The Upward Way To The Top in Life and Career

The Upward Way to the Top
1
THE
UPWARD WAY
TO
THE TOP
(IN LIFE AND CAREER)
DAYO ISAAC OJEDIRAN
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Copyright © 2022 by Dayo Isaac Ojediran
Email: dayo.ojediran@yahoo.com
Tel.: +234 806 212 9047
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or be transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical,
electronic, photocopying, or otherwise without the express written permission of
the author, except for brief quotations in reviews or articles.
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CONTENTS
Dedication………………………………………………………………………...5
Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………...6
Foreword………………………………………………………………………….8
Introduction……………………………………………………………………….10
CHAPTERS
1. GET STIRRED UP………………………………………………………….12
2. DREAM UP………………………………………………………………….19
3. THINK UP………………………………………………………………...…28
4. RISE UP………………………………………………………………….…..33
5. LOOK UP……………………………………………………….…………...39
6. WORK UP………………………………………………………….………..45
7. BUILD YOURSELF UP…………………………………………………....55
8. START UP…………………………………………………………………..74
9. STEP UP……………………………………………………………………..89
10. SHOW UP………………………………………………………………….96
11. CLIMB UP………………………………………………………………...110
12. SOW UP…………………………………………………………………...116
13. STAY UP…………………………………………………………………..125
14. LIVE UP…………………………………………………………………...141
15. NEVER GIVE UP………………………………………………………...156
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the blessed memory of my sweet mother, Late Mrs.
Florence Iyabo Ojediran (1952-2019).
You lived a great life and left a glorious legacy of which we are very proud.
Keep on resting in peace. I look forward to the day we shall meet again.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost I give thanks to my God, Jehovah. Without you I am nothing.
I appreciate my beautiful and darling wife, Blessing Okiemute, and my beloved
son, Victor Testimony. Thank you both for making my life beautiful.
I thank my Dad, Mr. N.A Ojediran for the great values you raised me with. I have
also learned so much from you.
My siblings Tayo, Kunle, and Seun, it is a great privilege to have you as brothers.
Thank you Engr. Tayo for being the best senior brother in the world. I appreciate
you Kunle for being a nice and good brother. Seun, thank you for believing in this
book and the push to complete it on time.
Rev Dr. Albert and Rev Teju Oduwole, you have been my pastors and mentors for
many years and you are a fountain of knowledge and wisdom from which I have
drawn abundantly. Some of the things I learned from you are reflected in this book.
I am very grateful to you.
Thank you Bishop Sam U. Akpeji for believing so much in me.
Rev Adegboyega Adeyefa, thank you for the platform you gave me to prove my
leadership abilities.
Rev Jeremiah Adediran, thank you for being a brother and a good friend. I
appreciate your encouragement and moral support.
Mr. Bayo Adeyinka, your life and personality have challenged me a great deal to
rise and maximize my potential. I appreciate you for being real and resourceful.
Dr. Bayo Omoyiola Jr., I say thank you. Shortly before this book was published
you assured me you would be the first to buy a copy upon its release. That was
indeed a morale booster for me.
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I have acquired wisdom and gained insights from many books I have read and
from several speakers I have listened to. I will never be able to mention you all by
names but I am grateful for the impartations of knowledge I have got from you all.
Finally, to everyone reading this book, thank you for believing in my ability to
inspire, motivate and add value to you. You will succeed! We shall meet at the top.
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FOREWORD
We live in a very precarious time. Pandemics, political problems and pressures

everywhere. This is making it almost impossible for many to be optimistic about
anything. The greatest delusion is the direction to go, but fortunately, in the midst
of all that, here comes an excellent book to change your mindset about the only
direction for you to go which is upwards.
Les Brown said “Even if you fall just make sure that you fall face up not face
down, because if you can look up then you can get up!”
In other words, never let go of your dreams. One of my favorites of the 15 chapters
in this book is chapter 2 “DREAM UP”.
The author did more than encourage us to dream up, he also gave us 5 things to
avoid and 6 things to do to make our dreams come through.
Here is my counsel to you.

Are you on the verge of giving up? Is your dream fast becoming your doom and
your commission, your confusion?
Is this why you have decided that the dream is not realistic, and the vision not
visible? Listen to me before you throw your dreams, ambitions, visions, etc., to the
trash-can. DON‟T FORGO IT, GO FOR IT!
You see, when God gives a sight He also gives the might. It does not matter what
you have been through, or how tough it looks, make up your mind now not to
forego it but to go for it. Remember it is a matter of destiny and your destiny can
only be refuted not relegated. It can only be contested, not castrated.
Winners never quit and quitters never win.
The definition of a winner is a potential loser that persists; and a failure, a potential
winner that quits. All it takes is a decision (success is a product of decisions, not
day dreaming) so go for it! There is a go in every gospel and two third of the word
God is go. Go for it! There is nothing that can stop a determined mind, turn that
scar to a star, turn that breach to a bridge (to success), turn that shame to fame.
You can decide to be a victor and not a victim. It is your choice. Though you may
be knocked down today, just remember that you are not knocked out yet. Setbacks
indeed pave way for comebacks. It is not over until it's over; let's go for it!
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So my friend, it‟s time to look up and this awesome book by DAYO ISAAC
OJEDIRAN is your self-help manual to do just that. Each chapter not only gives
you what to “up” but also how to. I recommend this book not only because it will
help you go up but also because it will help you stay up.
See you at the top!
Albert Olufemi Oduwole

International conference speaker, love and life coach.
Author & Mentor.
May 2022
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INTRODUCTION
Getting to the top implies reaching the highest point in an endeavor. It simply
means becoming very successful at what you do. It could also be defined as
becoming distinguished, renowned, and celebrated in some field or area.
To work your way up has to do with putting in the right effort, attitude, and
commitment that make you progress from where you are to the place of fulfillment
that you desire.
Life at the top is a life that moved from ordinary to sublime, from mediocrity to
excellence. It is a place of accomplishment of feats and realizing one's dreams.
A life that is not upward bound is a life that is downward prone. At the downside
of life is mediocrity which results in stagnation and eventually retrogression. A life
that is down reeks of frustration and lack of fulfillment. The good news however is
that the opportunity to go upwards is always available for whoever wishes to take
the stride.
Humans were not designed to be stationary. Movement is one of the characteristics
of living things. Mobility is important to life's existence and survival therefore
being static is an aberration of human nature. Aside from the biological movement,
there is also the movement towards fulfillment that is inherent in us as human
beings. It should be noted that the movement of life could be upward, downward,
or rotation on one spot.
Any movement aside the upward movement is negative to life and existence. The
only desirable movement is the upward movement. Going up is an advancement
that brings joy and fulfillment.
Getting to the top may not be fun and maybe challenging but it must be taken as a
matter of seriousness. Life should not be a rocking chair or a merry-go-round that
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gives you motion while keeping you in one spot with no change of status. You
should be making constant progress till you get to the pinnacle.
The way up is the way of obstacles that must be surmounted, challenges that must
be overcome, and problems that must be solved. That is why getting to the top in
any area of life requires determination and commitment. It takes discipline and
dedication to the principles that make things work as expected.
This book gives you a practical guide on how you can attain that height you desire
in life. It is an exposition into the principles of attaining success in life's endeavors.
You are going to discover the veritable steps to a life of fulfillment in this book.
You will also be motivated to take the right actions for a greater life experience.
I believe you have the ambition to be successful and great in life. If you act on
what you are about to read I can assure you that you will get to the top in life. You
will get to the top in your career, finance, academics, leadership role, and all other
areas where you desire to be successful and make an impact.
Dayo Isaac Ojediran
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CHAPTER 1
GET STIRRED UP
Advancing and succeeding in life becomes feasible once you realize that you are
the one that can motivate yourself the best.
There are times when there would be no one to give you the encouragement or
inspiration you need. In life, one may get to a point when the situation looks bleak
and hopeless. This usually causes weariness and lack of vigor. Notwithstanding,
you can come out of doldrums if you can stir yourself up from within.
In the other way, you may be hopeful, full of potential, and have a whole lot of
opportunities available for you. Yet you cannot harness such privileges for your
benefit if you are not stirred up to arise and take it on.
Every invention and all discoveries that have so far been made were brought to life
because someone somewhere was stirred up to seek a solution or find out some
hidden facts. It all began from the mind. The human mind has a great depth of
resourcefulness and when searched thoroughly the enormous treasures that lie
within can be unearthed. Whatever the mind can conceive, if there is focus and
strong belief backed up by the right action, it is just a matter of time for it to
manifest.
When you get stirred up to action and you believe it is possible then you have put
yourself on the path of success already. Even if you don‟t have the means to get it
done at the moment, the inspiration you have got and the belief in its possibility
will begin to open you up to the things needed for the actualization of such vision.
You will soon begin to discover the opportunities you never knew existed. The
information needed shall start to come to you. The people needed for the birthing
of the dream begin to show up. Each step you take in the direction of your goal
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will be a stepping stone to yet another milestone and each open door you access
leads to yet another door. This continues till you get to your final destination.
The truth however is that you will not be able to make a start in the direction of
your life if you are not stirred up to take the action. To be stirred up means to be
motivated and aroused for action. It is to be activated and spurred on to get
something done. It is a conscious effort of arising from a state of dormancy or
inactivity. It is a deliberate step taken to leap to the next level in the ladder of
accomplishment. It is a self-encouragement to believe that there is something great
and monumental ahead that could be achieved. You need to inspire yourself into
greatness.
Dr. Albert Femi Oduwole in his book, Running with a Vision, said:
“Make a wise decision today, decide to be inspired. He that refuses to be inspired will end up
expired. Get inspired! You are more than this. You can get to where you ought to be from where
you are. Everyone that got to where they are started from where they were, but the link is an
inspiration. You need it, get it.”
Getting yourself stirred up makes you drop every doubt and lack of belief in your
ability. When you stir yourself up you are bringing to the fore your special abilities
and opportunities which have been erstwhile lying fallow and dormant. Your eyes
are suddenly opened to see opportunities for progress that you have either not been
noticing or have been ignoring.
Someone said, “Let no one discourage your ambitious attitude. You don‟t need a
fan club to achieve your goal. Be your motivation.”
Yes! That is the reality. You should be your motivator and success activator. This
is the essence of getting yourself stirred up.
There are going to be times when you will feel like not doing anything at all due to
the circumstances around you. This may be due to discouragement that came from
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previously failed attempts or constant difficulties and oppositions. At times it is
just a feeling of complacency and inclination to continue to revel in the comfort
zone.
One truth everyone must know and believe is that you have come to this life to
fulfill a particular purpose. You are here to accomplish an assignment for which
you were specifically designed. No one can fill your place exactly the way you
would. You are unique in your making, experience, exposure, inborn traits, and
unique strength. You are here to contribute your part in making the world a better
place.
However, there are times when you don‟t feel the urge to pursue that life‟s
assignments to the utmost. This is why you need some self-stirring activities and
self-motivation.
Everyone who has achieved a great feat in this life has done so because they
decided to arise and do something worthwhile. They stirred themselves to take
certain actions to bring them to the fulfillment of their dreams. They also help
make the world a better place through their contributions. Chris E. Kwakpovwe
said, “Price has to be paid for success! Almost everyone who has reached the
summit worked harder and longer, studied and planned more assiduously,
practiced more self-denial, overcame more difficulties than those of us who have
not risen so far.”
The first step, however, before the decision to pay the price for success, is the
motivation and stirring in their hearts.
When you need to take a medication that is in liquid form or a suspension, you will
often notice an inscription on the label of the container which says “shake before
use.” This is because some active ingredients in the drug have settled and are no
longer evenly distributed in the liquid. If you take the medicine in that state
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without shaking the bottle before use, you won‟t get the best out of the medicine.
The expected result is lost already. But shaking the bottle makes the medicine
potent as all the constituent elements are now mixed up appropriately in the right
composition which enables it to fulfill its curative purpose.
The above is an illustration of a stirring you need. Until you are stirred up, you
won‟t be adequately fitted and conditioned to rise and act to fulfill your potential in
life. You have the ability in you; the resources which are the ingredients of success
are in you such as knowledge, experience, and skills. All these might have been
dormant in you which make you not be actively making progress. But like the
stirring of the medicine to make it fulfill its purpose you need to get stirred up to
bring into effectiveness all that has been stored and lying dormant within you. Mix
up your knowledge with your experience and skill, do something with them. You
could do more than you are doing now and achieve more success than at the
present level. According to Sharon Salzberg, “We‟re capable of much more than
mediocrity, much more than merely getting by in this world.”
When water is boiled, the area closest to the source of heat gets an increase in
temperature before the other parts. For the entire quantity to be heated up to the
boiling point there is a continuous movement in the water molecules from the more
heated area to the less heated areas in a convection current that has been set up. It
all starts with unnoticeable movements which gradually increase in intensity. It
gets more intense, with bubbles, then accompanied with some sound, the entire
volume is getting uniformly heated up. The stirring of the water continues from the
heat source to the spreading to all the parts until the heat rises the temperature to
the boiling point. At this boiling point, there are bubbles, briskness, effervescence,
evaporation, and sound. There seems to be excitement in the liquid. The same
liquid which at the beginning was inactive now has activities, motion, and
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boisterousness. Why? Because there is a stirring up! You also can move from the
state of no fulfillment in life to a place of accomplishments, joy, and progress if
you can stir your being into taking definite actions for your success.
There are deposits of destiny in you that must be made to bubble out. You need to
get yourself to a point where you are heated up to rise and go upward to achieve
greatness. The desire for success should be much in you, enough to heat you up to
take action. If this happens in you, you see yourself moving upward in life to a
place of great fulfillment.
Get up and do something today to move your life forward. Don‟t be satisfied with
little. You are more than this. There are more grounds for you to gain in life.
“You have more potentials than you think but you will never know your full
potential unless you keep challenging yourself and pushing beyond your own self-
imposed limits.”-Roy T.Bennet
The world is waiting for you to deliver the solution you carry. There are problems
you were created to solve for at least one person on earth, perhaps for a hundred
and possibly millions and billions. But if you don‟t get up and do something you
deny yourself and the world of the benefits that could come from you. You also
miss the reward you could have got.
“For the sake of those whose destiny is tied to your rising, keep stretching yourself
onto greatness.” -Gablumen Inspires
You don‟t have to wait any further. The longer you wait the more you delay your
breakthrough. Do not allow procrastination to protract your season of obscurity,
lack, and suffering. Make hay while the sun shines says an adage. Do something
today that you will be proud of its outcome tomorrow.
When others are achieving do not be an onlooker. A spectator only witnesses the
victory and jubilation of the players in the game but never participates in the
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reward and recognition that come with it. The spectator may share in the joy of his
team winning but he never shares in the medal. Do not be a spectator in life, be the
player instead.
Some people are achieving great things, accomplishing what you have not been
able to do. This is not because they are more gifted or more intelligent than you.
The difference between you and them is that they attempted what you have not
attempted; they do what you have not been doing. They take steps you are not
taking and they dare what you don‟t dare.
You can do greater things, make more money and succeed beyond your present
level if you move yourself to take the required actions.
To be stirred up is to be fired up. Let us see an illustration of this using a rocket. A
rocket is a spacecraft that goes far high into space, an enormous distance. For a
rocket to go up there is the first ignition in the engine which burns the propellants
thereby giving out the exhaust (flames, hot gases, and smoke) from the backside at
a high speed. As the rocket burns the propellants and pushes out the exhaust, an
upward force called thrust is created. The exhaust pushes out of the rocket and
goes down with force. In response, the rocket moves in the opposite direction
lifting off the ground to go up. To launch, the rocket needs enough propellants so
that the thrust pushing the rocket up is greater than the force of gravity pulling it
down.
As the rocket rises by the fire and thus rises to the highest possible altitude in
space, so can you rise to the pinnacle of your career or life‟s ambition if you can
stir up that fire in your spirit.
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THINGS TO DO TO GET STIRRED UP:
 Speak to yourself words of assurance and hope.
 Believe everything you could dream of. Never doubt or limit yourself.
 Read books and listen to motivational and inspirational messages, talks, songs,
etc.
 Read biographies of great and exceptional men and women in history who have
made indelible impressions in our world.
 Stay away from any company that tends to discourage you by talking you out of
your dreams and ambitions. In other words, avoid naysayers and pessimistic
people.
 Surround yourself with ambitious and result-oriented people. Hang around
people who are breaking all odds to achieve the extraordinary. Such ones will
provoke you to actions that will make you do great things.
 If you ever fail, never dwell on failure but learn the lesson quickly, dust
yourself and rise at once to take on the next challenge with hope and optimism.
 Always remember the feat you have accomplished in the past. Bring to your
memory often the successes and giant strides you have taken in life even if it
was when you were a kid. Say to yourself: “If I have done greatly before I can
still do greater now”!
Do not let the fire of your passion go off at any time. Keep on blowing the air of
zeal through the bellows of determination into your vision for life. Stay motivated
and passionate about your life‟s purpose. That is the way to maximize your
potential.
Ferdinand Foch said, “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on
fire.” Therefore get fired up, get stirred up!
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CHAPTER 2
DREAM UP
It is important to have the ability to visualize in your mind what you hope to
become or do, though you have yet to get there. A dreamer is a person who has
refused to be confined to the present situation but is ready to explore the limitless
possibilities that lie ahead. When you dream you allow your mind to be free to see
what you can still do or become. Dreaming is seeing a great future ahead of you
which you can begin at once to take steps toward its attainment.
Look at the position you are in presently and begin to imagine yourself becoming
more than this because truly you are more than this. There is no end to what you
can achieve as long as you are breathing. Your present condition should not limit
you or confine you to a particular life. Even if you are physically handicapped you
should not be disabled in your mind. Your mind is neither challenged nor disabled
unless you programmed it to be so. You can still do a lot if you can see
impossibilities becoming possibilities as you dream. The moment you stop
dreaming you have closed your mind from conceiving the next stages of your life's
purpose.
A dreamer will always have something to do to become better and greater than he
presently is because he keeps seeing what has not been in existence. As he sees the
new possibilities he begins to work towards them consciously.
There is a difference between the dream you have when you are asleep and the one
you have by exercising your mind while you are fully awake. The former is not the
subject of our discussion here as you have no control of how it comes. Also in
most cases, it does not give you any definite message that could be acted upon.
Meanwhile, the dream we are focusing on here is that which you have by
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exercising your mind to create a possibility that moves you forward from the
present position.
A dream usually begins by catching a glimpse of the better life you could live, a
brighter future that could be yours, the amazing fulfillment you can have, and the
great heights you could reach.
A very good and interesting thing about a dream is that you don‟t need any
qualification, degree, or expertise to do it. You don‟t need the service of any
consultant or anyone for that matter to help you to dream. You have the natural
ability to do it. You are thus missing out on the advantage of a very powerful tool
at your disposal if you don‟t dream.
As a child, we dreamt a lot. We often looked into the future and imagined
ourselves doing great things, we never had the idea of anything called
impossibility, and we saw ourselves like superman. We allowed our imagination to
run wild knowing no bounds. A child in the elementary class never entertains any
fear about the political or economic situation of the nation. A child does not have
to fear if he would get a job or get married or be wealthy when he grows up. He is
not concerned about all that. Instead, he just sees himself doing well and being
happy as an adult in the future. He imagines things not really humanly possible
except in fiction movies and storybooks. He looks into the sky and believes he can
fly like the birds!
The problem starts when we become adults. That is when the realities of life begin
to set in and we begin to create a limitation for ourselves in our mind. We look at
the situation of things such as the economy, our financial state, and so on. We now
have the statistical data of everything associated with our lives and so we can draw
inferences to determine the limits of our potential. This denies us of reasoning
ourselves out of our present condition. This should no longer be your situation.
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Your new person should be a man or woman that sees endless opportunities in
every situation. That is awakening the dreamer in you. You have to break off the
limits of your present level. This new life-changing attitude starts from your mind
before it manifests in reality. You have to see what you have the potential of
becoming so you can guide your way to the destination. I challenge you to start
seeing yourself in a better position than you are.
If you are doing very well and at the top of your achievements do not close the
chapter yet, there is still something more for you to become. A new level higher
than you have reached is waiting for you. There is a greater level of achievement
ahead of you.
On the other way if you are nowhere near the class of success and you see yourself
as a non-achiever don‟t conclude yet on yourself. Don‟t ever see yourself as a
failure. You just go ahead and do something that will help you, which is DREAM!
Look beyond where you are and see where you wish to be that will give you the
satisfaction and fulfillment you desire in life. Begin to imagine a new status that
will bring you fulfillment. Start seeing in your mind a new position that describes
you as a success. Have dreams of a better life, a hopeful living, and a greater
tomorrow. Shake off the stigma associated with your present and look towards a
future of glory. Dream of the life you wish to live. You can achieve your dream if
you decide to make it real. Walt Disney said, "All our dreams can come true if we
have the courage to pursue them."
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WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR DREAM
To keep your dream intact and to get it fulfilled there are certain things to avoid
and others to embrace.
The following must be avoided for your dream not to be jeopardized.

