FAST

BEFORE
YOU
FEAST
Growing your wealth from
nothing.

OL U WA S E F U N M I OY E B A M I J I
 table of contents
Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgement

Author’s note

Part A

Hold up! What exactly do you mean by

FAST AND FEAST? 1

Plan Your Fast, Plan Your Feast Intentionally 5

Goals Setting; an Essential in Fasting and Feasting 8

Attitude Determines Everything 14

The Added Advantage 21

Part B

Introduction 25

Choices- The Multiple Streams of Income 26

The Wisdom of Investing 29

The Entrepreneurship Myth 28

The Safety of the Employee 41

Conclusion 44

Appendix
 Dedication
This book is dedicated to you!

Yes, particularly you that is reading this book right now.

I salute your courage, your quest for growth, your determination to go
beyond your comfort zone, your readiness to fast before you feast.
Even though, the journey may look long and you may really not have
so much now. But I assure you that the feast is surely coming. Don’t
give up on your journey, don’t give up on yourself, the harvest is sure!

Oluwasefunmi Oyebamiji
 foreword
And He said unto them. This kind can come forth by nothing, but by
prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29, KJV

Fasting is a spiritual element that paves the way for extraordinary

success. In a sociological context, one can term fasting as self-denial, a
deliberate attitude, relentlessness, etc. In the Bible, Jesus zeroed in on
the importance of fasting when he taught that while many demons can
easily be conquered without much energy, some would need a serious
muscle-flexing exercise of intense fasting and prayer (Mark 9:29).

In other words, there are achievements and there are achievements,

and the level of one’s success story is dependent on the person’s
preparedness, denial and investment into such venture.

In my few years of being around on the earth realm, I have come to

realize that extraordinary results demand extraordinary preparations.
As a matter of fact, success is never accidental; a level of sweat must
have gone into it. No man wakes up to realize he has suddenly made it.
He must have strategically positioned himself for success, either
through work or through a strong network, or a combination of both.

A man who inherited his father’s properties did not just stumble on
wealth; if he had not been the rich man’s son in the first place, he
wouldn’t get the blessing. Staying around the corridors of riches here
(when he could have as well forcefully collect his inheritance like the
prodigal son) is strategic alignment.

Several years ago, in the university, I told my friends I would not be

poor, and that I would neither look for jobs after school nor use my
father’s connections to get one. Some people didn’t take me seriously
while others felt it was mere wishful thinking. However, a few years
down the line, it began to happen.
I secured my first, second and third jobs, and all I did after getting each
offer was to call my father to tell him I would be resuming a new job. But
did it come that easily? No! I paid the price. Nights of studying economics,
reading about successful entrepreneurs, learning about project
management, and many other things I could lay my hands on.

I knew I was not ready to pursue a career as a linguist (which was my area of
academic studies), so I was deliberate enough to stay close to those who
would help me, spending extra hours to learn new things when I could be on
the pitch playing football or PES, etc. Today, those sacrifices are worth the
results.

For any man who wants to feast, he must be ready to fast. He must be
deliberate about feasting, he must be a strategic planner, he must have the
right connections, he must read the right books, and he must endure the pain
of erecting the great house.

Bill Gates didn’t stumble on wealth, Ben Carson didn’t become great by
accident, Barack Obama was not a product of luck, Chimamanda Adichie
didn’t become a great writer by destiny, Tony Elumelu didn’t become
wealthy by little tricks, my Lord Jesus didn’t get to sit at the Father’s right
hand by just riding on a donkey, and your next level will not come without first
fasting.

This book has been written to guide you through the principles of strategic
fasting. From this book, you will learn how to set and smash goals, how to
develop the right attitude which is requisite for feasting, and how to develop
the divine connection to your stardom. Read it patiently, study it intently,
and practise the instructions, and let’s journey together into the realm of
extraordinary feasting.

Emmanuel Abegunde, CIM, PHRi

HR Leader & President, Champions Network Ministries
 Acknowledgement
I am totally in awe of God, and I express my deep appreciation to Him
for the completion of this work. I am extremely grateful to the Holy
Spirit for the inspiration to start and the strength to finish to time.

I find Him waking me in the middle of the night to write, so that I can
meet the deadline, and even though sometimes I resist Him, hugging
my pillow more closely, His gentle nudge for me to stand and write
won’t stop until I actually, though reluctantly stand. I am grateful Sir.

My deep appreciation further goes to my Husband. After, the Holy

Spirit, the other person who made sure this work was not just done, but
completed to time is my darling husband. Temi, as I fondly call him did
everything humanly possible to support me.

For days when you cook while I write, for days when you wake in the
night with me just to encourage me, for the people you contacted to
edit the book, am so grateful love. Thanks for giving me the wings to
fly, thanks for believing in me more than anyone else. I love you.

Tomiwa Ale is more than my brother, he is a friend. Tomiwa, I

appreciate your love, the frank talks, the diligent proofreading, and the
encouragement. Thanks for being such a blessing.

My deep gratitude goes to the entire team that made sure this work
was completed and packaged beautifully. Otori Blessing, friend like
Sister, thanks for your contribution, thanks for doing thorough
proofreading and correcting the grammatical errors.

Dr. Toyosi Awosusi, this beautiful packaging is a result of your

creativity, thanks sir, for working to time. Pastor Emmanuel
Abegunde, thanks sir for the honour of writing the foreword at such a
short notice. Thank you sir.
I acknowledge the role of my father, Engr. Olu Ale and my Mum, Dr.
Mrs Ale and am thankful for their contribution to my person. Thanks
for building me into the woman I am today. Am grateful for the gift of
siblings such as Temiloluwa and Tomilola. Thanks for your love
sweethearts.

To everyone who in one way or the other contributed to the success of

this book, mentioned or unmentioned, I am sincerely grateful. Thank
you so much.
 Author’s note
If you are at this very moment, reading this book, either as a softcopy
or a hardcopy, either you got it freely or you paid a token to get it, the
truth is, you’ve already started the fast. Yea! There, I said it. A lot of us
understand the contemporary and regular meaning of the word Fast
and Feast. Fasting means desisting from all forms pleasures most
often it’s in form of food. However, fasting takes other forms as well.

