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Opinion: It’s Now Your Turn
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“Just as eagles turn the storms that come their way into propellers that aid them to their desired heights and PEAK of greatness; they get up daily to confront and fight against what other birds flee from in the form of storms and other intimidating factors that they strive and thrive on to be where they ought to be and not be where they ought not to be by the standards and forces that they are subjected to. It is important to note that you must wake up, dress up, gather your courage, overcome your fears and excuses, take charge, and win, because it is your turn to thrive and live – the journey to the PEAK begins within!” – Adegoke, Tolulope A.
All of the great conquerors we’ve looked at so far in prior posts, are great conquerors who refused to let their origins hold them back. They became champions by refusing to give up. They went through the incubation process, the heat of times (empowerment), and then emerged as bright stars, winners in their age.
I implore you, buddy, don’t give up on your goal; don’t dismiss your own ability. Time is a very sobering element that must be acknowledged, pondered, and dealt with if global effects are really and honestly desired. Crawl, walk, run, or fly! Soar! But don’t simply stand there! You cannot afford to be idle. God Almighty expects us to maximize, empower, and utilize our talents for the benefit of humanity, as well as for our own elevation, comfort, and, most importantly, for His eternal glory!
Remember that you are here on Earth on a mission of marvels, to provide extraordinary opportunities to individuals, corporations, and countries, thus leaving a better planet to future generations. Remember, as soon as we leave this world, we will all have to account to the Giver of Life for the life we have lived and the blessings we have received!
Knowing this, I challenge you to go outside of your comfort zone. Aim higher and stay up late working on your goals, visions, and potentials. Acquire relevant information via a variety of lucrative channels. Examine literature on your topics of interest. PUSH the doors till they open. Learn at the masters’ feet (your God-sent mentors or teachers). Stay humble; be devoted to God and to your fellow man; pray hard; contemplate in tranquility: seek quiet; rest well; eat well; network (meet people); start small; relate with respect and honour, and assist others in finding their feet.
Pursue excellence; transform your abilities into skills (products); comprehend business terminology and administration; spend your time; control your energy, and activate your visions; work on paper (Habakkuk 2:2). Read, learn, accept joy, and be happy no matter what is going on around you. Be thankful. Work with the clock. Flow beyond the current rhythm in order to safeguard the future!
It is my hope, and God’s hope, that you will join all of the wonderful men and women we have already covered here, as well as many others you may be acquainted with. While others see storms as obstacles or limitations, these people, like eagles, turned them into propellers that catapulted them to their PEAK of greatness. Remember that every other number, no matter how large, began with zero. Zero may represent the problems you are now experiencing, but there is a lot you can make of it if you don’t let it overwhelm you. Reread the success suggestions provided by the individuals listed above, as well as the ones you’ve already read here. Begin putting them into practice as soon as possible. God will soon locate you with His favour, and your story will change to GLORY!
Here is a charge from me to you to encourage and guide you and those around you on this plane called earth and the journeys that come with it, in order to maximize your potentials and the opportunities that come with time and chance. It’s called “A Teachable Spirit & A Deliverance Heart.”
“When learning to be humble, you must be willing to listen, learn, and grow, as well as be open to suggestions and corrections from others.
You don’t know everything, and you certainly can’t pretend to! So here is my daily mantra for all seasons: my soul is calm, quiet, and available before My Maker, God Almighty!
I will continue to be teachable.
I will not be stupid and exaggerate Myself!
I will sit at the feet of my God-sent masters to learn so that I may soar above the clouds.
I will stay modest for the rest of my life!
I will acknowledge my helpers and praise God in them, and I will establish peace with all mankind.
I will continue to develop my gifts/potentials with the goal of blessing people all over the world.
I will never look down on any guy I meet.
I will continue to do my best for God (Divinity) and the people (Humanity).
I will not give up until I have fulfilled my destiny.
I’m not going to let go until I’m completely exhausted.
