Have you Answered the Ultimate Question? By Lanre Olagunju

The major reason why children are regarded as naive is because of their inquisitive nature. A Child can be so inquisitive to a fault, and since they don’t nurse the fear of being considered foolish or stupid, they maximize their right to ask whatever their minds long to understand.

This is solely responsible for the rapid acquisition of knowledge in children.

Almost the reverse is the case as we grow older; we become less curious to always ask why, not really because adulthood is synonymous to being an highland of knowledge but because it is easier to live by assumptions, though the consequences are high.

A native adage explains that “he who asks for direction wouldn’t miss his way” apart that asking questions provides one with vital information, proper personal questioning serve as a medium: for personal check and balance, self assessment and self actualization.

The human life is quite short and if we must maximize our life and potentials genuine, sincere, precise and thought provoking questions must be asked from time to time.

For instance one of the most crucial questions you could ask yourself is what exactly is my purpose here on earth? But the paradox is that this is a question that too many never ask throughout the journey of life.

If a manufacturer manual came out with our placentas, it would have made the search for purpose easier, however, that we came with no manual is no assurance or indication that there isn’t. We only have to connect to ourselves and God the manufacturer to search out the purpose of our existence.

When purpose is lost or hasn’t been discovered abuse is utterly inevitable, the major reason why some people keep feeling frustrated, dejected and depressed to the extent of committing suicide is simply because they haven’t gotten the question of purpose settled from within.

No doubt at all challenges will appear from time to time in the journey of life but we can be rest assured that achieving our purpose will come with benefit that will bring us long lasting joy.

It’s been discovered that more money comes with more bills and higher taxes, more friends comes with more commitments. In short more materials things do not bring the long lasting joy and fulfillment that we really desire, but understanding and working in ones purpose brings eternal joy.

Since we all want to experience joy, happiness and fulfillment the only source of joy and eternal fulfillment comes from the knowing that we are on the right course and that we are making a difference in the life of others with all of our gifts and talents.

God hasn’t given everything to one person but He has given at least one thing to one person. Come to think of it no country has abundance of all the natural resources required to make life easy and very comfortable for her citizens. Everyone has a distinct uniqueness which could add to the progress of humanity.

The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion to help others. If the older generation have done so much to make life more comfortable through positive contribution and creative inventions. We shouldn’t only be beneficiary; we also owe our generation and the next the responsibility of making our own positive impact by making the world better than we met it.

The earlier one gets on the journey of purpose the better, science has proved that once a person is above twenty five years the bones starts getting weaker and brittle and when over thirty years of age you begin to lose thousands of brain cells each day. Little wonder why the bible encourages carrying ones yoke while one is young.

Enough of chasing the air, enough of doing things that we wouldn’t want to recognize with in future, the same energy use in perpetrating social vices like internet fraud, robbery and kidnapping to mention a few could be channeled to more worthy courses that would make the world a better place, thereby bringing long lasting joy, happiness and fulfillment to oneself.

Year by year we are becoming better equipped to accomplish the things we are striving for. But what are we actually striving for? says a French political scientist. As the New Year approaches you should pay more attention to things that you naturally and passionately love doing because if you check deeply you are most likely born to do such things.

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Five Questions You Must Ask About Your Friends by Lanre Olagunju

No man is an island, says John Donne. The only way to maximize one’s individual capacity and attain height in life is through positive and productive association. Humans are not designed to exist alone. Even the beast of the earth move in packs for survival.

As youth brimming with positive ideas and the zeal to impact positively on our nation, we cannot overestimate the power of good association. It is said that you will remain at your present level of exposure and achievement save for the books you read and the people you associate with.

How would you resist movement once you are in a moving train? The moving train here is the network of friends that you keep and the books you feed your mind with. Many achievers will admit that the achievement they recorded were as a result of their personal decision to associate with the right set of people.

We as impressionable youth should be careful to ensure that those within our circle of influence are those who can challenge us to do our best, criticize us when the need arises, inspire and help us in fine tuning our skills. This is how we can be equipped to correct the wrong in our great nation.

Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are says an old but relevant adage. Ask yourself the following questions about your friends.

Do my friends constructively criticize me or they just give me a pat at the back when I am wrong, thereby encouraging me to give my worst instead of my best?

Are they solution providers and not the problems themselves?

Do they value time and make the best use of it?

Are they passionate about living a life of honour and integrity?

