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

It’s 3am in the city of Dubai, my flight leaves here today, and I need to be awake early as 6am to be able to wish the South Africans and the English a hearty good bye. I gave them the hugs already, but who says one hug is enough when you may not see until last week in March in SA or April in the UK . There is no use reserving the best time of your life for the time when you can’t do most things. Now is life, the older you grow the fewer your options.  Enjoy your youth and prepare for your future.

I have a lot on my mind tonight, and a short time to say it. So I’m going to say it all in pictures, since pictures are a thousand words. I’ll capture a few of the events of the past few weeks, and basically summarize my lessons. Being in Dubai has been fun and exciting. It’s been a lot of great news, great progress and meeting of wonderful people. Remember, people matter a lot, time with them are your greatest investments. Continue Reading »

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]

The Antioch Experience was an experience! About 40 professionals gathered together for an 8hrs prayer meeting. God was present, his presence and revelations were real. Indeed he crowns our year with goodness, and his paths drop fatness.  Many annointed children led different aspects of the prayer and there was no low energy moment.  We are confident that this meeting will be a reference point for us for years to come. It was indeed an Antioch experience.

Please find below some of the prophetic words we recieved for the coming year. While we expect that things will continue to grow darker and more confusing in the nation and world at large, God’s people have an opportunity to enjoy in Goshen while the world gets visited with calamities. What is below does not exhaust what God ministered to us, but at least even though you were not there you can share in what God can also make real in your life. Continue Reading »

We are where we are today, because of decisions that we made. Life is a journey, it’s a long road with many junctions, it’s a giant maze. The junction you and I chose to follow determine our destination, and determine our experience. Take it from me, decision making the most important activity we’ll ever engage in. Everything else stems from our decisions. He who leads, excels or succeeds does so based on decisions. The only measurable output of your thinking is your decision. Once again  however, our curriculum does not arm us at any level with how to make decisions.

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” – Peter Drucker (Management Guru)

This reminds me of the story of an economic adviser to a great king. This king always relied on his adviser to help him with his economically oriented decisions, but typical of all economists, the adviser will offer him a detailed analysis of why to do things in a certain way on one hand, and reasons why he can do it the other way on the other hand. The king would need to make a decision, and at the end of the day will hear two possibilities, one version on one hand, and the other on the other hand. This got the king really frustrated, and anxious to end his persistent confusion. The king thought long and hard, and finally came up with a decision that is indeed the mother of all decisions. The decision that will help him simplify his decision making process. After he did that, his life became simple, and he became successful. Continue Reading »

Very early this morning I woke up with a startle. There seemed to be a strong message on my heart, for me, and for all that care to listen. I had known for a long time that the determining factor of anyones success or failure is his/her thoughts, but very early this morning it got reinforced. Our minds are the battle grounds in which our battles are won or lost, it is the last frontier before our victories. You and I can get to anywhere from where we are, we can become anything we dream or chose to become. It’s totally up to us, we’ve been given the power. Great things however do not happen to us by coincidence, to become and arrive at the right destination, we must become the right people.

If you desire the financial prosperity of Bill Gates, what you need is not his company or a financial leverage. What you need is to think the thoughts of Bill Gates. If you want to play golf like Tiger Woods, then you need to think like Tiger woods. Change your thoughts and your life will change. Think poverty and you will become poor, think wealth and it will be. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Your life will move in the direction of your most predominant thought. I hold firmly the opinion that you can change your life. That you and I have a choice in the way our tomorrow will be. I believe that inside everyman and woman, lies the keys to a better life, that no matter how bad, we can change, not matter how low, we can still rise. Do you feel the need for more, for better, for greater, for more impact? Then this is your time, and this post was written to guide you. Continue Reading »

I want to use this opportunity to say a big “thank you” to you – my family and friends for the deluge of calls, mails, messages and facebook wall greetings for my birthday. I had earlier planned that I will respond to everybody one by one, I actually started, but, with over 1000 people to reach, it became overwhelming. I have decided to dedicate a full post to all of you.

