Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Hi friend, Some stories don’t just stay with you—they change you. This one is about Femi Otedola, a Nigerian billionaire. But it’s not about wealth, success, or business empires. It’s about the true meaning of happiness.
In an interview, Femi Otedola was asked a simple question by a radio jockey:
“What is the biggest achievement of your life?”
You’d expect a billionaire would speak about wealth, fame, or influence. But Femi’s answer was not so obvious. Femi’s reply went in steps—four to be precise.
- Stage One: Wealth and Fame
Like most people, Femi’s initial objective was to become riches and make a name for himself. Which he did. But when he’d achieved the height, there still seemed something amiss.
- Stage Two: Power and Possessions
He transitioned to building up the finest things money can buy and the ability to have anything accomplished. Still, no satisfactory happiness.
- Stage Three: Impact and Influence
He engaged in gigantic projects, such as dominating 95% of Africa’s diesel market and owning some of the biggest ships across continents. Success? Yes. Happiness? Still not there.
Then came a surprise turning point.
- Stage Four: Giving Back
A friend approached him to donate 200 wheelchairs to children with disabilities. Femi had no hesitation in saying yes—and delivered each wheelchair to a child personally.
He saw the kids play and laugh in their new wheelchairs. It was like a celebration. Their smiles were contagious. But the thing that forever changed his life came when one small boy grabbed his leg.
Femi knelt and asked, “Would you like something else?” The boy gazed up and said,
“May I see your face. so that when I see you in heaven, I can recognise you and say thank you again?”
That sentence cut through everything.
Femi said that moment was the happiest of his life.
Conclusion:
We run after success. We run after status. We run after security. What I have learnt from this story is, true happiness starts when we give. When we are the cause of someone smiling. When our success begins to lift others.
So ask yourself today:
Have you reached your fourth stage yet?
Give. Share. Uplift. That’s where true happiness lives.
