Hello dear reader,
welcome to the months of reunions, thanksgiving and that anticipation for gifts.
Christmas is so special, carols fill the air and the diverse lights and
dressings give an extra colour to the season. It offers us a time to reflect and
look ahead, so I'm wishing you the merriest of Christmas.
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| Children playing odjoro |
My post today bothers on insights I got as I thought on the
hunger to succeed. This urge to excel is like a constant face that stares at
us, at times I wish it just goes on some long vacation, needless to say, I find
his stern face waiting for me at the next turn. Recently, I had an encounter that
gave me some insights.
It happened some days
back, I had just seen some school kids playing a local version of soccer called
"O d o- odjoro". Instantly, I had a flashback to the o d o odjoro games
I played during my secondary school days. OK! I know you are kinda wondering,
what the heck is the game about? Here's a brief description.
O d o odjoro is a form of football where a team-less number of
players are allowed ( in my case, about 15 - 20 students). Entry to play was
determined by knowing somebody or just tagging along. The game allows just one
goal post and one goal keeper at a time. The goal of each player is to score a goal-
this is the only way out of the struggle. The interesting thing about the game
is that "there are no rules", just get a goal and you are good to go.
As I watched and reminisced, loads of insights about life
and success kept flowing through my mind, here are five of those thoughts.
1. There is a
Struggle Involved: Imagine having the ball (life vision, purpose or desire)
and facing you are about twenty other individuals, some more skilled, hefty or faster
- and you mustn't lose your cool. The burden of maintaining a self worth amidst
a sea of "not so good", "better" and "way better"
people can be daunting. Everyone wants to be first even before the shot of the gun,
we all pray to be the head, but there can only be one "first". This struggle
is the fight to remain true to self, values and purpose while traveling
through the sea of others, their ideas, intentions and expectations.
2. Focus on
The Goal: Just like in odjoro, the target is the goal and the prize is rest
which in itself is freedom from "the struggle". My focus must be to score
the goal. If I dribble, run or push, my goal must be to get closer to the goal.
Every strategy must lead me to the goal and the reward of scoring - Rest. It is
only at rest that I can supply the ball for others. The poor man is driven by a
need to survive, the wealthy by a need to bless others.
3. Watch Out For
Hypocrites: Everywhere you turn, you would see one of them. In odjoro, the
hypocrites are the ones that take the ball away from others, they take the ball
to a corner and beckon to others to join in their folly. Most hypocrites are either,
the skillful ones who want to beat them one at a time, the unskilled whose only
tool is running (for the record, I hated these bunch) or the sadist who don't
want to score and neither want others to. I solved the hypocrite problem by making
sure I cut the ball from them. I understood that if an hypocrite ever gets to
the goal, then those left would want to keep him there since no one wants a fun
spoiler, thus they became hypocrites themselves, I think this is an issue with
Nigerian leaders.
In success parlance, hypocrites are those who do not believe
in you, do all you can to keep your ball away from them, as the saying goes, only
a fool throws his pearl to the pigs.
4. Talent is Never
Enough: I also discovered that although I may be skillful, I still may not
be able to sail through the sea of players, the ball may get snapped in transit.
I can combine my talents with my environment to achieve far greater results. To
achieve quantum leap, I must leverage on the skills and availability of others.
The underlining principle of talent isn't enough is that no man is an island.
I remembered how I built a mini team during one of my
numerous odjoros. I scratched some backs and sure, my good friends returned the
good gesture.
5. Enjoy Yourself,
You Have Just One Game Before Its Breakover: Back in those days, fun was
the bait that lured me to odjoro. Being a bookworm, my love of fun was equally balanced
with an "ear out" for the bell that signaled the end of break.
Live life to the full, in your quest to success, learn to savour
the moment. Scripture puts it right by saying "we should run with patience
the race set before us" .
This means, we shouldn't be in a haste to succeed. Delay is not denial.
Oh, before I forgot, part of the fun back then was playing
"boys pranks" on any girl that dared venture into the game.
The game of odjoro was fun, the only exception was the issue
of uniforms getting torn and having to wash, Omo was the student's best friend
then. The reminiscence was timely. I had just learnt some real life lessons
from a childhood game.
I hope you have
learnt some useful life tips from the crude game of O D O Odjoro.
Do you also have any
thoughts to share, kindly drop it as a Comment
and do visit again some other time.
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