Focus Your Energy On Adding Value.

One very useful lesson I have learnt, and I take it very seriously, is that you cannot, no matter how much you try or how good you are, please everyone. There will always be some who, for no apparent reason and for no fault of yours whatsoever, will dislike you, or even hate you, actively and relentlessly.

Nothing you say or do, therefore, no matter how valid and useful, makes sense or has value to them, because they have made up their minds, for reasons best known to them, to dislike or hate you. All they want, and work for, is to see your downfall.  Nothing less than that will satisfy them or assuage their active dislike and hatred.

They will swear that white is black as long as the white comes from you! It is not that they do not know the truth. No. They know the truth. They are just blinded and misguided by their hatred and prejudice, and so will always oppose you and work against you. Acting unreasonably and misguidedly, they constitute themselves into an opposition against you and everything you stand for.

Sometimes you are tempted to try to win such fellows over, but is is all wasted time and wasted effort. They usually are irrevocably committed to disliking and hating you. Therefore, do not waste your time and energy on such people. Do not try to defend yourself or work to win them over. It is not going to work. They will only take your goodwill and throw it back at you with negative energy and spiteful enthusiasm.

They assume that if they work to belittle you and your contributions, they will gain an upper hand over you and, thus, promote their brand above yours. It is always a nonstarter with lots of negative repercussions for those who engage in it. They usually end up regretting their spiteful engagement because it wins them nothing. You go on and succeed in like inspite of their venomous spite.

I encourage you, on your part, to take your gems and precious nuggets and share them with those who believe in you and value you. Invest your time and energy on strengthening and building such persons and relationships as cherish and value you. Band with those who value you. Build positive reinforcements all around you.

Your investments in positive relationships will bear handsome dividends and stand as a positive testimony for you, such that will eventually drown out the negative cloud created around you by the dirty dealings of your detractors. You will overcome every evil plan and evil persons that mobilize and work against you.

Remember: light will always prevail over darkness, no matter how long darkness appears to hold sway. Light, therefore, need not to be afraid of darkness. All that light needs to be or do is to be light and continue to shine. Continue to shine in good works, no matter the negative counter pull. You are stronger than all the negative forces arrayed against you.

Your value in life is in the positive impact you make on others. Focus on that. Regale in that. Relish that. Specialize on that. Dwell on that. Enjoy doing good. Grow a glorious garden of beautiful works fed with positive energy and the light of enlightened understanding. Rise above dislike and hatred and be a source of positive energy and love engagements.

Cut out the haters and detractors. Do not dignify their negativism with attention and response. Starve them of the flawed victory and demented satisfaction they crave. Shut them up with superior works and positive energy. Rise above their trap and live freely in the light of love and understanding.

You can do it.

It is all within you.

Selah and Shalom!

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

The Benefits of Reading.

Let me begin this piece by making reference to a quotation on the power of reading by Mark Twain. Mark Twain, whose birth name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer. Apart from his most popular pen name Mark Twain, he also used, and was severally known as, Josh and Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass.

Among his most notable novels are “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1875) and its sequel, the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1885), which is often called “The Great American Novel”.

Let me point out, by the way, one unique thing about Mark Twain: he was born shortly after an appearance of Halley’s Comet in November, 1835, and he predicted that he would “go out with it” as well. True to his prediction, Mark Twain died of heart attack a day after the return of Halley’s Comet in April of 1910.

Due to the prosaic power and the intellectual and substantial depth of his literary works, Mark Twain was widely regarded as the “greatest humorist this country (America) has produced” and William Faulkner – another great American writer and Nobel Prize laureate – called him “the father of American literature”.

It was this great American writer that once said, and I quote:

“A man who does not read has no advantages over a man who cannot read” – Mark Twain.

These are very strong but true words. Let me quickly emphasize here that Mark Twain was not trying to scorn people who can read but, for whatever reason, are not or do not read. No. He was rather pointing out, in his usual humoristic way, the fact that the ability to read is not an end in itself, but a means to an end; the end being continuous self-enlightenment and self-improvement that reading widely bestows. The man who can read but does not read will be cut out of information and knowledge that can make him a better person just like the person who cannot read. None of the two, therefore, has an advantage over the other. Both of them will remain backwards and live at the periphery of human development and advancement, consigned by ignorance to serve as spectators and consumers in life, failing to advance to the more profitable level of being trend-setters and producers.

