Ikakke Bassey

Reinventing Yourself for Proper Civilization

Forwarded by: Prof. E Goodman Obot MD

Copyright 2016 Ikakke Bassey

First edition published in 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any way by any means electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise -
without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

ISBN : 978 978 455 400 6

Printed and published by:

Power Prints & Media Concepts.
94 Marian Road, Calabar - Nigeria.
Tel: +234-809-228-2718; 803-507-3718

DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all the youths and
students in developing countries.

COMMENTS ON THE BOOK

No matter how chaotic the world appears to be,
there's still a perfect coherence in the scheme of things-
this is the aspect of the universe that is ruled by the
Divine!...Among other things, this book seeks to help
you ind your place in that big scheme of things and to
have a right attitude to change. As I read through
MIND-SHIFT, I realized that every piece of it is both
informative and inspiring! Enjoy every piece of it!
Barr. 'Kayode Aderemi
Author of Pages of Destiny &
Pastor at MERCYSEAT Ministries
Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Every successful life is a product of information. A

vision is a discovery, and a discovery is a function of
information and knowledge. A wise man once said,
Information transforms a man and lack of it deforms a
man. This new book MIND-SHIFT by Pastor Ikakke
Bassey is full of biblical information that I believe will
transform your life stupendously. I decree that this
book in your hand will give birth to revelation that will
revolutionize your life.
Kevin G.E. Taylor
Senior Pastor, Fountain of Life International Gospel
Center, Taiwan (ROC).

I believe that this book MIND-SHIFT will be a great

model in teaching how to be number one at being
number two. I can see God opening many doorsin the
corporate world and in the church. This book will
truly be a great model for mentor-ship i.e. Apostle Paul
to Timothy. I wish you more Kingdom success as you
walk being guided by this book through the doors of
prosperity.
Pastor Michael R. Armstrong
Mosaic Family Church and Life Center
Orlando Florida, USA.

PREFACE

our destiny is established and guaranteed.

But there is no way you can attain it without
being responsible. Responsibility is simply;
responding to the demands of your abilities. You
may wish to ponder a bit on the following passages
before reading further:
Rise, take up thy bed, and walk John 5:8
(KJV).
study to be quiet, and to do your own
business, andwork with your own hands, as we
commanded you; that you may be respected by
those who are outside, and may have need of
nothing. 1Thess. 4:11, 12 (KJV, BBE)
The 21st century is the society of entrepreneurs and
smart/skilled laborers. The labor question shifted
long time ago from, what did you study to what can
you do? In fact, it is in the process of what you can do

that people care to ask what you studied.

In this piece, I'll be taking you through the dynamics
of mind-shift for personal productivity. Read this
book carefully; send it to a friend as a special gift, give
it to your children as an advice and watch lives and
human economy bounce back.
I'm writing this book speci ically to help the teeming
unemployed youths and students in developing
nations think in the right perspective. If you ind
yourself playing the role of a mentor in someone's
life, this book is one of those invaluable gifts and
impartation you can oer to your prote ge be they
your children, siblings, youth church, campus
fellowships, social clubs, professional associations,
reading clubs or even Dad and Mom who have a
genuine vision for their children.
I place this book in your hand in trust that your life
will never remain the same again.
Ikakke Bassey
Uyo, Nigeria.
May, 2016.

FORWARD:
Progress to excellence is internally anchored. The
journey may be facilitated or hindered by external
forces, but the decision to achieve is always
personal. This belief is better viewed through the
well established theory of locus of control. There are
those with internal locus of control who empower
themselves to be in charge of their lives with its
attendant ebbs and low. They take credit for their
success and lessons from their near success. They
contrast sharply with people who believe that other
people and external forces control their failures.
Furthermore, you are in forefront - in control. It's
your choice to recruit others to encourage or
discourage you. But as the author re lected in this
book, you have to build your support network
around positive, successful people and you will
excel. Share the credit for your success liberally but
do the required hard work quietly and persistently.

Pray, fast and pray, take responsibility and enter into

a covenant with God to discover your talent, gift and
calling as the case maybe. Invent yourself before
investing money; trust your potentials to move you
to greater heights. Manufacture something, create
value for your local produce and inspire others
around you. There is a mirror, and soon the
brightness of your success will be re lected for the
whole world to see. And nations will come to your
light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising Isaiah
60:3.
The author, Pastor Ikakke Bassey, has carefully
combined spiritual inspiration, philosophy, reason
and deep re lection to put together MIND-SHIFT in
order to shift you from the pedestrian of failure into
the center stage of life where meaning is de ined. I
forward this book to your unending success in life.
Go forth and conquer in Jesus' name, Amen!
Prof. E. Goodman Obot MD
CMD, Diabetes Treatment Centre and
Tropicana Specialist Hospital and Clinics
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of exhausting this piece, readers will
be able to:
explain Mind-Shift, economic and social
changes and how it aects them
personally;
distinguish between schooling and
education;
develop adequate mental aptitude for
proper civilization;
reinvigorate their ingenuity; and
succeed inexcusably.
Glossary:
Pedagogy embodies teacher-focused
education.
Andragogy is an alternative to pedagogy
and refers to learner-focused education
for people of all ages.

