THE CRACKS OF THE COUNTERFEIT

 

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

A handsome frustrated man fighting counterfeits Photo Courtesy / Sanket Mishra

‘I Love You So Much Too’

Where are they? All those people who said they loved you. Those who were always by your side. When the sun was sunshine so bright. Those who ate from your palms. Where are they? Those you invested your precious time in. Those whom you helped carry their cross. Because you thought they were family. Where are they right now? When rain came. When a few things changed and life seemed like it got stuck. And the sun and its bright things was no longer shinning on you. Where did your friends go? What happened to family? When you needed someone to just give you a glass of water. Did you get that glass of water? How many from your long list of contacts stood by your side. When you needed a friend indeed? When your life turned into what you don’t know. Who prayed with you? Who stood long enough? Who saw your burden as their burden?

But I can see clearly. Those were not your friends. They were friends of your pockets. Friends of the shiny things around you. They loved the spotlight and the easy money they could get out of you. You were a means to their ends. An Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) when they needed one. Someone they could run to, when they needed to run. You were their rescue dial. A very faithful rescue dial for that matter. You were always there for them. They knew that, and abused that privilege. They surrounded you because of what they could get from you. It was not love that endeared them to you. It was their selfish ambitions. Now that you don’t have what they want. Your value has diminished. And they are ready to dumb you. Because your role in their lives ended with the sunshine. Right now is raining. And they have excluded themselves. They want nothing to do with you or your rain.   

You have suddenly become unattractive. And they have to move on. Their lives must continue by all means. You just got dumped. And perhaps, their eyes are on their next victim. So don’t be surprised that you are alone. Don’t be shocked that in your worst day. No one checked on you. That is just us sometimes. An ordinary human being is capable of so many things. He can sing your praises if he wants to. And he can also betray you at the right time. Learn from Jesus and move on. Be grateful that it rained in your life. Because that was not just rain. It was revelation. A moment to learn about all things that were hidden in plain sight. Rain was needed. Because there comes a time when sieving has to take place. And this is that time. So don’t cry too much that everyone left. If I were you. I will pull myself together very quickly and pay attention.

Bumper Harvest at end of the Tunnel

A beautiful young woman discovering cracks of counterfeit/ Photo / Yan Krukau 

Something majestic is about to happen. When life turns into something you don’t understand. Don’t curse the day. Be grateful that it happened. And that the only thing you don’t like in the whole scenario is that; no one gave you a notice. That is the only downside. However, the whole rainy thing. And the discomforts that comes with nothing great happening in your life are all blessings in disguise. When seasons change. Take that change as an announcement of something new. But no one puts it plainly. So if you become the right person in such seasons of change. A bumper harvest awaits you at the end of the tunnel. The friends who left, family members that mocked you, or all the people who laughed at you; are all distractions. During your rough days, betrayal becomes your biggest obstacle. As it stands in the way of the blessing at the end of the tunnel.

If you become shortsighted as your distractions. You will miss a great opportunity in your life to grow, let go, heal, and even access your next level. Your turbulent years are your moments of promotion. If you steward such trying times well. You will see with your own eyes the mission of an uncertainty in your life. The rain did not come to expose you. Neither did it come to shame you. That has never been the mission of trying times. When your life falls apart when it should be thriving. Humiliation is not mission. There is always a bigger picture to the whole ordeal. That is where your attention should be, not on the counterfeits. Your fake friends were meant to be fake all along. Those who pretended to love you or care about you never loved you in the beginning. They were there for convenience. And since, you cannot satisfy their wild wants and wicked intentions.

The easiest thing they can do is leave you. And in other circumstances laugh at you. That is what counterfeits do. They forget very quickly and while at it. Reveal their true selves. Hatred replaces the place of love. Because that is who they were from the beginning. It is only that they were hidden. But time is a good teacher. It exposes fakeness, lies, motives, and exploitation. You only need to live long enough to see what friends can do. There is always envy within. There is always hatred, contempt, prejudice, and jealousy. All these evil things are in our households. But hidden. They only come into full manifestation at the right time. And your bad days, years, or moments are usually the right times. So, don’t expect good to be repaid with good. That is life sometimes. Manage your expectations this early. Don’t get emotionally involved when such things happen.

