African Time.

Three days ago, I attended an event where I met some young Nigerians drawn from various fields. Come and see faces bristling with brilliance, some accomplished, some in-between, others wearing faces that symbolize hope for the Giant of Africa. These are those selected by a panel for Nigerian Dream Personality Award, an award to be given at National Rebirth Art project in Dubai in February, 2016. When I arrived at the meeting, I met some of the organizers, decked in Nigeria Rebirth T-shirts.
Naija get beta hope.

This meeting was scheduled by 10 am and I came about 10:20am, afraid that traffic must have played a fast one on me. But alas, I really wasn't late as we stood up for like an hour, waiting for the Minister's Boardroom to open. While I waited, I met a new friend, Micheal, of Skydev Global resources and also Sonia, an interesting young woman who tutors school children .

While we were standing, the minister came in. I apparently didn't know he was the minister judging from his attire. I thought he looked like some smart security personnel assigned to the Ministry of youths, the type that are quick to roll their eyes and ask 'Oga, anything for your boys?' If you've never met him, you would hardly know he's the minister, particularly with his blaring red beret. Behind him, I could see about four or five mean faced Policemen with disciplined smile perched at the edge of their lips for the sake of courtesy. I was taken aback when I learned he was the minister. He passed I and my new friend and noticing that we did not quite recognize him, he asked us, 'Where is the minister nah, hasn't he arrived? ' Such an interesting personality he is.

 But my friend asked me an important question. "Why are we so sold out to African Time? I searched my mind for answers. I pondered on moments when African Time had affected me badly. When I arrived for programmes early, only to wait a long while before it starts. I remember when we organized an event in our organization, Motivators International, where we started way beyond schedule even though the event was very impactful in the end.
I don't know who to blame, nature or nurture, Africans or just Nigerians.

What exactly is African Time? Or better still Nigerian Time? What is it with us to think that 10 am is actually 11 am, 1pm is same as 2pm and 3pm sits comfortably at 4pm? Do these things happen in Europe, Asia or America?

Are you wondering what later happened when the minister came? Don't worry, tomorrow I will write about how the meeting with the Minister went.

I have since decided to take it personal with African Time. To start keeping to time strictly this 2016. Let's call this D-Motivator's Time. Hehehe. Do you have any thoughts to share on African time? Have you ever been affected or infected by African time?

REMEMBERING THE ARMED FORCES.

Every 15th January, Nigeria remembers a special set of people. Generally, the armed forces refers to the military force of a nation. Today, in remembrance of our fallen heroes, wreaths are laid, fallen soldiers are remembered and we  seize the moment to better appreciate what our armed forces do in maintaining out nation's integrity.

I think it is a special responsibility to be part of the armed forces, to be more concerned about your country's protection from external aggression and all forms of insurrection, to be awake when others are asleep, to be faced with immense dangers in times of confrontation.

Uncountable number of soldiers have died in times of war, fighting for the nation's course; they represent an embodiment of courage, resilience and doggedness. They are trained in such ways as to enforce law and other. This is why when a soldier slaps you, depending on his level of annoyance, you will be tempted to explain to your ancestors, because they are trained to inject a level of force to every civil disobedience.

Soldiers are indeed a special group of people, yes, the good ones who believe that they have been called to serve. But just like every other profession, sometimes having one Judas in every twelve, there are some military people who are easily driven to exalt their ego before law abiding civilians.

I think today is a special day we could learn from what it means to be a soldier. It means to fight to the very last, it means not to look back in the face of confrontation, it means to bring a winning strategy, to bring result to the table and not story. How mean can we be in the face of challenges?  How much do we pet what we should battle - habits, wrong association and anything that threatens who we were born to be?  What about the enemies that crumble our inner peace, worries that war against our soul?

As we remember our armed forces today, remember, you are armed to the teeth with every arsenal to be the best God has called you to be. Look within, you will find it.

May the souls of all our fallen soldiers rest in peace.

RETHINKING EXCELLENCE

Hello Friends! Let me first of all welcome you to my blog for the first time this 2016. I've been away from here for a while and I'm back now. The way new year resolutions have been flying around, I hope they have enough fuel to reach the end of the year. Anyway, we'll get to interact more here.

So recently, I've been thinking. What is it that really distinguishes people? What makes a person leave a legacy and another just passes through like the wind, covering distance in no particular direction?

There's a thought perched at the roof of my mind. I chew it for a while, break it into morsels of meditations and spread it out to dry. I am thinking of the price of excellence. That factor that defies race and prejudice, that fragrance everyone wants to taste and embrace. That word that when given the benefit of definition, is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.

Oftentimes, people are quick to string excellence to academics alone but a life of excellence creates a hunger for the best in business, leadership, innovation, relationship and other aspects of life. It is what forms the foundation for one's ability to stretch.  

