As it was the norm of my dad, when I reached mid-highschool , I started getting involved directly with the family business. It was always fun when I travelled with him as he inspected his various business activities. My siblings told me that he had done that with them and later I realized that maybe that was his own way of making us get acclimatized with the working world. Or more so so introducing us to his employees and showing us how his business activities were run.
I have always been a keen observer that even the slightest things do not escape my notice. My dad was a loving one at home, a gift of a dad for any growing child, but once it was about business he became someone different. He was proud strict, confident and all bossy when he came to his business affairs yet he still listened to everyone.
He was a control freak and when it came to the members of the family, things became worse. You could not distinguish between his child and any other employee when it came to work. It did not not escape my realization that my siblings actually had a greater burden of making no mistake.
But once we were at home, he was the only one I never saw talk alot about business and if he did so, it was when someone consulted him. He put a line between family and work. I liked all those traits he had and always worked on being like him. The thing that struck me most was the huge respect he earned from all his employees but I hated the fact that he was very famous out there. He told me that it was inevitable for a successful person not to be known and I always challenged him that there was a way to avoid it.
I was very curious as a girl and this drove me to knowing a lot of things. I learnt about how business was managed and being the favorite at home, everyone always gave me information on what I inquired. Little did they know that some of the things they told me would change my entire perspective on the family business. I had been very curious about how my family had managed to penetrate the various economic sectors.
My dad was a wise person and his thirst for being very rich made him to always think of ways to increase his wealth. He had put everyone in the sector that they had interest in and once one's interest was identified, they were groomed in that and he later gave them to manage a business connected with their interest. That is why my siblings and relatives had the business activities they managed at heart even when they knew they were working for someone else.
People put in a lot of effort to achieve success when doing something in which their passion lies. My father knew that principle very well and he used it to his maximum benefit. He used this to manipulate all those that worked for him, making them do their best on his activities. I saw this as being blinded and foolish because though those guys had money, their wealth was attributed to someone else. In other words, it was not their own money. And yet I wanted to make my own money.
That contradicted with my dream of being rich because I did not consider all those in my father's business rich because they were not independently wealthy. I have always wanted to be an independent person and even when it came to my dream of being a rich woman, I wanted to be independent and not working for someone. That's how I started diverting from my family's line.
I had a principle that worked in my life because I was a rebellious person. If you want to go against your superiors , don't tell it to them directly but just do contrary to what they want you to do. That is exactly what I did. I never at once expressed my changed attitude towards working in the family business but I looked for ways to divert away from it.
As a young girl, I was good at art and my career interest was in the fashion and design sector. My dad being keen, had realized it and started nurturing me in that direction. He promised to make me have the largest brand in designing around the universe. I believed him at the moment because he was rich and money makes things possible. I had so many dreams but when I learnt that all that will be no different from the rest of my siblings and relatives who were just expanding my dad's fortune. I decided that I was not going to be like them. I wanted my own money. I wanted my own business entity that I could run independently.
At highschool, I developed a liking for sciences, particularly nursing because I wanted to take care of people, just like what my mother was doing. I realized that though I had passion for fashion, my dream career was in nursing. This realization coincidentally downed on me at that moment when I was looking for a way to divert from my family's business. My passion for becoming a doctor grew stronger everyday that passed and I decided to inform my dad as I was joining tertiary education and career studies.
It was during supper that I told the family that I had interest in medical studies but none took it seriously as they thought I was kidding. So the following day, I told my dad and when he asked if I was serious, I confirmed with an application for medical studies. Too rude he was, or should I say that he was very angered that he grabbed the application papers and tore them. I had anticipated defiance from him but had not expected it to be too bad.
" Unless you are not part of the family I head will you go for what you think like," my dad barked at me fiercely. " It is fashion for you Elizabeth," his statement was final.
It was the first time my dad ever spoke to me in such an angry tone . I was shocked and frightened and I could not say any word. But that did not stop me from chasing my dream because I knew what I wanted. During the course of the days I continuously kept nagging about my change of the career I wanted to pursue. Everyone at home could not believe what I was talking about because they knew just how much love I had for fashion.
My siblings told me that I had to follow my dad's guidance if I ever wanted to be successful as they were. I did not have the courage, at that time, to tell them that I never wanted to be like them. I wanted something more than a successful life. I wanted an independent successful life where I controlled everything I govern.
Tension arose at home because of my decision and it was only my mum who tried to understand my cause, though I never told her the real reason why I decided to change my mind. The rest of the family members thought of the family business as the only way to be successful. My dad's manipulation was at its best on them and I always wondered how he managed to manipulate all these many people to believe in one direction. I admired him for making people easily believe in his word.
I should admit that their words had effect on me because at times I got doubts as to whether what I was doing was right or not. But I could not come to allow myself to back down, it was my only life I was making. I was very stubborn on the issue as it was very hard to go against one's family, more so if one's family is big.
I knew very well that I was hurting them for what I was doing but decided to swallow everything and put it at the back seat of my mind. I chose to stay determined to what I wanted. I was also hurting myself because it was not a good experience seeing my family always in disagreement over me. Even my mum on many occasions told me to stop everything and go with my father's decision.
But you know if you ever want something bad, then it's all you look at and only walk towards it. You might find distributaries a long the main course but you're supposed to put your heart focused in only one direction and that's the only way you get to reach it. And that's exactly what I was applying. I chose my dream over my family.
" You will be successful, dear" my mum always said in her soft tone. " You're your dad's favorite and he will stop at nothing to see that you're a successful woman. All your siblings are successful and it is because they followed your dad's guidance," she said but she was pouring flour on water because I was hellbent in not changing my decision.
" I don't want to be like them, mum," that's all I ever said until she stopped coaxing me into following the plan laid down for me.
I think she saw my determination and decided to let it slide. Deep down I knew that she agreed with me though she always someone who always chose peace and in this situation she decided to sit at the fence.