MY LETTER TO PRESIDENT ELECT BUHARI AS HE TAKES OVER

Dear President-Elect,

Once again I say big Congratulations to you on winning the Presidential election, achieving a feat no one has done in Nigeria or maybe Africa at large. I would have trekked all the way to Abuja to personally shake hands with you but the roads are not so safe and my Zulu is pretty young so I have to do this in writing.

However as I write you this letter, my keyboard is almost soaked from the tears dripping down my eyes, yes I write in pain as the task ahead of you seems like the steepest hill in our generation and the point where our country needs a total re-haul. You came in when the debt incurred almost towers the Kilimanjaro, like a sheep set for the slaughter you are taking reigns and like you have constantly reminded Nigerians that you are not a magician, and you do not have magic wands to turn us around in a flash. Despite your victory, it seems a little sour cos . “We can’t afford to do this again,” I said to myself, knowing well the energy and money I had invested in the electoral defeat of the incumbent president (mainly buying data to share my personal opinions on twitter, Facebook and my Blog).

I want to specifically remind you this on the eve of your inauguration that you have promised to CHANGE Nigeria and restore all the years of decay, yes you have inherited a broken country, a divided people and most especially a weak economy and yes we know it is surely going to be tough but please take it easy and from time to time I know you would ask yourself how come you struggled so hard to inherit this trash. Yes you have won, congrats but the only thing that would keep you there is performance and trust me in 2019 it would be easier voting you out if we don’t smell fresh air. I only pity those who also won in their respective states and refuse to move a muscle after 4 years, they would go. They also chanted CHANGE and promised competent governance, we would regularly update their scorecard for them. It would be most difficult for the likes of Akinwunmi Ambode who inherited a brilliant Lagos nurtured by an amazing Governor. Babatunde Fashola lived up to his promises by investing well in infrastructure and human capital; I almost forgot alternative revenue for the state. The reliance on the center was little.

STEP OUTSIDE THE BOX

A respected counsellor says: ‘First you crawled; then you learned to walk and the world grew bigger. Then you rode a bike… drove a car… bought a plane ticket. Suddenly the horizons were limitless. Then doubts crept in: I can’t (you fill in the blank)… and your world shrinks a little. I shouldn’t take that trip… I’ll never find my way around… I’ve too many responsibilities. And it shrinks a little more… [until] you’re sitting in a little box with the lid tightly affixed. No experiences, no lessons, no life. Boxes can be comfortable… but no matter how cosy you make it, it’s still a box. They come in all shapes and sizes.

When we let unrealistic fears hold us back we can be fairly certain we’re climbing inside another box… and sooner or later we’ll run into the walls. Find one small “I can’t” in your life and take the lid off the box… try for a minor impossibility… apply for that dream job… start pursuing your vision… Poke the top off your box. Stick your head out and look around. Find a fear and turn it into a ladder. Get out of the box of doubt and insecurity and into the freedom of courage and belief.’ If you let it, fear will cause your imagination to run riot. But ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). A sound mind restores your perspective and helps you see things from God’s viewpoint, where all things are possible.

Today He wants to give you the courage to climb out of the box and bring you ‘into a large place’, because He ‘delights’ in you. We most times stay in our comfort zone and the failure to launch drives us to mediocre contentment, we usually get too relaxed where we are without a sense of moving on. I was once a victim of this attitude until I woke up someday realizing I was almost left in the past and friends and family members have all moved. The major cause of this is usually over analysis, over processing ideas and not taking decisions on time. I am however not suggesting you should run eyes closed into decisions. I belong to the school of thought that believes that the best way to succeed. Once I get an idea I run it by my wife and my 3^rd person, my mind, critically get the pros and cons and what my exit plan plus plan B would be then I hit the ground running.

I am motivated by a quote from Sir Richard Branson….”If your dreams don’t scare you, then they are too small” yes I set them so high that most times I forget that my resources would not come close to starting the project talk more of finishing it, well that drives me as I always want to see the end. The worse thing to do in life is not to take a risk, nature would forgive you for taking a wrong decision but would certainly not forgive you for not taking a decision at all. (this however does not suggest that we indulge in immoral acts) they might not take you to the point where you have an option to recover from natures punishment.

I would like you to consider it, take a leap today, step out of the box, and expand your thinking.

If your mind could stretch to the limits of your thinking, how wide can you think?

WHY SO MUCH BEEF FOR LINDA IKEJI?

So this week was quite interesting for me and I learned a few PLENTY things… the highpoint of this week was the site pull down of Linda Ikeji’s blog on the grounds of plagiarism. I had a very tough time with my colleagues Igoche Egwu and Dare Davids trying to understand why someone would go so far to shut down a bloggers site. Then we went as far as talking about the essence of her blog and how she got to the peak of blogging in Nigeria (this they totally disagree). Well I guess they would not understand as blogging is a gift and you only feel it when you have the experience.

