Glory Edozien: No Room for Mediocrity

Just like everyone else, I started the New Year with great hope and ambition. I wrote down all my goals and put down the strategy with which to achieve them. I cleared out all the extra junk in my room and even went as far as doing a mini redecorating effort, all to set the tone for newness in 2013.
I’m all about tangible activity, activity which produces quantifiable results. Too many people are doing too much in the world for me to sit back and not be part of the bigger picture, plugging in to shape my community and the world at large.

As I discussed my goals and ambitions with my friends conversation turned inevitably to our giant of a country and the quagmire which we find ourselves. Nigerians are possibly the most active people on earth. We are in a hurry to do everything and in the end nothing gets done. My generation is also possibly the biggest contributor to this achievement deficit. All talk and no action, all words and no practice. I have mentioned in a previous article, my general disappointment with what we see today as youth activism. Many of such proponents are themselves worse than the people we pretend to accuse, the only difference is we have the gift of the gab. We’ve been educated and blessed with the power to wield words as swords, blunt as they may be.

We only have to look at Twitter to see the amount of Twitter gods that have arisen over the years. Thousands of followers and sound bites made up with fancy sounding words but no real, tangible achievement to show for it.

Achievements have now taken on a virtual outlook. Why actually get involved in shaping your community when you can talk all day on Twitter. Stand up for what you believe in – only in the comfort of your living room. Normally, I am able to confine the meaningless dribble of these Twitter pundits to social media alone, until they started turning up as panelists on TV shows, presumably to talk more about what they already talk about….outstanding!

Like false prophets we are all clamoring to get attention, whoever makes the loudest noise and gets the most hits on YouTube – this is our value today. Even when we do take interest in meaningful social projects we ensure the press coverage is the equivalent of Obama’s inauguration. Of course the argument is always that such publicity encourages other to follow suit, never mind that the individual is an elected official whose job it is to implement such projects in the first place.

Next time, I meet the requirements of my job description, I’ll be sure to have an event and post the pictures in This Day Style, who knows maybe that may get me a promotion! We are a humorous people aren’t we? We feed the homeless once in 20 years, publish the pictures online and delight in the comments we receive. We build a new 3-kilometer road or put a borehole in a community and publish it in the papers. Hilarious! And the list could go on, but perhaps we aren’t to blame, maybe the yardstick for measuring achievements too have gone awry. After all if a known wife beater could be named as a UN Peace ambassador, it is reasonable to expect that the definition for peace in our generation has indeed changed. After all, I hear that Chris Brown will be opening a halfway house for battered girlfriends! If all I had to do was post a video giving pointless advice in more make up than required to become famous, why should I bother to do anything different. Why bother to do any real work when all I have to be is a ‘fine boy’ and ‘colour block’ correctly at every event. No need to develop any skill or contribute meaningfully to any worthwhile agenda when I can draft 160 character sentences about the ineptitude of my government.

Lets face it people, the sewers of our society are pouring out sewage and we think we are walking in a rose bush. Buried in our community are people doing marvelous work, putting aside hard earned money to send orphaned children to school, establishing drug rehabilitation and half way centers for ex commercial sex workers, teaching abandoned children vocational skills….again the list could go on. Why don’t we, at the very least, look for these people and celebrate them. Let us talk about them and send broadcast messages on their achievements. Let our magazines write interesting features on them. Let us celebrate the worthy and not just the available. Only then will these mediocre offenders actually start thinking.

Recently, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shaper Community in Lagos, I submitted an application to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa summit 2013. The application process was simple, submit a video answering the following question in 2 minutes..”How are you impacting your world?” let the answers begin….

Do you want 5.0 this semester?

