“The secret of your success, greatness, and prosperity in life is in you.”
— Emmanuel Olatunji.
Before I started calling myself The Exceptional Being, some interesting events had already taken place in my life and several people had already given me great appellations.
I will share my story with you in this piece. I hope it inspires someone out there to unleash his potential and pursue his purpose.
In the year 2010, the reality of life dawned on me. I found myself in the working class. I didn’t plan to work, but as the saying goes, “life happens.”
That year, life happened to me and I seriously searched for a job so that I could make ends meet.
With the help of a minister in the denomination I worshipped then, I got to know about a vacancy in a private company in Surulere, Lagos.
The next challenge I had to face was lack of certificate. The company needed fresh graduates, but the only certificate I could boast of at the time is my S.S.C.E.
And as young as I was then, I had no skill. I was still a crude writer, hence there was no skill I could monetize. So getting that job meant everything to me; my life literally depended on that job.
So, the minister encouraged me to apply for the job since the C.E.O of the company was his friend. I didn’t have experience on how to write an application letter, so I approached a friend of mine who is now a lawyer to put me through.
To cut the long story short, I applied for the job and I was called for an interview. I strongly believe it was a divine arrangement for me because I was made to understand that I wouldn’t have been called if they had gotten all the staff they needed.
The chairman of the company made me to understand that he had no problem with my not having a certificate if I could deliver results, though I would be the only one with a school certificate, the youngest in the organization, and my remuneration would be lesser.
Of course, I didn’t mind. All I needed was a place to work so that I could earn money for myself to survive. I just wanted to survive!
For two weeks, the chairman interviewed me to ensure that I could speak and write well. I didn’t do excellently well, but I was averagely good. Since I would work under a team leader, I was employed.
To God’s be all the glory. I knew it took only God’s grace for me to get that job. Or how could you explain me getting employed in a firm where only those with Bsc, Masters etc were being employed?
How would you explain the firm employing an 18-year-old guy who had no prior working experience? The company was a therapeutic company, and they were into therapeutic products.
I was employed as a marketing offer. That was my first job since I graduated from secondary school. At that point in my life, I realized how “easy” it can be for anyone to make ends meet in life. Please respect everyone who is legitimately making money. Celebrate them as much as you can. It is absolutely difficult.
Long story short, in two years, I was ready to leave the company to further with my education. Guess what? I joined the company as a junior staff; I resigned as a senior staff.
I was promised a lesser pay compared to others, but I ended up earning same amount as graduates. I was under a team leader when I joined; I left there as a team leader and people way older than I was worked under me. Even when I wanted to leave, my boss didn’t want me to do so. He wanted me to be schooling while still working with him. But I had to leave.
So how did I achieve all of this? I went the extra mile. I knew if others in the company were giving 80 percent, I needed to give 180 percent. I got familiar with all the company’s products. I didn’t do science, but people started calling me a doctor because I immersed myself in learning everything about the company.
That’s the story about my first job. What success do you want to achieve today? Everything is in you. Just go all out. Like me, do you feel you don’t have anything in you? I tell you, everything you need to succeed in life is already in you. All you have to do is find it and use it to your advantage.
I’m Emmanuel, aka EGA, the exceptional being.
