Monthly Archives: April 2021

Everyone is governed by their own fundamental truth or proposition which serves as the foundation for their system of belief or behaviors and also acts as a chain of reasoning. This is known as a principle. This is our drive in everyday life.

Having a principle is actually a good thing. The most important part of having principles is staying true to them and staying true to yourself.

Nana Ahufo-Addo described two types of people in this world; those who dance to the sound of other people’s drums and those who dance to the sound of their own drums. This means people who stay true to their own principles and people whose

principles are swayed by the actions of others. Staying true to principle is a matter of uprightness and self-respect. It includes

standing up for your own ethics and not caving in to the demands or prospects of others. Being true to principle can lead to liberation, self-confidence, bliss, and an ability to steer through life more efficiently, leading to a sense of contentment that you’ve given your best to the world. It can be hard to cross life with personal integrity especially when you’re young but sticking to your principles and staying true to yourself can make you a more content person.

I rather prefer people who stick to their own principles, values, and truth than those whose principles are affected by the actions of others. Always be true to yourself!

Development produces certain cultural changes and it is these cultural changes that lead to democracy. This leads many to ask; does democracy require a democratic culture? Are certain cultures incompatible with democracy? Does culture affect the emergence and survival of democracy?

The notion that political institutions such as democracy and dictatorship are more suited to some cultures is not new. A lot of people have asked if a civic culture produces democracy or if the experience with democracy has produced a civic culture. The answer to that would be yes. For many, the existence of civic culture

is seen as a prerequisite for successful emergence and survival. In addition, civic culture is also crucial for the performance of the government.

Societal development could harbor democratization by producing certain cultural changes, but it could also affect democratization the other way round. The determinants of democracy assume that democracy is increasingly likely to arise

and be sustained as more citizens appreciate the benefits of democracy. We all need development which is brought about by the complete acceptance of

democracy. Slowly but surely, we are acquiring the famous culture of democracy because our main objective is to attain the most flexible form of development which would benefit us all.

Wherever I go, I hear a lot of discussions about greatness. Every one of us has our own aims and vision which we want to accomplish. There is no person that does not yearn and have a strong desire for success and greatness.

The fact is that we must first be great in our thoughts before we can even think of being great. A person with a positive mind is on his road to greatness. However, achieving this greatness is no simple feat. Determination is the key fact to achieving greatness. No wonder Charles De Gaulle made the statement “nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to do so”.

Unfortunately, many people live their lives in hope and never dare to make it to manifestation. We all come from different races and backgrounds but the simple strategy to reaching your greatest potential in life is centered on determination and a positive mind.

We are faced with a lot of obstacles in life but to get what you really desire, you must be willing to walk alone and believe in yourself when no one does, learn to fuel yourself with an uncommon vision while developing an uncommon belief.

You must be committed to excellence. Be willing to do what others won’t and live your wildest dream.

Provocate yourself to be great. It takes determination and inner power which you possess. If you want something enough, are prepared to pay the price in your efforts to train and teach yourself to that end? Sure! You can do it.

Break your limits.

As we take time out today to celebrate the life of one of the greatest African leaders who has regards for human rights and human lives, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Please read his honest journey of life in few words and that’s our voice of nature today.

He was not born with a silver spoon and despite all the challenges he encountered in his journey of life, he didn’t give up. He endured the sufferings and today he is living his purpose.

Cesar Chavez, one of my best civil rights leaders said, ” We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure”.

Most great leaders have mental toughness and they are disciplined and they have the ability to endure, persevere and have excellent self-control.

I am sure that a lot of people mocked him, made jests of him, avoided him, and called him names for not having good clothes, footwear, and even designers. Did that stop him from focusing on his vision and his set goals? No! He was not discouraged by the negativities and distractions, he was determined to make it in life.

Finding the strength to conquer your challenges in tough times is the best way to greatness. Throughout one’s life journey, there will be times when one can’t see the horizon. These are times of despair in which a person can feel that all hope is lost; nothing matters anymore. Despair comes in all shapes and sizes, affecting people differently. It can be life-threatening, life-altering for one person, and a glancing blow for another or a challenge in the day-to-day for someone else. Yet, we have found that the ability to be resilient within despair and the ability to endure, sustain, and persevere in the most complex of life experiences, situations, or circumstances. The Focus on what there’s to appreciate can ease the burden of despair ever so slightly. The practice of finding things to appreciate grows your strength, I call it appreciative resilience.

Goodluck Jonathan made it in life against all odds. You may be going through what he went through and maybe even worse than him, but know that you will come out of it better and stronger if you don’t give up or allow yourself to be swallowed by the process.

Many wonder why many developing countries are still very poor yet have enough resources that can fix their problems and make their citizens have good lives, adequate security, and other infrastructural developments. Many wonder what exactly is this illicit financial flow and the impact on global communities.

