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

Now I know why I have not been writing so frequently! There is regularly a clash of thoughts in my mind for having to write about something and speak about something else, and when the writing and the speaking need to happen on the same day, it’s tough. Today for example, I had made up my mind that I will write about “Freedom”, but in a few hours from now as well, I will be with the GTBank training school to talk about “Personal Effectiveness and Life Mastery”, then tomorrow morning I’m sharing a platform with Great Leaders (Rev Sam Adeyemi, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Pastor Ben Akabueze and Mazi Sam Ohunabunwa) to talk about “Character in Career and Business” (9th May, 10am – Daystar, 71 Oregun Road, Kudirat Abiola Way). As soon as I’m done from there, I head for another seminar where I speak about Financial Freedom and share a business opportunity (9th May, 2pm&4pm -Generis Solutions, 3rd Floor Oluwatobi House, 71 Allen Avenue, Ikeja), as soon as that is done, I begin to put finishing touches to my presentation for Good Tidings Bible Church, Abuja on Wednesday on “Entrepreneurship” (13th May, 5:30pm - Good Tidings Bible Church International, Kingdom Centre Plot 125 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Way, After Julius Berger Headquarters, Utako, Abuja). Then I have a number of other seminars in Abuja, come back to lagos for another one on the weekend and start finalizing my preparations to head for Malaysia.

Thinking about all that needs to go on today, and then tomorrow is sufficient to create a writers block. Mixed with that also is my desire to really make a comment about the Ekiti Re-Run fiasco! If I however write too many thoughts in one post, I can get accused of being desultory. This worries me, but I guess like today’s topic, I simply need to set myself free of the encumberances created by expectations and standards, and speak from my heart, exactly the way the words flow . I’ll try to stick to the topic of freedom, while I use the key things I must express myself on as examples. Let’s together see what is capable of building up. Continue Reading »

Fourteen years ago, I was a little younger than I am now. I recall a particular day, I was sitting in my shop, yes, my shop. Just after secondary school, a friend and I had decided to start up a business venture ahead of getting into university. The breaks in universities were usually long and unending in those days, so anything to while away the time was worth it. “Adonai Ventures”, it’s been 14yrs yet I cannot forget the office, the place and the partitioning. We were running a drycleaning agency, a barbing saloon, a card making company and a whatever else we could lay our hands on. Staying in the office was also developmental for me, as I got the opportunity to listen to tapes and read, and believe me, I read in those days!

There was a story I listened to back in those days, that made a strong impression on me. I can still see the tape, it was white. We played tapes back then in a black double cassette player, I can still remember that tape player, it was a blessing back in those days. We rocked it, and it still rocks my soul! This story is the one I want to share with you today. My hope, is that the same way it made an impression on me then, it will make an impression on you. Continue Reading »

One of the ills I see in our society is the elevated position money is given. Not money literally though, I don’t have an issue with people being awarded for making money, where I see a problem, is where money is celebrated in our society without any consideration to the source of the money. We celebrate wealth without paying attention to the values that created them – hence we celebrate thieves, fraudsters, and all forms of illegalities. It’s this same craze, that has gotten over our young ones and now, they have moved from online scams to daylight robbery to seeking the help of spirtualists in getting wealth.

I  heard a few stories lately that didn’t go down well with me, and I feel responsible to the public and my readers to educate, inspire and motivate our collectively pushing forward the right values. Money is good only when it’s source is good. Money is good only if gotten from means that add value to others. Good money must leave a value trail. On the surface level, what I just wrote sounds pretty simple, but it’s not.

Story 1.

This might sound to you like a Joke, but I heard it happened for real. A man calls his son, and has the following conversation with him

Father: My son, I have just decided to call you based on an issue that is really disturbing for me. My grandfather died a poor man, my father also was not rich. I am 65yrs old this year, and I’m not rich, you also are beginning to thread a similar path. My son, I don’t know the details of this business deal you are working on, but if by the end of this year, you don’t make money, please come and carry me and use me to do money! Please my son, somebody in our family must make this money! Continue Reading »

Everyday, I get one mail, text or call or the other, that helps me know that people value my little contribution, and believe me, it’s encouraging. I don’t want to live a normal life, of grow, marry, give birth and die. I want to add value, to change lives, to bring hope, to bring help, to save, to provide to leave a legacy.

