Dancing with Greatness
You want to live an impactful life? Start here!
Prologue
Six months ago, I made a resolute decision: eradicate procrastination, eliminate distractions and take full responsibility for propelling my career forward.
Implementing this decision wasn't easy, but I remained steadfast. Halfway through this challenging journey, I committed to taking a one-month break from all social media platforms, including LinkedIn.
The break was a much-needed pause, primarily aimed at reevaluating various aspects of my life—my career, relationships and spiritual growth. I took the time for prayer (with fasting) and strategic recalibration.
During the break, one of the decision points was the need to realign my career trajectory to best fulfil all of my short--, mid-, and long-term aspirations. To effectively do this, one of the next steps was to significantly enhance my engagement on LinkedIn.
My plan was threefold:
(a) To optimize my LinkedIn profile to vividly showcase my robust thought leadership as a Strategy Consultant and International Development Professional.
(b) To post more about my work and research interests, share my personal growth journey and celebrate the individuals who have profoundly impacted my path.
(c) To focus on connecting more meaningfully with people from diverse spheres.
So I got to work on a comprehensive LinkedIn profile overhaul, began to connect more proactively and diligently committed to posting at least twice a week.
At the outset, it felt as if my efforts were in vain—some of my posts performed badly. However, I remained resolute and undeterred.
In the last 90 days, my intentional work to revamping my presence on LinkedIn has yielded tangible, quantifiable results:
I nearly doubled my followers with an approximately 42% increase.
I had over 1100 profile views, most from public search around keywords featured on my bio.
I had over 32,000 post impressions and radically improved engagement on my posts.
Clients headhunted my services and l secured unsolicited writing gigs that are in 7 figures.
Attracted recruiters from the top consulting firms including one of the Big 4 Accounting firms looking to recruit Experienced Mid-Level Strategy Consultants.
I was invited as a pre-final and final judge at the UIRESDEV Hackathon in commemoration of the University of Ibadan's 75th anniversary.
Beyond LinkedIn, my commitment to personal and professional development, in essence, 'refocusing my focus' has also started yielding fruits. Some of the low-hanging outputs included the following.
Designed and led a groundbreaking climate change research project spanning Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.
Led the development of an impressive report of findings to be presented at COP28 this December.
Authored two manuscripts slated for submission to reputable journals.
Received glowing commendations at my last performance review, earning a double promotion to a mid-level management role at my current job.
One of my abstracts was accepted for a poster presentation at the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) held in Lusaka Zambia later this month.
A lot has happened in the last 180 days, and this is me taking stock.
It's been a lot, and clearly speaks of God's commitment to me, my dedication to growth and the constant opportunity to learn from those who have gone ahead.
This is an encouragement to anyone out there that you can take action on your dreams and truly make progress. It's entirely within your grasp and in the next few paragraphs I will show you how.
Come with me.
Of Open ‘Secrets’ or ‘Hidden’ Pathways to Greatness
Imagine the opportunity to sit before luminaries such as Bill Gates, Ngozi Iweala, Elon Musk, Barrack Obama, Ophrah Winfrey, etc., men and women whose lives have changed the world, what questions would you ask them?
Well, the obvious questions would be, “How did you achieve such a high level of success?” “Could you share your step-by-step secret playbook?” finally, the only question the majority of people will ask “Can you support my journey with some financial investments?”
This seemingly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, however, houses a paradox—even if these individuals were to reveal step-by-step all they did to become extremely wealthy and successful, the fact is that many people would still not achieve similar success.
A very audacious and pessimistic statement right? Well, hear me out before you criticize. The first and most important question to ask would be, 'Why do I think this is so?'
First, what sets successful people apart is not the exclusivity of their strategies. Thats because most of what is classified as "secrets" are now common knowledge. With the advent of social media and the internet, previously exclusive information has now been made available at scale to almost everyone with a mobile phone.
In actual fact, numerous books, podcasts, videos and blogs currently exist that reveal the precise success-guaranteeing wealth creation strategies used by these billionaires. Regrettably, the majority of people either saw and ignored them or even the few who read and engaged with these materials mostly did nothing with them.
The Deception of Knowledge
Having knowledge about a particular subject matter is one thing, but putting that knowledge into action is an entirely different challenge. Often we can deceive ourselves into believing that simply consuming knowledge is enough, that it is an accomplishment in and of itself.
This deception can be dangerous because it prevents us from translating our knowledge into real-world action. This is one sin that many people (including me) are guilty of. In the Bible, Apostle Paul describes this anomaly in a statement, "Ever learning, but unable to come to the knowledge of the truth."
This simply means that real knowledge is not obtained from consuming information for the sake of it. Real knowledge is obtained when information consumption is not the end in itself, but a means to an end—creating success and making an impact. Therefore, in order to truly succeed, we must not only acquire knowledge but also apply it effectively.
Today, many people claim to 'know' a lot of things they have no idea about. Simply because you read something in a book or watched a video doesn't mean you know it. Knowledge can only be proven through its application and the results that follow.
