I once listened to the great preacher Myles Moore when he said there were things his father told him to do and not to do as he was growing up, but he was totally disobedient to some of those things, and then he added, "Thank God I was stubborn."
The result of that stubbornness was that his father became a part of his congregation, and in the meeting, when he said that his dad was present, he added, "I know you meant well for me," but where I was going required that stubbornness.
In the same way, sometimes against all odds we have to show some stubbornness, which would be resilience, in order to achieve the things we want to achieve.
And I have had times in my life when that stubbornness turned out for good, and I have also had times when I felt like if I had known, I would have given in to the suggestion I got.
As an upcoming event decorator, some years ago I lived with my boss, who was at the time in the university. While I handled field operations of our work and execution of events, he was responsible for most of the administrative duties.
One of his friends reached out one time; he was having his wedding, and my boss gave me the scope of the job and other things, but we went to the venue to find something else, and we had to change the design, and without letting my boss know, we started execution of the new plan.
The groom, who is a friend of my boss, reached out and was upset about the change, and my boss called and was angry over the phone. I kept calm and gently explained the situation. After some forth-and-back arguments and discussions, we finally reached a consensus, and I had my way, and it turned out what I chose to do was more suitable for the event than what was initially proposed.
And in that moment I felt a sense of dignity because I wasn't so experienced in events at the time, but my little stubbornness paid off, and at another event at that same venue with my boss, he carefully reminded me why the initially proposed design wouldn't have worked. Only at the time I didn't know how to properly explain it.
And it was a silent reminder of the fact that we can have different options for something yet be working towards the same result.
But there was another time when my parents had told me not to embark on a particular journey, but I felt like I had to, and since I was the one paying for my transport, I left.
That was one of the most risky journeys I ever took because I ended up sleeping on the road and trekking a very long distance only to pass the night at a gas station in Lagos. That night was one of the longest nights of my life, and I couldn't forget it in a hurry.
I have learned that sometimes you could be right and sometimes you will be wrong, but you have to be wise in dealing with people.
Thanks for stopping by.
The image used is mine.