I am simply a tool in my Creator’s Mighty Hands; He uses me according to His perfect Will, to fulfil purposes, all for His Glory!
The world will continue to see my Maker’s irresistible wonderfulness through me. He will continue to grow within and through me… I will not be a ‘wander-fool!’
I’m not ashamed of the decisions I’ve made or the steps I’m taking…
I will be happy and joyful for the rest of my life! It is not my life, but my Father’s… God in the form of a MAN (Me); with this, I am boundless, unchained, unbothered, and limitless.
Because of this vision, I am neither ashamed nor afraid of this mission…
I will continue to be honest, wise, and grateful!
I will make certain that my impacts are felt all over the world, while remaining grounded in order to be launched into the yonder beyond the skies, where the realms of impacts flourish on a continuous basis…
I will never give up, I will build castles in the sky and leave footprints in the sky…
Yes! Footprints can be seen in the sky… Visionaries are the only ones who can see them…
An eagle’s strength lies in its flight and vision!
I keep my head down to avoid stumbling and fumbling!
True strength, true vision, and flights into the unknown are all found in humility!
I will be quick and totally obedient till the finish… My prospects of honour and grace are based on my faithfulness.
I will fly on the wings of the Holy Spirit to overcome all obstacles and oppositions…
I’m not going to concentrate on the cross, but on the crown… Not the exams, but the testimonials; not the cost, but the reward… Not the grains, but the profits, not the hisses, but the ease, not the bugs, but the rest that will come when all the labour is done… I will have my crowns of glory, sitting in glory and splendour, praising my Creator, my Master, for bringing me this far without giving up on me, against all odds!”
This is when a tool transforms into ‘The Tool’!
We are nothing more than tools in the Creator’s Mighty Hands, used to carry out His flawless plan on Earth: to love, repair, construct, solve, touch, bless, and impart. His brand is at risk in your life; don’t sabotage it! Only your sacrifices will persuade Him to work with and for you.
Envy the sacrifice, not the success!”
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Tolulope A. Adegoke’s book “The Power of an Empowered Zero” (Awakening The Giant Within You!) is one to look out for. Dr. Yomi Garnett (CEO/Chancellor, Royal Biographical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Abuja, Nigeria) wrote the foreword. Ola Aboderin edited the piece.
Armed policemen have taken over the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, as tension continues to mount over the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which is expected to hold today.
Channels Television quoted an unnamed party official, who alleged that the police were deployed to stop the proposed NEC Expanded Caucus meeting.
Though some staff members of the party were initially allowed to go into the premises of the secretariat without any resistance from the police, they were later sent out.
Journalists were also been asked to leave the premises of the secretariat.
Some policemen were seen cordoning off Dalaba Street, which is the road leading to Wadata Plaza.
The Presidency has said there has been no change in the position of Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“There has been no change in the status of His Excellency, Senator George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement made available to journalists.
The statement is titled ‘Akume Remains SGF.’
This followed multiple reports which quoted Presidency sources saying Tinubu had named his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, to serve as the new SGF.
Onanuga said, “President Bola Tinubu, currently in Saint Lucia, has not made any new appointments.
“The information circulating about Akume’s replacement is untrue. Agents of mischief fabricated it.
“The Presidency advises Nigerians to disregard the fake news.”
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is everybody’s desire to be successful in whatever field of endeavour he finds himself. It can be in career, family life, business endeavors or personal development. But there’s absolutely nothing good that comes easy. Everything in life involves a lot of hard work, smart work, dedication, discipline, network, sacrifice, prayers, and determination among a whole lot if one is intentional to succeed.
Of a truth, success is not for the faint-hearted. In all honesty, everyone wants to be ahead of everyone, especially contemporaries and funnily enough, the average human being sometimes have a bit of ill- feeling when competitors arise or seem to outsmart them either with better quality or price. The good thing about this however, is that it makes one sit up.
