A Private Jet, A Dinner, and the Lessons I Learnt From The Rich
The more money you make, the more your life changes, not just in comfort but in consciousness. Suddenly, you start thinking differently about safety, about time, about movement, and about control. The decisions you make begin to look “strange” or even “wasteful” to the average person because your priorities are no longer the same.
I learned this firsthand last year when Air Peace celebrated its 10th anniversary, a grand event that brought together dignitaries, top business leaders, and industry giants from within and outside Nigeria. As an assistant to my boss, I was the point of contact for many of these distinguished guests. From national leaders to global entrepreneurs, I interfaced with people whose names open doors and whose decisions move economies.
Among them was a particular British business partner of my boss, a billionaire, the Chairman of a company over a century old, passed down through generations since his great-great-grandfather. As an aspiring entrepreneur myself, I’d done my research on his company and even had the opportunity to visit the UK headquarters with my team. I observed the systems, the culture, the structure, and the mindset that have sustained that organization for over 100 years. One day, I’ll share those lessons.
But what struck me deeply was what happened when I sent him an invitation to our anniversary. He called me directly after he picked my number from the mail I sent him to say he wouldn’t be able to attend the main celebration because of a critical business meeting scheduled for 12 pm that same day in London. But then he added something that shifted my perspective.
“Your boss is a good man, and I wouldn’t miss celebrating him. I’ll come in the night before the anniversary, have dinner with him, and then fly back to London early the next morning for my meeting.”
True to his word, on the eve of our anniversary, I got word that he had boarded his private jet. My boss released his Rolls-Royce and two security vans to me, and I went to receive him at the airport. From there, he checked into his hotel, changed into a beautifully tailored Nigerian native attire, and I took him first to our head office.
We sat together at the back seat, conversing deeply. After meeting with my boss, we went straight to the private dinner I had carefully arranged. Initially, I planned to excuse myself, but he insisted, taking my hand and saying:
“This young lady is joining us.”
That night, dinner ended around 1:30 a.m. I personally escorted him back to his hotel, ensuring he was settled before returning to the office, where another meeting with the management team was waiting. I left the office around 6 a.m on the anniversary day, exhausted but fulfilled. On my way home, I received a notification: our guest was already airborne, flying back to London in time for his noon meeting.
I paused and thought to myself:
"This man literally flew down from London on his private jet just to have dinner with my boss. He burned aviation fuel, secured landing permits, paid for parking space, and spent hours in the air, all for one evening of connection."
I smiled because in that moment, I understood something profound: in the world of the wealthy, the rules are different.
What many would consider irrelevant or wasteful, the rich see as strategy. What the average person calls vanity, the wealthy understand as leverage. That private jet wasn’t about luxury, it was about control, control of time, control of presence, and control of opportunities.
Femi Otedola said in his book that the moment his net worth crossed $100 million, he became uncomfortable flying commercial. I may not have understood him some years back, but now, having interacted closely with people who operate at that level, I do.
When you reach a certain financial height, your priorities shift.
You spend more on security because safety becomes priceless, you invest in comfort because your energy is your highest asset, and you buy time because time, not money, becomes your greatest currency.
And yet, those without means often criticize these choices the most. People who’ve never built wealth are usually the first to suggest how wealthy people should spend theirs. But here’s the truth, the haves do more philanthropy than the have-nots ever realize, they just don’t make noise about it.
This experience, among many others expanded my mind in ways I can’t fully describe. My imagination became bigger, my vision wider, my thinking deeper. Because when you spend time in an environment of abundance, something in you shifts, and you’ll realize the world is far larger than your current reality.
That private jet you might see as waste, the wealthy see a tool, a tool for movement, a tool for comfort, a tool that buys back time.
That “unnecessary” trip you might call indulgence, the wealthy call it alliance, they call it relationship, they call it honor, they call it business.
