A Pig driving a convertible!?

On my way to Paris in 2004 I sat beside a young man whom I considered too lively and too noisy for my liking. He sang and wiggled to the tune of his song right there on his seat and acted like he didn’t observe that I was there. Forty-five minutes into the flight he was still singing and “chair dancing” and I couldn’t take it anymore so I  glanced at him a couple of times expecting him to read my mood and calm himself down. At the second look his eyes caught mine and he looked straight into my eyes with a huge, wide, and exuberant smile and asked “are you OK Sir?” I thought to myself “I was thinking something was wrong with him and here he is asking if something was wrong with me”. I didn’t understand him at all. After a few minutes I decided to ask him the same question “are you OK Sir?” He shook his head and said “I don’t think I’m OK but I will be soon”. It was like he had been waiting for me to talk to him so when I did he told me his tale.

This young man told me the tale of his poor beginning. The microcosm of it all is that he never went to school due to poverty. His father had thirteen (13) children and feeding all of them was a huge challenge. Only the first three children could get as far as high school because their dad could not afford the cost of training all of them.

Here is the twist: At the age of 15 he was learning a trade under his uncle and because he had a creative mind, he always wanted to try different methods of doing things. One day he tried a new “move’ as he called it, but failed and in anger his uncle told him he would never succeed in life. He further told him that all other boys in the team were better than him and would fly abroad to pursue their trade, but that he would live all his life in their small village and die a poor man. Too much punishment for a minor misdemeanor isn’t it?

Rather than give up, he patiently persisted and pursued his dream and never gave up.  Few years later he performed one of his “moves’ and emailed it to some people in Europe and after all the protocols they concluded that the young man was a genius and must fly down to attend a meeting of top engineers to explain his hypothesis. When he got to this point his eyes glowed as he said “I was poor, rejected and nobody believed in me but today my story has changed”. You can imagine what happened afterwards. To cap it all, the other boys who were placed above him, were at this time, still struggling to survive; but he was on an all expense paid journey that could change his story. When I heard the story, I started “chair dancing” with him. Amazing end to a humble beginning!

The rich also cried

When you look around the world you will see that there are several famous people/ #celebrities who also come from very humble beginnings but today things are different. #Oprah Winfrey, Jay Z, Tom Cruise, Oluchi, Lucy Liu, Jim Carey, Celine Dion, J.K Rowlings, #JenniferLopez,  Jewel, Demi Moore and many more. They overcame poverty, rape, abuse, childhood illnesses and lots of challenges to be who they are. Some dropped out of school, were treated harshly, lived in unbelievable places, struggled with drugs and a whole lot; but somehow they made it through to the top.

You too can rise

I do not know what point you are at in your life right now but I chose to take this moment to encourage you; do not give up, you still can make it to the top. Are you struggling with poverty? No money to feed, no roof over your head, and it seems like you can never achieve your dream? Hold tight, keep trying your “moves”, someday something will click and you will shine. Did someone you trusted so much dump you and told you how you will never make it? Don’t believe their lie, there is something inside you that the world is waiting for and soon, very soon, you will be discovered. Did you just loose your job and it looks like all hope is gone? Did you drop out from school due to lack of finances? Did you abandon your project due to inadequate resources? Be strong, this is just a phase. There is something bigger and better brewing for you. Pick yourself up and go again, in no time you will find yourself shining.

Where there is faith…

There is nothing impossible to those who believe. Believe that God is with you and heavenly forces are backing you up as you take every step. Believe in yourself, there is something inside you that the world needs. Believe in your vision, nobody may believe in you and your dreams so you owe it to yourself. Your faith in your vision will push you to keep taking positive action and persevere through pain until your breakthrough comes. Where there is faith (with action) there is result.

Rich Piggy

The first time I saw the piggy pulled over by an officer for broken tail light, a couple of things came to my mind. 1) Some people look down on you so bad that they do not believe you can ever make it to the top. But everything is possible; that you are unable to afford it today doesn’t mean you cannot tomorrow. 2) The rich piggy probably has a very poor self esteem. When the officer asked “do you know why I pulled you over today?” 