For the purpose of this book, we would be talking of fasting and

feasting in terms of wealth building. Therefore, when we refer to fast in
this book, we are referring to all the sacrifices we have to make, all the
beautiful gratifications we have to delay, in order to feast elaborately
in the future without the fear of thinning out.

I personally promise you a wonderful ride as we take this journey

together. To everyone that believes in themselves, in their capacities, I
say cheers!!! There is no doubt that if you follow the principles outline
in this book, you have just gotten out of the cat race.

Enjoy the ride with me.

OLUWASEFUNMI OYEBAMIJI
Part A
 CHAPTER ONE
Hold up! What exactly do you mean by
FAST AND FEAST?
 Hold up! What exactly do you mean by fast and feast?

I grew up having a lot of fancies and expectations for my future self

{Well, my ‘now’ self}. I remembered that when I was really young, I had
thought wealth was common and anyone could literarily become
wealthy.

I had thought they could have as much as they want without really
stressing or doing anything about it. I didn’t know the importance of
hard work or smart work, as far as I was concerned, no work was needed
to live a wealthy, influential life, and I wanted that life.

I must confess that this particular thoughts and fancies were fanned to
flames by some people I held in high respect. These people were older
than me, so I believed they would be smarter and wiser too. These guys
always talked about their future, and they always paint this future as
one luxurious ride through life.

They talk about how they won’t and can’t settle for any life, except one
that is elaborately lived and sponsored with a lot of wealth. They talked
about the kind of houses they will build, the kind of cars they would ride,
the kind of ladies that would attract their fancies. I heard talks about the
kind of brands they would wear.

I can tell you I heard a lot of details about the future they wanted. The
only thing I didn’t hear them talk about was the kind of work they would
do, the kind of businesses they would run or the investment plan they
would follow to make this buoyant, elaborate life in their dreams and
imaginations a reality.

And at that age and time, I really didn’t care. As far as I was concerned,
these guys were already wealthy. They talked big, wore big clothes and
wristwatches, they are always driving big cars and of course they buy
me ice creams, so I looked up to them.

2
 Hold up! What exactly do you mean by fast and feast?
But that was then, and this is now. Fifteen years later, things have
changed. I still see these people, I still hear about them and those
dreams they had fifteen years ago about lush apartments, sleek cars
and branded wears are still dreams and maybe now they are bigger or
smaller or even nonexistent, I would never know.

This is because despite their big dreams and big talks, they have
nothing to show for it fifteen years down the line. Let me mention too
that they are now well above thirty years of age now and staying in their
parents’ house is no longer fashionable or comfortable.

Also the privilege of driving Daddy’s car has been taken. To make
matters worse, monthly allowance is gone too, since they have
graduated from the university. It obviously looks like their situation
now is worse than fifteen years ago and this was very contrary to my
expectations of them. I expected them to be really great now.

Now someone must be asking, ‘what is the purpose of this story’? Well,
I implore you to stay with me. Remember I promise you a wonderful
ride, yea! Ok let’s go. I have to say the story above because I want to
explain in ways, we would never forget again the meaning of Fasting
and Feasting and the reason why it is essentially important for us to fast
before we feast.

According to the economist, human wants are unlimited and of course

insatiable. This means there is never a time when as a human being, you
won’t want something - something beautiful, something delicious,
something pleasurable and anything that makes you happy. This is
exactly where Fasting comes in.

As long as you continue to satisfy your every want, you would never be
able to fast and ultimately you would never be able to satisfy your
wants, the wheels keep rolling into poverty. Fasting basically, means,
the habit of intentionally desisting or denying ourselves those
pleasurable wants.
3
 Hold up! What exactly do you mean by fast and feast?
Not because we can’t afford them, but because, even though we can
afford some, if it’s not a present necessity, we still don’t buy them, not
because we don’t like them anymore, but because we want to be able
to afford them in their abundance later i.e., we want to be able to Feast
later.

The story I told you earlier shows a typical example of people who
refused to fast before they feast. When they were meant to be fasting
seriously, they were feasting seriously. They were busy eating their
seeds. They planted nothing, so they had nothing to reap. THEY HAD
FEASTED, SO NOW THEY ARE FORCED TO FAST.

BE WISE! FAST BEFORE YOU FEAST!!!

4
 Chapter Two
Plan Your Fast, Plan Your Feast
Intentionally.
 Plan Your Fast, Plan Your Feast Intentionally.

Fasting isn’t always easy, especially in the availability of delicacies. But

like Jesus who for the glory set ahead, endured the cross. It is important
that we must not only learn, but also continuously practice the habit of
fasting in the very midst of plenty.

That said, it is important to stress that this type of decision and choice
will make a type of life, and this type of life is a very intentional one. An
intentionally built wealthy life. Wealth doesn’t jump on people, no, it
doesn’t come by chance. It is gotten like any other good thing, by
careful planning till it looks like what you dreamt about.

See, let me say again that no one is too young to start building and
everyone is allowed to fantasies and dream, but it will remain a sin and a
great injustice to yourself and generations not yet born, if those
dreams remain dreams forever.

A wise man once said, a good man leaves inheritances for his children’s
children. Do you see that, this has even gone beyond his own children?
This type of wealth is what I termed as an intentionally built to last
wealth, accumulated from INTENTIONAL FASTS.

Being intentional sometimes look like work and actually, it is hard

work. Most times, it is easier to let things just happen, it is easier to let
events just occur and allow monies to just be spent, but then, it is also
messier.

Being intentional is not a once in a while activity, it is the habit of being

disciplined in almost every aspects of life. You are intentional about the
kind of person you are and the kind of person you want to be. You are
intentional about your close circle, the kind of friends you keep, that is
those that have your ears and those that you have theirs.

6
 Plan Your Fast, Plan Your Feast Intentionally.

You are intentional about the kind of clothes you put on and most
importantly, you are intentional about where your money goes and
what it is being used for. You are intentional about the things you buy
and of course, the things you sell.

Do you see now that it could indeed be a whole lot of work that is
delicately planned? Yea, I know, but then, it also makes life a whole lot
easier, it also makes fasting a whole lot easier and healthier. You are
easily able to separate the junks from the healthy meals.