CONTENTS

DON'T BE SCHOOLED, BE EDUCATED

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAMMING OF CHANGE

MORE SKILLS ARE NEEDED

YOU CAN MAKE MONEY FROM LITTLE THINGS

SAY BYE TO OBSOLETE WAYS OF THINKING

CHAPTER

1
DON'T BE SCHOOLED,
BE EDUCATED

DON'T
BE
SCHOOLED,

BE
EDUCATED

t burdens my heart to realize that many College

and University graduates in my country cannot
de ined in terms and meaning their course of
discipline after leaving school. I then pondered; 'in
what way were you schooled'? Should we blame
this on the poor performance of teachers, the
content of the curriculum, the institutional
collapse, or the educational planning laws! On the
other hand, can we blame this on parents, poor
motivation or indolence of the students! It is even
more frustrating and very paradoxical to ind well
schooled but unproductive people roam the streets
of nations in search for jobs. What is the problem?

Mindset: Dr. John C. Maxwell asserted; reading and

studying may convey information and ideas into our
mind, but what makes those ideas ours, is THINKING
meditation. Too many people have lost the great art
that makes wealthy individuals and nations; which
is the art of thinking. What we do today is, worry. The
average mind of young people in most nations is not
ixed on the study, but on the certi icate. Why? We
have been told both by our respective parents and
relatives even our teachers; that if we don't get it
(certi icate), we can never amount to anything in life.
So, the degree certi icate becomes the driving force
behind our academic quest to be used as a legal
document for social class. When our youths gets into
school, 40% knows that they're in for studies, 30%
study, 20% inished their course purely via studies,
and only poor 5% keeps studying for self
development after graduation. So, only 5% out of
every graduating student each year are actually
educated because continuous learning begets
education. I can further argue my position on the
grounds of poor economic performance, low self
esteem among these graduates, lack of proper

articulation, and a good number of youths trained

on dierent career discipline roaming the street in
search for jobs. They have no idea whatsoever, how
to actualize self dreams. But nations don't grow this
way! Nations grow as individuals give birth to
destiny. Hence, the development of any nation lies
on the development of individual/private citizens,
just as the under-development of a nation is the
under-development of individual/private citizens.

SOLUTION

Education must be planned: the planning

of a child's education must be one of those
deliberate actions, both on the side of the
parents and that of the institution. Enough of
spontaneous decisions on a core framework for social and economic development!
Parents should take time and pains to study
the aptitude of their children in order to
d e t e r m i n e w h e r e t o c h a n n e l t h e i r
concentration. Schools should employ a mix
of Andragogy and Pedagogy learning style to

update educational performances. There are

modern learning facilities to aid quality
assurance. Attention should be given to sta
training and retraining. This is one vital
question parents should learn to ask the
prospective school you intend to send your
child. Find out how many times they send
their teachers/sta on training per year, or
when last they did. It is not enough for your
child to pass common entrance or aptitude
test; the school must also pass Quality
Assurance Test (QAT).

Understand that education is meant to

unleash, re ine and modify your raw
potentials: know the course you want to
pursue in life before you determine the kind
of education you need. Too many people ind
themselves struggling in disciplines they
have no business with. When this happens,
the anticipated outcome is frustration,
depression and fallout. The right thing to do
is to follow your passion. If you have passion
for crops for instance, you have no business

with Electrical Engineering. Go for Crop

Science; study everything you need to know
about crops. In doing this, you will be
e m p o we r i n g yo u r p a s s i o n , a n d n e w
innovations will be evolving because of the
spark of ingenuity. Colleges and Universities
are primarily research institutions to
encourage discoveries and new trends. If
what you have in your traditional learning
environment does not suf ice, subscribe to a
complementary course(s) in your ield online
and expand your horizon. Sign-up with
electronic newsletters and journals in your
ield. The 21st century is too rich with
information resource(s) to leave any desirous
person stupid. Understand that the world is
fast becoming a global village through the
advent of Information and Communication
Technology, and you must study for global
relevance. Keeping with modern trends in
your discipline makes both you and your
certi icate valid.

