Month: July 2022

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Legacy: Footprint in the Sand of time

legacy

It was my first day in college. I had just concluded the registration exercise for new students. And coming out of the vice-principal’s office I headed to the left wing of the school complex walking down the alley. Just as I descended the staircase to go to my new class I could see so many inscriptions on the wall. But one of them caught my fancy, it was boldly and artistically written, “Don Carlos was here, 1980-1986, forget him not”. Those inscriptions did one thing, they made a point. They created awareness, telling anybody who cares that the youngster in question has passed through the college. This became a norm among the graduating students, each year they competed among themselves to carve their own “was here” inscription with their names. They want incoming students to remember the inscription on the wall. This is a sort of legacy to them.

The real essence of life is in the legacy we leave behind. Have you ever spent time thinking about your life? What posterity will remember you for? Or what legacy you will leave behind? The worst thing that can happen to you is to live your life without leaving evidence that you once lived on earth. I have said it times without number, in fact let it become your success mantra, that you are not living life just to exist but you are living to make an impact in life. Hence, the impact you make in life becomes the legacy you will leave behind for posterity to remember you.

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life
– Williams James.

What is Legacy

Legacy according to Webster’s dictionary is something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. It could be either a good or bad legacy. However, in this section we shall focus on the good legacies. This involves the transmission of values, inheritance, wealth, or attitudes etc. Hence, legacies are certain privileges bequeathed or passed down from one person to another. And in my own words, legacy is the evidence of a fulfilled life, a life well spent here on earth. It is leaving one’s indelible footprint or mark of success and achievements on the sand of time for others to follow. The legacy question is a critical one which we must address to lend credence to our quest for happiness in life. It is a powerful indicator of fulfillment. It defines our net worth.

Everyday Legacy

Earlier on I did say that the essence of life is in the legacy we leave behind. Life is segmented into phases. Life is in phases. And legacy is akin to writing a book, with each chapter you finish you start a new one until you come to the conclusion. It is progressive as life itself and so it is not only an end of life affair. We write our legacy every day by our actions, through the decisions we make, and the attitude we exhibit, etc. Therefore, in every phase of life we find ourselves we must strive to leave a legacy behind. These legacies are based on the experiences and awareness of such phases.

What phase are you in your life, career, business, or marriage? Are you a politician, entrepreneur, teacher, parent? What legacy are you going to leave behind at this phase of your life as you prepare to move on to the next phase? It may interest you that you can leave a legacy in every area of life.

Leadership by example

In any sphere of influence whether in politics, corporate world, religious circle, academic world, or family any individual that wields authority and influence over others is a leader. And every leader has the moral obligation to leave behind an enduring legacy. As a leader you must do something that will make those under you remember you for good. The best legacy a leader should leave behind is to lead well. This is leadership by example. And will be evident in your approach to leadership and communication style, and the capacity to impact people around you. It will also show in your ability to meet public goals. As a leader you will be very far from leaving a legacy if you are unable to meet the needs of those under you. These needs may include spiritual, economic, financial, emotional, political or leadership needs etc.

Invest in People

True leaders don’t invest in buildings. Jesus never built a building. They invest in people. Why?  Because Success without a successor is failure. So your legacy should not be in buildings, programs, or projects; your legacy must be in people –Myles Munroe

As a leader, for you to leave a good and lasting legacy behind you must invest in your people. This should be your priority. But all your policies must be people-oriented. You must be able to carry people along and drive them to prosperity.

No legacy is so rich as honesty – William Shakespeare

There are other legacies a leader must leave behind. These include honesty and integrity, love and peace. Through these legacies a leader will be able to touch a great number of lives around him

If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader – Dolly Parton

Obviously, there is fulfillment for you as a leader when you meet the needs of those under you. Lead very well if you want people to remember you in life.

