Let Your Dream Be
A Giant Is Born
Godi and Maliam looked at the giant edifice that was now their corporate headquarters, housing GOMA Farms, GOMA Food Processing, GOMA Nutrition Centre, and The GOMA Foundation.
The grand opening had lived up to its name. Now the fireworks were over, two lone figures stood in front of the building, sweet tears in their eyes, and a mixture of joy and incredulity in their hearts. They had worked so hard at it; sometimes it looked as if it was never going to be. Seven years – a short or long period of time depending on who is talking and their perspective. Maliam recalled that fateful day seven years ago.
Anywhere Is a Good Place to Start
All she wanted to do was put some food on the table for her children. Life has dealt her several hard hands she didn’t know what to do with. Unravelling the many knots was becoming more and more difficult. But she had to feed the children.
With this single minded intention, Maliam went into the streets to find something; anything. She saw a woman selling some fruits at a junction. Something tugged at her heart silently asking her to ask the fruit seller for help. Shy, unsure, afraid, she hesitated. As if by some compulsion, she found herself moving towards the fruit seller.
Venturing Into the Unknown
Her usual eloquence disserted her. Stuttering profusely, Maliam asked the woman who was soon to become her boss, if she could help with anything. Madam Godiaka looked at the pretty, polished young lady in front of her and wondered if it was some kind of joke. Something about the shyness and seriousness in Maliam’s eyes answered Godiaka’s unuttered question; it was no joke. The young lady was dead serious.
Godiaka looked Maliam straight in the eye and asked, “are you any good with your head? Can you carry things on your head?” Maliam nodded. Godi smiled for the first time. She had potential customers at four locations in the neighbourhood. Being without help, she had decided to ignore those areas and focus on her base.
Godi loaded a pan of fruits and helped Maliam carry it on her head, giving her instructions and directions. An hour later, Maliam was back for another pan of fruits to the second location.
Maliam devoted full attention to her new job, keeping to herself after work. She was tired of explaining to anyone why she was a ‘street vendor’s assistant’. At first she had been embarrassed. Gradually, she had come to the point of owning her life and what she did with it.
“Start From Wherever You Are and Keep Moving Towards Your Dream.”
New Beginning
Maliam discovered to her surprise that she enjoyed selling. She enjoyed serving her customers; she loved meeting new people and making new friends, friends who didn’t question her choice of career. Growing up, she had always dreamt of owning and or managing a big corporation. She wanted to travel the world, give her children the privilege of seeing life in diverse forms. Several times she had questioned how she was going to move from where she was to where she had always dreamt of being.
Progress crept up on them gradually. It started with pre-packaging fruits for customers, grew into providing bulk fruits for families, then came orders for companies and events. Their weekly stock requirements became so large that paying farmers to grow specifically for them was only natural. From a small table and a pan, the Godiaka-Maliam venture developed into true friendship, and a fruitful business partnership. Client requests and their intense dedication to customer satisfaction kept opening up new opportunities.
Someone was thrusting a cold glass into her hand. Maliam came back to the present to see Haron, her personal assistant smiling at her. She took the glass of champagne; together, the three lifted their glasses in a silent toast. No words were required.
“Worry not about the size of your dream, big or small. It only matters that you continue to dream, for the dream will shape itself into the perfect size.”
A Dream Come True
On the drive home, Maliam continued to remember her journey. She recalled her father telling her the importance of dreams. Smiling wistfully, Maliam silently quoted her father, “The day we stop dreaming is the day we stop living. Dreams give us something to look forward to, something to keep the energy of life flowing.”
Before going to bed that night, Maliam promised herself she was going to give each of her children a special gift – the gift of dreaming. Through to form, her teenagers returned from school to find a beautiful plaque hanging in each of their rooms with the simple inscription “Worry not about the size of your dream, big or small. It only matters that you continue to dream, for the dream will shape itself in time into the perfect size.”
In front of GOMA Heights, a life size lighted plaque greeted everyone with the bold inscription, “Start From Wherever You Are and Keep Moving Towards Your Dream.”
Augustina O. Oti-Twumasi is a communications strategist, and L&D practitioner. she loves to inspire change in herself and in others. She does this through her work as a Training and Workshop Facilitator, Learning and Development Consultant, Creative Writer, Life Coach, and Integrated Marketing Communications Strategist.
