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

I’ve been a bit out of circulation for the past 4 days. It’s been a hectic one for me, I’ve been co-facilitating and co-learning a great deal at the Holidays and Cash Leadership Academy 100 level. It’s a really mixed class with an age range of 24-60yrs of age. We are all from different walks of life with different experiences and backgrounds. The class content, energy and opportunities to learn are rich. It’s been a great 4 days and we have 6 more intensive days to go. The training has forced me to go beyond knowing to doing, to utilize what I had kept as knowledge, and in so doing I’m becoming better. It’s funny, but I don’t think I have put myself under the kind of pressure I’m putting myself through now, in a while, it’s so demanding yet so refreshing.

My mind casts back to those days gone, years past when I was under constant pressure. Pressure to teach another the content of a course, pressure to stand in front of a fellowship and share the Word. The pressure of accountability to live right because many other lives depended on yours. The pressure of praying from 12 midnight till 3am regularly without fail, the pressure of studying the scriptures and not just reading it. The pressure of always having a fresh word. I once in a while get asked, how do you stay so sharp and current, how do you stay so knowledgeable? The answer, is quite simple. Continue Reading »

The thought of our mortality is one of our greatest reservoirs of wisdom. When we ponder on the transient nature of life, we ask ourselves deep questions and our philosophies are formed. When the question of death is asked, our highest priorities surface. I like the thoughts of Stephen R. Covey, when he says begin with the end in mind. One can hardly understand his or her life’s priorities without extending the equation of life over the point where life ends. Those who regularly connect with their mortality live the most meaningful lives, while in contrast, those who think they would leave forever make a mess of life.

Who will cry when you die? Ask yourself this question and it might reveal to you the quality of life you are currently living. Ask why will they cry, and you’ll see the things you are living for. The days are inching close to when it would be 1yr that heaven gained my mother, the days seem fast to the observers, but the value of that time, and the many times her value was missed is priceless. My eyes have not offered it’s tears for public display, but my heart has bled over and over with tears of blood, thank God for his comfort. When life has meaning, it always leaves a clear vacuum in the lives of other people. This vacuum makes people cry, makes people hurt and makes many wish it was possible to reverse death. When you die, who will cry and why? Continue Reading »

It’s been a while I have written as consistently as I normally would. I have been on the move, adding value to what might seem a minority, but what is surely becoming a mighty army of people. Ever so often, I meet someone however, who reminds me of what a blessing my site has been to him or her, and I’m reminded never to ever underestimate the power of this blog and who may be reading. With due respect to that reality, I have yet again decided not to completely close this channel, but to strive to every motivate and inspire my online friends and audience.

The journey of personal development is not an easy journey, but if the needed prices are paid, it can be pleasurable. Trust me, travelling around the world on vacations with different teams of people can be so much fun. Learning their cultures, reading their history,  meeting the locals, sight seeing and all sounds like play, but if you where the cap of a student and a teacher, there is so much that is revealed. I long to share the lessons from the Maldives, to share insights from The Gambia and touch a bit on my breath-taking tour of Cotonou, Ivory Coast and Senegal – remind me I said breath taking . But today, I’ll want to share something that almost brought tears to my eyes, and the reason, why I will for the next few decades passionately recommend that you become a part of this global opportunity. Continue Reading »

Many times you will hear people say that their big breaks happened when they responded to an inner voice. They felt the urge to do something that was not natural or had no empirical data to back. They moved, and somehow their move in retrospect seemed perfect. Take it or leave it, God does speak to man, most times he may not be in the fire or in the wind, he may be in a still small voice. A voice so still, if you are not watchful you may not catch it, a voice so small, it’s easy to hear and ignore. God does speak, and let me tell you very firmly – your success and prosperity is connected to the instruction that he gives. His instructions are the inspirations behind innovations, his revelations are worth searching for and finding out. All that his seen will pass away, but that which takes root from his instruction and word will last them all!

What about people who don’t know God, who don’t like God or claim no allegiance to God, do they still need to hear His instruction to succeed? Does God speak to them? God speaks to all men, even in his creations his words are loud and clear, the basic reality of God is made manifest in a long and thoughtful look at creation. Sometimes when those He calls his own miss the signals long enough, any mere man – popularly referred to as stones will rise to the occasion. God does speak, but most times man cannot hear him. Not because he cannot hear him actually, but because he cannot understand his words. I’m going to show you one way, just one way today on how you can get yourself into God’s channel! Continue Reading »

One day, the man I am, will be measured against the man that I could have been! All my actions, and inactions will be placed on a balance, and my possibilities on the other side of the balance. On that day, the Judge of all, will have an expression on His face, will it be a smile or a frown? Will the words I’ll hear be ” well done, good and faithful servant”, or will I be cast into utter darkness with the words “get rid of this play-it-safe who won’t go out on a limb”? I don’t know if you are living today aware that that day exists. A day we will all be scored for how we have fared in the examination called life. A day when our intentions and motives will become plain and the reality of our actions and particularly our inactions will be crystal clear. Are you living with that consciousness? Or is your life mantra “Que será, será”.