I hear someone asking, why is she stressing so much about being

intentional? It is because I have come to discover that if wishes do
come to pass, a two-year-old will have his own personal jets and also fly
it himself. But it is rather sad, that wishes don’t come to pass.

You can wish all you want, without careful intentional planning, it will
remain just a wish. Wishes don’t come to pass, INTENTIONAL
PLANNING DO.

PLAN YOUR LIFE, PLAN YOUR FAST, PLAN YOUR FEAST

INTENTIONALLY.

7
 Chapter Three
Goals Setting; an Essential in
Fasting and Feasting.
 Goals Setting; an Essential in Fasting and Feasting.

One day, my husband asked me, ‘what is Success’? I was about

answering when he cuts into my thought and said, “Please, make sure
you answer it well, don’t just give a shallow answer”. So, unlike what I
wanted to say before, this time I had to pause and think deeply about
what success means to me personally.

The answer I came up with is that success definition is not a general one.
What Mr. A termed as success may not mean success to me. This is
because, everyone is running their own race, and they are responsible
for what they termed as winning or losing.

To me personally, success is setting a goal and being able to achieve

that goal at the time allocated to it. This means that success to me has
to do with goals setting and goals achieving within a period of time. For
instance, if I decide to do something in a month, my ability to be able to
do that thing within a month and not stretch it for two month or more
means am successful at that thing.

Therefore, in this chapter, we will be talking more about goals, goals

setting and goals achievement, not because we don’t already know at
least a little about these terminologies, but because sometimes, we
need to try some redefinitions, we need to personalize these
definitions and fit them to our individual personality. Finally, we will be
relating the terms to the principles of Fast and Feast.

To have an effective and rewarding fast, it takes careful and intentional

planning as I mentioned earlier in chapter two. Now, part of the process
of planning is setting of result-oriented goals [you can always go back
to re-read chapter two].

Generally, goals can be divided into the long-term goals and the short-
term goals. The long-term goal is the Big Picture, the end point, the
overall vision. While the short-term goals are the goals that make you
achieve the big picture. the end point, the overall vision.
9
 Goals Setting; an Essential in Fasting and Feasting.

While the short-term goals are the goals that make you achieve the big
picture. So, I told one of my protégés one time that long term goal is
the accumulation of several short-term goals.

For instance, if I aim to be an engineer at the end of my university

studies, that aim is a long-term goal. The short-term goals that makes
my long-term goal a reality start with me getting a jamb form,
choosing the right subject combination that would make me
admissible to the university to study engineering.

Part of the short-term goals also includes studying the recommended

textbooks, going to the exam halls and writing the examinations, and
passing them. Now, if I successfully, achieved all my short-term goals, I
would discover that I have in the long run achieved my long-term goal.

This same principle applies to money. If you truly desire to not just get
by with life or live it as it comes, if you truly want to feast and not just
feed, then it is essential that you plan your way there carefully. Ask
yourself sincere questions like, ‘what is your long-term financial goal’?
At this point, you have to determine for instance, how much you want
to make at a particular age.

Let’s assume, you are twenty years now and you want to plan for the
next twenty years, such that at age forty, you earn a particular amount
monthly. The thing is, most people can’t see that far, but that is why
you are reading this book at this moment. So that you realize you can
actually see as far as you would love to, and that can guide your plans
too.

So back to our hypothesis, you are twenty and you have decided that at
age forty, you want to have at least two mega companies and each
giving you at least a monthly income of 2million naira per month. That
means, at age forty you have at least a monthly income of 4million
naira from your companies, this is different from returns on your
investment.
10
 Goals Setting; an Essential in Fasting and Feasting.

Note that you have to plan something that is the least you will get in
spite of what the economy situation of the country might be at that
time, it could be more, but it can’t be less.

Now with that decision, wishing it won’t make it come to pass, talking
it out loud with friends and families won’t make it a reality, in fact
praying about it alone won’t bring it to pass either, as a matter of fact
writing it out in books and journals still won’t transform it into your
reality. All of these are good in themselves, but none of it would mean
anything if it’s done individually and not backed with action.

What brings definite sustainable income is planning which is

achievable through goals setting. Now back to our guy with the plan to
have at least 4-million-naira monthly income at age 40. The first
question is how much do you have right now? If nothing, then what
sellable skills do you have too? The process of these thoughts and the
actions that would follow have started you on the journey of the short-
term goals that would eventually make the long-term goal a reality.

To answer the question of sellable skills, the truth is it doesn’t even

have to be a handwork particularly. It could be a mental skill or a talent
that comes to you so naturally that you often take for granted. Skills
varies and so do talents and putting them to work could bring you
money faster than you can imagine. For instance, you crack joke so
easily that people can hardly stay around you for five minutes without
laughing at something you said or a gesture you made. Do you know
you can easily convert it into money?

Start by doing free jokes at people’s celebrations. Target big

celebrations where a lot of people will be and do your thing for no
price. You might be lucky to find someone who will be lucky to find you
funny enough to invest in you and gbam! You become a stand-up
comedian for real and now you can name your price.

11
 Goals Setting; an Essential in Fasting and Feasting.

Let’s assume however that everyone loves your joke but you also didn’t
meet anyone who took enough interest in your comedy to invest in it,
fine.
However, you gradually gain popularity. Consistency in what you do
develops your skill and thereby get you more referrals, especially
because you are doing it for free. I can assure you that with time, you
will have more request than you can handle, people love freebies.

It will get to a time that you will have to put a price on your time and this
time, people will gladly pay. And yes!You have started your stream flow
of income.

Now, let’s assume that you can’t crack jokes, your own talent that have
in fact almost turned into a problem is that you can really see things.
You have a gift for keen observations. The way this works is that when
you see things that everyone thinks is perfect, what you observe are all
the wrong things and you criticize it. As a matter of fact, you’ve turned
yourself into a sad critic that everyone runs away from you and now you
are sad and depressed about it.

It’s time to cheer up! That’s is real money you are sad about. There are
professional critiques and they get paid for seeing the wrong things
and suggesting solutions to them and you can be one of them. You can
start by picking a book, see all the wrong things in it, write them out,
suggest solutions and mail it to the author. You can also criticize a
movie.