I have also wanted to do this earlier, but my packing and preparing for this trip to Mauritius has made it difficult for me to get on with it. I’m currently in Mauritius, it’s been described as a paradise, as a beautiful french island on the east coast of Africa behind Magadascar. It’s all true and more! More about Mauritius later

Being here on this island has not made it easy for me to communicate and update my blog, but even if i don’t finish this, I will ensure that today I post this article. The more I reflect on the advancement of my years, the more I try to answer the question of priority. What is really worth ones time, and what is a share waste of life and time. As I journey along, and meet with different types of people from around the world. It’s clearer to me day after day, that the essence of life is to make the most of it in serving a unique purpose. So today, while I thank you profusely, I’ll also like to challenge you deeply. Continue Reading »

“The essence of life is to live it, not watch it” – Adeolu Akinyemi

The inspiration for this quote, is merely watching my mum, and listening out to the people whose lives she had touched. My mum was important to so many people, she was their “somebody” that made their lives better, their crosses easier to bear and rekindled their hope. My mum was a template for the virtous woman described in Prov 31, the more I read it, the more I remember her. I have not ceased to ask myself a fundamental question, “when would have been a good time for her to die?” The more I ask and think, the more I realize, that for us her children, for her brother, friend, business partner and lover – my dad, for her relations near and far and for the many lives she touched, there would never be a good time! There is never a good time to lose a loved one, even at 90, she’ll still have left us puzzled. I can remember my dad shedding tears at the burial of his 78yrs old mother, there is never a good time. One thing is sure though, life should be measured by donation, not duration. What matters is not how long, it’s how well! Thinking like this, I have every course to celebrate my mum’s temporary separation from me. I am confident that we’ll meet again at Jesus’ feet, I am confident that she has voluntarily joined the company that constitute the cloud of witnesses. I am happy that my mum lived a life that if I can set as benchmark for mine, I’ll be driven till I’m done! I know that God is all wise,  all his word is perfect and all his ways are just.

My mum had a glorious exit, and there are many things to learn from her life. I’ll attempt a few here, and if I’m so inspired, I’ll do a book in her honour. On the 21st of June, 2009, my mum dressed for her last church service. Very early in the morning of that day, she bade farewell to all of us her children. We had all come home from Lagos, for my younger sister’s wedding introduction the previous day. Even though the meeting was meant to have less than 60 people, my mum had killed one of her cows (yeah.. she has cows she’s rearing) and shared it for all her children and sibblings. We all saw mummy on Sunday, unaware of course that that was the last time we’ll see her alive and well. We hugged, waved and went. In a series of events, that led to her driving to church, and sitting, as ever and always beside her husband she decided to share her testimony. She raised a song as she stood up, and stood at the pulpit (Gbese ope me po, mi o le san tan, sugbon o sibe sibe, hun o se iwon ti mo le se, baba a laanu mi, e ma se o baba – My debt of thanksgiven is more than I can pay, but never the less, I will do the best I can, my father the merciful, thank you). Everyone sang along, and she started to share her testimony. She shared on, until she got to a point and announced to the church, I am feeling dizzy, at which point she slumped in the ready hands of my dad and her pastor. That was when the chariot that took her to heaven came, that was the last time she stood on her feet for the next 11 days that ended with her being taken. The doctors called it a hemorrhagic stroke, and showed that it was really up to God or nature. Between those days, she spoke for some and was unconscious for others. Her life flashed before our eyes and I’m sure hers as well. Her 56yrs have been more life than 200 regular years. Many hope to die in the lord, my mum was a child of God at her death, and even took her departure from his house -the assembly of his people. Continue Reading »

Some of you were not reading this site back when I wrote “I wept”, and some of you were. If you are curious enough you can go over and read it. It makes an interesting read everytime I go back memory lane. Today’s article is however not a mere recap of why I wept back then. Today’s article is about why I wept today!

Just incase you don’t know, let me remind you once again, that I percieve my tears as precious. So precious that you are likely to find gold before you see tears in my eyes. I have discovered however, that while it might be difficult to share tears out of pain, I find myself getting moved and touched by care, concern and certain fundamental life issues.  Today I held back the tears without success, with a handkerchief in my pocket and ladies from different nations around me, I tried to play the man with a heart of steel, to watch and nod rather than allow my lacrimal glands take the day, but it happened again. Like Shakepsear said – “To weep is to make less the dept of grief”, I felt better after.

It wasn’t out of sorrow, thankfully, it was out of concern and compassion for people like you and I.  People like you and I who have the capacity to do a lot more than we are doing. People like you and I who have accepted the stereotyping of society. People like you and I who are bound for the grave with virtually all our talents and resources untouched and still loaded. People like you and I who are so quick and sharp with excuses, that we have become incapable of venturing into anything. While I listened, my heart melted, my siliva dried, my ears openned and I heard Gods’ voice in my ears, and my eyes gave way to warm tears. What happened? Follow me. Continue Reading »

Tonight I feel like going straight to bed, it’s 4am, and I must be up by 7am for a marathon session as I baptize myself into knowledge for creating a New Industry in Nigeria. 8yrs from now, I desire to be the most influential person on the continent of Africa. I want to have created the greatest number of empowered souls who go ahead to do the same for others. I want to have given houses, private jets, education and hope to cities and nations! I want to be a blessing to millions of people and a source of pride for Nigeria and the black race. Before I go to bed however, I want to let you know, that just like me you are Unstoppable!

