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A LETTER
TO THE
21ST CENTURY
YOUTH

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 CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE:
Goals …………………………………………………… 6

CHAPTER TWO:
A Journey Through Responsibility ………. 25

CHAPTER THREE:
Right Association ……………………………….. 39

CHAPTER FOUR:
Be Authentic …………………………………..…… 51

CHAPTER FIVE:
Stay Consistent ………………………….……..… 63

Acknowledgement………………………………. 75

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We are a sum total of what we have
learned from all who have taught us,
both great and small.
~ Myles Monroe

Acknowledgement

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 My deepest gratitude goes to all
those men and women whom I have both,
directly and indirectly, learned from.
To Jessica Nagya, Chinedu Okorie
(Chichris), Philip Omale, John Osezua,
Knimi Musa, and Precious John, I say thank
you for all your efforts toward this book.

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"The Architect Universe didn't build a
stairway leading nowhere”

~ Earl Nightingale

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 Chapter One

GOALS
Growing up I recall I was goal driven
because of the stores located close to my
house, I would always save money given to
me for school so I could come home and
patronise those stores by buying the latest
candy and whatever new thing I see
becomes the goal and no matter how long
I would resolve that I would buy it and the

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pictures of my desires will cloud my little
mind.

You may have had such an experience

where you resolved that you were going to
get something that seemed far from your
reach at the present, however you
patiently waited, brooding on the joy of it's
accomplishment, you stayed up all night
reading for that test because you wanted
an A+, you prepared so hard for that job
interview because wanted the high pay and
prestige, you saved in your piggy bank so

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you can buy that high-end electronics to
boost your productivity or even as little as
posting your picture on Instagram,
Facebook, twitter and the likes, it was a
goal and you achieved it and got rewarded
for it with likes. You see, you already have
the foundation for goal getting however
the only challenge I see is you have not
channelled that drive in pursuit of your
dreams or perhaps you have not stayed
consistent enough to get the reward so
let's talk about it.

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Setting The Goal

"Nothing cannot make something"

~ Norman Geisler

You may be familiar with the term

SMART goals; it is famed to be necessary
characteristics of one's goal both on an
individual and cooperate level. It is an
acronym that stands for Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and
Time-bound.
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• Specific - The goal should be very
precise with no room for
misinterpretation.
• Measurable - The goal should be
quantifiable, and progress should be
easy to track.
• Achievable - The goal should be
attainable — not outlandish or
unrealistic.
• Relevant - The goal should
contribute to your broader,
overarching goals.

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 • Time-bound - The goal should have
a defined start and end date. ¹

Here are two examples to help drive the

point.
I. Start a Business
Weak Goal Example: I’m going to be an
entrepreneur.

SMART Goal Example:

Specific - I will start a dropshipping
business.

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Measurable - I will work on my
business for 1 hour each day, and
the goal is to land my first sale
within 2 weeks.
Achievable - I have watched some
videos on drop-shipping and know
that I can use Shopify to start a
business quickly.
Relevant - I want to quit my job,
work from home, and be my own
boss.

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 Time-bound - I will begin on
Saturday and land my first sale
within two weeks. ¹

II. Achieve a Personal Project

Weak Goal Example: I’m going to write a
book.

SMART Goal Example:

Specific - I’m going to write a
60,000-word sci-fi novel.
Measurable - I will finish writing
60,000 words in 6 months.

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 Achievable - I will write 2,500 words
per week.
Relevant - I’ve always dreamed of
becoming a professional writer.
Time-bound - I will start writing
tomorrow on January 1st, and finish
June 30th. ¹

In addition to this, if you want to

improve your overall performance your
goals should have some level of difficulty.
When the goal is too easy you may not be
improving your performance and also

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when you are given a goal and you are
instructed to just "do your best" you may
just end up giving an average commitment.
On the contrary if the goal is big and it
challenges you, you find out that the
commitment you put is beyond what you
thought of yourself before.