The important thing to note is do it constructively. Do you know you

could even start a consulting business on your talent? But for you, your
work is on the street and not in an office. You are not going to rent an
office, put a big billboard, announcing you are consulting and be
expecting people to come in to you.

12
 Goals Setting; an Essential in Fasting and Feasting.

No!You won’t do that, if you do, you will remain as broke as you started
if not worse off, because now, you have used the remaining money on
you to rent and furnish an office. What you should do is what you do
best.

Walk up to those companies that you would love to become your

clients, point out everything they are doing wrong to them, matter of
fact, magnify it so much that they are in a hurry to fix the problem, now
offer them the solutions for a returned token. Before you know it, you
are starting to have a great and consistent flow of money.

However, either you are a comedian or a critic, remember the goal is

not to have a stream of income, the original goal is to be able to have 4
million naira monthly by age 40. Nonetheless, you’ve started the short
term goals that would eventually culminate to the actualization of your
long term goal. And if you are steady and consistent, you will also be
able to make the long-term goals.

The next thing is how do you move from that stage into accumulating
wealth till it becomes more than enough, how do you fast till you feast?
That’s the whole purpose of this book. That is what this book is going to
be telling us as we continue in it. Learning the skills needed to do our
fast successfully.

In the next chapter, I will be taking about the kind of attitude to

adopt during the fasting.

REMEMBER, GOAL SETTING IS AN ESSENTIAL SKILL IN

FASTING AND FEASTING.

13
 CHAPTER FOUR
Attitude Determines Everything.
The saying ‘attitude determines the altitude’ is a very common saying
and a very true one. Fasting, especially in the midst of plenty tend to
come with some challenges. These challenges in themselves are not
the real problems. The problem is developed in how we allow those
challenges to affect us or better saying, the attitude we adopt during
the challenges.

Challenges comes in different types and I have taken the effort to

divide them into two:
Internal challenges {self-generated}
External challenges {outsider influenced generated}

Internal challenges are the challenges that is generated within and by

ourselves. They are the ones caused by our weaknesses, our personal
flairs, and our preferences. These types of challenges have nothing to
do with outsiders. It is solely generated within ourselves.

External challenges on the other hand have to do with the influence of

things and people we cannot personally control. However, if we are
able to deal efficiently with the internal challenges, dealing with the
external challenge will be a piece of cake, smooth and easy.

INTERNAL CHALLENGE

SELF-DISCIPLINE: The number one internal challenge is

ourselves. How disciplined are we? Knowing fully well that our body
desires a lot of gratifications, how do we move our focus from the
immediate to the greater good.

To overcome self, we have to train self. Train self to buy minimal

liabilities and more assets, train self to be glad when it looks like things
are not working as planned. Train self to approach businesses,
investments, and savings with logics rather than emotion.

15
 Attitude Determines Everything.

SINCERITY: as a person who really wants to enjoy wealth or as we

love to put it, who really wants to feast, one of the core attitudes to
adopt is sincerity. Be sincere with yourself. Be absolutely clean with
yourselves.

As a matter of fact, self-discipline is not achievable without sincerity.

You know you love designer’s bags and they are just your fashion
weakness, anytime you see them, the next thing that comes into your
mind is Buy! Buy!! Buy!!! Or as a man, you know your Achilles’s heel are
sport cars.

You simply can’t take your mind away from their sleek designs. As a
sincere person, you must be able to correctly analyze who you are and
what you want. You must be able to really know why you are doing
what you are. Being sincere with yourself will keep you in check.

Since you already know the things that could be easy temptations, you
should also always have an escape route when confronted with such
situations. It is important to remember that we are never tempted
beyond what we can bear. However, the first step to overcoming such
temptations lies in being sincere with yourself.

FOCUS: focus can never be over emphasized in this business. It is of

utmost importance that one focuses primarily on what you are doing.
You must focus on your fast. The reason is because, there are easy
distractions lined on the way. Oh! The distractions won’t only look
beautiful and awesome, they will also look like what you can’t do
without.

These distractions will come in various forms and shades. They will
come in form of criticisms from well-meaning friends, they will come in
form of pity and helpful advice from family members, and they will
come in form of self-appraisal from your own beautiful self.

16
 Attitude Determines Everything.

Now the truth is all these distractions in themselves and of themselves

maybe good, but they are nonetheless distractions. Without strong
focus on your goal, on the purpose of your fast, your distractions would
eventually win.

A very close brother to focus, is doggedness and determination, I call

them brothers of the same mother.

With your focus, is a dire need to be dogged and determined in your

resolve to feast and not just eat and this simply means, you must be
dogged in your resolve to fast no matter what the opportunity cost is,
no matter what the gratifications you are letting go, knowing fully well
that it would only just take a while. It is only when this personal,
unwavering, conviction is formed in you that you can truly be the kind
of person you want to be.

EXTERNAL CHALLENGES

The second major form or type of challenge is the External Challenges.

This type of challenges is quite different from the one we explained in
previous paragraphs. They are not from within us, as a matter of fact,
we personally have little or no control over them.

We can’t stop them from happening to us, but we can definitely control
ad determine the effects they have on us. This type of challenges comes
from people around us.

Often, most people won’t understand why you are making some
certain decisions about your finance. Questions or comments like “you
work so hard, you make so much, yet you spend little to nothing on
yourself, why?” would come up. .

17
 Attitude Determines Everything.

And am telling from practical experience that initially, when you hear
such questions, the first reaction will be to smile, a sweet deep smile
that comes from a wonderful well of knowledge and you will also
proceed to explain the why.

Nonetheless, after a while, the same question that has previously

evoke smiles and explanations will start irritating you. For some people
that have asked before and you’ve previously explained to and are still
asking, you will be tempted to point out the foolishness in their own
reckless spending to them, but you won’t though.

It is at this point, you have to remember that this people asking the
questions repeatedly again and again, have your best interest at heart.
And the purpose for their concern is you. Their love for you.

It is also important to remember that you do not owe anyone an

explanation for your choice of life especially when it comes to your
finance, except of course, your financial mentor if you have one (and if
you don’t, I will strongly advise that you get one). It will keep you
accountable and you need accountability or someone you can trust, if
you are going on this journey.

