Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Another adventure in "winner-ism"

Again, going back to when I was 5. There was a big Nigerian boy in the bus called Kabeer. I thought he was the boss. Well, obviously i was good enough to be the boss's friend.

I had seen "Knight Rider", the movie, the day before and someone had mentioned "micro-chips" in it. I imagined little electrical devices making beeping sounds with blinking lights. I had always had a chemistry set fetish but this beat that by a mile. Micro-chips! They made cars talk!

So on the bus I told kabeer that I had micro-chips. He had some idea, I suppose, about what they were, because he was very impressed. "Yes, I make them on my table" I said matter-of-factly. I was pleased at his respectful "wow". yes, indeed I was worthy of rubbing elbows with the bus-aristocracy. I always knew I had been.

Well, that day at break I was standing around the entrance of the school building like a little chav or something. Kabeer walked out talking to his friend and was saying this: "There's this kid on my bus who's really smart, but he's really DUMB, because he thinks he makes mico-chips...". I was a bit taken aback, but nothing could change the fact that I HAD been noticed. No one could deny that, and so I found a perspective that allowed me to be pleased with myself.

All great leaders find the good in even the worst situations.

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