Are they bothered about doing the right things at all time regardless of who is doing the wrong thing?

If your friends are devoid of these virtues, then you are with the wrong set of people. Decide in your heart to be a role model by keeping only friends who reflect the kind of person you would want to be.

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Learn To Always Cherish Your Mum by Lanre Olagunju

One of the best things that can happen to man here on planet earth is to experience the unconditional love of a mother. Most times when we talk about love in its various forms, we forget that the purest form of affection is that which flows from mother to child. It starts from when the child is unknown to the mother in the womb; the pain of getting through a nine month pregnancy is excruciating, the cost of raising a toddler is demanding but in all she wasn’t thinking of herself it was all about you. She didn’t mind being cold so you could stay warm; being hungry so you could be well fed.

If a mother could be paid for all her effort, how much would she charge? How much can you afford to pay? Loving your mother isn’t always synonymous with buying her gift and doing house chores though these too are very important. Living responsibly is your best gift to her; this is especially true for girls. When a child misbehaves, the mother is blamed. When that same child excels, the father takes the glory. Society‘s double standard should spur us to make our mother proud. Always consider how your conduct affects other people. Your mother is insulted when people call you an untrained child and an insult shouldn’t be taken lightly. It is always a pride to mothers when they get good report about their children from strangers. It would make all her effort at bringing you up worthwhile.

Respecting your mum means respecting yourself and those around you. That way your mother would feel blessed she has you for a child when she is accorded respect because of you. But when she is scorned, mocked and ridiculed on the street because of our misbehaviors, she would begin to regret our existence and in fact the day of our conception. Spend time with your mother, talking with her assisting her with house chores. Do not wait till when you are through with school and now earning money to show appreciation. Your mother may be long dead by then, why not show appreciation today? If you care to find out your mother may be more interested in being involved in your life than how much you can give later.

We should learn not to only buy her gift on birthdays alone or mother’s day. As much as you can, cultivate the habit of buying her things she would really cherish or that would hold loving memories of her. It doesn’t really have to be very expensive or rare; the most important thing is that it is coming from your heart.

We shouldn’t always wait for special days to celebrate our mum and all those who mean a lot to us or those who have influenced us positively. In every way we should be creative in expressing our sincere gratitude and love at the slightest opportunity, bearing in mind that they wouldn’t be always around.

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Good values as ingredient of rebranding by Lanre Olagunju

If we had good values and the right belief system, we would have got a place among the richest counties in the world. But since we largely don’t, we cannot but be found among the world’s poorest nations.

The poor perceptive we enjoy in the areas of governance, wealth, power and respect for rule of law is becoming more and more awful by the day. Poverty, for example, is a thing of the mind. Before poverty manifest outwardly, it must have taken root on the inside. Since we only manifest from the abundance of the resources that dwells within us, our minds remains the battle field.

The abundance of natural resources hasn’t brought us out of poverty as a nation.
According to Pastor Sam Adeyemi, “it is not the absence of money that makes one poor but the absence of values”.

Our sense of value must have been stained by our craze for material things. For instance until you own huge material possessions like good cars, houses and fat bank account you may not be recognized or regarded by the society. We care not that such actions reduce the value we place on dignity of labour.

We pay little or no attention to people’s sources of wealth. Rather we shower a select few with so much attention and respect even when there is every indication that their sources of wealth are questionable. Those who have not we treat them with contempt thereby creating a generation of insecure and unsatisfied people who would do anything to raise themselves in the eyes of society.

Emphases are no longer placed on good judgment, sound morals, dignity of labour, good manners, ethics and self discipline. The in thing among youths these days is the saying that the end justifies the means. Or “just do it” like Nike says.

But if we must take back our place as the giant of Africa, first we must retrace our steps by paying more attention to such things as self discipline, good manners, values and beliefs. They all guide our actions.

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Learn How to Say Thank You by Lanre Olagunju

“Life is lived forward but understood backwards” that is a tested truth! We as humans are left with no choice but to live our lives forward regardless of our past experiences‐ the good, bad or ugly.

Many of the great ideas and breakthroughs we have expected for years, we have
already, but we never noticed because they came in form of challenges or assistance and favors we regard as infinitesimal or inconsequential.

A brief meditation or analysis would reveal that even the creator of the universe is pleased with accomplishing great task by starting out with little looking achievements. Haven’t you wondered why he didn’t create the over six billion people on planet earth at the outset of creation and rather started out with just two?

