WHOSE WORK?

I went to bed last night very angry in my spirit for Nigeria, I had just seen the video on youtube of the debacle that went down in the Rivers state house of assembly on Monday where the speaker of the house requested for security at the house of assembly complex to be beefed up and the police were reluctant to respond and when they eventually did, the police men sent to the complex were just watching as mayhem was being perpetrated by men that are supposed to be leaders, fathers and family men, the video even shows one of the police men hitting someone that was obviously pro governor R A and it had to take the governor coming around with his security detail for sanity to be restored not after some combat style display by the security detail attached to the governor who funny enough are also police men.

As if that was not enough, another video shows a clown who obviously is a member of the Vikings confraternity and unfortunately happens to be an “honorable” member of the house storm the same complex with thugs wanting to forcefully enter the chambers with his boys on Tuesday. His claim to fame was that the governor came and supervised the beating up of his colleagues (as if we all didn't see a video clip of what went down the day before) and that the governor insulted his mother (Dame Patience Jonathan) and the President.

This morning, a thought dropped in my heart and I began to see the whole thing in an entirely different light. The clown mentioned above and all the other stooges like him are simply fulfilling purpose howbeit running on another man’s purpose/vision.

Makes me ask the question; the things you are doing both in your life and career, are you fulfilling your purpose or are you running on another man’s vision and helping them fulfill their own purpose?

Maybe I should even ask; can you in one short sentence spell out your purpose in life? If you can, I am very happy for you, it means you have a clear idea where you are headed to in life and there are a few things as fulfilling as clarity of purpose. I’ll like you to do me a favor, I’ll like you to put your purpose down in writing and put it in a place where you can see it always and whenever you take an action or you are considering what actions to take about something, ask yourself; how does this action impact on my purpose? You will find out that there are so many things you bother your head over that are not necessary. 

If you aren't clear about your purpose, ask yourself; what do I love doing? If I offered to pay you N300,000 every month tax free to do whatever you liked, what will that thing be? Your answers to these questions should be a pointer in the direction of purpose; you can also pray and ask God to show you what you are here for since He is our maker and knows for what purpose you were created.

You can book for your coaching session with me, let us help you set and achieve your desired goals. Send an email now to onyekwere.obinnaya@yahoo.com or an sms to +234 806 560 2683.

Stay Cre8ive 

BEFORE YOU LAMENT, REMEMBER!!!

Amazingly, we are in July already and it wasn’t too long ago we were saying happy new year to each other and just like that six months are gone by wow!

If you are like me, I’m sure you’ll have gone through your goals for the year and checked the list to find out what has been done, which of the goals is in the works already and what is yet to be touched or attended to. And assuming you didn't set goals for the year and all you did was make New year resolutions and you seem not to have kept your promise to stick to your resolve (I’m sincerely hoping there are a few people that fall within this category, not that I wish you bad, but a little solidarity doesn't hurt hehehe) not to worry, you are not alone.

I did a double check yesterday, tried to evaluate the first half of the year in terms of some set targets that I had for myself. I broke it down into Spiritual, Financial, Social, Educational and Emotional, I don’t want to bore you with the details of that evaluation but though I had done exceptionally well in some areas, I had failed woefully in certain key areas.

So I sat down to carry out a diagnostic analysis of what went wrong and check why I was unable to even attempt to pursue some of the major goals for the year. As I broke it down, some negative emotions began to well up within me (that voice saying in a condemning tone; you could have done this or said this or made that phone call, or paid that visit, or submitted that proposal, it may vary what the voice may tell you but you have an idea what I’m talking about), unconsciously I was listening to that voice and gradually began to feel regret, remorse, anger, pain… and I was just about to lash out within me when that still small voice said “Before you lament, Remember”.

I stopped in my tracks and immediately entered auto-recall.

I thought about it, I didn't do as well as I had planned, but I didn't do badly either actually I over delivered in some areas. Some people started with me at the beginning of the year but today they are no more. I have not had any cause to be admitted in the hospital neither have I lacked food, clothing or shelter. Most of the things I own some people will kill, rob and commit fraud for. I have obtained favor in so many areas I cannot even remember them all. This year alone I have met with and robbed minds with some very influential people in both the business world and ministry, I have formed new alliances that pose tremendous potentials and assuming none of that was worth anything, I am alive and well today. Wow!!!