When you understand these dynamics, your perspective changes. You stop questioning why a pastor worth over $150 million owns a private jet. You stop being offended when a billionaire buys cars worth billions for his daughters. You will also stop arguing about decisions made on levels you’ve never operated on.
Because here’s the truth, the world is far bigger than your lack.
The only reason most people can’t see abundance is because they’ve programmed their minds to focus on limitation. But if you intentionally re-engineer your thinking, if you expose yourself to content, environments, and conversations that expand your imagination, you’ll begin to see possibilities where others see impossibilities.
And that, my friend, is the first step to changing your life.
Any Growth You Ascribe To Yourself But Invisible To Others Is No Growth
Someone who has been on my timeline for over seven years came to my DMs this morning to appreciate my evolution over time. In his words, he said he can see that I am growing and maturing daily, and even in my writings, he can see growth because he’s been reading from me for over five years.
A baby doesn’t know the exact time they increase in height or stature; similarly, there are times when even we as adults do not know when we’ve gained or lost weight until someone sees us and mentions it, and then we start to notice the changes in our bodies. The evidence of growth in life is that people can attest to the fact that you are progressing.
A few days ago, I went through my memories and saw a piece of writing I did about four years ago. I read it again and noticed many grammatical and structural errors, and I smiled. The post had about five reactions back then, and now I see my posts of multiple paragraphs and thousands of words being read by tens of thousands, shared by hundreds, receiving thousands of reactions, and generating multiple discussions and comments. What changed? I asked myself. It’s not magic, I spent more time developing myself and honing my writing skills through reading more, thinking more, researching more, learning from other amazing writers, and also making use of technological resources to improve my skills.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I began to improve in my communication skills, such as writing, speaking, and storytelling; I just began to see myself perform better than I used to, and people also began to notice the growth.
You cannot say you are growing if your design in 2025 as a graphic designer is still the same as what you did in 2015. You cannot say you are growing as a fashion designer if the Kaba style you started with is still what people know you for, without any new techniques. You cannot say you are the best video editor if, in 2025, you don't know the apps and tools that can improve and fine-tune your work compared to what you used before. You cannot be a customer relations manager without knowing that there are new software tools to help you work more efficiently. You cannot say you are a furniture maker without knowing that there are new trends in the industry. You cannot be a makeup artist and still glory in the training you received in 2012 without feeling the need to upgrade. You are a hairstylist, but you don't know about the shift in the fashion industry. You are a nail technician, but you aren’t ready to learn anything new aside from the old-school styles you’ve been doing since 2006. You are a web designer but are not ready to upskill to stay relevant in the industry. The list goes on but let’s move on.
Never be so comfortable with the accolades you’re receiving at the moment that you forget to improve, and hone your skills that you become an authority in that which you know how to do. Let people continue to wonder how you are doing it, how you are coming up with new inventions, and how you keep on surprising them with your service and business.
Yesterday’s glory is just that of yesterday. There are improvements and investments you’ll need to make in yourself to remain relevant. And even when you retire, it won’t be because the world no longer needs your service or skills or because they are outdated, but because you’ve served and you want to rest. Commit yourself to learning and personal growth because the greatest investment you’ll make in life is the one you make in yourself, and may you not be found wanting.
I'll end with this, a new mother once mentioned in my presence that her newborn was losing weight. She took him to the hospital, and the doctor diagnosed the condition. With medical help and constant breastfeeding, the child began to gain weight. The day I saw the child, he was more plump and looked healthy. I joked with him by touching his plump cheek, and the mother said her child has gained weight and I could see the joy in her eyes.
Why did I chip this in? Whatever growth you attribute to yourself that is not visible to those who see and observe you daily are mere wishes that are yet to materialize. Growth is called growth for a reason, it can never be hidden and it set you apart and bring joy to those associated with you.
Come down from your high horse, acknowledge that you are lagging behind, and begin your journey of improvement.
I have seen people grow old but not grow up. I have seen people add years but subtract wisdom. The tragedy is that many are aging in body but not growing in mind, heart, or spirit. They are quick to demand respect because of age, yet their thinking, choices, reactions, and decisions betray them at every turn.
