Welcome to the Journey So Far, a platform where young people from diverse background share their life stories and achievements. My guest for today is Patrick K. Atsu.

As an Electric Engineer, Patrick Atsu is a passionate poet, author, film writer and Director. Living an early life in the Village, he has built his passion beyond what is expected of an ordinary young achiever. That is the reason why I had the opportunity to have a chat with him where he shared the journey he has walked so far.

Below is the conversation that we exchanged.

PRINCE: As Patrick Atsu can you share when and where you were born

PATRICK: I am born in a very unpopular village called Dekpor in the Ketu North district. It is about 20 miles away from Agbozume and since it is not known I always make reference to Agbozume as my place of birth.
PRINCE: And when were you born?
PATRICK: 25th August 1987
PRINCE: When and how did you start schooling?
PATRICK: (Lol) I don’t remember how and when but I know I started so early that I repeated kindergarten about twice and based on some calculations I presumed I started school at age 2
PRINCE: Any other inspiring experiences when you started?
PATRICK: Well I am a twin and of course we had to battle intelligence together. She didn’t seem too brilliant at the early ages so that mean sometimes I have to try to bury mine intelligence to save the shame of my twin so I was on and off.
PRINCE: what have being your educational history so far?
PATRICK: From the village, we were taken to Agbozume to continue our school from class 5 when daddy lost everything he toiled for 14 years in Nigeria. So I schooled for my Primary to J.S.S at El-Shaddai International School, that’s Klikor continued to Keta Senior High where I read Technical with subjects as Engineering Drawing, Elective Physics, Maths and Electronics. I completed and had to run to Accra for better future. Whilst waiting for my results, I began teaching and God being so wonderful I enrolled at Accra Poly for my Electrical Engineering program which I successfully finished.
PRINCE: What have being those remarkable achievements that you would love to share?
PATRICK: My most remarkable achievement is living my dreams amidst the struggles and disappointments. Currently I am an Electrical Technician Engineer in Volta River Authority (VRA), I am a script writer, film director and a producer.
I am currently directing and producing a self-written film starring, Ekow Smith, Dzifa Glikpoe, Solomon Sampa, Kyeremanteng of the Kasapreko and Vodafone advert fame. I also have David Dontoh sitting in it and some other upcoming artists. I am a poet nominated for award in Philippines next year. I am a song writer and composer. Just have my first book published and hope to launch it soon.
Held some few leadership positions; from J.S.S. I was an unopposed class captain till I became the Senior School Prefect. I was the Agric "minister back in Ketasco, president of the Cultural troupe in school, organiser of the Bright Future Arts Foundation, Librarian for Young Against AIDS then I moved to Accra-Poly where I became the PRO for Engineers Without Borders an international institution. I contested and lost for PRO for school of Engineering. I really hated semi politics of such nature after been exposed to some evils in some of these aspirations. So far so good I am comfortable trying to touch lives than to assume a leadership position that won’t add value to those I need to get to most.
PRINCE: What was your passion back in school?
PATRICK: My passion has always been living my dream of becoming the influential writer and film maker. Since the day I realised my talent in these fields, God added his motivation to chase these dreams. That’s why Electrical Engineer won’t give on a thing like this. I thought I was going to be a pastor until I got to know, my pastoral work is to transform people through the inks of my thought
PRINCE: How does being an Electrical Engineer influence the talents you exhibit?
PATRICK: I always say my type of talent is also another form of engineering. Writing is either invention or innovation of an idea. If I write on a new subject, it is invention if on a common subject, it is innovation. I think being an engineer; I have a broader way of thinking. Like I said earlier on in one of my messages, engineers are solution givers
When I write, direct or use any aspect of my talent. I always want it to be the answer to someone's rhetorical question. It must be a solution to a problem
PRINCE: Juggling and doing so many things at a time, how do you achieve ample results?
PATRICK: Passion always wants a result, passion tells you to sacrifice your night for something, passion makes u feel u are dead if u don’t live that dream, Passion tells you you can do it and passion makes you to find how to do it
