We decided to do a family train trip to Abeokuta. One of the children was in school so we had to pick him up for his birthday & the trip.
There were many lessons to learn along the way. I like to list so it’s easy to digest.
1. The logistics of buying tickets is a nightmare. This is what it looks like on the surface. Digging deeper, we realize it’s a disaster on weekends and completely a different experience during the week as people barely travel on weekdays. The lesson here is that there are always different angles to look at things from. When we are negative, we tend to see more of the negative and when positive, we see the brighter side.
2. The ticketing issue requires people to come physically before finding out if seats are available or sold out. This clearly makes the train ride not fit for people who value their time. On the other side, there is an opportunity for a smart Nigerian to design a simple end-to-end system that works and is convenient for everyone. Don’t assume people will frustrate it, nobody has frustrated flutterwave or paystack. Problems and Opportunities are two sides of the same coin.
3. After the morning train filled up, we didn’t know if we were going to make the next train. We needed to have numbers, and the officials were not willing to organize us. We decided to organize ourselves and take numbers. This singular act made it difficult for the authorities to include passengers who queued spiritually when we queued physically. The lesson here is, stop complaining about what is not working but rather start taking responsibility where you can. It will always come useful.
4. If I knew that the last lap of climbing Olumo rock will be so scary, I would have taken the longer stair route. The tour guide pushed me and I had no choice but to climb.
In life, if you knew the full price of greatness before you dived, you may have settled for average. Let someone push you into greatness today. Take that leap of faith.