I got this mail forwarded to me by Praise Fowowe on feedback from Sex2Sex conference, and if this was the only mail and feedback from the event, I think the event is well worth it. Trust me, there is no kidding the kind of pressure that is mounted on young people. How the world migrated from a time when it was honorable to be chaste to one where being a virgin is something to be shy of amazes me. The world is on it’s head, man is dysfunctional! But before we get too far in analyzing that, read the reason why this title. It’s here and uncut!

“”H…My name’s Sola, Im 25years & I’m a virgin…” Continue Reading »

Lunch Date

There is so much personal development material on the street of daily activity, that it takes not wanting to consciously learn not to grow. In the last few days, I’ve come to see two interesting sides of a coin. That associations can bring good, and they can bring bad. That common meetings with other mortals, or access to the mind of great men via their books, are some of the most life changing events on this planet.

I learnt, that once upon a time, there was a young lawyer who sought help from an older lawyer. The young lawyer was finding it hard to practice litigation, he had no clients, and it wasn’t looking like there was light at the end of his tunnel. The old lawyer had gone through this time as well, but now was a big time popular lawyer who made lots of money from big cases. He begged the big lawyer to give him his small briefs, so at least he also could have some crumbs that fall off the big table. The old lawyer informed him, that there was no small brief – lawyers only know the beginning of a brief, no one knows how big the brief would be. The young lawyer was disappointed that the old lawyer was not helpful, and turned to leave. The old lawyer however stopped him and told him that even though he could give him nothing, he was willing to have lunch date with him at a future date, but would like them to stroll together from his office down about 2km to where they would eat lunch. The young lawyer felt a bit insulted that all he was going to get was lunch, but reluctantly agreed. The set day came and they had the long walk to lunch. 2-3months after this lunch he started getting calls, briefs, and business. His fortune changed and he was so excited, he had a party, and invited the big lawyer to come and see how well he’s doing, even without his help. Continue Reading »

I wrote down this topic 5hrs ago, and looking at it again just before writing, it seems a bit strange. Why will someone want to make God his enemy? Even if you don’t believe in God, or believe that he exists, I doubt if you’ll want him as an enemy. Would you? I wouldn’t want to too, but there are many of us who in many ways, set out to make God our enemy. Or literally set up ourselves to force God’s hands to move against us.

First of all, I’ll like to make it clear that I’m not interested in looking at this topic from a different philosophical angles. I don’t intend to waste time on the existence of God or His absence. Neither do I want to attribute the Universe to unidentified forces. I am certain and convinced, that there is a God in heaven, and he rules and reigns in the affairs of men. I believe that this God is a loving God, who made humanity in his image and cares about what he created us to accomplish. This God however is also a principled God, who does not act on whims and emotions, but based on clearly explainable principles. In the words of Albert Einstein – God doesn’t throw dice! He has ways, they are only above our ways.

There are quite a number of ways to make God your enemy, in fact, I doubt if they are exhaustive. I’m going to be share the ones that have been revealed to me, and hope that you will work to make God your friend, and not your enemy. Continue Reading »

Ever since the Cadbury Plc Saga with Bunmi Oni, many of us young career people and entrepreneurs who valued the integrity for which Bunmi Oni had been known, have wondered. We have wondered what exactly happened, is it true? Did he really defraud the company? Did he defraud the Shareholders? We searched frantically through the papers for a clue of his response, we longed to see him, and ask, “what is your version of the story?” For years, Bunmi Oni was the business icon of integrity and a role model to many of us who wanted to do things right. He was the beacon of hope, that in a dark dark world of guerrilla managerial gimmicks and self aggrandizing maneuvers, it was still possible to rise to the top of an establishment and play big time in Nigeria’s business terrain without compromising true north values. All that was challenged when the issues were raised. Many of us jumped into conclusions, some of us hoped for his comments and assumed that the silence of a man of integrity meant consent. In a 4hrs meeting with him yesterday his testimony shocked me, and rekindled the light of hope in my mind for value based thinking and integrity. I asked him before I left (I went with a colleague though), if I was allowed to talk about this, and … I am… Continue Reading »