The Parable of the Apsiring Gorilla
Many people who have heard me speak, know that I am a story teller. I love stories, I enjoy hearing them as much as I enjoy sharing them. I have often discovered also that people love stories as well, so somehow we connect, and 5yrs after I speak somewhere, I still meet people that remind me of the stories that I told them. This shows me that story telling does work. While writing a story and telling them are two different things, I very well prefer to tell than to write, because in telling I get to feel the crowds pulse, read their excitement, follow the twists and turns, and tell the story in a unique way for every crowd. On Sunday I was opportuned to present this story before a crowd of about 1000 people, and truthfully, even I enjoyed the story in a different way.
Once upon a time, there was a young man. This young man had a dream, a goal an aspiration that one day he would become the number 1 clown in his country. He had gone for a seminar where he had been thought to analyze his skills and write down his goal and vision, and for him, it all pointed to being a clown of repute. As soon as he discovered this, he started searching for materials on clowning, and started reading and developing himself in earnest. He went to watch other clowns perform, interacted with a few people about his dreams and invested heavily in developing himself. (more…)
This post was read by 1404 people until now.Start Now, Invent Later
Day before yesterday night, all I wanted to do on getting home was spend some time playing a game of soccer on PS3, and go to sleep. I wanted to free my mind, and let my hair down. While I was warming up to do this however, a program on Discovery channel caught my fancy.
It was the building of the biggest bridge in the world in Japan. It was already after midnight, but my eyes could not shut, neither could my brain, as I saw beyond the bridges, and got inspired.
The Japanese were trying to build a bridge to span over about 4km in deep waters and in one of the most earthquake prone regions of the world. characteristically, they didn’t just set out to build, they analyzed the situation, developed a plan of action, and went on to execute with excellence. The entire project took about 7yrs - they started in July 1989 and finished around 1996, but as they moved from stage to stage and celebrated their successes, I was able to observe the DNA of any successful enterprise or life. Read on. (more…)
This post was read by 794 people until now.Head or Heart?
Many times, we dilly dally between these two positions. We wonder if it was better to follow our head’s or to follow our hearts. We believe that to follow the head is logical, and to follow the heart emotional. Atimes we simply rationalize, that men follow their heads and ladies follow their hearts.
We all get to take decisions in our lives, researchers say that daily we make as many as 350 decisions. We decided on a variety of things, ranging from when to wake up to what to where, what to eat, how to eat, what to wear, when to wear e.t.c. We all make loads of decision everyday. It has even been said, that not making a decision requires a decision in itself.
Another interesting reality is that decisions are crucial. One little decision can make a huge difference in a persons life. Can you try and imagine for example that you did not go to the university you went to? If you had taken that decision differently, you will not be right where you are now, you will have different friends, might be in a different profession, your life would be different, clearly different. If we make the decision a smaller decision, let’s say on the day that accident happened you had not worn your seat belt, or lets say that you decided to meet with someone 5 mins longer than you planned to, and missed on that appointment that has contributed so much into who you are… reality is little changes in the initial conditions lead to extreme changes in end results, it’s called the butterfly effect.
If decisions happen so often, and the implications of them are so severe, should we not have clear principles on how to make the best decisions? Would it not be good if we master the art of taking decisions? Would it not be a worthwhile investment to get it right at getting it right? Here are a few things you can do to always make the best decisions. I also hope that from looking at these thoughts, you will right some wrong decisions you made already. (more…)
This post was read by 629 people until now.Why the Boards Contest?
Writing this article, I’m asking myself, “aint I over communicating”? I’m consoled however that I can’t overcommunicate. One extra posting is one extra reference point for the days when people claim not to understand things.
One of the most frequently asked questions I have been asked about the New Nigeria Club Initiative is this.
” I believe in a New Nigeria, I love the concept and the ideals, I think this is the product of a master mind, this project has a lot of merit on it’s own outside the boards, you don’t need those boards as they will go slow with time, why did you include the boards?”
Find below, 3 reasons why the boards are there, and 4 other facts about the board. Please note that these reasons do not have to agree with your ideology. We cannot please all, we can only stay true to our objectives and be accountable to all the buy the vision. (more…)
This post was read by 12366 people until now.Dubai 002 - Vision
One of the things that has continued to marvel me about Dubai, is how it has made use of nationals of other countries to sell properties that do not currently exist. Yeah, you read that right, many developers and property brokers in Dubai, make a living by selling properties that do not currently exist.