The Power of Reading:
David Royston Bailey (born 2nd January 1938) is an English fashion and portrait photographer whose outstanding works earned him the prestigious title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). He is widely considered as one of the greatest photographers of all time and, even in old age, continues to provide pace-setting innovations for the photography industry. He once pointed to the secret of his huge success in these words that underline the power of writing:

“The best advice I ever got was that knowledge is power and to keep reading” – David R. Bailey.
He followed the advice religiously and the habit of lifelong reading opened the door for greatness for him. Reading and its beneficial outcome, knowledge, combined and made him a leader in his profession, hence proving the saying that “readers are leaders”.

You see, the man who does not know the way will always follow the man who knows the way. That is the way it has always been and, certainly, that is the way it will always be. Knowledge leads ignorance and, since reading is the pathway to knowledge, reading indeed makes you a leader. That is the power of reading.

Reading makes you:
- A solution-provider and a problem-solver.
- A progress-facilitator and a development-mover.
- A trend-setter and a pace-setter.
- A participator and a contributor.
- An innovator and an inventor.
- A producer and a manufacturer.

The Benefits of Reading:

1. Mental Stimulation.
When you read, you actually stimulate your brain cells into action, a sort of exercise for the brain cells. This makes them fit and strong for longer, in line with the principle of “use it or lose it”. The more, therefore, you read, the more you strengthen and retain, for longer, your brain functions. As a matter of scientific fact, the habit of active reading significantly delays the onset of Alzheimer and dementia.

2. Stress Reduction.
Modern lifestyle has resulted in a drastic increase of stressors and difficulties. Modern man, as a matter of course, leads a stressed life and this has increased the incidences of lifestyle diseases. There is now a whole industry working to reduce stress for man and, thus, help us to lead more healthy and qualitative lives. Reading has been proven to be one of the best and cost-effective ways to reduce stress.

3. Knowledge.
Reading increases knowledge and if you read regularly you will be better prepared to face the challenges that the world throws at you. This is because knowledge is the key to all the answers we seek. We face difficulty with a thing only if we lack knowledge in that thing. What you know is no longer a challenge or difficulty.

4. Vocabulary Building and Expansion.
The ability to speak well is an asset that we all should aspire to have. It sets you in good stead in any profession. Good speech, to a large extent, is a function of good vocabulary. Reading widely builds and expands your vocabulary and, hence, helps in making you articulate and fluent. By the same token, reading also improves your writing skills and, with it, the quality of your writing.

5. Memory Improvement.
Reading makes good use of your brain. The more you use your brain, the stronger it becomes. This is good for healthier and stronger memory which, in turn, improves the quality of your life.

6. Builds Stronger Analytical and Thinking Skills.
Robust analytical and deep thinking skills are absolute necessities for resounding success in any profession. Constant and wide reading habit helps to develop this all-important skills.

7. Improves Focus and Concentration.
The ability to focus on the work at hand and to concentrate all mental energy on it, is an important ingredient of success in life. You get to start and finish what you started. Constant and wide reading helps you to develop your powers of focus and concentration.

8. Improves Writing Skills.
One of the best ways to improve your writing skills is to read constantly and widely. The more you read, the more you improve your vocabulary and, consequently, the better your writing becomes. It is that simple.

9. Gives Inner Peace.
Inner calm and peace are important for a healthy lifestyle and for overall success in life. Reading, especially reading for fun, can help secure that peace. Even in examination situations, the more you read in preparation, the calmer you are during the exams. That inner peace is very instrumental in academic success.

10. Provides wholesome Entertainment.
Reading can be a real healthy and wholesome fun. Very few forms of entertainment are in this class.

Conclusion:
Let me conclude this call to develop the habit of lifelong reading by sharing three (3) quotes that I find relevant and useful:

1. Confucius was a renowned Chinese teacher, editor, politician and philosopher who believed in human capacity building through education. He promoted the habit of lifelong reading as a means of individual as well as community development. He revered books and had this powerful words to say about them:

“You cannot open a book without learning something” – Confucius.
True!

2. Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865), the 16th President of the United States of America, was a self-educated and self-taught lawyer and businessman. He studied on his own and wrote and passed all the necessary professional exams to be certified as a lawyer. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and, hence, befriended books and made reading a routine habit. This is the lovely thing he had to say about books and reading, and his words agree with those of Confucius:

“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read” – Abraham Lincoln.

