YOU ARE NOT TOO SMALL TO BE RELEVANT

A few weeks ago, our president had lunch at an unusual spot – Kenyatta Market, and it made headlines. I am not sure whether the headlines came because the president ate, or because he ate lunch or because of what he ate. However, I am almost certain that it was partly or maybe largely because of where he ate. There are certain expectations that we often put on holders of certain offices as far as the conduct of their life is concerned. This was a ‘big’ person having lunch at a common man’s joint. That is not even of great concern to me. I have switched into imagination mode. If someone had hinted to the proprietor of that joint that he would one day host the holder of the highest office on the Kenyan soil for lunch, would he have accepted? Most likely not. Now imagine that since last year, he was privy to the fact that he would host the president for lunch. If he had alluded the same to his peers at the market, what would have been their reaction? Most likely they would have called him a hopeless dreamer.
We get surprised when such ‘miracles’ happen because we have unconsciously or otherwise classified people as being either ‘big’ or ‘small’. We have gone further to believe that there are certain things that ‘small’ people cannot do for or in the presence of the big people and vice versa. We have relegated the humanity bit that unifies all human beings. The unfortunate thing about this is that most of us have comfortably categorized ourselves as ‘small’ compared to our bosses and all those around us who occupy offices of influence in the society in which we dwell. The situation has gotten worse since this categorization began hindering the unveiling of our true potentials. We have eventually lied to ourselves that we are too small to be relevant.
Notice that whereas some people will see the proprietor of that joint that served the president as being lucky, the truth is that opportunity found him prepared. Small as he might have been, he had long ago made a decision to reveal himself to the world by opening and operating that food kiosk. He had been bold enough to bring his idea to life and it had never bothered him whether he would one day serve big people or not. What had bothered him was the urge to bring his potential out. What many refer to as luck, only got him in the course of unveiling his potential. It caught up with him in the course of doing his thing.
Most of us, for believing that we are small, have thwarted our ability to take off in life. We have killed the greatest ingredient of success – action. We have bred self-doubt and allowed it to flourish on our ‘smallness’. We have many creative ideas but we suppress them because we imagine that they cannot count in the face of our bosses. As such we end up being viewed as lacking in proactivity. We therefore stagnate and blame the boss and the system for being unfair and for not recognizing that we have served in the same level for far too long.
A story is told of a mouse who awakened a lion from his sleep by accidentally running over his face. Rising up angrily, the lion caught him and was about to kill him when he piteously pleaded with lion saying, “If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness”. The lion laughed sarcastically at him and let him go. How on earth was a mouse going to help a whole lion? It happened shortly after this that some hunters managed to bind the lion by strong ropes to the ground. The lion was sure of the danger of death that awaited him. The mouse recognizing the lion’s roar rushed to the scene and cut the ropes buy his teeth fast enough before the hunters killed the lion. The lion was free. The mouse said, “You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, never expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor. Now you know that it is possible for even a mouse to confer benefits on a lion.”
You are not too small to be relevant. That idea that you are suppressing on account of you being small could be the next big thing. It is likely to be what the world is waiting for. That idea could be what is holding your promotion. Dare to unleash it. Believe in yourself and most importantly in that idea. The potential within you is so great and unique enough that it does not depend on any ‘big’ person to flourish. Confront your fears and clear your self-doubt. You are too relevant to be ignored, only if you unleash the potential within you. The wire that transmits current from a car battery is smaller and cheaper than the battery and many other parts of the car; but the car engine will not start without it no matter how charged the battery is. If you have shared a room with a starving mosquito, you will agree that, small as it is, its relevance cannot be ignored.
To the world you might be small, but to your idea, you are its greatest enabler. Let luck and those miracles catch up with you as you implement your idea. Wake up, get up, dress up and show up to the world with your idea. Take that bold step of faith and open up your mouth for that song to come out; flex your arm and let that book be written; speak out for that golden voice to be heard, it’s what the media has been waiting for. You are big enough because YOU CAN DO BETTER!

Roy Okonji
Motivational Speaker and Author