What Are You Willing To Do To Make Money?
August 19, 2008 by Darlene McDaniel
Filed under Careers
I am back from my trip to Ghana, West Africa. It was an incredible trip. My primary purpose for going was to evaluate an elementary school that is connected to my church. There are 213 children in the school and there are too many needs to mention. In the process of traveling to the school we had the opportunity to see the culture of the country of Ghana. Poverty is in your face from the moment you leave the airport.
I would say that making a buck is one of the most important things you see. People sell anything and everything. Everywhere you go, someone is “hustling” you for a dollar. Everything from underwear to imitation birds in birdcages. If you can imagine it, there is probably someone in Ghana attempting to sell it. As a coach working with people who need to work, I was impressed with the passion and focus the Ghanaians use to make money DAILY. I emphasize this because, it really is a daily grind for the vast majority of people including children. The biblical text, “if you don’t work, you don’t eat” is applicable here. If the people of Ghana don’t get out and hustle their goods, they will probably not eat.
What are you willing to do to make money? Here in the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, too many people choose to sit around and wait for the phone to ring rather than looking at what is in their hand. What do I mean by that? I had the awesome privilege of seeing people who understand the importance of work. There is not a lot of opportunity to work in Ghana, especially if you do not have an education. So creativity is your friend. 
Sales skills is an art form in Ghana. People sell what they make, they sell what they buy, they sell every single day of the week and almost any hour of the day or night in order to survive. We could learn a few things about persistence and creating opportunities. Just a few thoughts!
Image Credit: My Collection of Pictures from Ghana, West Africa
That is awesome. First of all having the opportunity to take the trip is outstanding. But what you see in other parts of the world and the work ethics behind their people is in stark contrast to what happens domestically. I think there are multiple reasons that have culminated to produce the work environment we have here now, but I enjoyed your view from the coach perspective. Thanks again for a great writing.
Hi Jason, Thank you for visiting Interview Chatter. I appreciate your comments. I can tell you that after visiting Ghana, I have a better appreciation of our country and the freedoms that exist. I love America and am very patriotic, but visiting another country and seeing the struggles people face daily, gives a fresh perspective. More people need to travel to 3rd world countries. We might treat one another differently and maybe we would appreciate what we have. We have very little to complain about in America. Opportunity is available to the whosoevers. Feel free to stop by any time!