I stand corrected to make bold may statement that Linda Ikeji has developed digital media in Nigeria and blogging has now become lucrative because people like us have gotten sponsorship deals from blogging. It is a pastime that would make you some money if you are judicious with it. Well with the people I mentioned there, I doubt you can ever win any argument as they would come at you with different points, (annoying or sensible) just to make sure you don’t win. Other colleagues saw my points and maintained that the site shouldn’t have come down cos of a mere story. Gossip sells reason why Kim Kadashian, her family and the Jenners have made it big on the biggest Gossip TV ever.

Well I stumbled on a post by one of my funny and hilarious blogger Ofili and below is an excerpt from his blog.

It all started with the Linda Ikeji plagiarism accusation story, which I am sure most of you have heard by now so I am not even going to touch that. But what struck me about the many debates I was involved in on twitter, Facebook pages, Facebook groups, whatsapp and others places is the amount of disguised hate people have for the Linda. People will say “o we are not hating we are just stating that plagiarism is wrong” and “she should apologize and everything will be fine” but then when she apologizes … people will say that “o that apology was not good enough” or “the comma was off a little bit.” No matter what she said or did a small select people will find fault in it. And that made me think and realize something…

And that is that whether you like it or not there are people that will hate you, it is an inevitability of life. And the more successful you are, the more hate you will get … this is nothing new. But the clincher is that the hate escalates even more depending on the job you do. Let me explain…

About a month ago, I was driving down the roads of FM 1960 in Houston when a truck sped past me at about 80 miles per hour converted to Nigerian units it was moving very fast! It was 11:00 pm and obviously dark except for the street lights. I was startled. When something like that happens it is normally an indication of a live street race so I know not to switch lanes so I don’t get clipped … and before I knew it another truck zoomed past me. I was right … this was definitely a street race …

But then another truck sped by and yet another one … that was like 5 trucks in a row and at top speed. Which is odd because trucks don’t do speed races typically. And then I started looking at the trucks much more closely and realized that this was not a street race! These were tow trucks … and they were racing not for leisure but for business…

There had been an accident and they were on a race to get to the site as fast as they could. Their top priority was not who lived or who died or who was critically injured in that accident but rather who got there first … even if it meant causing another accident! “What type of people would do a job such as this?” I thought to myself.

A job that depends on accidents to be successful. No matter how you spun it, tow truck drivers to me were dirt. You couldn’t spin it any other way. And the way I think about tow truck drivers is the way a percentage of people think about “gossip” bloggers such as Linda Ikeji. No matter how you spin it, they are and will be hated by some people for seemingly exploiting people’s social accidents. They could walk on water, build a hospital in Kano and even bring back our girls but they will be hated. That is what Linda is facing and will face continually because of the job she does …

The way I think about tow truck drivers is the way a percentage of people think about “gossip” bloggers such as Linda Ikeji. No matter how you spin it, they are and will be hated by some people for seemingly exploiting people’s social accidents.

That made me realize that I need to be even more objective in criticizing (and supporting) public figures, I need to be slower in jumping to conclusions about people who on the basis of their job description are more prone to be hated … from LASTMA to Nigerian Police to Flashy African Pastors. Because not everyone is 100% evil …

The same Tow Trucks that zoomed past me in the middle of the night are the same ones that helped tow my car when it broke down and the same ones that jump started my Camry when the battery was out. I learned all that this week when I saw someone that has given and helped so many people get her character practically torn down in the space of seconds!

Picture Credit: Mania Magazine

 

DONT BE A DAVID MOYES IN THE OFFICE

The David Moyes story, as told by the 2013/2014 football season, this drama rocked the football world and Manchester United as a club, so unless you have been living under a rock or perhaps you hate soccer football so much that you close your ears every time you hear the words GOOALLLL … then you would have probably heard the phrase “The Chosen One” in reference to David Moyes the now ex-Manchester United coach who got fired after just 10 months on the job.

What’s more troubling is the fact that he was handpicked by arguably (from a Liverpool fan’s perspective) the greatest Manager in English Premier League History Bill Shankly Alex Ferguson. Who selected David Moyes specifically to continue his Manchester United legacy of greatness. Who would object to such a recommendation coming from such a prominent figure? Nobody. That’s why Moyes was signed to a staggering £36m six-year deal!
But from tales of arguments on the training ground with players, to fans turning against the new coach and a string of abysmal record breaking defeats … Moyes was fired after less than a year on the job. A firing that occurred against the back drop of a banner draped in the Manchester United stadium that read THE CHOSEN ONE.
Perhaps the plan was for the banner to hang for 6 years but it barely lasted 10 months. In fact the banner was one of many things that went wrong in the whole David Moyes saga and is actually #1 in my list of The 4 Ways To Avoid Becoming A David Moyes At Work…

#1 Do Not Hang A Banner In Your Office Declaring Yourself The Chosen One And Don’t Let Anyone Hang It For You Either

A saying that I love goes
“Understand what is expected of you and exceed those expectations.”
I add my own spin to it and say
“Understand what is expected of you and exceed those expectations except if the expectation is too high in which case you should lower the expectation as much as possible.”