   There’s no doubt that God’s word is real and it (the word) is true and faithful. As we have heard many times, “God cannot lie”. We see that in Num23:19(KJV):”God is not a man; that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent . . .” If you didn’t know that before, know it from now. His word which is real says in Rev5:10 that “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on earth”. This tells us that our reigning in life is NOT a PROMISE, we are not waiting for it to happen; it is a RIGHT. He HAS MADE us; that says a lot. The simple truth although I found it hard to accept at first is that if we are not experiencing dominion in any area of our lives, we must be doing something wrong or not doing anything at all. God will not break His word to please you but rather you must align to access what he has said concerning you (Jhn10:35). With this understanding, I will be sharing with you with some keys that God has shown me and when I applied them, produced amazing results that could not be denied.

As a secondary school student, unsaved, lost, heard of Christ but not connected to Him, not understanding my place and my rights in Christ, was a mediocre and a failure. I failed a lot of subjects then that my dad’s mood towards me changed and I became a joke in my environment. A time came in the year 2008, and everything turned for the better when I got saved. The least I got was a grade ‘C’ since that time and that is since SSS2. God is faithful, He really is. He changed me wholly and fully when I encountered His word while searching for the secret to doing well in school and something struck me in 2Tim2:15:” Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. He opened me up to that scripture and made me understand that if I study to His approval and not mine, I’ll never see shame. Friends, that changed my life forever and thank God every time for that encounter. Understand that Jesus died for you to become rich in all things and that includes your academics (2Cor8:9). He redeemed us from the curse of the law which entails failure and connected me to Abrahamic blessings (Gal3:13-14 paraphrased).  That goes to show that in God’s eyes, we can’t fail and we are not permitted to. There are certain things we should do to align ourselves with God’s word. I will be highlighting some with the help of God.

Firstly, you need to be connected to God to access this kind of academic excellence. You need to become a child of God first before you talk about having rights; we see in Jhn15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”. Secondly, find what His word says about your success and believe it with your HEART and not your HEAD. Keep on saying it until it enters your spirit. Thirdly, prove you believe by working and studying. This is a very delicate area because everybody wants success but very few are willing to pay the price. You want excellence in your tests, examinations, study. We see in 2Tim2:6:”The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits”.  Turn every stone, cover what is needed. The reason that unbeliever is topping you in class is because he/she is working more than you, so work! Fourthly, rely on the Holy Spirit for help and direction. He is the one that guides you to what is needed, strengthen you to do the required, and reminds you of what you have learnt. He has always given me ‘areas of concentration’ even few minutes before the examination begins. Talk to Him, inquire of Him and obey Him. Lastly, don’t rely on your own understanding; always put God first and acknowledge Him.

God wants you to reign in life and all He wants is for us to align with His word. All these keys are useless if they are not applied (Jas1:22; 2:17). Friends, it’s a lie from the devil when you think that you are not built for distinctions in your academics. I used to think I wasn’t meant to be at the top in class but was meant to be a footballer because I was good at that then but how wrong I was and He proved it in my life. The word of God says in Phil4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. I urge you to believe Him this forth coming examination and indeed every shame will be exchanged with a double portion.

EKEH KELECHI.C

CAREER OFFICER

SUCCESS WITHIN INTERNATIONAL

OKORO JOHN: YESTERDAY, I SPOKE WITH THE PRESIDENT

     

Yesterday, i stopped by a gas station to fill up my tank after a very long day. While waiting on the line, a young and nibble boy walked up to where i was parked with some oranges in his hands. Apparently he was about to market them to solicit for my purchasing power. I momentarily did the permutations and additions, and i discovered that the entire resources at his disposal was less than 500 naira. This means that even if he did all he was capable of doing, he could make no more that that ammount for that Night. I had to contain my tears to give justice to the plea of my reason and examine him socratically (via interrogation). To my greatest surprise, i discovered that this young boy had a very bright future and intelligent mind. To be told that he was the fifth in academic position in his class was no mean feat. And i was very touched that he has to go through a very tough path to get to his success. I felt deeply touched to help, even if it was just to bear a little of the burden of his academic quest...but my attempts were distal because there was no way i could communicate with him because no one in his immediate family had a mobile phone. It was amazing! I was left with only one option and that was to buy up all the stock he had left at an ostentatious ammount...and i did. I told him that i knew what it meant to go through his path. I told him about my life...the times i had to read with lantern to pass examinations...times i was a cleaner earning 400 Naira monthly....times i had to spend my last dime to purchase a priceless book...the times i worked as a brick layer for 500 naira perday (half of which i spent on drugs)...I could have avoided those times because my family was comfortable but i did them to feel the profit of pain and the benefit of a appreciating little things...Those were the moments that shaped me. Those are the moments that keep hunting me when i do not maximize my potential. Most of the thing i know now were learnt during those moments.... I made him know that his present situation was only temporary.