1. Sentiment
Be realistic and face the facts. Do not allow wrong judgment or compromise to
becloud your reasoning. Be objective and firm in making your dream come true.
Do not try to be like anyone, be yourself. Also do not try to please anyone when it
is not necessary and do not act in a way to prove anything to anybody. Strive to
realize your dream because it is about your destiny fulfillment.
2. Inertia
This is an unwillingness to take action. It is a lack of activity occasioned by a
desire to continue the way you have been without a change. In essence, it is
laziness, slothfulness, and a tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged.
Inertia must be abhorred and discarded if your dream will ever be realized. You
must get up and work out your dream.
3. Fear
Fear will not let you fulfill your dream as it saps you of the energy needed to go
ahead. It makes you shrink instead of having an enlarged capacity.
There are:
 Fear of failure
 Fear of critics
 Fear of uncertainty
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 Fear of an unpleasant experience repeating itself
Etc.
Whatever the fear is, overcome your fears and see your dreams fulfilled.
4. Sluggishness
Someone may be working at realizing his dream but doing so in a snail's space.
Such people are not in haste and feel too relaxed in the pursuit of their dreams.
Do not be such a person. Time and tide wait for none. Be up and doing. The world
is waiting for you!
5. Lack of passion and determination

When there is no passion for something it hardly gets done. Lack of determination
makes one give up at the slightest encounter of obstacle.
Anthony Robbins said, "Determination is the wake-up call to the human will."
Be passionate about your dreams and be determined to see them come alive.
To sustain your dream and make it a reality, do the following:

1. Get clarity
The first thing you should do about any dream you have is to make it clear, plain,
and well understood. Avoid ambiguity but embrace clarity. If your dream is not
clear you will not be able to create a definite plan for its accomplishment. Also, the
direction will be lacking.
Before you start working out the dream take time to analyze every detail and have
a plan for the course of action.
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A dream that is not clearly defined is like a mirage. Do not mistake an illusion for
a dream nor should you regard a hallucination as a dream. Be very clear about
what you are seeing.
When the vision is clear you can confidently go ahead to make it true.
2. Believe it is possible
Some dreams look too good to be true, some look impossible and some look
unachievable at the moment due to a lack of resources to make it happen.
Such dreams end up as mere fantasy and with no expectations of their fulfillment.
Any dream that you do not believe in will die prematurely, never seeing the light
of the day.
According to Napoleon Hill, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can
achieve."
Therefore believe you can make your dream a reality and you have set the ball
rolling for the actualization of it.
Take your eyes off the obstacles and set your eyes on the end goal. Refuse to take
cognizance of the resources that are missing but focus on what is available to you
at present for the fulfillment of your dream.
If no one believes in your dream, you should not be discouraged, instead, believe
more in it. The dream is yours and you are the one to make it real.
Believe in yourself; believe your dream is possible because truly it is indeed
possible.
3. Pursue it vigorously
Any dream you do not push hard after will soon go out of your sight. That is to
say, you will lose the dream if you don't hold fast to it and work at fulfilling it.
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Don't be lackadaisical about your vision. Dreams and visions don't come to reality
by themselves. You cannot fold your hands and see success fall on you. A Yoruba
proverb says, “You don't raise your open mouth expecting sweetness to drop in
without first setting up the source of sweetness.”
When you have got a dream, carefully analyze it and identify all you need to make
it a reality. Once that is done refuse to go on a holiday over it. Start working on it
at once.
When you pursue your dream with commitment and dedication you will catch it,
that is to say, you will fulfill it. Keep on working towards the fulfillment of your
dream. You must be fulfilled against all odds.
Put that effort needed to make your dream a reality. Give the push, give the
attention to nurture it to life.
4. Keep it intact. Don't lose it

A dream not well kept can be lost. A dream not taken seriously will not be
achieved. Your dream must be preserved till it is fully fulfilled.
People had dreams that would have benefited the world and made their own lives
better but the dreams never saw the light of the day. The dream is eventually lost or
passed on to someone else who will carry it out and get the accolades.
Whatever has happened, do not lose your dream. You may need to modify but
don't lose it.
Langstone Hughes said, "Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, life is a
broken winged bird that cannot fly.”
Let your life fly high by fulfilling your dream.
Your dream for your life is the blueprint of the life you were meant to live.
Therefore follow it to completion.
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5. Avoid dream killers
There are people who if you stay around them you will never fulfill your dream.
They are dream killers and you must avoid such ones. It is not only humans that
could kill your dream, other things like habits, discouragement, lack of
commitment, lack of resources, fear, and so on can stop your dream if you allow
them.
If you tolerate the dream killers you have personally sacrificed your dreams and
that is a great disservice to yourself. Make up your mind not to be talked out of
your dream.
What you see, others do not see, therefore do not allow anyone to tell you that you
cannot become or receive what you have seen. It is for you to accomplish, not for
them.
Always seek for the things that prompt and excite you to act on your dream.
Do not allow anyone who does not believe it could be done to stop you who have
seen its possibility.
6. Dream again
According to C.S Lewis, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a
new dream."
When you have realized a dream, do not go on to relax, go ahead and have a
greater dream. Do not try to adjust your dream because of what people say about it.
It is your vision and you've got the responsibility to carry it out, not to satisfy any
naysayer.
If a dream has been truncated by a situation and circumstances beyond your
control, do not surrender to fate but rather dream another dream.
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If a dream happens to be time-barred and no longer feasible, do not throw in the
towel. Right there you can catch another dream for your life's advancement.
Keep on dreaming and keep on fulfilling your dream. There is joy in a dream
realized. Do not stop stretching yourself into greatness as long as you are alive and
fit. Be determined to do and become all you could be before you leave this earth.
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CHAPTER 3
THINK UP
Some things appear as impossibility or look difficult to achieve at some point.

However it could be sorted out if one persists on searching for a solution. The
human brain has an enormous capacity that can unravel great mysteries and
generate incredible ideas that transcend normal daily events. The mind can create a
new world out of the present circumstances and thus challenge the status quo to
turn it around.
We cannot exhaust all the items if we are to list all that humans have created
through the ability to engage the mind in deep thinking and tasking of the brain to
generate some great ideas which never existed or to improve upon the ones already
in existence. The transportation means we have today (air, water, road) were all
brought into existence not by nature but by some peoples‟ thoughts and
imaginations. The kind of houses we live in, the cloth we adorn ourselves with, our
environmental aesthetics, and many forms of leisure that give us pleasure all
around the world today came as a result of someone‟s imaginative ability resulting
from deep thoughts.
The world we have today evolved from primitive and crude living to the highly
sophisticated and advanced technology-driven world. This is because right from
the beginning people have been using their imaginative and reasoning ability to
create what was not there initially but necessary for a better and more fulfilled
living experience.
In the same vein, anyone today can change his level and go up higher to a place of
fulfillment and satisfaction if they can think! That is why thinking is a veritable
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tool for the progress and upward movement of any individual. If we can take
enough time to think well we can always find our way to the top in life.
To think is to exercise your mind by the power of reasoning it possesses to make
decisions or create a solution. To think is to visualize with your mind, it is an act of
imagination. Thinking involves focusing your mind on a particular issue to unravel
some facts that are hitherto hidden. It is an act of making decisions by pondering or
reflecting. Overall, thinking is a way of preoccupying the mind to bring about a
condition or state of life.
From the above definitions, it is clearly expressed that the thinking process is a
deliberate effort that emanates from a conscious action to bring up something new
that is beneficial to you.
When we talk about thinking it should be noted that thinking can be positive or
negative. Negative thinking strains you of the energy you need to go up in life.
Negative thinking is thoughts of impossibility, inferiority, limitations,
insufficiency, and the like. Whenever you entertain thoughts that suggest you
cannot attain certain heights due to real or imagined unfavorable circumstances
then you are thinking in the wrong direction which will be a hindrance to your
upward mobility. Negative thinking is stagnating and backward thinking.
Therefore you need to get rid of such thoughts and embrace positive
thinking which is the subject of discussion here.
WHAT IS POSITIVE THINKING?

