Growing up, my mum was into construction and she used to have workers come from a neighboring town and even from countries like the Benin republic work for her. A lot of times, she would share food with them, pay them more than their daily wages, and offer them more opportunities—even to the ones who were not loyal. When questioned about why she was doing all that, she would say, “My children will end up in foreign lands someday and I want strangers to favour them.”
When I relocated to the UK, I met strangers on the train who would offer me help, showing me how to get better jobs, gigs, or open great doors for opportunities. One cold evening, an MC based in London, whom I’d connected with on Instagram, called to check on me and see how I was settling in. He even went ahead and added me to a group of MCs that became the bedrock of me getting gigs in the UK and would pass my number to his own clients when he was double booked.
Recently, while running, I reflected back, and it dawned on me that I had been benefiting from my mum’s seeds. The fruits didn’t come from the one she helped, it came from different people at the moment it mattered the most.
Helping with expectations leads to disappointment. One of the lessons I’ve learnt in life is that you help people because you’re in a position to help, and they don’t have to help back when the table turns. The fruits don’t ever look like the seed; the best thing you can do for yourself is to continue to plant good seeds. It’s a law in life, karma says what goes around does come around.
Jesus said: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” It is in your hand to create the life you want for yourself.
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Michael Okunloro | Elevate Your Style 