Little wonder then that he became such a great leader. Americans consider him as one of their greatest leaders and students of international leadership are unanimous that he is one of the greatest leaders humanity has produced.

3. Joseph Addison (1672 – 1719), was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He lived for writing and for books and, even in his political engagements, encouraged learning and intellectualism. He believed in, and personified, the power of reading to change individuals and communities positively. Hear him:

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” – Joseph Addison.

Exercise your mind, therefore, for greater performance in life. Reach out for the highest and the best in life by building your mind through lifelong reading. Keep reading. Keep growing.

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

The Anti-Climax

I woke up that Saturday morning with an excitement and enthusiasm that was beyond circumstances. I had this huge inner turbo-charge and a forceful go-go tug that had absolutely nothing to do with the situation on ground or the reality in my country as (under)reported by the media. And, I assure you, I was not high on anything, neither did I get a credit alert the previous night or early that morning. Far from any of all that. The excitement I had was beyond ordinary. It had everything to do with an inner conviction and nothing to do with outward circumstances or stimuli.

I just have (and I have had it since my days in Secondary School way back in the 80s!) this seemingly irrevocably fixed inner conviction that, despite all its self-inflicted pains and developmental backwardness, Nigeria will, slowly but surely, overcome all its malaise and organize itself well enough to come into genuine growth and development, until it becomes the best place to be born and to live and do business in Africa and one of the top-ten best places to be born and to live and do business on Earth. All my work and engagements, both public and private, draw motivation from that inner conviction. 

On the strength of that inner excitement, I literally bounced into Gotel FM studios, in Yola, that Saturday to present my weekly programme, "The Nigeria Of My Dream". The programme is a collaboration between me and Gotel Communications, aimed at bringing enlightened motivation to Nigerian youths to push themselves for self-actualization, as they reach out for the highest and the best in life. It acts on my well-publicized social law which states that "the strength of a community is the cumulative strengths of the individuals and institutions that make up that community".

The success of Nigeria, therefore, starts from building and equipping individual Nigerians with functional education and modern skills that will secure their self-realization and self-improvement, leading them to success in life. Their collective success, in turn, becomes the framework and engine holding up and fuelling the success of Nigeria. To build a successful and great Nigeria, therefore, we must build functional and successful Nigerians. That is what all great countries do. It is the people that make the country great, and not the other way round. Build the people and the people will build the country.

You see, genuine and sustainable national development and prosperity is, first and foremost, human (social) before it is economical or infrastructural or anything else. Without social development, comprising adequate and equitable social welfare services and social justice, all other forms of development will not stand the test of time, and will, sooner than later, be inundated and destroyed by disorder, corruption, poverty, violent crime, nepotism, bigotry, etc. And that is exactly what is happening in Nigeria today: the chicks of long-standing disinvestment in social welfare and social justice and general human capital development have returned home to roost.

That is why I tell people that corruption, crime, disorder, intolerance, disunity, insurgency, separatism, etc., are all symptoms of social dysfunction occasioned by the failure in the social welfare and social justice systems. Fighting these ills without a corresponding commensurate genuine attempt to fix the social root causes, therefore, is like fighting Typhoid or Malaria, or any other pathogenic disease, with painkillers: you only suppress the dis-ease for a while without killing the pathogen. It, obviously and unfortunately, will bounce back stronger and deadlier. If we truly want to win the war against corruption and violent crime and other related ills, we MUST fix our social welfare and social justice systems. Period.

That is where my radio programme, and many other related efforts, come in. Without allowing myself to be bogged down by a mere recitation and recounting of our well-known national woes, I pick any given developmental issue and work on it, proffering better alternatives and encouraging our youth to rise to the challenge so as to ensure that they do better in their turn. I delight in providing solutions. I have no pleasure whatsoever in reinforcing failure and negative stereotypes. 

So, that Saturday morning I spoke with a particularly forceful zeal and infectious passion as I called on our youth to uphold and promote education and skills acquisition, enterprise and industry, self-improvement and self-actualization, orderliness and social decorum, constitutionality and the rule of law, human value and human rights, friendship and acceptance, honesty and truthfulness, etc. I then went ahead and painted the glorious future and prosperous Nigeria that is possible if we all, from government to the organized private sector and the society at large, truly adhere to and promote these universal principles. From the phone-in responses I got I knew the show that Saturday morning was a huge hit. People called and spoke about how they are motivated to do more for Nigeria and for their personal growth and progress.