Now, this brings us to the essence of today’s article. For anyone to be ahead of their competitors, they must fly like the eagle. Eagles are known for their powerful build, sharp vision, and fearless nature. They are highflyers, capable of soaring to great heights, and gliding for extended periods. Eagles are also known for their tenacity, using storms to their advantage to gain altitude. Other notable characteristics include their strong talons and beaks, used for hunting, and their protective nature towards their young. These are some of the qualities that make it unique.
The eagle is not regarded as the king of the sky for fun, no. The eagle flies so high because that’s where it gets a chunk of its strength. This ability enables the eagle to take its prey and predators alike to it’s abode where it will have enough emotional and physical strength to dismantle them.
I will be sharing characteristics of an eagle to enable us know why we ought to be like the eagle if we want to soar.
VISION
The eagle has a sharp vision. Their vision is so precise. They can see farther than any animal. They possess exceptional eyesight, allowing them to spot prey from great distances. As human beings, we must have eagle eyes to know what we really want, and what we don’t want. Vision allows us to go for what we desire and deserve. When we have vision, we won’t wait for anyone to tell us when to strike. We flow through the wind despite the waves and heavy current and associated challenges. When our vision is precise, it will give people clarity to understand how they can assist us.
Let’s take a closer look at great leaders of this world who have come and gone. There are many great leaders that came and went but one characteristic that is common in all is “Vision”.
Vision is a successful leadership characteristic
You must have a vision that guides and leads your team towards the organizations or societal goals. The vision must be big and focused. A big, focused vision will produce big results
FLIGHT
Eagles are known for their ability to soar and glide, using their large wings to their advantage. Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. At 10, 000 feet, you will never find another bird. If you find another bird, it must be an eagle.
An eagle doesn’t mingle around with the pigeons. It was Dr. Myles Munroe who said that. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm.
Great leaders are problem solvers. They don’t complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes. As human beings, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.
It’s always good for one to take any fight to their home ground where it will give them advantage over their predators. For instance, a fish is stronger in water, but weak on land, a lion is stronger on land, but weak in water, a monkey is strong on trees but weak on air. Just like an eagle is strong on air and weak on water and land. That’s why it always takes its prey to the sky where they have greater advantage to shine.
As human beings, we also must know what we are naturally good at, the ability to know this will enable us to maximize our strength and work on our weakness. We can only do this when we know ourselves and what we are naturally good at. Our ability to focus on our expertise and what we are naturally good at will make us unique and ahead of our contemporaries.
TENACITY
The eagles are known for their ability to withstand storms and use them to their advantage, rising above the challenges. Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that lesser birds fear and head for cover.
Challenges in the life of a leader are many. These are the storms we must face as leaders to rise to greater heights. Like an eagle, a leader can only rise to greater heights if he takes up the challenges head on without running away from it. This is yet another leadership characteristic.
As humans, we all will experience challenges and setbacks, however, the ability to apply strength will go a long way to show how determined we are to overcome the hurdles that pose as challenges.
FEARLESS
An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will always give a fight to win its prey or regain its territory.
Successful leaders are fearless, so we are expected to fear no man, but respect all men. They face problems head on. We are supposed to have the eagle fearless mindset regardless of how big the problem may appear. Confront your fear and rise or face your fear and run. The choice is yours.
VITALITY NATURE
One of the strongest characteristics of an eagle is their vitality. Eagles are full of life and are visionary, but they find time to look back at their life and re-energize themselves. This happens at about the age of 30. What happens is that when the eagles reach the age of 30, their physical body condition deteriorates fast making it difficult for them to survive.
What is interesting is that the eagle never gives up living, instead it retreats to a mountaintop and over a five-month period goes through a metamorphosis. As humans, we are expected to reexamine ourselves, retreat to a safe zone. We can do this by fasting as Christians, we can also do this by learning new skills, volunteering our time and seeking for mentors who can hold us by the hand to show us how the appearance of life is not the reality of life.
In conclusion, as human beings, we are encouraged to be like an eagle if we want to scale through life.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