Positive thinking is the act of focusing the mind on things that are of good impact
and value to you as an individual or the society with attendant benefits.
Positive thinking is believing in your heart that the outcome of any issue is going
to be good and not the other way round.
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It is being optimistic about life and being hopeful of a desirable outcome in the end
even if the present circumstances do not indicate it.
Therefore it is expedient for whoever is going to do great and blaze the trail in life
to align his mindset to a possibility mentality. The first step to getting anything
worthwhile done is to believe it is possible.
If your belief about a thing is that it cannot be done then no matter how much you
work at it you will remain perpetually blind to the solutions or way forward.
Positive thinking is giving yourself to positive mentality, positive ideologies, a
positive outlook on life, a positive approach, and positive utterances.
HOW TO DEVELOP A POSITIVE THINKING LIFESTYLE

1. Clear your mind of every guilt and pain associated with past failures and
negative outcomes.
2. Believe that you are alive because there are still many great opportunities lying
ahead of you and waiting for you to grab.
3. Take cognizance of the fact that every great accomplishment begins with a
dream. It must first be conceived in the mind before it can be translated into reality.
Therefore you have to form the habit of thinking of great things that can change
your life and the world.
4. You need to realize that your thoughts transform into your actions and what you
eventually attract into your life. Therefore guard your heart against negative
thoughts (any thought of limitation, thoughts making you feel you can‟t get things
done and thoughts that make you see only bad or unpleasant outcomes). Guide
your heart into the right thoughts and meditations.
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5. Always reflect on things you have accomplished in the past which you are proud
of. This will further energize you to take more bold steps for greater
accomplishments in life.
6. Believe in yourself that you can think through any situation and circumstance
and find a way out to provide any needed solution.
THINKING YOUR WAY UP IN LIFE

All the great people the world has ever known have one thing in common: they are
all great thinkers! Through their thinking activities, they have been able to bring
out treasures that the world is benefitting from.
The way up to fulfillment and greatness is for you to access if you can engage your
brain in thinking your way through. If you truly desire to be great in life then you
will be ready to make your brain work. There is no mental laziness for the one who
intends to make a difference in his life and the world he lives in. The brain must be
put to work.
Out of life‟s busy schedule and many things to attend to, there is the need to create
ample time to engage the mind in thinking of solutions and improvements in life.
Innovations would never end as long as someone is thinking of the next possible
phase of improvement.
It does not matter what level or position you are in life, what is important is that
you can always go up higher. Yes, you can make more money, make more sales,
get a better job, be better at your job, be better in your relationships, become a
more impactful and influential leader, etc.
The key to getting this done is to see the way up in your mind by reasoning it out.
Look at the present situation and query the reason why it is so.
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What is it that should have been done but was not done?
What is not supposed to be done but is being done?
What can be I do right now to change the situation?
Spend time on thinking solutions. Search your heart and soul for a solution. Let
your brain be busy with thinking solution, it is part of its purpose. If we can think
deep enough we will get to the root of every problem and be able to see the
solution.
Thinking deep and long enough on a matter brings illumination to it. At the other
end of the thinking activity is a light that will break out on the subject. Keep
thinking until you get the light. There is no end to thinking until the breakthrough
comes. Task your brain to look for better ways of doing things. Think of how to
improve your life. Think of how to be a better person, think of how to solve
problems affecting humanity.
It is always said in business that the way of making money is by providing a
solution to a problem of humanity. Therefore if your target is to make money or
make it in more volumes then just think it through. Think of how to solve any
problem in your locality or the global world.
Is there any hard nut to crack at the moment? Give it more thought, you will find a
solution to it. Is there anyone you need to convince to accept your terms or
proposal? Sit down and think deeply about it, there is a way to go about it.
If anyone can engage in thinking as a tool to rise in life, he or she will see the path
to follow and gain the privilege to harness the power to change status to a greater
one.
John C. Maxwell said, “Your thinking, more than anything else, shapes the way
you live. It‟s really true that if you change your thinking, you can change your
life.” Therefore start thinking up!
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CHAPTER 4
RISE UP
It does not matter the level of motivation or stirring you have got within you, if you
don‟t go on to act on your conviction then you are not ready to make any progress.
It is not enough to have dreams and visions but making the effort towards the
actualization of what you have inside you is very important and urgent. After you
have known and seen where you are going, the next thing is to rise at once and go
for it.
Procrastination has got the best of you if after you have got an idea of what to do
you still postpone action on it to another time! At times you may not have what
you need to bring the idea to reality, but you can begin to take some little steps
towards achieving the purpose. Dreaming and thinking must be followed by action.
For instance, if the resources are lacking at the point in time you can begin to study
deep into the subject of the idea you have conceived. You can continue to ruminate
on it, exercising your brainpower in drawing your plan, creating a model, and
sourcing for the resources.
If you cannot fly at the moment, you could run. If you cannot run, you could walk
towards your goal. If walking is impossible, then you could at least crawl towards
the fulfillment of your ambition. The point is that you can always do something
towards actualizing your dream no matter how small. It does not matter how little
the measure of what you can do now, what matters is doing it.
If you develop the courage to take that little step, you will be amazed at how you
will be propelled to take the next steps and on and on. As you take the courage to
walk through the first door, you will see other doors opening to you beyond your
thoughts and imagination. When you take up the courage to take the first action,
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you will see other subsequent activities happening with less difficulty than you had
pre-imagined. The boldest step ever taken is usually the first step a man takes
towards accomplishing a worthwhile task.
Opportunities come always but not everyone makes use of it. Only those who get
up to grab it at the prime will enjoy the goodness thereof.
Now let us consider the following three scenarios to illustrate what happens when
we do not rise to take the opportunities that come our way.
Scenario 1
A person has a fruit tree in his compound, with the tree in its fruiting season,
having produced ripened fruits, ready to be plucked and eaten. But then the owner
is not ready to go pluck it. Eventually, the fruit is no more available, either by
being stolen, eaten by birds, or rot away.
The allegory explained:

So many people have opportunities like a tree growing right in their backyard but
as they do not rise to stretch their hands to grab the opportunity, it becomes lost.
Some other people see it and take it up for their advantage only for the initial
owners to get startled and disappointed at their slackness and ineptitude.
When some kind of opportunity is presented to people, some turn an indifferent or
pessimistic approach to it while others take the risk to attempt it. In the end, those
who took action get rewarded for it while the ones who ignored it enter into
regrets.
You must be ready to rise to take on opportunities of life as they come to you every
now and then. Any opportunity you fail to make use of is never lost but passed on
to another person ready to grab it just like the fruit which was not lost but taken up
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by another person or eaten up by birds or falls to the ground to become manure in
the land in the process of nutrient recycling. Whichever way, it gets to be benefited
by someone else.
Scenario 2
A person has been presented with the gift of a flight ticket to travel to a destination
of his choice for vacation and leisure. This is a place he has dreamt of visiting all
his life, but never had the resource to do so. But then on the day of the journey, the
benefactor of this all-expense-paid vacation failed to get up on time from the bed
to prepare for his trip thereby making him get to the airport late, after the plane has
left. Now he has missed the fight and all the benefits attached to this journey which
is an opportunity for him to actualize his dream.

This is similar to what happens when anyone hesitates to go on to utilize the
opportunity that has been bestowed on him. Life is full of changes that we could
either draw to ourselves for our advantages or be tardy and sluggish about until it
goes off. Opportunities of life are swiftly passing by and it is only those who rise to
catch it on time that will ensure it does not pass them by.
A proverb says that time and tide waits for none. Therefore it behooves you to rise
at once to go and grab the opportunity that Providence has brought to your reach.
Procrastination will make you lose such an opportunity. You should never
postpone to another day what you can get done now. Shred off laziness, cast off
laxity, avoid premature pleasure. And you will see yourself succeeding.
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Scenario 3
In the sport of boxing and wrestling, when a fighter is knocked down by the
opponent, the referee would be ready to declare the game over and declare a
winner if the one on the ground lingers on in that position. But if the one-beaten-
down musters strength to rise early enough within the allowed time frame, then it
means the game is not yet over. As the game continues, the one who was earlier
knocked to the ground could still go ahead to win the duel in the end.

That is a true and realistic reflection of what man faces on earth. As long as you
are living, there will always come the time of challenges. Vicissitudes of life are
unavoidable, they are part of human existence. Whoever you are, some situations
will shake you, test the strength of your spirit, and resilience of your soul.
When you are knocked down by any life circumstances, do not remain down,
dejected, and sulky. Instead quickly rise again. When challenges bring you down,
never stay down. Jump up, shake off the dust and fight again. That is only when
you are guaranteed victory at last.
RISE AGAIN AFTER A DEFEAT

Have you failed before? Probably you have failed in business, career, relationship,
etc. Have you been constantly met with opposition in your endeavors to be
successful? Are your attempts to become significant in life being faced with a brick
wall? No matter how it has looked like, never remain in the position of failure,
never accept defeat. And it does not matter how many times you are knocked
down, always be determined to rise again each time you find yourself down.
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Many successful and great people the world has ever known have been down by
failure at some point in their lives. But their doggedness, resilience, and unyielding
spirit paid off in the end. One thing they do is that they rise each time they went
down.
RISE TO OPPORTUNITIES
To rise also depicts rising quickly and early enough. Once you have been stirred or
received an idea, you need to get up at once to go for the fulfillment because you
may lose the opportunity if you allow procrastination.
Delaying in executing your plans is dangerous as it makes you lose the vigor you
had at the beginning. The longer you postpone actions the less enthusiastic you
become about your idea and plans and that makes the end of the idea imminent. An
idea delayed in execution is an idea suffocated. Therefore rise at once to go up to
fulfillment.
In concluding this chapter, I want to remind you that if there is an important action
you need to take to go up in life, one of such actions is RISING. You must rise if
you want to go up.
 Rise to pursue your dreams.
 Rise to take on the opportunities that come your way and also create the
ones that do not initially exist. Samuel Smiles said, "Men who are resolved
to find a way for themselves will always find opportunities enough; and if
they do not find them, they will make them."
 Rise to fight oppositions to your fulfillment.
 Rise after you are knocked down by the challenges of life.
There is a great accomplishment waiting ahead of you, there is a new level you can
attain to. That is why you have to rise to get that which is ahead of you. There is
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that business you have conceived the idea thereof, there is that book you have
gotten the inspiration to write, there is that academic advancement course you have
thought of, there is that professional certification course you have been planning to
take, and there is that relationship you have been fantasizing about. Whatever has
been the dream you have, you have taken the first step by conceiving it but
conception is not the same as birthing. The joy is complete and fulfillment is
achieved at the birthing of whatever was conceived. It is in rising to actualize those
things you desire that your upward mobility in life is guaranteed.
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." - William Shakespeare.
You have what it takes already for a successful life. It is in you waiting for you to
activate it. Therefore rise immediately and make success your story.
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CHAPTER 5
LOOK UP
The purpose of this book once again is to open up to you the practical steps and
actions to take which will help you to get to the top in life. Since our emphasis is
getting to the top in life (becoming successful, getting fulfillment, attaining
enviable heights in career, getting to the top in your endeavors, etc.), we need to
focus our attention on where we are going (i.e. up) and that is the reason for this
chapter. If you want to go up, then your eyes must be set on the top, you must fix
your gaze towards the top.
You cannot get to your destination if you are facing a wrong direction. If while
taking a walk you begin to look backward or sideways, you are likely to bump into
someone coming in the opposite direction or miss your steps and fall down or
maybe hit your head on the wall! Anything negative could happen when you take
your eyes off the road. Getting to your destination demands you keep your eyes on
your target.
Looking up as a requisite to getting to the top in life implies that you keep your
focus on the goal you want to achieve in life. Never look away from the fulfillment
you have imagined.
You have been through with thinking and creating a mental picture of what you
want to become and the great height you want to attain. Now you need to keep
your eyes on the glory you want to ascend. That is the act of focusing on the target
despite the fears, the distractions, and the oppositions.
In every journey of destiny a man takes up in life, there are a lot of things that will
try to derail the fellow. Circumstances may arise, difficult situations may come up,
and people may stand as obstacles. But in all of it, if the mind is made up and the
eyes are set up then getting to your destination is guaranteed.
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A sad and depressed man looks down. A distracted man looks sideways. A
confused man looks all around. A man going up only looks up.
That is why you must constantly and consciously keep putting your mind on the
lofty goals you have set. That is what looking up entails. Looking up depicts
setting your mind on the destination and never letting your thoughts wander away
at any time. It means never forget or let go of what your resolutions are.
Many people often make resolutions and promises especially at the beginning of a
new year. However, such resolutions are often not brought into reality. One of the
reasons this happens is that people lose focus with time. In a matter of little time,
the goal that was initially visualized tends to fade gradually until the whole picture
is obliterated. One of the reasons why the picture is lost and vision unfulfilled is
that people failed to look sternly at the end result they perceived initially.
To make your gaze fixed to the top is to keep looking intently at your goal. You
start by having a very clear mental picture of where you want to get to in life.
Create an imaginary view and begin to see yourself living in it. Have a dream of
the future you want to have and never lose that dream at any time. Have a thorough
vision and be determined to see it fulfilled.
Whatever you do wherever you go never lose sight of whom you are created to be
which has been revealed to you by deep inward-looking and self-discovery
activities you have undertaken. Keep reminding yourself what you are meant to be,
who you are to become ultimately. Keep looking forward with enthusiasm to the
future you desire.
Let me use the analogy of a driver to relate to this issue being discussed:
Firstly you need to realize you are the driver of your own life. A car has no control
over itself, someone is behind the steering wheel directing the affairs of the vehicle
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to his desired destination. If the driver loses control of the vehicle then an accident
occurs!
One of the most important ways a driver can avoid an accident is by looking
forward in the direction he is going. His eyes and full attention must be right on the
road. Once a driver gets distracted and looks away from the way he is going so
many things could happen and of course, nothing positive is among the possible
incidents. He is sure to veer off the road and have an accident. He could hit another
car on the road or a pedestrian. All these could happen when a driver loses focus.
That is why a driver who wants to get to his destination safe and sound will avoid
anything that may take his eyes off the target. Things like sleeping off, focusing on
things happening at the roadside, and all forms of distractions. Such distractions or
sleeping off are very dangerous and could be fatal.
You are the driver of your own life. You have the steering wheel of your destiny in
your hands. Just as the driver of any vehicle will not take his eyes off the road to be
safe you also can not afford to take your eyes off your goals. You must always
look up to the top so that you can get to the top.
WHEN THE CLOUD IS BLACK

“At times the sunshine does not appear in the sky
The cloud becomes black and thick with darkness
Looking up is thus not pleasant
As there is no glow and no sight that inspires.”
The lines above give a poetic description of how one feels when the goals or plans
that have been set seem not achievable anymore. At times in life, we get to a point
at which all we see is impossibility. Hopes dashed, dreams shattered, everything
goes down in the opposite direction to what was expected.
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It may be as a result of failures in exams, business, or what have you.
It may be due to the death of a loved one or a benefactor.
It may be a health challenge or a sort of a terminal disease.
It may be a change in the political atmosphere or a change in governmental policy.
It may be the economic situation.
It may be…. It may be…
Whatever it may be, whatever circumstance of life no matter how terrible and
threatening to the actualization of your dreams, think of this:
The sun will always shine again

