By far, without a shadow of a doubt in my heart, those are the hardest and yet the most important lessons I’ve ever had to learn.
Two years ago, on my little cousin’s 8th birthday, he got the gift he had always wanted: a remote controlled helicopter. He also didn’t get to spend 30 minutes with it.
He had been hinting for weeks prior that he wanted that helicopter. He had tried being subtle, then he just graduated to full on shamelessly begging for it. I kept saying I wouldn’t get it, but I already knew I would. Sure enough, on his birthday, while he was at school, I went & got the helicopter so I could surprise him when he got home. Best. Cousin. Ever? Yup. Continue reading
Back in my days at uni in Nigeria, I knew this guy we all called Prof (of course that wasn’t his real name), and he owned one of those game centers where you’d go, pay what I think was ₦25 per game, and play soccer on a PlayStation 2 at the time. Now this was so long ago, the soccer game we all preferred playing was PES (Pro Evolution Soccer), not FIFA. And every once in a while (maybe not once in a while), me and my friends would go to his place and spend time that should have been used studying & money we didn’t have and we’d just play for hours on end. You know me, always seeking an escape. Some of the fondest, funnest memories I have of my time at Nsukka came from Prof’s place, and I developed many good, lasting friendships (some of which I still have today) in that small room just after Odim Gate.
“…unless you’re not a leader, or you don’t want to be one. And that’s fine Uché. We can’t all lead. But if you’re going to be a leader, then…”
-Tico, sometime in 2010
I can’t remember what the conversation was about. All I remember is, it was really late at night, probably between 1-3am, and I was engaged in yet another one of the frequent conversations/debates/discourses I had with someone who was a friend/roommate/brother. I remember being upset he put it that way, because I knew he was right. And he knew I wanted to be a leader. He knew I saw myself as a leader (in the making). Putting it that way was basically saying “leadership is a choice, and if you’re gonna make that choice you have to abide by certain rules.”
Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time. Not Pele, not Maradona, not even Zidane. Lionel Messi is without a doubt the greatest footballer ever. But this isn’t a blog about sports. The Messi Theorem is much much bigger than sports.
Just how did The Messi Theorem come about?
Reluctantly Writing 