After the show, I drove from Modire Hills back into metropolitan Jimeta, stopping at a chemist shop to buy some prescribed medicines. I met two gentlemen there who, coincidentally, had tuned into and listened to that morning's show. They immediately recognized me and walked over and, having politely greeted me, went on the attack. They told me, point blank, that I was naive to believe that things will ever get better in Nigeria. They concluded, with some degree of relish, that things will only get worse and inevitably end in the breakup of Nigeria.

I stood there and listened to their recitation of woes and the ill-informed and misguided finality in their conclusion, saying nothing, not because I lacked what to say but, because I knew it was a waste of time and energy responding to such characters. Their minds are made up and, in a self-serving and self-fulfilling push to actualize their prophecy, they actively participate in the negative happenings to bring the country down. That is why they find such enlightened motivation, as my programme gives, a direct threat. So, instead of rejoicing in the possibility of a truly great Nigeria where things are working and dreams come true, they actually fear it and, misguidedly, work against it. They, hence, view people like me who believe in the possibility of a great Nigeria as a threat.

Well, after giving it to them that they were entitled to their opinion as I am to mine, I paid for the drugs and walked back to my car. Driving away, I felt a strong wave of discouragement wash over me. It was a bad feeling, a down feeling, an anti-climax, to the feelings with which the day started. I felt bad, not because I believed their gloomy diagnosis or, even for a moment, entertained any fear that their prophecy may one day come to pass but, because it was so disheartening to see two young men holding such negative and hostile opinions against the possibility of a great Nigeria.

Such energy as they put into working against the possibility of a great Nigeria, if they turn it around and put it into working for a great Nigeria, will go a long way into helping them attain massive individual success and, thus, helping Nigeria come into greatness. Yet here they were, working against the country of their birth, under the illusion that it will soon breakup and, in the resultant chaos and fragmentation, they will find the country of their dreams. What a negative mentality.

Anyway, I have my conviction intact and I continue to motivate our young men and women to work hard and smart, as they reach out for the highest and the best in life. All things are possible and a great and glorious Nigeria is a possibility. I see tangible possitive indicators and signs, amidst the mountain of challenges and difficulties, that things are changing for good. It is a trickle, for now, but it will soon turn into an unstoppable torrent. Nigeria will soon come into it's own and stand up, tall and strong, as the Giant of Africa and the Leader of the Black Race. 

My young friends, leaders of tomorrow, be positive and channel your huge energies, relentlessly and tirelessly, into self-improvement and self-actualization efforts. Build yourself up, tough and strong. Be the best that you can be.

Nigeria needs you.

Nigeria waits for you.

Nigeria needs you capable and successful.

You can do it.

It is all within you.

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life. 

The Quest for Excellence.

In the course of my work as a Life Coach and a Motivator, I come across many young men and women, of various backgrounds and religious persuasions, who feel inadequate and grossly incapable to face life and put up an excellent performance in their chosen field of endeavour,  each time and as each situation demands. They see the few who walk in and manifest excellence, and desire to be like them, but just don't know how.

Some of them have come to believe, wrongly though, that excellence is some sort of magic or supernatural phenomenon that they can only access through juju or voodoo or through membership of some shadowy fraternity or cult group or through the prescribed occultic procedure of an international organisation steeped in mysticism and fabled abbracadabra and other such myths. They go to ridiculous lengths and do some horrible things, all in the name of magically or supernaturally accessing and possessing excellence. At the end of it all, they discover they had just wasted time and resources in exchange for nothing.

They fail to see that excellence is in them and that they are the crafters of their destinies and nothing and no one else. You are what and where you are today because, consciously or unconsciously, you chose to be and do just that. You can choose to be better and you will be better, if you work at it. You can choose to develop the characteristics of excellence and, with time, you will own excellence and manifest it daily. It is all within you.

This is how Aristotle (384 BC - 322BC) - Greek philosopher and polymath - saw it:

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit" - Aristotle.

To step up to excellence, therefore, and master it and own it and walk in it daily, you must go beyond merely wishing for and talking about it to actually training for it and habituating yourself in the practice of excellence. You must start doing, on a consistent basis, the things that will build excellence in you and make it second nature. 