The thing about fasting, that can really weigh you down, when you
haven’t dealt with yourself and strengthened your convictions is that, it
is when you are fasting that it looks like everyone around you wants to
feast. And they want you to join the party, bringing something with you
to the table.

They don’t just want to feast with you, they also want to feast on you.
Don’t fall to the pressure of impressing people or the society. Don’t ever
live your life and most importantly, don’t build your wealth around
pleasing or impressing people. Aside from the fact that it is sheer
foolishness to do this, it is also noteworthy to know that people won’t
eventually be impressed.
18
 Attitude Determines Everything.

IInstead they will set unreasonable standards for you, standards that
they are not meeting neither are they trying to meet it. And if you don’t
meet the standards, they will blacklist you. But you know all of those
things won’t matter at all, you won’t need to worry about whose
standards you are fitting in to or not, if the only standards that you have
to fit in is yours. It won’t matter, if you know what you are doing and why
you are doing what you are doing.

I have seen supposedly rich people that are heavily indebted. They live
heavy, glamorous life, impressing people that don’t really care about
them, pleasing all types of people, and they are seriously paying with
their money, sweat, sleepless nights and even blood for it.

Don’t get caught in that trap. It is a trap that once you enter, you won’t
get free from. Ever. Free yourself as fast as possible and as soon as
possible from the burden of impressing people. Your future feasting self
will thank you for it.

Now that we have been able to talk about some of the attitude to adopt
during fasting, how about when you are feasting? What should you do?
Well the number one attitude to adopt is to not be emotionally attached
to money or material things.

Deal with them as a byproduct of your choice of life. Realize that it is a

way of life that brought them and it is that same way of life that will
sustain them. So, when you are feasting, don’t get choked. The point of
feasting is not so that you can become gluttonous, but so that you can
have strength to fulfil your main purpose, and so that you can have
choices.

You know this point reminded me of a particular bible passage I came

across once and I love so much. Ecclesiastes 10:17, you can decide what
you want and you will also have the ability to afford it.You can bless lives
as much as you would love to.
19
Most importantly, never forget that when you are fasting, it is you
alone, but when you are feasting, it is everyone’s feast. It won’t be a
feast if it’s just all about you.

20
 CHAPTER FIVE
THE ADDED ADVANTAGE
 The Added Advantage

As the final chapter of this part, I will love to conclude this part by
shamelessly and unapologetically talking about the place of God in
your fast.

You see, planning your way to wealth is 100% realistic, good and
achievable. But there is no way you can be truly prosperous without
God. The truth is, it is possible to carefully plan your way to wealth,
even without putting God in your plans. After all we have people that
do not believe in God at all and they are wealthy.

We would be deceiving ourselves if we say they don’t exist. However,

God is our added advantage, our edge over every other factor for those
of us that believe in Him. And this is irrespective of your religious
affiliations. God desires for his children not just financial wealth, but
also health and sound mind.

In taking care of his children’s wealth, he also inspires men who wrote
the bible to outline principles of wealth. One of my favorite’s books of
the bible is the book of proverbs, written by one of the wealthiest,
wisest men the world has ever known.

Now, though God is interested in the prosperity of his children, and his
promises for their well being is scattered all over the pages of the bible,
it will be folly to solely rely on these promises and do nothing about it.
No work, no strategic planning, nothing! Such a person who do this
would live life at a very low ebb.

If God says he is going to bless the works of your hands and you are
claiming it, you better have at least a work in your hand that God can
bless. For instance, God told Abraham, he is going to make him very
great. Yet Abraham had cows, cattle and flocks. He had shepherds,
male and female servants that works for him.

He practically worked the blessing, till it became obvious. He was

faithful to his own work and God was faithful to His own promises.
22
 The Added Advantage

When you go ahead and check his Son Isaac, you will further discover,
that he also worked. It was recorded that he dug a lot of wells and even
though, it was being taken from him, he kept digging new ones, till it
was no longer taken.

This same man decided to sow during famine, when every natural
circumstance says otherwise and the bible records that in that same
year of famine, he reaped bountifully in 100 folds.

See, without deceiving you, I will let you know that the God factor in
businesses is real, very real and genuine and it works, but you also have
to do your part. So, what exactly am I saying? I am saying there is a God
who is interested in the prosperity of his people and he wants them
wealthy, healthy and sound.

However, you shouldn’t just be a lazy lover of God, who does nothing,
yet expecting the blessing. Instead, be a careful strategic planner. Plan
your way into wealth and use the Lord God’s interest in your prosperity
as an advantage.

God in your life is an added advantage. This is because like I said earlier,
you don’t have to be godly to be wealthy. However, if God is on your
side, and he is guiding you, you can be sure of making the right deals,
executing the right contracts, activating favor for yourself and
orchestrating events to work just for you.

23
PART B
 INTRODUCTION
In the first part of this book, we have taken our time to analyze what
Fasting and Feasting mean. We have talked about planning- intentional
planning- and that led us to goal setting. We further elaborated on the
attitude we should adopt while fasting and even when we are feasting.
And finally, we touched on the God factor.

I want to implore us to be certain we understand Part A really well

before we proceed to Part B. We can always go back and re-read it again
and again.

In part B, we will be unravelling the Types of Fasting, the part I

term,"The Multiple Streams of Income.”

The book of Ecclesiastes says, "Cast your bread upon the waters, and
you will find it after many days."If there is any book that teaches the
wisdom of multiple streams of income, it is the book of Ecclesiastes.It is
so explicitly clear that we can’t afford to live on just one stream. We will,
therefore ,be talking extensively on at least four major types of streams
in this part. They include:

• Investing
• Self-employed entrepreneurship
• Business ownership entrepreneurship
• Being an employee.

Enjoy the read.

25
 CHAPTER SIX
CHOICES- THE MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME
 Choices- The Multiple Streams of Income

Feasting has to do with having choices, and you can’t have choices if
there are no varieties to choose from. Now the same way feasting is
based on varieties, so also is fasting. There are different types of fast,
what is generally referred to in this book as "multiple streams of
income.”

