NO TITLE YET, I’D RATHER CHOOSE THAT YOU READ IT AND THEN DISCOVER THE TITLE WHICH IS ALREADY BURIED INSIDE THE WRITEUP 

I remember a season in my life when write-ups from James Altucher, the man who recently released a book he titled ‘Reinvent yourself’. His articles were simply all I needed at the time to keep my heart and mind together. It so happened that the write-ups from this aforementioned name were mostly about his life experience and personal struggles. It was something I needed to read for encouragement at the time.

What I found amusing about my contact with James’ articles was the fact that I still am unable to put a link to how I came across one of his write-ups that fateful day –that piece from him I got to read for the first time which would later lead me to his blog.

James Altucher wasn’t recommended to me, neither was I surfing the net for something that relates to this individual’s life experience and the way he writes, but by happenstance I stumbled upon ‘him’ [referring to one of his articles] and thereafter I couldn’t stop reading his piece for a long time.

“Okay okay… I got that, so why are you saying this Writer?”  I might have just read someone’s mind right now, isn’t it? Smiles

An individual on twitter shared an interesting experience he had with someone, so I thought I would bring the story here to help that man or woman to who pieces such as this would naturally inspire, encourage and motivate. Here we go…

This fellow shared an experience he had with a stranger who had solicited for a financial help of N5, 000. And it so happened that the request came at a time he was paid a salary. According to how he narrated the story in a series of tweets, the Good Samaritan then wired, deliberately though, instead of the N5, 000 he requested for, a total of N15, 000.

Then, having intentionally done so for the purpose of what he called integrity test, he proceeded to chat him up explaining that he had mistakenly transferred N15, 000 to his bank account.

He asked the stranger to send back the difference of N10, 000 that wasn’t intended for him. The good thing, however, was that the stranger did send back the money. This act got his helper pleased and in the end the stranger not only got the N5, 000 he was in need of but a total of N20, 000 from his helper who immediately initiated another transfer of N15, 000 for passing integrity test.

You see readers, these things are true. Let me tell you a personal encounter…

Few months ago, I introduced a product that I sell to a friend of my Dad. I can’t say if he really had interest in the product on the first day I marketed it to him; you know a number of reasons may have propelled him to collect the product from me. Maybe to support me, encourage me or could out-rightly be for the love of a father to son relationship.

He’d ask for the price anyways and expectedly I gave him a figure, he was comfortable with how much I was selling, not surprising though as I have being fair with my selling price as testified by many.

Upon collecting it, I watched him open the back-seat door of his car as he proceeded to drop the product on the seat inside his car. I wasn’t expecting to be paid on the spot, so I moved on to other things.

The following day, my brother and I met somewhere in town, then he was reminded of –by the sight of me –the money he was meant to give me. The money my Dad’s friend had dropped with him to pass it on to me for the product he had purchased from me just a day before.

However, I realized he had paid me beyond the price I told him to pay for the product. I thought it might have been an error of overpayment. After-all, the person I was dealing with is indirectly a Dad to me [as it were]. “This shouldn’t be an issue, I could take the extra cash and just be fine” –a thought said.

And guess what? The extra cash was just what I needed to cover my transportation cost to an important meeting on the day. “But I can’t just take this extra cash, do what I needed to do and acted as if nothing happened, that may not be right” –another thought said. So, I agreed within me that the latter thought was right.

That been the case, I thought I would go over to his place and hand him the extra cash, after-all, he may eventually say “oh it was an error but it’s all good, you could take the cash” that way I would have satisfied my conscience and still be able to get to the meeting that was on my mind if I was gifted the extra money which ultimately would cover my transportation cost.

So I did just that, I knocked on his door, by the time he appeared at the door to see who was at his entrance, I realized –from the mood I saw –that he was in the middle of sleep. Without wasting time, I narrated how he had overpaid me for the product I sold to him the day before.

But unlike what I thought may happen, he collected the extra cash –appreciated me and watched me took my leave as he went back inside to probably climb back on the bed to pick up from where he stopped.

