Dreams of a little girl

On Tuesday I saw a girl in uniform (don't get me wrong, I see students in uniform everyday) but this one hit a chord. Why? It did because as I looked at her I remembered I was that small (she was very small!) and at that age I had so many dreams. My mind was and still is very imaginative and has the ability to dream far into the future. I would pen all my ideas and save them. Recently I looked at some and wondered to myself, “did I do that?” Some of my dreams I have been able to run with and bring to reality.

I remembered back in the late 1980s that anytime I watched ‘Youth Scene’ that popular program on NTA2 Channel 5, I would tell myself I would be able to meet with the anchor of the program. Today I can safely say that I have fulfilled that dream or part of it as the anchor then is my mentor today. I used to tell myself I would never work for anyone, well maybe I worked for someone for a while but today I work for no one but myself and my clients. I remember also saying that I would grow up to take care of my parents, a lot of us wish for this but few can actually say they do.

I am grateful to God that he has given me the grace to fulfill this dream. I still have so much and so many dreams that are yet to be made a reality and so many that are already a reality. I write for a living, a passion I get satisfaction from. I talk for a living a dream that is a reality. But I still have a long way to go and if God has brought me this far, I am very sure he will take me to the very end of the road.

Let us all remember that dreams can come true. All we need is the power to be able to run with our dreams! There is a quote I love so much from the good book (the bible) and it says “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time." Habakkuk 2:2-3 MSG. I like it a lot because it refers to our dreams (vision) as something that points to what is coming and not that will be at the right time.

As I looked as that little girl as small as she was, I remembered that I was that small and now I have grown (still growing). I realised that time waits for no one and its what we make of our life now and how well we invest in our future that will determine how fast we rise to the challenges that life deals out to us.

THE “EMBER” MONTHS OF REMEMBRANCE

As I grew up the "Ember" month was the count-down to Christmas. For children it was that time you began to sing the song “Christmas is coming, Papa buy shoe for me” and the joy of coming to the end of a year in one piece began. But as I grew older and began to understand the ways of the adult, I realized that the last four months of the year otherwise known as the “ember” months bring anxiety instead of anticipation. The adult become more careful (at least the ones I grew up with) more prayerful and more watchful. To them the “ember” months were those that played a lot of havoc and ones in which crimes are perpetuated. It’s funny though since the worrying of the adults did not change the names of the months and it most definitely did not make the months either bad or good. In fact the months just kept answering to its name. Now I prefer to call those months the “remember” months. It is during this period that we all remember those things we have left undone; we remember God’s promises that are yet to manifest, we also remember all our clients that are yet to pay for our services. However for me it is that time I began to count my blessings as I gradually write the last chapters of the year. We have 12 chapters each year, towards the end of the book you must ensure that the reader remains captivated so he can read to the end. Or else he will set the book aside and move on. I remember one of Gloria Estafan’s songs “remember me with love”. The “ember” months are those times when we remember with love the goodness of God and bless his name for life. Lastly just as it rightly says, the “ember” months are periods in which the dying flames (embers) of our hopes, faith and life are to be stocked so they can burn more fiercely. Remember what the bible says about Adam and the animals? It is the name we give to a thing that it will be called and it shall act in accordance to its name. That is why my people say “we look at the home before giving a child its name”. Therefore it is the name we give to these months they would answer to. Have a wonderful “EMBER” months as we round-off 2013!!!

OPERATION BUILD AND WATER!!!

Developing the entrepreneurs mindset in the next generation should be the priority of the present generation of Nigerians. If you have children or pray to have children start building the spirit of an entrepreneur in them. That is the only thing that can assure their future. Not your money, not the education, most definitely not your connection! Start while they are yet young!

