THE BIGGER THE DREAM!

I am a strong believer in the FUTURE of this country. The 'FUTURE' is not just some imagination, vague picture or wish. To me, the 'FUTURE' is a people. Whenever I talk about 'THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA', I am talking about ‘MY GENERATION’. I believe in my generation and the lot we have to offer our country. Irrespective of our horrifying past and challenging present.

It is for this reason I do what I do; inspire, provide direction and guidance to members of my generation to ensure peak performance and all-round successful living...

For the next couple of days (maybe weeks), I will be talking about DREAMS! I will narrow down my focus on the subject: THE BIGGER THE DREAM! This is a excerpt of one of my recent presentations!

There are some basic facts that none of us can argue. One of them is: everything outstanding begins in dream form. It first begins in the 'seed' form before developing or growing into 'food' form. Many people are quick to celebrate the 'food' state, forgetting there was ever a 'seed' form.

What exactly is my point? You cannot succeed in life without a DREAM! A man or woman without a DREAM will die a slave! Wishes are for slaves, DREAMS are for masters, pacesetters and front liners!

Now to the basics! One thing is certain, we didn't all come from same backgrounds. While some of us came from average homes, others came from affluent backgrounds, while some others came from terribly poor backgrounds.

To my mind, your 'background' is your door to planet earth. The quality of your background does not count much. For instance, there are many doors into a beautiful hall, it does not matter much which door you came through into the hall. What matters is that you end up getting into hall and securing a seat in the hall! This is what counts! Friends, destiny doesn’t care much which ‘door’ you came through into this world; you are already here – make impact.

Here is another illustration.
If you put a gold wristwatch into a dirt bin, the dirt-bin does not turn into a wristwatch. Neither does the wristwatch become dirt. The wristwatch may not have increased in value, but the dirt-bin increased in value. Why? It had a gold wristwatch inside it.

What is the lesson? It does not matter which dustbin you were born into, you are created to add value to it. You must add value to your family; you must add value to your nation.

Stop holding unto or complaining because of your background. Do not tie yourself to your past. There is more ahead of you than there is behind you. You can be all you choose to be, irrespective of how you have been.
There is hope for the man that chooses dream, against all odds...

We will talk about the ‘START POINT’ on my next post!

Keep happening!

ROGUES IN PRIESTLY GARMENTS!

Yesterday, I was at my clothier’s office to fix some things for 2009. Upon entering, I met some kind of discuss on religion. Once the guys noticed my presence, the discuss got heated, I guess this was because some of the folks in my clothier's office had come to appreciate my stand on issues of religion, and by inference, my faith. Guess what? The whole debate was on modern-day ‘Pastors’ and their 'antics!'

Several issues were raised. Heard from the folks how a certain ‘pastor’ was arrested and he allegedly confessed to being the leader of a gang of notorious armed robbers. Another was said to be the backbone of a cartel specialized in car snatching!

The folks also talked about certain ‘pastors’ who they say practically extort money from their congregation.

As I made to sit, one of the folks turned towards me and said: “Imagine! When a pastor knows that the monthly income of his follower is not more than One Hundred Thousand Naira, he still doesn’t raise any eye-brow when such a person brings a ‘seed’ of Five Million naira to him...”

They went on and on. As I made to leave, one of the men, who obviously had come from a nearby shop, made a remark that struck me: “If not that some of us have personal revelation and relationship of and with God, we would have long doubted if God truly exists, taking into cognizance all the fraud perpetuated by these self-styled ‘clergy men’...”

Folks, nothing these guys said was new to me. My only embarrassment was that they also know what was happening within the 'house'.

I am a 'church boy' and also a proud worker in the body of Christ. Thus, if I am really truthful, I should own up to knowing what’s happening within the ‘house’ and shouldn’t be plastic about it.

I have always spoken about certain current practices in the body of Christ and how it was negatively affecting society and several innocent believers of Christ alike. Like I told a friend, it seems to me that those who have failed in various vocations and professions have finally resorted to being ‘pastors’. God’s work is now handled with the approach of a ‘vocation’.

The general notion is that the days are long gone when ‘God’ called people into ministry. Now, you can call yourself into. It is now a game, and the man with the best tongue and manipulation is mostly likely to get into prominence. It is now sheer fraud and deception!

Today’s ‘pastors’ don’t and can’t speak the truth anymore. It is no longer God’s word; it is now our ‘word’. We no longer have ‘Men of God’ but ‘Men of the People’. Why will they even speak the truth when they have no moral standing to do so! It is now all about the money and the fame, as against being examples and a standard for others to live by.
For this present generation of ‘pastors’, God can stay in Heaven for all they care and whatever will be on judgement day, let it be! Instead of being worried about the effect of failing in ministry, they are worried about the effects of failing in life!

