Confessions of the Rat Race

By David Owoyemi

A critical look at the subject of the Rat Race, unveiling an uncommon truth about why most people will spend most of their lives working hard for money to meet their needs or wants while failing to pursue their dreams and purpose. The book explains how misconceptions about work, job, wants and money is largely responsible for most people's enslavement in the Rat Race

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Owoyemi
• Release date: Nov 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310817700

David Owoyemi

David Owoyemi is an Accountant by training, a writer by calling and a social entrepreneur by passion. Having started out at the age of sixteen just trying to ryhme with words, he continued to hone his writing skills and now his works focuses mostly on influencing the thinking of society on key life issues. His love for adventure perhaps explains why he constantly explores new styles in his writing. David lives in Lagos, Nigeria where a combination of challenges and opportunities, gears him towards finding answers to unanswered questions. He currently heads a firm providing accounting services, volunteers at an NGO and sings once in a while.

Book preview

Confessions of the Rat Race

By David Owoyemi

Copyright 2013 David Owoyemi

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Table of Contents

A true RAT RACE Confession

Introduction

Chapter 1: Welcome to the RAT RACE

Chapter 2: Running the RAT RACE

A tragic path

A tragic end

Chapter 3: Building the RAT RACE Empire

Parents and the Rat Race

The School and the Rat Race

Reference

Note from the Author

About the Author

A TRUE RAT RACE CONFESSION

By Bishop Femi Owoyemi

Many years ago I was a Bank Executive - Deputy General Manager in a prominent and fast growing Merchant Bank. I had good income, good fringe benefits, good success and good influence. However, I noticed that I dreaded Mondays. I detested the daily routine of work - home - eat - sleep - wake up – work. I felt as if I was spiraling down a hole. I was working very hard and I was one of the most productive executives in the Bank at the time. I was however tormented inside of me. Many people would not even complain about the type of job I had because its pay package was good and the conditions of service were very good. My employers and colleagues respected me and I was still not at peace within me. The job brought me in contact with many people and I had reasonable influence but I was still not satisfied. In spite of the apparent excitement in the job, I was bored. I was with the bank for four years. Even though the Executive Chairman encouraged me to work another two years with the Bank, I resigned.

This was not the first time I had such a terrible feeling. At 28, I was the Financial Accountant of SmithKline Beecham – a fast growing international pharmaceutical company. I received the ‘Manager of the year’ award in my first year. However, six months after I started work in the company, I was already getting bored. The job was thought to be challenging but I found it boring. I took on every conceivable responsibility in order to get busy. I cajoled the Chief Accountant into passing some of his schedule to me with no extra pay. As my responsibilities increased my dissatisfaction did not wane. I organized and commenced a training program for the staff of the Accounts department. I taught in the program every Saturday. I had two Managers and five Supervisors directly reporting to me. The Accounts department had a working staff of about twenty people and I was still bored. I kept the job for only two years.

In Eurotrade Nigeria Limited where I had to face a major problem-solving situation on resumption of duty, the same feeling crept in. At 30, I was chauffeur driven - an executive of no mean stature. My income was very good. I supervised the work of quite a few expatriates – Greeks, Americans and Englishmen, I was still bored. My job had grown into General Management. I was responsible for formulating and implementing policies in relation to production, operations, distribution, procurement, storage, merchandising, management reporting, and administration. I was still bored. I did not seem to experience the excitement that work should give. Four years after joining the company, I left. (One year later, he joined Peat Marwick, Ani, Ogunde Consultants as a Management Consultant.)

Management Consulting is one of the most challenging and exciting professions on earth. It is a problem solving profession. In my own case however after twelve months the excitement vanished. I could not even tell my boss that I was bored because I was a very productive worker. After eighteen months, I left.

This might appear weird for some people. They might not understand how one could have the kind of jobs that I had and still complained. They might even say that I was not grateful to God who placed me in those wonderful jobs. But those jobs never satisfied me…Many people go through life in the manner I have just described. They have changed jobs many times but have not found the fulfillment they wanted. Some may not change jobs at all for the sake of having a career but they still feel the emptiness associated with the inability to fulfill their inner craving …It is not the level of income that determines what we are talking about but the need to satisfy something that God has put in everyone of us.1

Bishop Femi Owoyemi is the Senior Pastor, Kingdom Lighthouse Church, Rhode Island, USA. After rising to the position of Deputy General Manager at First City Merchant Bank and Director of CSL Stockbrokers, Nigeria he resigned in 1992 and was drawn into active ministry by the call of God in 1997.

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INTRODUCTION

In 2006, I got an opportunity to do a one month internship in the accounts department of a major Stockbroking firm in Lagos, Nigeria. As a university undergraduate it was my first real taste of the world of work so I was full of excitement initially. On average I worked for 10 hours and spent another 5 hours commuting to work. Of course I couldn’t complain about this because it was nothing new to millions of lagosians.

In just two weeks, I began to experience a growing dissatisfaction with the job. Ironically, this had nothing to do with the stress of commuting or the work load but it was about something quite unusual; I was bored. As early as 12noon everyday I would start looking at the clock, wishing that the day would come to an end quickly. Even though I didn’t know what TGIF (Thank