Maturity is what puts you ahead of your peers.
It is why you can be 20 years old and yet more grounded, wiser, and more impactful than a 50-year-old who merely celebrated birthdays but never built character.
The Bible tells us of King Josiah, a boy of just eight years old when he became king of Judah. By the time he was twelve, he began to seek God and brought a whole nation back to righteousness. It wasn’t his age that made him fit to lead; it was his maturity.
You must understand that your destiny will not wait for you to grow up.
Life rewards maturity, not just years, and God entrusts more to those who have grown in wisdom, not those who simply grew in numbers.
Pursue wisdom like your life depends on it, because it does.
Practice self-discipline until it hurts.
Serve before you seek to lead.
Reflect consistently: What am I learning? Where did I miss it?
Accept correction, even when it stings.
Submit to mentorship, compress your journey instead of expanding your regret.
And when you start to grow in maturity, you’ll notice that, you seek peace over drama, you prioritize values over vibes, you start to think about legacy, not just luxury, and you choose intention over impulse.
Dear fellow young person, If you refuse to grow in maturity now, the world will painfully teach you later. But if you grow in maturity today, the world will recognize and reward you for it.
Destiny is heavy, only mature shoulders can carry it. Don't waste your youth chasing thrills and empty applause. Build depth. Build wisdom. Build maturity.
Because at the end of the day, the future will not be owned by the loud, the trendy, or the flashy, it will be owned by the matured.
Tadé Makinwa
A Private Jet, A Dinner, and the Lessons I Learnt From The Rich
The more money you make, the more your life changes, not just in comfort but in consciousness. Suddenly, you start thinking differently about safety, about time, about movement, and about control. The decisions you make begin to look “strange” or even “wasteful” to the average person because your priorities are no longer the same.
I learned this firsthand last year when Air Peace celebrated its 10th anniversary, a grand event that brought together dignitaries, top business leaders, and industry giants from within and outside Nigeria. As an assistant to my boss, I was the point of contact for many of these distinguished guests. From national leaders to global entrepreneurs, I interfaced with people whose names open doors and whose decisions move economies.
Among them was a particular British business partner of my boss, a billionaire, the Chairman of a company over a century old, passed down through generations since his great-great-grandfather. As an aspiring entrepreneur myself, I’d done my research on his company and even had the opportunity to visit the UK headquarters with my team. I observed the systems, the culture, the structure, and the mindset that have sustained that organization for over 100 years. One day, I’ll share those lessons.
But what struck me deeply was what happened when I sent him an invitation to our anniversary. He called me directly after he picked my number from the mail I sent him to say he wouldn’t be able to attend the main celebration because of a critical business meeting scheduled for 12 pm that same day in London. But then he added something that shifted my perspective.
“Your boss is a good man, and I wouldn’t miss celebrating him. I’ll come in the night before the anniversary, have dinner with him, and then fly back to London early the next morning for my meeting.”
True to his word, on the eve of our anniversary, I got word that he had boarded his private jet. My boss released his Rolls-Royce and two security vans to me, and I went to receive him at the airport. From there, he checked into his hotel, changed into a beautifully tailored Nigerian native attire, and I took him first to our head office.
We sat together at the back seat, conversing deeply. After meeting with my boss, we went straight to the private dinner I had carefully arranged. Initially, I planned to excuse myself, but he insisted, taking my hand and saying:
“This young lady is joining us.”
That night, dinner ended around 1:30 a.m. I personally escorted him back to his hotel, ensuring he was settled before returning to the office, where another meeting with the management team was waiting. I left the office around 6 a.m on the anniversary day, exhausted but fulfilled. On my way home, I received a notification: our guest was already airborne, flying back to London in time for his noon meeting.
I paused and thought to myself:
"This man literally flew down from London on his private jet just to have dinner with my boss. He burned aviation fuel, secured landing permits, paid for parking space, and spent hours in the air, all for one evening of connection."
