If you live long enough, many thanksgivings turn into regrets, and then back into thanksgivings again, in an endless loop.
When you notice it, you hesitate to celebrate.
When you understand it, you celebrate every swing.
No one knows the end from the beginning, so celebrate wins while they are wins, and endure them when they turn sour.
A mentee who runs a business in Lagos won a contract for bulk supplies to a multinational company last year. The orders were so huge, he had to cut off supply to many of his retail customers.
Last week, the multinational company decided to switch to a cheaper substitute. It will take 3 months for the switch to be complete. Basically, he had 3 months to reconnect with old customers and recruit new ones.
His thanksgiving just one year ago had become a source of regret.
I showed him how he was one of the lucky ones, as such switches in many companies I know will not come with a 3 months notice period.
He was in a race against time, as he had invested in capacity increases to meet the industrial scale demand. Now he had to figure out how to pivot some of the new capacity to new ventures.
Today, he landed a new contract with another multinational. He called sounding exactly how he sounded last year – ecstatic.
Life is a roller coaster.
– Osasu Oviawe