PRINCE: How has the Journey being so far?
PATRICK: Touching, disappointing, depressing but fulfilling. When racing, u will suffocate but when you see yourself in the finishing line, you gain strength. To every dreamer the end point is his inspiration and aspiration so though the difficulties set in, it takes the right dreamer to see his dreams come to a reality.
PRINCE: What's has being your biggest failure ever?
PATRICK: My biggest failure has been my inability to help a woman until I heard of her death.
PRINCE: Can you share an insight on what you would have done?
PATRICK: I didn’t have money at the time I thought I must help I was just done with my service and looking for job. If I had known, I would have even sold my phone to assist her.
PRINCE: Tell us about your upcoming book, ‘From Dreamer to Achiever'?
PATRICK: As a growing child, I wanted to be an Electrician. I wanted to be an Electrician because I found a big joy breaking my father’s electrical gadgets and bringing out those wires to light up my small tent. (We used to build small tents behind our house in which we the kids played) I was born in a village where there was no good drinking water, no electricity so touch-lights and traditional lamps such as the kerosene lamps saved the night.
I developed interest in knowing how the touch bulbs gave out the lights. As the days went by, I developed much love for electricity stuff and could not wait to be called an Electrician. At age 8, I was my colleagues’ Electrician. I was fixing the dry cells in my wooden boxes and connecting my bulbs in both series and parallel to beautify our playgrounds at night. My carrier as an electrician had begun. Every day I improved in my “profession”.
At age 9, my carrier ambition shook. My uncle thought I could be a better Lawyer than a common electrician. Well the big boys were the lawyers and so being thought of as a lawyer was going to be a ground breaking thing for the family. I was told what lawyers do. I began asking very critical questions like I was already a lawyer. That’s funny right? I was going to be the first lawyer in the family. I am sure my dad was happier than I was.
Then again, the unexpected thing happened; my Social Studies teacher thought I was doing well in Social Studies and so, I was going to be a good pilot. Again I was not going to be that Lawyer. I was going to be flying like the birds in the air. I wanted to be “driving”
By the time I was in my final year of my Junior High School, I was certain what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an Electrical Engineer. I decided to pursue my engineering ambition only to realize that Engineering was just an interest and not my passion. I found my passions thereafter. It came staring at me asking me to do something about it. I struggled between my interest and passion.
I did not want to let go of my passion and I did not want to let go of my interest to.
These are numerous phases of life we all go through. At a point in time in our lives, we do not seem to know what the future holds for us. The future becomes a puzzle and if care is not taken, it lands us on the wrong side of our destiny.
I was a victim. I loved my interest (Engineering) and I loved my passion (writing and film-making). But I was more into my interest than my passion. Then my passion always comes haunting me. Unfortunately, not many even believed in my passion. I had to devise a way to fulfil my passion against all odds. It was automatic for me in order to be happy; that is where my greatest joy resides.
Not everybody knows what real success means. People get stuck with the decision that can roll their lives over to the next stage. They are either afraid to take the risks, do not know what to do, or do not believe in the end results of those decisions they want to take.
If I had read my own book years ago when I needed to take the decisions to which path I should have taken, I am pretty sure I would have been sitting on the moon by now. We all dream but we do not see our dreams actualize. We are not able to touch our wishes, our dreams yet we continue to dream every day. Turning our dreams into a reality has always been the problem
From a Dreamer to Achiever takes you to the lesson room and provides you with those missing links that make your life complete. The book highlights on those strategies that helped me to make great impact on my life as a growing child. The inspirations here transformed my life and turned my dreams to realities. The magic here work.
PRINCE: So it is basically an Autobiography about your life?
PATRICK: Not at all, you will never see me in the book. That is just to tell what every man goes through that is not part of it now this is to tell it a different way. The book is positioned to help all those who find their passion and maybe their interest and do not know what to do. Sometimes these two phenomenons can be conflicting.
