What If…

What if you lose your job today, yes I know you just said God forbid and those that lose their jobs daily also say the same hours before they are sacked or retrenched, what happens, with your savings and cash flow today, would you be able to survive and live like you are living now for the next say 1, 2,…, 9 months or a year before you probably get a new job?

What if that person you so much rely on for financial support stops being there probably due to financial constraints on him or sickness or yes God forbid death, that person could be a friend, an uncle, your boss even your parent, what happens to you, would you be able to survive and live like you are living now for the next say 1, 2, …, 9 months or a year before you probably get a new source of cash flow?

I hate painting these horrific pictures but these stuffs are what people face on a daily basis, I have read about a man worth over $1 million in one day and the next day he lost it all, I have a friend whose family was doing well today and the moment they lost their dad, he was in the street because the greedy members of their family sent them packing with their mother, can you imagine the pain, frustration that he would go through. His dreams could be forever shattered, he could be attending the best school today and the next day he is out of it. This applies to students, graduates, workers and everybody who somewhere deep down want more, desire freedom to do what they want to do when they want to it without a boss shouting on their head and a text telling you almost every week that you have not met your target at work. Quite a number of people are jobless now because of the global financial meltdown and these things are not easily predicted or prayed for by anyone.

I believe you can teach yourself how to catch a fish and not always wait for that cool, nice company of yours to pay your salary every month and keeping you just over broke from month to month making you always come back as if there is no other way. I believe you can always achieve freedom especially financially without always waiting for the beginning of a new month to get the next pocket money from your parents as if there is no other way, infact if you can take that away from your parents burden and expenses, they sure would be glad (I believe).

Now…

What if you discover an opportunity that can make you $30 – $25,000 weekly, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that can guarantee you passive Income for as long as you live, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that can make you qualify for free 7 days vacations 3 times in a year to an exotic location around the world, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that gives you freedom to do what you want to do, when you want to do it and with whom you want to do it, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that provides you over 200 E – books and software to download for your personal development and use free of charge, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that can give you access to high discount sales on laptops, cameras, inverters and even land, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that can give you your much needed desire to be free, to fire your boss and be your own boss, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that can give you access to online portals where you can make travel bookings on flight, hotel, car hire and cruise reservations worldwide  for yourself, families and friends with a high discount, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you discover an opportunity that can make you help others to achieve their dreams of financial freedom, time freedom and spiritual freedom, would you go for it and grab it?

What if you have an option to do this part time or full time, remember you have the freedom to, would you go for it and grab it?

Just in case you are willing to go for it and grab it, then take the next step by sending a mail to osideindeadewale@gmail.com telling me you want to know more or give me a call on +2348052450834 or add me on skype with the id – osideindeadewale.

Looking forward to hearing from you as we together walk the path to freedom because FREE MEN WE ARE AND FREE MEN WE MUST BE…

Do Something

I am typing but still thinking whether I really want to do a post on the state of football in this country. After seeing Samson Siasia’s boys waste a golden chance to head into the quarter final of the Under 20 world cup (waste because they had greater possession than the Germans, waste because they had more goal scoring chances, waste because we had a 1 man advantage, waste because the players were just damn annoying), I think I want to write but I don’t think talking about football alone would be worth my time.

Looking at the state of football in the nation, from the super eagles who we are still hoping that a miracle can happen to earn them a ticket to South Africa 2010 to the flying eagles who we required a calculator to calculate their qualification to the quarter finals and now just headed for the airport after messing up in Egypt to the golden eaglet  who lost 15 players because they lied that they were under 17, I can’t but observe the similarity between the state of our football and the state of our nation.

Like the great book teaches, the oil would always flow from the head downward, so it is clear that in Nigeria that holds true. Our president is obviously sick and that oil has flowed into every sector from sports to power, from education to transport, from foreign affairs to the economy, from politics to health, everything is sick. Even individuals are behaving sick, I mean it is sick to see a man wanting to beat up a pregnant woman because of a sit in a public bus, it is sick to see a man trying to use a cutlass to cut a neighbour in a fight, it is sick to see people curse their fellow citizens for no sensible reason, it is sick to see people ease themselves by the road side and just about anywhere, it is sick to see people dumping refuse on the streets without looking back, God, the list goes on and on.