Please find below some steps that, when taken constantly and consistently, will gradually but surely lead to excellence in your life and pursuits:

1. Challenge yourself to know what is right, in every situation and in every given scenario, and always do and insist on it.

2. Be willing to follow those who are ahead of you and to learn from those who know more than you do.

3. Be open to new ideas and be willing to try new methods and to adopt new practices.

4. Read daily, widely and relevantly. This is one of the most useful tools to self-improvement. 

5. Deliberately seek out and learn something new every day. 

6. Always act deliberately and intelligently. Use your brain power and not brawn. The key lies in brain power, not muscle power.

7. Practice the art of your profession or vocation daily. This will help you grow and constantly remain sharp and focused.

8. Work hard and smart, and give your best to every assignment or project before you.

9. Never go to bed until you are satisfied that you have covered all your bases and have done all that you can possibly do that day.

10. Never accept second best or settle for mediocrity in all that you do. Constantly stretch yourself and press for the highest and the best.

11. In all that you do or are engaged in, always put up a professional performance and uphold international best practices. Do not be held down by local standards or expectations.

To buttress the need for constant and unrelenting effort in self-improvement and the quest for excellence, let me leave you with two (2) relevant quotations.

The first is by Pat Riley, US professional basket ball executive, former basketball coach and NBA player and the current President of the Miami Heats. He said and I quote:

"Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better " - Pat Riley.

The second is by the philosopher, Aristotle. This is what he said about the quest for excellence:

"Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny" - Aristotle.

In conclusion:

I would like to advise you to give a deaf ear to armchair critics, backbiters, maligners, small thinkers, narrow-minded people, spoilers, and all such likes. When they attack and mock your efforts to grow into excellence, it is mostly jealousy: they are not good or cannot do it as well as you do and, misguidedly, do not want to see you do it. Ignore them and keep on with your quest for excellence. As long as you keep working at it, gradually and eventually, you will come into excellence. You will become a recognized and celebrated brand and authority.

It is all possible.

It is within your reach.

Grab it and live it.

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

Bounce Back, Bigger and Better!

Bounce Back, Bigger and Better!

When negative or bad things happen to you - such as government or parents failing in their responsibilities, a friend or confidante betraying you, your business partners scheming you out of your investments and dues, your siblings or relations denying you your birthright, your husband or wife despising you or cheating on you, an accident that cripple you, etc. - it can leave you out on a limb or pretty beaten down and devastated. You suddenly find yourself thrown out of your secure zone and left to fight for your sanity, dignity and/or even your dear life.

At such times, the easiest reaction, but by far the less productive one, is to pick offence and start the blame game. But, and I need to emphasize, it is an exercise in futility. Do not waste time seeking excuses or justification or even revenge.

Picking offence and blaming others are very convenient as self-extricating excuses and soothing for your ego, but in reality offer absolutely no traction or momentum for moving forward or making progress or bouncing back, bigger and stronger. They only dig you deeper and deeper into despair and defeat. Listen to these wise words by Nanette Matthews:

"You relinquish your power when you blame others for situations in your life. The blame does not change the situation and only keeps you in a victim mentality. Accept that the situation occurred and find a way to transcend it and you will reclaim your power and become the victor." - Nanette Mathews.

There is ALWAYS the possibility of bouncing back, better and smarter, no matter the extent of the negative event or issue. That is what your mind and subsequent engagements should be focused on. Listen to this advice by British-born American writer, Jacqueline Edgington:

"You can blame your difficulties on your parents, but every time you do, it’s like sitting in mud. Each time you blame, you sink a little further until you get stuck. When you get stuck, you can’t act to make things better. You won’t become anything if you keep blaming. You’ll always be stuck in the mud. But when you stop blaming, then you can act. You can act like people do in fairy tales. You can write your own lines. You can create your own story." - Jacqueline Edgington

Your DESTINY cannot be destroyed by the negative things that happen to you. Therefore, pickup the pieces, stand up in courage and start again. You may have to start in a new direction entirely or in your former pursuit but with new partners or in a new location, or you may have to go it alone. Whatever you decide to do, get up, go out and do it. Go ahead and write your own story.

WHAT YOU MUST NOT DO IS TO STAY ON AND BROOD OVER THE OFFENCE OR ENGAGE IN THE BLAME GAME. Both are totally fruitless and a colossal waste of time and energy. They will take you nowhere except deeper and deeper into problems and compounded complications, resulting in failure in life.