Planning and Preparation

"If having a goal alone is sufficient
everyone would be successful "

If a soccer team is performing poorly in

a season guess who they change, it is the
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Coach. This is because you may have the
best players at your disposal and still lose
for poor planning and preparation.

Take someone who wants to travel to

the United States in winter planning would
mean putting to account the right course of
action given attention to contingencies.
Planning would be
• Book a flight.
• Get my bag ready.
• Take a ride to the airport.

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 • Arrive the airport and check on my
flight.
• Then you Take off from your country
to the destination country.

This is just a simple plan that will get

you to the United States, however it is not
a guarantee that you will have a great time
there if you don't prepare.
Preparation is the art of getting ready.
Preparation says do I have the perquisites
tools for me to achieve my goals? Going to
the US require you have your passport,

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enough cash to afford the flight and to stay
in the US, a place to stay. if its winter the
kind of clothes you should carry is very
important.
I have seen many college students with
great goals they want straight A's but by
the end of the semester the outcomes is
different from the goal. This is because if
having a goal is all that is required then
everyone would be successful however
that is not the case, after goals you have to
set a course of action and get yourself
ready - Plan and Prepare.

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"It is more costly to pay for an unplanned
expense than a budgeted expense even if
they carry the same price tag"

Preparation may include connecting

with others who can assist you achieve
your goals, most times you will find that by
doing so, they are also achieving their own
goals. This could be a mentor, coach,
colleague at work, classmates, friends and
even family. Many top performing athletes
across several sports have their personal

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coach, many great men and women have
mentors - You need people to succeed.

Discipline
"I discipline my body like an athlete,
training it to do what it should. Otherwise,
I fear that after preaching to others, I
myself might be disqualified. "
~ Paul of Tarsus.

In achieving your destiny, it is

important to note that the journey will not
only be filled with activities that you are
passionate about. Sometimes you will have

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to do those things that are not convenient
but necessary and you will need discipline
for that.
In every endeavor discipline is a none
contestable ingredients required for
success. I have watched one or two
documentaries about famous athletes and
you would see that it is their secret routines
that births their results in public and none
is without discipline.

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Don't Give Up Or Relent
Failure is expenive - to give up on life is
even more expensive you can't afford it.

Two things I want to address here

quickly. First don't give up because you
failed, secondly don't relent because you
succeeded, whichever be the case, if you
fall stand up, dust yourself and keeping
moving and when you do succeed, enjoy
the moment, be grateful then quickly get
back to work, there are more territories to

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conquer and higher mountains to climb.
However, rest if you must but don't quit!

"Help me not to box myself into the

smallness of my previous achievements
and help me not to shrink from the
possibilities of future manifestation"
~ Debola Deji-Kurunmi (DDK)

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“Every gift from God or man comes with a
responsibility and must be used at the
pleasure of the giver and the benefit of
the receiver “

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 Chapter Two

A JOURNEY THROUGH
RESPONSIBILITY

In my conversations with great minds

and study of people past and present who
made and are making a difference in their
area of calling, I find a common
denominator, and that is, they took
responsibility to change the outcome of
their lives and others, they responded
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differently to the challenges that are
common to all men, they stood tall in the
face of poverty, failure, slavery, disability,
disadvantages, weakness and paid the
prices necessary for change and altered the
very course of their lives and nation.
Responsibility is an appropriate
response to the events and outcomes of
one's life, one of our tendencies as human
is to shy away from responsibilities or by
my definition we respond inappropriately
to unfavorable circumstances and to push
the blame on someone else when things go

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wrong, we are content with taking the glory
but never the blame even when we at fault.
We blame our environment for the
outcome of our lives, we say “if only I grew
up in the city, I would have been
somebody” but men like Dr Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, former president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria stands as a witness
against such tale. Or should I speak of how
we put the blame on our heredity? You will
often hear a 30-year-old with the now
familiar “if I was born from a rich home, I
would have had a better job, life, home?”.

