Part 1: Seizing Opportunities

Several years ago when I was plump, my brother Bob Njinju was fond of commenting on my weight. He once remarked during a family meeting in 2016 that I probably weighed over 100 kilograms. During another family meeting later on in 2016, he bluntly told me that I was gaining more weight.

Since I have always desired to be lean and athletic, I didn't like the comments that Bob was making about my weight. I thought of informing him the next time he remarked about my plumpness that I would lose weight once I found a fulfilling job. As it happened, I never got the opportunity to inform him so.

Looking back, I am glad I never informed Bob that I would lose weight once I found a fulfilling job. Why? Because I came to realize that I first had to change on the inside before my outside circumstances could change. I also realized that I had here at home plenty of opportunities for personal development. Before I tell you about those opportunities, allow me to say something brief about my past.

All my life, I have never worried about where my next meal will come from or who will pay my bills. Somehow, my family has always met my needs. I have therefore been spared from the stress that some people go through as they struggle to make ends meet.

Perhaps due to the way my family has always met my needs, I never acquired the spirit of hard work that I have seen in the people who have to juggle multiple jobs in order to feed their families. Not surprisingly, I morphed into a lazy and gluttonous young man when I was at the university in JKUAT in 2008. And that's how I gained excess weight.

After dropping out of JKUAT, I would try again and again to remould myself into an early-rising and hardworking young man. But guess what! My efforts would come to a dead end as I would give up on my resolutions to be diligent in the face of adversity or mood change.

The only virtue that I grew up with and which has been my saving grace is the habit of reading avidly. I used to study a lot when I was in primary and secondary school. Even during my university days, I often had my nose buried in a book in my free time.

Having grown up as an avid reader, I have found it easy to carry on with reading in my adult life. These days, I can devour two books in a week, something many people find it hard to do. Maybe in the same way I have struggled to be a hard worker, so do many people struggle to be avid readers.

And you know what? I have access to plenty of books, magazines and newspapers that my father used to buy for us when my brothers and I were growing up. In addition to that, I have a laptop, a piano keyboard and an internet connection which I can use to hone my talents in music and writing.

One thing I have learnt in life is to never compare my life to that of others, for we are all facing different circumstances and opportunities. So instead of laboring at someone else's business, I have found it wise to use my time to hone my talents in music and writing while my parents are still meeting my needs.

But I am alive to the fact that my parents will not always be there to meet my needs. They will eventually get sick and die (ouch!). That's why I have resolved to work really hard at becoming a great writer and musician before it's too late.

For the past three years, I have been engaged in reading those books, magazines and newspapers that I have access to here at home. As a result of that reading, my life has become more exciting. What's more, I have lost the excess weight that my brother Bob used to tease me about.

It was foolish of me to think of informing Bob that I would lose weight once I found a fulfilling job. I am saying it was foolish since I had access to plenty of reading materials that could occupy my time. And my beloved reader, those reading materials are the opportunities for personal development I am talking about.

By the way, when I was a big fan of the WWF wrestling program back in the '90s, I noted the program used to warn its audience not to try at home what they watched on the telly. Similarly, I warn you not to try what I am doing in your home if you have a family to feed and bills to pay. Just get a job and don't forget to seize the unique opportunities that come your way. Ciao!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on seizing opportunities, you might also enjoy another one on "Blooming Where Planted" which I wrote more than six years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.