Understand that every ield of study is a

gold mine: I understand that many people do

not have enough information to enhance their
decisions in relation to life and career
concerns. Many years ago, courses like,
Electrical and Electronics Engineering,
Medicine and Surgery, then comes Geology,
w e r e t h e t o p n o t c h i n C o l l e g e s a n d
Universities. My Dad wanted me to study
Elect/Elect, but I wanted to do Med/Surg.
However, I ended up not doing any in the long
run. I found myself in Pure Physics after my
Remedial Studies and thereafter enrolled for
Management. The motivation for Elect/Elect
or Med/Surg. were the prospect of a good and
promising profession which would end you in
either an Oil Company or a Medical Firm.
Those were good dreams! But you see, my
potentials, passion and aptitude were never a
determining factor for these aspirations. I
can't exactly explain my struggles those days
in physics of which other of my course mates
w e r e e x c i t e d a b o u t . To d a y, b e i n g a
Management expert now gives me the joy,
ful illment and results I couldn't dream of as a

Physicist. I still remember those days in

Secondary School where I irst had an
impression in my spirit that I could make a
good Marketer, but the idea of market
lushed the entire motivation away. You know,
nobody really counseled me on that since it
was a taboo for a child whose parents were
planning a reputable career in Engineering.
But here am I today (by the special grace of
God - with some measures of responsibility)
undertaking several management functions
to include Marketing as a consultant. The
point is this; all disciplines are strategic and
relevant at dierent economic levels based
on the vision of the student. Don't impose a
course on yourself which might later on
become a curse on you. Follow your passion
and you'll discover the exit route to your
freedom. After all, the anticipated objective of
life is goodness, ful illment and freedom!

Have a Vision: just as the ancient writer of

the timeless truth (King Solomon) stated;
Where there is no vision, the people are

uncontrolled; but he who keeps the law will be

happy Proverbs 29:18 (BBE). If you want to
exert personal control on the direction of
your life, you need a vision. Among many
things vision does, it:
o
Gives you direction;
o
Enhances personal discipline; and
o
Fosters leadership.
You should be able to anticipate your career
path before selecting the tools (to include
formal education) that will aid your pursuit.
Not only that, you must be able to answer the
question of, what you intend to do with your
course of study. This will be dealt with
accurately in the next chapter.

CHAPTER

2
CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

CHANGE
YOUR

PERSPECTIVE

he idea that job is waiting for you out there

after school is not only obsolete, but also
illusive bearing in mind the prevailing
circumstances of the 21st century economic and
social shift. The old thinking of education in pursuit
of a job is far reaching than real. I gathered just
before writing this book that my country's Capital
Territory, Abuja passed out more than ten thousand
youth corp members in just one batch. Then I began
to think; whether we as a nation have the economic
and social structure to absorb these unemployed
youths. Otherwise, we should be preparing for the
worst scenarios in the future unless we change how
people think about life. I'm almost persuaded that

government does not and will not have a solution to

the unemployment problem in most developing
nations of the world. The solution lieswith the
individual depending on his/her information bank.
SOLUTION

Understand that government won't plan
for you as individual: the problem with people
is the obscure thinking that government is
really thinking about you. For that reason, they
refuse to think about themselves to the extent of
becoming completely and reliably relaxed on the
political promises of individual private
ambitions. I blame that somehow to our
i g n o ra n c e o f g ove r n m e n t b u re a u c ra t i c
procedures, especially in this era of nepotism.
What government does to her citizens is to
provide a conducive environment for individual
and corporate exploration of valid and legitimate
economic and social options for national growth.
Where that leaves the common citizen is personal
development to enhance our private value and
worth in order to be properly positioned to

recognize such openings, or environments where

we can employ our skills and mental resources to
create patronage.

Going to school should solely be for the
purpose of individual re inement and
modi ication based on already chosen course
of life: choose who you want to be, what you
want to be, how you want to be, and how you
want to become who you want to be before
embarking on the journey of education. If
you're already there before this book gets into
your hand, change the way you think about who
you are. You will do yourself a great deal of good if
you can de ine what you want in life without
being ambiguous or mysterious about it in any
way. The reason for this is to help you become
decisive about life and responsible for its
outcome.

You aren't stupid if you are not a College or

University graduate: society has induced in no
little way some limiting patterns in the way we
think. This idea of gaining self importance based

on College or University degree, or even the kind

of school we passed out is one thing that must be
dealt with if we must be free to function where
our potentials lie. There are families who cannot
aord Tuition for their wards to acquire a College
or University degree; so what? Dr. David Oyedepo
asserted: There is enough inside the poor to
enhance his value in life. If you followed me
keenly, you would observe that the emphases in
this book isn't certi icate but knowledge. We
acquire that through education, which does not
happen only in the fore-walls of a College or
University. Like I mentioned earlier, the objective
of education to any extent is to unleash,
re ine, and modify your innate potentials
which has serious economic value. Hence, not
everybody has the aptitude to theorize, but
everybody has the inner potentials to become
valuable. The bulk of the work is on knowing who
you are, what you areand how you want to
become who you are. So, if you are not a
graduate of a College or University, you are not
de icient in anyway. You can train yourself on a

