Give Today For Your Tomorrow

Life is really about relationships. How well you treat those you are in a friendship with may determine what doors of opportunity life will opens for you in the future.

The story below is a real life story to buttress the point that those who lend a helping hand to those in need will always be repaid for their good deeds in ways they can't even imagine.

Fred and John (not their real names) met in their first year in the university in Nigeria and became very good friends.

Fred and John graduated as part of the top 5 graduating students from their department. They had hopes of securing good jobs upon graduation. After the mandatory 1-year NYSC programme, both friends reunited in Port-Harcourt and began job hunting together.

John was living with his cousin in a one room apartment while Fred was leaving with his parents. Although John's cousin was working, he could hardly meet his monthly financial obligation not to talk of catering for his job-hunting cousin. Things became even tougher when John's cousin lost his job and had to move out of Port-Harcourt, leaving his cousin to sort himself out. Life took a new turn for John. He had to fend for himself even though he was unemployed.  He sometimes lived on the benevolence of friends and in some instances had no food to eat for days.

Fred on the other hand was able to secure a job although not as well paying as he would have wanted but made up his mind to lend a helping hand to his friend whenever he could and no matter how little. He would sometimes send as small as #1,000 (One thousand naira) to John and at other times he would give his some food items. Each time John received gifts from Fred, he always effused so much gratitude. Of course John also got help from some other friends he made in church and in his neighborhood

In 2011, Fred had an issue at the office and had to resign his appointment. Since he was living with his parents, he could still rely on them for some of his basic needs. Within the year, Fred got wind of a contract job opening at a company where he had an acquaintance and invited John to apply for the job too since the company wanted more than 20 persons to work on the project. They both got the job after the selection process and this further cemented their friendship. The contract job provided John some funds to cater to his basic needs while it lasted.

After a few months, John got a full time job in a trading company while Fred got another job with a consulting company. John's fortune changed for the better as he grew to become one of the favorite employees of this new company. Meeting his basic needs became easier and he even began sending monthly upkeep money for his parents in the village.

When John wanted to rent a new apartment, he approached Fred to lend his some money to augment his rent. Fred who at that same time was planning on moving out of his parents' house but had not found a suitable apartment, decided to lend John the money to get his new apartment. Although John did not eventually pay for the apartment at that time, he returned the money to Fred. That gesture from Fred meant a lot to John. Both friends eventually rented apartments in different parts of the city.

In early 2014, Fred got married while John got married a few months later. Life had taken a new turn for the better for them.

While John's company was already at its maturity stage of business and well known within the industry it operated, Fred's new employer was a startup company at its infancy stage of growth.

One day in 2014, an opening was advertised in one of the subsidiaries at John's office and John informed Fred to apply for the post. Fred scaled through the various stages of the selection process and was offered the job. Now both friends work in the same organisation and are doing well.

Lessons we can all learn from this true life story:

1) Life is about relationships

2) Always choose to treat people well when all is not going well with them at a particular period in their lives.

3) No matter how little you think you have, always lend a helping hand when your friends are in need. The size of the help is always not as important as the heart (motive) behind the help. Fred chose to help from the little he had.

4) Never help with the intention to be repaid by those you helped.

5) Life will always pay you back for how you treat other people.

6) Life will determine how you are paid back and through whom you are paid back for every act of kindness you extend to those in need.

Keep Living the Ace Life!!!