DESIRE THE PRIZE? PAY THE PRICE!

“Dear friend! Stop wishing. Start reaching! Every of life’s desirable ‘rice’ comes with a price. Be wise! Pay the price today. Enjoy the milk at the peak called ‘peak milk’ while you’re young. It’s no lies that you may never stay long!” –O.J.O

‘Kayode Oyero

Hello my friend! How are you doing? How’s business, career, family and studies?  Let’s talk about something important. Let’s talk about ourselves, so I’ve titled this one: Desire The Prize? Pay The Price!

---->>> Let’s get going!

There’s a story of an extremely wealthy man with an impressive business empire. His affluence stood head and shoulder not only in his country but also on his continent. He lived in a majestic mansion built of fine gold. The mansion was built on land and water. It was an amphibian-like residence of sort. He was extravagantly rich that not even the invasion of the canker worm of a great loss was capable of crippling his business dynasty. His affluence was reported by international news media every now and then. To say he was a public figure is an understatement, as he was an inter-continental personality who rubbed shoulders with the ‘Who Is Who?’ of the world during his time.

This wealthy man had a daughter. She was his only child. She was single and a full grown lady! She was light-skinned, dimple-cheeked and moderately skinny. Her slim figure wasn’t borne out of starvation, maltreatment or lack of care. In fact, she had world-class first-class dieticians, nutritionists and dermatologists at her service. She was marvelously porch, charming and vivacious. Her breast was firmly formed and cone-shaped. In fact, she was a beauty to behold and a feast for all eyes like an albino in an afternoon market. But in spite of her aura and panache, she was single.

And fully aware that his daughter was no longer a spring’s chicken, that she was ageing and her biological clock ticking, the rich business baron syndicated a notice in the press. Print, broadcast, on-line, local and international media were used in disseminating the information. The notice read that any man who was able to win his daughter’s heart  will automatically have her to himself as a wife and as a side attraction and compensation he will also have half of his entire wealth.

After the public announcement was made, the wealthy man’s daughter became a subject of innumerable sexual fantasies and cultish worship. Suitors began to worship at her father’s doorpost. Powerful kings and eligible handsome princes and many sincerely I-am-not-rich-but-I believe-in-myself bachelors also came forth to solicit her hand in marriage. They crowded the door to her external harem with wonderful gifts and pleas, visiting her father’s palatial mansion every now and then, each applicant in a bid to outsmart the other.

Every day, contemporary cars obviously owned by these interested candidates were jam-packed at the rich man’s residence. All the men sought her audience, but she wouldn’t give them any. She was acting on her father’s instruction which was in accord with his undisclosed game plan.

After few weeks of trying, none of the interested suitors gave up. They all kept coming, each nursing the glimmer of hope that he would be the lucky man. But, as many and enthusiastic as they were, their motives shouldered a greedy intention; an intention which focused on the ‘fifty percent inheritance bounty’ the one to win the wealthy man’s daughter would have to himself.

Sunset upon sunrise, their desire to have her mounted with possessive craving. Each of the men desired her the more, especially on the awareness that a host of others also desired her. Desire, what a virus! In actual fact, the assertion: “when we see that someone else desires something we desire, we tend to find that thing more desiring” is not a lie after all!

---------Let’s get back to the Subject!

During the period, the best of the best of bachelors showed their interest to have her. Some even displayed their financial capacity that they are up to the task of taking comfortable care of her by employing the expertise of excellent internationally acclaimed poets to praise-sing and appreciate her beauty in beautiful flattering lines of romance. The poems were published on first class dailies and magazines and also broadcast on national and international broadcast stations with the aim of reaching out to her in order to curry her favour as they were denied access to meet or talk to her in person or by phone. At the end of each poem was the name of the sponsor who was apparently the interested candidate.

To be called the husband of the daughter of one of the richest men on earth was a thrilling and glamorous identity each of them couldn’t wait to earn. But still, the rich man’s daughter stayed aloof, denying every of them a chance to communicate with her, both face-to-face or impersonally.

Don’t forget it was a game plan to sieve out the ‘Determined’ from the ‘Wishfuls’!

Soon, it was time for the wealthy man to unravel his plan and get the most determined suitor as husband for his daughter. His strategy was unbias. He again made an announcement that carried his official seal in the press. The announcement trumpeted that finally the time has come for one of the interested men to convince him that truly and really he is the most eligible and in-turn deserves fifty percent of his entire entity and ultimately his daughter. The announcement was all-inclusive as it also spelt out a precise date and time for them to converge at his paradise (for the examination).

On the deal day, the men, well-prepared arrived at the rich man’s house before sunrise, thinking that punctuality would also be considered a requirement and an action of seriousness. They waited impatiently and expectedly. And when the time came, the exact time that was appended with the publicity, he instructed his righthand aide to tell his gatemen to swing his central gate ajar and direct the ‘students’ to join him at his state-of-the-earth expansive examination hall- the swimming pool.