chosen ield of ful illment and train your mind

to think big. Make friends with people who can
help in your areas of development gaps. Sir
Richard Branson is an English business man and
philanthropist, the chairman of Virgin Group,
comprising more than four hundred companies
worldwide. Here is an extract of the history of
Richard Branson: He started his irst business at
the age of sixteen (a magazine called Student
where he interviewed prominent personalities of
the late 1960s). In 1970, he set up a mail-order
record business. In 1972, he opened a chain of
record stores called Virgin Records, later known as
Virgin Megastores. His Virgin brand grew rapidly
during the 1980s as he set up Virgin Atlantic and
expanded the Virgin Records music label. In July
2015, Forbes listed Branson's estimated net worth
at US $5.2 billion. Here is the fascinating side of his
story: he attended a preparatory school (Scaitclie
School) in Berkshire before brie ly attending Cli
View House School in Sussex. According to
Wikipedia account, he has dyslexia (in neurology, a
learning disability in which a person inds it

dif icult to read and write) and had poor academic

performance as a student. On his last day at school,
his headmaster, Robert Drayson, told him he would
either end up in prison or become a millionaire.
The question is, how do we relate with the story of a
man who suers from dyslexia and barely inished
high school with the success of building four
hundred companies; employing professors and
experts? Dear friend, it's not in certi icate, it is in
the mind.
The world is a Business House: during the
era of trade-by-barter, people understood the
importance of value. Money was raw value
either as a commodity or services. That
means people were oblige to engage
themselves in one trade or the other in order
to exchange what they have for what they
wa n t . L a z i n e s s wa s a t a b o o ! To d ay,
education has become the greatest
promoter of indolence. People's minds have
shifted towards certi icate other than
value. Akomaye Ugar, a Pastor, an author and

Leadership Consultant asserted; everything

lows after value. You think you are not
needed, but no; people will look for you if they
know there is something they can gain from
you. This is not sel ishness, it is what I call,
economy of exchange. The Nigerian Stock
Exchange does not quote just any company in
their business house. So also, people want to
connect with value. Develop yourself and
master your skills, then watch doors open
on their own accord. Christianity and even
other religions of the world promises open
doors as a result of identi ication. This among
other motivations has become the object of
most religious faith. But did you know that
the door was opened two thousand years ago
when Jesus died and rose again from the
dead! But that door remains closed to the
ignorant minds. Knowledge gives us access
into the life of God Zoe. Let me push this
further by letting you know that without
value to exchange even at corporate levels
there can't be any bilateral or multilateral

relationship of any economic importance. No

partnership, either! Money ( iat currency)
should not intimidate you; it was created
basically to regulate and simplify the low of
value. Think like a good business man, think
value! Let me leave you with this question at
this juncture: what's your usefulness?

CHAPTER

3
UNDERSTAND THE
PROGRAMMING OF CHANGE

UNDERSTAND
THE

PROGRAMMING

OF
CHANGE

r. Mike Murdock, an Evangelist, business

man, author and proli ic writer asserted;
change will always upset those who are
content to be stagnant. This is true. I remember in
year two thousand and twelve (2012) when I was
pastoring a church in the city of Calabar, the change
that took place in that ministry was very dramatic
and on a fast pace. One evening as we were
preparing to launch out for community evangelism,
a young zealous man approached me and said;
Pastor, I like the way you lead us in this church;
though you've not given us any breathing space since
you resumed. It's either one program or the other, one

seminar or the other, and the beautiful thing about

the way you do it is that we cannot be tired of coming
because of the rich content of these meetings. I
responded with thank you. And he added, we've
never been led this way before and this is totally a new
experience to us it's just that CHANGE CAN
SOMETIME BE VERY PAINFUL. I can't forget that
experience as I thought within myself some circles
of change I've undergone personally in other to
reach where I am today. Some are purely bitter, yet
others seems to oer a sense of comfort, while at
times you have to manage both bitter and sweet
circles of change all together at the same time. But
the worst that can happen during a transition of
change is when it meets you unprepared. Like Dr.
Myles Munroe (of blessed memory), the founder of
Bahamas Faith Ministries International and Author
of several leadership text wrote; when change
threatens our comfort and security, we're
tempted to retreat into a world of denial. Have
you ever found yourself trying to resist an
experience you perceive you can't control? Perhaps
something new is happening in your environment

which you have no clue about, only for you to realize

it gazing at you in anticipation of response. What do
you do? I preempt the irst thing is that you'll raise a
world of defense to protect your interest. Then you
begin to question the audacity of such invention or
innovation. Your reaction is normal! Companies and
advertisers understand this that's why they embark
on marketing and sales campaign basically to
inform you better about their new product and
services in order to raise your buying desire and
break price resistance. However, there are some
changes that will come unannounced, and will
directly aect who you are irrespective of your
education or social background. This, you must
prepare to integrate successfully.
SOLUTION

Understand that change like death, is
inevitable and will happen: God created
change into the human system in order to
regulate our experiences and transform our
minds. Assuming everything is at constant, life
will be utterly meaningless; there will be no

activity. But change unlike death, which is so

emotionally breaking - is not meant to hurt us,
but to elevate us to another level thinking and
experience. If you anticipate change and attune
your mind to reason in the right perspective, you
will bene it from change.