As I departed from his doorstep, I remembered to have a few thoughts dropped on me… Now, I want you to imagine the kind of mockery thoughts you think the enemies may smash one’s heart with in situations such as the one that had just transpired [as narrated]. The one I remembered was… “Now, let me see how you would get to your all important meeting Mr. Nice Guy”…

Well, I wasn’t really bothered; my intention was to return the money as it was the right thing to do, not because I thought he would eventually let me have the funds. So I was fulfilled with my action.

The meeting I was meant to attend on the day didn’t suffer due to this; after-all I was able to make the meeting. But something happened later that day: Yet again, I bombed into my brother who again told me that an amount was handed to him to pass it over to me. What happened was the man I had returned the money to; had come around to look for me, so when he couldn’t find me; he saw my brother and gave him money to give to me as gift.

Guess what? The money he gave as gift was now 150% surplus of what I had returned to him earlier. And that’s not even where I am going; the high point of the story is that this respected individual has since bought tens of thousands of my product to this day. It is amazing to discover that sometimes he deliberately place order even when he doesn’t have to, most times –as it seems –he would call to place order when, I assume, he realizes that it has been couple of days since his last purchase. Many times he would buy and then look for people to resell.

That I am still in business today, selling that same product is because I have him as a regular customer. Kostorma daa’da nii… I am grateful to God and to him.

Remember the story I shared earlier involving the individual who sent a stranger N20, 000? His story didn’t end there.

This fellow came to twitter another day to discuss something different which had happened on his way to a refreshment center. According to him, he had some N5, 000 with him which he wasn’t going to use for anything serious, so he thought he would treat himself to a nice outing [you know, just ‘siddon for table’] ‘balance well’ and then devour something sumptuous and delicious.

However on his way [seated in a cab] he saw a woman, who appeared to be in her early 40s, she had just fallen from a motorcycle straight inside a gutter. She didn’t just land by herself in the ditch; but she had with her some crates of eggs.

He said in his tweets that, the incident left him in a sorry state –seeing that the woman wasn’t even bothered by her injuries but was crying for her damaged eggs. So, this individual who shared this story said that he came down from the cab, proceeded to ask for the total cost for the crates. N8, 000 she said…

The guy said, “Imagine someone crying like a baby because of ordinary 8k?” Well, “that’s her own reality” he added.

From the N5, 000 with him, he immediately handed N4, 000 to her and also asked if she has a bank account. Yes, she responded…

Getting that response, he directed the woman to head to a nearby clinic to treat her injuries and promised to send some money to her in the morning. The woman, as narrated in the story, went on her knees, but the guy interjected the process saying there wasn’t need for it.

The following morning he did as promised… he sent a token which according to him was good enough to settle her treatment bill and also sort her crates of eggs. He noted that the woman didn’t have his number and he never bothered to take hers.

But something happened sometimes later, the woman saw him again on the Island [Lagos Island]… He said, there had been a shout of “brother, brother, brother” behind him, but Lagos as you know it, is a busy place… the woman was trying to catch up with him as he opined to have been walking fast on the day. Just when he looked back, the woman –now inches away from him –said “ehn ehn, you’re the one”

Not remembering the woman, he responded … “the one who did what Ma?”

The woman proceeded to narrate the story. He saw that it is a good thing to be nice and kind, saying he couldn’t even remember the whole incidence anymore. The woman, however, insisted that he drops his number this time… He did.

The following day, she called him; he said the phone conversation lasted for a while.

Now there’s a twist to the whole story. According to what he wrote in the tweets, he found out that this woman has in her possession something he had needed for years. Interestingly, she doesn’t even know its worth or how to convert it to money.

The guy who shared this story further said that, that particular thing [he didn’t give much details on what it is] but says “is capable of making us both become relevant in a very short while” –in his own words.

Now guess what? “She is willing to let go of it, the guy said, I mean she is willing to hand it over to me patapata”.

He was quick to include in his tweet that, though he was happy by her decision, he’d made her understand that it still remain hers. That; he would help her to manage it and overtime would then place himself on salary. He ended the story with a promise to keep his followers up-to-date with any development regarding the process they’ve already kick started.

He said and I quote… “I did what I did with no single; I mean no iota of expecting anything in return. I mean I couldn’t even recognize her if I’d seen her again. But look at how giving works. Look at how that very small act of kindness is about to open a very mighty door, guys keep doing good”

Read the whole story from his twitter page.

@boluzzz