You know, I find it hilarious that this is not a new idea at all, neither is it
an idea that became a necessity due to poverty. I am saying having
multiple streams of income is not a counterattack against poverty; it is a
culmination of purposeful, intentional, pre-planned activity. As a
matter of fact, having multiple streams of income is as old as our
beautiful earth, and God himself laid out the principle.

It was recorded that when God created the first garden in Eden, he also
created a river that divided into four streams in the garden. This simply
meant that the garden was being watered and maintained from four
different sources. No wonder it was beautiful, no wonder Adam had
enough work to do.

As if that was not enough, one of the wisest men that ever lived advised
in the book of Ecclesiastes that you should let your sources of income be
up to seven, even eight. Woah! As high as eight? You can begin to
imagine why he was also one of the richest men that ever lived.

You see, from the two biblical examples I gave above, I came to the
conclusion that to be able to indeed feast, we'd better engage in
different forms of fast. Don’t just engage in one aspect; do as many as
possible.

At least do four(remember four rivers watered the garden). Why should

you focus on one source of income when you can do two, three, four,
five, six, seven and eight? Maybe you are thinking, would you have the
time and energy to do this?

27
 Choices- The Multiple Streams of Income

Well, let me burst your bubble on that. The same energy that it takes to
run one is what it takes to run eight. The only thing is, you will have to
learn to organize and use your time wisely. You are young and that is
why you are involved; then be fully involved.

Be an investor, a self-employed entrepreneur, a business owner

entrepreneur, and, if time permits, be an employee too. Let income
flow into your account from different ends. That way, you are sure of
always having more than enough.

In the next chapters, I will be discussing in detail what each of these

streams entails.

28
 CHAPTER SEVEN
THE WISDOM OF INVESTING
 The Wisdom of Investing

This chapter is filled with nuggets. I will be discussing and answering a

lot of questions on investment. It is understood that a lot of young
people don’t consider it a necessity to invest, and for the few that do,
they spend first and invest the rest.

They are too scared of what would happen just in case the investment
didn’t yield as expected. They can’t afford to lose all of their money, yet
they are not really ready to do the work that would generate so much
money. That is the real essence of my doing this right now: to allay your
fears of investment.

Let’s start by defining what investment really means.

Investment simply means trading some part of your money for a lot
more money in the future. That means you’ve got to put it away for a
long time into the future.

Now, let me make it clear that it is not all money that is kept for a long
time into the future that is called investment. When money is put away
for a long time and it is not generating any returns on it throughout that
period, it is called savings, not investment.

Saving, in itself, is not a bad idea, but it is also not a very good idea. My
question is, why save it when you can invest it? After all, savings doesn’t
bring any significant returns. Investment is your money working for
you. The same way, you work and you make money, is the same way
your money can do some work for you and make more money.

WHAT RULES SHOULD GUIDE YOUR INVESTMENT?

The truth is, when it comes to investing, there are a lot of rules that can
guide you. However, for the purpose of this book, I will be using the
quotes of five different mega-investors to explain these rules to us.

30
 The Wisdom of Investing

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

“Finding the best person or the best organization to invest your money
is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make.”-
BILL GROSS

It is important to do enough research on who holds your money and for

how long, as this will set the tone for your investment. You should ask
all the questions that pertain to your investment before making your
decision. It is always safer and wiser to ask the questions first and invest
later than to invest first and ask questions later.

Apart from this, it is also better that while doing your homework,
ensure you are the one really doing it. Do it yourself! Don’t delegate
this part of the work. You can hire professionals to help you see the
facts and figures correctly, and also help you ask the right questions,
but ultimately, do your homework yourself. It saves a lot of heartaches
and losses in the future.

2. HAVE A PURPOSE, A BIGGER PURPOSE THAN JUST

BEING WEALTHY

“The person who starts simply with the idea of getting rich won’t
succeed; you must have a larger ambition.”- JOHN ROCKEFELLER

I know for a certainty that must of us know or at least have heard of the
name "Rockefeller."Rockerfeller,in the United States, was noted as the
man who dedicated half of his entire lifetime to making money, and
then dedicated the other half of his lifetime to giving this money away
for a greater cause.

31
 The Wisdom of Investing

There is a bigger purpose for building wealth than just being wealthy.
There is a purpose for feasting. Like I said in part A, feasting is not about
you alone; it goes beyond that. Building real wealth demands that you
think and find purpose outside yourself.You must find that purpose.

3. DON’T JUST BUY ASSETS; BUY YOUR ASSETS WELL.

“Smart investing doesn’t consist of buying good assets, but of buying

assets well. This is a very important distinction that very few people
understand.”- Howard Marks

As an investor and a smart one, it is important - highly important - that

you don’t just buy assets, but you also know the right time to buy those
assets. There are opportune moments,and you should be able to
recognize those moments. Assets are assets, not only because of the
price at which you bought them, but also because of their value.

Now, smart investors buy really great, valuable assets at very low
prices. This is because they have been able to train their instincts, eyes,
and emotions to recognize such assets. They buy their assets well.

4.DON’T OVERTHINK BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR

INVESTMENT.

Iif you have more than 120 or 130 IQ points, you can afford to give the
rest away. You don’t need extraordinary intelligence to succeed as an
investor."– Warren Buffet

I personally find this hilarious. It’s okay to think about your proposed
investment and even do some legwork on your research. But it is good
to also know when enough is enough. Overanalyzing may eventually
delay your investment or even bring it to a dead end.

32
 The Wisdom of Investing

When, as an investor, you think more than you do, that is just what will
happen: you will do more of thinking than investing. You will never be
able to get around to doing anything.

So my candid advice is: do your research, decide if you are going to do

this investment ,an dthen go ahead and do it. Procrastination has never
stopped stealing time and opportunities from people.

5. THERE IS NEVER A PERFECT TIME. DO WHAT YOU

HAVE TO DO.

“Anyone who is not investing now is missing a tremendous

opportunity”. –CARLOS SLIM

There is simply no perfect time to invest. Ecclesiastes captures it

perfectly:"He that considers the weather will not sow.”If you are
waiting for the perfect moment, you will keep waiting, and the time
your money is meant to be growing is steadily and continuously passing
away. Just go ahead and do that investing.