We know of a lot of churches happily patronized by fraudsters, not because they are sure of being transformed or gaining salvation, but the ‘pastor’ of this local assembly has a reputation of ‘blessing’ the “works of their hands”. There are certain churches fraudsters won’t attend. This is because they know the pastor will always hit them below the belt. But, these new wave self-styled ‘pastors’ don’t see anything wrong in their choice of vocation. A ‘pastor’ was quoted to have told his congregation: “I have seen and tasted poverty, I know what it means to be miserably poor... DO EVERYTHING you can to make money, provided you don’t kill anybody...”
Hear a ‘pastor’s’ counsel to his flocks: “DO ANYTHING TO GET MONEY!” Little wonder, an ample number of his congregation are purportedly internet fraudsters! According to one of them: “his prayer works like magic... once he prays for me and I get on the internet to chat, it works like an enchantment! But, I make sure after ‘pastor’ touches my hand, I don’t have any handshake with anybody until after using the internet...”

Where on earth has the fear of God exiled to? Where do these superficial ‘pastors’ get their guts from? We know He is rich in Mercy, but can’t God do anything about this particular issue? I mean, His name is being ridiculed here!

I am scared and worried! This is for the reason that every priest has followers, irrespective of whether he is genuine or not. My worry is what the 'false prophets' are doing to their innocent ‘flocks’ and what they are becoming due to their self-seeking and warped view of the real God.

To my mind, what has turned ‘church’ into what it is today is as a result of the craving and demand from the people for certain forms of magic.

Everybody likes a ‘miracle’ pastor. Everybody likes a ‘prophetic’ pastor. Everybody likes a ‘prosperity’ preacher. While there is nothing wrong in this, the approach is wrong. If you are neither of these, you may not go far in this present age. It seems to me like these are the demands of the ‘profession’.

The cravings of the people are; the desire to get rich, the ability to be healed of any physical or spiritual ailment, the desire to be rich and also the power to “kill your enemies”.

Quite naturally, any man who can promise them any of these will capture their hearts and their physical presence, including their pockets. This is one reason ‘pastors’ seek ‘powers’ by all means possible. While some run to God, others return to their master, the devil. Certainly, what the fool teaches them are tricks and deception.

I ask: “why can’t those in the latter group just come out plain and allow themselves gain easy identification as ‘native doctors’? Why use the devil's deception and camouflage with God’s garments?”

So much evil is being done using the name of the Lord as cover, and lots of people are being misdirected. In my own little thoughts, I ask: “why would God wait till ‘judgement day’?”

Certain ‘pastors’ are capitalizing on the vulnerability of people to exploit them. Is there another definition for define deceit? Not too long, there was this issue of how some children in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria, were being branded as “witch children” by some of these self-professing ‘pastors’.

Unsurprisingly, there were some ‘pastors’ who claimed they could ‘cure’ them. Guess what? The 'cure' wasn’t coming FREE! Some of these pastors charged between One Hundred Thousand Naira and Four Hundred Thousand Naira. I like to call these ‘pastors’: the bigger witches!

In the event that the parents of these ‘witch-children’ cannot pay for the deliverance, the ‘cured’ children are kept back with these ‘witch-curing pastors’ to act as slaves to them, until the hapless parents’ can gather the money for their final freedom.

I wonder! I wonder!! How did we get here? What sort of mess is this? Is this what the younger generation will take after? Obviously, it is going to get out of proportion if they do! How do we get out of these muddle we have dragged the Christian faith into? What is the function of the various Christian bodies? Are the leaders ‘pure’ themselves?

More than ever, we need divine intervention. We must get rid of every rogue in priestly garment!

HOW TO ATTRACT THE BEST OF 2009!

I have always held as true the belief that life is spiritual. Expectedly, a few persons with superficial view to life would play down this obvious reality. This, I believe, is one of the core reasons many amongst us end up as playthings in destiny – the wrong approach and outlook to life!

Of a truth, 2008 was a great year. Frankly too, it has entered into the dustbin of history. But for the grace of the God Almighty, many of us could have ended up in the history books of 2008. That you are reading this piece is a solid proof that you ‘came, saw and conquered...’ At least, I know I don’t yet write for ‘spirits’...lol

2009 is here! Perhaps, some folks lived in 2008 like it was never going to end, while some others prayed and hoped it ended quicker than normal. For the former, instead of being joyous 2008 was coming to an end, they could greet the end of the year with mixed feelings, with fears and doubts of what the future holds. Too bad there is nothing anybody can do about it! 2009 is here to stay.