If there ever is anything that can scuttle your DESTINY in life, it is to pick offence and play the blame game or seek to pay back in kind. Doing any of these will weigh you down and blind you to the great possibilities that still lie ahead of you. Your greatest and sweetest revenge and victory is not in painting your offenders black or even succeeding in pulling them down. No. It is in pulling your self up, bouncing back and succeeding in life. Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, producer and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, agree. He said, and I quote:

"The best revenge is massive success" - Frank Sinatra.

YOU ARE MORE THAN ANY BAD OR NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE, SO DO NOT ALLOW ANY TO KEEP YOU DOWN. ARISE, GO FORWARD AND SUCCEED: BIGGER AND BETTER. 

You are more than a conqueror. Nothing and no one can stop you.

It is Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things in life.

Factors of Success: Persistence and Determination

Factors of Success: Persistence and Determination.

I am always excited when I meet a young man or woman who is highly talented and gifted in anything or one who has a high Intelligence Quotient, IQ, or one who has a great education and shows it in resourcefulness and civility. The reason I am so excited stems from the fact that the key to a truly great and productively functional Nigeria is in having these kinds of people in large numbers all across the country and then creating the conducive atmosphere they need to manifest.

In their manifestation lies the answer to most of the developmental challenges and difficulties we are faced with as a nation; whether it be economic development and economic diversification, manufacturing and industrialisation, science and technology, steel and mining, agriculture and livestock, fisheries and water resources, wildlife and forestry, culture and tourism, social services and social cohesion, social justice and social development, security and peace, law and order, sports and entertainment, women and youth, etc.

We will come into full development in all sectors of our economy and our life as a nation when we have individuals, our own citizens, in large numbers, who are highly talented, highly endowed and highly educated,  come into their element and take charge fully, in both public and private sectors, and push all the sectors up to world standards. We must replace mediocrity with excellence. We must replace quantity with quality. We must reach out for the best, do the best and be the best at all times. Otherwise, we will continue to wallow in poverty, with all its attendant evils, in the midst of gargantuan potential and wasted opportunities.

Two things need to happen simultaneously for this to come to pass: first, we as a nation must develop and promote the culture of excellence by lifting merit above all other considerations and, secondly, these individuals, all of our youth, must be highly motivated and keep going forward with their dream of a great country and keep doing the right things against all odds. I will address the first point in a different article. My concern in this piece is the second point: encouraging our youth to be highly motivated and remain highly determined and persistent in their pursuit of personal fulfilment and in their contributions to the realization of our national dreams and development, inspite of the huge institutional challenges and structural deficiencies and service inadequacies that plague our beloved country.

My young friend, yes, it is a good thing indeed that you are highly gifted, highly endowed and highly educated; but do not rest or depend on talent, genius or education alone to carry you to a successful and impactful life. Those are merely powerful vehicles that can do a lot of good but are going nowhere without fuel in the tank. And in a country like Nigeria where you have a lot of structural gaps and deficiencies, service inadequacies, subjective sentimentalism and pervasive corruption, you are going to need all the motivation you can muster to go against the tide and make a profitable impact. You are going to need your car serviced and fully fuelled.

DETERMINATION and PERSISTENCE provides the fuel that keeps your vehicle moving purposefully towards your desired destination. Without these twin factors of success working in your life and fuelling you forward, you are going to achieve very little, regardless the size of your talent, IQ or the quality of your education. 

This is what the 30th President of the United States of America, Calvin Coolidge, said about persistence and determination:

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent" - Calvin Coolidge.

Calvin Coolidge knows what he is saying and, therefore, should be taken seriously. You do not go anywhere far or do anything great in life, without persistence and determination, no matter how gifted, talented, endowed or educated you are. You have got to motivate yourself to give the sustained push necessary to deliver your dreams and expectations and make a difference in this life. Like a pregnant woman on the labour bed, you have got to give the push yourself. Nobody can do it for you. That is where Persistence and Determination comes in.

Author, speaker, motivator and entrepreneur,  Les Brown, agrees with the conclusion of President Coolidge. He adds:

"If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you." - Les Brown.

Italian-born American former racecar driver and champion, Mario Andretti, puts it this way:

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." - Mario Andretti.