I really hate having to look at the numerous issues plaguing this country, I wish we all could sleep tonight and wake up to see a new Nigeria with constant electricity, good road network, functional and reliable electoral system, good economy, working health sector, excellent educational facilities and faculties, leaders with integrity, vision and passion for change etc but that obviously cannot and will not happen. Mere looking around makes one wonder what tomorrow holds for our dear nation but I am a strong believer in hope, I believe things can still be right in every sector, I believe we can all see a new Nigeria, I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel, I believe in the future of Nigeria.

I believe what we as Nigerians must do is to change ourselves. Nigerians as individuals must get it right, Nigerians as individuals must see this country as ours and do whatever is in our capacity to do to make Nigeria a better place, Nigerians must begin to change because the next president will come from the mass of Nigerians around now and finally Nigerians must pray as only righteousness can exalt a nation, yes we must pray for our president, for every leader in every sector, for  families, for our neighbours  we must pray and not cease to pray until our joy is full.

God bless Nigeria

How Do You See It

A new flood is foretold. In five days the rain will be incessant, and the world will be wiped out.

The Dalai Lama addresses the world’s Buddhists and says, ‘’meditate and prepare for your next reincarnation’’.

The Pope holds an audience and tells Catholics ‘’confess your sins and pray’’.

The Chief Rabbi of Israel goes on TV and says, ‘’we have five days to learn to live under water!’’

 I read the above story in a book titled ‘’The Jewish Phenomenon’’ and yes you can add Noah tells the world, ‘’we have five days to build an ark’’. What struck me actually is the various ways that the different religious groups saw the upcoming crisis but my emphasis is not on the religious groups and you can be rest assured the world would not be wiped out in five days (I hope not), my emphasis is on the way the crisis was seen and basically how we has individuals see situations around us whether they are good or bad.

The various things that I believe make us see life situations differently are our upbringing, the environment we were raised, peers/friends, educational background, religious backgrounds, to name a few. The effects that this various systems and structures have in the way we see life cannot be overemphasized. I heard a friend at the university in 2004 argue with 11 other guys that the tallest building in the world is 7 storey. He was convinced because he was raised in a remote part of Nigeria where he had his primary, secondary and now his university education and the tallest building around was 7 storey. I can’t blame him blame him because all that happened because of the environment he was raised and I can also blame him because at 22 years of age, he never took the pains to explore the world around him by reading or by any other means.

We all know the popular story of 2 people, one saw a glass as half full and the other as half empty, either way they are both right and the reason why they went for what they chose has to do with where they are coming from, their cumulative experiences up to that point and their level of ignorance or knowledge. One thing I believe though, no matter your background, it has no reason to affect your foreground negatively. Our past experience has no right to cloud our judgment in the midst of glaring and obvious facts.

I am a network marketer and it baffles me at times how people can say  no to a great opportunity just by hearing the term ‘network marketing’, ‘referral marketing’ or ‘MLM’. People can see a legitimate company with great potentials and still say no. Life is a daring adventure full of its risks and ups and downs, nothing more can better describe it (I believe). I believe experiences should teach us not blind us because a guy/girl broke your heart once does not mean all guys/ladies are that way, the fact that you had/experienced an auto crash once, does not make you say ok, I would trek the rest of my life, the fact that EFCC are chasing after loan defaulters does not mean you should not borrow from banks if need be.

It is important that we see life the right way, I believe we must learn to let go of past experiences when we see an opportunity that can provide a positive one, I believe we can see life holding the best for us and not the worst, I believe we can see life all round soaking in every experience and riding on the wings of the wind. Nigeria is in a terrible shape, yes most things are not working fine but in the midst of it what do you see, is it a great opportunity to shine or to hope for the worse. Obama once said and I quote ‘’there is nothing false about hope’’.