So, how do you start off, manage and make the best of the New Year?

Every wise man appreciates the concept of strategy. He knows it is the surest way to conclude a thing even before starting it.
God Almighty is our Master Strategist. The Bible says about Him: “He plans the end from the beginning...” We need to live our lives like this.
Everyone who operates life with the strategy-mentality will always end up a voice and a force to reckon with in destiny. However, success in life demands a little more than regular strategy; you must have a God-strategy! The Holy book clearly reveals the import of this when it says: “For with God (and His strategy), nothing shall be impossible...”

So, how do we go about developing a God-strategy for 2009? Let me tell you what I did and how!
Personally, I took the last 4days off to a private location; away from family, friends and admirers. My phones were switched off for the entire 4days I was there. I took a few inspirational literatures along, a notepad and of course, my manual - The Holy Bible.

The entire 4days was one of deep soul searching; x-raying where I believe I succeeded, failed and performed below average in the year 2008. I took out quality time to thank God for all the victories of 2008; for the gift of life and the privilege of knowing and having Him as my Pilot in destiny. Thereafter, I declared all that I wanted to see in 2009; telling God I desire to see only the things that align with His will for my life; I don't want any record of 2008 to repeat itself in 2009. I also spent some time addressing other personal issues before Him.

After the prayer sessions, I took out time to plan some major parts of my 2009, wrote down a few thoughts for some of my scheduled speaking engagements in 2009. Also, studied portions of the Holy Bible and the literatures I took along.

Indeed, it was a period of deep spiritual strategizing for me and a generous opportunity to ‘FIX’ my 2009. No doubt, I am not going to be shocked at the amazing things I will experience in 2009; I already settled that out with God, and I made sure I didn’t leave His Presence until He gave me guarantees. Indeed, 2009 is going to be year of RAPID SUCCESS!. Like He has declared: “It’s a year of MANIFESTATION AND DOUBLE RESTORATION”.

In my customary manner, I told most of my protégés to do same. That is, taking out quality time towards the end part of the 2008 to ‘FIX’ the New Year - 2009. I can still remember one of them asking me: “Sir, are you saying I should spend 4days praying... what will I be saying the entire days?” I had to explain my strategy to him; you are to PRAY and THINK!
No doubt, these ones are going to soar above their peers in 2009. This is an unbreakable law of success: When you do [correctly] what others don’t do, you will get what they don’t get.

I have seen many folks step into their future and are surprised to see it empty! Why the shock? You cannot make withdrawals from an account you never made deposits... When others were praying, they were playing. When others were planning, they were sound asleep. When others were groaning, they were grooving. You can’t plant corn and reap pineapple! It is your ‘investing’ that sets the pace for your ‘harvesting’.

For those who couldn’t take out time towards the end part of 2008, you can do so now as 2009 has just begun! You could take 2, 3, 4 or more days off, depending on how much you can sacrifice at the moment. I bet you, it will pay off!

Don’t forget: LIFE IS SPIRITUAL, don't leave it to chance. Only those with this understanding will make major headlines in 2009! For God said, “In 2009, if you don’t hear me, men will not hear you”. The easiest way to become a FOCUS in your world is to make God your FOCUS - when you see God, men will see you. Logic and human reasoning cannot take you all-the-way! If you maintain a sound relationship with the Creator of the universe in 2009, it will be totally impossible for you to lack anything in the universe.

You deserve the best, go for it!

BEING FAKE IS HARDWORK!

I believe the hardest task anyone can saddle him/herself with is working towards being the perfect replica of somebody else. It costs and involves a lot.

Also, anyone who chooses to be like someone else should be ready for constant [and annoying] evaluation; people will continuously measure your 'transformations' with your ORIGINAL's identity. This could be very frustrating if whatever they say is a far cry from what you want to hear. It is cheaper being YOU. It is only a 'competitor' than stands the risk of being defeated...

On the other hand, nobody desires to ‘photocopy’ an ‘original’ that's a failure. Everybody wants to duplicate a SUCCESS. Obviously, pirates don’t go after artistes and albums that don’t sell. Thus, as an ORIGINAL, when you become successful in anything, there would always be someone waiting in the wings to ‘duplicate’ your style, approach and principles. While this may be the shortest route to ‘success’, it equally has its cons.

