MONEY GROWS ON TREES

HAHAHA! Who says money doesn’t grow on trees? But does money come by the snap of the fingers? If you keep your hands in-between your thighs, will that bring money to your pocket? When it rains and you have planted no seed, can you expect to reap any fruit? Yes, money may not grow on trees literally but metaphorically, it does. How? Let’s explore.

GROWING A TREE
IF you want to be able to pluck mangoes from your back yard every year, you need to have a mango tree at your backyard. How do you get a mango tree? Plant a mango seed, nourish it, nurture it, weed around it, water it, add fertiliser; then you will have a mango tree. When the tree grows, it will produce the mango fruit for you and you can pluck it during the mango season. So you see, a lot of work goes into getting the mango tree which is the source of the fruit.

Let’s say that the tree is anything you develop in your life to serve as your source of income. Your career, talent, intellect, property... whatever. I’m sure you will agree with me that building any or all of these trees in your life is an enormous task. It’s going to take sacrifice of time, treasure, energy and some sleep. You have to throw off some relationships and nurture some strategic ones.

You have to rehearse to be a master at what you do. You cannot rule out education (take note that I said education, not schooling even though that is also important). You will make mistakes. You will step on toes. Sure, you would agree with me that these things do not come cheap. So is growing a tree. Without the tree, there will be no fruit. If you really want the fruit, you must necessarily grow the tree. Money is not cheap. It is a resultant fruit.

GLEANING THE FRUIT
WHEN the fruit begins to emerge, be careful. Check to be sure that it is ripe and ready for consumption. If it is, what will you do? Cut the tree so the fruits will come down for you? Or are you going to find a way to reach up and pluck the fruit?

If you bring the tree down, the fruits will automatically come down and be within your reach. You will then be able to pluck and eat. But hey mind you, you do that and your tree is gone. If you want more fruits later, you’ve got to repeat the entire process. Plant a new tree, nourish it and get the fruit. But don’t you think that is too laborious; each time you need a fruit, you have to plant a tree? Are you in a position to do that all the time? That is how many people manage their lives. They work their way hard up the corporate ladder, achieve remarkable perks, and then they engage in some tree-cutting demeanor – laziness, complacency, immorality, corruption, pride, illicit sexual affairs, etc. Then they fall and lose all the benefits before they come to their senses. They then begin to reconstruct their lives. Unfortunately, some are never able to rise again.

Why don’t you consider the second option; my recommendation: Don’t cut the tree! You can reach, pluck and eat the fruit without cutting the tree. That will guarantee you more fruits later. So long as you keep the tree nourished, it will always produce fruits for you. You don’t have to plant a new tree to get fruit to eat each time. Through continuous renewal and pruning, the tree will keep blossoming. This is the way of the progressive. They keep renewing themselves through the acquisition of new knowledge, shedding unhelpful paradigms, learning new skills and keeping their integrity intact.

Next time, when you hear someone say “Money does not grow on trees,” tell them, “c’est ne pas vrai, money grows on trees.” Are you planting some money trees yourself?

© 2011 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana

It's Not Over Yet!

Kentucky Fried Kitchen - KFC. It used to be called Sanders’ Café, a modest gas station kitchen in Kentucky. Sanders’ Café was the baby of Harland Sanders. When his business was burnt into flames by fire, his resilience was brought to bear. He rebuilt the spot with a hotel and a restaurant that became extremely popular with travellers – until a new interstate highway diverted traffic away. Then in his 50s, Sanders hung up his apron and prepared for retirement; but he did not retire in his retirement. For Sanders, retirement is just another phase of active living. In this new life, he armed himself with confidence; that there was a larger market for his secret-recipe chicken. He set out selling it to restaurant owners door-to-door. The uniqueness of the KFC-Sanders’ story is embedded in how the successful fast-food chain made the quick leap from homegrown restaurant to international franchise.

SANDERS’ RETIREMENT EXCUSES

Harland Sanders had every reason to go to bed. First, fire outbreak. When his first business was doing quite well, fire set in. The fire interrupted everything and brought the business to a standstill. But Sanders did not standstill. Instead, he stood up and bounced back stronger; this time building a full-blown restaurant and a hotel.

If your landlord ejects you, what will you do? If you get fired, what will be your line of action? If you lose your parents who have been your lifelong benefactors, will that be the end of your life? If you graduate from college without a job, how will you respond to such a scenario? When you are kissed by a misfortune, it should not be the beginning of the end. You must see it as the beginning of a new and purposeful life. An unemployed graduate should not sit down with their arms in the air simply because nobody is willing to employ them. If your landlord serves you eviction notice, it may be an indication for you to consider owning your own house through outright purchase, new construction or mortgage. When your employer disengages you, it does not necessarily mean you should be out of job. It may be an unequivocal announcement for you to get entrepreneurial and start your own business. Don’t stop when the unexpected happens; press on.