He replied “Beeeeecause I’m a pig driving a convertible”. But the officer didn’t even think so. He was pulled over because of a broken tail light. Sometimes many people look down on themselves and blame it on others. You need to see yourself better than you do now. If you are from a lowly manger but now own a “convertible”, upgrade your mindset to reflect your new status. Your change will come, when it comes, change the way you think. (This piggy thing is one of my favorite commercials).  

Winners’ mentality

Every one of us has some things we want to achieve in life. From phenomenal to mundane, it is in us to want to accomplish tasks and feel important among our friends and family. Although for some reason, many have been paralyzed and do not have the faith, will and energy needed to complete their tasks, I do believe that anything can change and you can start again and realize your full potential in life.    

Sports and real life: a comparison

If I say I am a sports fan it probably is not news because these days there is hardly any man who has no interest in one sport or the other. Almost every man has one sport he is interested in and which he either participates in, supports or does both. If you know a man who is not passionate about at least one sport, you need to watch him closely, something might be wrong. As a matter of fact, ladies these days have also taken to sports even to the point that some ladies participate in Soccer, boxing, wrestling and I hear they also participate in body building and weight lifting. Isn’t that something!?

One sport that interests me very much, apart from Football (Soccer), is athletics (track and field). During my high school days I was one of the fastest sprinters in the school and I could have gone far doing that but for the fact that Football got the better of me. But during my days in track and fields, I learnt a lot from my Games Master (as we called our coach in those days) and I believe those instructions helped in forming my perspective and approach to life.

Here are some lessons I learned from my coach and my involvement in track and fields that I believe can help every one of us in our life race:

Stay fit

You cannot win in any race if you are not fit and you cannot be fit if you do not train towards it. Fitness does not happen overnight, it is a process and it takes consistence and discipline. Imagine what it will look like if there are 6 sprinters and the winner of the race is someone who is over weight and when we ask “how come?”  He responds “I had consulted my witch doctor and he gave me a special juju portion that made me fast”. Won’t that be something!? Do you think an unfit person can win a race with fit people? I know all things are possible but this has not happened yet and I do not believe it will happen soon. The challenge therefore is for everyone in this race to keep fit.

Some uninformed fellows may say “but the race is not given to the swift”. Nice quote! But that doesn’t in anyway suggest that the race is given to the unfit. Does it? It simple means that if God does not help you, your speed will not. The quote is not in the contest of fitness and only a lazy person will use that as an excuse. How about “the horse is prepared (trained, equipped, kept fit) against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord”? It is better to be fit, prepared and then ask the Lord to help you where you cannot help yourself.

Fitness requires you to be disciplined and consistent. If you want to win in life, discipline is not negotiable. Such discipline is not for one or a few days, you have to be consistently disciplined. I am not talking of an emotional activity you want to go into when something strange happens; I am talking about a disciplined lifestyle. You have to set rules/standards for yourself and live by them. What are the things you cannot do as you keep fit for your race?  What food weighs you down and what food enhances your performance? What relationship does not help your cause and who are the friends that help you become better? What habit do you need to form and which habit must you break? 

No one achieves and maintains success without consistent discipline. You wouldn’t wake up one day to discover that you suddenly won a race; wake up, you must be dreaming.

Start well

As the adage goes “the morning tells the day”. That is so true. It is very important that you start well. Start on a strong note. Give your beginning the best push you can muster. In a race you do not keep the best for the last; start off with your best and let the next level sort itself out.

Stay Focused

As a sprinter, as well as in life, you have to stay focused on your destination while not loosing sight of your track. There are other people also running to win and everyone has his own track. You run on your track and not on another person’s lane. What it means is that you cannot afford to meddle into other people’s businesses. These days many people are busybodies in “other men’s affairs” instead of focusing on their own goal. I know a young man who does not give a report about his progress or failure without prying into someone else’s matter. When you ask him about his result in school he replies “Jackson failed and I failed too”. You ask him “what is your plan for this year?” He replies “Shane is causing me problems”. Sometimes I wonder why some people are that way. How about you focus on your business and give it your best such that your result motivates other people around you to do likewise!? How about you give yourself to pursuit of your dreams and let your result challenge “Shane” to get up be an achiever too!?

