The Greatest Investment...
I once read the story of Tyler Perry. He is the director and producer of Tyler Perry Movies.
He was physically and sexually abused as a kid while growing up. He tried committing suicide twice, once as a preteen and then again at 22.
In 1992, he wrote, produced, and starred in his first theater production I Know I’ve Been Changed. He put all of his savings into the show, but instead of the estimated one thousand viewers, only 30 persons came to watch.
He however never gave up but continued productions while building up and developing himself, though sleeping in his car and working odd jobs to get by.
Six years later, during the seventh run of his movie show, he broke through, and since then has gone on to produce very great movies, the latest being the controversial `Acrimony’ (the first movie that made me stage a round table discussion with my friends as we debated on who was and who was not to be blamed, Lol.)
Anyway, my point is, Tyler Perry could have given up when the turn out to his movie show was a mockery to all his efforts and input. But he however forged ahead, staying on his passion while improving himself till he saw his breakthrough. In fact, in 2011, he was named Forbes’ highest-paid man in entertainment.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where the number of likes on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page is a validation of your success. And so you find people doing just about anything to look successful even when they are not, failing at the one most important thing they need to be doing- self-improvement and development.
Don’t get me wrong, am not saying you shouldn’t get involved with the world through the various social media platforms.
Far from it, in fact, you should. The world is not going global, it has already gone global and anyone who wishes to be heard must identify with it through certain platforms, one of which is social media.
However, what you should avoid like a plague is this cancerous obsession for approval, respect, and acceptance from a bunch of people, half of whom do not even know the real you nor do they care to.
For if all you care about is how to be accepted and get more likes on the various social media platforms, then all it will take is a few twitches on some of your posts and write-ups and they will come flooding in their hundreds.
However, in a few years’ time, when the chips are down as they surely will, you will look back and find out that all you have to show for it is a few hundred likes with an empty life.
Your success actually begins when you enroll in that self-betterment and improvement class and begin the journey towards productivity and impact.
Discover that passion and Stay on it even as you continue the learning process. Once you have set this in motion, don’t worry about the likes or the social media validations, they will come later.
Read that book, take that course, learn that trade, quit that habit, take that challenge, and make that investment.
Life is so much more productive and fulfilling when you focus on the rights things.
Therefore, find your passion and stay focused. It is the rich Return on Investment that will fetch you every other thing.
Live!