Parental Upbringing

It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations – Christine Gregoire

As a parent what legacy are you leaving for your children? What will your children remember you for? Every parent must leave good legacies for their children. And one of such legacies is good parenting. It is the responsibility of parents to train or bring up their children well. It is also their legacy to leave behind inheritance for their children. Therefore, every parent should work hard to bequeath the legacy of inheritance to their children. A good man will leave inheritance to his children’s children… Proverbs 13:22

Every parent as a matter of urgency should consider the above verse, and do everything within their power to leave inheritance to their children.

The best Legacy

In addition every parent must adequately train their children or wards. I strongly believe that the best legacy a parent can give his or her children is adequate and good upbringing. Even if you are not well disposed to give them financial or material inheritance, give them a good upbringing. Inculcate good values in them. It is the best inheritance any parent can give his children. And this good upbringing involves sound and adequate education, both formal and informal. Parents must make plans on how to give their children the quality education they deserve.

This planning includes funding their education even up to tertiary level. Fortunately, there are some contributory schemes or bank savings products that are tailored to meet the need of funding your children’s education. You can subscribe to any of these products. Start contributing and saving for the future of your children. Securing the future of your children is the best legacy any parent can leave for his or her children.

Adequate training is a prerequisite for the sustainability and preservation of every legacy we leave for our children. The truth is that whether you are leaving behind a large business empire, estate or a good name as a legacy it requires a high level capacity to maintain it. And the children will jeopardize or hurt this legacy if they lack the capacity to do so. Hence, it takes good upbringing and adequate training to develop such capacity.

To be Continued…

Till then always Dare to Succeed.

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Inspiration: Livewire of Every Successful Enterprise?

inspiration

Inspiration is the livewire of every successful enterprise.

Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential. Beyond the raw talent. You need the appropriate training. You need the discipline. You need the inspiration. You need the drive – Eric A. Burns

Could this be Inspiration?

On a fateful day back then in school, we returned from lectures to the hostel to find our roommate reading with the audio CD playing at the peak of the volume. Immediately we asked him why he was playing the music at such a loud volume since he was studying and preparing for the exams. And he told us that he likes listening to the R&B genre of music because it gives him motivation whenever he listens to them.

Another, a Civil Engineering student one day while he was doing a structural drawing almost consumed a packet of cigarettes, and when asked why he must smoke while drawing he said, ‘It is for concentration’. I am inspired to draw well whenever I smoke. Could this be an inspiration? It is different strokes for different folks.

What is Inspiration?

Inspiration according to Wikipedia refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in literary, musical, or other artistic endeavors. The concept is derived from the Latin word ‘inspirare’ which means to ‘breathe into’.

Two vital Elements

It is worth noting that two vital elements are captured within the purview of inspiration. First, it is an unconscious, involuntary occurrence, and hence we have no control over it. It comes like packets or flashes of ideas and if it is not firmly grasped can slip out of our reach. Second, it comes like a divine influence, it is breathed into, and that is to say, it is drawn from a higher source. Like a phone battery plugged into a power bank, there is an inspiration bank we all must connect to draw from it. However, the level of our connection determines well disposed we are to inspiration. Let us examine this scripture,

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man become a living soul- Genesis 2: 7.

Comprehensive Definition

Inspiration is a divine influence or action that motivates one for excellent performance in any endeavor. A sudden surge of brilliant or timely ideas characterizes it. It is the livewire of every enterprise. Any enterprise on the verge of collapse needs it to bounce back to life. And to do that you need brilliant and timely ideas which are a product of inspiration. The soul of creativity is ideas. The whole essence of inspiration is creativity; hence it is the spirit of creativity.

The Power of Inspiration

Every notable achievement or invention is a product of inspiration. Therefore it becomes leverage for success. As we all know creativity is a springboard for success and it comes via inspiration. Brilliant ideas for success are conceived the very moment it comes. It is a prerequisite for success as you need it to understand the fundamentals of any endeavor, be it business, music, literature, science, technology, etc

 But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding – Job 32: 8

What is it that inspires you in life? You must discover it now if you must have a stake in the realm of success. What is it that motivates you to do more? Or something that brings out the best in you. Something that tests your creative ability or something that makes you think out of the box. It could be literature, music, biography, a role model, a decision, goals, or vision. Whatever it is that will inspire you to succeed think about it.

