Go MAD

In this part of the world we are always made to believe that we are too young to start something, do something and make certain decisions. Growing up was quite interesting and can’t stop thinking how people’s decisions  shaped me but the pains where more than the gains. Pursuing their dreams for me, what they wanted me to become as I grew progressively but my small mentality didn’t help too so it was all my fault.

At 16, I went to seek for a job at a clothing shop but I only spent a week in the job because to some I was in the wrong place and I thought I had no power to challenge the status quo. Am not giving the same recipe to the younger folks because what is right for me might be wrong for you and there is something for sure and it’s beyond this statement “No one is too young to make a difference nor is anyone too old.” You don’t seek for differences, you strive to make a difference but you must be ready to GoMAD (Go Make A Difference). Note that life is a serious business and it will give you what you gave into it.

You need to discover your purpose because it is the only security to your stardom. Start off early folks because you were created to make a difference.

How to Make a Difference

You should never be afraid of thinking about situations you want to change for the better or a problem you can solve. Learn to grow knowing what you were created to become. And here are ways you can make a difference as a young person hoping to start off early.

1. Define Yourself

Answer all the questions about you: Who am I? What am I living for? What am I created to do? What if nothing existed what would I do? What have I achieved so far? What can I achieve? What can I do to make a difference. All through my teenage age I always wanted to challenge the status quo, wanted to do things not because it had not been done before but because someone has challenged me to, as its often seen as an impossibility.

2. Focus

I think as a young person I’d lost focus due to non-acceptance to my cause, making half-baked decisions and listening to too many voices that only lead me down the road than up. It was a great lesson though and today I tend to mind my own business, when people make suggestions with respect my cause I just separate the weed from the vine and take the vine with me. So if you’ve got a dream or vision you need to accomplish all you need to do is stay focused. Care little about being accepted or not as I said earlier pretend as though nothing existed. Don’t let non-acceptance pull you down rather strive to win them over, if you can’t win their acceptance keep doing the best you can. Make decisions that are worth your time and energy, don’t make the ones that will keep you going in circles.

3. Be Ready

Plan on how you want to achieve what you’re about to start. Create the strategy needed to make you effective before you begin the pursuit.

4. Be in Pursuit

“If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl. Whichever  way make sure you keep moving.” It must not be an enormous task, set little tasks and take them one step at a time. Just imagine how wonderful it would be if nobody in this world need to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

5. Study More

Its not all about academic books or business books alone, you’ll need to study biographies about people that moved the world by challenging the status quo and also keep tabs on articles online by subscribing to blogs like Under30CEO, Quicksprout, Naijapreneur and some other interesting blogs.

Along your way you will be a great inspiration to many even the older folks who think they are too old to do something. They’ll want to follow your progress and you’ll also empower young people like you to do something and stop whining. The world needs people like you to solve problems.

Your Turn

What other ways do you think you can make a difference?

John-Anthony Oyewobi is the president of Youths for Change (Y4C) Nigeria and he’s also  a budding consultant whose hope is to change the way people do business by revolutionizing the business environment. He’s currently doing his internship programme with National Metallurgica Development Center, Jos Nigeria.

Bedtime is Over

So many times I’d grimed at what supposedly got me thinking: Every man has a time to live and die, whether scared of the inevitable or not, mission accomplished or not, whether young or old. Remember death is unpredictable and living each day is a great miracle. What is life to you? Are you sitting at a particular level of comfort and think you’ve arrived yet? Kindly ask yourself this questions and humbly answer them. Are you still sleeping? When will you awake from your slumber? Wake Up My Friend! I say Arise!! There is no other time than now except if you want to miss out from this journey called life. Reawaken your hope, rewire your dreams and set forth towards the right direction. Don’t retire to failure and say you can’t, No!!! You Can. As a person the way you take life and your thoughts would determine how you’ll arrive at your destination and remember a lot of people wished they saw this day but never did. Some made wrong choices and hasty decisions, that’s why they still remain in the same place. If you’ve fallen and still have the breath of life running through you then it’s never too late, move towards that opened door of opportunity.