Dr. Myles Munroe wrote about the Four

Types Of Change (2009; The Principles and
Bene it of Change):
o Change that happens to us unexpected or
anticipated change that aects our personal
lives, families, careers, and so forth.
o Change that happens around us unexpected
or anticipated change that aects our society,
nation, or world and that also has some impact
on us personally or on our way of life.
o Change that happens within us unexpected
or anticipated change that directly aects who
we are either physically, emotionally,
mentally, or spiritually.
o Change that we initiate something created or
altered by plans we have implemented in order

to move us from the present to a preferred

future.
We will always ind ourselves in any of the above
transition of change, and sometime it might be an
overlapping experience one upon the other.

The world has changed and will keep

changing: be abreast with the fact that the world
has changed dramatically and will keep
changing until Jesus returns. To live a life in
continuous circles of obsolete traditions on the
excuse of method is to sti le your growth. You
must study change as a calendar and learn to
low with it. Here is where teach-ability, humility
and lexibility comes in to bear. But, you must
change.

Change may upset and temporally

disorganize your original intent or plans:
many people will retreat and surrender
whenever their plans or intents are challenged
by the course of change. They seem to withdraw
and assume the state of fate. Hear what the

psalmist said: Great are the troubles of the

upright: but the Lord takes him safely out of
them all. He keeps all his bones: not one of them is
broken Psalm 34:19, 20 (BBE). While change
may temporally upset or disorganize your plans
and ambitions, you must know that God is
committed to keep your bones (framework)
from being broken. And if your framework is
intact, nothing is lost. Therefore, instead of
complain and weary, strategize and reinvent
yourself to integrate into the demands of change
successfully.
Tips: no matter what you are facing in life as
challenges, if you stay long enough - intelligently -
with it, you will discover its weakness.

CHAPTER

4
MORE SKILLS ARE NEEDED

MORE
SKILLS

ARE
NEEDED

hat and what, and whatcan you do?

Norman Cousin asserted; the greatest
loss in life is not death, the greatest
loss is what dies inside of us while we live. I very
well agree with him. Growing up as a child who was
well acquainted with rural settlement, death tolls
and health insecurity is one factor that remains a
concern among the rural dwellers. While some
attribute these mayhems to the mysterious activities
of some ancestral or demonic manipulations, it
always breeds a collective atmosphere of fear when
someone near or far within the same community
passes on. Death then becomes the anticipated
brutal enemy which cuts hopes and joy short. And

when one is gone, people exclaim; what a great loss

that is! However, I had began to meddle unfrivolously with wisdom and great minds, I realized
that, how long shall I live? is not the problem, but
rather, how well shall I live? A friend once posted in
his social media status bar; you can only live this life
once, but if you live it well, once is enough! In living
well then, you must realize that there are hidden
potentials and possibilities inside you which can in
one way or the other enhances your value in life.
These potentials once re ined or modi ied are what
is termed as skills. In this 21st century, more skills
are needed than certi icates. Certi icate is a
complement, but skill is a resource. There are both
hard and soft skills you can acquire which are
relevant to today's emerging society. Your skill(s)
must have economic value in exchange of cash.
SOLUTION
Endeavour to acquire skills: proper
civilization is the development of Human
Capital. Japan is a case study. I travel around
the fallow grounds of villages and cities in my

country, and all I could see is absence of

thinking, research, inventions, innovation and
skills. Nothing is wrong with the ground, but
something is wrong with the people! Let me
quickly advise: when you are ready to acquire
skills, irst; study the societal and economic
shift to understand what type of skill is
needed in the now. Also, learn a skill that is
strategic enough to integrate into the future
emerging changes of the society while
keeping abreast with modern trends in your
ield.
Master your work: do everything possible to
expel frivolities and mediocrity in pursuit of
your designed skill. Know that excellence is
an attitude. Remember Daniel in Babylon; a
slave boy who was taken captive as a spoil of
war. He emerged as the Senate President in an
alien nation.
Then this Daniel was preferred above the
presidents and princes, because an excellent

spirit was in him; and the king thought to set

him over the whole realm Daniel 6:3 (KJV).
People do not know how to despise value. Be
valuable, be useful. Oprah Winfrey asserted,
Excellence is the greatest deterrent to racism
and sexism. Pursue excellence and master
your work.
R e c o g n i z e y o u r n e w c o m p e t i t o r :
technology and robotics are replacing human
eorts in this 21st century. In the banking
sector, before the emergence of Automated
Teller Machines (ATM), banking job was
trending. People would bribe the hell out to
gain employment. But when technology came,
not only was employment limited, sta were
downsized. Today, contract sta in banks are
much than full statutory sta. Technology is
gradually phasing away human eorts. Where
does that leave us? Technology is built by men,
technology is deployed by men, and
technology is managed and updated by men.
Learn the technological application of your

desired or anticipated trade. Study and follow

the trend. And if you are keen on inding a job
or maintaining one, improve your pro ile on
technology trends in your career prospect.

