Self-Motivation, Personal Growth and Entrepreneurship Development on DeoluAkinyemi.com

What you are about to read is a piece from a new friend and sister of mine. She has been reading from this site for a while, and one day gathered herself and contacted me. Like many of you, she felt that what I was writing was for her, and that rather than let her life pass one second at a time, she needed to get herself involved in the things she truly enjoys.  She lives over 10hours away from where I live, so meeting was difficult, but somehow we met – thanks to Holidays and Cash.

After our brief meeting that had so many other people around, we communicated again on phone once and talked about what she was doing and what she would really love to do.  I encouraged her to start her blog, and to give herself an opportunity to do what she really wants to do. I counselled her to document her progress, take pictures and really take in the feeling evoked from following her passion and heart. She decided to spend her time at an orphanage, and the piece she wrote when she came back blew my mind. Amazing things can happen when people grow in their soil. Have an exciting read. Continue Reading »

There are days (a lot of days these days) when I lie down and ask myself what is really the most important thing in life. What really is worth one’s energies? Is it pleasure? Money? Impact? Wisdom? “ki la n le gan gan?” I have analysed it from a philosophical point of view, I have read the views of Aristotle – who rationalized from the need for pleasure, the desire for glory and the search for knowledge. Aristotle came to a point where according to him, the most important thing in life is the contemplative life. In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle analyzes the quest of all life falls on the planes of a search for pleasurable, political or contemplative. He analyzes that all life is lived for some higher purpose, he analyzes that we all pursue happiness, and the talk goes on asking about what truly brings happiness. I would never do justice to his book in one paragraph, if you are interested, you can get more thoughts on this here, trust me though, it’s not going to be an easy read for the average mind.

I have also studied the bible extensively about the answer to the same question-”What truely is the purpose of life?” What are we here to do, and what will bring the highest fulfillment. I read the thoughts of the experiential and experimental biblical philosopher in Bible – The King in Ecclestiastes. After living a life where he pursues all that man can pursue to gain happiness – women, wisdom, fame, projects, e.t.c. He came to a final conclusion that the whole purpose of man is to fear God and obey his commandments. In my own thoughts, I have come to find out as well, that the highest priority a man can pursue meaningfully on this earth is to serve God’s purpose and desire. This purpose differs from individual to individual, but in the final analysis, life is measured against a standard, and that standard is the original intention in the mind of God for that individual. Continue Reading »

Names have meaning in Africa, real meanings. African’s don’t bear names like brown, white, stone and names without significance. Nigerian names in particular like Hebrew names have deep meanings. Some of them are prophetic names, names that carry an aura and have a confidence bolstering effect on the child that bears it. In challenging moments, a Nigerian child typically draws inspiration from his or her name. My name is Adeolu Akinyemi, that literally means the crown of God and one who should be courageous. Being the crown of God means that I will be seen and I will be heard, I will not just be seen, I will be seen together with the divine, it also means there is something about me that has to do with authority, I’m a symbol of leadership e.t.c. Don’t you just want to name your child Adeolu? LOL.

Uzoamaka on the other hand, is my daughters Ibo name. It means the road is beautiful or may the road be smooth or good. It’s not a name that speaks for her alone, it’s name that speaks of us her parents as well. One word I can say most clearly describes my experience in the course of championing the course of the New Nigeria Club is Uzoamaka, the road has been smooth. The buy-in from reputable Nigerians has been phenomenal. The response from corporate organizations has been stunning and from intelligent people, awesome. The high point in my day today for example, was seeing Mrs Oby Ezekwesili (the VP of the World Bank and former honorable Minister of Education) from a distance, and wondering how to meet with her, wondering if she’ll remember me from the last time I saw her over 5 months ago. As fate would have it, we coincidentally met outside the building of the event, and I approached her. Her response shocked me and still stuns me as I write. She turned to me, shook my hands with pride and excitement and said, “wow, look at this young man, how is the New Nigeria Club initiative going?” I was shocked that she not only remembers me, but knows what we are currently working on. This is a woman I respect so much, hold in high esteem, and we had gotten a recommendation from Prof Pat Utomi to approach. She was aware, excited and only needed updates about NNC. The road is indeed smooth. Continue Reading »

Just this morning, I was opportuned to teach some teenagers about cultivating an attitude of gratitude. I think the best way to end the year is to be grateful, both for the things that were great, and the things that didn’t appear so great.