Focus on yourself and on your race. Avoid things along your track that would not help you get your expected result. There are many good people, good clothes/shoes, good food, good places and many good drinks that are not suitable for you. They may be good for someone else, but they may not be good enough for you. All things may be lawful but not all of them are expedient. Many things may be legitimate but not all of them are practicable for you. You, therefore, have to focus only on things that are profitable and can help you reach your goal. Identify what suits you and stick with it. 

Finish strong

Is it just me or does anyone else enjoy watching the new sprinting sensation of our time? As a matter of fact he is the best sprinter of all time. This Jamaican born twenty Seven (27) years old Usain Bolt who weighs 210 pounds (94 kg) is considered the fastest person ever. He has won six (6) Olympic medals in sprinting, holds both 100 meters and 200 meters world records and an eight time world champion. Indeed he deserves to be the highest paid athlete in track and field

You probably know that he did not get to where he is by mistake; we agree that for him to set these world records and win these medals he must consistently train hard. But I mentioned him here because recently he admitted the obvious- that he is not a good starter. Those of us who watch him may have observed that sometimes his “take-off’ is poor, yet there is no doubt that he is a strong finisher. This teaches us that if for some reason we do not start well we can end strong and still win. He admits his weakness, works on it and still comes out victorious.

Lesson: If for any reason you have started poorly, admit it, work on yourself and you can still win. Though your beginning was poor, you can end up great.

This is “that” time

To achieve your dream, start now. Leave your past behind and go after your bright future. You may have failed or achieved negligible success in your past, get over it because what you have ahead of you is so great. Did your parents fail you? Did your lover hurt you? Have your friends disappointed you? Is there something in your past holding you down? Let it go. Let them go. Put the past behind and press towards the mark for the prize.

Don’t push to tomorrow what you can start today. Procrastination can kill you. Start eating healthy now. Start loosing that weight right now. Start writing that book now. Start filling that form immediately. Apply for that job now. Go back to school right away. Begin that business today. Invest that money now. Sow that seed now. Pray right now. Compose that song today. Whatsoever it is, get started right away.

Make that move right now baby!

Do you want to be a Millionaire?

Those of you who are bible students know that God is in the business of raising men/women from “nothing” and making something beautiful out of them. It is not a hard thing for God to bless you. More than anything, He wants you to prosper (cf. 3John 1:2). He Raises the poor and sets them up to dine with Princes (cf.2Samuel 2:6). God created you to be a great and successful person but somehow many of us are living below God’s standard for us. Nobody was created to fail; no not one. Built into every one of us is a tremendously powerful capacity to achieve success in anything we choose to do. You were configured to be an achiever.

However we must note that nothing “just happens”. You cannot sit back and wait for something to happen “suddenly”. Go make it happen. If you want to change from a nonentity and become a person of significance, you have to get up and get into action. What God wants to do is to release grace to prosper the “works of your hands”. Observe carefully that He wants to bless the works of your hands. It could be your handcraft, business or even ministry; what ever your hand finds to do is what God wants to bless. God wants to make all things “work together” to favor you, but you have to be out there endeavoring.

Understanding the “anointing”

Many of us do not understand how the anointing works. Some people think the anointing brings us automatic success. Some say things like “I am anointed and I do not need anything else”. No! You need the anointing plus more. Anointing is the release of power; it gives you the enablement to do much more than you can ordinarily do. The anointing is spiritual empowerment that facilitates creativity. A man/woman who is anointed has divine inspiration and acts with unusual faith that produces exceptional results. The anointing makes you face life, business, work, ministry and everything you do with courage. The anointed person is bold like a Lion; bold to do what he is anointed to do.

Now that you know what the anointing does, here are more tips to help you in the pursuit of your dreams.