Who told you that you cannot achieve your dreams? Who told you that your past is consulted to determine your future? Who told you that you cannot become all you desire to become? Who told you that your dreams are too big and too unrealistic? Tell them you are unstoppable! 

One of the things I learnt pretty fast in my life is that when you have an appetite for something, it’s indicative that the meal exists in your future. God gives us no appetite for meals he doesn’t intend for us to eat. Everything that man was going to need was made before him. God waited to make man last so that he doesn’t crave for what doesn’t exist, and the moment man craved for a companion, God put man to sleep gave him a dream and made it real. Whatever it is that lurks in our mind as an intention, a desire or a dream – nurture it, you are unstoppable! What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Go ahead and do it, you are unstoppable! Continue Reading »

As you read this article I am writing, I’ll like you to think about your life, and ask yourself questions that will move you from where you are to where you are capable of being.

I remember vividly an event that occurred about 11yrs ago back in OAU -Ile Ife. We had invited this preacher to school to come address students, his name if I remember correctly was -Taiwo Adelakun. We had a great session, I guess, like all sermons, we forget! There was however one statement he made that day that I have never forgotten and interestingly a number of my friends back then have also not forgotten. While he was preaching he started talking about how some of his friends were on fire, they were extraordinary, they were gifted, they had big dreams, but most of them had settled down to the complacency of life and of staying average or good. They had settled down to having jobs, having families and following routines. Their fire had gone down, their talents were not in use, their dreams discarded, they now worked with this and that, and live here and there. He shouted a prayer from the podium, and all of us found it difficult to respond with a resounding – Amen!  His prayer was strange and shocking. The prayer was, “You will Never Settle Down!”

Today I marvel at how long and how far, I wonder if most of the ears that heard those words haven’t settled down. Even you, my friend and reader, have you settled down? Can you be classified as on fire and on the cutting edge of your talent? Have you bought into the worlds philosophy of can’t, impossibile and “make do with what you have”? Did life offer you something to fill your stomach with rather than a sumptous meal? Have you settled down to what is good at the expense of what is great? While my mind easily picks out the people we would have said were exceptional, my mind painfully sorrows over those who were not even able to discover their uniqueness back in school and had seemed to settle down since after secondary school. I’ve heard great stories that have a backdrop of a fantastic childhood and the current features of  dull artwork. This morning, I’ll like you help you address and attack a few major good ideologies that prevent us from being great! You must not settle down! Continue Reading »

The process of living is the process of dying – literally. I usually tell people on their birthday’s that one year more is one year less. As we advance in years our life reserves get reduced and we embark on the process of dying. Just like the pages of a book, as the left piles up, the right dimishes until we hit the back cover and turn the book over. Living is dying.

It is however more interesting that in order then to live life fully, one must embrace the possibility of death. Full life is impeded by the fear of dying. The pages drag slowly, the moments lack zest, when we refuse to plunge or dive because we are afraid! We have only one shot at life, yes, but it’s going to end with death anyway, so why not live it fully with no regrets? Why not enjoy the journey since the destination is sure? Why not live it the way it was designed to be lived – with passion, excitement and fulfillment?

“People living deeply have no fear of death” – Anais Nin

I shudder at the statistics of people who really live deeply? Only a few percentage of people ever live beyond ordinary lives. Many of us unconciously live with the template of Solomon Grundi, our lives follow a predictable sequence. We wake up early every morning and engage in a race to work and back. Our key motivation is not more life, but the fear of not losing the one that we have. We race to work not because of passion, love or excitement, but because to put food on the table we think we must! We hope that maybe one day we will live our dreams, one day we will suddenly have a rush of courage and give up who we are for what we are capable of becoming. One day comes one day late, and then you are late and it’s late. Yank off your life from the slow road guarded by fear, move into the lane where life is rich and adventurous. It’s not a road void of challenges, nay, but it’s exciting and full of stories. It’s also empowering and capable of actually making you a guiding light for thousands or millions of prisoners of fear.

Here are 5 things you can do to live life more fully. Continue Reading »