Two Sides of a Coin
Opportunity and the Untold Story..
In Nigeria, we often say, “Opportunity comes but once.” But is that really the whole truth? Or is it just another thing we repeat because our fathers said it, and their fathers before them? If you ask me, opportunity is not a one-time visitor. It’s a recurring guest. The only problem is, it doesn’t always wear familiar clothes.
In this country where the hustle is real and the pressure is loud, opportunity is something we all crave. But most of us are taught to recognize it in one form: a job offer, a business deal, japa plans, or some external validation of success. We don’t often talk about the other side, the side that doesn’t sparkle, the one that looks like rejection, suffering, waiting, or even complete failure. Yet, that side is often more important than the one that catches the eye.
Let’s face it, Nigeria is not a country where things come easy. You wake up to no light, battle through traffic that can make you question your life decisions, and still try to show up as your best self. That kind of environment sharpens your instincts. It teaches you to see beyond surface-level blessings. It forces you to recognize that sometimes, opportunity begins where ease ends.
Think of that woman frying akara under the bridge, or the guy selling belts in traffic. To you, it might just be hustle. But to them, it’s the seed of a dream. The real opportunity isn’t in how glamorous the work looks, but in what it could grow into. The akara woman might one day own a massive restaurant. The belt seller might become a distributor. But only if they see that the struggle itself is the foundation and not the blockage.
Opportunity is not always about being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, it’s about creating the right place with the wrong materials and showing up consistently until the time becomes right.
One of the biggest lies we’ve swallowed is that opportunity has to feel good. That if it doesn’t come with applause, a welcome committee, or instant results, then it’s not worth our time. But life doesn’t work that way.
I’ve seen people get turned down from their dream jobs and end up building businesses they never imagined. I’ve seen people miss scholarships and start online courses that eventually led them to global clients. I’ve seen heartbreaks push people into healing, self-discovery, and purpose.
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We must stop measuring opportunity by how convenient or celebrated it is. Sometimes, the best things come wrapped in disappointment, and it takes maturity to recognize them for what they truly are. That interview you failed? Maybe it was the push you needed to start your own thing. That idea no one believed in? Maybe it was your training ground. That one-room apartment with broken tiles? Maybe it was your place of vision.
The true Nigerian spirit is not just about survival, it’s about reinvention. We find a way. We turn palm oil into profit, turn passion into platforms, turn adversity into artistry. We’ve done it for generations. So why do we still act like the absence of a perfect condition means the absence of opportunity?
One thing I’ve learned from watching people rise is this: time is not your enemy. Most of us are in a hurry because society gives us a false timeline. You must graduate by 23, marry by 28, buy a house by 30. But what if your path doesn’t look like that? What if your opportunity comes later, through a detour, or dressed in something unglamorous?
We must understand that opportunity is not a door that swings open when the world claps. It is sometimes a window cracked open during a storm. You won’t hear applause. You’ll hear wind, see darkness, and feel doubt. But if you move through it, you’ll find clarity. That’s the other side of the coin — the part we don’t talk about because it’s not sexy. But it’s real.
Let me tell you something: Delay is not denial. Confusion is not failure. Struggle is not the absence of opportunity. It is the process that refines you to carry what’s coming.
So the next time you feel stuck, overlooked, or rejected, remember this: you’re probably staring at the second side of the coin. The less attractive one. The one most people throw away because it doesn’t sparkle. But that’s the side that holds the real story. The real growth. The real transformation.
If you only chase the first side, the one with applause and recognition — you’ll miss the deep, foundational work being done in your life through hardship. You’ll keep asking, “Where is my opportunity?” not realizing that it’s been with you all along, just wearing a different face.
So flip the coin. Embrace both sides. And when life offers you the chance to grow, whether through joy or hardship; take it with both hands.
Because in this Nigerian life, where nothing is promised but everything is possible, na who sabi flip coin go win.
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— Stephanie