No matter how dark the cloud is
The shine will come after the rain
You will finally be at ease
Just fix your gaze up and you‟ll smile again
© Dayo Ojediran, 2018
If the situation around you makes it difficult to see any brightness in the future,
you can look within and find hope to continue in the journey upward. Encourage
yourself to look forward in anticipation of a fulfilled life.
LOOK UP TO PEOPLE WHO ARE AHEAD FOR INSPIRATION

Some people have attained to the top of their career either in the same area of your
pursuit or in other fields different from yours. These people can be a light to you to
guide you to your destination. Success principles are applicable in all areas of life
and anyone who has succeeded can be a resource for you to learn how to succeed
in your own pursuit as well.
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It will do you a lot of good to learn from those who have gone ahead of you. Look
up to those who have attained the top for inspiration.
There is danger in comparing yourself to people that are below you in
achievement. This makes you feel comfortable and complacent. The feeling that
you are better than some people will make you think you are okay where you are.
This will stifle your drive for the search for a higher life than the one you presently
occupy.
If you stay only among your peers, people who are at the same level of success as
yours, you will limit yourself to the same category of accomplishment. You will
feel satisfied as long as you are not doing worse than the people in your circle. All
your effort will just be to keep up with the Joneses. You are not likely to see much
of things to inspire you to do the unthinkable. You would have been conditioned to
a particular level of success.
To break out of premature satisfaction that comes by feeling better than some
people and also from the mindset of resting on one's oars due to the level of
success that makes you feel you have got it all, you have to keep looking far ahead
of you. Let the people who have attained higher levels of success than you be your
inspiration. Let them be your mentor to make you go beyond your present status.
They will guide you along the path.
LOOK UP IN FAITH
Look up to the sky and tell yourself that you have no limits, when you get to the
sky you are just starting. There is a place ahead for you, far beyond your present
state.
Believe in yourself. Bear it in mind that you can achieve almost any reasonable
thing your mind can conceive. Have hope, faith, and a positive attitude towards
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your goals and expectations in life. It is possible! You can do much more than you
think!
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CHAPTER 6
WORK UP
If you are going to achieve anything meaningful in life you have to get set to work
for it. It is through work that we bring out our potential. By working we add value
to ourselves and the world we live in. It does not matter what lofty dreams we have
or the magnitude of our ambition, if we are not ready to put in the required efforts,
they will end up as mere wishes, unfulfilled and unaccomplished.
To achieve your desired goals you must put an end to wishful thinking and roll up
your sleeves to work to bring out into the reality that which you have conceived.
Great men and women of renown were celebrated for the contributions they made
to the betterment of humanity through hard work. They had sleepless nights,
unrelenting efforts, and passion for what they believed in.
You can also become a great achiever and a force to reckon with in your chosen
field of endeavor if you are ready to work out your dream. Your dreams can come
through if you are going to pursue them with all intent. What you need to birth that
vision is the push you are going to give to it. The tree of success is full of fruits,
ripe and waiting to be plucked. Through work, you pluck the fruits of success.
The „work‟ being referred to in this chapter is not limited in definition to the job
you do as a means of earning wages or income for survival. The term „work‟ in this
context also includes the specific effort you put into achieving your desired goals
and reaching your desired destination on the journey to fulfillment.
Right now if you have had your dreams and caught your visions for a fulfilled life
the next thing to do is to get up and go work for it.
"Be great in act as you have been in thought"
-William Shakespeare
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The crown of the achievers is waiting for you but you must work yourself up the
way to the throne of success.
Let’s see some benefits of work.
1. Work helps you to release your potentials
There are certain abilities you have within you that you have yet to explore. There
may be in you some untapped resources in form of talent and unique strength. As
long as you are not working it out they lie fallow and dormant. When you begin to
work you begin to discover what you are good at and which areas you are
exceptional in. You thus find out your unique strength and inborn trait.
Whatever your hands find to do, do it without hesitation. It may not be the exact
kind of work you desire but while waiting for the dream job to land you should be
doing something that offers you the opportunity to practice your gifting and special
abilities. You may even have to volunteer in a place where you will work for free
as long as you are honing your skills. That is your wages, though not monetary, but
in value addition to yourself.
No one achieves success by just wishing, hoping, or praying for it to come without
taking some necessary actions. Success must be sought by work. You may never
know what you can do until you begin to try to do it. Some tasks seem difficult to
perform but once you start doing them you discover it is really easy for you to do.
The best driver in the world started as a learner. He must have made countless
errors which might even be dangerous at times while learning to drive yet he was
the potentially best driver. If he had not continued to put in the needed effort or if
he had quit at that point there is no way he would be the expert he had the potential
of becoming.
Work is thus necessary to bring out the inherent skills you have. The more you
work the more you have the experience and the more you become skillful at it.
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2. You are benefitting others

When you work you are rendering service and the service you thus rendered will
be a blessing to someone if not a multitude.
Every day we make use of products invented, designed, and produced by someone
else. Their discoveries and efforts have become a source of comfort and instrument
of satisfaction to us. People offer various forms of services that we make use of.
All of these people get up every day from the comfort of their bed to dish out a
product or service that benefits humans. And they surely don‟t do it for free, they
get paid. But many times the satisfaction derived is not usually from the pay alone
but the feeling of fulfillment that they have put smiles on people‟s faces as they
have had their needs met.
Imagine that the light bulb was not invented, that the mobile phone technology was
not developed, or that automobiles were not created. You could also imagine if
there were no banking services, or food production and processing industry, or no
one in the entertainment industry. You can imagine how difficult life would have
been if all these are not present and if no one takes up those tasks.
So when you work at your dream you are doing something to benefit someone else
who will find life more meaningful and easier to live. It should be the desire of
everyone to make an impact in this life we have come to live. It is important to
make the world a better place than you met it. Work will make you achieve this.
3. Work keeps you fit

When you engage in activities either physically or mentally you are exercising
your body. This act keeps you healthy.
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Humans were not designed to be sedentary or idle. We were made to make
something happen. Everyone on earth has something to offer, no one is meant to be
a consumer only or a parasite who only takes without giving out anything useful.
To do otherwise is to invite trouble into one‟s body system. The body will maintain
its health and wellbeing position when it is properly exercised and this is one of the
benefits work offers you.
The more you exercise your brain the better it functions and the more your
creativity is enhanced. Work requires much use of the brain which is a good
exercise for the brain. The more you work the more you gain experience and the
congregation of all these experiences helps you to reason better and builds
creativity in you. Also as you work you will need to learn something new about the
work and you discover new things on the job.
As long as you are not a robot you will have interactions with other humans while
at work. Relating with other people helps you build some emotional characteristics
that are helpful in human relations and which you would not have had if you live
like a recluse.
Thus, working keeps you fit physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally.
4. You earn an income

All work is rewarded by a form of remuneration or the other. It may come in form
of revenue, salary, wages, commission, or experience.
So when you work you are not only making a way for yourself to the top you are
also creating benefits for yourself. You are opening yourself to a source of
sustenance, you are earning a livelihood and also building wealth. What you are
earning at the start may not be enough to meet your needs or afford you the type of
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life you dreamed yet it is a stepping stone to the next stage of life. It will be a
starting point and avenue to attract opportunities.
A lazy person will end up being poor. Such a person may not be poor in terms of
finance if he has some other people fending for him due to the relationship he has
with them. But he will be poor mentally and ideologically. Such a person will have
to be continuously dependent upon others. What a poor life that is!
You should not be idle unless you are handicapped by some health or physical
challenges that would not allow you to do anything at all. As long as you can do
something in your situation, do it no matter how little. Work pays. As you work
towards your goals in life you are going upward into fulfillment.
5. Work gives you recognition and respect

You can only be known by what you do. No one will recognize you for what you
don‟t do. Your dreams might be so great and your potential very high but if you
don‟t work it out you won‟t be celebrated for it.
People are called celebrities because they do something which they are known for
and they were committed to it. They were consistent and persistent until they
became success stories.
Your dream will come true, you will fulfill your expectations for life and you will
manifest in your desired glory when you give it what it takes and that is 'work‟.
Remember the words of Thomas Edison, "Genius is one percent inspiration and
ninety nine percent of perspiration."
Give life to your dreams and hopes by working it out. Your light has been hidden
because you have not released it from the dark covering of laxity. Just like gold or
diamond that cannot shine as long as it is in the crude form, so you cannot be taken
as important and be useful to the human race until you have been made ready. This
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process of making you ready is similar to the refining of the ore to produce the
desired elements such as gold and diamond. Your refining process is by work.
Work on yourself, work out your dreams through calculated and deliberate efforts.
Be intentional about working out your vision.
Do not pass through this earth without leaving a mark. Let the world benefit from
your ingenuity as you do something to make it a better place. You have got
something of value inside of you. You have treasures in you that should be of
blessing to humanity. Let the world feel your presence. You don‟t have to be
everywhere on the surface of the earth to get this done but you can start in your
locality where you can impact the few people in your circle of influence. What you
do to make life better will be remembered and recorded as a value received from
you which you will be recognized for. This value in you is produced and released
through your work. And you will be recognized for the work when you do it well
and exceptionally.
There are some organizations and corporations that have been in existence for
hundreds of years and are still benefitting humanity. Some are just springing up
doing good to us with their products and services. If I begin to mention some of the
organizations you can easily recall the names of the founders or the leadership of
the organization. These ones have gained recognition and accolades because they
worked out their dreams and visions. Some started small and eventually became so
big that they became a conglomerate. Some of them have branched internationally.
You may not know the extent your dreams and discoveries can go in touching
humanity for good. You may not know how far your talents can reach across the
globe. Until you start to release that which you carry inside of you through work,
you just can‟t tell the enormity of the impact you can make. Therefore do all that is
required of you without leaving any stone unturned.
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Having seen the benefits of work, now take cognizance of how to work:
1. Work consistently
Be consistent in what you do. Don‟t quit too soon due to difficulties encountered.
Don‟t change your course too often like a stream of water that bends at the
encounter of every obstacle while flowing along. Doing so will amount to
dissipating energy.
“Success isn‟t always about greatness. It‟s about consistency. Consistent hard
work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne Johnson
2. Work rightly
If you are not going to waste your time, energy, and all other resources in a futile
effort then you must know the right way to work and the specific actions to put in
at every point in time.
It is like solving a mathematical problem. If you don‟t input the right formula or
follow the right steps you are bound to get the wrong answer. Just like a traveler
who does not follow the right direction to his destination will miss his way. He will
either get to the destination with unnecessary hassle, with time wasted, or may not
get there at all, landing in a different place other than the planned destination.
That is why you need to do it right. For example, if you are going to get to the top
in your career or organization, do so by dint of hard work, dedication, and
commitment. DO NOT try to get there by cutting corners, nepotism, bribery etc. If
you get to the top by crook it will tell on your performance and you will be
disgraced out of the position. If you are going to come out successfully in your
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academics do so by attending classes regularly, reading, and preparing well for
your assessments, tests, and examinations. Don‟t try to cheat.
Another example is that of a politician trying to win an election. Things must be
done fairly and transparently, not by rigging and stealing the mandate thereby
subjugating the people‟s wish.
3. Work hard
No matter the attempt to erode the above statement from our parlance, the truth
remains that dedicated and concerted effort is needed to excel in any chosen field
of endeavor. Success demands a deep commitment to one's goals in life. It takes
time, energy, and resources for you to attain the level of being listed as one of the
best in any field or career. That is the concept of hard work!
Even if you have found a simpler and better way of getting the job done, you need
to give it all the required attention, burn the midnight oil and sweat it out when
necessary. Work hard by giving all the needed diligence to what you do.
I, therefore, conclude that you should work smart very hard.
4. Work smart
This is the way to go to get the best at what you do. Don't just work hard but work
smart and hard. The statement „work hard‟ is being made obsolete and now being
replaced with the phrase „work smart‟. Yes, it is the very way to go if the
smartness includes being diligent and dedicated as they are found in the elements
of reasonable hard work. Don‟t just work and work the same old way that gives
less productivity but device new and better means to work. Be innovative and open
to changes when necessary. There will always be a better way of doing that task,
find it and adapt.
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Understand your personality and do the work that you naturally fit into. Know your
strengths and weaknesses and align with your area of strength. Learn how to
prioritize and schedule your activities to match your goals. Also, know when and
who to partner with for better results.
In essence, work with intelligence and not just by sweating it out. Be shrewd in
working.
5. Work safely
Whatever you do, do it with the consciousness that you have to be alive, safe, and
well. Therefore do not neglect safety measures as they apply to the work you do.
You should work in a way to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Don‟t work in a way
that will jeopardize your existence.
Follow these tips as you work:
 Be safety conscious.
 Do not overwork. Know when to take a rest and relax.
 Avoid unnecessary and uncalculated risks.
 Use the right tools and have the proper knowledge of handling them.
 Pay attention to your health and general wellbeing.
 Understand the hazards associated with the work and avoid it.
 Get yourself covered by the necessary laws and insurance where applicable.
 Guard yourself against aggressions and unwarranted attacks by assailants or
in any form. Be security conscious.
 Identify saboteurs and do not give them a chance to destroy your work
and/or reputation.
 Keep yourself well-guided and protected from fraudsters and identity theft.
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N.B- The above list is not exhaustive. There are other principles that could
be applied as well to secure your safety at work. Please apply them and be
safe.
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CHAPTER 7
BUILD YOURSELF UP
You are the major factor that determines how your life will turn out. What you
become and what becomes of you in life is what you prepare yourself for; there is
rarely an accident in destiny.
Despite some external circumstances such as social, cultural, economic, and
political factors that may affect you in some ways, you have the prerogative to
decide your response to such factors. Your reaction will yield positive or negative
outcomes.
Whether you end up being successful or as a failure is very much dependent on
your actions or inactions.
How you are prepared for life determines:
 How you handle life's situations
 How you discover and make use of opportunities
 How you react to obstacles
 How appropriately you act in all circumstances.
That calls for the need to build yourself up. Building yourself up is to make you
increase in value, strength, and ability to get the best out of life.
If you achieve anything in life by chance there is every tendency to lose the same
unwittingly. This is because you have not prepared yourself to live in that realm
and therefore you will not have it at your grasp. You are indeed the architect and
builder of your destiny.
The level you are at the moment is usually occasioned by your level of knowledge,
ability, exposure, preparation, and effort. You could be in a better position in life if
you had done more in getting there. You would know more if you seek more
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knowledge, you could be healthier if you do or stop doing certain things. Oh yes,
you could be richer if you make certain moves towards a financial increase.
The essence of all I am saying is that a man is the designer and constructor of his
lot in life. As you cannot do more than you know or be more than your ability, you
must increase your potential for gaining a higher altitude in life. This is the act of
building yourself up.
For every stage of advancement in life there is the need to put in more effort and
for each new status you attain, there is a new level of stamina required to maintain
such a position. The higher your dreams the greater the effort you have to put in to
make them a reality.
The world we are in was gradually developed from its crude state into a beautiful
and more habitable place because men were not satisfied with what they had.
There were transformations from one era to another in revolutions. From the stone,
the bronze and iron ages through to the industrial revolution and then to the
computer age where we have the digital revolution also known as the information
and electronic revolution. And you know what? There is no stopping as more
discoveries and developments shall continue to be made as long as the earth exists.
Various scientists and inventors would stop at nothing to get their inventions
through. A long time of research and experimentation coupled with initial failures
would not deter them until they got what they sought and the world is now better
for it. They of course became renowned for their undying effort and unquenchable
passion.
The same principle applies to you, my dear reader. You have to roll up your
sleeves and be ready to invest in yourself if you will achieve anything of note.
Therefore as you aspire to achieve success and be fulfilled in life you need to work
on yourself as you are the main factor in your quest for progress and upliftment.
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It has been said that there is no such thing as free lunch. That is to say, nothing
comes free in life and if you got it for free then someone paid for it. This is to open
your eyes to the fact that your promotion to the higher level in life doesn‟t come by
wishing or waiting for it to happen while folding your arms. You've got to pay for
it by developing yourself for the great height you desire.
Developing yourself is to gather momentum for the journey to greatness ahead of
you.
Your destiny is in your hands and what you end up becoming in life is what you
make out of life by yourself.
Here are five reasons why you should build yourself up

