I wish my dad had written a book.
He passed away aged 64 when I was 17. I think I knew a lot about him, but there was a lot more about him that I could have learned. His wins, his losses, his drive, his ambition, his hurts, his misgivings, his wisdom… in other words, his story.
From what I knew of my dad, he was orphaned when he was a teenager. He was born in Jos but was raised in Kafanchan, Kaduna, Nigeria where he lived with his parents and 8 other siblings. Though they were from a different part of the country, that was where they planted their roots.
He was the oldest son and felt obligated to raise and care for his younger brothers and sisters. I know that they were very poor. He would recollect memories of their lack and poverty and retell the stories with great candour and bright humour.
The fascinating thing was you could never tell what my father had been through by looking at him. He had begun to attain considerable wealth and assets by the time he was 30. From the nuggets I snatched from his conversations, I gathered that he became a Civil Engineer, was a contractor to different governments, built and purchased his own assets in various countries, became an Ambassador for a First World Aerospace Agency to Nigeria, and was instrumental in the building of a very famous bridge in West Africa. He had lived and travelled to almost every country on God’s green earth.
My father was entrepreneurial, a go-getter and a self-starter. He worked hard and chose to enjoy life. I cannot tell you of his net worth or the value of his estate or assets. I can however tell you that he had a hearty laugh. He loved to cook and sing. He was kind and funny. His jokes would leave you in fits and stitches. I can tell you that he was a family man and generous to a fault.
I would like to have asked him about the moment things turned around for him. How his fortunes changed. Was it inspired by something he read, someone he met, or just a series of fortunate events that all collided to propel him from sully rags to dazzling riches?
The lesson here is we all have stories, we should capture them. Share them. We sometimes feel the challenges we face are peculiar. Unknown to us the next person has either been in our shoes or may find themselves wearing them, sooner or later.
As we gain experiences, make memories and grow older we should chronicle the lessons we are learning. As we break barriers and pivot to new exciting careers, we should share our knowledge and experiences. The lessons and the wisdom we have gained may make it easier for the people around us, or coming up just behind us. As we start, grow and build our families we should encourage others with our growth. When we start new ventures and learn along the way, we must learn to lend the future the nuggets of knowledge we glean today.Â
We must tell our stories!
Lend the world your voice. It could be a knowledge piece, a self-help resource, a subject-based book or a memoir. We are happy to walk you through the process, work with you or ghost-write for you.
Book a free consultation with us today, let’s start telling your story.