In the book of exodus the word of the Lord came to Moses; "You have stayed too long at the place, tell my people to move forward!" Nigeria and Nigerian must listen to the words and relate to it. Not only in nature have we stayed so long in one place; waiting for the government and society to do what we can do and in some cases we even wait on God to do that which we can do. It is high time that we learn to begin to move forward and begin to build and water along the way. Our children will not thank us neither will they bless us when we do not leave anything behind for them to enjoy. You know at the start of this note I started with a quote and had an entirely different angle of focus in mind but then I realized that my mind just turned in a different direction from where it started out from. Entrepreneurship and not national cake or the break of a nation is what can build a nation that is gradually going from a position of light to darkness. Nigeria is a country blessed with what a lot of other countries don't have. We have intelligent people who have had their creativity suppressed for whatever reason you can think of by society, family, parent and even the individuals themselves. We have allowed the society and people determine how we grow, create and multiply. This should not be so! We have to; from this point forward begin to build in ourselves and our children the the mindset of what Africa stands for. Africa (especially Nigeria) is a group of people so blessed that we could actually be self sustaining but we have allowed ourselves to be ruled by our stomachs which has killed our ability to create. Creation and multiplication is a very important part of human existence which is why it is the first command that God gave to man - Be fruitful and multiply! Working in opposition to that order is against humanity. Therefore I implore us that from this day forward we begin to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur in our children. If you cant use it to create solutions and opportunities don't study it in school! This is what we need now. We need enough youths from the growing generation who are not afraid to create and multiply. Let it not be said that the break came in our generation or that of our children. You know I go round and I ask youngsters around what they plan to be in the future and non of them even think of starting a company or inventing a cure or innovation. They all want to be rich and powerful but they do not want to know how. They have no foundation and we know that a house that is built without a foundation will not stand.

So I am begging us; parents, soon to be parents and everyone who will be parents at one time or the other to begin to think of the well-being of their children. Well-being is not money or gifts its what future they can have even when you are not there to help them. Think (God forbid!) what happens to you 15yr old son or daughter if you die today? Can they face the would and its challenges head on or will they bow to influence of the society or friends? Will your 15yr old daughter turn to prostitution or other worldly devices because she does not have skills neither does she know of any other way she can take care of her needs? How about your sons?

How will they survive and cope once they are no longer under your roof? Can they stand strong? Remember any child with a sell-able skill will eventually look out for any way to make ends meet as is the nature of man. He would survive in any way he can! Begin today so that you do not regret when it is too late to help them! God bless Nigeria and God bless you as you read!

My Clock Still Ticking - Thank you God!!!

In a couple of days I will be a year older!!! Yeah for me it is a day of joy, although I might be working on that day or not, I can't help but go back and in remembering bless God for how far I have come. I remember those years when I could not even speak out due to been shy and thinking what would people say or think? Do I have anything sensible to say? I remember when I was so insecure it was difficult to succeed at work. I remember when I started writing for the first time. I remember with love over the past three decades the people who have had positive impacts in my life. Let me tell you the ride to this point has not been all jolly fun. But even with the bumps and rough times, I would not have had it another way. This is 2012 and I have so much more I want to do, so many places I want to see, so many lives I want to touch, so many people I want to meet. But above all I give all the thanks and glory to God for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. From the topic, my life clock is still ticking; unlike so many. It has not stopped entirely, it has not malfunctioned, neither has it been stolen. My time is still moving at the right speed and is maintained by the maker on a regular basis. At anytime you check my life's clock it is always right, whatever season whatever time! Oh and I thank God its not moving backward either. Lol. This is me wishing myself and all my friends who have their birthday this month A JOLLY MERRY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Perspectivessssssss.................

Friday evening going home from work.........
I am in a bus thinking of how terrible the traffic is and how many hours it would take me to get home from where I was. The heavy build up of traffic was a long one. Suddenly a few miles on the traffic is gone and the road is free! What do you think ran through my mind? This is the way life is and even business! You start out the day and it seems as if nothing will work or that business will be dull, then out of nowhere things start working out.