Have you considered why you weren’t born with all the wealth of experience and skills you now posses? You should remember that before you could ever walk, you had to master the act of crawling. Imagine all the stages an egg goes through before growing into a full blown butterfly? It is of utmost importance that youngsters should never despise the days of humble beginning because whatever you despise you unconsciously dispel.

At present, Nigerian youths are more overwhelmed with the fear of the unknown than any other time in history because of the global financial crises, high rate of unemployment and poor management of resources. If only we take just one step at a time and prepare for all the challenges on our way by remaining focused and dogged, we would achieve our goals.

We need to be grateful for both the challenges that come our ways and the little favors we get no matter how small they appear to be, because inside them are the seeds for the big ideas we long for.

Only those who appreciate the days of humble beginning are real men. It starts by saying thank you to people when they help you out in any form, no matter how small. The fact that you are happy with the help does not replace the expression of gratitude to the source. It might surprise you to know that “thank you” has become one of the least used words in our society. If you don’t show gratitude to people that you see, it will be hard to show it to God who you cannot see.

Showing gratitude is a sign that one hasn’t lost his sanity, because it takes the ability to think right to be grateful.

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Work Your Positive Confession for Nigeria by Lanre Olagunu

There is power in spoken words and the things we confess about our country. That is why we should confess positive things about our country. If we claim to truly love it.

Americans will say “God bless America”. A Briton would refer to his country as “Great Britain”. But such complimentary remarks are clearly missing in respect of Nigeria. Rather, what we hear from the average youth are negative remarks that paint the country in a negative light.

One of the major reason we say negative things about our country is that we tend to base our remarks only on the negative things we see around us. What you get is not only what you see but what you say also. Let us begin to see the vision of a new Nigeria; a country that will soon become the most desirable place to live in. A country devoid of corrupt practices, favoritism or nepotism. A country where poverty and austerity measures will no longer have a place. A country where armed robbers would no longer be the lords of the day and the kings of the night.

A country that is blessed with good political leaders, knowledgeable politicians respectable political godfathers and good roads with accompanying street lights.

Napoleon Hill says “whatever a man can conceive and believe that he can achieve” How I wish we bring about good changes through our positive dreams and confessions.

Yet our positive confessions dreams and aspirations will only come to manifestation if we consciously work towards actualizing them. The time for positive action is now. It may seem so small and inconsequential, but that is the starting point in the journey toward greatness

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How to Fix Nigeria by Lanre Olagunju

It’s well known all over the world that one of the major challenges in Nigeria is leadership. This challenge is solely responsible for the set back in the nation.

The issue of poor leadership has been over flogged, but we have become too comfortable with the judgment that our leaders are incompetent. If we agree that those in power or those leading us are humans and not roberts, then it is safe to conclude that the major problem we have in Nigeria is man-made.

Since people lead people, we would keep having leadership problems until there is a paradigm shift in the attitude and behaviour of Nigerians. A simple illustration would help clarify this challenge.

Leadership is the ability to influence others to achieve a common goal; the ability to have a vision and work towards achieving it. Leadership is showing the way by giving direction. Leadership is all about being committed to the needs of others and placing the needs of others before yours.

A major difference between developed countries and developing ones like ours is that some of our belief systems are wrong.

For instance, the belief that leadership means dictatorship, amassing wealth at the expense of others and inflicting pains and discomfort on others. These have lived with us for too long, so much so that they are now accepted principles. If we can fix some of our wrong beliefs and genuinely work on ourselves as youth we can fix our nation.

Enough of the blame game! Many of us are not aware that due to anger, sheer naivety or laxity on our part we are already repeating the mistakes of the older generation. The set back we are presently facing as youth is a product of the errors of past and present leadership. If we follow suit the next generation will be doomed and posterity would never forgive us. The tomorrow we spoke about yesterday is here let us wake up to our responsibilities as leaders of today.

it’s shocking that a good number of youths who are suppose to assuage the country of her present malady are becoming unreliable and insensitive by giving themselves to juvenile delinquencies like cybercrime, prostitution, robbery and the host of other anti -social activity let us wake up to the reality that we have what it takes to make Nigeria the most desirable country to live in, lets decide that we will fix ourselves first and those who we have some influence over. That would be the starting point.

Decide to influence those in your little circle, and then we can re-awaken hope and come to the actualization of our re-branding mantra: great people, great nation.

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