inspirational talk

There is a bully in all of us. It takes a great deal of discipline, good nature and godliness to minimise bullying tendencies particularly when we are in position of power, be it social, political or economic. The heart-rending news of the passage of Sylvester, a boarder in a secondary school in Lagos, whose promising life was aborted in the most unfortunate manner, should serve as a wake up call to all of us not to ignore bullying, even when in disguise. I imagine the pains that Sylvester’s family is nursing at this difficult time. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The truth that is coming to the fore is that many parents contribute to the bullying of their wards when they fail to listen to them even when they have things to say. In a bid to meet the dictates of the society, many times we undermine the unique nature of our children and force a new nature on them. We ride roughshod on their personality until they tune off and stop talking to us or anyone.

Live life from the positive side. Truly, there are times when smiling does not truly reflect your mood but the person that will be purpose fulfilling cannot define life from the blurry lens and still expect to see clearly. For every one reason to be moody, there are two reasons to be grateful. It will appear as if we are wired to think that what characterises life itself are the activities we form around it. The urge to succeed leaves us acquiring that we, sometimes, forget to give more so we can acquire more.

Each day presents me vista of opportunities for new discoveries and adventures. As nature adds years to my life and as I consciously add life to my years, I discovered a fact about life. The freest human beings are those who do things their way. I found out that the life of an imitator is a very stressful life. Those who do things their way are quick to borrow from the knowledge of others but they are not stereotyped. They don’t pretend to know everything but they don’t allow themselves to be caged to a thought process. They fear less about what tomorrow will bring because they are not restricted to a one size fits all approach to any problem. It is good to aspire to do the things that make other people great but smart people do not have to be like others before they do the great things that others do. They imitate good things but they don’t settle for an imitator as an identity because their own identity is never mistaken. They copy the great things but they do things their way to achieve great results.

We live in a mobile world where everything is happening at the speed of light. Innovation is catching up with those who are too stereotyped to be bothered. The upwardly mobile have an eye for the slightest opportunity and they waste no time to seize it for personal gains and self development. Whenever it is time for you to move to the next level, please close the door gently behind you. To be called restless is no longer an abuse. Restlessness in the current age best describes the innovative and creative fellows who are causing the needed disruptions in a fast changing world. Even in your restless state, you can still be patient and pay attention to little details. It is very risky to be restless and impatient at the same time so you are not blinded to the path that can get you to your destination faster.

It is not too difficult to get a patriotic citizenry but it is difficult to ask a people to be patriotic in a country that further impoverishes the poor. Nigeria legitimately impoverishes the poor, unfortunately so. All of us are bearing the brunt of poor judgement by policy makers when they chase shadows and address the symptoms of a big problem, the cause of which they usually ignore. I attended a webinar organised by my state government last week and I challenged a decision of my state government to have concentrated the establishment of model schools in a particular location. These model schools were funded with resources that belong to all citizens of the state. The Commissioner for Education justified the decision when she said that the establishment of these model schools in particular locations, at the expense of other parts of the state, is demand driven. She was right, her reason was justifiable but I did not have the opportunity to tell the Honourable Commissioner that in advanced climes, planning is futuristic and not reactive.

There are things we take for granted, self indulgence is one of them. Sometimes you just feel like crossing your legs and indulge yourself to unwind. If you ignore such moments, it is at a great cost to your productivity and inner fulfillment. Productivity has a direct correlation with your state of mind. Your mind has a powerful influence on you that others don’t see. Jim Kerry opined that your soul is not contained in the limit of your body. Rather, your body is contained in the limitlessness of your soul. Let that sink in. If you collaborate with your mind, your time will be better spent and not wasted. Indulge yourself if you have to, just like me at this moment. Have a productive week.

Cont’d Leadership is a problem of today but followership is a problem of today and tomorrow put together in one basket. Reason is not far fetched, tomorrow’s leaders will evolve…

It takes courage to build hope around the Nigerian dream. Some would even argue if there is any dream at all. Nigerians love Nigeria even if they can’t explain. Show…

Leadership entails identifying a problem and proffering anticipatory solution before it becomes an emergency. Call it proactive leadership and you won’t be wrong. Whether this could be said of leadership at all levels of government in Nigeria, from local to state and federal is a subject of national debate. What exactly is the value of the life of an average Nigerian whose death is announced casually like every other news? What is a Nigerian worth? Concerned public office holders allow a pothole on a highway to manifest to a gully until it results in accidents that claim lives before they act. Why? Why do we allow red alerts of insecurity to snowball to imminent emergencies and loss of lives before we start calling for dialogue? Why?

America is in the eye of the storm and many are wondering if the land of liberty can still flaunt the title of the beacon of democracy as it is wont to. While I admit that there is a big question mark on America’s moral right to police the entrenchment of democracy anywhere else, I still believe that America’s democracy remains a model, even in spite of the brazen assault it suffered in the hands of President Trump and his allies