Imagine, believe, dare the Impossible

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Baggage of Life

baggage of life

Have you been able offload your baggage of life? Listen to this story. As I lay down there I watched as my spirit wandered off. Where I was going I didn’t know but I felt a force tossed me through a dark tunnel as though it was the valley of shadow of death. And the further I moved the darker it becomes. Thick darkness like blanket droops and dead silence pervades the atmosphere. Then at the far end of the spiraling road was a glowing bright light too beautiful to behold. This unseen force tossed me the more towards the bright light this time at the speed of light and within the twinkle of an eye I was brought to the large expanse of this bright light. The serenity of this celestial plane was just breathtakingly magnificent to be real.

Immediately I approach this white light I felt free and said to myself at last am relieved from the burden of pain, bitterness, wickedness, and anguish of this mundane world. Then from the thin air a man appears whose age I cannot tell it was as if he had existed before time immemorial yet he was ageless. He looks robust, his skin glows like a polished brass, his hair and beard was like white wool, his eyes were like a burning coal that melts any ice, and he was adorned in a white flowing robe brighter than the fuller’s white. The thunder of his voice was the sweetest baritone I did ever hear.

His presence broke me even to my bones and marrow, there was no strength left in me. Then he spoke to me “welcome son”. At this point I summoned courage and asked him, “who are you” and”where am I”. “You will soon know” he replied. Then he took me round the beautiful landscape. There were many mansions of architectural masterpiece; in front of them were beautiful flowers of extra terrestrial species. We came to a mighty warehouse situated at the centre of the city. Then he made a gesture with his hand and suddenly the door to the warehouse opened with ease.

The warehouse was full of baggage and each baggage has a name tag of the owner on it. There were baggage of assorted types. In fact, I can’t describe all the things I saw in the warehouse. However, one the baggage caught my attention; it has my name on it. “That is my name”, I exclaimed. “I know”, he replied.  It was returned last night because you failed to claim and offload your baggage. I packed this baggage for you while you were embarking on the journey of destiny to make your journey a smooth, memorable and successful one, but you refused to offload it.

“Sir Can I open it”, I asked. “Go ahead”, he said. Curiously, I opened my baggage and what I saw marveled me, and tears gushed down my eyes. In my baggage I saw talents, creative ideas, businesses, unpublished books, inventions etc which I was not able to offload. I sobbed uncontrollably begging him for another chance, at least to right my wrongs. And this he blatantly refused. He told me that as an unclaimed baggage he will prepare it for the next person that will embark on the journey of destiny. I wept the more and shouted one more chance, just one more chance, but it was too late for me.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes, alas! It was all a dream. I looked at the time it was 1: 30 am. As I sat on my bed soaked in my own sweat to ruminate on the dream, all I could mutter was” thank God it was a dream”. I must now do everything to offload my own baggage, I promised myself that day.

Friend, what about you? What are you doing with your own baggage? Do you know that you might not be opportune to get a second chance? The worst thing that can happen to a person is for the person not to offload his or her baggage, Or for your baggage to be returned as unclaimed. We are all loaded talents and creative ideas to help us succeed in life. Every wherewithal we need to succeed is in us and we cannot succeed until we bring them to bear. Therefore, we must find a way to express them.

There are three terrible things that will happen to you when you fail to offload your baggage;

You will live an unfulfilled life.

Your fulfillment in life lies in you fulfilling destiny. In my book I did say that materialism does not always evaluate to success. I further said that success is living a fulfilled life, and that you can find fulfillment by impacting lives around you. By not offloading you own baggage of talents and creative ideas the purpose of God for your life will fail. And you would have shortchanged so many people. There are arrays and networks of destinies that are tied to your own. You can only find true fulfillment by offloading your own baggage.