CHAPTER

5
YOU CAN MAKE MONEY
FROM LITTLE THINGS

YOU
CAN
MAKE

MONEY

FROM
LITTLE
THINGS

he opportunities and open doors which our

fore-fathers never anticipated are facing us
t o d a y ; b e c k o n i n g o n t h i n k i n g a n d
hardworking people. This is that age where little
things matter. The advent of internet has conduced
the world into a global village where access to
information and communication is undeniable. From
little domestic consumables like bitter cola to macro
agricultural produce like sugarcane - can be exported
to China and other countries for a fortune. Again,
access is unlimited! More platforms are being
created online for personal sales of goods and
services across continents, relieving you of the stress
of building an online store yourself. Today, with a

click of a computer mouse the world would know

what you have for them, making marketing fewer
complexes. Fortunate enough, there are limited
regulations and bureaucratic demands as regarding
these transactions. Why then do people still
complain?
SOLUTION
Understand your country's laws and trade
policies: when you have access to certain
information, you begin to realize how close
you are to success. I can tell that majority of
people in the developing nations do not know
their basic civil right too bad! How then will
you claim them? Dr. Myles Munroe af irmed,
Rights are guaranteed by law, and laws are
ixed and predictable. If you don't know your
rights, ind and have a legal practitioner as
your legal counselor. There are even Human
Right NGOs today everywhere in the world
who will be willing to counsel you free. We live
in a constitutional and regularized system,
and you must understand the pros and cons in

order to function eectively.

Learn how to sell: every profession requires
selling skills whether you are into
production or services you must learn how
to sell. Subscribe to sales training in your area
and learn, seek a credible consultant for
personal coaching and professional advice.
Selling is a unique and sweet profession that
will aect all areas of your endeavors.
Know your customers and ind them: when
I started my irst venture, a friend gave me an
advice that stays with me until today. He said,
You may never know that the governor will be
willing to leave his of ice for you to use and do
business until you approach him. As weird as it
sounded, it is the truth. The point to note here
is that you must overcome the fear of
outcome. There are potential markets all
around you; people are looking for
something you have to sell. They have been
praying and fasting to meet you and you will

ultimately become the result they seek.

Strategically locate them.
Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship is the
art or science of innovation and informed risktaking for pro it in business. I have been
striving to build a Bible ministry that will be
politically, socio-economically and culturally
relevant in the society. The quest for this vision
keeps me awake most times and causes me
back pains due to long sitting condition to
study. I wish all pulpiteers can understand this
idea of raising men from Kingdom perspective
who will become economically relevant in the
society. The absence of entrepreneurship has
caused a lot of social de ilement and cultural
perplexities. We must teach, and people must
learn how to do business. Sunday Adelaja (the
founder and senior pastor of The Embassy of
God Church, Ukraine), in his book titled:
MONEY WON'T MAKE YOU RICH said, he told
his pastors never to rally around rich members
of their congregation in anticipation of

inancial favors, rather, they should invite those

rich people to come and teach other members
their business principles. This is wisdom! But in
any case, take personal responsibility to
develop yourself as an entrepreneur.

CHAPTER

6
SAY BYE TO OBSOLETE
WAYS OF THINKING

SAY
BYE
TO
OBSOLETE

WAYS
OF
THINKING

ethod can constitute the greatest obstacle

to growth and advancement. Eric Hoer, a
writer and philosopher asserted; In times
of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the
learned ind themselves beautifully equipped to
deal with a world that no longer exists. Many
times I've observed that our challenge is not just the
problems we are faced with, but the obsolete ways of
thinking about them. When you inally get to that
destination called, I know it all, you cease
automatically to progress. Daniel Boorstin asserted,
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
but the illusion of knowledge. I counseled my prote ge
about the two kinds of ignorance: Ignorance by
default and Acquired ignorance.
Ignorance by default: means you never learnt

anything about a subject and so do not have an idea

about it.
Acquired ignorance: things you learnt and
mastered that are errors.
It's easy to get the irst to change and acquire new
information and ideas than it is to get the second to
unlearn all the ignorance he/she has acquired over
time. Many of us have been victims of religion in
the pastimes of our lives. It only took the strong hand
of God and an encounter with the supernatural (with
some measure of personal responsibility) to unlearn
some things. Now, that wasn't easy! Its better you
don't know anything than to know the wrong
things. And you know what? Ignorance is always
loud! Overzealousness too is a function of ignorance.
To be zealous is good; Jesus Christ was zealous about
the House and the work of the Kingdom but He was
never overzealous. On the other hand, Peter the
famous disciple of Jesus was; because he promised
never to leave Jesus alone, but he did and even
cursed. Before now, he had cut o someone's ear in
an attempt to prove a point. But all his actions were
baseless. Later he was converted, and he became
mature in the things of God being zealous unto
good works but never overzealous. An elderly
uncle and friend of mind advised; Zeal without

