It had been one of those days at the office, you know, the kind of day that leaves you feeling lifeless, exhausted and stressed.  I had been at the office a few hours too many.  My IT staff had been there even longer than I had, trying to figure out how to get our servers back up and running due a power outage that now threatened my business. Even my downstream provider and alternate hosting site was down.

The East coast suffered a three day power outage that was the first of its kind and as such, students could not access their online courses. In spite of our redundancy and multiple servers, we were down, the calls were many and the complaints from school administrators weren’t pleasant!

I was worried, but at least my office had power thanks to our generator.   It was late, I was tired and my eyes were heavy. I could not keep up when suddenly I softly heard two soft knocks on my door.  I composed myself and tried to rub my eyes, trying to wake myself up. I walked towards my door, opened it, but nothing.  No one was there.

My assistant was long gone, the lights were dimmed and I thought, “That’s strange, I clearly heard a knock.”  I dismissed it, went back to my desk to finish the PowerPoint presentation that I was working on and soon forgot about what I had heard.

As I created the many colorful charts on online learning statistics, I could not keep my eyes from becoming heavy again and my head began to slowly jolt forward. I could feel my thoughts wandering away.

Here I was dozing off and fighting my own sleep, “Just a few more slides Waleuska,” I kept telling myself, but who was I kidding? I went in and out of sleep quicker than my ability to keep my eyes opened and my mind focused.

I remember getting up from my chair, finally began to gather my things ready for the cold drive home, when I noticed a sticky note my assistant must have left me on the desk.  The note read, “Your next appointment is waiting outside the door and insisted it’s important.  Good night. Going home, see you tomorrow,” JD.

“Strange who could it be at this hour? We usually don’t get anyone coming this late!” I thought.  I didn’t recall seeing anything on my agenda.  I looked and in fact, there was a name on the agenda where I could swear there was none just hours ago and nobody had entered my office all day.  The peculiar name written in fresh blue ink under the 10pm hour time slot read, ‘The Universe.’

Almost confused and uncertain, I cautiously opened after two soft knocks at my door and there she was.  I did not know what to expect or what to make of what I was seeing.  I even thought that I was perhaps hallucinating from being at work so many hours without rest.  But no, I was not.  She was there and before I could invite her in, the Universe walked in and without a second to spare, skipping any introductions as if we had known each other, she spoke,

“Waleuska, I have been watching and following your company’s positive impact in the world of online learning, but now I want to give you an opportunity to venture into creating something truly special.  I am aware your company is in the service industry not in the manufacturing business and I am also aware that your company has never attempted such a thing nor that you have prior experience in what I am about to propose.”

“Ahhh” I stumbled confused without words

“Nonetheless,” the Universe interrupted my ‘ahhh’ and continued as if she had not seen me struggle to get a word in,

“I feel you are ready to expand so I am going to offer you a lifetime contract to build a product that will benefit all of humanity, a special product, unique in every way. You will have the exclusives to the patent and no replication of it is possible, a product that will reproduce and give you endless rewards and joy. However, this job will require from you, a lifetime commitment, but it will be a product that will give you a legacy for all times, a masterpiece that will leave a footprint in the world and in many ways this product will make you immortal. Something that will withhold the test of time.  Are you ready for that?”

“Wow,” I thought to myself.  It sounds amazing.  A masterpiece that will leave a footprint of my existence? Of course I am ready for that.  Who would not want to build something of such legacy…

“Yes I am ready,” I responded without even knowing yet what the job entailed or how I was actually going to create it.

Universe,

“This product will be purely a creation of love and passion as it was the case when you first created your company.  Besides the patent, you will also get the naming rights to your product.  You will lead its concept generation and strategy.  I will simply give you small nudges along the way to keep you on your destined path.  You will be responsible for planning its inception, development, production, viability and most importantly its launch.  Unlike other products, this particular one will not be available for beta nor will it have upgrades.  In essence, it is a one of a kind. 

Once created, it will launch into the marketplace with no ability for recall or modifications so you will need to work with what you created. Once in the market, you will oversee its stages of growth and maturity as well as its evaluation and analysis.  However, note that this product’s life-cycle will be longer than any other product you know in the market.”

“No problem,” I eagerly responded.

