He was working in a government hospital as a medical doctor. He did not like the monotonous nature of the job. He detested coming to work every day and waiting for his pay cheque at the end of the month. He came from a family where most of his relatives shunned payed employment jobs because they prefer to start their own outfits.
Working for government most of his life and settling down for gratuity and pension did not appeal to him. He felt 'running his own show' will make him think harder and come up with more initiatives and creativity in the course of his work.
It was two years down the line, after he got his employment letter to work at Charanchi in Katsina State and he was not finding the job exciting.
It was not an easy thing to do but he had made up his mind...
And he threw in the towel. He went on to start a his private clinic at Katsina, the capital city of the state. The reactions he got from most of his colleagues and superiors were "Are you crazy?" "You are playing with your career" "You have just ruined your future." His determination made him turn deaf ears to their cautions.
"The first six months was hell. I only had a few patients patronizing the clinic. I was spending a lot of money running the clinic as compared to the little income."
"Many people failed me. A relative that promised to give me a loan came up with excuses. Another friend that had promised to deliver some equipment to me disappointed me."
He had to sell his car to pay some debts he accrued. He was between the devil and the deep blue sea.
"At a stage, I had to give out my apartment to someone interested to refund me the money I paid and I moved into one the rooms in the place I rented for me clinic." He said, as he recounted his experience.
He needed to achieve the dream. It was the same dream that led him to take the risky decision that made him quit his job. Unfortunately, with the turn of events, the dream looked distant and bleak. But he had been a dogged fighter all his life and he needed to prove his friends that thought he was crazy, wrong.
Where there moments that he thought of quitting? "Yes," he replied, "but I had no escape route because 'I had burnt my bridges and there was no going back."
"My big break came about a year after, during the cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak in the north," he said, "the vaccine was scarce and I was fortunate to have some in stock."
" A trailer load of infected patients from the border towns and Niger republic were brought to my clinic and the government public health officials were ready to buy the vaccines even at more than four times the cost."
"The work was so hectic at this period but it payed off and I still had more patients to administer the vaccines even after I ordered more drugs from Lagos."
Less than two months afterwards, he bought another car and started making arrangements to move into a new and better apartment. His clinic started booming. The disease outbreak had made it more popular and many patients had come to gain confidence in him. Today, he has a hospital and many thriving investments. He has also built a strong reputation as a general practitioner.
When he was asked about his colleagues way back his days as a government employee, he replied: "Oh! they are doing marvelously well. Many of them are getting set for retirement and some are already through and waiting for their gratuity. Many of them now commend me and salute my courage."
He braved the odds and he took a difficult situation that paid off. Everyone cannot be like him, it all depends on your mindset and what you want in life. But you could be succeed like him if you are convinced that you need to 'run your own show.'
Perhaps you are tired of your 9 to 5 job and your monthly pay cheque that is barely enough for you. You may have been nursing a dream about a business venture or project. Calculate the risks; now might just be the right time to take a leap of faith.
It is your life; live it to the fullest and it matters that you reach and stay on top of your game!
Picture, courtesy: networkequipment.net and southern4life.blogspot.com
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