Differentiating between your interest and passion, sometimes, we want to give up on our passions. Passion that happen to be our second soul and how do we really integrate the fight to live our dreams into our everyday life
The book is actually inspirations to help you live your dream; none of the topics had my life in it.
PRINCE: And a little highlight on your upcoming Star-Dubbed Movie?
PATRICK: The Legend is the title and this is a story of a young man who had his passion different from who his father wanted him to be. As he grows through his aspirations, he excelled in all other things but his passion kept him regretting every time because he was chasing dreams that do not really form part of his passions
You see we all succeed in all aspect of life and fail somewhere but the spot point is always on one direction people think to be a failure you must be like this and to be a success you must have a particular reference but in this movie, I exposed so many ways that failure can be recorded.
E.g. imagine someone who has all the successes and fails in his marital life it consists of health, crime, love, education-science and entertainment.
PRINCE: And a rush through the casts.
PATRICK: Ekow smith Asante, David Dontoh, Dzifa Glikpoe, Kyeremateng of Kasapreko and Vodafone adverts fame, Solomon Sampah the white bald headed man of one mosquito coil advert, and three lecturers from University of Ghana, Legon.
PRINCE: How did you succeed in getting all those people onto one set?
PATRICK: My everything is God but my human efforts are that I do what God has given me to do best.
Actually all these people do not accept any story, the three Legon lecturers opted to be part of the story when they saw it with my production Manager, they believed in the story and every credible actor or artist would like to be part of a good story so they think it is good enough for them to be part of what I want to present to the world.
PRINCE: When are we seeing this art work, hope soon?
PATRICK: Yes I am actually finishing works on it now and hope too premier early next year, 2015.
PRINCE: If you should be recognised by Times or Forbes, today what do you think you recognised as?
PATRICK: Inspirational Writer and Film Engineer Or better still Ink Engineer.
PRINCE: What recognitions have you received so far?
PATRICK: Not until recently, I have been always behind the scene yet to be honoured by God and also like I said, I have been invited for award for an inspirational poet in Philippines next year so I am yet to push out the ongoing works not for any recognition though.
My greatest recognition is to have someone walk up to me and say you have imparted my life.
PRINCE: Starting now, what are the things we will be hearing on your name in the near future?
PATRICK: Marriage and relationship counsellor, an inspirational speaker, Career coaching which I am doing now, Influential film maker, Poet and yeah a Great Leader
PRINCE: What are the people who have really supported you in all these journeys?
PATRICK: my mum and dad are not aware fully of my real life they know I am just a go-getter person but they keep telling me, "See, we believe in you and just trust in God and don’t let dreams break you down. If you think this is good for you, just go get it". But they are not able to withstand the risks I take.
Anyway God is my only supporter no other supports from any other place apart from inspirations from all those who believe in my dreams. Their inspirations support me.
PRINCE: What are your final words to young people out there all over the world?

PATRICK: Find your passion and pursue it.
Do not give ears to naysayers and if you fail, just know that is the beginning of your success.
All successful people have ever faced a fall.
And in the course of your struggles, remember God and fight religiously.
PRINCE: Before we go, I'd like to know the Role you play at VRA that gives us “dumsor” (LIGHT OUTS)?
PATRICK: hahahaha, well dumsor would have been a ghost if government gives the necessary support because Engineers hate troubles. I am in the Engineering Services department where is believed to be the real VRA because we do the thinking for the Authority. We are the consultant Engineers for Ministry of Energy, if we have to build a new hydro dam now, it is our sole responsibility. Every engineering project is done by us.
Currently I am the Upper East Regional Rep Engineer on TURNKEY project for Ministry on behalf of my authority, I do the supervision and inspection for the 547 communities in which all this project is taking place
PRINCE: Thanks very much for your time.
PATRICK: I appreciate it so much Prince.