knowledge is treacherous.
SOLUTION
Learn, unlearn and relearn: a 21st century
illiterate is that person who cannot learn,
unlearn and relearn. You must be lexible
e n o u g h t o a d a p t t o n e w i d e a s a n d
innovations. It is always dif icult when new
ideas challenge our long-aged traditions and
methods; we feel very insecure in trying to let
go. Dr. K. K. Usman, an International
Management Expert and Bureaucrat in
Nigeria, conducted a case study with
management professionals in May, 2014,
during a training session in Calabar, Nigeria.
He asked all the students to stand up, and
everyone did; he then asked the students to
climb the top of their desk and they did
happily. He said afterwards; If you are a man,
remove your trouser and if you are a woman
remove your dress, then there was a problem!
People's mode changed as they began to
question, why? K. K. Usman then asserted,
People will always resist change, especially if
they know there is something they are going to
lose. Everyone laughed profusely as they
retired to their respective seats. You see, the

irst two instructions as far as the students

were concerned did not challenge anything
personal or important in their lives, but the
last instruction challenged their privacy and
dignity; something they have protected
passionately over the years. If they must
remove their cloths as were instructed, they
must ind another reason stronger than a
reason they already have -to protect their
privacy. And that reason must aord them
another level of assurance. I adduced from
Professor Innocent Asouzu's philosophy of
Complementary Ontology, that; all human
actions and reactions are motivated by
personal or self interest. According to Kevin
Hogan, the author of The Psychology of
Persuasion, It's either we are running away
from our fears, or pursuing the good
pleasure. Be it as it may, whenever you are
faced with the challenge to learn, unlearn and
relearn, know that there is something in it for
you to bene it, personally. Free your mind,
and so free yourself.
Identify and secure a mentor: one
deliberate step towards greatness is to
identify the source of your inspiration.

According to Dr. Mike Murdock, A mentor is

the quickest exit from a crisis. There are
people that when you look at their lives, their
achievements, their works, you feel a forward
emotions towards your life goals and
objectives. There are people whose words,
messages or teachings always sink down deep
inside your soul, and like buckets of water
inside a deep well draws out dreams and
visions you never could have imagined. Go to
them and establish a protg/mentor
relationship. He that walketh with wise
men shall be wise: but a companion of fools
shall be destroyed Proverbs 13:20 (KJV). I
have chains of mentors at all levels of my life's
endeavors. Some, I've not met them
personally, but I always endeavor to meet
their books and tapes. I crave for their
television programs, study their pro iles and
seek to know their history. A man's success
mystery is in his history.
If your religion cannot change you, change
your religion: this is typically two sided; it's
either you change your religious system
(which is a volcanic task), or you change
where and how you worship. I would advise

you change where and how you worship if

yo u r p re s e n t re l i g i o u s s y s t e m i s n' t
compelling you towards achieving destiny
under God. The reason I'm bringing religion
into this is because I have identi ied it as the
greatest in luence on mankind on Earth. In
fact, my assertion is that, man is equal to his
religion and beliefs. To change a man's
religion is to change the man.
I know a little about the teachings/religion of
Siddhartha Gautama, named Buddha the
enlightened one which came from northern
India, near Benares, about 560 B.C. Gautama
was a prince who was trained to become a
ruler in order to inherit the rajah title from his
father. But he changed his mind thereafter
due to four key experiences that shaped his
thinking. Gautama taught his followers
among other things, not to look to anything
external, nor accept any religious traditions
from any man not even themselves rather,
they should light the lamp within themselves
and search out their paths with diligence.
After some years, many other religious beliefs
like Zen, evolved from the Buddha and is still
evolving. Buddhism back then, had no basic

tenets but combines dierent philosophical

and literally works to teach devotees. Theirs
is to make you discover the truth by yourself
through your own experience.
Another religion is Hinduism captured from
the Vedas wise sayings which is a
combination of spiritual hymns and poetic
literatures that much resembles Psalms in the
Bible. It still came from India which was the
melting pot of religious ideas. The core
doctrine of Hinduism is detachment. Where
you are neither perturbed by the pains and
complications of life, nor become in lated
with a false sense of pride because of your
achievements. According to them, all these
are to help one attain Nirvana a union with
God. I can as well go ahead and write about
Islam, a religion birthed by Prophet
Muhammad, an Arab boy born into the family
of Hashem in Mecca. Islam began at about 570
A.D. Many other religions have been formed
as well as many beliefs. I may not have the
liberty to write about all of them in this little
book. But note that, the world is a religious
habitat. And it is something you must worry
about.

