I have so many things to be thankful for this week and some of them took my breath away as they unfolded. I once heard somebody say “be careful what you wish for, because you may end up getting it”
I was at Ngoma Lounge last week (for my free Sprite of course, among other things), I was talking with my friend Kijanya. I mentioned to him I was interested in learning how to play music, starting with the keyboard. He laughed obviously thinking I was joking.
The next day, while helping a great friend of mine who was moving he asked if he could leave his two keyboards with me (you heard right...two keyboards). He didn’t think he would have enough space for them at the new place. I thought to myself “Are you kidding me?” I then started reflecting on the conversation I had with Kijanya the previous day. Who do you think I called to announce the news? You guessed right, Kijanya himself. He thought I was playing tricks on him still going at it with my joke. He just couldn’t buy it. Then he said to me “I would like to pray to the same God you pray to” lol. So needless to point out I will soon be taking lessons and my instructor will be...like you guessed...Kijanya.
This was a great moment; however what happened the next day was just priceless (I don’t think there is a better word to define it). For almost a year now, I have been helping a client to achieve his dream. He is a musician and for more than five years he has been playing in bands, working for other musicians. He would sometimes get contracts here and there, but that was not his ultimate dream. He told me his dream is to have his own not for profit organization. His aim being to promote his music, as well as other African musicians, by organizing events and workshops all over North America.
So we went to work. The first thing Paul and I did was help him register his organization. We did it successfully in January of this year and went on to develop a plan for him to host an event this summer. Later we worked on securing government grants to finance the event. We also went after private sponsorships in case we did not qualify for government funding.
I must confess that it was a learning process for us as well. My client had such a positive attitude even in the most difficult of times. Instead we kept working and sometimes for as long as ten hours a day. Two weeks prior to his event, we had a few sponsors but not enough to cover all the costs. Nevertheless my client remained optimistic and kept believing we will get it done.
Then something amazing happened! I had an appointment with him to work on securing some last minute sponsorships. It was one of those days where I didn’t feel like working at all. I almost called off the meeting I had with him (I am so glad I didn’t). He showed up half an hour before our appointment. He was very calm so I thought maybe he was tired. A few moments later he said “I just received a phone call. We were approved for the government grant”.
We stared at each other for five good minutes without saying a word. Then, he broke the silence with tears. He cried like a baby. Guess what? I got emotional too (not a nice scene). The hard work had finally paid off. All this happened a few days prior to his event.
Trust me when I say I would give anything to live a moment like this again. Knowing that I helped contribute towards making someone’s dream a reality fills up my heart. It is truly a priceless moment! My only regret is missing his event. I will be in New York City, but Paul will be there and I know he will represent our company with pride.
Moral of the story? Do you want your dream to come true? Come see me, and we will cry together.
Always a pleasure
Patrick
The Journeyman
pbizindavyi6@gmail.com
I was at Ngoma Lounge last week (for my free Sprite of course, among other things), I was talking with my friend Kijanya. I mentioned to him I was interested in learning how to play music, starting with the keyboard. He laughed obviously thinking I was joking.
The next day, while helping a great friend of mine who was moving he asked if he could leave his two keyboards with me (you heard right...two keyboards). He didn’t think he would have enough space for them at the new place. I thought to myself “Are you kidding me?” I then started reflecting on the conversation I had with Kijanya the previous day. Who do you think I called to announce the news? You guessed right, Kijanya himself. He thought I was playing tricks on him still going at it with my joke. He just couldn’t buy it. Then he said to me “I would like to pray to the same God you pray to” lol. So needless to point out I will soon be taking lessons and my instructor will be...like you guessed...Kijanya.
This was a great moment; however what happened the next day was just priceless (I don’t think there is a better word to define it). For almost a year now, I have been helping a client to achieve his dream. He is a musician and for more than five years he has been playing in bands, working for other musicians. He would sometimes get contracts here and there, but that was not his ultimate dream. He told me his dream is to have his own not for profit organization. His aim being to promote his music, as well as other African musicians, by organizing events and workshops all over North America.
So we went to work. The first thing Paul and I did was help him register his organization. We did it successfully in January of this year and went on to develop a plan for him to host an event this summer. Later we worked on securing government grants to finance the event. We also went after private sponsorships in case we did not qualify for government funding.
I must confess that it was a learning process for us as well. My client had such a positive attitude even in the most difficult of times. Instead we kept working and sometimes for as long as ten hours a day. Two weeks prior to his event, we had a few sponsors but not enough to cover all the costs. Nevertheless my client remained optimistic and kept believing we will get it done.
Then something amazing happened! I had an appointment with him to work on securing some last minute sponsorships. It was one of those days where I didn’t feel like working at all. I almost called off the meeting I had with him (I am so glad I didn’t). He showed up half an hour before our appointment. He was very calm so I thought maybe he was tired. A few moments later he said “I just received a phone call. We were approved for the government grant”.
We stared at each other for five good minutes without saying a word. Then, he broke the silence with tears. He cried like a baby. Guess what? I got emotional too (not a nice scene). The hard work had finally paid off. All this happened a few days prior to his event.
Trust me when I say I would give anything to live a moment like this again. Knowing that I helped contribute towards making someone’s dream a reality fills up my heart. It is truly a priceless moment! My only regret is missing his event. I will be in New York City, but Paul will be there and I know he will represent our company with pride.
Moral of the story? Do you want your dream to come true? Come see me, and we will cry together.
Always a pleasure
Patrick
The Journeyman
pbizindavyi6@gmail.com
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