Illicit financial flows, in economics, are a form of illegal capital flight that occurs when money is illegally earned, transferred, or spent. Money that is illegally earned, transferred, or utilized from developing countries has a corrosive impact on the economic growth, progress, and poverty alleviation efforts of the developing countries affected and the recent estimates suggest that developing countries lose about 1 trillion US dollars each year due to illicit financial flows.

Many wonder what these funds are used for and how they are moved and those who illegally participate in bad leadership activities.

A time will come in the world when there’ll be no disparity between the male and female gender. A time when a woman will possess absolute rights and privileges like her male counterpart. A time when the female gender will not be judged by her physical strength, the sound of her voice, the shape of her body, or the tenderness of her heart. A time when what matters will be the power she possesses in her head, and her mind.

Just like Sheryl Sandberg predicted in one of her quotes…” In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders”.

There’ll be no more unequal access to education, employment inequality, unequal political representation, and so on. When it comes to leadership, there’ll be only one gender!

The male and female gender will work for hand in hand to make a statement in leadership and consequently, in the general affairs of the world. The journey has begun already with exemplary female leaders like Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Okonjo Iweala, to mention but a few. Many more strong women are springing up.

Now is the time!
The future is Female, the future is Male, the future is ONE GENDER!

No matter how long you live on earth, if you don’t do anything to make it impactful, you have not lived a truly fulfilling life. Some people live for many years on earth without making any tangible influence on anyone or anything. While some others live just a few years and leave a legacy to be remembered and treasured forever.

Abraham Lincoln said…” In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.  That’s the word on marble from a leader that lived quality and impactful life.

You need to change your thought pattern. Stop measuring the true essence of life by the number of years a person lives. Rather, it should be by the quality that was spent in living those years. No matter how young a person was before death. The true measure of his life is in the way of life he lived and the number of people he touched and influenced positively.

You still have life, make good use of it. Dedicate to improving yourself the best way you can, so that other people’s lives can be turned around by your lifestyle and what you stand for. Everyone prays to live long, but the true essence of life is not in the length of years one lives, but in the quality of the number of years.

Make your years on earth count!

It is important for us to know that we won’t always win in life. But,this is no reason for us to feel bad or think that we are outright failures. We must understand that sometimes in life we will fall and when we do, we must not remain on the ground, we have to get up and keep moving.

I so much love this quote by Jay Z… “I will not lose, for even in defeat, there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me”

Now, that is the spirit! There is always a lesson to be learnt whether we win or lose. The only time that it would be a loss is when the person has not identified the reason for the loss and learnt from it, so that such won’t repeat itself anymore. Life is full of lessons, we learn everyday either from good or bad experiences. And if we think deeply, we would find out that it is to bring out the best in us.

Life is a Teacher, learn from it!

A tale was told about two young men who were sailing on the sea. The first man asked the other if he had any knowledge about the Arts and he replied, No! Man A thought it was strange that his friend didn’t know anything about his area of specialty, which to him was an important aspect of life. He told his friend that he was disappointed that he was living a boring life.

Few minutes on, a storm started and the two men were scared their boat would capsize. Then, Man B asked his friend Man A if he could swim. With fear in his eyes, he answered “NO”. Man B saw it as an opportunity to also rub it in that his friend was living a dangerous life because he couldn’t swim and was going to lose his life if the boat happened to capsize.

It is important for us to understand the uniqueness in our diversities as a people. We must understand that we were created differently and by so doing, have our unique abilities.

Albert Einstein in one of his quotes says…” Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by it’s the ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s whole life believing that it is stupid”. The natural habitat of a fish is in water, and it’s form of locomotion is swimming. How then is it possible that this same fish will be able to climb a tree like a Monkey?

It is wrong for us to expect that a person should be able to function in an area where he knows little or nothing about. We were all born differently with distinct features and capabilities and we must learn to appreciate each other for that.

What makes the world beautiful is how we all harness our different abilities to achieve greatness together.

There is unity and beauty in diversity.

According to a popular Chinese proverb, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. What this means is that for you to get anywhere, attain any height or reach any goal, you have to take that first bold step.

To achieve your dreams in life, you must erase every thought that you don’t have what it takes to start or you are not well equipped for the journey ahead. This quote by Arthur Ashe is so instructive “ Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”.

Who says you can’t start small? Who says you have to wait till you have everything you think you need to set your goals rolling? Begin with the little you have and from wherever you are. With dedication and determination, you will achieve your goal and even surpass it.

If you decide to wait till you have everything figured out, you may have to wait for long, and if not careful, forever.

Life will not always present us with what we ask of it, it is left to us to make do with whatever we have at our disposal. There is no shame in starting small, the real shame is in not starting at alI.

I’ll leave you with no choice, get to work now or NOW!