Jubilee Adaeze Azubike

Lydia and Cynthia were Potters in a little village called Gijas. The two friends lived together and did everything together. In fact, they used the same amount of money to buy the resources they'll need to produce clay pots which they sold in their different shops in the village market. Though they produced the same thing, their products varied in quality and design.

Cynthia made beautiful designs on her clay pots while Lydia made her pots without designs because she wasn't good at designing and she felt more fulfilled making hers without designs though they had smooth edges. The two women were happy with what they did to earn a living and life was good for both.

The people of Gijas knew the two women to be best friends too. Their friendship was so tight that one could hardly be seen without the other. However, a time came when Lydia began to notice that Cynthia's pots were selling faster than hers. For a whole month, she sold just ten pots while Cynthia sold more than thirty.

Then, she made the greatest mistake of her life. She decided to copy Cynthia's product. Though she did not feel happy that she was digressing from her line of trade, She was eager to make money in haste because she felt really bad anytime her friend disclosed how much she earned from her business in a day.

She thought it was the designs that Cynthia added to her products that brought about the high returns and that if she copied her friend, they'll be making the same profit. But to her greatest surprise, sales went from bad to worse.

She never got to sell a pot in a week! She tried to persuade the people whom she knew were after beautifully designed products to buy from her but none was interested because she could not design her pots as well as her friend did. She only ended up chasing away her customers who preferred her own products that was without designs but stronger.

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Were you thinking that the two friends will earn equally after the one tried to copy the other? You'll be living in la-la land if you think that by trying to fit into someone's place, you'll suddenly become that person. No two people are the same. Not even twins!

One thing we humans forget as the sinew of our talents is that, THE GIVER OF GIFTS has ordained fans that will without fail derive satisfaction in the talent he's given us. He already apportioned our customers to us! He has a perfect plan for us.

Fine. Let's take a look at it from this angle. Have you ever wondered why in spite of the millions of pastors in this world, more pastors are still coming up and the same applies to the Imams, yet none of them lack members. They always have a member even if the members are just their family members, one thing sure is that they have members or followers. And faithful and/or loyal ones too!

Again, have you  pondered why we have different brands for one good? My dear, the processes for producing for instance, MacLean is the same for making Oral-B but the products are not the same even though they serve the same purpose! You'll find out that in a group of ten, a portion will prefer MacLean while the other will take Oral-B as the best. For these products to have been produced, it took two different entrepreneurs with different skills and talents to pool resources (just like Cynthia and Lydia!) in their different plants to produce what we have as MacLean and Oral-B.

Since Lydia decided to copy Cynthia and the people of Gijas seemingly preferred clay pots with flowery designs to well moulded pot, they should have made the same profit everyday. But it can't happen. It won't happen that way! The GIVER OF GIFTS has destined a particular number of customers or fans for Cynthia of which Lydia can never patronize even if they should produce the same product.

The truth is that, Lydia failed to see that the reason why so many were after Cynthia's products was because her pots were not as strong to last a long time and the buyers who hardly could tell a noble product from a mediocre one thought they were mishandling it and that was probably the reason why it broke so easily and so they had to come back to replace it each time it got broken. In a nutshell, it was the same people that kept coming again and again to buy the pots.

It's weird right? People chase glistering things this days more than the real thing.

And yes! Cynthia's product were more appealing to the eye than Lydia's but it doesn't mean a thing because the quality differed.

Lydia produced a noble product and that's why once she sold them off, her buyers never had to come back to buy another one until after a long time. She utilized the resources Cynthia used in designing her pots to make hers stronger and thicker! Isn't it apparent enough for us to conclude that had Lydia remained in her line of production, time would come when the people of Gijas would realize how qualitative a product, Lydia had to her name.

My dear, if we all copied ourselves, how then can we tell a noble product from a mediocre one?

If we all produced the same thing then there's no difference between us!

How then will the fans meant for us locate us? Certainly, they will discover us if we continue to market our products without trying to copy others.

Don't you realize that there is so much noise out there and if your voice must be heard, you've got to have that unique voice that can only be likened to you?


Again, you might have another's voice but you can't answer their name so...

Don't try to impersonate say, Gloria or Sandra!

Don't relent in producing that unique art work of yours because your fans are teeming up somewhere!

Are you a writer? A Singer? A painter? A poet? Stay in your place! Remain in your line of production! If you're good in drawing with your left hand don't try to copy Sam who can draw with his right hand because you might not succeed.

Don't copy another because even if you do, you can't steal his or her fans. You'll only send yours running with their legs touching the back of their heads! Fake things don't last but genuine products lasts, my dear.

Don't you know you're making an imprint in the hearts of your fans for which if you're gone tomorrow, your memories will ever live on?

Even if they are not coming in droves, wait for them! Because most assuredly, they'll come and when they do, no one can lure them away from your lair. They'll be all yours forever and even after you're gone, their tongue will never forget the taste of your product in their mouth. 

Nobody ever forgets the taste of sugar or honey. Even the dumb and the blind can aver to that!

This short didactic might be someone's plight. I encourage that one to be patient and content.

Just go ahead and develop that skill you've got so you can produce more quality products.

For therein, in the beauty of your art, in the mouth-watering flavour of your piece, is that unique you manifested!

Please, don't masquerade as another.

We will all meet at the top!

#RABTeam