I can't argue the fact that some folks may have risen to fame and stardom through duplication of 'successes', one fact we shouldn’t downplay is the fact that the Almighty created us to be ORIGINAL - He equally placed in us all the resources required to make this possible. Without doubts, living life different from our Creator’s standard has its own disadvantages... There is a portion of the Holy bible that says: "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and LOSE HIS SOUL...”
In relation to this post, I think the above can be interpreted as saying: “what will it profit a man if he LOSE HIS SOUL (uniqueness, originality, conscience, individuality) in his attempt/desire to gain the pleasures of life!” The message is simple: Be ye ORIGINAL!!!

It is not out of place to be inspired by people. It only becomes tragic when you let their ORIGINALITY expire yours! I believe it is good to adopt the style and principles of others. However, we have the responsibility of developing ours and thereafter blend theirs with it. To my mind, the effect of other people’s uniqueness ought to make you a BETTER person! It shouldn't transform you into what you were never meant to be! You must make a conscious choice not to get lost in other people, especially in this crazy age that forces you to become what you don't have natural ability for!

Every time I get the privilege of speaking at University campuses and to young people, I never fail to tell them: “get inspired by me, don’t get expired because of me.” All too often, young people easily get carried away by the glittering ORIGINALITY of others, without necessarily focusing on how they can harness theirs. Be yourself, so someone else can adore you. You have a life – LIVE it!

When 2 persons are alike, one of them would certainly lose relevance. The 'photocopy' becomes a ‘spare’. Besides, why on earth should anybody buy 2 shirts of same size, same colour and same design?
Maybe one of the main reasons you have been losing fame, money and relevance is because you are the perfect replica of someone 'around.' Take note of 'around'!
Why should people come after you when your style, product and principles doesn't reveal anything UNIQUE? Nothing sells like DIFFERENCE! Today's leading organizations appreciate this fact, this is why they work assiduously on building a U.S.P - Unique Selling Proposition. They devote so much energy and resources in building and projecting their difference.

Fact is, as a PHOTOCOPY; no matter how much you may try, the credits always goes to your ORIGINAL. All attention shifts to your original, despite your sweat.
Question: why should anybody come for you when your ORIGINAL is still very much around and can be gotten very easily

Looking at a perfect example in the bible, Elisha never gained prominence until Elijah was taken away by the Lord.

Folks, it is too expensive and somewhat detrimental to be a PHOTOCOPY (this is different from being a PROTEGE). It takes away more than it brings.

In life, everybody likes variety. In fact, variety is said to be the spice of life. Thus, if you truly want to be a “spice” in life, be UNIQUE! Refuse to opt for 'pseudo' when you can effortless be a great YOU!

Work on your personal brand. Don’t be ashamed to be different. This is where your wealth and relevance is, celebrate it!

Let me end this post by asking you 2 very important questions:

· If we decide to separate your thoughts, style and principles from your friend’s and those you admire, what will you look like?

· Do you truly have a life you can call yours?

WHAT TIME IS IT?

Hello people, it’s been like 7days without any post. In reality, I wish I could update my blog daily, I truly wish. No thanks to my crazy schedules and several engagements. But for these, this passion of mine won’t be blinking; I will look for a way around it before long. Trust me!

Of late, I have been thinking. Thinking about my generation, our numerous acts of modernism and what we would be offering the next generation. Fact is, we truly can’t talk much about the present or the future without basically looking at the past. Can we please wind the hands of the clock backwards a bit?

Once upon a time...

1. There was dignity in labour, our people were proud to do something with their hands and feed their mouths from their sweat. Women didn’t ‘use’ their bodies to get whatever they wanted, neither did men seek for opportunities to criminally exploit and extort resources.

2. There was the celebrated spirit of communal living; everybody in the community lived like a family. Every child was the responsibility of every parent and every parent was every child’s guardian.

3. Values and morals were not strange to us; only those who were high in morals and values ever got to be honoured or decorated.

4. Our definition of leadership wasn’t different from the global view and civilization.

5. Those we LOANED our votes to did everything to improve our living standard. Because to them, that was what they owed us for the trust we bequeathed on them with our vote.

6. We were spiritual, there was nothing like humanism. We knew God truly exists and EVERYTHING we did was done with this consciousness.

7. We had a security system we could really call secured and safe.

8. We were a people who valued our words and promise; there wasn’t the issue of African time or ‘diplomacy’.

9. Education was the responsibility of the GOVERNMENT. There were [functional] public schools everywhere and education was seen by all as the RIGHT of the Nigerian child. Education wasn’t privatized with those who can afford it made to believe it is a PRIVILEGE. Talk about slavery mentality!