4 “Ps” to Successful Pursuit

Pray

The importance of prayer cannot be over emphasized; prayer should be a lifestyle. However there are two aspects to prayer: 1) Talking 2) Listening. As important as it is to talk to God, it is equally important to listen to God. Prayer will not make sense if you do not listen for instructions. If you have been praying about an issue for a long time, you might need to change your approach and start listening for answers. I know you have a lot to tell God, but He also has a lot to tell you. Listen!

Do not take any step until you know what God sent you here for and the best place to find out is in the place of prayer. When you pray, ask God to unveil to you your mission on Earth and when He does, go a step further.  

Plan

After you know what your mission here is, you cannot just live aimlessly; you’ve got to have a plan. You cannot achieve anything without a clear plan. How do you want to achieve your vision? How do you want to live your daily life? Who do you need to achieve this vision? What do you need to arrive at your destination? When do you expect to arrive there? You must ask yourself these questions and write down the answers. You must have a plan for every day, week, year and even decade. As I say, without a written plan, you are heading to failure.

Prepare

Preparation is critical for success. People do not just get Successful, you have to prepare for it otherwise when it comes you might miss it or mess it up. Opportunities are scarce these days so while you wait get yourself ready for the “big day”. It is our responsibility to prepare, but provision comes from the Lord.

Position

Strategic positioning is another key factor for success. After you pray, plan and prepare, you also have to position yourself at the right place. If for instance you are about to go into business, you should identify people and places who do same or similar business. Attend business meetings, seminars, conferences and trainings related to your area of interest. You cannot stay indoors and expect to be discovered; position yourself at a place where you can be discovered. Like my uncle told one of my cousins “if you have goods for sale, you would help yourself to go where your goods are needed”.

As you apply these four Ps, I believe that God will do His part by releasing His grace upon you to make you successful. God has given you a mandate, you can be sure that every step you take is ordered and He will watch over His word to bring it to pass.

See you at the top!

Royalty and you

As we all welcome Britain’s royal baby, the Prince of Cambridge, I cannot but think about how not too long ago (thirty-one years precisely) we rejoiced at the birth of his father, Prince Williams. I have observed this family from the time Prince Charles married the sweet Princess Diana (thirty-two years ago) till date and I tell you, it is never a dull moment.

I lost a bit of interest after a while but my interest for the royal lifestyle came alive again when the Prince of Wales announced his engagement to a commoner. Oh! How my eyes glowed with light and my heart leaped for joy to know that the son of the People’s Princess lived up to expectation. Not just because of the lady he chose, but I am also excited about the fact that the new link between the Prince of Wales and commoner Kate Middleton will breed a new generation of royalty like we have not experienced since 1660. Those who love history will ask what happened in 1660 but I would rather leave you to find out while I focus more on how this whole thing concerns you and me.

Royalty and you

Many of us have come to lay claim to royalty, thanks to some biblical texts that refers to believers in Christ as Kings. In my opinion, the most popular scripture that refers to believers in the Christian faith as royalty is 1Peter 2:9 which says “But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (NASB).  I have no problem with that because I believe that as children of the King we are indeed of a royal lineage. But if truly we are children of the King are we not supposed to live and reign like Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses (cf. Revelations 5:10)? Are we not supposed to go by principles laid down by our Lord and King? Do Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses live as they like or do they follow a certain pattern of life that behooves royalty?

Yes! Oh yes! Royal people live by rules which were laid down by their ancestors and rarely does anybody suddenly change the rules. Let us consider three (3) things we notice about royalty.

a) Order

Contrary to the lifestyle of many believers today, royal people do things decently and in order (cf. 1Corinthians 14:40). Hardly, if ever, will you find a disorganized Prince or Princess. They seem to walk orderly, talk orderly and generally act decently in the public. Take for instance; they marry before they have children and not the other way round. Can you imagine what it would have been like if Kate Middleton became pregnant before marriage? Unimaginable! Unlike most people who care less about what anyone thinks about their actions, people of royal descent are trained to do things orderly and give a good impression at every public appearance.  