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However, a jury of people such as Tony
Elumelu may disagree with your testimony.
By these assertions, I do not intend to
demean the influence the environment has
on our lives nor how family status may
provide better opportunities for us,
nonetheless there are men and women
who have proven that irrespective of the
circumstances of your life you have an
opportunity to turn the table in your favor
if you can take responsibility.

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"The circumstances of our birth is not our
fault but the outcome of our life is our
own responsibility"

Responsibility is important for several

reasons, first it creates a positive change
throughout history. We have seen
tremendous changes in science, the
government, the economy, technology and
many more by reason of men and women
who refuse to fold their hands and watch
life happen to them, a good example is
Martin Luther King Jr. who would not seat
and watch segregation and slavery thrive in
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his time but rather took responsibility to
see a change.

"Our rewards in life will always match our

service" ~ Earl Nightingale

The most rewarded people be it at

home, work, are those who take
responsibility. When you begin to take
responsibility for your own life you will be
rewarded by life both in cash and kind.

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF LIFE
"The highest responsibility of your life is
yourself "
~ Dr Paul Enenche a 21st Century
Clergyman

I discovered very early some of the

responsibilities of life and began inclining
myself to taking responsibilities at different
phase of my life. As at the writing of this
book, by God’s mercy this little boy is
General President of the Fellowship of
Christian Student at the Federal University
of Technology Minna Nigeria, I am also the

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State Coordinator for Tertiary Institution of
the same body in Niger State Nigeria, I have
co-founded two companies, one is
LeaderShift an organisation aimed at
raising leaders with a difference through
seminars and mentorship, the second is an
I.T. firm that develop software solutions for
businesses home and abroad, I am current
volunteering as a Secretary for a
forthcoming conference, also I am a team
lead for a team participating in an ICT
hackathon event, I am also running The
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

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certification, aside these, I read books and
write articles coupled with speaking
engagements every now and then. You
may not see the grace in this until you
discover that I am a student in his final year
with a first class CGPA in one of the top and
highly demanding universities in the
country and with all this I am constantly
looking for the opportunity to be of more
service to my generation. This is in no way
an act to brag but to show you how much
you can level up with growth and
responsibility by the side, for “The race is

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not to the swift nor the battle to the
strong” says a wise man. So, I do not claim
to be the smartest guy in the room
however, I only take responsibility.
Here are a few of the responsibilities of
life:
1. The Responsibility of Leadership
One of the highest responsibility of any
leader is to ensure the fulfilment of the
vision he was given and the replication of
themselves in others who will sustain the
vision.

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 The impact and durability of any vision
rests on the shoulders of men and women
of responsibility. I learned that the final gift
any serving leader is the passing of the
baton to a competent successor. It was king
Solomon who said "A good man leaves an
inheritance to his children’s children”, this
also applies to leadership - A good leader
will leave an inheritance; however, the
leader leaves the gift of men as inheritance
to the next generation. A carpenter from
Nazareth did not leave any dime but he left
men who heard with their ears, saw with

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their eyes, and their hands handled the
Word of life; they shared his vision and till
now the world is yet to recover from the
impact of a responsible leader whose
response to ignorant followers were
intentional discipleship.
Be it in family, government, business
this is the highest responsibility of the
leader: to fulfill the vision and to raise a
successor.
2. The Responsibility of Followers
The responsibility of the follower is to
become a testament of what their mentor

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teaches. He who must benefit maximally
from mentoring, must serve faithfully,
observe carefully, avoid familiarity, and act
prudently.
So, take a look around your
environment and your life, if you find
something not working take responsibility.
Begin today to be responsible for your
choices, and outcome and respond
appropriately to seemingly failures and
crisis for in them may be secret jewels
hidden in plain sight.