Motivational counsellor, author, blogger and life enthusiast, Dr. Roopleen, agrees:

“ The world’s greatest achievers have been those who have always stayed focussed on their goals and have been consistent in their efforts." - Dr Roopleen.

My young friends, dream big. Be positively ambitious. Be fired up with unstoppable zeal and enthusiasm. Then go forward with focus and consistent effort. Go forward with great desire, determination and commitment. Go forward with persistence and determination. Go after the highest and the best in life. Stretch yourself beyond limits. Attain the fullness of your potential. Do great things in life. Achieve your dreams.

Your family waits for you.

Your clan waits for you.

Your tribe waits for you.

Your state waits for you.

Nigeria waits for you.

The World waits for you.

Be fully manifested through persistence and determination. Come into resounding success. Come into the place of influence and power. Come to the top. That is where you belong. There is enough room there for anyone who dares to dream big and push hard enough.

See you at the top.

I am Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things of life.

How To Become Relevant In Life.

A young man once asked me: "how can I be relevant in life?"

Good question because, you see, our validation comes from the acknowledgement of our relevance. We all need validation. It pushes us to do more and be more, thus increasing our relevance quotient. Both relevance and validation or validation and relevance, whichever way you look at it, are interconnected and interdependent. One increases and improves the other.

Steps to Relevance:

Back to the question at hand: "how can I be relevant in life?"

I outlined 3 main ways for him, and they apply to all young men and women. They are:

1. Develop your talents and abilities (through education, apprenticeship, training, mentorship, etc.) until you are the best that you can be in your field and chosen profession. Doors open almost automatically to the best.

Dr. Sunday Adelaja - internationally-acclaimed Nigerian-born Ukrainian pastor, speaker and author - wrote on the same line. He said:

"You must add value to yourself to be relevant" - Sunday Adelaja.

Do not sit back on your potential idly, doing nothing to improve yourself and become better and stronger, and expect that the lines will automatically fall for you in relevant places. Get up and get doing. 

Learn a new word every day. Learn a new idea. Learn a new method or way of doing things. Learn a new and more efficient training model. Learn a new skill. Study for higher certification. Constantly increase and improve. Constantly add value to yourself. Work at it until you are the best that you can be. 

Even then, keep adding value to yourself, because doors open almost automatically for people and professionals that are the best. That is one important way for a young man to follow and become relevant in life.

2. Make yourself available and affordable, especially at the beginning of your career. No matter how good you are, if you are unavailable or unaffordable when you have not yet established a reputation and followership, your brand will not fly. Approachability is a very important factor in becoming relevant in life.

Speaking about this, Eraldo Banovac - professor, author and social entrepreneur - said:

"The key to successful social behaviour: be approachable and understand the needs of others" - Eraldo Banovac.

Do not fall into the trap of pride or over-bloated self-importance. Pride is a destructive social behaviour. Stay humble and available. Make your talents and skills accessible and easily obtainable. Show lots of understanding. Serve people. Serve your community. Serve humanity. Serve God.

It is this willing service to God and humanity that will open the doors to influence, success and fame for you. It will serve as the foundation upon which you can build a powerful life. It will serve as a springboard from which you can launch unto influence and relevance in life.

3. Be a problem-solver and solution-provider. People have problems and are constantly in search of solutions and, if you can provide them with practical and workable answers, within the ambit of your call and profession, you become recognized and valued. Everyone loves a solutions-provider.

This is the way American author and mental/physical challenge specialist, Jane Hart, outlines this truth:

"People will only want to engage if it is relevant to their needs or helps them solve problems" - Jane Hart.

So, build yourself up, position yourself well, provide answers to the questions people ask and solutions to the problems that individuals, families, communities, organisations and governments are faced with. The more you provide solutions, so will your relevance proportionately rise. It is that simple, yet very effective.

Conclusion:

Well, I am happy to report that this young man went away and put this steps to practice. Today he stands on the threshold of an impactful and relevant life. He is recognized as one of the most promising young men in Adamawa State, with very bright prospects for national and international impact. If he continues on his current trajectory - aided by his commitment to continuing self-improvement, better social skills and smarter solution- providing - I see his day of international relevance arriving sooner than later.

This can be your story. Step out and step up. Get going and get doing. Energize and empower your commitment to self-improvement, better social skills and solution-providing. Be the answer Nigeria, nay, the World is looking for. You can be relevant in this life.

See you at the top.

Its me, Agoso H. Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the better things of life.