“This product is intricate, advanced and complex.  It contains a depth of variants, applications, specifications and thousands of unique pieces of equipment that will require detail attention and management of even the most minimal of things and unfortunately, it is something that you will not be able to delegate to others.” Said the Universe.

“Geez!” I began to worry.  All of the sudden I began to sweat which I hardly do, but the Universe continued,

“You will see the fruit of your labor grow slowly and it will be quite messy at times. There will be plenty of times when you will not know what to do as the instructions for this particular product don’t really exist.  It is more of an improvisation process.

 Be ready to spend sleepless nights, work from dusk til down and everything in between, every day, every weekend and vacation for the first few years might be few and far between.  Even if you do manage to squeeze a few days away, you will need to be on call 24-hours, in constant touch an on alert. 

 I understand this is a huge commitment and endeavor. I have been told by others who’ve gone down this same path that there were times when they felt as if life was being sucked out of them.”

“I understand,” I said, trying to stay composed, but in reality I was fidgeting which is my code for “SOS”.  “Given the time commitment, is the return on investment (ROI) equal to the sacrifice?” I uttered, trying not to come across too materialistic, but after all, I am a business woman I thought.

“Ha Ha” the Universe laughed,

“Not always, not immediately! It will require continued effort and you will not always see the results you want when you want.  Please understand that the financial strain can be heavy.  When you make your projections, whatever you think the required investment will be, double it.  Whatever profits you think you will make, cut them in half. Whatever amount of time you project until you finish overseeing the product, multiply it by infinity because you will never be fully done.”

“Sounds risky,” I interrupted abruptly.  “Why would anyone then venture on such development with so much unknown?” I inquired

“Simple! The results are immediate,” Emphatically responded the Universe.  “As soon as you launch the product, the rewards start to manifest.  While it takes time to be cash positive again, it is the only product of its kind that shows such positive impact in the market from the moment of its release.”

“I see” I said trying to remain objective and that’s when the Universe proceeded to press forward in her sales pitch.

“However, there are also no guarantees and although this will be purely your creation, how it ends up functioning in the market will often be out of your control. But yes, the rewards can be infinite. This product has the potential to make you feel proud in ways that are impossible to describe.  It has the potential to make you feel more love in your heart than you believed it could actually hold and give you richness that go beyond any gold in the world.” 

“Wow, please continue…” I said now excitedly

“You will be confronted with challenges that will test your sanity and patience, but this product will help you develop creativity that you did not know you had.   The first years will be intense, requiring your full dedication, guidance, nurturing, care, complete focus and in many instances, even sacrifice. 

There will be times when you will see your product perform and you will feel completely smitten and there will be times you will wish there was a way to take it back.  There will be days you will be in the presence of your product and feel that you can see glimpses of God through it and at others, you will feel you are seeing glimpses of … well, the opposite of God if you catch my drift.   Just know it is a normal part of the process” Explained the Universe.

“Are the ups going to be more than the downs?” I asked feeling worried and unsure…

“Of course! There will be difficult, sad and frustrating times, but the happy and abundant times will outweigh any hardship you may face,” reassured the Universe.

“What if my company isn’t equipped to develop such a product? It sounds difficult and I am not sure I have what it takes and the skills necessary to put together a creation of such magnitude.  What if I fail?”  I humbly asked.

“Do not forget who you are talking to.  I am what I am and I would not be offering you this lifetime contract if I did not feel you were ready and equipped to take on this job,” the Universe responded with strong conviction.

“It seems intriguing, your proposal,” I said, “But it is also risky as I am still not clear on what my level of return will be.” I pressed for further information.

Almost frustrated, the Universe raised her voice,

“The highest reward for your investment cannot be measured solely by what you get for creating your product, Waleuska, but by what you will become.”

“Wow,” I was out of words by her statement as she continued to enlighten me.

“You will find that as the years go by, the monetary reward you thought was important will become less important and you will grow to appreciate that the reward was in the journey and not in the destination,” argued the Universe.

 “You sound so sure,” I questioned.

“Yes I am,” affirmed the Universe.  “I have created many of my own products before so I can validate the worthiness of this project.  This product is a life-changer.  As much as you would have a hand in creating it, inadvertently, this product will also have a hand in reshaping who you are and will teach you the true meaning and importance of life,” concluded the Universe.