I smiled because in that moment, I understood something profound: in the world of the wealthy, the rules are different.
What many would consider irrelevant or wasteful, the rich see as strategy. What the average person calls vanity, the wealthy understand as leverage. That private jet wasn’t about luxury, it was about control, control of time, control of presence, and control of opportunities.
Femi Otedola said in his book that the moment his net worth crossed $100 million, he became uncomfortable flying commercial. I may not have understood him some years back, but now, having interacted closely with people who operate at that level, I do.
When you reach a certain financial height, your priorities shift.
You spend more on security because safety becomes priceless, you invest in comfort because your energy is your highest asset, and you buy time because time, not money, becomes your greatest currency.
And yet, those without means often criticize these choices the most. People who’ve never built wealth are usually the first to suggest how wealthy people should spend theirs. But here’s the truth, the haves do more philanthropy than the have-nots ever realize, they just don’t make noise about it.
This experience, among many others expanded my mind in ways I can’t fully describe. My imagination became bigger, my vision wider, my thinking deeper. Because when you spend time in an environment of abundance, something in you shifts, and you’ll realize the world is far larger than your current reality.
That private jet you might see as waste, the wealthy see a tool, a tool for movement, a tool for comfort, a tool that buys back time.
That “unnecessary” trip you might call indulgence, the wealthy call it alliance, they call it relationship, they call it honor, they call it business.
When you understand these dynamics, your perspective changes. You stop questioning why a pastor worth over $150 million owns a private jet. You stop being offended when a billionaire buys cars worth billions for his daughters. You will also stop arguing about decisions made on levels you’ve never operated on.
Because here’s the truth, the world is far bigger than your lack.
The only reason most people can’t see abundance is because they’ve programmed their minds to focus on limitation. But if you intentionally re-engineer your thinking, if you expose yourself to content, environments, and conversations that expand your imagination, you’ll begin to see possibilities where others see impossibilities.
And that, my friend, is the first step to changing your life.
Because until your mind evolves, your life won’t.
#Tadé
Anyways, look at my new set up for my videos. 😍🥰
5 months ago | [YT] | 51
View 11 replies
Tadé Makinwa
This is why I show up daily on my social media platforms.
6 months ago | [YT] | 50
View 3 replies
Tadé Makinwa
Any Growth You Ascribe To Yourself But Invisible To Others Is No Growth
Someone who has been on my timeline for over seven years came to my DMs this morning to appreciate my evolution over time. In his words, he said he can see that I am growing and maturing daily, and even in my writings, he can see growth because he’s been reading from me for over five years.
A baby doesn’t know the exact time they increase in height or stature; similarly, there are times when even we as adults do not know when we’ve gained or lost weight until someone sees us and mentions it, and then we start to notice the changes in our bodies. The evidence of growth in life is that people can attest to the fact that you are progressing.
A few days ago, I went through my memories and saw a piece of writing I did about four years ago. I read it again and noticed many grammatical and structural errors, and I smiled. The post had about five reactions back then, and now I see my posts of multiple paragraphs and thousands of words being read by tens of thousands, shared by hundreds, receiving thousands of reactions, and generating multiple discussions and comments. What changed? I asked myself. It’s not magic, I spent more time developing myself and honing my writing skills through reading more, thinking more, researching more, learning from other amazing writers, and also making use of technological resources to improve my skills.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I began to improve in my communication skills, such as writing, speaking, and storytelling; I just began to see myself perform better than I used to, and people also began to notice the growth.
