Bridges and ladders

Often we hear of bridges and ladders and don’t seem to comprehend what life would be like without them.  They help us get to destinations or points we would ordinarily not get to.

Life without bridges would mean swimming distance with great exertion of strength that is if not dying halfway through, similarly is the reality with ladders as new heights will not be attained with ease.

From the eyes of Tina, there was a young, ambitious professional, Oke. She was determined to reach the top of her career ladder. She worked tirelessly, focused on her goal but, often at the expense of her relationships with colleagues and friends. Her slogan was “success at all costs.”

As she climbed the corporate ranks, Oke frequently found herself stepping on others to get ahead. She would sabotage her peers’ projects, take credit for their ideas, and even gossip about them to gain favor with their superiors.

Hope you are not like her?

Her colleagues grew very wary of her and would tell themselves na one chance be this so long as I need money, I will have to keep up with Oke and her bad character come rain and sunshine, but Oke didn’t care – she was too focused on her success. 

Her conscience to me was dead as no human feeling.

One day, Oke finally reached the top of her company’s hierarchy her goal at last. She was appointed CEO, and her colleagues were forced to congratulate her on her achievement. She was happy but for a season. She refused to admit the truth of her lonely life.

She would come into her office and pride herself on her achievement but the truth was around her glaringly.

She stood in her luxurious office, looking out over the city skyline, Oke felt empty and alone. She had no one to share her success with, no one to trust, and no one to support her.

Shortly after her achievement came knocking a challenge the company faced a major crisis – a product recall that threatened to bankrupt the business. Oke was under pressure to find a solution, but her usual tactics of manipulation and backstabbing weren’t working. She needed help, but who could she turn to?

As she scanned her contacts list, Oke realized she had burned every bridge on her way to the top. Her former colleagues and friends had long since cut ties with her, and she was left with no one to rely on.

In a moment of desperation, Oke saw her foolishness, beating herself up will not solve the problem, she summoned courage and reached out to one of her former peers, whom she had wronged in the past.

Thank God for goodly Godly friends who know how to forgive and not resurrect yesterday’s ill.

To her surprise, Ogheneochuko agreed to meet with her and offered valuable advice and support. Together, they worked tirelessly to resolve the crisis, and the company was saved.

Oke was humbled by the experience and realized that her success had come at a great cost. She began to rebuild the bridges she had burned, apologizing to those she had wronged and working to regain their trust.

It wasn’t an easy venture, but slowly, she started to build a network of genuine relationships and a support system that would stay with her for the long haul.

She remembered Bridges and Ladders as she looked out over the city skyline once again, Oke knew that she had finally found true success – not just a title or a corner office, but a community of people who believed in her and would stand by her through thick and thin.

She had learned the hard way that burning bridges and destroying ladders is a no go area in life.

On your way to the top, getting your goal faster is good, but it’s the relationships you build along the way that will help you comfortably settle down tomorrow.