In the world today so many have fallen and never got back up to reposition themselves for greater success. Some have not started or done anything yet, they’ve never touched a heart; they didn’t even strive to live their lives for others rather they ended up with frustration and strife. Some can’t even get their troubled self to rest because they always complain and blame others for their inability to succeed. There is always a sleep for rest and one bore out of laziness which helps us to procrastinate for as long as we could. You must stop sleeping as you will miss the flight and begin to realize your dreams, the dream should be where a man’s heart is and he must dare to pursue that dream.

Arise! Step out of that comfort zone and set your feet for success, risk all you have even your own life. There is more to life than what you think, if you fail to take risks then you’re defying your existence because that is what you were created to do. You live to risk dying and not to stay below the box. Remember you’ll only die once. In this part of the world we are known to starting late, that’s enough reason why we have over-aged footballers. You can deceive every other person but you can’t deceive your body because it goes weak as you grow old. Start off early even if it is from the sidelines and spare yourself all the old fairy tales. No one wants to hear your problems; they want to see how you’ll get through it. You’re placed in the middle of that problem or situation not to groan, complain and blame but to bring about a solution.

From this day I challenge you your success does not depend on the kind of home you’ve lived all your life, it’s about you and you truly can make a difference. Stop underestimating your potential; the event of your past does not reduce your potential. Forget what people think or have said about you, you’re your best motivator. Stop looking down, look up and begin to seek for the little areas of your life you can make a difference so also the lives of those around you. Rejection is only redirection, as often as you get them ensure they make you stronger. You can only get to where you’ve always hoped to be by moving and not by looking. No matter the challenges make sure you keep moving. Whatever that enemy is, don’t succumb to it. You’ve got more power than it: Procrastination, those bad habits, take action today so you can rise to a point of eminence. Take the Lots off your life and stand tall. It’s your choice now to be in pursuit of your dreams or continue to peruse over it. Stay awake to achieve it or keep sleeping, lastly win or lose. Remember no dream can be achieved through romance alone, you have to love that dream and ensure that it is achieved. It’s up to you to make the right choice.

Credits

1. Become a Better You by Joel Osteen

Think Opportunities!

On dictionary.com Opportunity is defined as a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.   It is also known good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success. Have you ever imagined the way the world will look like if we are all able to unlock opportunities wherever you find yourself. Looking at Nigeria opportunities abound , so when you try to give excuses for losing an opportunity failing to understand that you can find another. Our immediate environment, the place we live thus presents us with a lot of opportunities only if you begin to get some clarity using the intuitive power of the brain – our thoughts.

Nigeria is richly blessed with great natural and human resources, we always wonder why we still remain at the bottom. There are vast opportunities in virtually every field of endeavor but we often look at some with pride that we often say we don’t belong there. For us to build a great system that would be an example to many we must begin to see our problems from within and see them as an opportunity to seek for solutions from within not from without.

Nothing limits achievement like small thinking. Nothing expands possibilities like unleashed thinking. If you unleash your thoughts you can empower your future by beginning to think like a king. You have to seize that opportunity and stop giving excuses because of one door just got shot on you. Be part of that mental game because there are opportunities everywhere.

Remember, it is not every opportunity that leads to success but you have to keep seeking for the right one. For every great rise you need to pay a great price. So go ahead keep thinking about the next opportunity!

“It is not every change that leads to improvement but you need change to improve.”

 

Credits

1. Opportunity: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opportunity

2. Velocity by Smith Bam

Welcome to Y4C Nigeria!

Welcome to Y4CNigeria.org!

You are welcomed to  the Youths for Change (Y4C) Nigeria official page. You are going to have a great experience at every moment. In Y4C Nigeria we believe change starts with an individual before it rubs off on others. But the kind of change we’re talking about have to come with the right attitude and the purpose for change.

We appreciate your visit and endeavor to also check out our blogs.

“Change is a bitter pill, sometimes it heals, sometimes it sets the pace for healing and sometimes it doesn’t but leaves us with a lesson.”

John-Anthony Oyewobi,

Founder/President,

Y4C Nigeria.