1. You need stamina
Life is a competition and for you to get the best of it you must be strong, fortified,
and energized for the challenge.
At the time of your conception, you won a great major race, the race for life. That's
the reason you are here in the first place. Millions of sperm cells compete to
fertilize the egg however only one eventually gets it done. This one that succeeds is
of course one of the most viable and motile. It is usually the fastest, healthiest and
strongest. All the other millions eventually fizzle out and that was the end of their
journey.
You started life from being a sperm that won the race! Now you are here as a
human being and the race for survival has never abated. It gets more intense as you
grow older. The good news is that you have been a champion since the beginning
of your life and that is still who you are. You will continuously achieve the feat of
champions if you don't stop making the effort required for your success.
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The way you had the vigor and strength to be the champion then is the way you
need the strength to make it now. That is the reason you need to build up your
stamina because the way to the top is by the way of competition of which you need
vitality to prevail.
You need stamina physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and even
financially. Strengthen yourself in these areas of your life. You must build strength
in every facet of your existence as the road to success is not always smooth and
easy. It is sometimes rough and difficult though it yields sweetness in the end.
You've got many obstacles to overcome, many mountains to surmount and several
oppositions to subdue. This is just the true story of life. It has been said that life is
war. Despite that, you have all it takes to be a winner and not a loser, the victor and
not the vanquished. The winner is in you. You were born a champion. You only
need to apply strength from within by building yourself up to live with stamina to
stand against all forms of hindrances to your progress.
Build stamina by:
 Being knowledgeable,
 Having courage
 Taking care of yourself to be physically fit to prolong your life in health.
Be well equipped for the task ahead of you and see yourself facing it with
confidence.
2. Knowledge is vital
It has been said that „knowledge is power‟. The statement attributed to Francis
Bacon tells us that the more you know the more power you have. When you have
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the knowledge, you have the know-how of attaining success. Knowledge is what
you know that gives you an edge.
A well-built-up individual in the area of knowledge will always stand out among
others. As long as you know more than your competitors you will always have an
edge over them. Strive to know more than your competitors. The more you add to
your knowledge the more you position yourself for greater success.
Knowledge also gives you confidence. Ignorance is a killer of self-esteem.
Knowledge of the how, the why, the when, the who, the what, of anything that you
have to do with is an indication that you are actively in control in the channeling of
the direction of your own life.
The more knowledge you add to yourself the more you are positioned for greater
levels of success.
3. To build resistance and resilience

Anyone that is set to be a successful person in any area of life will have been
prepared to fight off all obstacles on his road to fulfillment.
Oppositions will arise at various points and that is why you need to be well
equipped to resist them. Discouragements may try to set in but you have to be
strong-willed enough to live above it. At some time you may be knocked down by
life challenges but you need to be resilient to rise again and continue with your
search for success.
People go to the gym and fitness center to work on their bodies to keep fit. Others
do so to grow muscles and get more strength. Weightlifters do tremendous training
to have the ability to carry heavier and bigger loads. They achieve this new
stronger body that was not there initially by consistent workout. It is a painstaking
effort and a rigorous routine. They do this to achieve greater strength and physique.
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As bodybuilder works on their bodies so you need to work on your mental and
emotional strength. You must build strength and resilience to be fit and well
enough to sustain yourself in the journey through life.
There will be challenges and obstacles along your path to fulfillment. There will be
encounters with failure. But when you have built resilience in you, you will go on
surmounting all oppositions and becoming who you dreamed of becoming.
Being emotionally, psychologically, mentally, and spiritually strong is a necessity
for a life that will surmount obstacles and rise to fulfillment. Overcoming
discouragement and depression surely requires inner strength and fortitude.
Greatness and success will be at your reach when you are conditioned to never
succumb to failures or any source of frustration that may be encountered along the
journey of destiny fulfillment.
4. You deserve better

You deserve all the good you desire in life. You were not meant to be lower than
anyone else or to be subservient to others all through life. Feeding on crumbs from
another person‟s table is not the normal life of yours, it is an aberration.
Truly, not everyone will indeed be the boss of their corporation or organization.
People will always be employees of other people's establishments. Though people
will need to serve in organizations they didn't create yet the services to be rendered
should not be in the form of slavery. It should be a means of self-actualization and
expression. Adequate compensation and rewards that are promising and satisfying
should be received.
Whoever you are or whatever you do, you are required to always put in your best
and you deserve the best life can offer.
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For you to get something better out of your existence you also need to prepare and
equip yourself. The onus is on you to prove yourself worthy of what you desire.
Some people desire higher pay from their employers but they have not improved
themselves to be that significant to the organization. Until you can prove your
worth you would not be considered to be worthy of higher pay. This thus calls for a
deliberate effort on your part to be constantly improving on your knowledge, skills,
attitude, and productivity.
In your pursuit of success, you must exhibit excellence in the discharge of your
duties and work performance. As a student, worker, business owner, service
provider, or in any field of endeavor you operate, you ought to keep on striving to
be better than who you were yesterday.
You surely deserve better in life but you are also required to be adequately
positioned for a better life.
5. There is more ahead

You have accomplished a lot but that is not all you could ever achieve. There is
still much more you can do and become if you will not stop giving your best.
Many people have fallen off along the ladder of success or in the journey of life.
Some believe they have reached their peak while some think there is nothing more
to be done. That is however untrue. There are yet many more treasures inside of
you to be uncovered. Until you die you can still be relevant if you will not stop
working.
There is the need to keep on making yourself available for productive activities.
This would be achieved if you keep on developing yourself for a useful life.
Some people started early in life and never stopped being productive until they had
their last breath. Some people started something afresh after they retired from
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active service. They discovered what they could do well though already at an
advanced age.
It does not matter what point you are at right now what matters is that you can still
achieve that goal, yes your dreams can be realized.
To make this happen you must get the requirements. Someone may need to go
back to school even at old age. Another may need to do self-training. Yet another
may just need to act on the information already available but which have not been
used.
It is a worthwhile exercise to put effort into making yourself ready and capable of
achieving more success in life. You will become more useful for yourself and the
world as you will be able to make the world a better place through your
contribution. The joy of seeing yourself achieving more and the joy of leaving a
legacy behind should spur you on to keep on giving your very best with a sense of
responsibility.
Having placed a foundation on the importance of building yourself up to go up, let

us examine the ways to get this done.
These are some of the ways to build yourself up:
A. ADD VALUE TO YOURSELF

The more value you have the more acceptance, recognition, respect, and honor you
get. Also importantly, the more you have the potential of earning in financial
terms.
When a product has undergone value addition it appreciates so likewise your value
can go up if you take deliberate actions at self-value addition.
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You can be a better person than you were yesterday if you are willing to learn
more and do something different.
A person of value is a successful person. As you become more valuable you would
be becoming more successful.
As long as you are alive you should keep on adding value to yourself. The more
value you add to yourself the more invaluable you become to the world around
you. Therefore keep on aspiring for the best.
You can add value to yourself when you:
1. Study for higher qualifications or you decide to take a course in another
subject in any area of interest.
Apart from academic pursuit, you can also learn some skills that will be helpful to
you in other areas of interest.
A personal search for more knowledge by reading widely will put you on a higher
pedestal.
2. Make some changes to your lifestyle regarding some activities which have
been inimical to your well-being both physically and mentally.
To go up you may need to give up on some habits which have held you down.
Someone needs to overcome procrastination. It may be laziness or lack of
motivation that someone else needs to jettison. Your own may be the intake of
some food or substance that is detrimental to your health.
3. Take up responsibility.
The more you make yourself relevant the more you gain recognition and other
rewards that come with productivity.
No one pays you for folding your arms, being an onlooker, but you become a point
of reference when you do something and that with excellence.
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4. Present yourself well.
Let your dressing and manner of approach be pleasant to the people around you.
Before people get to know you they size you up by your appearance. Then when
you speak they evaluate you determining how much respect you are worth.
Adelani Adeyinka Akande penned this: "Be bold, courageous anywhere, anytime
and any day. Rid yourself of whatever will rob you of your boldness- bad breath,
poor hygiene, bad dressing and the likes."
B. READ
Books are great and prolific source of knowledge. You can learn of anything in life
through books. Books give light to any dark area of which we need enlightenment.
A book is a guide to a desired destination of knowledge.
Books are a store of treasure that is discoverable to the one who opens it to search
out. A book has so much as enough power to change a life for the better. Reading
books is to the mind what eating food is to the body.
Your way to being fortified and equipped for the journey to a better you is to know
more than you presently know. The way to know more is when you search for
more knowledge. This knowledge is found in books.
There is virtually no field or area of life in which you won't find books written on
them. Is there anything you need to know? You are just a book or books away!
Reading books translates you from the ignorant to the enlightened. Books are light
to the darkness of life.
It has been said that readers are leaders. You must cultivate the habit of reading for
you to be abreast of information essential to you and those who look up to you.
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When you open a book you are making an entrance into the mind of people who
know what you are looking for. When you read a book you are at once gaining the
experience it took someone a lot of time to get, probably years or decades.
Make a habit of reading good books as they edify and modify you. When you read
books you may not be able to remember everything in the book word for word but
the information sinks into your subconscious and will come up when you need
them. The more you read the more you renew your mind. That is why you must
read books that matter to your growth and development.
Reading indeed fortifies you. Read continually because what you knew yesterday
may become outdated and stale by today. Therefore take reading as a way of life to
be fresh at all times with the current information.
C. RELATE
One vital way to get equipped for life's journey is to have other people around you
that you can rely on. You would never be able to do it all alone. Even if you try to
do it all alone you will not get the best result and you will wear yourself out. A
wise saying has it that, "If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go
together." Going far is more important than going fast. Therefore go along with
others so you can go farther in life.
The strongest also needs the help of others to be able to stand against adversity and
to help in his areas of weakness.
No one is an island, everybody needs everyone that is required to support or
complement their effort and to make life meaningful. You must know the kind of
people that are instrumental to your existence and purpose and then keep them in
your company.
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Everyone that has attained success got to the point of success by the help and input
of other people that he met while climbing the ladder. From the parents or
guardians that raised him to the teachers that taught him from the beginning all the
way up, to the person that employed him giving him his first job experience to the
spouse and friends who are there to give his life meaning et cetera.
Your relationship is a 'ship' steered by your relations, that keeps you and carries
you to your destination, while shielding you from the storms of life.
A businessman needs customers; a politician needs the support of his people to
vote him in; a religious leader needs loyal followers; everyone needs friends and
family to love, appreciate and celebrate them.
If it is this important to have people around you always then it is more important to
have the right people. Having the wrong person is worse than not having anyone at
all.
Identify people that influence you positively and keep a good relationship with
them while you discard any association that is inimical and injurious to your goals
and purpose in life. Sam Akpeji said, "Strengthen empowering relationships and
weaken the ones that subtract from you."
Let us examine three levels of relationship that you need around you.
You will need to relate well with people that are above you (mentors), people at
the same level with you (contemporaries), and people who are below you
(protégés)
You need these levels of relationship to make you secure and maintain your
balance.
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1. Mentors
You need people that are above you who you look up to. These are guides and
leaders who help you to get to where you are going.
These have achieved what you are still dreaming or planning to become. They
have done what you are attempting to do.
Some people refer to mentors as godfathers or godmothers. Some see them as
leaders and some refer to them as heroes. In some cases, they are coaches to you.
Whatever you call them, one thing about them is that they are above you in the
area where you need them. They don't have to be older than you in age but they are
your superior in that field.
You can have more than one mentor. You can have in as many fields or sectors of
your interest.
It is also of importance to note that you don't have to be in physical contact or be
known to someone before they can be your mentor. You can follow them from a
distance through their books or listening to their public speeches.
You need them because:
1. They have passed through all the stages you are just starting and so they already
know how to navigate the route. You don't need to grope and rack your brain
trying to navigate the puzzle, just follow their footsteps and you will get to your
destination in a shorter time than it took them.
2. They have made all the mistakes while trying to get the right thing done. Now
they know better. If you follow such people you will not have to repeat all the
experiments they did that slowed them down. You will not fall into the pit they
fell. You will not run into the troubles they encountered as you now know how to
avoid them. Instead of starting from where they started you join along with them in
the strides of success.
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3. They have the secrets of success with them. They know what is not known to
everyone. By the years of experience and exposure that they have, they are loaded
with information. What you are searching out is already in their hands.
That is one of the criteria for choosing a mentor anyway. You follow someone who
has succeeded in what is still an adventure or mystery to you.
4. They have the connection that you need to get what you want. Mentors have the
association and partners that have equally succeeded as they, and they can connect
you to them to get the needed help and assistance from them. There are some
favors you need to get at certain places which you don't have access to. With your
mentors in place, they can create a connection for you.
5. They have more knowledge than you which translates to more wisdom. So they
can teach and guide you right.
As you relate with them you stand to gain from their wealth of knowledge and you
can tap from their store of wisdom.
They are people on whose shoulders you stand so you can see farther.
Relating with your mentors