In all my entire life as a Christian and as a

Pastor which am proud of, I've never seen a
man like Pastor Tony-raphael Aleogena, a
Corporate Executive, and the Senior Pastor of
Calabar City Church; who expounded the
Bible on the account of Jesus' death and
resurrection the way he did. Perhaps people
have, but I've not been privilege to hear it the
way he explained it. On March 27th, 2016
( E a s te r S u n d ay ) , h e t a u g h t o n , T H E
COMPELLING STORY OF EASTER. And he
began by telling his audience that, it's not
strange how movements begin. Usually people
are dissatis ied with the way things are around
them, so they begin to look for a way out a
change. And a man will emerge, usually a good
orator with quality leadership skills, and begin
to share ideas and thought provoking
philosophies which promises a way out;
sighting Dr. Martin Luther King jnr., Prophet
Muhammad etc. Suddenly, as people imbibe
these new ideologies, a revolution begins and
will cut across races, genders, tribes and
cultures. That's how movement begins. But
Jesus never came with any set of principle
or principles; He wasn't sharing ideologies,

neither was He even castigating other

religions. He was constantly talking about
Himself. He made some bold claims about
himself: as long as I am in the world, I am
the light of the world, I am the way the
way, the truth and the life etc. Jesus didn't
ight against any religion, in fact he even
quoted at some points from the Torah while
teaching His audience. Jesus' message was
about Himself and His Kingdom. But then
He died! So, His disciples were sorry for
themselves having spent 'three wasted
years' with nothing to hold on to after their
master was killed. They went and hide
themselves, the preaching profession
ended. Because, actually there was no
ideology or principles to take on after He
died. (They couldn't substantiate their
belief). So, the Friday that Jesus died was
not a good Friday as people claim and tag
it, it was a bad Friday. But yet again, He
resurrected on the third day, and said; ALL
P OW E R I S G I V E N U N T O M E G O Y E
T H E R E F O R E A N D T E A C H A L L
NATIONSBAPTISING THEM IN MY NAME.
Pastor Tony concluded: every other religion
teaches about some gods or a God somewhere,

but Jesus says, I am the GOD you seek! He is the

a u t h o r a n d i n i s h e r o f o u r f a i t h !
(Hallelujah!!!)
Here's what fascinated me about the entire
presentation:
o Jesus Christ contrary to our popular
opinion is not against any religion.
o Jesus Christ is He who completes all
religions.
o The absence of Jesus Christ in any
religion is actually what makes such
religion cultic.
o
Christianity unlike what people think is
not about an ideology, a philosophy, a religion,
or a principle. But a person a life; Jesus
Christ.
Hence, even if you already have a religion of
your own, accept Jesus as your Lord and invite
Him into it. (Like the leaven, He will satiate
the whole system).
And again he said, What is the kingdom of God
like?It is like leaven, which a woman put into
three measures of meal, and it was all
leavened Luke 13:20, 21.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any

man hear my voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with me Rev. 3:20 (KJV).
SAY WITH ME:
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are GOD, and I
accept you into my life as my LORD and
savior. I believe you died and rose again
from the dead. Thank you Lord for saving
my soul! I declare that I am born again.
I will love to hear from you for further
spiritual and personal counsel. Feel free to
call me anytime; I promise never to take you
for granted.

NOTES:
Myles Munroe. THE PRINCIPLES AND BENEFITS
OF CHANGE. Whitaker House, USA, 2009.
o Four Types of Change brie ly re lected in
this book is taken under permission from
the publisher.
Larry Kettelkamp. INVESTIGATING GODS.
Universal-Tandem Publishing, London SW7 4RD,
1972.
Kevin Hogan. The Psychology of Persuasion. Joint
Heirs Publication-under license: irst published
1996.
Encyclopedia. www.wikipedia.com. Biographies:
Richard Nicholas Branson, January, 2016.
Tony-Raphael Aleogena. The Compelling Story of
Easter. Calabar City Church, Calabar, Nigeria:
March, 2016.
Usman G. Abdullahi. The Psychology of Adult
Learning. CMD, 2014.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

kakke Bassey is a cutting-edge

minister of the gospel, an author, a
writer and an entrepreneur. He is a
Management Consultant and Business
Executive delivering training functions
and management consultancy services to
both public and private sectors in
Nigeria.
Pastor Ikakke Bassey is a social and
religious activist who believes in Human Capital
Development and spiritual concerns. His idea of activism is
not that of rivalry and vices, but that of constructive
persuasion and mindset reformation. His ministry vision is to
raise men under God Jesus who will be politically, socially,
economically and culturally relevant. And his corporate
mission is to add value to human economy and corporate
performances through training and development. His daily
Bible broadcast (Faithreach) touches and transforms lives
across continents as far as America, Europe, Asia and other
African countries.
Ikakke is a happy family man, married to a beautiful and
humble lady named, Nsikak-Abasi, and they are resident in
the serene city of Calabar in Nigeria.

ISBN 978 978 455 400 6