You may die with your own baggage.

There are three things that are insatiable, and you can never satisfy them – the stomach, the grave, and hell. A lot of people who refused to to offload their baggage died with their own. Inside the grave there are so many unfulfilled dreams, visions, aspirations, so many uncompleted buildings, unfinished businesses, unexplored talents, unpublished books, and unreleased songs etc. The grave is ravenously waiting to swallow many talents and ideas of those who will not deem it fit to claim and offload them. Don’t die with your dreams make sure you offload your baggage.

You will play the second fiddle.

One thing you should always remember is that nobody has the monopoly or is a repository of creative ideas and talents. Everybody has their own baggage full of ideas and talents. And if and when you fail to offload your baggage others will do and come up with smart ideas better than yours. In such situation you will play the second fiddle and lose relevance as far as success is concerned.

Offload your own baggage now

Remember you have all it takes to succeed but you must offload your baggage. You carry something inside of you which will help you to succeed in life. Pursue your dreams with vigor until you actualize them. Unleash your talents. And if you have got ideas then create values with your ideas.  Maybe you are finding it difficult to offload your baggage then hire people. Pay them if possible to help you do that. The world is a global community, whatever service or help you need you can get it.

Offload your baggage now if you dare to succeed. Avoid procrastination as it is catastrophic to your success. Watch out for my post on the dangers of Procrastination. Until then

Be inspired, be determined, dare to succeed. 

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Path to Self Discovery: How to Discover Yourself.

healthy lifestyle

Man know thyself – Socrates.

The journey of self discovery is a lifetime journey everyone who wants to make positive impact in life must embark upon. Many years ago I watched a movie titled “who am I” featuring the enigmatic actor Jackie Chan. In this movie he lost his memory and when asked who are you? He would ask himself who am I? So the natives nicknamed him ‘who am I’ hence the title of the movie. But he later went on a mission of discovery to discover who he really was.

Who am I? Have you taken time before now to ask yourself this heart probing and soul searching question. Unfortunately, many are lost with regards to who they really are. Many have ignored the path of self discovery. Noteworthy is the fact that it defines your destiny, and purpose in life. It also states the very reason for your existence – you are not living just to live life. You are living to make impact, to make a difference in life. So, self discovery determines your conquest or success in life.

Who are you?

Perhaps, if I ask you who are you? I will get a variant of answers and responses to the question. Self discovery is like embarking on a long journey. There is a path you must follow. That path is the path of knowledge. To discover yourself you must understand your make up, the nature and character of your personality. It is more of spiritual than physical or material. Man is a spirit being. The real man is not the outward look or appearance but the spirit inward – it is the hidden man of the heart. A man is not defined by his body size, physique or macho, rather man is defined by the spiritual content within the body. It is all about the quality of the content and not the size of the container. So man as we know him is an embodiment of a rich spiritual content.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, (Genesis 2:7).

Journey to Self Discovery

Self-discovery is a journey of the inward through the path of knowledge to unravel the real you in you. It is an inquiry, an insight into your own nature and character. Moreover, it affords you the opportunity to assess or examine your own life, as Socrates opined that “An unexamined life is not worth living”.

Until you discover yourself you cannot live life to its fullest. It helps you to know your self-worth and to unlock your potential. You must look inward to discover your strength, passion, and talents, and harness them for maximum impact in life.

Self Discovery leads to Fulfillment

Furthermore, the real reason for self-discovery is for you to find fulfillment in life. So if you are not subduing and dominating in your chosen fields of endeavor chances are that you have not discovered yourself yet. That you have failed to dominate in life is a strong signal that there is a need for you to embark on the journey of self-discovery. The essence of self-discovery is to help you succeed and live a fulfilling life. The moment you discover this important aspect of life that is the very moment your fulfillment begins. Fulfillment is at your disposal; it is within your reach, but you must tread the path of self-discovery.

Remember the path of self-discovery is the highway to Success. Have you discovered yourself? After all, man know thyself is not abuse.