You must prove yourself to be worth their time and sacrifice. Be useful to them
when they need you. Serve them where you are required to. Be there for them too
in time of need. Relate well with their family. Also, make it a habit to give them
gifts. No one is averse to receiving gifts. Celebrate with them on their special
occasions such as anniversaries or accomplishments. By all means, do all in your
power to keep the relationship going smoothly. The more you are perceived to be
worthwhile the more they pour into you.
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2. Contemporaries and associates
These are people who are on the same level as you. They are your peers, your
colleagues, your friends, and acquaintances.
Unlike the mentors who are above you and who you look up to, these are people
with whom you are equally positioned. You are at the same level of pursuit and
achievement. You are at the same point aiming for similar next level.
These people are needed around you as they form your social circle.
You need to identify with people that have similar visions and passion with you
and go along with them.
These people in your close circle need to be filtered and sorted to retain the
positive ones who will help your move forward in life. Some people will bring
negative energy to you and they are a distraction to you. Hanging around them will
be counterproductive. Having them in your life is equal to carrying heavy but
useless baggage.
Identify with true friends and other like-minded ones who would bring out the best
in you. They will challenge you to be better than who you were and they will add
value to you. They serve as support to you. They are your worthy companions,
your social circle, and your network.
These people in your life help you to maintain balance. They serve as support to
you; we all need someone to lean on.
Relating with your contemporaries

You are not only going to be the one gaining from such an interrelationship. You
would have something good to contribute to their lives too. There should be no
place for leeching or parasitism. Your friendship with them must be symbiotic. As
they affect you positively you also benefit them in diverse ways.
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3. Protégés
As you have some people ahead of you that you look up to, there are also some
people who are looking up to you for motivation and direction. You are their role
model. These are your protégés or mentees.
You should be of invaluable contribution to their lives. Be an exemplary leader.
As you are climbing the ladder of success you should help other people too in as
many ways as you can. Be of help to others too. As you learn from other people
and through various experiences of life, be kind enough to share your knowledge
with the people below you.
Be of positive influence on the ones coming behind. Help them to grow. Leave a
legacy and build the future.
The ones that are looking up to you today will come up one day and be in a
position of influence. They would be of benefit to you in the future. As you draw
them close to yourself to impart them for success you are building them into a team
that will, in turn, form a backup and support for you.
If you are a leader in any capacity, use your position to create harmony within you
and your subordinates. Those that are under you today might be in a position to do
you good shortly. The way you relate with them today will determine how they
will respond to your needs when that occasion arises.
Some people don't like to associate with people that do not match up with their
social status. This is not good enough. Everyone no matter their level today has
something to offer. Be humble enough to identify with people below you. You
would be helping them to feel important and that will encourage them to strive to
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be better. They will always be grateful to you for helping to shape their lives
positively.
Relating with your protégés

Relate well with your protégés and be a source of comfort, hope, and inspiration to
them. Be a good mentor.
D. GET WISDOM
Wisdom is a vital thing to have if you are going to make headway in life. Wisdom
is the ability to make the right decisions and judgments based on knowledge and
experience. Wisdom helps you to apply knowledge appropriately.
A person of wisdom knows how to navigate through life's uncertainty. It takes
wisdom to excel.
Wisdom is required in making vital decisions in life. The understanding of the
present situation plus the knowledge of the past will help you in determining how
the future will look. That is a display of wisdom.
Being stupid or foolish is very costly. It has cost many people not only their
resources but also their lives. So sad to see many people losing out because they
fail to apply wisdom to their daily lives.
Apply wisdom in every decision you make and you will be safe, successful, and
appreciated.
When people perceive you to be wise they will respect you and trust you enough to
partner with you in a mutually beneficial relationship.
You can attain and exhibit wisdom by:
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 Paying attention to details and carefully weighing your options before making
decisions or acting.
 Always picking up lessons from the experiences of the past, both positive and
negative. Learning from past mistakes and being careful not to repeat the same.
 Walking with the wise. Your company or relationship defines you. An old
saying goes thus: "Show me your friends and I will tell you your character."
When you are friends with people of wisdom you will also think and act as they
do. You will glean from their character.
 Never stop learning. The better you know the wiser your decision. Therefore
when it comes to acquiring knowledge don't ever be lazy. The knowledge you
had yesterday will become obsolete today if you don't update yourself today.
Knowledge is a continuum that never ends. Don't be oblivious of your
environment and changes constantly going on, keep on keeping on with
important things of life and not trivialities.
According to Jeremiah Adediran, "Education should not be about certificates
acquisition alone but it must be a deliberate act to know more, gain exposure,
become an authority in a particular field and build confidence."
 Sharpen your mind. Exercise your mind by attempting to solve problems. Don't
abandon projects because you encounter challenges or difficulties but rather
apply your ingenuity to solve the problem. Solving difficult tasks will give you
an experience that others do not have and it will help you in your future
endeavors because you have achieved more wisdom.
Every problem you subdue makes you wiser.
Always be ready to stretch your mind to get the light in situations that appear
bleak. Explore the massive capacity of your mind to bring out the best of yourself.
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E. PRAY
If you are someone who believes in prayer then do it well. Make it a habit and be
consistent in it.
Many people have the assurance that their prayers do get answered and that is why
they continue in it.
It is such a wonderful privilege to have a superior power backing you up and
providing support that is beyond your capability.
However, if you have not played your part by putting in the required work then
praying is a waste of time. Your human effort is first required then you can ask for
support from the power above.
Praying helps you to be strengthened and fortified as you place confidence in the
Supreme Being. The hope that there is help for you beyond your personal ability is
comforting and encouraging.
Prayer builds you up as it helps you get support for your endeavors. Prayer brings
the supernatural force to be behind you and helps you to succeed. This power
protects and guides you as you call for help and direction in prayer.
If you are not the religious type and thus do not believe in prayer, you need to keep
up a positive mindset at all times. This will keep the negative energy away from
you and help you to have a clear mind to go further.
Always have hope that you will do well and believe that you can do whatever your
mind can conceive. Hope for good and expect the best.
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CHAPTER 8
START UP
If there is anything you have in mind to achieve or become, the first step towards
the actualization of such is to have a start. There is no ending without a beginning.
Is there any task ahead of you? It will forever remain on your to-do list until you
take the first step of starting it. What was not started never gets finished. The only
possibility of having a good ending is if there was a starting, good or poor, small or
big.
People have dreams, plans, and goals to achieve but not everybody carries them
out eventually. It takes more effort to get things done than to plan things. It is a
very valid statement that “things are easier said than done". That accounts for why
many things never get done.
The plans or dreams people have may either become reality or never see the light
of the day. Many dreams have been left as wishes and remained like that till
forever just as many potentials are never realized.
If there is anything you want to do or become, the best you can do for yourself now
is to start taking the actions toward it. Even if you have to start small, all the same
start. All you need to complete it may yet to be available nevertheless begin doing
something, even if it is planning or starting in a little way. You have heard it said
that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The one step may look
insignificant in relation to the many other steps ahead but that first step is the
ignition for the remaining steps you would take. That first step is the
groundbreaker for all other actions that would follow. Without taking that first step
there is no promise of arrival at your destination.
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There are many reasons why people do not start what they have in mind to do. I
will discuss just five here.
Five reasons why people do not start up their dreams or projects

1. Fear
Fear is a very strong emotion that if not properly handled could lead to the death of
many destinies.
While fear has its positive side it is more of a negative effect when it comes to the
pursuit of a plan or goal.
Certain fears hinder people from starting. Some of these are:
● Fear of failure
● Fear of criticism
● Fear emanating from the remembrance of past disappointments and failures.
● Fear of losing out
● Fear of unknown future circumstances
Etc.
When fear grips you, it slows down your momentum and can eventually stop you
from going on with your plans.
The irony of it all is that most times the fear you have will not eventually happen if
you dare to face the challenge. If you are determined to go ahead with courage and
not be stopped by fear then you can turn your fear into a feat. It is normal to have
some palpitations or to be nervous and apprehensive when you are attempting
something for the first time. However, you must overcome at that stage or your
dream dies, and your potential withers off.
You may never know how much you could do and how far you could go until you
subdue your fear of starting and going on to start that which you intend to.
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Never be afraid of failure. If you fail you are not done for, you just caught some
lessons and experience. Failure could be part of your learning process if you
handle it well.
2. Waiting for the perfect time

If you have to wait till everything is perfect before you start fulfilling your dreams
then you are not likely to ever achieve anything worthwhile in life.
The sad truth is that there is hardly an ideal situation in life and we rarely have „all
things being equal‟. This means that you are not likely to have a perfect moment as
there will be a deficiency or some shortcomings in all of your plans.
That is why you must start as long as you have the assurance that you are well
prepared. As you make progress you will be discovering the grey areas to amend.
If you keep on magnifying your challenges and problems you will continue to see
molehills as mountains and you will always see yourself as defeated and
incapacitated, unable to start up with anything.
Stop waiting for a perfect time but make the time to be perfect now by doing
something positive. No doubt some things can be best done at certain times or only
possible when certain things are in place. But even at that, you should not wait
until that time comes before you start planning or gathering resources.
When opportunity comes it can only be grabbed and harnessed by those who have
prepared themselves for it. As soon as you conceive a dream, start at once to
prepare for it. Begin your preliminary actions. It may be reading about it or taking
lessons on it. All the same, start. Don't wait for another time that you think would
be more perfect. Make today count towards achieving your dreams.
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3. Procrastination
The best time to start anything you have in mind to accomplish is now. "Don't put
off until tomorrow what you can do today." - Benjamin Franklin
Whatever you postpone to the other day will add up to the task already designed
for that other day. That makes you now have extra time to spend and an extra
burden for the day.
If you have the habit of pushing assignments to tomorrow you are simply saying
by your actions that you are not going to get anything done because tomorrow
never comes.
One of the dangers of procrastination is that while you are delaying in taking a
particular action someone else takes it up. There may be an idea coming to your
mind now of which if you don't quickly bring it out another person will sooner or
later catch the idea and make it real. This person then becomes the initiator or the
creator of such an invention. Though you would have blazed the trail you decided
to push it till another day until it becomes another person's opportunity.
Some reasons why people procrastinate:

 Laziness
 Lack of enthusiasm
 When the task is not taken as a priority
 Personal challenges and incapacity
 Being oblivious of the damage being done by procrastinating.
Whatever applies to you in the list above must be dealt with before it stops you
from actualizing your potential and reaching your destination.
Bayo Adeyinka in his book, 40 Lessons I Learnt Along the Way, wrote:
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“Get a sense of urgency about life because you don‟t have forever. You don‟t have forever to
write that book you have always been postponing. You don‟t have forever to sing that song in
your heart. You don‟t have forever to live your dreams. Get down to it with a sense of urgency.”
4. Lack of resources
When the required tools are not available the job is never done as expected.
Certain things have to be in place before a task can be undertaken. These may be
physical, material, mental, or emotional resources. In the absence of such vital and
germane necessities, there will be no adequate motion towards fulfillment. The
plan remains on the shelf gathering dust.
The reality of life is that no one has all the resources to meet all his needs at all
times. Our needs and wants often exceed our resources. We thus usually have a
situation of unlimited wants but limited resources.
What should we then do when we are short of resources? The simple way out is to
make effort at getting the resources or find a suitable alternative. Everything you
need to live a fulfilled life is available on earth and you can access it if you search
for it.
If what you lack is the know-how of a matter then seek education to acquire the
knowledge. If what you need is the services of other people then get them in your
company. Most times people complain of lacking financial resources to accomplish
their goals. This challenge also can be overcome if you seek to understand
financial literacy and the principles of making money. There are several ways to
get money which I will not discuss here so as not to step outside the scope of this
book. I encourage you to seek knowledge on it.
To have a successful start you must identify the resources you need to accomplish
the goal. Get them ready and then set out to work.
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At times all you need is the ability to manage the little available resources. All you
need may not be adequately available but you can be productive enough to make
something important out of what seems like nothing. That is why your creativity is
important as well as the ability to see opportunities where others could not see.
5. Ignorance
One factor that inhibits the success of anyone is ignorance. Ignorance is a
limitation. To be ignorant is to be lost as far as a particular phenomenon is
concerned.
In reality, no one knows it all. Everyone no matter how knowledgeable or well-
read would be ignorant of some things outside his field. For example, an engineer
by profession cannot perform a medical surgery just like a surgeon cannot fly an
aircraft.
You can be excused to be ignorant of what is not in your field of interest. That is
why you can employ the services of people in that field to attend to your needs in
that area. They render service to you with their knowledge which you, in turn, pay
for.
However, you cannot afford to be ignorant of what your life fulfillment and
success depend upon. No amount of money can pay for such ignorance.
Ignorance of who you are, what you should be doing, and how to do it is
detrimental and could be deadly. Ignorance is truly a disease but is curable by
knowledge.
If you are ignorant of the steps to take you will get stuck, grounded, and not be
able to start on the journey of destiny. Therefore seek to know your purpose, your
pathway to fulfillment and then you will be able to start with all enthusiasm,
alacrity, and passion that cannot be stopped.
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STARTING UP
These are five things to bear in mind when you are starting up in any life endeavor.
1. Start after you have planned
It has been rightly said that if you fail to plan then you have planned to fail.
Without good planning, a project is bound to fail.
It is very important to sit down first and count the cost before you start any project.
Planning is all about organizing and creating a step-by-step process to be followed
from the beginning to the end.
Planning helps you to have an overview of what you are about to embark on. It
brings to the fore the needed information, tools, and resources that will be needed
and how they will be used all along.
Planning helps to identify all possible hitches and loopholes which need to be fixed
before you start. Planning reduces the incidences of getting stuck along the line
due to unforeseen circumstances.
A well-planned day will always be a productive and less stressful day because you
already know what you want to do at different times within the day. This cannot be
said of a day that was not planned which makes you attend to whatever you come
across. In that way, because you don't have a schedule, you have permitted anyone
to bump into your activities and cause you to use your time for other purposes that
may not benefit you.
Just as an unplanned day is not desirable so is an unplanned life not any more
worthy of living. Such is a life lived on chances. Don't ever leave your life to
chance and don't live by chances. It is disastrous and a waste of potential.
Sit down and carefully create a plan that you will follow in achieving what you
have in mind to do. When you plan you are putting yourself on the path of success.
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The future you are dreaming about can only be achieved if you start planning for it
early and you start working towards it now.
2. Start from where you are