If you go around town like I do… like a hunting dog looking for the next rabbit..lol, you are likely to see opportunities all over Dubai. Everywhere you turn, there is a signpost about business and investment opportunities, and curiosity always gets the better side of me, so I ask. One scene that never ceases to amaze me is the one I’m about to describe now, it would have been fantastic, if it happened just once, but over and over again with different people? It’s awesome. (more…)
This post was read by 35101 people until now.Taking Position
Welcome to the second half of the greatest match of your life- Year 2007. I don’t know how fulfilling this year has been for you, but if you are a regular on this channel, I’m sure it has been exciting. I don’t know how far ahead the first half moved you, or how many goals down you are, but I assure you, if what I see ahead for you is anything to go by, you will not only equalize, you will win! Half the Year is gone already, today, is the 3rd day in the second half, it’s 2am in the morning, I’ve been struggling to shut my eyes for almost an hour, but I’m so inspired tonight, that I can’t go to bed, without expressing the burning thoughts in my heart. There is nowhere I’m hurrying to tomorrow morning, I will write, that I might be refreshed.
One of the strongest themes that have reverberated consistently in my heart this year is the phrase, taking position. I don’t know how you see this year, but one thought that ever comes to mind whether I’m in deep meditation or trying to think ahead, is the caption - Taking Position. This year is a year, where people will take positions. It’s a year of transitions. Some we have experienced as a nation, but most we will experience as individuals. It’s not all that I expect to agree with me, but as many has have hearts who feel touched by this thought, I am sent. This year, you will take position! (more…)
This post was read by 13283 people until now.The 8th Day of the Week
Yes you read the title correctly, in some parts of the world there are 8 days in a week. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Public Holiday! In Nigeria here for example tomorrow is going to be the 5th public holiday in April alone. Isn’t that already doing more than being the 8th day of week?
I remember how excited I used to get as a regular employee about public holidays. It was another day to rest from work, it was the replacement of the midterm holidays and long holidays we used to enjoy back in school. For those of us that went to the great university, we had so many strikes and induced breaks that life right now doesn’t seem fair 
But seriously, where are we going with this current holiday? (more…)
Power is all we need!
These days we are being assaulted regularly on our TV screens by different politicians making promises they don’t intend to keep. The interesting thing is that we have heard it all before. ” I will repair the roads”, “I will provide jobs for all”, ” The programs of my administration will outrightly obliterate poverty”. “Education for all”. These are all high sounding promises. They score points though, the sway the masses.
I heard that one of the presidential aspirants was addressing the Niger Delta, and promised them that he would start a ministry of Niger Delta, and that the minister of petroleum will always be from the Niger Delta area. He went further to inform them that if they vote for him… the crowd did not allow him to land. The interrupted him, it is not if they vote, it is when they vote :). Promises, promises, promises. As soon as they get into power it all becomes history. The first assignment becomes recouping the investments that brought them into power. (more…)
This post was read by 750 people until now.Are your eyes on the Future?
Please read only if you are convinced that you want to truthfully answer the question above.
“It is impossible to teach a man what he thinks he already knows” - Epicelus
The world is transforming at an alarming rate, to stay relevant, people and organizations must be adaptable to change.
I vividly remember a course I was privileged to attend some months back on business modeling. It was facilitated by a French man I have grown to respect, I learnt a lot of things, I also learnt about some vital indices that further corroborate the fact that all organizations that will succeed in the future, must factor these elements into their business models. (more…)
This post was read by 1318 people until now.Are you ready for your Next Level?
The end of the year is a very valueable time. It’s the time when many purpose driven people sit back to take stock and plan for the coming year. Like all times, time passes when we refuse to assign it to a purpose. The time we have is the one that we assign, aging does not require activity, growing does.
There are some concepts in change management theory that applies to everybody, individuals and corporations alike, by asking yourself a few critical questions, you would be able to identify where you are, and how to plan for the immediate future you desire. You have a next level, in your relationship, career, financial status, social status, e.t.c. When you are ready for your next level, a process begins to evolve, if you are concious of this process, you are better at managing yourself into your next level. Are you ready for your next level? (more…)
This post was read by 921 people until now.