What better time is it right to shine than in darkness, where else can one sing the Lord Song but in a strange land. The Under 17 world cup is coming up soon in Nigeria, what do you see, a time to make profit, make new friends and build  network, to enjoy good football in the comfort of your home or a time to make a protest because of whatever and thereby denting the image we are working so hard to build. Guys, I throw you this question today, how do you see life and its situations, do you see light at the end of the tunnel, are you optimistic or pessimistic, hopeful or in despair, either way it is your choice but choose to always write each day on a brand new page with the privilege to look at the former pages and write the new more daring and more hopeful of what tomorrow brings. Cheers.

ASUU Strike!30 Days!How Far?

30 days ago, precisely 24th July, ASUU went on strike and as we speak SSANU and NASU have followed the same path. The case between these 3 bodies and the federal government have put students at home for the past 1 month, no wonder they say when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. In a battle where it is quite difficult to be neutral, I believe it is time Nigerians got talking.

I write this representing no body or organization but expressing my own personal opinion on the state of education in this country. I am in my final semester and if there is anybody that despise this strike it is me but I think I would not pull down a common good for my personal gratification, I would not pull down a fight that has the potential of positively affecting the learning environment that my children would ultimately be a part off.

I thought about which side to support in this crisis and I discovered that certainly it cannot be the federal government, I definitely will not support a federal government that has been lying to the general Nigerian populace for the past 4 weeks, first they said they have met 3 of the 4 requests of ASUU – it was a lie, then they said they have set aside #20.6 billion for ASUU , that also had no ground, then they said IAP( industrial arbitration panel) gave an order that the strike be called off, guys I am still at home, definitely I won’t support a federal government that had its education minister spend millions on a party in the midst of an educational crisis, I won’t support a government that approved #8.3billion for the upgrade of cameras for the under 17 world cup when new ones would cost #6billion, I sure will not support a government (quoting Akpan of Newswatch) that made 18 agreements with ASUU between 1981-2005 and implemented none, a government that allocated #1.3 trillion to settle political office holders in salary and allowances and cannot grant a whole education sector #23.4billion (one third of #76billion), I sure will not support a deaf and dumb government that do not hear the cry of teachers, students, parents and Nigerians.

I don’t know but I doubt if the government actually know the state of education in this country, I am a student and I go to class daily, the system is warped. The same things that were thought in the 70’s and 80’s are still been taught, my department cannot boast of a working 21st century furnace and yet it’s a vital requirement of the course I am studying, students stand and even peep through the window to listen to lecture, bathroom and toilet in the hostel is another story entirely, Covenant university which is a private university recently purchased equipments worth $1 billion and the whole federal university in Nigeria put together cannot boast of that, i thought our president was a lecturer. Lets us not even try to check out the state of public primary and secondary school or else.

Again, I would have thought NANS would respond in a proper manner to this crisis but OMG I was absolutely disappointed reading that the senate president in the person of Smart Adeyemi said that the strike is an handiwork of traumatized members of ASUU, would traumatized people be asking for better funding for the universities, a request that if granted would make available a better learning environment for students, would traumatized people asked for salary increment, a request that if granted would probably make our lecturers more motivated and reduce the frowning, bribery that already exist, I think we need better guys representing we students and speaking for us. A NANS government that supported OBJ’1 3rd term bid and whether by omission or commission awarded Prof Maurice Iwu an award of excellence wasn’t representing me and I can count plenty others that agree with me.

Personally for me, my support would surely tilt towards ASUU, I support the request for better funding, I support salary increase for my lecturers, I support a better working condition. Even though I agree that 26% of the budget going to education could be quite high at this time, yet 2.2% is ridiculously outrageous and I have my doubt on how effectively if granted the funds would be disbursed but still I believe no matter what we need a better system and if everyone takes it upon ourselves to query every kobo then this would be no issue. Also even though I believe the strike approach is not the best way to address the issue with a government that has shown no human feeling but still it is a way. Other ways is for every party concerned to speak up, let we students not just sit at home and complain of boredom, let’s take action, let’s talk, write letters, write blog post, start a movement on facebook, organize peaceful protests, you can be sure they are seeing and reading it and hopefully by our massive outcry, they might respond, let parents speak, let other unions from NLC to ERC continue to show their unflinching support.