Mature Fast

A plane flying during turbulent crack times / Photo / Gustavo Salazar 

Grow up during your worst day. And have some knowledge at the back of your mind, which reminds you that you are on your own. And you will walk in the battlefield alone. You will face the discomforts of turbulent times alone. You will suffer alone. You will be misunderstood by the very people who once called you family. The people that you helped will be the one fighting you. They will be the ones taking some resources away from you. Some will take advantage of your low moments and settle scores you never knew existed. Some of the biggest fights you will ever fight during your rainy season, will come from people very close to you. People you never imagined could behave like that. They will show you their worst version. Their darkest parts. And if anything. These would be some of the things that will prevent you from reaching the other end. Because there will be a lot of heartbreaks.

You have never known what betrayal looks like. Until it comes from someone you once cared about. Such experiences crash you. They leave you bleeding really bad. They create wounds. But learn as unfolds in front of you. Use your low moments well. Learn along the way. And grow up while at it. Material things come and go. And you cannot cry about the former because it exposed cracks. Let people who follow you because of money go. Let people who are attracted to your success flip away. There was no relationship in the first place. People were only there because there was something they could benefit from. And since, those things are no longer there. Don’t expect them to stay. They will go. Don’t mourn such transactional relationships. Let fakeness die its natural death. Time exposes people. Learn your lessons and move forward.

Now, you got rain. Focus on the rain. Focus on the storms in front of you. You need the right approach to confront them successfully. Otherwise, flooding from the rain will consume your life. If a comeback must exist in the offing. Put your eyes in the right place. Fight the storms not the broken relationships. Fight for your survival without being emotionally involved. Don’t be bitter during your worst day. Take the punches from life with a good attitude. Use that moment to reflect. Look at how you lived your life before. Identify all the wrong decisions you made. Things that you invested your time and money into thinking that they were rock. Yet, in real sense they were sand. Identify the sand during your rainy season. Open your eyes. See everything clearly. Remove all the blind spots. And focus on getting back your life as you know it.

Mind Your Manners

A group of fake friends / Photo / Daniel Richard

Don’t let other people or things define your life. Put yourself in charge. And lead your life. Acknowledge the distractions and learn the best way to navigate them. The mere fact that you identified a counterfeit does not necessarily mean they will leave you alone. Some counterfeits will stick there to hurt you intentionally. Learn those motives too. As a told you. A human being can be many things. Don’t let those many things contaminate you. Focus on the destination. Understand the mission behind your trial. And pay attention throughout your challenging moments. There is a curse and a blessing in it. If you become the wrong person in your own trial. You will end up with a curse. Losing the leadership of your entire life is worse than the curse itself. Be responsible even when you are hurting. Don’t fight with people.

Fight the storm. A rainy season is a short period. Steward it well. Remain the adult throughout that whole time. And being the adult in the whole ordeal does not mean that there will be no pain. Pain will be there. Disappointments will be there. Frustrations will be everywhere. But be a well-groomed adult in the storm. Mind your manners. Mind your language. Don’t react with things and situations. Keep your sanity and fight the storm until you win.

The mission of a rainy season is bigger than its distractions. Find the mission in your life’s upsets. After all, we got a future to face. And you won’t taste the good future if you die in the storm. Counterfeits in your life were just decoys. Look past their pain. Outgrow their arrogance. Avoid their injuries. And don’t focus on winning an argument either. There are more important bigger things your life needs you to do. There is a whole bright future ahead of you. Life wants you to get to the end of the tunnel. So raise your standards. Tune out the laughter, murmurs, and humiliation. And put your eyes on the bigger picture. That is how you win a storm. And where possible, seal cracks in the future.