Success Stimulants

photo credit: oneyearchallengeblog.org The concept of what the word 'hero' stands for can often be relatively exaggerated. Growing up,   I was a huge fan of virtually every superhero cartoon shown on local TV.   From popular ones like Spider Man, Superman, to less heralded one's Freakazoid, Popeye etc.   There's one thing I learned from this cartoon variety; 'Every hero must possess an extraordinary out-of-this-world superpower'.

Image credit: geodavephotography.com Dreams are fabulous representative of our subconscious self. They reflect our perception and perspective about our goals and ambitions. However, most dreams get stuck in the conception stage. Most people find it difficult to put wheels on their goals to set it in motion and they end up rotten at inception. Some people dream and immediately pull the handbrake out of fear of the journey ahead. Be courageous and saddle up to bear every cross that might come with the materialisation of your dream. "“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Dreaming is a fantastic experience. It brings the hope of things to come coupled with ecstasy. Dreaming refreshes a tired soul and reignites a dampened goal. A dream is an underlying bedrock that supports the (slow/rapid) growth of a goal. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

image source: http://mer-cury.com I bless God for another opportunity to be able to do what I love doing best. I also want to say thank you for joining me today. In the past couple of weeks that I was away, I've been able to learn quite a lot which I would be sharing on this platform going forward - one of which the above subject is based on. November 2016, I was at an official gathering where the words 'Forging Ahead' directed the course of the programme.

Photo Credit: The Odyssey Online Happiness – a sacred word craved by so many, appears to be felt by a few.   A feeling that is everyone’s right but not everyone’s possession. A hidden gem with the potential to set lives aglow. Happiness is also an attitude. It is an algorithm that can only be encoded/decoded by qualified programmers. It is like a world, a huge universe ironically with few inhabitants. Happiness is a skill, only for the wise.

Sometimes last week around Ikeja GRA axis, I saw a guy with this inscription on his T-shirt ' Do not wait for your future, create it.'  The deep meaning of these words didn’t sink in and I casually waved it off. Recently, I had a chat with a friend and she shared a picture of a lovely painting of the popular Beauty and the Beast story with me. I was pretty astonished – not at the quality of the painting – but at the fact that she has so much talent than I knew. I have always known her flair for artworks – she’s also a budding poet! But I never thought she is that blessed. So I inquired of her, “What else do you do that I do not know of?” She replied, “I’m a jack of all trade and master of none”. Then I advised her to pick one of her supposed numerous talents and groom herself on it.   Her response threw me aback, “I need a sign, a writing in the cloud… a letter from the Pope.” Photo Credit: motivationgrid.com

The word priority is one not too strange to a common Nigerian man. It cuts across all age bracket and spheres of life. Safely used but poorly implemented. Why? Most people have failed to recognise true meaning of this word. We are going to play around the definition before going through its relevance to today's lesson. 

It has often been said that time and tides wait for no man. I first learnt about this phrase when I was in primary four from the literature book ‘ Çhike and the River’ written by renowned Nigerian Author Chinua Achebe when Samuel Maduka Obi (SMOG) told Chike to hurry up and gather enough shillings (money) to cross the river Niger before the bridge was built across it. Also, it is said that Mr Time is nobody’s friend. But I beg to disagree. Who would give every Tom, Dick and Harry equal chance at life? Only a true friend could. Who would provide us with an equal platform to thrive and make headway in life? Only a true friend could. How then is Mr Time no man’s friend? Truth is, time can indeed be no man’s friend. In fact, it can only be friend with those who come to embrace the way it operates. True? Absolutely yes! Before we proceed, let’s agree on some facts about time.

Wow! I'm so happy you made it! Happy New Year my friend. Glad to have you here. I'm convinced this year is going to be the best yet for you. However, there are just a few things that could help you start the year on a great note (like you definitely want).  I know we're now at that point where New Year resolutions would begin to fly in here and there. People would begin to make meaningfully (at times outrageous) pledges for the New Year. But the truth is, only a handful get to follow through with their propositions. This may be due to unforeseen negating circumstances or personal ineptitude. Research has shown that only 8% of people who make resolutions actually achieve them. So statistically, I bet you're one of those who didn't. Not to worry, you could join the elite list of the 8% mentioned above. All you have to do is carefully read and follow through the points itemised below. 