I know that that young man wil never forget the 5 minutes i spent with him because it will forever be a guide to his conscience, and it will be a momentum for his success.
Who knows, i could just have spoken to the future president of our great Nation. Greatness is not a respecter of lineage or backgound. 
I believe it is our responsibility to help when we can because who knows, you could have been that young boy.

OKORO JOHN

SIMPLE MONEY MAKING IDEAS

These simple ideas are from Kemi Lawal which i saw in today's punch and i will like to share it with you. They can turn you into a rich man/woman. They are legitimate but not without challenges, but if you are determined, you can make money from them.

Freelance writing

You can decide to become a freelance writer to make more money. Obviously, the better your skills and training are, the better your projects and freelance writing rates will be. Today’s freelance writers can choose from a variety of markets. You can write for either online or print magazines.

Selling your skills

According to www.ehow.com, another great way to earn money from your home is to sell your skills or knowledge by teaching. For instance, if you are an exercise guru, you can start an exercise class in a large spacious area in your home. People are willing to pay to learn different things from cooking and gardening to soap or candle making. Playing a musical instrument, child birthing, dancing, dog training, yoga, and even foreign languages are all great topics for expert classes.

The key is to make the class unique and irresistible. Do not just teach a cooking class come up with specialty cooking classes.

Selling your produce

If you are blessed with a greener thumb and you are growing mass quantities of fruits, vegetables, or herbs, you just may be able to use those skills to earn some extra income. If you love the idea of selling your homegrown produce, but cannot afford being out of the house on weekends, consider selling to friends, family, and neighbours instead. Almost everyone prefers the taste of a fresh picked tomato to a store — bought one.

Blogging

People who enjoy writing can make a few extra naira or even a career by blogging. With Google’s Ad Sense programmes, affiliate marketing and other programmes, blogging has proved to be a successful moneymaker for many writers. Simply find a niche or something you enjoy writing about and dedicate yourself to writing at least one post per day and you could be on your way to making a full-time income from home. The market for new articles on the Internet is vast, and there is plenty of work to go round.

Crafts and art

If you have a knack for creating beautiful things, then you were born at the right time to make some serious income from home. The growing trend for vintage and home-made products shows no signs of stopping. In addition, the Internet is full of well-known outlets for such wares.

Sewing and alterations

If you have sewing skills, you have a wide range of options. Just think about every service you can provide if you have those skills. You can do alterations and design, wedding clothes, custom-fit clothes and special attires.

Selling your knowledge

Are you an expert on a certain topic? If so, you can be a consultant. Consultants typically meet with people who need information or advice about a certain topic. For instance, if you are an organisational consultant, someone may hire you to come into his or her home and suggest ways to make it more organised. You can also expand your services to include companies and businesses. All you need is a particular skill or a vast amount of knowledge about something to actually be a consultant.

Selling your computer skills

If you have great computer skills and can type quickly, you might be able to work from home typing documents for people for a fee.

Babysitting

The parents of young children are sometimes in need of a night out and look for good babysitters to have on call. If you do not mind spending your Friday and Saturday nights hanging with kids, then putting a flyer up offering babysitting services is a good way for you to make money. Utilise free classified ads, both online and in print, to offer your services.