Why do you or I need to be grateful you might ask?  Well, why shouldn’t you, when there are so many reasons to be? Being alive, for one, is a good reason to be grateful.

It’s easy to be grateful for the things that go well and were expected to, but we also need to be able to show gratitude for things that didn’t go as planned. Why? Because the universe works in an interesting way. The attitude of gratitude, draws abundance and supply towards you, while the attitude of complain and ingratitude pushes away abundance and supply away from you. Continue Reading »

This year has been a great year for me, I have learnt more this year, than I have in the past years put together. I have grown and matured more this year, than all my years. It’s been wonderful for me. Don’t get me wrong this year surely had it’s rough and tough times, but each experience this year, has left me a better, more capable and wiser person. It’s really difficult for me to rank the things I have learnt this year, but I’m documenting the first ten that come to mind. Some of them may sound hard, don’t discard them because the student in you is not ready, or because you do not presently agree with them. File them away, time may tell. Continue Reading »

This first time I saw this picture, I was tempted to post an article about it, but I refrained, somehow in my mind, its time had not yet come. I decided to allow time and thought to pass over it, to ponder what could be the reasons, stories or excuses behind this event.

I used this picture in a seminar I spoke in last week, and the immediate response after understanding the picture was laughter. I went on to ask them if they were not laughing at themselves. What had the owner of this slippers done wrong? Continue Reading »

“To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness.”– John Dewey

“The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of people who have become wealthy have become so thanks to work they found profoundly absorbing. The long term study of people who eventually became wealthy clearly reveals that their ‘luck’ arose from accidental dedication they had to an arena they enjoyed.”– Srully Blotnick

The Ancient Greek aphorism “Know thyself” (Greek: γνώθι σεαυτόν or gnothi seauton) was inscribed in golden letters at the lintel of the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

In order to understand the above statement well, it will be a good idea for me to shed a little light on some of the terms used in it.

Ancient Greek, this is a time in greek history, 1000 years before christianity. Historians are unaminous that the greek culture was the foundation of the western civilization.

Aphorisms, are concise statements of fact that were made as a result of experience. Axioms are similar statements that come from mere reason and require no proof, while aphorisms are developed based on experience. E.g “A stitch in time, saves nine”

Delphi, was known in ancient mythology to be the centre of the earth.

Temple of Apollo, This is believed to have the makings of an ancient university. Apollo was a god, who had strengths in poetry, medicine, and music. He was the most versatile and most skilled, in greek mythology, of the gods. In entering the Temple of Apollo, you come to interact with knowledge, the reason why you come in, is to know!

Now imagine you are at the entrance into the doors that lead to discovery, to knowledge and perhaps skill. What will you expect to see as a sign on the door? I’ll guess it will be a message telling you about the best attitude to have as a student, or an instruction that will help you make use of all you hear, won’t you? Interestingly, it is the aphorism -”Know thyself”

The first class in the school of knowledge is self awareness! If you don’t know who you are, and what you have, education is useless. The first thing you must know to be teachable is yourself. True education must be targeted first at personal discovery then personal development. “Know thyself!”

If you ever watched the blockburster -”Matrix”. There was a time when Neo had to go visit the oracle, to know if he was the one, to know what the future will be. Can you imagine the sign on the Oracles door? …….Yeah, you guessed right! “Know thyself” -Only it was writen in greek! The future responds only to those who have come to understand themselves. There is a stage for trial and error, typically it’s before you are 21! The Hebrews celebrate the 21st birthday as the age to announce your self discovery! It might be late for you, but it’s never too late until you are the late. “Know thyself”.

Your passions, your talents, your values and the things that give you a sense of destiny! You must know them. Help yourself and find help. There are many gates ahead that will lead into the worlds of your dreams, but the first criteria to enter is simple – “Know thyself”. It is the secret of happiness, it’s the source of true fulfillment. It’s the only way to enjoy your labor.

“Why do you spend … your labor for that which does not satisfy?”– Isaiah 55:1-2

If you won $1 million today, what would you do? Will you resign from your present job?

Research says that over 80% of people in the US will resign from their present jobs, do you have an idea what the statistics of Nigeria will look like? The interesting thing is, if you will resign from your present job, then you are in real trouble.