10. We had known criminals who robbed with guns, machetes and other weapons. Unlike now, the HOLY BIBLE wasn’t a prominent weapon of robbery; we didn’t have robbers in priestly garments.

11. We once had fathers children truly adored and respected, as they provided the indispensable father-figure and leadership qualities. Now, children look outside of their homes to choose “role models”.

12. Virginity was a thing of pride. Society didn’t make people ashamed of their sexual innocence. Mothers didn’t put their daughters under pressure to lose theirs before marriage.

13. It wasn’t very difficult to have a reliable and trusted ally. Trust wasn’t very scarce.

14. We did everything to prevent rogues from ascending leadership positions. No gift was big enough, neither was any lie good enough to buy our conscience. We valued leadership, thus we did everything we could to ensure that only people of value ever had the privilege of leading us.

I am wondering which age this is. My questions and worries are much. What age is this? What a blunder we have made of life and living! Do we call this the digital age, the age of Armageddon or have we strolled into to the biblical Perilous times? Are we close to the end of the time? Can life ever be worse than the way it is now?

Since these are not questions I planned to answer, I guess I have to pass them to you!

ONCE AGAIN, OUR POLITICIANS GO BRAINLESS!

You never get bored in Nigeria, there is always something new to ‘bother’ or laugh about. Indeed, this is a ‘happening’ country. But, it becomes really worrisome and nauseating, to both Nigerians and the rest of the world, when the loss of a life is involved in our ‘happenings’. In most cases, the loss is treated with levity and triviality. This further makes the rest of the wonder if we have 'VALUE FOR HUMAN LIFE' in our national dictionary.

The Nigerian people woke up last week to hear of a new political violence and bloodshed in Jos, Plateau State. This is not the first time this is happening in that part of Nigeria. Something similar occurred during the Obasanjo/Dariye days.
However, this present incidence started a day after the local government elections. I don't think anyone needs to be convinced if it was politically motivated or not, we know our people and what they can do if they are denied of anything - irrespective of whether they are right or wrong.
It beats my imagination that in Nigeria, we are still in short supply of gallant losers and genuine winners.
The media was awash with news of massive rigging of the elections. Reports from those on the field say the elections were indisputably won by the opposition party: ANPP. Whereas, the state is governed by a PDP governor. Perhaps, the governor has an 'instruction' to deliver, by all means, to his superiors in Abuja!

Why are our politicians brainless and numb? All of a sudden, the violence is now wrapped with the face of religion; they are trying to divert attention from the main issue by saying it is a case of 'religious intolerance'. Politicians! They say it is a brawl between Moslems and Christians. We are not all fools, our people know when their intelligence is being insulted and their docility treated as stupidity. Most of us have friends and loved ones resident in the city of Jos. They have told us what’s been happening, how it started and who's responsible for it. We hear this has got nothing to do with religion.

As at Sunday 30th November 2008, over 200 Nigerians have lost their lives owing to the mayhem and lots of houses and properties razed. It seems to to me that our ‘rulers’ believe that the loss of 200 of her citizens is really nothing to worry much about. If some governor or high-ranking traditional ruler had been killed in the process, the hypocritical elements in our 'rulers' would have prompted them to call for national mourning.

Right now, the Jos people cannot buy or sell. People are starving and they have no idea when this would end. The markets are not opened. People of the state are hiding in bushes. Many peasants have lost the properties they spent years to gather. Many children cannot find their parents and parents cannot locate their children. The banks are out of operation, people are cash trapped. 3 youth corpers were butchered; one was killed inside the church while he was on phone giving his brother minute by minute report. These are young people who left their parents and family members to a 'strange' land to serve their motherland, only to end up being killed. It is indeed a sorry situation.

For those who don’t know, Jos is one of Nigeria’s most beautiful cities, but it is economically and industrially backward, compared to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and the likes. There are very few industries operating there and entrepreneurship seems not to be encouraged as the state is largely regarded as a civil service state. Imagine the devastating effect this violence and meaningless destruction of properties will further cause the economy of the state!

What is our problem? Why are our people this heartless? Why has the craze for power and relevance made us lose the most important gift God gave man – CONSCIENCE?
Our youths are being used to perpetuate these evil, just because somebody somewhere must get into political office and continually enjoy undeserved prominence.
Shame! Shame!! Shame!!!

May God help Nigeria.

READING YOUR STORY FROM THE RIGHT LIPS....

Isn't it amazing how we most times go all-out just to win the approval of people? We do everything just to be on the good books of anybody and everybody, even when it is noticeable that some of them don't really give a damn about our person!!!

