by Desmond D. Osokpor
Published on: Oct 6, 2008
Topic:
Type: Opinions

The elements were elemental: One mile, four minutes. Men could not run a mile under four minutes. It became a challenge in the history of humanity. But on May 6,1954, an English man, Roger Banister, who just graduated from medical studies, crossed the line in 3:59 seconds. When Roger Banister showed us it could be done, human potential suddenly seemed limitless. Eighty percent (80%) of success is showing up. The future belongs to those who take initiatives.

If we are so desirous to see a paradigm shift in the African continent, then something has to be done. Youths, adults, and every citizen of Africa must come out in the open to make it happen. We are are tired of speeches without the corresponding action.

There must be a resurrection in the leadership structure in the Nations of the Earth. We need people like Banister, Obama, Martin Luther King, etc. Gary Harmel once said: "Challenging the status quo has to be the starting point for anything that goes under the label of strategy. The easiest way to predict the future is to invent it now. It has to be now or forget it."

There is a popular saying that champions are not made in the ring but are merely there to be recognized. I agree with that, but I beg to say that champions are not recognized until they are in the ring. Therefore, you don't claim recognition in your home. It has to be in the open. That is where your value shows up. Bear in mind that it is only excellence that determines the price placed on a commodity.

The following steps will help build your living beyond average:

1. You must understand the principle of BEGINNING. Nothing starts from the top. There is a process to every development. The reason why people get stagnated in the path of life is because they never started small. Start where you are with what you have. Start small but think globally.

2. In the process of beginning, you must also realize that life is not a playfare, but life is a warfare with a lot of responsibilities.

3. Having a sense of responsibility is only breaking the spirit of timidity. Your creator has freely given you all things except the Spirit of FEAR. Therefore a sense of confidence will boost your level of taking responsibility. Be bold enough to find solutions to the issue bothering humanity. Bishop Abioye once said, "When you give excuses in life you will be excluded, you don't give excuses and be included."

4. Building castles in the air requires efforts that breed no results. Therefore your commitment must be directed toward a focal point because what you focus on, you magnify, and at the end humanity is lifted.

5. Information that is transformed into knowledge builds a free society. No wonder the Scripture says, "My people are gone into captivity because they lack knowledge." It is good you understand that there is no formation without information. People are lamed where there is no information. A seed can only germinate when it draws proper information (photosynthesis) from the environmental factors.

6. Life without consistency is proportional to an oscillatory motion. It means rising today and coming down tomorrow. You must be committed to a course and be ready to fulfill it.

7. Your life should be ruled by God's Word. Because they that be planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God (Ps 92:13). Life will not be good without God: It's a secret to eternal success.

8. Bishop David Oyedepo once said, "A thought of mediocrity makes mediocres, and a thought of greatness makes great men." Your thought determines the level of your magnification. Therefore, think right all the time. Fixed your thought on God and He will direct you on the path to success.

One of my sixty-four thousand dollar questions is, "How can YOUTHS be productive in this 21st century?" It's a question you need to meditate on and you will be surprised at the answers you will get.

« return.