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"A thousand good friends are not enough
but one bad friend is too many"

~ Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa

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 Chapter Three

RIGHT ASSOCIATION

I heard a story a while back of a

shepherd who a lion cub and took it and
raised it along with the with his sheep, it
grew up eating grass, it stayed with herd
anytime the shepherd takes them grazing
and ate grass like a sheep even as a
matured lion. Often times other lions will
attack the heard and this “sheepified” lion
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will run for its dear life along with other
sheep, one day something astonishing
happen the herd was lead to have a drink
by a river this lion upon seeing its own
reflection and quickly took of back to the
pen until a day when he came face to face
with a pride of lion realising that itself looks
like these lions and was not been chased by
them, there and then it followed those
lions and lived up to its true identity as king
of the jungle.

"He that walks with the wise shall be wise"

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 Solomon - 3rd King of Israel

Amongst many lessons that can be

gleaned from this story is the power of
association and the moral goes without
saying that your association has an
influence on your thought and your thought
influences your habit and your habit affects
the outcomes of your life. Someone said
show me your friends and I can predict your
future.

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 Association is in three directions, the
first direction is upward with those above
from whose lives we can learn from for us
to make better choices this is a great
privilege of life that you are not walking
into tomorrow blindly but rather you can
learn from those men and women who
have been into a tomorrow you hope for.
The world is filled with such people here
are some that you can pay heed to:
1. Parent and the Elderly
In the words of Solomon, 3rd King of
Israel, he said:

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“Hear, O children, the instruction of a
father, And pay attention [and be willing to
learn] so that you may gain understanding
and intelligent discernment. For I give you
good doctrine; Do not [a]turn away from
my instruction. When I was a son with my
father (David), Tender and the only son in
the sight of my mother (Bathsheba), He
taught me and said to me, Let your heart
hold fast my words; Keep my
commandments and live”.
Now I will not give this too much
attention because I believe you already

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know it, by the reason of association with
our parent one class you should not miss
for anything is learning from them both by
observation and politely asking to know or
understand, you draw from the wisdom of
their experiences and from the lessons of
their mistakes, understand their worries
and their joys and you will naturally be
rewarded gracefully, even the Father of all
flesh will be delighted in you.
Beside you biological parents you may
be privilege to associate with other
people's parents, so learn.

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2. Mentors
Another set of persons in this first layer
are mentors, those experienced and
trusted advisers, they are close and give a
listening ear when you need one. They are
most times not related you biologically
speaking but they posses admirable
qualities and mastery in your perceived
destination.
A mentor should be someone you can
reach, while it is okay to have a role model

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but there are things that are observable
only in proximity.
It is also important that the mentor in
question is aware of your intentions that
way you will benefit maximally from the
association.
The second direction of association
goes across, it is with one's peers of age
bracket and this is where a majority of the
consequences of wrong association sterns
from, however you can be the difference, I
discussed about responsibility earlier and
now I'll add more that friendship comes

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with a mutual responsibility, I know this
sounds unconventional but it is true
nonetheless. If everyone of your friends are
playful you need to balance that
association scale by getting serious minded
people in your life, you know the
contributions your present cliques has
added to your life and kudos if their
contributions had lead to the progressive
fulfilment of your life’s purpose but if
otherwise, look for a new clique.

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"Two are better than one, for they have a
good reward for their labour”
Solomon - 3rd King of Israel

The third direction is downward, this

association with the younger ones, or who
is less fortunate, it is the mark of great men
and women to bring up others. So in this
journey of life while you travel to your
destination remember to pick others, their
destination may be farther or even closer
than yours however the path may be the

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same or even cross and your assistance you
would have shorten the distance for them.

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“this above all; to thine own self be true
and it must follow as the night the day,
thou canst not then be false to any man”
~ Shakespeare

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 Chapter Four

BE AUTHENTIC
Authenticity: the state of being
authentic and authentic means of
undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine.
Am I truly authentic? This a question one
needs ask his or herself, because a man can
claim to be authentic in a city where the
original has not been known.
So is one authentic?

