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The Painted Canvases: ‘Zero’ As Weak-Point!
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“Everyone has a weak-point, which connotes ‘Zero’. In every Hero, there lies a Zero; just like, in every King lies a kid… We must always work on our loop-holes to become better, so as not to be drowned in the valley of life (doom). Therefore, to sustain your effectiveness, you must inculcate the habit of starving (silence) your weak-point(s) (Zero), so as to consistently develop the Hero (qualities) in you!” Tolulope A. Adegoke
Some individuals would be painted on the canvas of weak-point to describing how it limited them from sustaining their Heroic patterns and titles. This is not to spite anyone, but it is for us to learn from the events which surrounded them and how they reacted to it. Weakness is a quality or a feature that prevents someone or something from being effective or useful. Some carefully selected great men in the bible and the world today who were considered Heroes of their time, and eventually fell as a result of their individual weaknesses.
Moses
Moses, a good example was called by God to the lead the Israelites out of Egypt (from slavery). The exceptional grace on his life made him a HERO. The Lord used him to perform many miracles in Egypt and through him, God afflicted the Egyptians with the ten (10) plagues and the Lord also used him for great miracles in the wilderness and in parting the red sea (Exodus 33:22-23). Moses became so great a man and spoke to God mouth to mouth and was the only man to see God from behind. God Himself testified that he (Moses) was the meekest man on Earth, yet, it was ANGER (weak-point) that terminated his mission of leading the Israelites into Canaan land (the Promised land) Exodus 17, Exodus 32:19-20. The congregation of children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and Moses said unto them, why chide ye with me? He went up to God, and tendered the complaints of Israelites; God instructed him to take the elders of Israel and his rod, to smooth the rock for water, but Moses struck the rock instead as result of anger and the water gushed out massively which killed many Israelites. Also, it came to pass, as soon as Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. At the end, Moses only saw the Canaan land from afar but didn’t get there.
Samson
Samson is another good example to be used here to describe the flaws of mighty individuals, in spite of his great strength, was later destroyed. Samson, a man born, destined to be a saviour to Israel (Judges 13), he was the most powerful man on Earth who could face 10,000 soldiers all alone, and he killed a lion with his bare hands. During his time, the Philistines were afraid of Israel. He was a man filled with power and the grace of God, but lusted after a strange woman (Delilah), which against God’s instructions led to his destruction. His power ended on the laps of Delilah when he revealed the secret of his power (his hair) to her (Judges 16); the great Samson became a toothless dog and a mockery of many.
Jose Mourinho
In the circular world Jose Mourinho, who is one of the most respected coaches in football history in history in his generation often called ‘the Special One’ won several titles for different clubs in different countries of the world among others are Porto FC, Chelsea FC, Inter Millan FC, Real Madrid FC, Manchester United FC. He is a coach with different /unique strategies and techniques, and one of the best coaches in the world; however, his styles/approach may not always be acceptable (applauded) in the mainstream of football management.
Jose Mourinho, a public figure, lacked something that stands as blemish on his white garment and loopholes on his outfit which can be regarded as “pride of the tongue” (he could not tame his tongue) and temperament, by belittling other people’s achievements, which is often called “mind game”. He accused Raniair of being incapable of winning any trophy, but when you compare him with Raniair (who was also a very good coach), Mourinho has more financial support, which gave him edge over Raniair. Recently, Mourinho appeared insecure with his desperation for respect from all quarters. He could be seen or heard moaning about lack of respect from the English Press that Arsene Wenger who had not won the League in 18years is far more respected than him who last won the Premier League 20months ago… He publicly pronounced Arsene Wenger as “Professional in failure”. Respect is earned, not commandeered!
Some football lovers across the world now disagree that Mourinho is not totally the ‘Special One’ because of the several factors of character failure surrounding his identity. Most especially, the incidence that happened between him and Chelsea FC’s Chief Medical Doctor, Eva Carneiro, while he was a manager at Chelsea FC, Jose Mourinho publicly insulted the doctor due to the fact that she was treating a player of team who went down on the pitch (Eden Hazard) when the Chelsea FC team were down by 3goals against Manchester City FC; this caused a commotion in the Chelsea team and made a lot of football lovers to refrain their respect for Jose Mourinho. This is why he couldn’t make an in-road back to Chelsea FC. I believe Jose Mourinho has realized his shortcomings, he is now trying to control his temperament and tongue.
Character counts, when it comes to issues of life! Character failure is a total failure!
After many failures in December, 2015, he was sacked as Chelsea FC’s manager and replaced by Guss Hindick because he could no longer meet up with desired expectations.
A successful person would always fit into a psychological pattern, the same goes for an unsuccessful person. The exhibition of character tells much about them all!
Everyone has a weak point which connotes “Zero”. In every Hero, there lies a Zero…just like the saying that: “there is a kid in every king (vice versa). We must therefore, always work on our loopholes to be better personalities, so as not to be drowned in the valley of life (doom). Starve (silence) your weak-point (Zero) to develop the Hero (Giant) in you!
Learn and Apply. Thank you!
Watch out for the Book titled: “The Power of an Empowered Zero” (From Zero to HERO) by Tolulope A. Adegoke. Foreword by Dr Yomi Garnett (CEO/Chancellor, Royal Biographical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A., U.K., Abuja, Nigeria.) Edited by Ola Aboderin.
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
