By Banji Alabi
Sir: People who made it all over the world are those who provide solutions to problems confronting humanity, they are those who refuse to surrender to failure, they are those who after every fall, rise with renewed vigour and blunt determination complete the race to and for change.
The journey of greatness starts when you discover where your service is needed. Acts 16:9, firmly establishes this, “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.
In our towns and villages, opportunities abound! Work is plenty, but workers are few. A lot of people are now bringing artisans and other workers from Lagos and other locations for jobs meant for indigenous people in our towns and villages, fuelling the logical question where are our local or indigenous artisans. Of course 99 percent of them have switched over to commercial motir-cycle operations. Rumors won’t fill your pockets or change your story, value creation does. Stop spreading rumour, start creating values.
A man is poor not because he lacks money, but because he has no value to exchange for money. People are rich because they have something to offer in return for money God/nature is fair to everybody because nobody is born empty or barren, there is always something unique locked in you, speak to your consciousness to unlock it.
The formula for success is simple: Seek the face of God Almighty; Engage in skill acquisition to solve problems and Add value, get rewarded.
With God on our side, the more problems we solve, the more valuable, influential, and richer we become. Change your mindset, dream big, develop a roadmap and follow it. Stop roaming streets looking for jobs, look for opportunities, create values. The world has changed, adapt. Money flows to values, give value, get money. A lot of jobs that once were, are never coming back. To look for what isn’t there is a waste of time and a disservice to your dignity.
If you haven’t noticed, the world has changed — radically, then reflect. When Nigeria was founded, majority of people had their own businesses, farm, market or trade. People used their skillsets and hobbies like musics, hunting etc to make a living as entrepreneurs.
Then the industrial age flipped the ratio and most people became employed by new systems of repetitive labour and mass production. Over the last decade we have witnessed the death of that era The corporate structure and monolithic systems of the industrial age have begun to crumble. We are returning to the way we started — as entrepreneurs.
The circumstances of our country and our economy today, offer the greatest moment of opportunities we have ever seen in our history — but only if you know how to seize them.
To succeed you need to change with the way the world is functioning now. If you are unemployed, underemployed, or want to take control of your financial future, you must adapt to the new reality The power to re-write your history and emerge from a state of uncertainty to one of courage and action, is on you, only in you. Change is possible, age is no barrier to success.
My experience of over 37 years in both private and public sectors is that power is transient and nothing is worth dying for – be it positions, women, men, money, big cars, fame, or houses in the choicest areas. I’ve seen it all; they are all vanity upon vanity.
Nature and technology keep producing better versions every day, so why dying for something that will be obsolete tomorrow? Making money shouldn’t be the primary goal of anyone who wants to be happy and comfortable in life.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, set a standard and defined the path we should follow to acquire stupendous wealth and fame. Acts 10:38 says Jesus went about doing good and adding value to people. Matthew 11:5 says, “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them. Because of His contributions to humanity, He is still celebrated more than 2000 years after He left the world. As children of God, we are to make contributions that enhance human existence. The biggest investment God has on earth is you and me. The surest way to wealth and fame is to put your investments in the same portfolio as Jesus Christ by creating products, services, solutions and platforms necessary for human’s continued existence or enhancement. The likes of Socrates, Martin Luther, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, etc. – they’re celebrated for their contributions to humanity.
The difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich help solve problems, but the poor are idle and have nothing to exchange. Life is like trade by barter, if you come to the market with nothing, you also return home with nothing. But the good news is that your poverty is curable! Learn a trade, commercialize it, and start smiling to the bank. Once again age is not a barrier.
Banji Alabi Esq is the National Chairman Ondo State Eminent Persons Group, also the Alternate Chairman, Eti Osa Lagos branch of the NBA.
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