In some other cases.........
You start out a journey and the road is free and its seems its going to be smooth sailing but then almost to the end of your journey you meet with a terrible traffic that lasts hours. This is another paradox of life, letting you know that its not always as smooth as we want it to be.

You wake up in the morning.........
The sun is not out and the rain is pouring. You need to be at a meeting and looking at the time you are already late! Leaving the house nothing works according to plan. First the car does not start, the Tyre is flat and the rain has flooded the road in places that driving is a disaster.

What a way to go.............
When you find criminals been celebrated and honorable men waiting in the shadows."Ni ilu to l'oba to ni Ijoye?" People are funny at times, ascribing the role of messiah to criminals who will just continue to blindfold them while he bleeds them dry like a leach.

Looking through a mirror..................
Most times we look and just go away without the picture in our head. We forget thatno6thing is as it seems and so life will continue to pass us by if we don't sit up and play our part. It takes you standing in front of the mirror before you can see yourself and the size and position of the mirror determines how much of yourself you can see. Mirrors this days are no longer rose colored either so take time to properly position yourself.

What we see is what we get.............
Everyday we look around and blame the whole world but ourselves for whatever situation we find ourselves in. We fail to realize that what we have today is a culmination of what we have been building for a long time. Growing and nurturing it to where it is today and yet we refuse to embrace it for what it is? When we encourage negativity and all things bad it is impossible for us to get something else from life aside from what we have sown.

Perspectivessssssss.................
The enjoyment that we think we get from life sometimes results in pain. Really freedom and responsibility means the same thing. It means free dominion and responding to the ability to make choices. What we chose to respond to and how we are able to exploit our dominion is then left to us while God watches on.

Put life in a better perspective and remember its not always as it seems!

FULFILLING A GOAL

When I was very young, well not that young! I had a dream of writing for a living.

A goal is a dream with a deadline. Zig Zaglar

My parents value education and so my dad would buy us books to read every week. I loved reading and I summarized all the books I read, I am sure my literature Teacher must have wondered why I kept bringing summaries to her for review.

Anyway by 1990-91 I had started writing just because I wanted to and I started with poetry, some of which I have posted on my blog or as facebook note. Then I started writing short stories (of the likes I read), then to articles (some for the school press club) and others for fun. I still have some old articles too. With time I migrated into serious writing- business ideas (all of which I still have and is still relevant) drafting storyline for plays/movies and actually completing two whole movie script. I even had a journal for some years, I call them the most trying times of my life.

Thank God I still have most of my writings!!

At this time it was still a dream I was working on. So I went to the university and majored in zoology. I was an average student because I spent more time working on my writing skills (and improving it), reading and working than I did on studies. After university I was afloat, with no work experience in my field of study and no willingness to get any it was a matter of “what do I do for a living and where do I fit in?”

All my dreams centered around writing for a living so I set a goal. Get work that allows you to do just that.

Why? I know that even if it is just one person that read what I have written, that someone would take away something from reading what I have written and that way I would have been able to touch one life. For me touching just one life is a blessing!
So I took a job as a writer/editor of an export newsletter (lousy pay but great experience) and boy did I love the work!

"We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." Max De Pree

Then my dreams came back to me (in full force) and I knew it was time for it to come to life. But I also knew I needed some additional skills, so I took some short courses and went for seminars and workshop. AND I KEPT READINGALL THE TIME! I spent hours and days reading and researching.

What goals do you want to meet or what dreams do you want to fulfill? What are the dreams that you have had and put in the cooler for years? Search them out and give them life!

Today I write for a living, not only that, people actually read what I write and I get feedback which I make use of to improve myself and my writing. I write for businesses mostly but I also find time to continue writing for fun and I enjoy doing both.

My best time for writing is the dead of night when everyone is asleep and minding their business of the day. Just like I am writing this at 3.30am on a Monday morning.
I had a dream while I was young; I set a goal of writing for a living after school and another for having my own business before 2010. I am here to stay and it can only get better.