Leaving Home
A few months before my 20th birthday, I packed my bags and left home and made a vow never to return. Years later, I still haven't returned. You see, I went to the future and realised that if I would ever evolve into the man I ought to become, then home wasn’t the place to be.
It was George Benard Shaw the renowned playwright and literary maven who said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
And so, in all my journeying (sometimes wanderings) ever since, I realised that you are built, not born. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.
I have lived in many places, sometimes squatting with friends and settling in with strangers. All the while, the vision of the future I desired remains plastered on my eyeballs and imprinted on my heart.
It wasn’t easy at first, but I had read biographies about how other great men conquered their paths, and so I had gleaned ready clues on how to engage mine.
Bridging the Gap
The gap between the past and the future is the present—For those who will make thinking their business, and intelligent planning their stock in trade, this gap will always be filled with insights powerful enough to upset the past, mitigate mistakes and shape the future in the best light possible.
In practical terms, here are a few insights drawn from my journey. Here are a few things to prioritise and devote sufficient attention to. I am still on the journey of learning, growing, and becoming. Mastery is the journey, not the destination. Come with me.
Learn the Art of Thinking Long and Hard
To do this effectively, make a practice of reading widely and consuming a lot of high-quality materials that will stimulate your cognitive abilities. Books by great authors on topics both in your field and in other areas will help your mental agility. Social media and television rob you of the capacity to think because they have thought it out for you. Don't get drunk on these. Prioritise great books, because they will help you think better.
Prioritise Journaling
Record key details of your life, experiences, ideas and other important features. Do this meticulously and do it every day. The overall impact of keeping a personal journal on your effectiveness and success cannot be overemphasised. You get to have a big-picture view of your own life alongside the opportunity to monitor every detail and keep track of what's important and what's not.
Master the Art of Delegation
Don't do anything that someone else can do better than you, or better put, don't do anything that isn't the most productive use of your time. Focus on improving things you are great at and hire people to do everything else. Outsource all of the random tasks and activities. Allow no time to go to waste. If taking your clothes to the laundry will help your time management, it's wise to do so. Learning to delegate, if done well, will save you time and improve your effectiveness.
Company with Firebrands
A lump of hot coal stays hot only when it remains in the fire with other hot coals. You must curate a rich company of firebrands who'd help keep your fire aflame. Find people more passionate than you are and let them rub off on you. If you will dare and accomplish the impossible, then you need to hang around those who have done it already, or at least believe it is possible. Your friends and companions are the greatest revelations of your future.
Leave a Legacy
Leave a legacy, and don't wait till you are 80 years old to start. From as early as possible, live your life in such a way that postures you to always give back. Nothing you have is for you alone. Dr Albert Schweitzer says it best. He said, "Whatever you have received more than others—in health, in talents, in ability, in success...all these you must not take to yourself as a matter of course. In gratitude for good fortune, you must render some sacrifice of your own life for another life."
Be Keen on Relationship Quality Control
If you become more intentional and you pay more attention to the process of onboarding people into your life as friends and acquaintances, you'd almost always have only amazing individuals in your network. And it is from this crop that your choice of spouse, inner circle friends and business partners will almost always emerge. That age-old proverb is true after all. It says "Birds of a feather flock together." In other words, people of the same sort or with the same tastes and interests will be found together.
Failure is not Final
Failure is not fatal. It is not final either. It's only a moment in time. It won't last forever. What matters is how you handle it. You can either choose to sulk and blame yourself forever, or you can pick yourself up, document your lessons and begin to implement the needed modifications. Build strong core values and anticipate failure as a necessary part of growth. You won’t die if you fail, you’ll only learn. In the words of Seth Godin, "you literally have the privilege of being wrong.” It's a privilege, please cherish it.
Concluding Notes
These insights have not been pulled from a textbook. These are the results of the many iterative processes I have submitted my life to. These are the rare benefits of rubbing shoulders with great men of the past eras.
Keep these to heart and make them crucial companions on your journeys. They must become the bedrock of all your decision-making processes.
In John Obidi's words, prepare now, because when tomorrow comes it will be too late to do so. Phenomenal people don’t get ready, they stay ready. You know what to do.
Talk soon.
Thank you so much sir, this is really important for me at this time.
God bless you sir .This is so impactful