Over the years, I have discovered that many people lost their fire for life, their fighting spirit, their daring attitudes, their will to be and do --------- merely because of one form of rejection or for the reason that somebody somewhere registered his/her abhorrence and intense dislike for them.

I have always believed that anything good will be hated by anything evil; the best will always be hated by anything average...
On the other hand, people will always criticize what they don’t understand. Besides, it wouldn't be an act of wisdom for anyone to embark on a ‘you-must-love-me’ campaign... Life is too short to permit that luxury! We just have to live our lives the best way we can and trusting God for the grace to be the best person we should be!

I am tempted to believe that Jesus Christ was faced with a similar situation at one point of His journey, hence the remark: “all the people the Father has sent to me must surely come to me....” He was confident destiny had assigned some special people to His life and no matter what, they will surely come to Him and stick with Him. This ought to be our conviction also, we also need to have same perspective if we must enjoy our journey through life!

This is the reality of life: no matter how nice you are, there will still be haters around. While some will hate you for being 'too nice' - they will describe it as 'foolish', others will hate you for being 'too independent' - they will describe it as being 'rigid'.......... There will always be persons who have intense dislike for you merely because of your physical height or body built...... Some hate you for being 'too smart', whereas to others, you are just one dull chap! Some will say you are 'too rich' to be their friend, others will say you are too poor..........................

The truth of the matter is, most of these folks are people who envy/admire you and will do anything possible to be like you. Isn't it a shame that it has become a culture to us Africans to always criticize anyone better than us? This is why to the average man on the street, anybody richer than he is definitely got his money through shady means........ This attitude is what I like to describe as IGNORANCE ON RAMPAGE!

While it is important to sometimes hear/listen to what people think about you, don’t ever make the mistake of asking/listening to anyone who doesn’t have any ‘investment’ in your life to tell you your 'story'. You will never get the truth from their lips!
Imagine asking the devil to give you God’s resume? Everything you will hear from him will be lies and proof of his hatred/jealousy!
You will never get the true picture of your life from the lips of those who have not invested anything in you!

At another point of Jesus’ journey, He needed to know what people thought about Him, so He asked His folks: “What does the public think of me...?” He got some responses. But, as if to prove that what the ‘crowd’ think doesn’t matter much, He didn’t emphasize on what He was told their perspectives were. Rather, He went further to ask those who had invested their time, sweat and resources on Him: “who do you think I am....?” These were the comments He eventually held dear to His heart!

Don’t try reading your story from the lips of those who don’t like you; they've made no deposits in you, so they won’t speak right about you!
Refuse to fake just to win admiration from people; you are not a failure because some loser somewhere said so! Stay true to who you are and you will attract genuinely nice people.

You must happen!

SOME DREAMS WILL NEVER BECOME REALITY!

Anybody can have [or own] a dream, it cost nothing, absolutely nothing. In fact, it is the freest commodity on planet earth... I once said in one of my articles that the challenge of this generation is actually not the lack of dreams [or ideas], but lack of focus. Focus is the major prerequisite for the realization of any dream.... Every young kid on the street has dreams, but most of these dreams are still in the category of WISHES.

As I travelled around Nigeria during the month of October to honour several speaking engagements, I had the privilege of meeting a number of young Nigerians; the [supposed] hope and determinant of the beauty of the future of this nation.

I was really astounded with the discovery that most of these young ones may end up living the kind of sorry lives their parents had lived, if not worse! One of the core reasons for this conviction is that most of these young ones have very impractical dreams/ideas about the future, their approach and attitude to life and their dreams are not any different. The truth is, our parents had dreams of and for their future... But, where did they end up? Isn't it clear through their lives that having a dream is not the only basis/criterion for greatness? There is more to what success demands than just dreams.

Dreams can’t and don’t fulfil itself. While it is your responsibility to develop dream for yourself, it is also your responsibility to work it out. God’s responsibility is to reward you for fulfilling your responsibility. This is apparent in His word: “I will bless the labour of your hands....... Whatever you lay your hands to do, it shall prosper.........”

I have discovered that many young people in our generation have very lofty dreams, great and fantastic dreams. But, most of these dreams have no ladders. There is no [concrete] plan on how they intend to fulfil it; most of these dreams would finally end up in the trash can of wishes or in the comfort of their graves when they finally exit this earth! Someone once said: “If wishes were horses, everybody would own one!” The question is: “what is a wish?” A wish is a plan-less aspiration. Simply put, a wish is a desire without plans/strategies to meet its actualization. If only we could just think and ask ourselves why our fathers failed!!!