The thought of this day, is the reason why I have decided to live my life fully with a good conscience towards the things of God and the issues of men. The thought of this day, is why I am a student of the Bible, and run my life based on it’s principles. The thought of this day is why I judge myself daily, that I might be fairly judged. Interestingly there is a chapter of the book of Matthew that renders 3 Judgement day scenarios, this is the 25th Chapter. These are scenarios that anybody desirous of a great end, should read and meditate on from time to time. Ahead of my sharing the lessons from these 3 scenarios for you, I’ll like you to ponder about the questions asked, and the ones I’m about to ask? Are you living your life fully? Are you preparing for an unseen future? If you have to stop doing what you are doing today, do you have a fall back position? Are you playing it safe or taking the risks? The way you are living now, is it based on faith or fear? Are your skills and talents fully invested? Do you have skills that will shock the world if you manifested? Is your life touching any other persons life? Are you a blessing to anyone else, does your life make meaning to any other mortal? Are you meeting people’s needs? Continue Reading »

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over in my life. And that’s why I succeed!” – Michael Jordan

One of the sharpest contrasts of paradigms between the super successful and the near do wells or outright failures is their perspective about failing. The contrast is so alarming, yet many don’t know. In my little sojourn and study, I have discovered quite amazingly that the rich and the poor, the great and the average, the skilled and he amateur,  have different philosophies about failing. If your philosophy can change, then you have indeed begun your journey into the school of success. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. You are not more than your way of thinking. Read these words, and let them transform your thinking, changing the way you see failing and rejection has the capacity to transform your life in 3 months.

Failing is one of the best things that can happen to a human being! Rejection is be most powerful motivation tool on earth! Getting a “No!” from your prospects or friends is the best self development training in the world! Failing is golden! The act of falling short, or missing expectations, of not meeting up with the desired results or getting woeful results is precious. You need to motivate yourself to fail, get yourself the opportunity of being rejected, go into places you’ll hear no’s more often, for success is elusive to those who have no history of failing! Failure must never be a place that defines you, but you must be conversant with failing. Like Thomas Watson one time MD of IBM said, “I have discovered, that in order to double my success rate, I simply double my failure rate!”.  You are not ready to succeed, until you are prepared to fail Continue Reading »

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all – Helen Keller

Today, I simply feel like freestyling, too many topics fighting in my mind for attention, I don’t want to be bound by one topic. As I reminisce over the last 11 months of this amazing year, my heart swells with gratitude to God, and is slightly punctuated by unexpressed tears gathering momentum in my tear sac. My mind is well trained, not to ask the questions for which the answers are clear. Today is (I can’t seem to use past tense) my mum’s birthday, and oh, how I miss calling her and and hearing her reassuring voice.  So today, I just want to well it out from my heart, demonstrate gratitude by counting the blessings that can be counted in public, sharing the bitter sweet lessons, and giving everybody a reason to have hope, to trust and to obey.

Mummy’s Day

It’s my mum’s day today, and though I know the righteous do not die, they sleep, I miss her.  If you read the two articles I wrote at the time of her departure in the second half of this year, you’ll see what an enigma she was. Sweet mother and Lessons from the life of my mum. Interestingly however, even though fast asleep from this current existence, she’s more alive than many who still have breath, or how do you reconcile these things. On my Fathers birthday for example, my mum’s phone suddenly comes back to live and starts beeping and alarm, on the face of the phone was a cake and lights and a message – Jo’s (meaning sweetheart) birthday! My father was happily shocked and told me about it, in my mind the phrase that rang – “Still relevant!”. A few weeks ago, my dad asked me to tell any of my friends coming to Lagos to him, that my mum’s farm of Yams have just been harvested and he wants to send the yam to all the children (we) and siblings.  We are still eating the yam from my mum’s farm, it’s a lot of yam as it was a huge farm, in my mind? Still relevant! You are alive and well, are you relevant? Who are you relevant to? Is your life relevant to now, and are you living to be relevant in eternity? Continue Reading »

Advert : Be a Part of This Fantastic Opportunity

It’s been a while I have been brooding on this topic, and I do not mean to personally attack anybody or any profession. What you are about to read may upset you, it may also set you free and motivate you. I have learnt however that life is made up of what we choose. Many students often attend the same class and get different grades, it’s not because the teacher  taught them different things, it’s because of the choices they made. Usually, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

These three, Bankers, Ticketing Agents and Sewing Machines have one stricking similarity. I know because I have been around many bankers and have a good number as friends,  I have also worked with an airline and even drawn up job descriptions for ticketing agents. I also grew up watching my mum use a sewing machine. Their point of similarity is a sobering reality. A reality that every one of you reading this mail must make it a point of duty to break away from. It must be your prayer point, a strong desire, infact a burning passion never to share this trait with any of these icons. Continue Reading »

I’m consistently irritated and angered by how many people are so comfortable with the lukewarm position of being spectators. The myriads of purposeless souls who would rather watch and analyze than engage and participate. I’m puzzled at how people can become professors at subjects their only interface with is theoretical. People earn a reputation for being critical of things they are obviously shallow about, the fear of failure robs people of the will to try, the fear of death numbs people and even though they don’t die, neither do they live.

Hear this and let it ring loud in your heart, “when all you do is watch, you are less than those who lost!” Someone once said, it’s better to change, discover that change was wrong and change back, than not to have changed at all. There is always merit in action, if a process doesn’t leave you with wealth, it’s certain to leave you with a wealth of experience. It’s better to fight and lose, than give in from the beginning, it’s better to try and fail, than to analyze fromt he sidelines. Bad players win commentaries, there is no commentary for spectators. My charge to you today is simple, don’t be a mere observer. Don’t venture only into speculation, venture into engaging and participating. Rather than join the crowd of spectators airing their opininon on plenty of reasons why failure is imminent, why not enter into the arena and win or lose and forever seal your reputation as one who is involved! Continue Reading »