Truth be told, if you claim to know something and fail to translate your knowledge into action, you really do not know it.
How many of us have read books with titles such as, "7 Secrets to Wealth Creation" "What the Wealthy Know that You Don't" or even "How to Win Friends and Influence People." However, despite reading these books, we often don't reflect the knowledge we claim to possess.
Now, this isn't to undermine the fact that putting knowledge into practice takes time, and more often than not, requires patience on our journey. However, blindly claiming to know something just because you have read it doesn't make you better than anyone else. Knowledge is only powerful in the hands of those who aim to do something with it.
There are no Secrets to Greatness
So you see, it's not a secret that you need. You interact with these secrets every day. The question is, what have you done with them?
The important thing here isn't simply access to information. Rather, what you need is the fortitude and resolute determination to act on these open 'secrets'.
This was what I discovered four years ago that has changed my life forever—I took responsibility for the knowledge these great men have unearthed through often hard and harrowing experiences. I became intentional about taking action on everything I had learned.
This sums up my counsel to you—take action and do something with what you know. Think about the first self-help book you read and try to remember the gems you documented and insightful points you promised to implement. Rather than seeking out more information, take stock of your priorities.
Don't just get high on the dopamine derived from acquiring new information. This feeling is often short-lived. It's easy to think you know more than other people, but in the end, you are no more knowledgeable than the ignorant person until you use what you know.
Admittedly, I too, am a 'read-more-book' person, and I constantly advocate extensive reading. However, I have come to realise that what really counts when the rubber hits the road is to be a self-directed executor.
All genuine and lasting progress whether personally or professionally only materializes when you act more on what you know than aimlessly consuming information.
While reading undoubtedly holds great value, it is ‘execution’ that makes the difference. Only those who implement their ideas will ever experience the joy of seeing an abstract concept take shape and come to life in their hands.
They are the only ones who will be celebrated for contributing to making the world—more interesting, and living—more rewarding.
Never forget this—information is only as powerful as the intention to apply it or put it to work. Action remains the game changer. So, read extensively, but make sure to always take action.
Take Action Now!
If you spoke less and acted more. If you stopped believing your own press. If you quit taking joy in merely consuming information, maybe you'd realize that...
That greatness is like producing a great movie, and success is like directing a potential Hollywood blockbuster.
That reading or consuming information is just like the movie script; and until the Director shouts 'Action!,' that beautiful story will never come to life neither can it become a blockbuster movie.
This is a call to do something with those ideas you have in your head. Most people (including myself) have read enough and definitely know enough to change the world. We have only refused to do something with it.
Spectators only trade in knowledge acquisition. Agents of change who make an impact always infuse life into their ideas by doing something about them.
Success isn't just about what we know; it's about what we do with what we know. It is about turning knowledge into courageous action.
Success is never idle and passive; it might be noiseless but is always bold, daring, and spirited. It's like a dance, you can not afford to stand still. It demands that you get on your feet and move your body. In the final analysis, greatness is spelt A-C-T-I-O-N.
Call to Action
Here is what you can do:
Reflect and Prioritize
Take a moment to reflect on the knowledge you've gained through reading, learning, and experiences so far.
Prioritize the key insights and actionable items from your accumulated knowledge.
Strategic Implementation
Translate your knowledge into intentional, strategic action. Identify specific steps you can take to apply your insights.
Focus on executing your plans, moving beyond the comfort of acquiring information to the challenge of implementing it.
Continuous Improvement
Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement. Regularly assess your progress and adapt your strategies based on results.
Actively seek feedback, learn from experiences, and refine your approach to ensure sustained growth and impactful results.
Epilogue
In 2027, I was appointed the Secretary General of the United Nations, the youngest ever to hold this prestigious position.
The news of my appointment reverberated across the globe, thrusting me into the limelight as a symbol of exceptional success and leadership, especially within my home country, Nigeria, and across the continent of Africa.
Many young people saw my achievements, they heard about the accolades from both traditional, mainstream and social media and wished they were me. Yet, what many don't realise is what lay beyond the headlines—the difficult climb up the ladder of success marked by failures and setbacks.
At some points on the journey, it felt like I wasn't making any progress at all. I had every reason to give up, but I stuck to the plan and stayed on the path. Today, I can boldly say that those failures and setbacks of yesterday prepared me for my achievements today.
Truth be told, it was a journey of exactly 7 years of 'meticulous planning' and 'strategic implementation'— fancy words for 'action’—that led me to this height of success.
More than the accolades and honours, I take greater pride in the person I became on the road to this destination. A person who would rather grow in important ideals like discipline, honesty, diligence and hard work than chase money or social status
To the countless many towing this part, who are actively looking forward to becoming even more successful than I am, know this: there is only one thing that can stop you. This was a realization I made on my journey four years ago—a revelation that changed everything.
This is it...
Thank you very much, sir. I was initially confused by the closing paragraph, but then I realized that you were discussing the future.
I am really blessed with this, it is timely