After visiting a client yesterday, I bumped into a long-time friend.
During our MBA studies, a guest lecturer came to speak about leadership. After the well-articulated lecture, I was nominated by my class to give the vote of thanks. Which I duly made to the beyond belief of our guest. He was surprised that I knew so much about his career and achievements that he asked me out for a date. I mean a business meeting.
It is from that experience I made a resolution to never leave a public gathering I attend like a meeting, conference or forum without saying something that is informed. Otherwise, no one ever gets to know you were in the room. That aside, he asked me whether I had studied deep into an MBA to be able to help work with him write his business plan.
As you know, I learned a lot from my grandpa. He once said ‘lots of learning occurs when you do what you have never done.’
With this hindsight, I said yes. And so we started working. I learned a lot from this and got the confidence to meet any leader and express myself.
Somehow, we concluded the project and my new friend told me of an opportunity to travel to the UK. He said he wanted a break from Uganda. Just to go and make mistakes somewhere.
I thought he was getting mad or something. He was dead serious.
He went. Lost a family (his wife eloped and someone hurried her to the alter). And now has been in a custody battle for his two kids. But that is another story.
So yesterday, the man noticed me and said ‘MUSTAPHA.’ How are you? It was a great meet up. We briefly talked and he invited me for coffee. That is when he told me his story.
I could not believe that the establishment in which we had coffee not only belonged to him but the entire property located in the city center. As if that was not enough, he pointed a finger at two properties across the road and said ‘you see those two properties, they are mine.’
And then added: in life, you win some and lose some more.
I got money but the family seems to elude me. I got money and lost family.
I miss my wife!
I have got into many relationships but something is always missing. These Kampala women are tricky. If it is not bad cheating, it is too many lies. If not that one it is a fraud. And then smoking. I am a Muslim but my frequency to search for love at the place of worship seems not to be working.
Now, this is a man worth over Ugx 20 billion. He really has it all going by Ugandan standards, why complain about love?
Be calm. Settle. Take life slowly. After all, it is difficult, if at all possible to win in all aspects of life. The poor person once they get what to eat for today, they have turned their minds to settle and be happy for that achievement. They know and believe, they will ‘kuyiya’ for tomorrow and they have lived so many years on that basis. Are they happy, maybe more? Do they have families, yes? Have they succeeded, of course, yes. Try asking the stories of the current ‘rich men’ in town and you will hear stories of how they used to sleep on empty stomachs!
Lesson: Life is about choices. Is yours happiness or money? Science or faith? Values or crime? Whatever you chose, think about your legacy and what will people read about you after death.
May you chose well.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2019. All rights reserved
