My Life, My way, Journey to the East.

I had lived my whole life in Kumasi and built my life around my family, friends and colleagues there. After my internship at a prestigious public hospital, i had an offer for permanent appointment. Suddenly i was not content any longer. I felt a deep dissatisfaction with my "good" life that transcended simple comprehension. So on a whim with 200ghc in my pocket and just a verbal assurance of a place in a private eye clinic, i took my bag, sat in a bus and arrived in Koforidua, Eastern region. For the first time in my life i was completely alone, no friends, no acquaintances, no accommodation, no job and most interestingly, no experience in a city i had never visited before. Little did i know that, two years down the line I would be launching a book, starting a business and leading a movement? Looking back, I am surprised at how far I had come and already accomplished. This is how it all began.

The decision to move to the Eastern region was not premeditated. Contrary to a lot of decisions in my life, coming to work in Koforidua was not a planned activity. One day I saw the notice in my mail of a place in an eye clinic and I applied for it. A day later I was contacted on phone and asked to report the next day. That was it! No interviews, no letters, no meetings. To tell the truth it was scary but completely exciting.  So I took off the next day, with no idea about where I was going to stay or even if I would like the place I was going to work. So I arrived in the town at around 5pm and was shown a room to lodge and rest. I reported to work the next day, was introduced to the staff and an hour later, I was treating my first patient. I have been doing that every day for the last two years now.

There have been lots of ups and downs. Successes and failures. Tears and laughter. Through it all I have always held on to this mantra that countless times in the midst of severe disadvantage and trials, heroes are born. The fire that burns the chaff and chars the wood is the same that purifies the gold. The pressure that breaks the rock, flattens the hills and move the earth is the same that produces the diamond. Most of the time, there is very little you can do about what happens to you, but your response to them is completely in your power.

Along the years, I have learned to transform the lessons of failure into the raw materials of success and have grown and matured in several areas of my life. There have been times I almost gave up. Sometimes it was so easy to just retreat into my safety zone and stop advancing, but I came to believe that the essence of life is not stagnancy but consistent growth. Tomorrow the 31^st of May being my birthday, I wish to tell my story today and share two of the most significant lessons I have learnt so far in the flower city.

 The lessons are;

1. Be prepared:

Life is a never ending rollercoaster of activity. To succeed you have to say alert and conscious of your environment and decisions. Success occurs when a prepared mind meets a great idea. There is nothing worse than an opportunity that comes to meet an unprepared mind. The Bible says, be prepared in season and out of season. If you will achieve anything, it is critical that you stay alert and sensitive to your environment. It is better to be prepared and not get the opportunity than to get the opportunity and not be prepared. I was prepared for an adventure. An experience of a different sort so when the opportunity came, subconsciously I was ready.

The next lesson is to;

2. Take a chance:

Action! Action! Action! It is the oil that lubricates the wheel of success. It is the ignition that starts the machine of accomplishment. Take a determined action now! Having a great vision and not taking any action to bring it into being is like day dreaming. It produces no results. Add momentum to your goals. Take a step towards attaining that goal.

The story still unfolds and I am so sure that it will only get more exciting and adventurous as the years roll by. For today, take the lessons I have shared and make your life an adventure too. Perhaps I might share more lessons next year on my birthday. For now, wish me the best of the year.