laxity towards a business deal, remember that little boy that chased you for miles simply because you indicated an interest in buying his ten naira sachet water. Learn from him and fiercely chase your deals.
- When next you want to quit or wallow in self-pity because you got rejected, think of these prodigies, draw strength from them and move on.
- If you ever feel ashamed of your hustle, and shy away from promoting your business and services on your social media platforms, remember these prodigies. They take theirs to the freaky highway!
- As opposed to staying idle and nag all day about your life woes, learn from these folks and go out there to hustle.
There is so much we can learn from these folks if we look at them keenly, making them prodigies in odd places.
Don’t get it twisted, the piece wasn’t written to glorify hawking, but to appreciate the fellows that rather trend on this harsh path to feed than commit crimes. Truly, it is only fair to display kindness and courtesy to these folks, they are not less humans, they are simply prodigies in odd places.