Sanders had another reason to declare the finality of his venture when the new interstate highway diverted traffic away from his base. He could have blamed the metropolitan authorities. “Things were going fine until the new road was constructed,” he could have said. “If I had not been sick, I would have passed my exam,” some of you would say. “I would have been better off if I had come from a good background.” Yes, certain things that are outside your control have derailed you. But you can move on. Sanders moved on when his business began to ebb. And he did so big time!

IT’S NOT TOO LATE

Many people will not start a new enterprise after a major flop especially when they are advanced in years. For Sanders, age could not bar him. He started his franchise business in his 50s. Yes, you may be late but you can catch up. You didn’t begin early but you can start. You may be behind time but you are not behind life. This may be November but the year is not over yet.

In 2006, when J. H. Mensah appeared before the Appointments Committee of Ghana’s Parliament to be assessed for a cabinet role, a member of the committee raised concerns about his age. The octogenarian remarked that, once he still had strength and life, he will not retire from politics. Even if he was not a minister of state, he would continue to function as a politician. J. H. Mensah would not allow his age to dictate the direction of his life. You don’t have to give up simply because ‘time is not on your side.’ If you are not attaining your personal goals timely, it doesn’t mean you should abandon them. You are not too old to upgrade your educational status. It’s not too late to get married. You still have life ahead of you. Live it!

Guess what! At age 87, somebody appeared before the United States House of Representatives to testify against compulsory retirement. Who was that? Harland Sanders.

You are as late as you think. You are as defeated as you interpret situations. You are as successful as you decide to be. Even if you are 50, you can go back to school, you can find a suitable partner, you can realise your dreams.

FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

CALCUTTA IS the capital of West Bengal state and one of India’s largest cities. In this city lived a woman who was well-known and highly-respected, both within India and across the globe. She was not known to be rich but she made a lot of impact; Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (1910-1997)! You probably know her as Mother Teresa. From 1948 until her death in 1997, the Albanian-born nun devoted her life to helping the poor and the sick of Calcutta and other parts of India and the world at large. She founded Missionaries of Charities and opened shelter for dying people. Teresa lived for the under-privileged in society. Her life counted for the worn out, weak and weary. She was not wealthy but her life brought a wealth of hope, joy and inner peace to millions of people.

Now you! How will your story be told when the time comes? What meaning have you ascribed to your life? Are you just living to be successful? Success means getting what you desire out of life. So if a politician desires to win an election and goes on to win, that could be described as success. A student who passes an examination may be described as successful. But you see, the problem with success is that it is too narrow – if not selfish.

More than becoming successful, we’ve got to make our lives count. We must aspire to be significant. Instead of seeing the world in terms of what we can get, we must see the world in terms of what we can give; how many people we can touch. I see Ben Franklin’s reflection that "I would rather have it said 'he lived usefully' than 'he died rich'" apt and witty. More than just words, it was the way Franklin lived his life. One example of his useful nature was the invention of the Franklin stove. Instead of patenting it and keeping it to himself, Ben Franklin decided to share his invention with the world. Leadership expert John Maxwell also posits that, “If you are giving, loving, serving, helping, encouraging, and adding value to others, then you're living a life that counts!” A life that counts is a significant one that flows into the lives of others.

We can all become significant in various ways. Here are three brief pointers on becoming significant.

• Discover your purpose. No one is on earth just to wander about or to add up to the numbers. We all have an assignment to fulfil, an answer to a question, a solution to a problem and a provision for a need. Every person on the face of the earth has a contribution to make. We make that contribution when we fulfil our purpose. Discovering and fulfilling our purpose is the vehicle by which we impact our world and add value to other lives.

• Develop your talent. A talent is an inborn ability that inclines us to perform certain tasks without necessarily being taught. To be able serve people with your talent effectively, you must find ways to sharpen it. This can be done via reading, regular engagement, mentorship and collaboration.

• Deploy yourself. You make great impact when you step out with confidence in what God has given you. If you don’t step out you can’t give out. Decide to release yourself unto your generation and you will have moved beyond success to significance.

Significance is attained when we allow what is inside us to come out to benefit others. Nelson Mandela’s conviction that South Africa could be free led him to fight for his country’s liberation. Thomas Edison’s quest for significance ushered us into the modern age of electricity. Jesus Christ’s passion for significance led Him to sacrifice to attain redemption for the entire human race. Those guys who offer assistance when the traffic light breaks down are expressing their significance through public spiritedness. Success is good but it is largely personal and could get selfish. Significance, on the other hand, goes beyond success and is driven by the public good and it is selfless. It is better to be significant than to be successful. Success is great but we need to share our success with the world in order to be significant.

© 2010 Terry Mante
Accra, Ghana