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Authenticity by Authorship

For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in
them.
~ Paul of Tarsus

The Author knows the works that are

His. When we can tell without a doubt that
this boy or girl is of God then we can say
that he or she is authentic.
This is evident by first the life we bear,
for I am not my own and I bear the
signature of the Author of the universe.
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 Secondly, the authorship of our life is
evident by our lifestyle. Let your light so
shine before men that they may see your
good works and glorify your father in
heaven.
All of creation are His, however not all
creatures live according to design. If we
compare our lives with the manuscript the
Author of the universe has written
concerning each of us and we find out that
we are living contrary then we are not
authentic.

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"I derive my authenticity by conforming to
the Script He has given me."

You see beloved, because something

looks good does not mean it is God, I
recently read about the Shapira's scroll it is
a true story about a man who claimed he
had found some portion of ancient Bible-
related artifacts but the scrolls were easily
denounced by scholars as forgery. Not to
mention the man's story of how he got the
manuscripts was inconsistent every time
he told it to a different listener. The scrolls

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he presented may seem authentic to the
untrained eyes however deeper test
quickly revealed its inconsistencies.
Therefore, consistency is an attribute of
authenticity.

Authenticity in Mentorship.

"We sometimes pass through the school

of mentorship to find our own
uniqueness."

You know how we each want to

become like our heroes, consciously and

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unconsciously we dress, talk or even walk
like them - we imitate only those things we
see and do not emulate the sacrifice they
make and this is bane to our own identity
and a wrong path to the discovery of our
self.

"The outward expression of the great is

rooted in their secret investment that
makes up their stories."

The best things to learn from those we

admire are mostly hidden. Therefore, a

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large majority of students work by
assumptions and guess what, those who
successfully mimic the outward
expressions of their teachers will attract
audiences that cannot stand the test of
time.
My advice is to seek the good and learn
from multiple people, elders and those
who have gone ahead, find the lessons that
is encapsulated in the story of their lives
and you will find that their outward
manifestation is in their secret investment.
Learn I say, not mimic to show off, although

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I realize that we unintentionally begin to
act like those learn from (e.g., Your parents,
mentors, pastors, friends etc.) However, do
not lose yourself doing so.
In closing I would like to add that in
your quest to be authentic beware of the
following:
1. Autonomy From one's Creator.
There is a state that being authentic can
create and that is an autonomous existence
in a manner that makes one to be alienated
from his or her Maker. In essence I am
saying that whatever you want to be,

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become but forsake not the Author of your
life.

2. Ingratitude.
"We are a sum total of what we
have learned from all who have
taught us, both great and small."
~ Myles Monroe

Not acknowledging the contributions

of others to our lives is a show if
ingratitude.

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3. Living without Reference.
“It is not that science is wrong in all it
postulates about the underlying principles
that governs the known universe but the
challenge it refuses to acknowledged the
Author of the universe and that is the
greatest plagiarism ever.”
That which we want to achieve has
been done by someone else but some will
not even want to make references to them.

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4. Pride.
To think so high of yourself that no one
can teach you anything is a show of pride.
Be teachable. But most importantly
BEWARE!

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"You don’t achieve mastery by accident; It
takes a consistent and effective practice"

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 Chapter Five

STAY CONSISTENCY
I have been able to stay consistent over
the years for some reasons, I'm sure you
would enjoy this one. It would probably be
a relatable for some of us or a new
revelation for other but regardless ensure
you read and build on consistency with a
mission and vision in mind.

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1. GOD
All I ever am and all I ever hope to
become is the will of God. I want to become
that which He appointed me to become, to
fulfill the course for which He saved me. So,
If the Architect of the universe says go here
or there that becomes the drive or if He
tells me I am a Prophet over Nations and
Kingdoms that vision drives me, it makes
me uncomfortable being average or
anything less than God's best.

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Love for God
Genuine love can provoke certain
actions and I found out that true love can
compel a person to act in the interest of the
one he or she loves and that is where my
consistency stems from.