We can decide to keep postponing the day to fight but then we would keep having more fights. I think we need to fight this once and for all and avoid repetition of this annoying strike over and over again because as it were ASUU as not yet discovered a better way to address this issue or to get the government attention than to go on strike. With the government stooping so low to using threats that they might invoke the ‘no work, no pay’ option and ASUU absent from the recent meeting called by the minister of Labour, the strike is not looking like it’s going to end tomorrow. So, whoever you are, so far you are a Nigerian who wants the best for our educational sector; parent, lecturer, worker, friend, ally, the time to fight is NOW!

I have a dream that one day we would have a working educational sector with good classrooms, well equipped laboratories, well motivated and paid lecturers, good learning environment, properly funded institutions and so on, I believe there is hope for this nation if only you and I stand to do our part. I am doing mine, are you?

Choose This Day

The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. J Martin Kohe

Of all the gift that God gave mankind, the ability for us to decide or choose what we want is the greatest. The fact that you can choose to live life, to be happy, to love, to hate, to kill, to serve, to steal, to smile, to put smile on people’s face, to become born again, it’s simply great. God for all who believe in Him, sure did not make us to be pawns but human beings who can make quality decisions. I just want to look at some options we get to have in our journey through life.

• Vital Few or Trivial Many

Drawing a quick lesson from Pareto, 20% of the people of the world bring about 80% of the change we experience. Jesus Christ, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson, etc are people who at different times have set a new path for us all to take in science, politics, vision, freedom, love, religion, entertainment, sports economics, engineering etc, this vital few basically direct the path that the trivial many goes. They dictate the tune and the rest simply sing along, they choose the venue the rest just show up, they write the cheque the rest just cash it. Men join this elite vital few when they stand up and take action where others have hesitated. They change history when with courage they stand and face the world saying the world is round not flat, when they say we can land on the moon, when they say apartheid must end.

But all this didn’t fall on them, it all started with a decision to go all the way, to see a flicker of fire and fan it to flame, to see a little ray of hope and broaden it to become a shower, to see a candle light and make it sunlight. These guys simply decided, decided not to see men in slavery, decided to make life better for us all, decided not to exploit men, decided not to put the world in bondage, decided to make men have hope and smile. In your choosen field and in life generally, where do you belong – the vital few or the trivial many? Choose this day.

You Too Can Be Great

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can somehow become great. Mark Twain

Michael Jackson, Martin Luther, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Desmond Tutu, Wole Soyinka, Enoch Adeboye to name just a few are people that I consider as great. these men rose beyond various obstacles, trials, limitations, mountains,  valleys, hatred, criticism etc to be the people they are today, some are dead yet they still live. I watched in amazement the burial of Michael Jackson, an event that had 1.7 million people who applied to attend and I heard the great things people said about this man and I simply concluded beyond doubt that MJ was and is great. On the congress wall of the United States, he would be honoured with a plaque but the fact is just anyone can be great, the question is how. I want to share some few things I have seen at work in the life of these great men and I want us to see how we can put them to work in our own lives as well.

1) Focus On One Thing

You can do anything, but not everything. David Allen

I discovered that in the lives of the people I term great, they are not regarded as great in plenty things, for most of them they are regarded as great in one thing i.e. Tiger Woods = golf, Michael Jackson = pop music, Roger Federer = tennis, Wole Soyinka = literature. No denying that this guys may have other abilities and skills but for them to be great they chose not to be jack of all trade and master of none but instead jack of one trade and master of that one. They stayed focused on one particular thing which is what they loved doing the most and today the world honours them for it. In what area do you want the world to call you great in, then focus on it now.