A lot of people never get started because they want to start with a bang. If you
have all the resources to start in a big way then you can go ahead but if you don't
have it all you don't have to deny yourself the privilege of being a starter of
something worthwhile.
You can always start at the level where you are. You can start small only that you
should never remain small forever. It is okay to start small with the mindset of
making it big with time.
Therefore start with the resources available to you. At times it just takes a little
more sacrifice or a little more stretching yourself out of your comfort zone.
You can never run a marathon successfully if you have not been completing a few
meters which you gradually increase to miles. Similarly, a person interested in
weight lifting cannot lift the heaviest kilogram on the first day of training.
It takes starting from the little efforts to mastering and getting used to the task.
Then limitations are broken as you keep making nonstop progress.
The above scenario can also be applied to the fulfillment of your dreams in life.
You may not have all that will make you the biggest in the field but all the same
begin with what you have, where you are, and move progressively to the desired
level.
Do not be discouraged by the little beginning nor be envious of the people who are
at higher levels. Take life one step at a time and go up the ladder of success.
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You can start a multi-million dollars project with a few thousand dollars available
to you. With a perfect plan in place, you will know how to build upon what you
started till you get to the finishing.
Remember, the tallest skyscraper started from the foundation but because work
never stopped at that level it continued to go up to higher levels till it rose to the
peak. Do not be discouraged if you are already coming late. Some people will not
make certain efforts anymore because they think age is no longer on their side. The
reality however is that in many cases it is never too late to become what you want
to be. Some people went back to school at old age and got their first degree while
they were already grandparents.
3. Start with adequate knowledge

Knowledge is power when it is applied correctly. What you know is an asset to
you. It gives you leverage, strengthens you, and creates opportunities for your
advancement.
Before you embark on anything make sure you have amassed knowledge on all it
takes to get it accomplished. Don't try to get things done by trial and error as this
will slow you down, dissipate energy, and may result in losses.
Be open to searching out information from every means available. Do not leave
any stone unturned in your desire to know all you need to know.
Getting the required knowledge should be one of the first goals to achieve in an
endeavor. When you know what to do you have the confidence to go ahead.
Sources of knowledge:
a. Attending classes on the subject
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You can learn from a specifically designed curriculum that is taught in a classroom
setting.
Such learning can take place in a school either physical or virtual where different
teachers take you on different fields of their specialization. At the end of your
learning, you become a certified professional in that area.
Someone may need to go back to school not minding your age. It is never too late
to learn.
Seminars, courses, and training are other avenues to get knowledge in your desired
areas.
There are as well different programs on the television, radio, and online social
networks where veterans and successful people are either delivering lessons or on
the interview seat answering questions and shedding light on your area of interest.
Follow those programs or shows to improve upon yourself.
b. Reading books
Books are a store of knowledge. There is hardly anything you need to know that is
not written in books.
Get the right books and open to yourself the wealth of information that will guide
you along. In the pages of the books are light to brighten up the darkness you
encounter in an area of your interest.
Getting information from books offers you the advantage of getting knowledge at
your own pace on your terms and without having to sit for any examination.
Form the habit of reading and enlarge your mind. It pays off always and the results
you get are worth the effort.
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The internet can also be of help to you. You can learn a lot from the abundant
resources available online. With just a click you can access and download
information in any area of your choice from various online platforms.
c. Apprenticeship and volunteering

You can go to learn from someone who is practically involved in what you want to
do.
If you can humble yourself to approach someone for tutoring on that area of your
interest you would be doing yourself a great favor.
At times what you need is not your certificate but the skills you have. You should
therefore consider going to learn in a setting other than academics.
While waiting for that employment you can volunteer at an organization that is in
your area of interest. Though you are not working for pay you are gaining on-the-
job experience. This will help you to be very much productive when you finally
land the job you are applying for. Working as a volunteer is also helping you to
build your CV/Resume thereby positioning you for your desired place.
d. Asking questions
Whoever asks questions is seeking knowledge. Asking questions is a desire to quit
ignorance.
When you ask a question you are asking for light into an area of darkness. Once
you get the light you can no longer stumble or miss your way.
Instead of starting to experiment or doing trial and error on a particular matter, you
can have an already made solution by just asking the right questions from the right
people.
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Be inquisitive on issues, dig more on matters of interest and you will see a lot of
information being unearthed like treasures deep hidden in the earth is dugout.
Having mentors affords you the privilege of having people from whom you can ask
questions. These are people who have achieved what you set out to achieve. They
have toed that path before and they can lead you through.
e. Your company
The people you relate with usually play a major role in your character formation.
Your acquaintances bear a lot of influence on you. Your personality can be marred
or made by your close associates. They give an idea of who you are
notwithstanding who you claim to be.
This is the reason you need to carefully choose those with who you relate. You
don't just flow along with anyone that you come across by chance. The fact that
you live in the same neighborhood or work in the same place or meet at the same
hangout place does not mean they must be your friends. You may not be heading
in the same direction in life and thus you cannot go together.
When you are in the right company you will get the right information that will
move you forward along your journey in life. You can tap from the resources and
wealth of knowledge of your cronies.
When you rub minds together and there is the cross-fertilization of ideas with your
peers you all add value to each other in the process. Whatever information one of
the team members gains he shares with his fellow. That is the advantage of having
as your friends, worthy fellows who are success-minded as you.
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4. Start on conviction
Another very important point I would like to make on starting up is that you must
be sure of what you want to start. You need to give yourself the full assurance that
you are ready to start and remain resolute till the end.
Remove all doubts from your mind as it will keep you back from going on. Doubts
slow you down as it weakens your decision-making ability.
Before you start on a project carefully check out all your details in the plan you
have prepared. Meticulously examine your list of activities to undertake and
actions to follow. Then think through all these points to assimilate and determine if
anything needs to be adjusted or some other things need to be in place for you to
achieve the end goal.
When you have faith that you are going to succeed in what you are about to start
you are empowering your mind to be alert and release ideas as well as open you up
to opportunities you never knew existed.
Do not embark on a project if you are not sure it is the right thing to do at the
moment. Take your time to analyze all the data and facts available to you. Have an
understanding of the environment to be able to draw an inference that will further
give you the assurance you need.
Deal with fear. Put all the necessary things in place, mitigate all risk factors, and
eliminate all imperfections as much as possible. Then this way you have built
confidence that will spur you on to success.
Along the line, as you build up your dream you are going to encounter some
obstacles and challenges which could discourage you from going on. In this
situation, it is the conviction you have had beforehand that will keep you going on
without giving up.
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Take your time to analyze your readiness for what you are venturing into and ask
yourself if you are making the best decision at the moment. Once you are sure it is
the right thing to do, go ahead at once and begin your journey into your success
story.
5. Start with the right mind

The state of your mind at the beginning matters a lot. Your attitude will determine
your level of attainment.
Always have an optimistic approach towards your goals in life. Never doubt your
abilities. Until you start doing things you may never know how well you can do it.
The more you do the more experience you gain and the more mastery of the
activities.
Don't go hastily to conclusions especially when it has to do with life. Hasty
decisions can result in regrets afterward. In some instances, there is no time to
think long and thus decisions must be made immediately, however, at such times
you will have to depend on some experiences and knowledge you have gained in
the past. This can be possible when you are calm and not fidgety.
The right mindset is a positive mindset which is thinking positively and believing it
is going to be a successful accomplishment.
Therefore, have hope. Be happy at the level you are at even if you think it is too
low for your expectations. If you despair at this time you are losing the energy
needed to go forward. Feeling down is a weight that will slow you down and keep
you from reaching your fulfillment. It can lead to fatal depression.
Do not harbor grudges but rather abhor them. Also, avoid other vices such as
revenge, ill thoughts, unfairness, and the like.
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If your intentions of doing things are not good then do not go into it. For example,
do not try to prove unnecessary points. You don't have to start your own business
because you want to show someone else that you could manage a business too.
Start a business when you know it is what you need to do.
Finally, make sure you are in the right frame of mind. Do not ignore your health in
whatever you do. Take good care of yourself completely. Your physical and
mental health care should be kept in proper shape at all times. Give attention to
your emotional well-being as it affects your reasoning and judgment.
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CHAPTER 9
STEP UP
You can be more productive than you are if you know more than you currently
know and do more than you are presently doing. There is a higher value of you that
you can attain if you present yourself for the opportunity.
There is always a step higher than whatever level you are at any given time. There
is more that you can do or become if you are willing and ready to pay the price.
If you work for an organization you may get to a point called the peak. That peak
is the highest level in the career ladder of which there is nothing above to rise to.
Meanwhile, that applies to your career but not to life. In life, you can always get
something more to do and to become as long as you are still breathing.
Some people go on to start up a new project, business, or other life pursuits after
retirement. They found out they can still be useful to themselves and the world at
large by rendering some services.
If you decide to do more there is always room for you. To either stop where you
are or to continue making a difference in your life and that of others is by personal
choice.
There is no end to continuous self-improvement; in fact, it should be your goal that
you must passionately pursue. Always look out for areas that matter to your
success and keep on making yourself better positioned in such areas.
For someone, it is necessary to step up in your communication skills, while for
someone else it is your dressing and appearance that needs a tune-up, yet for
another person, it is in the area of interrelationship. There are still some other areas
in which you have to up your performances.
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Some of these are areas where you are good already but you need to keep on
getting better. In some others, you are not doing very well yet and you need to
work really hard at it because it matters to your getting fulfilled.
In life, you don't have to just live or manage to survive. You should thrive and live
a fulfilled life. Therefore you have to be moving in the upward direction, making
yourself better positioned to get the reward and benefit of a productive and
fulfilling life. You actually deserve the best life possible.
Understanding your areas of strength and building upon them will give you the
wings to fly up to your place of fulfillment. You have no reason to remain on the
same spot forever. Move up higher as there is space for you there at the top.
Here are some reasons why you need to step up:

1. You have the potentials
There is more that you can become and attain if you have the desire and are also
ready to go for it. You can achieve better results than you are currently having. If
you could get to where you are now then you can also go on still to a better level.
Anyone can improve on their performances if they don't become complacent.
There is room for improvement if you are willing to take the chance. Helmut
Schmidt said, "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement."
You should examine yourself often to analyze your present status and find out
what you can still do better. Don't leave such things undone so as not to plateau on
the present achievement when you could have been aiming for another peak that is
beyond the one you presently occupy.
Do not waste the potential you have to be a better and more productive you. It is
only in the grave that one can no longer add any value to himself. As long as you
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are still breathing you can do more. Release all the treasures you carry inside of
you by doing all you have the ability to carry out.
When you do this you are becoming a blessing to the world and you will always be
appreciated for it.
2. The more you do the higher the reward you could get
The more you offer the more you are open to receiving benefits from your actions.
If you work in an organization, for instance, you are not just paid for occupying a
position but for what you offer the organization. You are paid for the value you
give. Therefore if you are an asset to the organization by consistently adding value
you get the promotion that demands higher responsibility and of course bigger and
better remuneration.
Your organization wants you to step up your productivity and efficiency and that is
the reason for expending resources for your training. Companies send their
employees on training, courses, seminars, etc. All is done in a bid to get them to
step up their performance which in turn positively impacts the bottom line.
If after spending so much on staff, a staff does not show signs of improvement, he
will either be stagnated or shown the way out.
You should not depend only on what your employer will do for you but you must
make a personal effort to keep getting better on a constant basis.
You may not be working for anyone but as a self-employed. You also need to
embark on the lifetime journey of personal continuous improvement. This is
because the more you can do the more you position yourself to gain more. There
are competitions everywhere but the one who has invested so much in himself to
make him stand out will always have outstanding returns.
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If you are a student you could be satisfied with average grades but if you could
step up your performance to distinctions then you have positioned yourself for
better opportunities after school.
Whoever you are and whatever you do, if you step up your performance you are
definitely stepping up the level of reward you get.
3. To avoid being left behind

One interesting thing about life is that there will always be forward movements,
innovations, and improvements upon the present as long as the earth exists. The
earlier you understand this fact the better for you.
As decades and centuries come and go the pattern of living also changes.
Technologies that were absent years back are being brought up with the passage of
time. As the years go on we are still going to be seeing improvement in
technologies that we are not seeing now.
It is now left for anyone to catch up with the new levels or be left behind. Others
are moving forward if you are not doing so. You should therefore constantly keep
up with the pace of development if you don't want to become obsolete. Be updated
or you will be outdated.
Take on new challenges for self-improvement and see yourself being better for it.
If you don't do this others will be preferred above you. This is because they have
proved themselves to be of higher value than you as they have stepped up their
levels of productivity.
Who gets promoted in many organizations is usually not entirely based on the
number of years on the job but on the productivity of the employee. A staff who is
not improving himself and not adding the expected value to the company will
remain long on the same level while people who were previously on the same level
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with him as well as those who were his junior in rank get promoted. The
productive ones leave the unproductive fellow behind because they choose to step
up their performances.
My advice to you is that you should not be the one the other people pass by and
leave behind. Always be on top of the game. Recognize change when it comes and
adapt to new and better ways of doing things. Be innovative, keep investing in
yourself, keep yourself on the cutting edge of excellence, and be a peak performer.
Following this way, you will not be left behind but rather be the one others look up
to.
Any business or corporation that does not work well enough to be at its best in its
products or services will be overtaken by the competition. The competitors are
working hard to take the larger share of the market so if you don't step up your
delivery you will lose your market to competition.
If others are stepping up, would you not?
4. To keep on the virtue of excellence

Excellence depicts being at your best consistently. Excellence is not regarded if it
is exhibited as a one-time or occasional activity, it is recognized when it becomes a
lifestyle.
That is why you have to continually work at getting better and more valuable. You
should not be in an unnecessary competition with another person but with the
person you are today. This means your aim should always be to be better than the
person you currently are.
You must surpass the achievements of yesterday if you are going to be relevant
today. Things are changing rapidly, therefore, you should keep on improving in
knowledge, skill, and attitude in order not to become stale.
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You may need to attend refresher courses in some areas that pertain to your job
functions. Enroll in advanced studies, get certifications, acquire more skills, in all
things get more wisdom.
If you are not doing well presently, stepping up is your promotion to getting it
right. On the other hand, if you have been doing well then stepping up is to
maintain your good standard while pushing for a better, higher, and sustainable
level of success and exceptional life.
5. You find fulfillment in doing so

