FLASH AND CASH

It has never occured to me to get a regular job... Like every kid in Nigeria is expected to, i went to school but got bored quickly and left. Still do not have my OND certificate because i was too impatient at the time i was supposed to collect it.
Gave all my documents (original and photocopies) to my HOD in Ile-Ife to help me process and the bargard (if that's a word) lost them!!! Didn't matter that i paid him for his trouble and have spent a lot of time and money trying to get them back to no avail... HAven't given up completely but have chilled for a bit...
Have been in business for myself since year 2000 and have gone all the what nots that business entails... The good, the bad and the downright depressing...
When i modelled. it was a lot of flash but no cash... I just loved strutting my stuff on the runway and it didn't matter one way or other what i was getting paid... I was having the time of my life. After my surgery, i realised that there was more to life than just having fun so, decided to start a business...
It was good... First time i turned a profit, i was over the moon and thus it continued till i realised that some people's aim in life is to help bring you down from whatever point you've risen to... How else do you explain someone who buys stuff of about 100k and disappears? Or a friend who gallantly offers to help you sell stuff and never shows up with the money?
In 2006, i had a good business year but in the 3rd quarter i lost my mother whom i'd been working so hard to look after... I was devastated!!! Kept my shops locked and went home to bury her but her extended family decided to use it as an opportunity to milk me... It wasn't pretty... They didn't even care that i was mourning the loss, all they wanted was money. Apparently, they had news that i was quite successful...
In 2007, i discovered foreign trips... A few friends of mine including my sister and cousin decided it would be fun to go to Dubai. Of course i wanted to go too... We went, we had fun, bought stuff to sell and came back but i wanted more. Proceeded to go back there three more times that year alone and thus the madness begun... I wasn't waiting to sell what i had bought from the previous trip before i went back for more... It wasn't long before disaster occured...
In 2008, one of my friends decided to get married in London and off i went. Met a man who fascinated me and the idea of relocating took root. Wanted to try it out for a month before making the decision of moving or not. I left to stay with him and he turned out the ultimate asshole so, i came back home... It never occured to me to check up on my business... I just assumed the shop was being taken care of... Lo and behold, when i got back home, more than half the cosmetics in the shop had expired, perfumes were missing, make-up were melting or broken, there was almost no cash in the shop account and my salesgirl had disappeared!!!
Tried picking myself up from where i had fallen but it wasn't easy... Had to close the shop because i couldn't afford it anymore... My savings were depleted (i had spent it all on travel, clubbing, expensive dinners and expensive hadbags) and there was nothing to fall back on... I had assumed foolishly that i had a lot in the shop and there was nothing to worry about...
Now, here i am back at a hobby i abandoned in 2006 because i wanted to concentrate on my cosmetic shop... I will not lie, i love making jewellery and have gotten better over the years but i wish i hadn't made all the mistakes i made and threw my life away...
If i could go back, there's a lot i'll change but things like this once happened, has happened and there really is nothing one can do to change anything... I even spent almost a year at home doing nothing but hanging onto self-pity to the point that my get up and go, got up and left me...
After a time, i decided to pick myself off the floor, dust my butt and get back into the game.
So, here i am doing my best to get back to and surpass what was... It's not been easy but i do know that with detemination and hardwork, things will get better... I have left behind the distractions that were friends and now concentrating on me as a person with the hope that my efforts will be crowned with glory...
Why did i write this?
To let you all know that my life isn't just about trying to find love in this crazy city but also about finding personal fulfillment and i'm well on my way...
Wish me luck...
XXXX
Bee