2) Start Early

Another thing I discovered is that for most of this guys they started early, Tiger Woods started with golf at age 2, Michael  Jackson at age  5. Starting early is an important virtue that guarantees greatness in any field. The age called early might differ for various field but it is important to start out  in your field early enough because it would always give you an edge and guarantee greatness and if by chance you have passed the age called early in your chosen field, you can still start now, it’s better late than never you know.

If Only

Whoa, it’s 3 days into the 2nd half of the new month and for the wise I am sure you intend to do better this half than you did the first. I have a few words to share and I believe that it would help you bring the best out of the remaining half of the year.

Have you ever walked past a car store and for a moment imagined yourself driving a particular model that you love or better still, have you ever imagined or pictured yourself doing or having something you desire i.e. sitting down on a chair on the 244th floor of a 300 storey skyscraper and yes you are the C.E.O of a fortune 500 company and you are earning way over a million dollars per annum, that’s cool isn’t it. I discovered something that dreaming like this is cool but the fact is the dream is free but guys the journey ain’t.

I love dreaming and I encourage you to do the same, a life without a dream is a life without a destination but I need you to understand soon enough that the journey to the dream is not free rather it is costly and expensive. I guess some of us know that by now as in probably you started the year with the popular new year resolution or with a goal, you had plenty plans for 2009, they looked so cool writing them down and even beautiful when you dream about them but 6 months later you are faced with reality and you are nowhere near it, don’t feel bad at all it’s not too late, at least you tried.

“My greatest concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” Abraham Lincoln

A lot of us dream but forget soon enough that the road would not be smooth, Jesus had a dream of saving the world from their sin but guys you know the story he died to get it down, Mandela had a dream to end apartheid in South Africa, he had to go to prison on the journey to achieving it, Martin Luther had a dream he died fighting for it.

Friend, looking back at the goals, dreams and tasks you failed to accomplish in the first half of the year you probably can see the reasons why you failed and now you are thinking to yourself ‘if only I had read more I would have …’, ‘if only I saved more or spent less I would have…’, ‘if only I prayed more or if only I asked for help, I would have …’. It’s painful when we get to this point, it leaves a bad taste in our mouth as we wonder and ponder on the reasons for our failure, and it sends that shocking feeling of regret through our vein but guys I didn’t write this to make you feel regret I am writing this to tell you that you still have 6 months before 2009 ends and that means you can still make something happen this year.

“Never Quit.”Don’t ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn’t quitting. If you quit you’ll regret it forever.“. Rudy Ruettiger.

Set new goals, dream new dreams if you don’t have one before and set out knowing sacrifices would be made, set out knowing the road would be rough, set out knowing you might not be able to pay the price once and sit back because the full cost of a dream is not apparent until we begin the journey, set out knowing that you must not allow your dreams dictate your values, set out knowing you can do all things if you believe, set out knowing you are unstoppable, set out knowing the only real obstacle you have is you.

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” -Thomas Paine

I wish you all the best and I hope that by the time you finish this half and you are taking stock, you would not have any ‘if only’ but instead you would end saying ‘I did’. Cheers.

Courage

Go forward into battle and do not shrink away since there is no escape from death…By God, in whose hands my life is, a thousand sword blows on the head is easier than death in bed. Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Harithi al-Baghdadi al-Mufid

I was watching the movie troy again and something struck me that I feel I should share. Two nations were going to war, Greece and Thessalonica and they had hundreds of thousands of men ready to fight against each other.  The king of Greece then made a suggestion that instead of making this guys kill each other let’s have your best fighter fight against mine. The best fighter for Thessalonica was a giant but the best guy for Greece was not even on the battlefield, a boy was sent to call him and when the boy saw him he advised him that if he was in his shoes he would not fight the giant and the fighter (Achilles) said and I quote “that is why you would not be remembered”.

God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right, even though I think it is hopeless. Chester W. Nimitz

Now what is courage, it is the quality of being brave, it is the ability to face danger, uncertainty, or pain with confidence and determination, without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.