I thanked the Universe for her kind visit and I politely retired for the night to think about her life intriguing offer.  The Universe left the contract on my desk for me to sign.  I contemplated everything the Universe had said.  It was the scariest, most important decision of my career and life, I thought.

Having understood the pros and cons of such an endeavor and the endless commitment I would have to devote, I only saw one choice.  That late night at my work almost seventeen years ago, I signed on the dotted line and I took that leap of faith the Universe had so gracefully invited me to take.

Suddenly my entire body went into a rough jolt, abruptly awakened back into consciousness by the buzzing sound of my smart phone, which had become another limb for me.  It was my IT guys informing me that we were back up in business.  “Ah music to my ears” I said, “Great job guys, thank you and go home to a much needed and deserved rest.”

I guess I must have fallen completely asleep. My phone showed it was 1:20 am.  I can’t tell you for certain if what I experienced that night was real or simply a figment of my imaginative Delta state, nonetheless, that night I entered into a contract with the Universe to make a product called, LIFE.

A ‘life-product’ so beautiful that it has given me, so far, more joy and pride than I thought I deserved.  The first was so magnificent and successful that I even ventured on to making another unique life. These life-products are named Victoria and Emma.

Just as the Universe said it would be, the process was scary, the sleepless nights have been many, the commitment and difficult work endless, but the Universe was also correct in that the rewards have been so profound that unless you venture into creating a life-product of your own, I cannot possibly give justice in conveying the rewards.

My life-products have now been in the market for years. The first one for 16 years, the second for 11 years.  If I had it my way, I would be on my way to creating one more.

My company became the richest company in the Universe thanks to my life-products.  I was able to derive high profit margins from this investment and my company’s forecast looks amazing for hundreds of years. We have discovered a new source of wealth that is endless. It comes in the form of experiences, memories, giggles, angel kisses, sticky hands, pride, hugs, joy, tears and love.

If you have not yet created your life-product, I encourage you to do so. Give your company the gift that keeps on giving.

Based on my life-product market results, here is what you can expect from yours but are not limited to:

Your life-product can:

• Humble you.
• Bring you to your knees
• Make you fly
• Make you cry from joy and pride
• Make you grateful
• Make you invincible
• Make you a hero and a rescuer
• Give you untapped strength

Your life-product can:

• Help you face fears you didn’t know you had
• Help you tap into an infinite reservoir of love and faith
• Give you something to hope and live for
• Help you reconnect to experiences you might had forgotten
• Find pleasure in the little things you take for granted

Your life-product can:

• Make you believe again in things you thought weren’t real
• Make you wish upon a star
• Help you reconnect to nature
• Help you catch bugs and small reptiles you otherwise would run from
• Make you eat candy again
• Make you remember how fun it is to play with mud and finger paint
• Help you relive all your childhood dreams of becoming: an astronaut, a pirate, a baseball player, a prima-ballerina, an inventor, a hockey player, a firefighter, a mermaid, a super hero, a pilot and so much more

Your life-product can:

• Make you the most important person in their life
• Make you feel needed, loved and wanted
• Make you scream when you see interesting crayon marks on your freshly painted walls
• Make you say yes more than you say no
• Give you a moral compass
• Make you strong
• Make you a doctor, a nurse, a mentor, a coach, a magician, a psychologist and a referee

Your life-product can:

• Give you VIP access to witnessing all the special first time moments: their first step, first word, first kiss, first booboo, first date, first heartbreak, first fight when they don’t come home when they said they would and first heart attack when they learn to drive.
• Show you there are no limits to the love you can feel and give regardless of how many products you create.
• Make you immortal. Your essence will go on, you will live on in the hearts of your life-product and in the hearts of your life-products’ products.

Best decision I made was to have my company produce my two life- products.  I am forever in debt to the mysterious visitor who came that night to urge me to consider going into the manufacturing of human-life.

The Universe gave me a wonderful chance at experiencing a world I didn’t know existed.  After all, how does one understand the value in something they don’t know, in something they have never experienced? It is difficult. I will always be grateful for the night I heard two soft knocks at door.

It is with great gratitude that I dedicate this blog to all parents, especially to mothers who tirelessly give themselves to the most important cause in the universe – CREATING A PRODUCT CALLED LIFE!

Happy Mother’s Day

With Gratitude,