God had to CREATE planet earth... He went beyond dreaming; He constructed a ladder [plan] to the actualization of the dream. Developing a personal dream/vision is the first phase, but most people make it look like the only phase!

In one of my recent meetings, a young lady told me how she has dreams of owning one of the biggest schools in Abuja, she told me how the school would look like and lots of other fantastic things. I was so enthused by this great dream that I asked her: “what are you currently doing to ensure that this great dream become a reality....?” She had no answer, none! All she stopped at was the dreaming aspect of success actualization. I wonder how she hoped it will ever come true! It was obvious she was already thinking like many religious folks who always shy away from responsibility by saying: “God will do it....”

Truth is, every great man who is presently at an enviable height had to begin from where he was... he had to act on whatever dreams he had.... any man who got to the mountain top had to CLIMB there, not JUMP!

At another meeting I had recently, a young man said his dream is to become a presenter on CNN in the next three months... While his case looks in some way ‘nice’, this is because he has given himself a time frame... Yet, the laughable angle is that at present he has nothing to do with any media house in Nigeria.... He’s never had! But, he his dream is to become a top-notch presenter for CNN within a year!

Nothing wrong with the dream, but he needs to create a ladder! I told him CNN is like a ‘destination’. He needs to have bus-stops; places where he needs to horn and refine his skills – he just may need to start out as a co-presenter with any of our local TV/radio station, gradually he would build his confidence and know-how of the job.... A 'height' like CNN is not for amateurs. They don’t give starters the opportunity to learn there. They don’t groom starters, at least his kind.

You may want to conclude that these two folks are really dumb. I beg to disagree! I see folks like these ones everyday... Theirs is quite reasonable, compared to others who can’t even explain their dreams, but they know they have one. This is the challenge of our generation.

Many of our university graduates either have no dreams of where they are taking their lives to, while others have some ludicrous and unworkable dreams. I believe this is one reason why the spirit of entrepreneurship is gradually dying in Africa; the spirit of responsibility! I have interacted with lots of university graduates who just stay in life to grow older – nothing more, nothing less and nothing else!

While I am a strong believer in having big dreams, what however makes a dreamer and his dream look daft and dippy is when there is no ladder to the actualization of his dream.

Success is a product of planning. Success is a product of strategies. Every dreamer must learn how to create plans. You must have a structure/plan of HOW you hope to achieve whatever great dream you have. Most probably, it will require you to start somewhere. Your plan will also tell you where you should start from, how and why.......... A dreamer without a plan is actually playing. He is but a joke, and his life may also end up same way.

In addition, you must learn, understand and appreciate the power of action. The difference between a failure and a success story is that one effectively used the gift called: “NOW!” Any man who truly wants to live his dream must first wake-up and if you will ever make progress, you have to first get started!

A conventional dreamer may know what to do, but the wise ones know what to do next. They don't just hope on their dreams, they ACT on them! They don’t squander their present, hoping miracles will happen! They know that success comes in bits. Thus, they look at their dreams and ask themselves: “What can/must I do now? How can I maximize my present so that my future will appreciate?” They create a plan ---- short term, midterm and long term strategies that will see them getting to top of their game............... These are the few ones that slowly but surely become the celebrities and success stories amongst us.

Folks, it is not enough to dream. Create plans. Start from somewhere. Align yourself with folks who have what you don’t have but what your dream needs. Access your strengths and your weakness. Start strengthening your strengths and look away from your weaknesses; the quality of people you connect with will help cover your areas of vulnerability and deficiencies.

You must happen!

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Any Nigerian who is truly mindful of the future will be bothered about the present condition of things in this country.... I don’t want to over-flog certain issues, as such; I am looking away from the food crisis, unemployment rate and unemployability dilemma, financial corruption, insensitive political manipulation...

I am very vexed and deeply concerned about the moral future of the average Nigerian youths. At the moment, the picture of the future seems very bleak and depressing. We can’t keep pretending that it is nothing to worry much about. Fact is, each one of us will someday pay for our silence and docility regarding this issue. Sometimes one wonders if our conscience has taken sudden flight from us!

In today’s Nigeria, the average kid of 6, 7 and 8years is becoming very heartless, pitiless, brutal, ruthless and non-emotional. Visit our schools and you will hear of certain degrees of violence meted-out by these minors on their peers. Is this their reaction to what society has forced them to learn? When you hear how some of these violence and insensitivity is meted out by these toddlers, your ears will tingle, you will weep! One is forced to ask: “How did this start? What have we done to ourselves? How did we lose it? Where do we go from here?”