If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he surely meant us to stick it out. Arthur Koestler

I discovered that for anyone that wants to achieve greatness, fulfill purpose, get results and leave a legacy or want to be remembered an important virtue that cannot be dropped is COURAGE. A lot of men run away in the face of danger, when we see a risky situation our head begins to blow the alarm saying run away, run away but courage says stay on, yes there could be danger but there is light behind the tunnel.

Fortune favors the bold. Virgil

A lot of men choose a course of action, decide to embark on a journey in career, life etc but when the going gets tough they step aside saying maybe they took the wrong route, they step aside feeling it’s too much for them to handle, they see the obstacles and they feel whoa it’s too great I won’t fight but great men like Achilles in the face of a giant stepped out without fear and brought him down, like David we need to bring down every Goliath in our way.

I am…ready to risk my life against his in single combat to decide whether the kingdom of England should be his or mine. William the Conqueror

Lessons From My Mentor 2

Ok, let me say thanks to all that read the part 1 of this series and I want to believe you got something that inspired you as you journey towards greatness. This is the continuation of what I learnt from my mentor when he visited my school to speak to a group of 30 and then 400.

-          Follow the Bus

In life like Solomon would say there is nothing new under the sun, whatever we seek to do or achieve there is someone already on that path and it is only wisdom for us to place our footsteps in their foot print.

My mentor used his experience while coming to Ife to further sink this truth in. while on his way to Ife, it was late, raining and the Ibadan – Ife road was (and still is) in a very terrible shape, they decided to follow a bus that obviously knew the path better than them, as they followed the bus it helped them avoid major pot holes, ditches, in short every unnecessary trouble on their path and then for a little less than a minute, the driver of my mentor’s car decided to take another path different from that which the bus driver took and then the unthinkable happened, they lost two tires to an unknown element. In the middle of nowhere, with just 1 spare tire, they were basically almost stranded.

As we journey through life, we need to learn from those who have walked this path before us and to do that we need to empty our cup in order for them to fill it for us. Even at times, we want to do it our own way, take another path from the bus driver and then we lose two tires oh sorry loose a job, a friend etc. what we must learn is to shut up, listen and do even if we don’t entirely understand, they obviously know better.

Do you have someone you are listening to, someone you are accountable to, someone who has journeyed the path you are taken before you, then you are on the right path, if not get one today because they are out there.

My mentor said Experience is a costly teacher but a fool would learn by no other.

 - Discover Your Passion

If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.  T. Alan Armstrong 

 Living life without something you are passionate about could make life very boring. A man needs passion to survive, life according to Helen Keller is a daring adventure and a man needs passion to follow after adventure. What are you passionate about, what can you do joyfully and with all your heart whether you are paid or not, what can you do and forget about food while doing, what are you happy doing, what do you enjoy doing, what do your friends say you are good at, these are the ways my mentor said you can discover your passion.

Plenty people put their passion aside and go sit down on a job doing something else, for some a job. The world, the academic environment  can say you are small, you have a 2^nd class lower, a 3^rd class etc but in the area where you have passion for, you are a first class material for sure if you dare to pursue it.

Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night.  Glade Byron Addams

Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark. 

Amiel, Journal, 17 December 1856

 

 - Dream

My mentor said a life without a dream is like a ship without a rudder. Every man needs to have a dream, it helps gives you an idea of your destination. My mentor said if you don’t know where, the road doesn’t matter. A dream gives us direction, points us to the way, guides our daily steps as we pursue and seek after it.

What is your dream, to become a CEO of a multinational, the most sought after motivational speaker, the president, whatever it is you need one and it is important to note that such dreams must be conceivable, measurable and achievable.

My mentor said that as important as your dream is, you definitely need courage to pursue your dream. Don’t blend in with life, STAND OUT. Don’t let anything hold you back from pursuing your dream, if you have to resign from a job do, my mentor said you cannot be stranded, yeah there are times when it appears as if your dream might not come true but the fact is except a grain of corn falls to the ground and dies, it cannot grow, living is dying, after the seeming death, with tenacity and perseverance you would experience it’s resurrection.