Personal services

If you have a car, you can offer to run errands for people who cannot get out or are too busy. Put up flyers or free classified ads offering grocery shopping, dry cleaning and other errands for those who may not be able to drive or who have work obligations that keep them from running their errands. Network with other business owners including people in the community and tell them about your service.

Tutoring or lessons

If you have a degree or are an expert in a certain area you can offer tutoring services to students. Place flyers up in the local library and contact schools to let them know what you can offer. If you are an expert in a musical instrument, for example, offer lessons by collaborating with a local music store or placing free ads and flyers up in your city.

IT DOES NOT MATTER

    After working all night on a project, which ought to be submitted the next day, Mr. Peter, an architect, went to show his wife the project he’s been working on. Flipping through the pages of the work in amazement of such excellent work that can be produced in one night of a man’s life, she responded with a lovely grin on her face assuring her husband that the work is awesome, then she spotted little, minute, tiny ALMOST negligible error, hurriedly, she called her husband’s attention to the error, and then he goes “don’t worry about that, it doesn’t matter”

Getting to the office, Mr. Peter submitted the project and his boss was really pleased with the packaging and smooth presentation. His boss then pointed him to a little error, which was the exact thing his wife pointed him out to, and then he replied again “sir it doesn’t matter.”

What was the mistake you wonder, it was an omission of a 0.001mm space on the blueprint design of a building, seemingly negligible error, but one thing that was forgotten was that the scale of the drawing would have to be enlarged a great deal during construction, and after the magnification, that little change will surely be very visible for all to see. This actually happened during the construction of the building Mr. Peter designed and the project, which had already begun, could not be completed due to a simple “it does not matter” error.

Whatsoever is worth doing is worth doing well, those things that a have been said not to matter are the ones that often have the “difference” effect, what others say don’t matter can be that thing that will make you matter to your world, the moment things, no matter how little, begin not to matter, the moment we begin not to matter.

Changes do not start with the biggest thing, and neither does life, there is a growing and building stage that shapes up what comes out at the end. The simple, seemingly little stuff, does matter. 

THOMAS MAKINWA

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

SUCCESS WITHIN INTERNATIONAL.

NO LIMIT: A Touching Story Of Sibling Love

I have a brother who is 3 years younger than me. I wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls around me seemed to have.

So, one day I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer.Father had discovered about the stolen money right away. He made me and my younger brother kneel against the wall as he held a bamboo stick in his hand. 'Who stole the money?' he asked. I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Neither of us admitted to the fault, so he said, 'Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two should be beaten!' He lifted up the bamboo stick.

Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and said, Dad, I was the one who did it!' The longstick smacked my brother's back repeatedly. Father was so angry that he kept on whipping my brother until he lost his breath.

After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded my brother, 'You have learned to steal from your own house now. What other embarrassing things will you are possibly doing in the future? You should be beaten to death, you shameless thief!' That night, my mother and I hugged my brother.

His body was full of wounds from the beating but he never shed a single tear. In the middle of the night, all of sudden, I cried out loudly. My brother covered my mouth with his little hand and said, Sis, now don't cry anymore.
Everything has happened.' I still hate myself for not having enough courage to admit what I did. Years went by, but the incident still seemed like it just happened yesterday. I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me. That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11 years old.

When my brother was in his last year of secondary school, he was accepted in an upper secondary school in the central. At the same time, I was accepted into a university in the province. That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking, packet by packet. I could hear him ask my mother, 'Both of our children, they have good results? Very good results?' Mother wiped off her tears and sighed,' What is the use? How can we possibly finance both of them?' At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front of father and said, 'Dad, I don't want to continue my study anymore, I have read enough books.'

Father swung his hand and slapped my brother on his face. 'Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have to beg for money on the streets, I will send you two to school until you have both finished your studies!' And then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow money. I stuck out my hand as gently as I can to my brother's swollen face, and told him, 'A boy has to continue his study; if not; he will not be able to overcome this poverty we are experiencing. ' I, on the otherhand, had decided not to further my study at the university.

