…. This Will Inspire You!
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to be at the inter-house sports competition of a primary school in my country of origin, Nigeria. It was an awesome experience as I watched the children compete. I learnt two very valuable lessons from one little girl, and I would like to share these with you. The first lesson was from the game, Filling the Bottle. An empty bottle was placed midway between the start and finish lines. A large container of water was placed at the start line, and each child was handed a cup. They were expected to take some water in their cups, run to where their bottles were placed and begin filling them up. They were to keep going back for water until their bottles were full, after which they were to carry the full bottles of water to the finish line. The first child to get to the finish line with a full bottle of water emerged as the winner.
Well, the game began, and I watched the children with keen interest. I noticed that all the other children were very busy going back and forth, but the contents of their bottles told me they were not making any progress. Most of the water ended up on the floor! This little girl, however, didn’t seem to be bothered by the “busyness” of the other children. She was focused on filling her bottle. When she came to her bottle with a cup of water, she took her time to pour the water in, thus ensuring that every single drop entered her bottle. It did not matter how many times the other children went back and forth. Eventually, she won the competition.
The lesson here is that busyness does not necessarily equal progress. Therefore, don’t get alarmed and jittery by what others are doing and don’t let their “busyness” cause you to panic and begin to rush around in your assignment. Settle down and take your time so you can get it right and make real progress. Slow and steady eventually wins in the race of life.
The second lesson I learnt from the same little girl came at the end of the competition. Her house was declared the overall winner of the competition, and the leader of the house was called upon to receive the trophy on behalf of the house. However, when he ran forward, he was not wearing the school’s sports outfit but a traditional costume as he had just finished a performance. Thus, he was asked to leave as they wanted someone wearing the school’s sportswear. When he had initially run forward to receive the trophy, this little girl and a bigger girl had run forward with him, in solidarity, I think. When he left, the bigger girl went with him; I guess it never occurred to her that as a member of the winning house, and one who was wearing the school’s sportswear, she could receive the trophy. But this phenomenal little girl remained where she was, observing with keen interest the goings-on. Well, as she was a member of the winning house and wearing the appropriate gear, she was called up and handed the trophy.
Now, the lesson is this, sometimes in life, an opportunity is created for you, but you miss it because you’re not paying attention. Also, it is possible to be in the right place, at the right time, and not know it because you’re not paying attention. The bigger girl would have been a more suitable choice as far as receiving the trophy went but, she was not paying attention, so she lost the opportunity to the puny little girl who was paying attention.
