Increase your odds. Win the game!
Play smart. Increase your chances of a win.
Every day we have to deal with the unique challenges of living in Nigeria- from fast-rising prices to unstable power supply to unstable internet connection and more. So much so, that I am considering doing a series on the unique challenges of living in Nigeria. There are general problems and then there are simply ‘Nigerian problems’.
The other day, I had some clothes in the washing machine and half way through power went out. 12 hours later and I still can’t get my clothes out and the clothes inside were coloured clothes. The washing machine wasn’t designed to be opened in the case of sudden power outage. The machine wasn’t made to auto-drain or anything of sorts when power goes out. As annoying as it was. It was understandable. The engineers most certainly didn’t imagine that power would be a problem for the customer.
I’ll be travelling in a bit, so, I’ll keep this one short.
If you have to survive not just as a Nigerian living in Nigeria but also as one with a global mind-set, you must first learn to prevent where possible and solve, where inevitable, your ‘Nigerian problems’.
Power? Get a generator, get a power bank, get a spare laptop battery…
Internet connection? Get multiple sim cards, get a modem…
Abysmal traffic? Find a way to schedule activities into the hours of traffic jam.
Think around your problems/limitations and find an easy yet effective path to get things done. Don’t do what you like to do, do what is most effective to do.
Life is in so many ways a game of odds and chances.
Like in a Ludo game, you can increase your chances of getting a six by rolling multiple dice are the same time.
Imagine you are to carry out a project- say, create a short film, for which you need good power supply, good internet connection, a good story, good lighting and few others. Take each of these things you need to be a dice. You get each dice, when you find a way to get each of these things you need regardless of your Nigerian limitations. You find a way to ensure you have good lighting regardless of the power situation. This could simply mean, filming in daytime.
Remember how Ludo is played? You move the little coloured discs based on the sum of numbers you get from the dice throw. If you have just one die, the maximum number you can get with each throw is a 6, with 2 dice you can get two 6s, which makes a total of twelve. Every attempt you make at creating that short film is throwing the dice.. The more dice you have in hand or cup, the more opportunities you have to get a higher total sum and move you disc forward. While it is possible that you throw six dice and be so unlucky to get all 1s, which totals to 6, six is the maximum you can get from just one dice.
Get more arrows into your quid. Develop more strategies to ensure success. Have a plan ‘D’ for your plan ‘C’. Give no chance to chance. Create more opportunities for luck.
Maximise your chances for luck by having more dice in your hand. Now, make a throw!
Most people alive today do not need a doctor to be alive. Humans like other animals are created to be self-reliant. However, we occasionally fall ill and when this happens, we suddenly need a doctor.
It is possible in some cases for illnesses to resolve on their own. Some diseases are self-limiting. In many other cases, a physician is needed.
However, most persons are not equipped to determine the severity of an illness or whether an illness is self-limiting. Hence, it is best to seek the opinion of a professional.
In other words, please seek the help of a doctor as soon as you begin to develop symptoms. Not a traditionalist. Not a drug vendor. Not a allied health professional. A trained physician.
Making timely and appropriate steps about your health could be the difference between life and death.
Healthiness is really what makes life worthwhile.
Cheers,
Dr. Fervent