Because excellence doesn't dwell long in the city of Everybodies, where everyone spreads tent, it answers to people who are willing for an extra walk; who ask the right questions, connect with the right people, read the right books and set sail at the break of dawn while others wait for the stainless sea.

The first thing to consider in excellence is Vision. How far can you see? How willing are you to reach out for it? The difference between people who leave lasting legacies and those who don't is often what one sees that the other cannot see, what one feeds on that the other despises, what one feels is enough that the other thinks is just the beginning.

As the Sun rises today, let us ponder on the words of Martin Luther King Jr. "If a man is called a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michealangelo painted, or Beethovan composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven will say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.'

Meanwhile, #FirstThingsFirst, whatever your hand finds to do, give it your best shot.

Wishing you all the best as always.
D-Motivator.

BECOMING A MOTIVATOR

Lovely people, welcome to November, the month of my birth and the month of our Motivators International Youth Summit. It’s going to be a super-loaded month. Many times, people wonder why I am a Motivator. So recently, I read the story of John Kennedy Toole and this story will tell you why I am a Motivator.

John Kennedy Toole was a writer who took quality time to write the amazing book, A Confederation of Dunces. At the time he finished this book, he was 31 years old. He was bursting with life and laughter and the prospects that lay ahead of this manuscript could only be imagined. Excitement, fulfillment, everything lay rumbling happily in his belly.

When he began searching for a publisher who will believe in this proud piece of work, no one believed in it. Days chased nights and weeks turned to months. With each passing day, his frustration increased. After several failed attempts, he did the worst thing a discouraged soul would do, he took his own life.

Well, after Toole's death, his mum found a coffee-stained manuscript which her son had concluded before his death. Mrs Toole took it to a College professor who confirmed that this piece of work was genius. And he recommended it to a publisher. So eleven years after Toole's death, his book was published behind his back through the doggedness of his mum and this book later went on to win the much coveted Pulitzer Prize in America.

This got me thinking, if only someone had believed in Mr Toole, if only someone had encouraged him, maybe he would have held on to some flickering light when he got the end of his hope tunnel. And this is why I am a Motivator, to help someone with some light to see the staircase of their next level, to help another see possibility where there is gloom, to give one person reason to believe in the beauty of their dreams, to help young people generate business solutions to poverty.

You see, when Mr Toole died, life went on, like nothing happened. If you die because your life is currently in a maze of difficulties, life will go on and you will be successfully forgotten. And if you don't have a manuscript like Toole had, which will speak for you when you're gone, people will forget you as fast as they forget an empty bottle of coke after they've drained its liquid life. So don't choose suicide, choose life. Believe in yourself. You are beautiful beyond measure. God has made you with so much wealth within you.

So at Motivators International, we inspire solutions that help your dreams come alive, we partner with God to mine beauty out of your ashes and help you maximize the deep seated gold you never knew was there. Would you like to join us? We're currently in Abuja and Port Harcourt and coming up with our Lagos presence.

Well, if you're a young person, from the ages of 15 to 40, we're inviting you to our Motivators International Youth Summit, holding in Abuja on 28th November, 2015 at Hotel de Horizon, Wuse 2, Abuja by 10am. The theme is Young People in Nation Building; The Power of Synergy.

I and the Motivators family look forward to connecting with you. To join Motivators, you can fill this online form to follow all our updates.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-o4CMAw3t_FI9-yF9BIuDwcBkVW_49n1z25xlYkJyVM/viewform




Best Regards,
D-Motivator.

WHAT IS IN YOUR HANDS?

Standing in front of a threatened people, beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead. Moses' reputation hung on the weighing balance before his people and before the red sea. It's been a long boring walk to freedom. Their destiny journey and the red sea looked each other in the eye, and together they looked up to Moses for action. He was not used to this but with the hopes of a generation strapped to his courage, he had to take action or perish. And really, you never know how strong you can be until being strong is the only option you have.

What else would the righteous do?

He looked up to God.
God asked him, "What is in your hands?"
"A rod," Moses said.
"Strike it on the water" the Lord told him.
When he did, a rumbling arose in the womb of the sea, mighty walls of water piled on each other in quick succession. It was a totally new experience and the eyes of the Israelites rolled up the high water wall. Wowed by this wonder, they began to walk through.
Yet in the midst of their miracle, came the chariot of their adversaries, hot-breathing, sword-wielding oppressors pursuing them through the parted water. But it was too late to stop a generation with a speaking rod.

A generation's walk to a place of destiny could have been truncated if the rod in the hands of Moses had not been leveraged upon. If he did not know God, the Master of creation, it would have been difficult to know the worth of his rod.
What is in your hands that you have been neglecting? A woman when asked what she had, she said 'only a pot of oil' but from that pot of oil came sustenance.