So I throw it back to you, I know you wanted to be married by now, I know you should have bought that car or built that house or gotten that job or gone for that course or started that business. There are so many things that you would have loved to do or have, you may even have planned for them but they are yet to materialize but just before you begin to lament and complain, I want you to take a little time and remember what you have.

You are alive, you are well, you can eat and sleep, you drive a car (maybe not but you can afford to take a cab or bus or bike), you live in a house and not the streets, your children are not wayward, they do well in school and even if you don’t have a child yet, you have a spouse that loves you (churches abound with people seeking life partners). You have a job (though it’s not your dream job but you have one), I could go on but I’ll like you to take some time to reflect on those things that you have and you are yet to show gratitude to God for. Before You Lament, Remember.

Yesterday I paid a visit to someone whose wife passed recently and it was an experience that will stay with me for a very long while. We need to be grateful for the things we have now while working on the things we seek to have, today is a definite tomorrow a mystery but the maker of the universe knows it all.

BEFORE YOU LAMENT, REMEMBER!

Stay Thankful. 

IT IS OKAY TO BE CONFUSED

Yesterday was a very good day for me, my pastor was on fire, the message was on something I have always believed in and preached and it re-ignited a fire within my bones.  I wrote more articles in one day than I have done in a long while and that felt really good because when I speak and write, I really am in my elements. Then I had a meeting with a brother and friend and the content of this post is an outcome of one of the so many things we discussed. I’m leaving out the part of the day that was spent with the “SHE who must be obeyed” ‘cos that’s none of your business lol.

There are some people you meet and it seems as if God cut you guys out of the same mould if you know what I mean, my meeting yesterday was with one of such people and I hold him very dear to my heart. It’s amazing how my light bulbs light up each time we meet and I always leave with fresh ideas and rejuvenated momentum to influence the business world so Bro we have to hold more of these our sessions (I know he’s reading this and has a big grin on his face right now) .

My purpose is to help you be all that you were created to be and that makes me to keep seeking new ways to help you succeed. I have heard so many success stories and I have read countless books on the success of people and businesses, I have even studied the trajectory of my life and accomplishments and of it all, I can make bold to say that IT IS OKAY TO BE CONFUSED sometimes.

I know so many motivational and inspirational speakers (like me) and books have told you how you should have a clearly set goal and a plan to achieve that goal and a set timeline to attaining the goal and I’m completely not trying to undermine the importance of all of that because they are actually quite key because “when purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable”, I am saying that it is okay sometimes not to have an idea of what’s next.

It is okay sometimes not to know the type of person you want to marry, it is okay sometimes not to know what career to choose, it is okay sometimes not to know what business you want to go into, it is okay sometimes not to have clarity about your life and purpose, it is okay sometimes to be in doubt, it is okay sometimes to be afraid, it is okay sometimes not to know what the plan is but IT IS NOT OKAY TO REMAIN THERE.

As human beings, there are periods of uncertainty associated with wavering emotions that has a drowning-like feeling to it, anyone that has been there before can associate with what I’m saying. It seems as if the whole world is passing by you and you are the only one on standstill (wink at the screen if you know what I mean lol) I want you to know that you are not the only one that ever felt or feels that way, what you are going through is not peculiar to you and its okay to feel that way but I reiterate that it’s a taboo to remain there.

Staying in that place of uncertainty for too long is a major cause of depression and believe me when I say this, depression is a killer. As a Life Coach I’ve come across people with suicidal tendencies stemming from depression so I know what I’m talking about, we are not talking depression today so I won’t elaborate on that, we will have a platform soon where we will discuss “Deadly Emotions” I’ll keep you posted. What I’m saying is that you cannot afford to remain in that place of uncertainty for too long, it is risky business.