WHO FLIES THE KITE?

On a breezy March day, the town mayor happened to stroll through the park where a small boy was flying the largest, most beautiful kite he had ever seen. It soared so high and floated so gently, the mayor was sure it must be visible from the next town. Since his little town did not have very many things of note to its credit, the mayor decided to award a “key to the city” to the one responsible for setting this spectacle aloft.

“Who is responsible for flying this kite?” the mayor inquired.

“I am,” said the boy. “I made the kite with my own hands. I painted all the beautiful pictures and constructed it with scraps I found in my father’s workshop. I fly the kite,” he declared.

“I am,” said the wind. “It is my whim that keeps it aloft and sets the direction it will go. Unless I blow, the kite will not fly at all. I fly the kite,” the wind cooed.

“Not so,” exclaimed the kite’s tail. “I make it sail and give it stability against the wind’s whims. Without me, the kite would spin out of control and not even the boy could save it from crashing to earth. I fly the kite,” declared the tail.

So, who flies the kite?

This week, remember that the kite flew high in the sky because of the team driving it.

Be a good team player.

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YOU CAN REACH THE WORLD

Once a bird asked a bee, after a continuous hard-work, you prepare the honey. But a man steals the honey. Do you not feel sad? Then the bee replied: Never! Because a man can only steal my honey not the art of making honey!

Here are 3 ways to care less about who takes from your creations and care about the art of making more.
1. There is more in you – This is your creation. There is an endless deposit of creativity in you to tap from and to keep improving. Continue to dig deeper to unearth more deposits.

2. Change your mindset – A scarcity mindset will inhibit your ability to do extraordinary things with your gifts and talents. Think abundance. Be generous.

3. Reach the world – You have been called to impact your world. Do it. A bee may only be producing honey in isolation for 1 beekeeper, but that honey can reach consumers thousands of miles away.

You too can reach the world by doing the little you can

LIFE CHANGES

I got this piece from a friend and thought I should share with you all..it makes for interesting reading…

A carrot, an egg and a cup of coffee… You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?” Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity, boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? “Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?” Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life. If you don’t send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone’s day with this message!

DEVELOPING GREAT MINDS!

For everyone who ever succeeded in problem solving aptitude, the state of their minds plays a very significant role. No one is born with a great mind; people only learn to develop theirs through formal and informal education in life lessons. Your mind plays a significant role in determining either your success or defeat in life. Successful people chose not to be discouraged or overwhelmed by the problems they face. So there is need for you to continually guard your mind against the various workplace distractions. If by choice you complain, nag or be constantly threatened, the result will be sadness, quitting and failure. Your mind needs to be sound for you to overcome the daily challenges we face in life. Worry and sadness only worsen things, even though it might look like the natural thing to do but for you to win in life, you need to develop an encouraged and joyful mind. 
We can draw up two equations from the above:
Sadness + worry + nagging + complaining = Failure in Life.
Joy + encouragement + wise counsel + God’s wisdom + sound thinking = Overcoming Life.

How we individually process our experiences determines our outcome. God’s Word gives us perfect peace in tough times. No matter how long a problem has lingered this Monday morning, make wise choices now and you are on your way to having the last laugh. Rise up to apply your mind to joy, strength and courage so you can overcome doubts, unbelief, desperation and compromise that has become the norm today. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead fix your attention on God. You will be changed from the inside out, readily recognize what he wants from and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity. Enjoy your week in the marketplace.

 

YOUR ASSOCIATIONS

 We can never underestimate the power of influence; association imparts on our lives – business, career, family and life endeavours. It is possible to be blown off course as you share your life with others but at whatever point you find yourself this Monday morning, we can retrace our steps with these basic questions:

 

How did I get here?

Who am I constantly around?

What impact has this association had on me?

What do I need to change for the better?

What is my detailed pilot plan for change?

 

We live in a world that is constantly evolving. We need to take a closer look at how others can influence us both negatively and positively. Maybe everyone you associate with has been a positive energizing influence or maybe there are some bad apples in the bunch. We need to take an objective look today because everything is worth a second look, especially the power of association. Good association will surely take one in the right direction we need to go in life. This is called association on purpose which means we are around people who consistently influences us positively to expand our horizon in life. ‘We can become wise by walking with wise but when we hang out with wrong crowd, we can watch our lives fall to pieces’.