You cannot say you are growing if your design in 2025 as a graphic designer is still the same as what you did in 2015. You cannot say you are growing as a fashion designer if the Kaba style you started with is still what people know you for, without any new techniques. You cannot say you are the best video editor if, in 2025, you don't know the apps and tools that can improve and fine-tune your work compared to what you used before. You cannot be a customer relations manager without knowing that there are new software tools to help you work more efficiently. You cannot say you are a furniture maker without knowing that there are new trends in the industry. You cannot be a makeup artist and still glory in the training you received in 2012 without feeling the need to upgrade. You are a hairstylist, but you don't know about the shift in the fashion industry. You are a nail technician, but you aren’t ready to learn anything new aside from the old-school styles you’ve been doing since 2006. You are a web designer but are not ready to upskill to stay relevant in the industry. The list goes on but let’s move on.
Never be so comfortable with the accolades you’re receiving at the moment that you forget to improve, and hone your skills that you become an authority in that which you know how to do. Let people continue to wonder how you are doing it, how you are coming up with new inventions, and how you keep on surprising them with your service and business.
Yesterday’s glory is just that of yesterday. There are improvements and investments you’ll need to make in yourself to remain relevant. And even when you retire, it won’t be because the world no longer needs your service or skills or because they are outdated, but because you’ve served and you want to rest. Commit yourself to learning and personal growth because the greatest investment you’ll make in life is the one you make in yourself, and may you not be found wanting.
I'll end with this, a new mother once mentioned in my presence that her newborn was losing weight. She took him to the hospital, and the doctor diagnosed the condition. With medical help and constant breastfeeding, the child began to gain weight. The day I saw the child, he was more plump and looked healthy. I joked with him by touching his plump cheek, and the mother said her child has gained weight and I could see the joy in her eyes.
Why did I chip this in? Whatever growth you attribute to yourself that is not visible to those who see and observe you daily are mere wishes that are yet to materialize. Growth is called growth for a reason, it can never be hidden and it set you apart and bring joy to those associated with you.
Come down from your high horse, acknowledge that you are lagging behind, and begin your journey of improvement.
#tadé
#iyawooga
#refinedlady
6 months ago | [YT] | 25
View 0 replies
Tadé Makinwa
Dear Young Person, Your Destiny Demands Maturity
I have seen people grow old but not grow up. I have seen people add years but subtract wisdom.
The tragedy is that many are aging in body but not growing in mind, heart, or spirit.
They are quick to demand respect because of age, yet their thinking, choices, reactions, and decisions betray them at every turn.
Maturity is what puts you ahead of your peers.
It is why you can be 20 years old and yet more grounded, wiser, and more impactful than a 50-year-old who merely celebrated birthdays but never built character.
The Bible tells us of King Josiah, a boy of just eight years old when he became king of Judah. By the time he was twelve, he began to seek God and brought a whole nation back to righteousness. It wasn’t his age that made him fit to lead; it was his maturity.
You must understand that your destiny will not wait for you to grow up.
Life rewards maturity, not just years, and God entrusts more to those who have grown in wisdom, not those who simply grew in numbers.
Pursue wisdom like your life depends on it, because it does.
Practice self-discipline until it hurts.
Serve before you seek to lead.
Reflect consistently: What am I learning? Where did I miss it?
Accept correction, even when it stings.
Submit to mentorship, compress your journey instead of expanding your regret.
And when you start to grow in maturity, you’ll notice that, you seek peace over drama, you prioritize values over vibes, you start to think about legacy, not just luxury, and you choose intention over impulse.
Dear fellow young person,
If you refuse to grow in maturity now, the world will painfully teach you later.
But if you grow in maturity today, the world will recognize and reward you for it.
Destiny is heavy, only mature shoulders can carry it.
Don't waste your youth chasing thrills and empty applause.
Build depth. Build wisdom. Build maturity.
Because at the end of the day, the future will not be owned by the loud, the trendy, or the flashy, it will be owned by the matured.
Grow up.
With fierce love and brutal honesty,
Tadé Makinwa
#Tadé
#iyawooga
#refinedlady
9 months ago | [YT] | 7
View 2 replies
Tadé Makinwa
There’s nothing wrong with you, many people chose to find fault in you in order to feel good about themselves.
1 year ago | [YT] | 7
View 0 replies