As an investor, what you earn is called "passive income."This means

that, you don’t have to be physically present or be physically
working before you earn.

WHAT CAN I INVEST IN?

Having a good knowledge of the different types of income will aid in the
decision-making process of what to invest in.
There are basically three types of income:
Earned income
Passive income
Portfolio income

33
 The Wisdom of Investing

The Earned Income: As the name implies, this is income that is

earned after physical work is done. It comes in form of wages or
salaries, which could further be earned on an hourly, weekly, or
monthly basis. It is also the cheapest form of income.

However, it could get tougher in the long run. This is because the older
you get, the greater your financial responsibilities, and before you
know it, that income that comes in monthly and looks so much will no
longer be enough.

THE PASSIVE INCOME: This is the easiest form of income to

make. It is called passive because you don’t have to be actively doing
any physical work before you earn this type of income. If you are a
network marketer or you’ve invested in real estate, the type of income
you earn is passive income.

When you partner in small businesses too, or you have a chain of

companies and you’ve created a system that can generate income
without necessarily requesting your presence, what you earn is passive
income.

THE PORTFOLIO INCOME: This is income that is earned from

what I call ‘paper assets’. They are the form of income that comes as
ROIs (returns on investment) such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

There are different investment plans tailored for different people and
different needs. It is highly important that after you’ve decided what
you want to do, you also decide which of these investment plans your
perfect fit is.
Going by the above narrative, you can invest in the following:
Stocks
Bonds
Real estate
Mutual funds
34
 The Wisdom of Investing

You can also invest in small or medium business by being a partner. Or

you can simply create your own company and invest in it.

AT WHAT AGE SHOULD YOU START INVESTING?

I added this question as a final thought in rounding off this chapter

because it is a really important one that needs to be answered. It’s
common to see people start their investment journey when they are
nearing retirement.

The excuse is always that they have used their money to train their
children up to university level, and now that all or most of their children
are almost graduates, they have a little extra savings to invest.

This excuse is logical and reasonable, but it is still what it is- an excuse. It
is to avoid this excuse that I advocate you start early! As a matter of fact,
smart parents hold investment for their children from as early as the
first month of birth.

From a wealth of knowledge about finances and investments being

“accumulated wealth,”it is better to start accumulating early. By the
time the child is celebrating his eighteenth year birthday, he is already
in millions.

Most eighteenth-year birthdays, like mine are usually celebrated with

biscuits, sweets, rice, cakes and drinks. This is beautiful, but I would love
my child’s eighteenth birthday gift to be his awareness that at age
eighteen, he is a millionaire already. Of course, with this awareness
comes the responsibility to multiply that investment. After all, at that
age, he becomes an adult.

35
 The Wisdom of Investing

I would love my child ,at eighteen, to have learnt a lot of financial

education,and therefore, have a high level of financial intelligence that
can make him an effective and active member of one of my companies
when he is on break from school.

I, as a person, think I started late, but my child will start really early. If
you have started already, it’s a beautiful one, and if you’ve not started,
start now! Think and research on the type of investment you would love
to do, but don’t over think it. Just go ahead and start your investment
NOW!

36
 CHAPTER EIGHT
THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP MYTH
 The Entrepreneurship Myth

Becoming an entrepreneur is by far one of the most exciting journeys

to take. It is a journey for those who are bold, courageous and
innovative. They are creative, and are, therefore, called creators. They
create ideas and assemble them. They develop new ideas or work on
existing ideas and create a better niche for themselves from it.

The basic requirement of an entrepreneur includes vast knowledge on

the products or services, passion, strong will and persistence.

Although being an entrepreneur is interesting, not everyone is tailored

for it. An entrepreneur is made when a problem is identified and
someone decides to be the solution to that problem. An entrepreneur
is a hard worker and a smarter worker joined into one, and not
everyone can be that.

Entrepreneurship can be divided into two basically:

A self-employed entrepreneur
A business owner entrepreneur.

As closely-related as these two appear, they are still different in

outlook and structure. This thus makes a lot of difference in the
allocation of time to the function and, of course, the financial result of
each.

A self-employed entrepreneur is a person who works for himself or

herself and earns the money. Often, there is no particular structure to
this sort of business. It is just a means to an end. They have no extra
staff, or maybe just one. As a matter of fact, the business is centred on
them. Without their physical presence, there is no business.

They are the life and blood of the business. They work alone as
freelance, business consultant, etc. They are their own ‘boss’. A self-
employed entrepreneur could even earn higher than an employee, but
it is also totally dependent on how hard they can work.
38
 The Entrepreneurship Myth

A business owner entrepreneur is a person that owns a business or

businesses that generate money. In this situation, it is not the
individual that makes the money; rather, he has created a business
system that generates money.

Whether or not he is physically present is not a barrier to the flow of his

money. Creating a business system is one of the wisest, smartest
things an entrepreneur can do. It involves creating responsibilities and
delegating those responsibilities to others. Some other business
owners even go ahead and share ownership of their companies.

This could reduce the profits, but it also reduces the risk of loss. Being a
business owner demands that you be very smart and intelligent. In this
case, a lot of hard work is not required as such, since you’ve been able
to delegate most of the work.

However, to keep the structure running, you have to be ahead of your

game. Being a business owner gives you extra time to dedicate to
other important things ,like having meetings with influential investors,
buildinga great and wealthy network of friends, etc. It allows for time
to strategize on how to increase the capacity of your companies. Being
a business owner entrepreneur is not a piece of cake; however, it is
smarter.

HOW THEN DO I MAKE MY BUSINESS GROW?

Every business that must be successful must be solving a problem in

the business environment. It is, therefore, important to ask these
important questions if you really want your business to grow
:1. Is there a problem here?
2. Can I solve the problem?
3. This product or service I want to sell, will it solve any particular
problem?
4. Is there market for it? Will people be interested in buying it?
39
 The Entrepreneurship Myth

These and other such questions are what we refer to as market

research questions. Another factor to consider is: who are my potential
customers? In answering this question, you have to think: why would
these customers leave their present source and shift their base to me?