In a period when there appears to be chaos all over the world. The cry for a saviour has broken the current decibel record. Passionate wail has overthrown the regular groan and moan we used to be accustomed to. People have refused to take seize the initiative and take the world by a storm during this trying time. Rather we have subconsciously transformed ourselves into zombies for fools' sake. We have folded our hands and refused to set it to work and reset things to our taste. I have always held this thought that for us to thrive and overcome this period, we need to get up and stand out Not just that alone, one needs to live above the abnormality the world currently exudes, dare to stand out and carve a niche. Else, one risks being swept away by the incessant flood of abnormality.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” ― Helen Keller . You can either stay put and live a normal life or break the norm and do the extraordinary. And to do the extraordinary, you need to create an irregularity from a regularity. How can you do that? These outlines should help you out.

Taking risk is good business if you ask me. It may necessary not come easy on the eyes but it's always worthwhile. Irrespective of whatever risk you're taking, a big career, business, academics, personal growth or relationship decision, there will always be two positive outcome. You either succeed or fail! Truth be told, you have a greater chance of failing than succeeding.

While thinking of what to share with you today, I stumbled on a piece I wrote over a year ago and I felt compelled to share. This lovely piece was inspired by renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, after watching her speech on 'The Dangers of Single Story'.   The speech was delivered on popular American TV talk show, 'Ted Talk'. Unfortunately, I was unable to see the whole video but the little I caught changed my orientation and perspective about things, issues, people and life. There are two sides to every story   What is a Single Story?

Rather than continue with another important ingredient in the series Recipe for Success , I decided to pick and discuss one of the tools needed to become resilient – which we talked about last week.  Change is a phenomenon that is bound to happen to any man – whether positive or negative. Change is so beautiful and unique; it is only second to death as the constant thing any man will ever experience while earth. I believe we have to be a victim of a change in one a way or the other. Be it physical, mental, or socioeconomic change. No man is free from it, isn’t that marvelous ! However, of all changes one can think of, there is but one which I discovered men find hard to conform with. This, I call ‘Attitudinal Change’.   How about we start with this short story before we proceed on our discussion for today .  

RESILIENCE AND SUCCESS Good day my awesome readers, welcome to another inspiring piece.  Firstly, we would like to express our sincere apologies for our inability to keep this blog running for a while now. We promise you that there would be no recurrence of such.  Last time out, we laid foundation on this vital series ‘ Recipe for Success ’ by talking about ‘ Diligence and Success ’. In case you missed it, you can read here. The story of one of the greatest achievers in history will serve as the bed stone on which today’s topic will be laid bare. This is no other person than Colonel Sanders – the founder of Kentucky’s Fried Chicken (KFC).

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Good morning friend, I warmly usher you into another inspiring edition of Success Stimulants. I want to believe that you’ve started building blocks towards a successful 2016. Today, we are going to start a vital topic ‘Recipe For Success’ which will span a few weeks. We will break down the recipe for success and dissect every of its components; also, its application to our lives and everyday activities.

10 SIMPLE STEPS YOU MUST TAKE FOR A SUCCESFUL NEW YEAR The holiday season is gradually fizzling out and everyone is tilting back to their norms – work, business and career. It is no gainsaying that virtually everyone has a vague idea of what they want their 2016 to be like. From personal development to property acquisition, there is just no limit to what a man can envision achieving this year. However, most people come into the New Year with the backdrop of failed 

7 AWESOME STEPS TO SET AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS – EVERY TIME!   Achieving complex and difficult goals requires focus, long-term diligence and effort. Success in any field requires forgoing excuses and justifications for poor performance or lack of adequate planning; in short, success requires emotional maturity. The measure of belief that people have in their ability to achieve a personal goal also affect that achievement. It’s been said that everyone has goals, whether we know it or not. We have goals to keep our current job, or to get a different one. We have goals to save for the future, or

NOW THAT I AM A GRADUATE, WHAT NEXT? "I am a certified graduate!”. I've been screaming that to the world for weeks. It is now beginning to dawn real hard on me that there is a life after a university degree. Of course, many people seem not to be bothered about this. I can't help but imagine what my life is probably going to  become in the next few months. There is about three months before the clarion call to serve our fatherland and undergo the mandatory one year national youth service is made. This thus brought me to this question. "What'll I do before service?" Now is the time to start preparing, drilling and gearing for life's real experience. Are you at sea about what to do prior to youth service? Dark clouds enveloping your head? No worries! This few tips should bail you out!