 All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence

 - God Doesn’t Play Dice

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect. Ralph Waldo Emerson

 My mentor said there is no luck in life, life is built on principles and if we learn to live by them we would surely obtain the expected result.

 Be ready when opportunity comes…Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet. Roy D. Chapin Jr                                                                        

 I wish you all the best as you journey towards greatness. Don’t settle for good, shoot for greatness. Cheers

 Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself. Theodore T. Hunger

Lessons From My Mentor

Yesterday, i had another great opprtunity to learn from my mentor. After spending about 10 hours on a 3 hour journey due to bad roads and traffic on his way  to my school(Obafemi Awolowo University) alongside his wife and two friends ,he had a breakfast meeting with 30 students and then spoke  to  a group of about 400 students made up of 90% who are in their final year. Both  sessions were powerfuland i thought i should share with you some of the things i learnt. Relax, read, meditate and do.
- Get Knowledge
Someone said that if you want to hide anything from a black man, put it in a book. I read in a book that an average american reads less than a book monthly and i wonder what it is for  an average nigerian…i leave that to you. Alot of us are not willing to part with what we have to get knowledge. My mentor said and i quote ” empty your pocket to fill your head and then let your head fill your pocket” and it goes with the saying of Solomon who said “buy the truth“. The bible says that with knowledge we fill a house with good things.
What are you doing inorder to get knowledge. My mentor said for you to be classed as being passionate about something, you need to have read books that equals your age, so if you are 18 and you are passionate about project management, read 18 books on it, if you are 40 and passionate about marketing, read 40 books. By knowing and learning new stuffs daily, we become better people.  Pay a price today for knowledge for nothing comes free.
…Everyday you don’t become stronger and better, you become weaker and worse…

- Build Networks
My mentor said poor people build CVs but rich people build networks. The importance of networking cannot be overemphasized, we need each other to survive, that guy you abhor, that girl you feel is too low to you might be instrumental for you in the future. We need to value relationships, like Mr Pathman of the V network would say, don’t barb/make your hair in the same saloon, don’t always go to one restaurant, check out different supermarkets( i don’t think so for church anyway), why? to meet new people, we need each other to survive in life. Meet people, get more business cards because you don’t know when they would be useful to you, join social network sites online i.e. facebook and make things work for you.
My mentor would say relationship is everything.
- Be A Blessing
My mentor quoted Einstein and he said you don’t have to think for long to know that has humans we live for one another. When you get your salary you spend a large chunk of it on or for others, when you buy a book  you are making someone richer, when you visit the market you are making someone richer but most importantly is that you are a blessing to someone. Alot of us especially here in Nigeria are busy fighting for ourselves but one person we neglect is our neigbour. Jesus would teach us to love our neighbour as ourselves, what we expect others to do to us let us do to them. Show someone love today, give hope to someone, give faith to someone, encourage someone, pray for someone, give someone a gift today, just be a blessing to someone.

- Life is a banquet

My mentor said that life is not a small restaurant where you are limited to what they have, life is a banquet that offers everything and you get out of life what you demand of it.
Plenty of us sit and wait for life to happen to us rather than happen to life, we need to get off mediocrity, laziness and stand to take our place in life.We can’t afford to look and wait and hope that someday something will happen to us, NO, we need to stand, arise, take action, place demands, do something even if we fail on it, we don’t quit until we achieve and acquire what we want.

- No Excuse for you

One thing alot of us do is give an excuse when things don’t happen the way we want them to. Clay Dyer, Hellen Keller and other great people who lived beyond limitations and obsatcles scream in our ears like the cloud of witnessses that we have no excuse. You have no excuse not to succeed, you have no excuse not to be great, you have no excuse not to live behind a good legacy, you have no excuse not to deliver your future.
We must learn to live beyond every obstacles, limitations or foe and deliver. Lets stop dreaming and waiting for the lion to leave the street, even a moron can dream.
My mentor said that excuses is the language of failures.

join me as i say with my mentor
I CAN, I MUST, I WILL DELIVER MY FUTURE…

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though chequered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat” — Theodore Roosevelt.

watch out for part 2