I believe and teach that there are no un-resourceful people, only un-resourceful states. When you find yourself in that state of uncertainty, it could be one of two things:

1. It might be an opportunity for you to learn more about the power embedded in your sub-conscious mind. Scripture says “I have not given you a spirit of fear but of Love of Power and a SOUND MIND”, You are actually more resourceful and powerful than you know but sometimes you may need someone to help you mine the vast resources of your mind I can help you with that. You can book for a Coaching session with me, send an email to onyekwere.obinnaya@yahoo.com you’ll be glad you did.
2. It may be God seeking your attention to surrender your will to Him. Sometimes we run ahead of God and do some things that we think are right and somewhere in between we get stock and lost in the middle of a mess and all God is waiting for is for you to invite Him to take charge and guide you out of the mess and into His perfect will for you.

Whichever one it is, don’t allow yourself remain in that un-resourceful state. It’s amazing how a simple prayer like “Lord I don’t know what to do help me and please order my steps” can turn everything around in your favour.

It is okay to be confused, but don’t stay confused. Do something about it.

Stay Blessed.

ff me on twitter @IamOluwaObinna

APPRECIATE

A friend of mine sent this to me this morning and I thought it wise to share with you. Short story but very precise:

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by and took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words on it. He put the sign back on the boy so that everyone who walked by could see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up, a lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. Later that afternoon the man who had changed the sign came by that path and the boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man answered and said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. "I wrote: Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind, but the first sign simply said the boy was blind while the second sign reminded people how fortunate they were to have their sight. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the story: Be thankful for what you have, Be Creative and Innovative in giving thanks to God. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. Face your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Its a beautiful thing to see a person smile but even more beautiful to know that you put the smile on their face!
 Faith is not about everything being ok, Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out.

If you Appreciate this message, Please share this link, you may touch someone's heart today and forever.

Impact your generation Positively.

God Bless You

ON TRACK

I know you are thinking I forgot all about you since I haven’t posted anything in almost two weeks, my sincere apologies, life was happening in fast torrents and I had to respond accordingly.

While we were both busy leading our lives, I was heading to the office one blessed morning in rush hour traffic and as I approached the toll gate, I was in a dilemma which lane to follow. Within me I heard That small voice that is always coming up when you want to do bad thing lol say; Choose a lane and stay on it. I asked which of the lanes to follow? And the response was; any one will do for this lesson. 

Lesson???

 I was still wondering what lesson and as I looked out of the window, I saw this 2012/2013 looking model of Audi whew!!! sleek doesn't come close to describing it. You know I love cars and a 2011 Camry is still the car I am getting this year prior to the upgrade to HSE Sport hehehe so I have started accepting gifts and donations towards this worthy course, all cheques should be made in favour of………

Ogbeni wake up; as I was saying, the car slid by smoothly and got into the lane I was initially thinking I’ll take (his car was faster so he beat me to it. Caroline(that's what i call my car) is serving me well, but I seriously need this upgrade so kindly send in your donations early *winks*). I stayed on my lane and kept rolling towards the booth to pass the toll gate.

As it got to my turn, I don’t know what made me turn to look at the other lane again, not like I expected to see the Audi, it should have been long gone since it was like five cars ahead by virtue of its position on the other lane but lo and behold, there she was sitting pretty behind a car waiting to pass the toll gate. i started thinking unconsciously what could have possibly been the cause of the delay on that other lane. As I paid and passed the toll I looked back through my side mirrors, took one final glance and sped off.

That voice came again;

Lesson 1: Pick a lane and stay on it

Lesson 2: You might not be moving as fast as you want to, but you are moving keep moving

Lesson 3: Stop looking at other cars on their own lanes and how fast they are going, you will only run into the car in front of you (trouble) by doing so

Lesson 4: Did you notice that the lane you “thought” wasn’t moving fast enough was the same lane that led you to leaving the toll plaza before the cool car? Your perceptions can be limiting sometimes

Lesson 5: You really do need that car upgrade lol

I was going to try and do some breakdown, but I’ve been told that this is all I need to say.

You can send me an email if you have questions or would like to sign up for a Coaching session. My email address is onyekwereobinnaya@gmail.com or DM me on twitter @IamOluwaObinna

Stay Cre8tive. 

