Chapter One

[size=16pt]How Hard Can It Be? Just Try[/size]

Sometime ago in the early months of 2011, I walked into a bank to make a withdrawal. And as usual with the bank that I bank with, which is a first generation bank, there was a long queue of people waiting to be attended to and I naturally joined the queue. It was going to take about 45mins to 60mins before I would be at the head of the queue and be attended to by the teller. Patiently I waited; slowly I was moving towards the teller. Just when there were about six people ahead of me, an elderly man who would be in his seventies walked into the bank. He, too, seeing the queue had to join in but something in me became uncomfortable.

Fifteen years ago a man like that would have been asked to go straight to the teller to make his withdrawal. But a lot has changed in Nigeria in the last fifteen years. And this senior citizen knew it too because he did not even make any attempt to walk to the head of the queue, he just remained at the tail meaning he would have to wait for at least another 60mins before it would be his turn. Somehow I could sense uneasiness in the queue among the rest of us. You know that feeling you get when you suddenly feel something is not right but you just can’t place your finger on it? It was something like that. Only this time I knew what was wrong. Now, there were only three people in front of me and some people were now behind the senior citizen, others who had come in after him.

I knew what I had to do but should I do it? The Nigeria of today is no longer the Nigeria I grew up in. Will these people who had been waiting become irate and shout me down if I did the right thing? Will there be a few others who would support me for doing the right thing? These and a lot of other questions whizzed through my head while the clock was ticking. Well, I thought to myself, I’ll never know until I try.

Isn’t that just the way it is with life? We get scared of the unknown and let the fear of the unknown keep us from trying. And then we recline to living a mediocre lifestyle. Just blend in with the crowd. "Well," we'd say to ourselves, "I have a wife, a car, and a home of my own and this is enough. If I reach out for more maybe I will fail and end up losing even the little I have." And that fear of the unknown keeps us from trying, from reaching out for more, from making a significant impact. All we have to do is just to try. How hard can it be? Just try.

Back to my tale, I decided I’ll rather try and fail than live a life of regrets. So I called on the elderly man and asked him to come and stand ahead of me. And walking slowly as age has had its toll on him he came and I created room for him to stand before me. The banking hall became still for what seemed like eternity as they watched the old man make his way to my front. Okay, the deed was done; the moment had arrived; that moment I so dreaded. What next? I could hear my heart beat as I waited for whatever was to follow. All eyes were on me and the senior citizen. And what was the reaction? Nothing. Nothing? Yes, nothing. Just dead silence. Not a word was spoken by anybody. It was like they were struck with ataxia.

You see, I believe that while I was pondering on what to do all that time, everyone else was thinking the same thing. But everyone was afraid of what everyone else would say if they did the right thing. So, nobody ended up doing anything. This reminds me af a popular saying during my teenage years. A job was left for everyone to do. Everyone thought someone would do it. At the end, nobody did it.

I have great respect for the man who tried and failed and zero respect for the man who for the fear of failing refuses to try. Because what he does not know is that he has failed already. I'll rather try and fail than live a life of regrets. I don't want to be sixty-five tomorrow and start saying to myself, "Maybe if I had started that business 30yrs ago I'd have been successful." I want to start that business now and if I succeed, good, if I don't, good also. At least I tried. Many of us are waiting for the weather to be perfect. Well, I've got news for you; it never will, duh. Twenty years ago only daddy was working for the family. And by 5:00pm daddy was back home to assist the kids in their assignments. Today, both daddy and mommy are working to fend for the same family, or so they say. When do they get back home? 10:00pm. Sometimes later. What does that tell us? As the world advances we have to push harder to maintain the same status.

Les Brown said, "Great men are the ones who determine a course for themselves, and if they can't find a way, they create one. You don't have to be great to start. You have to start to become great." There is a seed of greatness in everone. And that seed cries out for expression. Maybe it's a book you have to write. Maybe it's a song you have to sing. Maybe it's a movie have to direct. Or maybe it's building the tallest building this side of the world. It does not matter how weird it seems to you. With so many things happening around you, how can you make a difference? You ask yourself. Well you never know until you try. I wish I can promise you that you will succeed if you try but I can't. One thing I can promise you however, is that you will never succeed until you try. Please try. Now, really, how hard can it be? Just try. Please promise me that you will try.

Thanks,
Mute Efe.
+234-803-874-9796
www.facebook.com/mutehimself

N.B
Does this look like a book that you will love to read the following chapters? If yes, then please leave a comment. Thanks.

yes, Yes, YES!

This does indeed look like a book I'd like to read. Your write up is quite good and well balanced.

Nice use of suspense in the main story itself as I found myself holding my breadth in anticipation of what the people on the queue would do next

The other bits (retrospect on life?) were very good. Inspirational stuff that can be applied to almost any aspect of life, I think.

Well Done.

@mute4real,No doubts u are good at what u are doing.And I'm motivated by d piece.Thanks for sharing this.

yes, i wud luv to read it again and again, d write is so swt.

Efemena, thiscounts, and tolufaith, Thanks for your comments. I'll be placing chapter two very soon. Will love to read your comment on it too. Thanks once more.

I am really impressed especially d motivational aspect.
But please, avoid tautologies like ' d bank I bank with' it could be ' d financial institution I bank with' and 'building d tallest building', can be erecting, constructing or any synonym apart from repeating building. This is my observation!
Waiting impatiently for chapter two.

Avicky, thanks for your comment. Tautology is using the same words with the same meaning. That two words have the same spelling does not make them tautology. 'Bank' is a verb, and also a noun. It does not make it tautology. The same applies to 'Building.' If you are suggesting I should have used a synonym, fine. But that is not tautology.
Thanks.

"Great men are the ones who determine a course for themselves, and if they can't find a way, they create one. You don't have to be great to start. You have to start to become great."
That ideal there, is my Dad's motto... molten, crystallized... set...
Every. Single. Day.
.
.
.
Looking back, I smile.