We can’t keep pretending this is not a problem that requires urgent consideration and attention. Deviously fighting financial corruption and other superficial vices without pondering on how to consciously build morals and instill values in the next generation of leaders is an exercise in futility... Insensitivity and moral bankruptcy is being handed down like some form of inheritance to the younger ones... The school system shouldn’t look away from this either; academics without character is not education!

In one of the ASA’s songs, she reeled her viewpoint this way: “There is fire on the mountain and nobody seems to be on the run.... One day the river will overflow and there will be no where for us to go, we will run, run… wishing we had put up a fight…”

Once upon a time, we were a people with high reverence for morals and values! All of a sudden, certain attitudes and actions we formerly considered as taboo, evil and wicked have suddenly become good, nice and right in the eyes of a lot of us... What's more, the spirit of communal living is dead. Everybody minds his/her private concerns... The days when every child was the responsibility of the community he/she lives in is long gone.... every parent now guards and defends their child from the discipline of others, notwithstanding the distasteful attitude he/she puts up.

Every sense of morality and values has since exiled from our midst. Our youths now live life like people who are beheaded; they don’t think before acting anymore! Our sense of the future is virtually comatose... If we keep hiding our heads and shifting responsibility, we may someday wake-up only to realize we have been wasting our national life, due to our downplaying issues concerning morality and values...

One wonders if there’s a future for any nation whose media constitute a deliberate threat to the moral fibre of her young ones. Our music and movies are not any good. Everything is being done with only financial gains in view... The belief of almost every Nigerian artiste and entertainer is that to make it big and rise to fame, you have to exploit the vulnerability of people... Unfortunately for our young ones, most of these morally bankrupt individuals are projected/endorsed as ‘ambassadors’ and role models... By these ones, our children and young ones are constantly bombarded with warped perspectives to life... We are gradually raising an MTV generation, in Nigeria! Nobody seems to worry about its effects!

While I am not [deliberately] trying to sermonize, I want to state here that any country that downplays spirituality, all in the name of modernization is sick and really needs help. It is evident to all that America started losing it when she opted for this path...

It’s time for us to tackle certain fundamental issues. We must hold the future dear to our heart and consciously work towards building it. A child not carefully and appropriately trained will someday become a treat and a dread to society. By this I also mean, an [awful] attitude not addressed in its infancy will someday develop to be a disgrace and a source of embarrassment to the ‘owner’ and her neighbours.

We can build a desirable future, if only we want to! We know exactly what to do, but have constantly focused on what we can do nothing about... It is time for the much needed paradigm shift – in our thinking pattern and attitude to life and our future!

We must speak against and fight anything [and anyone] that attempts to weaken and demoralize our collective future! Our younger ones [future] deserves something better!

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Self-imagery [HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF] matters a lot in the equation of success. There is no way you can be successful if you see yourself as ‘not-good-enough’ or a ‘never-do-well’. Our perceptions of life are what attract the circumstances of life to us... “AS A MAN THINKS IN HIS HEART, SO HE [and situations] SHALL BE...” This implies that Nigeria will NEVER be productive for those who think she is cursed!

From experience, I have discovered that over 88% of individuals in our generation suffer an esteem problem. Their lives have been wrongly shaped by the situations, suggestions and opinions of other people. In many cases, the opinions were intended to be a joke. But somehow, it had a negative effect on the person it was used on... Whatever goes into the mind must someday cry for expression.

Dear friends, the people around you are the ones who paint the picture you will have about yourself. This is why it very important you consciously hang around people who believe in you and who use good words on you. We are all made by words, what we hear and believe shapes us.... What we hear is what decides how we see ourselves...

The way you see yourself is what decides what you pursue. Your self-imagery affects your goals and dreams... This is why how you see yourself is as, if not more, important than how you see God. Ask the 12 spies and the 2 leprous men in the bible...

God never created an error. He never created a failure. Every man has a star, what matters is just SEASON. When Jesus Christ was born, it was His star that attracted the 3 wise men... Even Jabez had a STAR; he later became the one that saved his city...
Just as you have a unique STAR, you also have a SEASON. Make a conscious choice not to faint before your SEASON shows up. When your SEASON dawns, your success will be uncontrollable, uncontainable, overwhelming....

Against all odds, make it a deliberate decision to always see yourself in positive light as a great person and to always say good things about life and your Creator... Never create or allow room for regrets.

I am very confident that “THE-NEXT-BIG-THING-TO-HAPPEN” just read this piece.
You will succeed!