mistakes to milestones, this inspiring shoe story shows how every step can change a life
“You.Are.Finished.”
Like, c’mon man.
I don’t know about you but have you ever had words spoken to you (or against you) that were meant to determine the rest of your existence?
Growing up, I made my fair share of mistakes. As a young man in my teens and early twenties, I was figuring things out the hard way (I didn’t like to listen to be fair), stumbling through missteps that seemed to define me in the eyes of my family –
Wrong friends
Wrong girlfriends
No great with money management
Chasing game
…Yeah you name it!
My parents, aunts, and uncles loved me, but when I fumbled, they kept their expectations low. Maybe it was their way of protecting themselves from disappointment, or maybe they genuinely thought I’d never pull myself together again. Either way, I felt boxed in, my past mistakes felt like weights tied to my future.
“Look you better take that job, to, to to be sweeping your uncle’s barber shop”.
Really?
I had completed a degree in finance and I had some ok jobs, but I wasn’t quite where they hoped I’d be or where I wanted to be. On top of it all, the one steady job I had got that held promise, I lost.
EXPECTATION V ACCEPTANCE
Now no one believed in me, it was like every thin veil of hope for me to have a productive life was completely gone.In family gatherings, their glances would carry hints of disappointment or pity, and I’d hear comments like, “Weh he can manage something small,” or “Maybe this time he’ll start to listen”.
I couldn’t blame them, thinking how they did –
However, I had a decision to either accept the expectations put on me or fight against them. More importantly I had to decide whether to believe in me. Believe that I could achieve whatever I set my heart to do, build something meaningful with my life you know. In my gut , deeeeeeeep down there -I knew I could not give up on myself and my heart shouted at me.
“DO.NOT.GIVE UP”
“No I will not be working at uncle’s shop”, I said not with arrogance but with clear determination that I was taking my life back. I’d be going through the trenches to rebuild and I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of mercy and it would not be a walk in the park – but what is it they say ‘nothing good comes easy’ , plus…..this was my life.
Pops shrugged and shook his head and my aunty and uncle muttered in their mother tongue that I’m being stubborn and ungrateful, but mum looked at me as if to say the chance is yours, it’s up to you.
TIME FOR CHANGE
I eventually got a job, a management role in customer services. I wasn’t looking down on any opportunity. I worked HARD, I grafted, I wasn’t there to waste away time. I was there to learn, to deliver, to grow.
When the director said he was having a Christmas party I attended. I’m not gonna lie I was a bit nervous, thinking about what I’d say, the small talk etc, but as soon as I got into his mansion (it was impressive). I said to myself I’m here because I am supposed to be. I straightened my tie and made sure I made kind eye contact with everyone. I approached with a polite hello, gave them a smile and got them interested in me.
“Here is the …star player of the whole bloody year”. My manager had clearly started early and was more than tipsy, but seemed determined to shout at the director (who was stood right in front of him), that I single handedly turned his team around.
“ Now I have more time to golf “ his eyes were squinting and his cheeks were red at this point. I don’t think that part was supposed to come out, but the director and I exchanged amused glances and got talking after my manager said he needs to get just “one more drink”.
I was not paid much extra, but I was given more responsibility from the top and I took it all in. Reminding myself that I was still learning. Six months later the company folded due to some financial issues and I can’t lie it was a huge blow.Huge.
TRENCHES
My mum sat me down next to me in the dining room, while I was completing yet another job application.
“Im proud of you”. Her arm was placed warmly and firmly over mine.
Our eyes locked.
Then she got up and started to blend peppers for jollof rice. I was grateful for what she said, it was the fuel I needed to keep going. 5 job rejections within two days hurt, it was difficult. My former director had contacted me to say he may be starting his business up again and would take me on. I thanked him, but was already ready to move forward.
As the blender roared, chopping up the plum tomatoes and onions and bell peppers, I gave myself 5 minutes to pause. To think. It’s hard to imagine with the noise, but it made me more determined to focus on my thoughts.
Here’s what I concluded – A person’s worth and/or value can not be measured by material acquisitions. I’d bought some nice trainers (called them creps in my day), some garms (nice clothes, if you know you know), a gold plated chain – but those items did not make me, as a person, more valuable. The rain still pours on the rich and the struggling, the sun still shines on the good and the bad, we have value regardless. I didn’t want a job to just get things, look good – that was nice no pretense here, getting gassed for looking good felt good but that was it. My goal was to be everything I could be, to build, to grow and to do well.
A person’s worth and/or value can not be measured by material acquisitions.
Luke 12:15 – BIBLE
Then came an unexpected job opportunity—a role I wasn’t even close to being qualified for. On paper, I didn’t stand a chance. I was missing the degrees, the years of experience, and the polished CV they expected. But there was something in that job description that resonated with me. ‘Building successful relationships, strong negotiating skills’- It was ambitious, challenging, and everything I thought I’d never be able to do.
It was exactly what I needed.
I hesitantly pressed ‘send’ at the end of the application, but once the message came up on my laptop screen stating ‘your application has been sent successfully’, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I had conquered hurdle no.1.
Three days later I got an email saying that I had been invited for an interview. I stared at the email making sure it was not spam mail but there it was in black an white. I got up earlier than anyone that morning of the interview, no one had a clue about what I was about to embark on. I looked the part; my dark navy- black suit and crisp white shirt and my black polished brogues.
The closer I got to the station, the heavier my bag felt and the lighter my resolve seemed to grow. The thought looped in my mind: Am I enough for this? Every glance at a reflection in shop windows seemed to confirm my fear—that I was just an outsider, hoping to infiltrate a world of professionals who knew their place in the hierarchy of the city.
Even the train, when it finally arrived, seemed to sigh as it stopped. I stepped aboard and found a seat, clutching my notes, rehearsing answers in my head, and wondering if the city would see me as just another dreamer keeping pace. But then, as the train pulled away, a small thought broke through: Maybe today, I prove that I can belong, too.
The interview process was intimidating, to say the least. I felt my family’s doubts in the back of my mind, but I pushed through, sharing stories of times I’d adapted, learned, and persevered. To my amazement, they took a chance on me.
NO PAIN NO GAIN
Starting out was rough. I was underprepared, constantly having to ask questions and work twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up. I faced a lot of sleepless nights and early mornings, studying everything I could to bridge the gaps in my knowledge. Slowly, though, my confidence grew. My hard work started paying off, and I saw results. I began getting recognition from my colleagues and superiors, proving to myself that I belonged in that role.
As my career started taking shape, I took those same principles of hard work, resilience, and grit and applied them to my personal life. I met my wife at a business conference and within 4 years we had our twins. Here I am building a life not just for myself, but for my family. I wanted my kids to see a father who didn’t let his past define his future, who chased his dreams even when the odds were against him.
Today, I’m proud of the life I’ve built. My career has grown beyond what I could have imagined, and I’ve made a stable, loving home for my family. I’ve managed to shift the perception my own family once had of me. Their low expectations have been replaced with respect, and maybe even a little pride. When they see how far I’ve come, they realise that I wasn’t just the kid who made mistakes—I was the man who learned from them and turned them into fuel for success.
Looking back, I’m grateful for every step, even the hardest ones. I took the chance on a job I wasn’t qualified for, and that leap changed my life. I didn’t let my past or anyone else’s expectations limit me, and in doing so, I learned that sometimes the best opportunities come from believing in yourself when no one else does.
Signing off the youngest CEO of a global sales company.