And if your product is new to the environment, why should they be

interested in a new product that you are just introducing? Like my
husband would ask me, "Who are you that anyone should be
interested in what you have to offer?"That is, who does your product
help in particular, that anyone should look forward to buying it?

In Nigerian street parlance,who you epp?Like I said, these are just

questions that would help you correctly analyze what you should sell.

Finally, when you want to sell, think of your customers again and again.
Think of why your customers should and would want to buy from you.
Put yourself in their shoes and think like them. That way, you can
constantly keep serving better, and of course keep increasing your
cash flow too.

40
 CHAPTER NINE
THE SAFETY OF THE EMPLOYEE
Most people fit this category well. They earn their income by working
for the government, a company or a business. They are employees
because they are employed by someone to get work done. They are
dependent on the salaries and wages they earn from this work, and
this is bad in no way.

As a matter of fact, the school system trains us to have this mind set,
especially a specialized one. We are trained to wake up, work hard and
get a pay cheque, then go to sleep. The cycle keeps going like that till
we are old enough to retire.

And if we are working with a government or company that has

retirement plans, we live on the pension. However, without a
retirement plan, there is a very bleak future ahead, except, of course, I
f we’ve been saving or investing before especially for this cause.

Being an employee is a very honourable lifestyle, the only downside

being that it doesn’t guarantee a financially-secured future. The
reason most people prefer it is the low risk involved.

Nonetheless, it has become increasingly difficult to secure jobs, and

the fact that layoffs have also become rampant has removed the
shield of job security that increasingly drives people to seek this type
of income.

The truth is, it may even be necessary to start from being an employee
to earn the capital you can use to start and expand. I know a particular
man who was a secondary school teacher, and as a secondary school
teacher, he took a loan from a bank, using his salary as collateral.

He used that loan to build a mega-school. He created the first system

and then he started duplicating the system. Now he has about five
mega-schools in just a town.

42
 The Safety of the Employee

This man started as an employee, but he has turned himself to a

business owner entrepreneur, and of course, an heavy investor. As an
employee that doesn’t want to just get by with life, that is the way to
go. What, then, Can be Done?

Having established the fact that being an employee is not a path to feasting
at all, what can be done? My sincere advice for people who are employees is
to also be investors. That way, while you are working, your money can also
work, and you will be able to feast eventually. Don’t forget that your fast is
directly equal to your feast.

43
 CONCLUSION
If you have read up to this point, you are probably boiling with ideas on
what to do already. As a matter of fact, you can clearly see your next
step of action and you just want to be done with this concluding part so
you can take immediate action.

The principles outlined in this book are not given to deceive you that
you won’t face some challenges on your journey. Notwithstanding, I
am glad to let you know that whatever the challenge, you are bigger
than it.You can overcome both internal and external challenges.

You can source for capital even when it looks like you have absolutely
nothing, simply by putting your unique talents to work. You can involve
God so much in your plan that His plan for your prosperity becomes
obvious to the whole world.

You already know the four main types of streams, and you have even
figured out the one that fits your specific immediate need. You have
also read that the best investment plan to sure wealth is the long-term
plan.

You have observed that even though there is nothing wrong with being
an employee, being an employee alone, however, won’t really lead to
feasting.

You have discovered that the best plan is to be a business ownership

entrepreneur and an investor simultaneously, although you can start
your journey from a self-employed entrepreneur while you plan your
structure and system to become a business owner.

You have learnt a lot. You have read so much, and you are probably
planning to read the other books suggested at the end of this book. I
want to let you know that I, for one, love this.

44
I appreciate this so much. However, the point of this book is not so that
you read and add it to the list of the books you’ve read. It is so that you
will take action on it.

I would really be glad if, despite all odds, you take necessary action.
Start a business, build your system, become an investor or an
employee with huge investment.

I look forward to the feasting with you. I look forward to the ‘you’ that is
not necessarily moved by the economic state of your country. I look
forward to the ‘you’ that is ready to FAST BEFORE YOU FEAST.

It would be a great honour and privilege to hear from you. And if you
need a hand to hold you and walk with you through this journey, I am
readily available, and I would really love to do it too.

You can reach me directly on this line: +2348168834380

Or email me on olusefunmi2012@gmail.com

45
 APPENDIX
ASSETS: Items of value you own. This simply means the item is valuable and
it is yours. It could also mean the items on a balance sheet showing the book
value of property owned.

LIABILITY: Something that costs you money. If what you own costs you
money, either for fixing or for maintenance, it is liability.

STOCK: This is a share of the value of a company which can be bought, sold
or traded.

BOND: An official document in which a government or company promises

to pay back an amount of money that it has borrowed, and to pay interest for
the borrowed money.

MUTUAL FUND: A type of investment in which the money of many

people is used to buy stock from many different companies.

Suggested books for further reading to increase your financial

literacy and guide your fasting journey:

The Richest Man in Babylon

Investing for Dummies
The "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" series
The Bible Book of Proverbs
The Book of Ecclesiastes

If this book inspires and you would love to see it in print, you can sow a
seed towards that cause. Send your seed to this account.
0725848929
Ale Oluwasefunmi
Access Bank.
Thank you so much!
About the Author
Oluwasefunmi Oyebamiji is the co-lead pastor of the Church of the Living God, a
fast-growing church she pastors with her husband, Pastor Barnabas Oyebamiji, with
the vision to bring to everyone’s awareness the life of God within them and the high
capacity of this life, and inundate them with the message that they must live out this
life. The life of God is not for cosmetics.

She is a passionate mentor and business coach to many young men and women. She
believes she lives for these people, and her greatest joy comes from seeing these
people start new businesses or increase the networth of their businesses. She is an
astute businesswoman who believes and lives in the prosperity of The Blessing, and
she is readily working it out. She has practically touched the four streams, having
been an employee and self-employed entrepreneur, and she is currently a business
owner and an investor.

She is the C.E.O.of The Royals. The Royals is the umbrella name for RoyalCrest
Kiddies Academy, Royal Crest Tutorial Centre, and Royal Crunchy Chips.
Furthermore, she is a farmer.

Oluwasefunmi Oyebamiji is a graduate of History and International Relations from

the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.