Insights for Leading

“ We often overestimate what we can achieve in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in a year .” The author of this table-shaking piece of wisdom has been debated through the years but the truth of it shines through always. Check your to-do list for the day. How many points have you? And how many are you likely to accomplish? It is easy to see that our daily to-do list is often unrealistic. There are different reasons that account for this phenomenon but the most significant is that our frail human nature makes us short-sighted and short on patience. We want everything quick. That’s why we take shortcuts – because we want to cut some time and arrive as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the race is not to the swift. While Solomon was the first to utter these words and articulate this fact of life, every man with seeing eyes and hearing ears have observed this happen again and again. It is written in our daily experiences as well as that of others. 2020 will not...

Today, too many ladies are overwhelmed with their stature. They compare themselves with the ideal “hourglass” shape and reckon themselves to be shapeless or at least, not so beautiful. What they don’t realize is that their idea of beauty is influenced – especially by the media. In fact, the definition of beauty has gone through many revisions in history . At one time, fat women were considered the pride of men; at some other time, the thinnest were the most attractive. The media just erects an image and magnifies it, and everyone begins to compare themselves to it. That’s insane! Sometimes, to stop worrying, we must pause and say the Serenity Prayer: “ Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference .” That brings us to the first thing you must do to determine your happiness every time:  Happiness begins with gratitude and continues with a positive attitude.  (This is a ...

Recently, I came across an article on Forbes titled “Your Success Can Be Predictable, Even Inevitable.” That sounds very audacious yet it is true and the underlying reason for this is that success depends on principles: if you know how to go about achieving your desire and follow through, you can always realize it. Simple, isn’t it? Oh yes! It is. There are many things we want: money, sound health, quality relationships, etc. I have previously written that success is not to be pursued but attracted. When you do the right things to align with your desires, you attract what you want. Therefore, your happiness is predictable – even inevitable . I want to share with you 6 irrefutable laws of happiness that can catapult you to that universally-desired realm of bliss and keep you energized always. The first part emphasize what you need to know to become happy. The second part pertains to what you must do to stay happy. Ready? Here they are: 1. No one is res...

A friend recently told me, “ A child’s work is to play ” and I cannot agree more. In our growing years, we played freely without anticipating the tensions of adulthood. And one of the features that characterized our play was the display of the abilities we discovered early from music to drama to sports. Those who excelled above the others in these things were considered special and treated with preference as though they were success-bound. The fastest runner. The stylish footballer and playmaker. The soloist with a sonorous voice. That guy gifted in acrobatics who could do many rounds of backflips (na back fleet we dey call am). These were the toast of all eyes. They were “the guy to meet” and “the girl to have.” The same phenomenon was carried into the classroom, a less playful and more disciplined environment. Almost immediately, a few emerged better than others in elementary subjects like English Language, Mathematics and Fine Arts. With little efforts and a great leaning...

It’s the last month of the year when we reflect on how far we have come in achieving our goals, what lessons we have learned and how much we have grown, as well as give gratitude to God for bringing us thus far. Another significant highlight of this month is the flow of gifts around our networks. And it is this particular act of ‘doing good’ that I want to discuss today. Of course, giving gifts is not something we do in December alone but every month, every week and every day – we are always gifting people our time, talent and treasures. Now, I wish there was such a beatitude as “ Blessed are those that do good; for they shall be happy .” It would have made living in this world easier. Alas, that is only written in the idealistic thoughts of religious fanatics. In real life, many good doers are far from happy. They give to others and go broke. Then they expect others to give to them. And it does not happen. The result? Anger. Bitterness. Unhappiness. And sometimes, hate. ...

Last week, I facilitated an online conference with a focus on strategic personal development for global relevance as we plan and prepare for the year 2020. I shared with the audience on the topic “BECOMING A BETTER YOU.” As always, it was a phenomenal experience and the feedback so far has been nothing short of awesome. I want to share a thought from that discussion with you. Growth is the foundation of all forms of prosperity . Success is not to be pursued but attracted. In the real equation of success, who you become determines what you have, not vice-versa. Whatever you want, grow capacity for it because growth attracts all forms of wealth. It is popularly known that what makes you relevant to society is the problem that you solve . At your present level, you can only solve some problems. A better you will solve bigger problems. And when you solve bigger problems, you will be invited to bigger platforms. That is why wise king Solomon remarked, “A man's gift makes r...