WANDERING THOUGHTS 2

I know I should be writing the sequel to wandering thoughts, but it really has been a busy week and busier two days lie ahead so I forget all the things seeking for my attention and throw myself in front of the TV for some ME time, I deserve it don’t I? Body no be firewood abeg. Biscuits and a drink in hand, I settle in for an evening with my friends in Hollywood.

Some twenty or so minutes later, I am looking at the screen and realize I can’t remember the name of the movie I’m watching and all the stunts they've

 been pulling was lost on me apparently I was deep in thought;

FIRST TIP: It is almost impossible to think strategically when you have things bothering you.

I really wanted to watch a movie, but without realizing it, my mind was still processing the article I was supposed to be writing and it wasn't until I almost spilled my drink did I remember that I brought some biscuits and a drink to aid my movie night. For you to be able to think strategically, you must consciously lay aside all other things that are vying for your attention at that moment or that might be a distraction to your thought process. 

Your mobile devices should not be around you, that red light can be a major distraction it can completely derail your thought process. I hear you thinking you can turn the phone upside down, guess what, the moment that light begins to blink or your device beeps, you cannot be at ease until you scroll through and verify what the alert was for, we are wired that way. Your key focus must be on the particular thing you want to be thinking of at that point, some other quite important things might want to crop up you have to consciously put them aside and apportion a time for it later, I couldn't concentrate on the movie because I had said earlier in the day that I was going to write this piece when I get home. 

This brings me to the second tip:

SECOND TIP: Create time specifically for thinking.

You need to consciously allot time to thinking, this is very important. Remember that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he, if we are a product of our thoughts, then it is imperative that we spend quality time thinking. There is this example that I use to buttress the issue of amount of time spent thinking; if you love food like I do, and your spouse was home all day and you come home to a plate of plain instant noodles and on another occasion you come home to a plate of fried rice (my personal favorite) garnished with salad and plenty meat, which day do you think the effort would yield better results (smack my lips and bat my eye lids)? I leave you to be the judge of that.

When you map out time for thinking, your sub conscious mind registers that time as thinking time and no matter what you are doing, when it gets to that time, your inner reminder will alert you that its thinking time and would keep bugging you until you leave whatever it is you are doing and attend to it or as noted above, you consciously re-schedule the time. I couldn't watch the movie because it was interfering with my writing time.

THIRD TIP: Think one Topic at a time.

As much as possible, make sure that during your strategic thinking time, you are dealing with just one topic at that particular time. This is actually a very difficult task but trust me, it will be worth every effort you put in to it. It is inevitable for other topics not to arise as you go deep into the topic you are dealing with, to help you resolve that;

FOURTH TIP: Have a note pad around when you are thinking strategically.

A lot of things are going to come up when you are thinking and it pays to have a note pad handy, the note pad will actually help you make sure you concentrate on one topic per strategic thinking time. From experience, I have actually come to realize that it is amazing what you can come up with when you begin to consciously connect all the things you wrote down while you were thinking.

FIFTH TIP: Be in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

I’ll advice that you choose a quiet environment; somewhere you can be relaxed and comfortable, the fewer the distractions, the higher the level of concentration. You also don’t want to sleep off in the middle of your thought process so that possibility should also be factored in while choosing a comfortable environment. I’ll advice you stay away from the bedroom as a choice of location except you have a reading table in your bedroom even at that, there is something about the bed in a bedroom that screams “come and sleep”.

SIXTH TIP: It’s not compulsory that you sort it all out in one sitting.

You don’t have to figure it all out in one sitting, there are times when you might have to drop that thought for the time being and revisit it on a later date so don’t beat up yourself when you are unable to crack the thought on your first try. There might just be a missing link somewhere which you might not have the required information at that point, so just let it go and carry on with other activities. I don’t know if you have been with someone before and the person goes “That’s it” and you ask what’s that? And they reply; you won’t understand. Apparently the person just got the connection to a prior thought.

SEVENTH TIP: There are no hard rules to it.

If you noticed I called these points tips that’s because they are just some guidelines it is not by any means exhaustive. The good part to it is that you can actually adopt your own style of strategic thinking and tailor it to suit your person and your time schedule. In as much as we are trying to be strategic, we should also be flexible it takes some pressure off the entire process.