At the pool side, he intimated the candidates that inside the pool were aggressive alligators and other dangerous aquatic creatures which was no lies after all. He then told them that anyone who was the first to swim through the alligator-infested pool from one side and come out alive on the other side will automatically marry his daughter and have to himself, fifty percent of his entire entity.

Immediately after his delivery, an organized pandemonium ensued. The men broke apart furiously like startled bush fowls. Arms hurriedly flew up in protest. They were all visibly agitated. Some even cursed and abused him as some feet retreated and made their way back to the gate. “Is your daughter an Angel that it will cost us to risk our lives? What sort of a devilish and frenetic task! Go and marry your daughter yourself and in fact eat her……” all sorts of insults, invectives and criticisms rang in the air turning the poolside to a house of many bells.

And in a fit of bluster, a deep sound was heard to their amazement, a young man had plunged into the ‘red sea’ and within sluice of seconds, after maneuvering the deadly alligators as fast as he could emerged victoriously on the other side of the pool, panting heavily with triumph.

Dear friend, a lot of us are like the other men. We complain instead of attaining. We desire but refuse to aspire and perspire. We expect life to be fair on us and to get everything easily on the altar of no sacrifice. We relax and yet want a palace for a residence. We blame and refuse to aim. We sit and scorn people who eat meat not putting to mind that to eat meat, one mustn’t sit. We fault our friends, family, people and government for our not-satisfying condition when we can take the bull by the horn and fight the circumstances tending to restrain us from getting our most cherish heart desires.

A lot of us like to toil the line of least resistance. Lines of less challenges like mediocre vocation. For example, instead of going through the furnace of rigors and training years of studying pharmacy at the University, a lazy chap will in his or her wise foolishness finds it better and time-saving to enroll under the tutelage of a backyard patent medicine seller. Tell me dear friend which is preferable professional-wise to discern a doctor’s drug prescription between a graduate of pharmacy and a product of a roadside patent medicine seller? Tell me which enjoys more social respect? Tell me which you’ll like your son or daughter settle for? My friend, you can’t afford to be a local champion. You are an international champion. The top is beckoning for you!

Now, let’s face it right in the face!

It’s quite unfortunate that a lot of us like to trail short cuts forgetting that inherent in short cuts are gunshots that cut life short. We detest stress but like rest. Fine! It’s a good thing! But, to rest when we ought to be stressed will inevitably result to being stressed when we ought to rest. Listen, You can’t afford to live a life of poverty and mediocrity when all you need do in order to reel in abundant prosperity is to wake-up and never give-up. To be the first, now is not the time to rest.

Hmmn! To be the first, now is not the time to rest!

To state the honest truth, no one wants to live a fake life, yet not everyone is willing to stay awake, bake and make a cake-like life. For every prize, there’s a price. For every grain of rice, there’s a price. Likewise, for every rise, a price is to be paid.

Dear friend, if you desire something, walk and work towards achieving it. It’s not enough to desire, you must also aspire. Owning that house or car of your dream is not a mountain if only you attain getting it.

It’s quite baffling that a lot of us hate the process, but yet long for an access to a life of durable comfort, accomplishment, fulfillment and luxury. We only want to reap without sowing not taking to mind that people who sleep deep don’t reap leap! We only wish we could relish without making dogged resolution to reach for what we wish to relish. What an impossibility!

My dear friend, show me a band notable for having many wins and I’d show you a troupe who invests heavily in rehearsals; a goal-getter and I’d show you a goal-setter; an apartheid-free South-Africa and I’d tell you the story of a restless freedom-fighter and lastly show me a brilliant student well-known for passing his examinations in flying colours, and I’d show you a studious folk who shun frivolities for priorities.

Dear Not-yet-there friend, it’s time you faced reality! It’s time you shun frivolities! Contemporary Germans can’t afford the pleasure of leisure hours. Stop wasting time fantasying when you can make it happen in reality. Stop frolicking in boisterous cum uncontrolled laughter, slander, idle talks, and joking merely to raise a laugh. All these things are imprudent waste of valuable energy and irretrievable time. Listen, when you don’t have, people will laugh at you, but when you have, people will laugh with you. It’s a good thing to desire. It’s a good thought. But it’s more better to aspire one’s desire with one’s deed. It’s time you made ‘busyness’ your business. It’s time you started reaching for the prize by paying the price! To strive is to thrive. To try is to triumph!

Wake-up and rise-up dear friend! Don’t be discouraged by previous attempts in which you failed. With courage, you can pluck life sweetest orange! You still have time for a make-up!

I truly believe this!

Enjoy the rest of the day while you:

…Kip da Optimism Alive!

You can follow me on Twitter @Imodoye_1