It means you have gotten the order wrong! You are waiting to make all the money you need, to begin to do the things that you love. It sounds like a good thing to do, after all, ABBA sang, ” All the things I could do, if I had a little money”. So you are waiting to have more money, then you will live the life of your dreams. It reminds me of the story of a fisher man. This fisher man was visited by an consultant from town, and they decided to go fishing together. The fisher man worked for 4 hours, caught a lot of fish, and retired for the day. The consultant was shocked, and the following conversation ensued.

Consultant: Do you know that I can show you a way to make a lot more money by doing this same business?

Fisherman: Aha…really, but what will be the need of that?

Consultant: See, if you spend 4 extra hours, making 8hrs fishing, you’ll catch double this number of fishes, you’ll be able to feed your family, sell the rest, make more money, re-invest it into your business, continue again tomorrow and before long, you’ll have enough money to buy a ship!

Fisherman: What will I do with a Ship?

Consultant: You’ll be able to go to sea, catch a lot more fish, supply the cities, and make a lot more money.

Fisherman: Then what?…Smiling happilly

Consultant: Then when you have made a lot of money, you’ll retire back to your village, work for few hours and spend the evenning chilling with your friends.

Fisherman: But that’s exactly what I do now! Why do I have to waste my time going that long route?

AHa…I hope you got that. Happiness is not the result of working tirelessly to make ends meet, then going ahead to do the things you love. Happiness is about finding the things that you truely enjoy, and following it with a passion. Successful people will tell you that they don’t work, they simply have found ways of being paid for what they love. In the words of Dale Carnegie, success is about finding what you love, and getting someone to pay you for doing it.
So take the $1million test, and be honest with yourself, what will change about your lifestyle and career? Whatever will change, needs to be changed! Start working towards it!

Where are you rushing to? What’s the hurry? These are questions I have been asked growing up, at different times and occassions. I can vividly remember a time when an uncle brought it to my notice that I was eating with close to the speed of light, talking like I had hot coals on my tongue, certainly I must be in a hurry to get somewhere.

Growing up however, I have discovered that there are things that can be rushed, and their are some things that you better allow to run their full course. A proverb says that we don’t rush up hot stew, else our mouths will get burnt, and we will not be able to use burnt mouth to lick cold stew. In other words, when the chicken lands carelessly on the rope, neither the rope nor the chicken are comfortable. I have since been able to draw up a list of what you can do in a hurry and what you shouldn’t.

In a hurry to be rich, men kill themselves

In a hurry to to grow up, girls betray themselves

In a hurry to arrive, guys end up “the late”

In a hurry to be great, many bite the hook and miss the bait.

What’s your hurry? The meal taken in haste seldom is enjoyed. The chinese say that when you eat for an hour, you won’t be hungry for long. Don’t rush the clock, savour the moment. While my search brought me to see that haste was waste, I also discovered that there is a time to crawl, walk, run or even fly. There are times you must fly!

If there is one thing I’m in a hurry to do today…I’m in a hurry to be happy!

Happiness is an interesting concept. It’s not really a matter of events, its usually a function of perception of events. Happiness is a state of thoroughly enjoying what one does. Of all things in life, happiness is not something your can successfully postpone, if you are not happy today, it reduces your chances of ever becoming happy.

“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.” -Anne Frank

While in life you ought not hurry for many things, happiness is a state that must characterise you today! The seed is similar to the harvest, in fact you can estimate the fruit from it’s seed, in some cases the seed is even in the fruit. Today is a seed, if happiness is not in the seed, tell me, should it be in the future? In different ways, happiness is what we all seek. We must not however wait and wish, that by some stroke of genius or in ways unknown, we will suddenly find ourselves living lives of happiness. Happiness requires action!
Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. -Benjamin Disraeli

So ask yourself, what will make me truely happy? What will I do for the rest of my life if money was available to live my dreams. Happy futures are never a product of sorrowful pasts. Happiness is the reward of those who find happiness all through the journey on the way to happiness. Successful people are usually people doing what they enjoy, until success comes.

Don’t mortgage your happiness…find what makes you happy today…and commit your energies to it! At the end, one man said, all that will matter in our actions is whether or not it won the respect and admiration of God, family and friends. When the chips are down, what matters most is happiness.

And in case you are wondering if being happy is entirely a selfish do it now project? Try these quotes on for size
John Templeton
Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth… Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it. .

Lord Byron
All who would win joy, must share it; happiness was born a twin.

Happiness is like peeing your pants: Everyone can see it, but only you can feel it’s warmth. –Unknown –:))Are you happy today? Find true happiness…the seed is in the fruit and the fruits in the seed.