Now I'm super sleepy but remember that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he; we are a product of the thoughts we have thought and acted upon in the past. So looking at yourself now, how do you grade your thoughts?

STAY PRODUCTIVE

AFRICA ARISE

I know I promised to share some tips on how to capture your thoughts and think strategically on my next post, but I came across some statistics over the weekend that left me a bit sad for a while, but after I had gotten over it, strengthened my resolve to champion a pragmatic mind shift in this generation. Maybe I should share some of the statistics I came across with you, that way you might have a better understanding what I’m talking about;

·         The major part of the world live in underdeveloped countries.

·         About 1.2 billion of the 6.7 billion people in the world live in underdeveloped countries (According to thefreedictionary.com, underdeveloped countries are poor unindustrialized countries that are “seeking” to develop its resources by industrialization).

·         According to the Economic and Social Council of The United Nations (UN), there are 50 underdeveloped/least developed countries in the world, 34 of them are in Africa.

·         Half or more of the adult population of 23 countries, mostly in Africa are uneducated (and you find some of these people in key leadership positions).

·         40% of the natural resources in the world are in Africa and Africa makes up just 10% of the population of the world.

·         In 2011, The World Health Organization(WHO) published a list of the Life expectancy in countries all over the world, Japan topped the list with 82.70 years, Canada had 81.54 as her life expectancy, USA 78.57, UK 80.49, UAE 75.67, Sierra Leone 46.53, China 75.56, Nigeria 53.20 by recent reports  Life expectancy in Nigeria has dropped to 47yrs

·         10% of children under 5yrs die at a rate in excess of 100 per 1000 in at least 32 countries mostly in Africa.

I could go on but I have no intentions to dampen your mood just wanted to highlight some information that is out there and represents a reality of the conditions surrounding us.

These statistics had me in deep thought for a long while over the weekend and I asked myself some salient questions like;

Why are we the way we are in Africa specially Nigeria? Did Africa do anything to God that all this negativity is found mainly in Africa? Then again I look at the fact that 40% of all the natural resources in the world is found in Africa so it’s not God’s fault, He God has blessed us exceedingly.

Is this blessing now a curse? Maybe, maybe not but there is just so much that doesn’t add up so I decided to try and localize the issue and figure it out from where I am.

I live in Lagos Nigeria and I have some great minds as friends (I don’t want to name names so that their heads wont pop and increase in size *grins*), anyways by virtue of my interactions with these great minds, I can generally say that Africa is not lacking in human resources, we are not. So if human resources isn't the issue, what then is?

Then in the course of the day, someone mentioned something about the centenary celebrations and how much it is estimated to cost the Nation to celebrate it, then it hit me, Africa’s major problem is our MINDSET. 

The slave trade did not help our “ministry” at all lol. How else can you explain a scenario where across an entire continent, corruption amongst government leaders is the order of the day and the people seem to be handicapped with regards to how to combat the menace? All over Africa, you find in all the countries a few people controlling the wealth of the entire nation while everyone else look up to these few people to be able to make it. An appointment into public offices is not by merit, but by who you know and what you are willing to give up to attain a desired position. The way I see it, we just drove out the white slave traders and replaced them with black slave traders which is why though we claim to be independent, we are still struggling to regain freedom hence the uprising in the South-South part of Nigeria and most recently the Northern part of Nigeria and all over Africa the civil wars abound.

Africa must change her Mind set in order to advance. We must be courageous enough to face the realities of the fact that we are still held bound by a slavery mentality; we must be courageous enough to contest with and confront our Cultures and Beliefs; we must consciously make the change first in our minds and then our actions. Africa must realize that the only thing limiting her is herself. A trip to South Africa will convince you that it is not the land that is cursed but the people in the land have just refused to allow their minds conceive positivity enough to drive developmental change. You and I know that South Africa is the way it is now because the whites were in charge for so long. What's the difference between the white man and the black man? Is it the skin pigmentation? No. Is it the size of the brains? No. What then is it?

The answer is simple, its all in the MIND.

Think about this and answer truthfully to your self; what is the first thing that comes to your mind whenever you see a Caucasian(Oyinbo hehehe)?

No one is Limiting Africa but Africans.

AFRICA ARISE