There’s a popular saying that the stomach does not allow the legs to rest. This is very true if you live and work in Lagos, especially if you work on the island. “There must be a better way to earn a living” I said to myself as I penned down my resignation letter.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an easy decision; to kiss good bye to one’s secured means of livelihood. I was going from a pretty predictable life to a totally unpredictable life. However, it was a decision I needed to take, a decision I felt would help me regain control of my life; a decision to put my destiny right back into my own hands.
I started working on the Island shortly before I got married to my wife. Before I got married, I did not see anything wrong with staying out late after work. To avoid the enormous stress that comes with being in traffic, we would hang out for some hours waiting for traffic to clear.
In the more than five years I worked on the Island, I was the last to come back in our compound; I was also the first to leave the compound. I did not have an idea whatever went on in the compound or in the area. The only day I had for myself was Sunday. No, Sunday wasn’t exactly mine. I would go to church first thing in the morning; from church I would go for my classes in school. The difference between my Sundays and weekdays was that I returned home around 7 pm. Enough time to eat at home and fall asleep on the sofa while watching movies with my wife.
I was fed up with that kind of lifestyle; I was only useful at work. Every other activity suffered greatly. I came back every day totally spent. My wife saw me only around 11:30 pm. Some days she would be fast asleep when I entered the house. My sexual life was nothing to write home about. At some point I was meeting with my wife only twice in every fortnight. I kid you not. It was very frustrating for both of us. I did not plan that kind of lifestyle.
One Sunday while in church, I sat thinking of what next to do. The more I ruminated over the idea of quitting my job, the more convinced I was to quit.
I got to the office the following day; I grabbed a pen and paper and scribbled a couple of ideas down. I did not entertain any thought of failure neither did I discuss it with my wife. I got on my computer and typed out my resignation letter. I was done with working like a slave. I was done with sacrificing my personal comfort. I was done with a poor relationship with my wife. I wanted my life back, I wanted it desperately. That was the only thing top most on my mind.
The moment I clicked ‘send’, I picked my phone and called my wife. “Darling, I am free. I am free from living and not living. I want to start afresh. A life that I will have a say in, determine when I want to go out and when not to go out.” My wife was speechless as rant and rant in excitement.
Before the expiration of my resignation notice, I started the purchase of the equipment I needed for my next business. It was an equipment rental business.
Business picked up from the moment we announced that we were in business. We struggled to keep up with requests that we got every week. Our church was our first client. DJs and Event planners around our area hissed a sigh of relief because we bridged a gap for them. A gap they said affected their pockets too. We had to run to banks for loans to purchase more equipment. Our experience with the banks is a story on its own. To cut the long story short, we made a list of all the people we knew we could collect money from. We staggered the repayment months. For instance, if we collected money from Mr. A first, his repayment would come first. We collected the money we needed within a month; we were able to negotiate a four month repayment period. So we repaid everybody in four months.
A moment of deep self reflection changed my life. I run around more than I used to when I was in a paid employment. However, now, I determine when to go out. I return early to the house everyday and some days I choose not to go anywhere.
Now, we are in business. We have ten boys on our payroll. I have my life or as they say, I have regained my groove.
Disclaimer: This story is another man’s experience. Any decision you take after reading this, is entirely yours.