When Jesus wanted to feed the five thousand, they found only five loaves and two fish. Yet after he gave thanks, there was enough to eat and much more to gather. Are you properly exploring what is in your hands? Or could it be that you've not been grateful enough with the little you've already received?

Think about it, that thing in your hands could be the hope of a generation, that idea in your head could be listed as one the next Fortune 500 companies soonest. Nothing fails in your hands today. Have a wonderful day.

Sincerely Yours,
D-Motivator.

THE NEW NORMAL

Recently, I’ve been reviewing what makes people live an average life. My mind has not yet come up with a comprehensive answer but one thing is clear to me. All those who desired to be outstanding took their mindset above normal existence. They took a conscious decision, they worked at it and with time, they became outstanding.

There’s something common among normal people, they only work when they feel cool, they set sail when the sea is calm, they take off when the coast is perfectly clear, they wait to see the whole stairs before they can make the first attempt, and then they fall, feeling unlike it. So in waiting for perfect moments, for El dorado and bliss, the Sun goes down on their goals, the moon shines on their laziness, the stars sparkle across their indecision and this normal sluggard is yet to wake up from slumber.

According Maya Angelou, if you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be. In the Bible Story of David, when David decided to become a Lion killer, he was not looking for who to impress. When he killed a bear that came to attack the sheep he was taking care of, he was not showing off to anyone, as a matter of fact, the act was not even before an applauding audience. He was bold, daring, courageous, amazing, not because of eye service but because his convictions were real, he did not want to be normal, he wanted to be outstanding.  

The problem with most people today is that they are too busy looking for applause while lacking content; they are looking for validation but they are simply normal folks, doing normal things and getting normal results, never able to get ahead.

Truth is, you were created to be amazing, but you need to infuse this into your thinking, especially when you feel down, when your fuel dries and it seems like life does not make any sense in the immediate. This happens to everyone at some point in life but your ability to stay afloat, to refuel your passion will keep you on course to being amazing in life. Quitting normal life starts with a mindset to dare to be different, outstanding and willing to take a road less traveled by.

Join us on Sunday, 20^th September, 2015, by 3pm at Hotel de Horizon, Right Turn after Banex, Wuse 2, Abuja at Motivators Roundtable, Abuja. It’s a programme organized by Motivators International and it creates an amazing time for Young Professionals in Abuja to network, interact and activate excellence. Our guest this month is Dr Charles Ononiwu, the Founder and President of Youth With A Purpose, YWAP and also a Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon. He is an amazing personality with a heart for young people. His organization, YWAP has reached thousands of young people discover their purpose in life.

He will be speaking on the theme, The New Normal.

I look forward to welcoming you in our midst.

GROWING UP

Hey, lovely people, welcome to a new month.

Who's excited about September? It will be awesome. We will have more engaging stuff here. And also, in Motivators International, we'd have a couple of things to talk about. Hope you get to join us in any of our Motivators Roundtables in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos to connect with young professionals and also polish yourself unto excellence.


Well, this month, we'd be looking at what it takes to grow up.

Growing up could mean different things to different people, to some it means being able to secure a job and take care of one’s needs, to another, it’s being able to graduate from college and to someone else, it means being able to overcome a certain type of fear. All of this is part of what it means to grow up but there’s really much more. When we were Children, we taught like Children. But when we grow up, we put away childish thinking.

Personally, when I was a child, I used to love milk. I promised myself that once I had enough money to buy milk, I will drink and drink until the heavens draw a little nearer the earth. And because when we were growing up, daddy used to make tea look like swimming pool, nestled in a big jug - where everyone pours out the light liquid with grudges, hoping that daddy will look away so we do the needful by scooping more milk and Bournvita into the transparent liquid - I promised myself a type of tea, thick as emulsion as compensation. But now that I have money enough to buy milk, I have bigger things to bother about.

But growing up also entails disrupting old mentality, bracing up for bigger dreams, stretching and striving for significance. Everyone gets to grow up in some way. And if we fail to realize this, change happens to us, whether we like it or not. People may hurt you at some point in your life, sometimes it's even people you trust. But would you grow up? Would you grow up not to presume too much on people's love because they might do something you'd be sorry for? Would you grow up to know that if your dream has to live, it's up to you? Would you grow up and learn to control your anger? Would you grow up to know that only the bold and daring sip nectar from life's beautiful cross pollination? It's worth it, yes, growing up.

Growing up sometimes means making the move at the stirring of the waters, it means knowing when to go in for a fight and when to stand aside and allow life happen. Growing up is beautiful but sometimes, it comes with letting the scale covering our eyes to fall off and crumble, it means allowing the billowing courage in our hearts to blossom so we can see the Sun rise with a new energy in its wings and whisper to us, 'it's time to grow up.'

Welcome to September.