[b][/b]"My father told me that money is good but he said too that the love for money could lead one to a place where his fingers could be badly burned; I was warned never to take anything that does not belong to me. You can understand why I became very cautious when I found myself working in the cash management unit of a bank. I heard before joining the bank that staff in the good books of superiors don't get posted to this unit- it is a much-dreaded unit because of the inherent danger one is bound to be exposed to. It was a popular knowledge but a hidden secret in the office that my boss had me under lock and key in his bad books because a female teller in the branch that kept rejecting his advances was my close friend. So, my payback was the 'Uriah treatment'- which resulted in that movement to the danger zone."

I flashed a look at my wristwatch and urged Henry to continue. "In that era, the city was under siege by a gang of robbers terrorizing all inhabitants and snatching bullion vans like ballot boxes. I didn't sleep all through the night the day that I was served the deployment to the new unit. The first six months went well but I had my heart in my mouth all through the time the siren blasted across the network of branches."

Henry ran his fingers across the scar on his left cheek. It would have brought back memories but he went on. "In the seventh month, we got hit by the bad boys. The screams and the sounds of bullets ricocheting against the iron frames of the vehicles will dwell on my mind forever. By the time they were done with us, bodies were littered all over the place with blood splatter making some horrific works of art on the walls of the vehicles. I ended up in the hospital with a couple of survivors. On my resumption, after being discharged from the hospital, I was greeted with a query by my boss and my employer demanding an explanation on the acts of negligence that led to the loss of the cash on transit. I was so angry about the tone of the query- because I knew we lost some policemen and three employees that day. One of them happened to be a very intimate friend. We lost the driver of the bullion van too. His newly married wife was pregnant when this happened. There was no query on how she was going to survive without Dave and none on our close shave with death. While I was trying to settle down to work, a transfer memo came and it was to a remote town at the borders between Nigeria and a neighboring country. This news broke me, hook, line, and sinker."

Henry looked up and said, "This was how I found myself in a town where no one wanted to go. There was just one-way traffic to this town. The only way people could leave was either by sack or resignation; you never get transferred out. I decided to test the system and started making serious efforts to get transferred out of the town. I did this for four years without a result. It was revealed to me much later that my former boss had a hand in stifling my efforts to leave. One morning, I woke up and realized that I had all that I needed to make something out of my situation. I took the decision to find the inherent benefits of my adversity. From that moment, I became conscious of my environment. My eyes became open to economic opportunities in the community. Immediately, I started playing in the cash crop business; the cocoa and the palm sales were good business in the community."

He concluded by saying, "The moment I decided to stay behind and make something out of my situation, opportunities began to pour in. My business grew in leaps and bounds. At a point, I started exporting and the earnings were pouring-in in foreign currency. I fell in love with the daughter of a former military man and we got married. My wife brought more blessings as our family and business continued to expand. In my tenth year in that remote community -that was the rejected stone that became the cornerstone of my life- I was asked to return to the city and head the Cash Movement Unit- a city that I was booted from unceremoniously. Right there in my office, I threw in my resignation. It had become obvious that my new life was non-negotiable."

REFLECTION
Tough moments are always a blessing in disguise but you need to look hard enough to find the hidden benefits. Henry was focused on what was beyond his control. And those things within his control suffered for this reason. In life, you have to build up your time and resources and focus them on your area of strength that is well within your control. It is good to note that Henry didn't just become a success overnight- he had the seed in him all the while. It was his situation that brought out the greatness(success) hidden inside of him. Don't let your situation weigh you down and keep you there. Get up and awake the giant within.

For more;
https://anekearinzeblog.com