2. PEOPLE
Secondly, I have built consistency
because others need to see that no matter
your background, no matter how weak and
frail one's body may look it is only by the
reason of the Spirit of the Blacksmith of the

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universe that anyone can be mightily
helped of God. I don't like seeing people
living outside the will of God, outside His
best for them.
There are several categories of people
that can compel our consistency.
Family
As the phrase goes, you don't get to
choose your family but you can choose
your friends and it is a powerful statement
if you consider it, although I think for some
persons while it ensures one is intentional
about choosing their friends, it provides a

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room to neglect one's family this is just a
side thought though.
Beyond the genetic makeup we share
within our family there is a reason why you
were born into that family hence you have
a role to play in determining the direction
of the family. Each and every member of a
family are shareholders. The number of
shares held by each member differs.
Mentors
“We owe a debt to our instructors”

I believe that one of the best gifts any

mentee can offer to their mentor is to
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produce the very result they’ve been
trained on. I stay focus and consistent to
become a testament to the message they
preach, this is a debt I owe to the men and
women that counsels me.

Friends
I really want my friends to be great so I
choose to become consistent, intentional,
deliberate, to go ahead and face the
challenges while pulling them along saying
it is possible. So, my dear friend, I thought
of you before we met, I want to become
that you may know that in God anything is

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possible and your becoming will also
encourage me when I'm feeling down.
Children
I believe my actions and inactions have
an impact upon my children though not yet
born; however, I trust God to teach them
the basic foundations of knowing the Lord
early, hence the thought of those who will
come from my loin and others fuels my
consistency in the present.

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3. TIME
“So, teach us to number our days, that we
may apply our hearts unto wisdom”
~ Moses the man of God

I trust to live a long and fulfilled life.

Time defines the bound of our habitation
upon this earth and we ought to incline our
hearts to wisdom while in time. Knowing I
have a time bound assignment I am
constantly on my toes.
4. WORK
In the fifteenth verse of the second
chapter of Genesis it reads, And the Lord
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God took the man, and put him into the
garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
Work is a vital necessity to we humans;
I want to love Work and still have the
wisdom to balance it with other important
things.

5. Mastery
Consistency is a key to mastery, it is not
what you do occasionally that creates
lasting change but what you do
consistently.

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 When you study those who are leading
the pace you will find amongst other things
that they are consistent. When you look at
those who have attained a level of mastery
you will easily notice the ease with which
they do their work however if you travel
back to when they set out that path you will
find out that it was difficult. It take
consistent practice to attain mastery where
hard things become easy.

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6. REWARD
“Henceforth there remains a crown laid
before me”
~ Paul of Tarsus

There is a reward for consistency,

talk of promotion in positional leadership;
of awards in entertainment; of wealth in
Business; of raising a responsible children
in families, or mastery in education; and of
maturity in faith, you name it, there is a
reward. there is a reward for those who
served faithfully within time, so I want to
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be found faithful that I may obtain the
reward as a good and faithful servant.

To Be Continued.

PS: Kindly feel free to reply this letter or

tell me what you think about it at:
johntochukwumax@gmail.com

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 Gratitude

My deepest gratitude goes to all those

men and women whom I have both,
directly and indirectly, learned from.
Also, to Jessica Nagya, my editor for
coming up with this idea, Chinedu Okorie

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(Chichris), Philip Omale, John Osezua, for
designing this book in a minimalist style,
to Knimi Musa, and Precious John, I say
thank you for all your efforts toward this
book.

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Reference:
¹ 10 POWERFUL SMART GOAL EXAMPLES
TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS by
Thomas J Law

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 About

Tochukwu Maxwell John is a leader,

trainer and facilitator with hand on
experience on planning, organisation and
execution both on individual and
cooperate level.
As of the time of this book’s
publication, he is a final year student
pursuing a bachelor's degree in Computer
Science at Federal University of Technology
Minna (FUTMinna).
He has served in few youth leadership
position; including President of Student
Fellowships, team lead of various groups
and is a founder and co-convener of
LeaderShift: a Seminar in FUT Minna aimed
at raising leaders with a difference.

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 He is passionate about all things
growth, productivity and practice of the
presence of God. He is a lover of challenges
and pushes others around him to do the
same and be better.

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