Several Christians are very disorderly but claim to be royalty. They live anyhow, do whatever they like, have no particular pattern of living and some even openly dishonor the name of the Lord. They go to church late, and when they do get there they behave so unruly. Order in the church!   

b) Control

Sometimes I wonder why many people from royal families hardly express their emotions in public. Take for instance, on September 6 1997 when Princes Diana was to be buried, I observed all members of the royal family and I did not see any of them shed tears. Let us assume the older members of the royal family have been trained enough to imbibe the culture of self control, how about the two boys whom the Princess left behind? If anyone would miss her most, it would be Prince Williams and Prince Harry; but I did not see a tear drop from their eyes. All they did was wave at the crowd that was lined along the way to their mother’s grave. It is not for me to judge the moral quality of their action, however I believe that they felt some emotion but due to their training they had to control themselves in public.

Lesson: When we are pressed to overreact in public we should apply control especially when our show of emotions cannot make any difference. Royals may have a lot to say but they have learnt to say what is required and keep silent when necessary. They do not throw tantrums in public and hope people understand. They, like every human, have times when they are pushed to the wall and are tempted to misbehave; but they know how to control their emotions and reactions.

c) Respect   

People from royal lineage do not break ranks, they respect authorities. Just like the centurion told Jesus in Matthew 8:8, they understand the flow of authority and recognize that whoever is put in charge of them deserve the utmost regard. They respect themselves and act responsibly. One of the ways to identify a great personality in the crowd is by how they show respect to people in authority. For example, some years ago I had an event and I invited several top personalities. I instructed the ushers to make sure they identify all the VIPs and take them to a special seat reserved for them. After about forty-five (45) minutes into the event the crowd was distracted by some noise coming from behind the auditorium “do you know who I am? How can you give me a back seat? For what?” the male voice yelled. In the first place, this man came late and in the second place, he was very rude to delegated authority which tells us that he does not understand authority and would probably abuse power if giving the chance to lead. Well, the ushers handled him right as he was put out of the meeting and not too long we heard news of him being stripped of his position. A true man of authority will respect and submit to authority.    

Have you heard some people speak disrespectfully about their leaders in public? Or have you seen the way some criticize a system they are supposed to represent? That is so disrespectful and you would never see anyone from the royal family speak about the King or Queen or even any member of the royal lineage, with such impertinence. When you see someone who speaks about people in authority rudely, you can be sure that they are not in any way of the royal order.

Dishonorable act

Recently we read in the news about some leaders in Nigeria’s River State house of assembly who were involved in a physical fight. I am not as concerned about what led to the fight as I am about the dishonorable act. Should a leader lose his temper in public to the point of hitting someone? Some may argue that he was pushed too hard till he lost it; but isn’t that where control is needed?  Maybe somebody in there was not supposed to be there. Maybe none of them should be there. Then again, if they rose to such positions by crooked means, it would amount to foolishness on our part to expect anything reasonable from such irresponsible, uncultured and dishonorable fellows. My recommendation is that before people take public positions (no matter how they got there), they should be taken through some kind of training and in light of recent happenings, maybe anger management should be one of the compulsory courses.

Royal nannies

I hear that Prince Williams and his wife may not be hiring a nanny to help with the upbringing of HRH Prince George of Cambridge; but we know about the traditional process of hiring a Royal nanny or nannies to help. With that tradition in mind, permit me to compare the job of those royal nannies to that of church pastors.

If God is the King of Kings and believers are Kings and princes/princesses and the church is called out from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light, then the pastors’ job would be that of nanny to new believers. It is the responsibility of the pastor to inculcate into believers the royal mentality. All believers need to learn Kingdom philosophy -as opposed to worldly ideologies-, spiritual etiquette and every thing they need to represent the King; and these they must learn from the pastor who is trained and very verse in matters of royalty.

Then somebody may say “how about when they are grown and do not need their nannies?” Well, when the time comes and the children become sons, they step up to another class where they are trained to be skilled sons and custodians of the royal heritage.

Now the question to you is; are you true royalty? Are you bringing disrepute and shame to the lineage you claim? If you are, I encourage you to put off this old garment and walk worthy of your call.