Nobody knew that on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house with a few pieces of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to my side of the bed and left a note on my pillow; 'Sis, getting into a university is not easy. I will go find a job and I will send money to you.' I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried until I lost my voice.

That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years old.With the money father borrowed from the whole village, and the money my brother earned from carrying cement on his back at a construction site, finally, I managed to get to the third year of my study in the university. One day, while I was studying in my room, my roommate came in and told me, 'There's a villager waiting for you outside!' Why would there be a villager looking for me? I walked out, and I saw my brother from afar.

His whole body was covered with dirt, dust, cement and sand. I asked him, 'Why did you not tell my roommate that you are my brother?' He replied with a smile,' Look at my appearance. What will they think if they would know that I am your brother? Won't they laugh at you?' I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dirt and dust from my brother's body. And told him with a lump in my throat, 'I don't care what people would say! You are my brother no matter what your appearance is?' From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip.

He put it on my hair and said, 'I saw all the girls in town are wearing it. So, I think you should also have one.' I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms and cried. That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years old. I noticed that the broken window was repaired the first time I brought my boyfriend home. The house was scrubbed cleaned.

After my boyfriend left, I danced like a little girl in front of my mother, 'Mom, you didn't have to spend so much time cleaning the house!' But she told me with a smile, 'It was your brother who went home early to clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand? He hurt his hand while he was replacing the window.' I went into my brother's bedroom.
Looking at his thin face, I felt like hundreds of needles pricked in my heart. I applied some ointment on his wound and put a bandage on it, 'Does it hurt?' I asked him.. 'No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when at the construction site, stones keep falling on my feet ...Even that could not stop me from working.' In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my back on him and tears rolled down my face.

That year, my brother was 23 years old;I was 26 years old. After I got married, I lived in the city. Many times my husband invited my parents to come and live with us, but they didn't want. They said, once they left the village, they wouldn't know what to do. My brother agreed with them.

He said, 'Sis, you just take care of your parents-in-law. I will take care of Mom and Dad here.' My husband became the director of his factory. We asked my brother to accept the offer of being the manager in the maintenance department. But my brother rejected the offer. He insisted on working as a repairman instead for a start.

One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted, and was sent to the hospital. My husband and I visited him at the hospital. Looking at the plaster cast on his leg, I grumbled, 'Why did you reject the offer of being a manager?

Managers won't do something dangerous like that. Now look at you - you are sufferinga serious injury. Why didn't you just listen to us?' With a serious expression on his face, he defended his decision, 'Think of brother-in-law. He just became the director, and I being uneducated, and would become a manager, what kind of rumors would fly around?' My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I said, 'But you lack in education only because of me!' 'Why do you talk about the past?' he said and then he held my hand.

That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old. My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the village. During the wedding reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, 'Who is the one person you respect and love the most?' Without even taking a time to think, he answered,' My sister.' He continued by telling a story I could not even remember.

'When I was in primary school, the school was in a different village. Everyday, my sister and I would walk for 2 hours to school and back home. One day, I lost the other pair of my gloves. My sister gave me one of hers. She wore only one glove and she had to walk far.

When we got home, her hands were trembling because of the cold weather that she could not even hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I live, I would take care of my sister and will always be good to her.' Applause filled up the room.

All guests turned their attention to me. I found it hard to speak, 'In my whole life, the one I would like to thank most is my brother, 'And in this happy occasion, in front of the crowd, tears were rolling down my face again.

STORY MORAL: Love and care for the one you love every single day of your life. You may think what you did is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may means a lot.
 THIS IS A NEW YEAR CHOOSE TO START WITH A MENTALITY OF NO LIMIT. IN ALL YOU DO KEEP TELLING YOURSELF NO LIMIT.