There is usually a sense of satisfaction and joy that comes when a goal is achieved.
It is a time for celebration when a new and higher level is attained in any area of
life.
This is why people celebrate when they graduate from school either from college
or on obtaining a university degree. For every higher degree obtained there is a
graduation ceremony and a celebration that comes with it.
There are still several other instances where people celebrate such as when they get
promoted at work or when they are appointed into a particular office. Also, the joy
of discovering something new as a researcher may go beyond what words can
express, it is such a great joy of fulfillment, a eureka moment!
This is a reason why you must always strive to be better and do more than your
past. There is always a satisfaction that is worth more than the pain endured in
working towards it. The joy of attainment actually does submerge the troubles and
the scars encountered along the journey.
There is a joy that awaits you at the next level if you press on.
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If there is a place where your life can be better and you can have more happiness
why won't you take the necessary steps to get there? Step up, move up from where
you are and make yourself a fulfilled person.
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CHAPTER 10
SHOW UP
We usually make plans and preparations ahead for an event sometime before it
takes place. In a similar manner, we do a lot from childhood to develop ourselves
and prepare ourselves for the future. We go to school, learn some skills and engage
in some personal development activities in getting us ready for a life we envisage.
From childhood, we usually have a dream of the job or profession we want to
practice in the distant future which takes years to actualize. With proper guidance,
the choice of schools to attend, the courses to study at each level and the skills to
acquire are made until one day we become fully qualified to practice the
profession. At this point, we have moved from preparation to manifestation and
from obscurity to light.
Thus the time to show up through the expected deliveries or activities has come.
As you go through life you get to learn and develop skills by:
1. What you acquire through education either formal or informal.
2. The experiences you gather from your years of work and your interpersonal
relationships. You learn through on-the-job experiences such as an internship and
apprenticeship.
3. The use of your innate and natural abilities such as talents and giftings.
You can only make all these count for a worthwhile living if you use them to your
advantage as well as to benefit humanity.
Making use of your knowledge and skills means that after all your preparations
you finally get to manifest what you have been getting ready for.
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It is however possible for someone to get prepared for a task but never show up to
perform such a task. For example, some people go to school to study a particular
course but never use the knowledge acquired to work for one day. They abandon
the certificate to pursue another life goal entirely.
Before a concert performance, be it musical, an opera, a play performance;
acrobatics display; circus show, or any other form of artistic presentation, the
actors would have a time of practice and rehearsals to prepare themselves for the
presentation. The preparations are usually rigorous and painstakingly. They are
done behind closed doors where spectators are not present. They are preparing to
display all they practice in isolation to an audience on a later date which is the day
of showing up.
You can imagine the disappointment it would be for the expectant audience if on
the day of the concert the actors fail to show up, either deliberately or due to
unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances.
The same is the case with you if you fail to take up your place on the life stage.
There are certain things you can do best as you have been prepared for them all
along in your life's journey. If you don't release the treasure in you, you are
denying the world of tasting from the sweetness you can potentially add to it.
There is a product, lesson, wisdom, therapy, and fun you can add to the world.
Don't be in rehearsal all your life without coming out on the stage of life to display
the valuables in you. Do not leave the world in disappointment by failing to show
up. The world is waiting for you, show up!
In life, there is a stage set for you for your manifestation and fulfillment. A
question you should ask yourself is 'am I on the stage and am I giving my best
performance'?
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There are gifts inside of you, are you using them? You have the ability to do
certain things well, are you doing it at all? You have a great idea within you that
will make our world a better place, are you trying to bring it out?
There is a reward for every service. Are you rendering the services that will give
you headway in life or are you still marking time?
Here are some reasons why people do not manifest their life purpose:
1. They have not found their place
"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day
you find out why" -Mark Twain
When a person does not understand what he is designed for or the life he is
actually meant to live he will choose whatever comes his way. The problem
however is that he must have chosen the wrong path.
An undiscovered life is a wrongly lived life.
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find,
once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” -
Thomas Merton
It is disheartening to climb up the ladder and on getting to the top only to find out
it is leaning on the wrong wall. When someone misses his right place then he
cannot miss being in the wrong place.
Just like a fish that cannot survive outside water so no one can maximize his
potential if he is in the wrong place or path. It is important to be rightly positioned
in order to live the life that is expected of you.
Self-discovery is the first step to actualizing your purpose in life. Search inwards to
know what you were designed for. What can you do best without much stress?
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What do you find pleasure doing? What are you most productive at? The answers
to these are the clue to what you are meant to be doing in life.
2. They don't know how to go about it

When you discover what you can do well in life go ahead and get the necessary
training on it. It is very essential to have adequate knowledge of any discipline
before you venture into it. When you have done this you have positioned yourself
for success and you can ascend to the stage set for your fulfillment.
Some people have an idea of what they want to do and they are very eager to carry
out their ideas but they are lost when it comes to how to get it done.
Knowing the right path to take at the beginning gives the journey an encouraging
start. Therefore put yourself on the sure way and with a commitment to the cause
you are going to succeed.
Seek to know what to do by following the footsteps of those who have succeeded
in that endeavor. Let them be your mentor and guide on the road to fulfillment.
Some people have successfully tread the path you are about to take. Follow them
and you won't have to grope in the darkness trying so hard to find your way.
Every available means of seeking knowledge should be explored.
3. They are distracted

Distraction can be very dangerous to someone on the highway of greatness. It can
cause a delay in fulfillment and in a more serious case could result in a mishap that
can truncate destiny.
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It is very important to face where you are going and pay rapt attention to the details
of your progress. Do not at any time lose focus.
Distraction usually comes when other things appear fanciful and more attractive
than what you are doing. In this case, you tend to abandon your original plan so as
to pursue this new agenda. It may not result in success because it is not what you
are meant to be doing.
Stay through and be persistent with your life purpose. This should take the most of
your time and attention. Anything that is not about your fulfillment of dreams
should not take the center stage in your life. Whatever is not contributing to your
progress is definitely drawing you back.
Avoid all distractions which could also come from people around you. Keep your
eyes on the goal no matter what is happening around you. Close your ears to
negative statements that could discourage you.
Your recognition and celebration are just a little ahead. Keep up and keep on with
your plans without wavering and you will get to your destination of honor at the
end.
4. Laziness and complacency

A lazy person hardly gets anything done. When he gets it done it is usually a
shoddy job and never done on time.
Your dreams and aspirations will ever remain dormant and eventually lost if you
are not ready to roll up your sleeves and get the work done.
No lazy person ever rises to stardom. Every person of renown is a person of
passion and commitment to work. Hard work is the way to the fulfillment of
dreams. No success is attained by merely wishing for it. Success comes by a sheer
act of personal appropriate effort.
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Also, you cannot afford to be complacent at any stage of life. Settling down to rest
too early will lay to rest your potential and cause you to lose a lot of opportunities,
miss your chances of getting better, and losing relevance in the long run.
Making an effort to keep getting better each day should be your goal. Never be
satisfied with the status quo but strive always to improve on yourself.
The one who is not ready to labor in the dark is not ready to be seen and celebrated
in the light.
"The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but
they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."- Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow.
Do away with all forms of indolence and embrace productivity if you want to
shine.
5. Lack of opportunities or not making use of available opportunities

For each of our achievements in life, we must have made use of some opportunities
that came our way. The more opportunities we have the more success stories we
have, provided the opportunities are grabbed and utilized.
So many people would have done well in life but the opportunity is not there for
them. They have all it takes to accomplish great things but nothing could be done if
they are not given the privilege to express themselves. Some people would have
added much value to an organization but if they are not employed there they could
do nothing.
Some others were not prepared when the opportunity came and thus missed their
chance.
Opportunities do present themselves to us every now and then. Anyone that knows
how to identify opportunities will always do well for himself. One problem that
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makes people stagnate in life is that they do not know how to identify opportunities
and when they do they are not ready to make use of them.
If you are going to be successful and celebrated you must know how to sight
opportunities and always be ready to go after them without delay. Harnessing
opportunities is a great skill that will help you to attain the highest heights of your
career.
The ability to identify opportunities may not be enough, you should also know how
to create them. When opportunities are not knocking, get up and go look for it.
Whatever you need to do to make opportunities available, do it. You may create it,
birth it, initiate it, call it, or revive it. Whatever needs to be done, just make it
happen.
The following are five ways by which anyone can come out of obscurity into light,
make an impact in the world around them and become a fulfilled individual.
1. Use your gift and talent
Everyone is born with some natural ability. No one was born empty. You are
endowed with some special gifts that distinguish you. There are things you can do
with little or less effort because you are naturally inclined to do them. You have a
knack and aptitude for such things because it is part of your makeup.
Make sure to discover and develop your talents and gifts and then put them to use.
Just like a bird will not struggle to fly in the air but would find it tough to swim so
your gifting has a place of its manifestation. You will do well and better if you
locate yourself in your place of natural ability. You will not struggle to perform
there.
The way to prosperity for so many people is through the use of their gifts and
talents. Some people rose to stardom because they gave expression to these
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endowments. You can see some people doing well in their careers such as music,
acting, broadcasting, fashion designing, and many other creative skills. Others are
in the areas of research, teaching, writing, speaking, leadership, and so on.
They would have lived their lives in obscurity or even in poverty if they did not
discover and used their skills. Though it is possible to do well in other areas
outside one's calling, fulfillment will be missing. Money could be made but
satisfaction and joy of life fulfillment would not be there.
You are a load of treasures. Make sure you bless the world with that which you
carry in you. In doing so, you will be adding value to the world in your own unique
way. And in doing so you get rewarded as your delivery is paid for with
appreciation. More so you find pleasure and satisfaction.
Do not hesitate to hone your skills and give value to humanity.
2. Use your knowledge and experiences

Through the years we have encountered various situations and circumstances
which have taught us certain life lessons. From the work we do, the places we have
been to, and the people we meet, we acquire knowledge and get some experiences
that would not have been ours if we had not been through those circumstances.
It should be noted that no knowledge should be a waste and no experience is
useless. Both knowledge and experience could be utilized for a great benefit to us
and the people around us.
Having adequate knowledge makes us wiser and more relevant to any community
we find ourselves in. The more you know the more people want to listen to you
and the more impact you can make. Someone said, "You cannot be loaded and not
be needed."
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A person with experience will always be in demand as people and organizations
will be looking for him to benefit from what he has acquired. There is respect for
someone who knows more than others.
People with a depth of knowledge always get the stage because people want to tap
into their wealth of knowledge and so they will listen to them. In many cases,
people pay to hear someone speak because such a speaker has made so much effort
to acquire so much knowledge that people are willing to pay to learn from him.
The more you know the more you can do and the better you can solve problems.
Put in more effort into knowing more. Be a store of knowledge and you are the one
that shall be needed.
A student should not wait to finish schooling before starting to gain practical
knowledge of what he is studying. While still in school he should utilize the
opportunities of internship and volunteering to work and learn in a real-life
experience apart from classroom learning. By the time he is through with
schooling, he would have added some work experience which puts him at an
advantage with employers when job seeking.
When you have acquired knowledge and experience do not let it lie fallow. Instead,
use it to raise the standard of life around you. Either for free or for a fee, let people
around you benefit from the treasure of information you have in the form of
knowledge and experience.
As you bless others that way, you are positioning yourself for the top. You become
the go-to person, you will become indispensable.
3. Take on responsibilities
It takes a great act of personal commitment to decide to act out of volition to make
things go alright when you notice an abnormality. In such situations, you are
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willing to make yourself available to assume responsibilities especially when you
have the option to look the other way and silently walk away. It is not being forced
on you to take the action but you decide to act for the good of not only yourself but
of others.
There are situations around us that need to be addressed but no one wants to take
the initiative. Though it could be done by anyone, no one does it and at the end of
the day, it becomes everyone's problem.
There might be some task at your workplace which is not directly part of your job
description but you can offer some solution then do not look away as if it does not
concern you. You should rather bring up the ideas that you can come up with to
help solve the problem.
I heard the story of a gateman who eventually got lifted to a management role in an
organization because his idea helped to solve a critical problem in the company.
His suggestion improved their sales that were erstwhile dropping drastically.
There is also the story of a junior worker in a company who later on became an
associate of the president of the company because he was always available to help
the president after work hours, when all other staff members had officially closed
for the day and left for home. The boss noticed that this particular staff was more
dedicated and committed to helping him and the company that he started giving
him higher responsibilities until he eventually rose to become a partner to the
founder and president.
If you are going to go high up in your career you must be actively taking up
responsibilities whenever there is a need for it. Use your initiative to discover what
needs to be done and go the extra mile of getting it done even if you are not paid to
do it. You may do some good work without receiving any accolades for it but keep
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on doing it because one day your efforts will be recognized and you will be
rewarded for it.
Do more than you are asked to do if that will benefit your organization, client, or
community. Do things to help others beyond their expectations.
At times arising as an emergent leader when there is a problem that needs to be
addressed can be your way to the top. Some politicians actually rode on this
platform to become the big shot they eventually became. They stood up to act for
their people to push for some benefit from the government or to get themselves
liberated from some forms of oppression. People recognize their commitment to
their welfare and they back them up for higher ambition when the time came.
Anywhere you find yourself, always be ready to take responsibilities. You may
need to speak up for someone or people who cannot do so by themselves, don't
look away but help out. You may have to spend your resources to get help for
some people, don't spare what you can afford to part with.
Finally when you err or something goes wrong around you don't be quick to
apportion blame or to separate yourself from the team. Instead take responsibility
for the outcome and work through it to make things right.
Remember that whatever you do comes back to you sometime later, maybe in the
same form or another form.
4. Blaze the trail when necessary
At some point in life, your creativity is what is needed to distinguish you from the
crowd. You should not always follow the old pattern or move with the crowd.
When you have the opportunity to do so, do not hold back from creating something
new for the world to benefit from.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where
there is no path and leave a trail."
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There is great fulfillment in being an originator or a creator rather than imitating
people's ideas all the time. Never lose the opportunity to be called an inventor if
you have the privilege. While some people are reputed for their creativity others
are known for being copycats.
Break new grounds as long as you can. Do something worth emulating. There are
some business ideas no one has ever thought of. If you can conceive such you
would have made a great fortune for yourself by the time others come to join in.
When you do what has been done by others you become one of the numerous
imitators. It does not matter how well you do it you will never be accorded the
honor of the originator.
It is easy to be lost in the crowd of followership but if you take the lead you will be
distinguished as the founder or discoverer of a noble cause. There are too many
followers than we have leaders. It is easier to follow than to take the lead and that
is why many would not want to take the bold step into leadership. However, the
easy life is not a distinguished life. It takes some discomfort and pain to get the
glory.
When you can, be the initiator and not an imitator. There is an ingenuity you have
in you. Let it come out. It is your potential to rise out of obscurity into the light.
If you do what no one has ever done you will encounter the challenge no one has
encountered but in the end, you will get the reward no one has ever received.
Do something with your creative mind. Take bold steps to take an erstwhile
unknown path of greatness. Blaze the trail and you will be celebrated.
5. Overcome obstacles
Achieving our dreams and goals in life is not usually an easy task. There are
obstacles on the way that must be surmounted before you get to your place of rest.
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The reason many people will never achieve greatness is that they want to live an
easy life. They don't want to face any challenge yet an unchallenged life is an
untested life that will neither produce a worthwhile story nor give an inspiring
message.
When you notice an obstacle on your path, don't back out of your plan but rather
find a way to overcome it. Anyone who has the habit of running away from
difficult situations will never get anything done because every project or dream has
its own problem.
A stream hardly runs straight but gets crooked because it turns the other way when
it meets an obstruction. As many times as it meets a blockage it bends to another
route to continue its flow. Likewise, a person that is given to avoiding challenging
situations is living an inconsistent life, always bending to pressure.
Great inventors that are being celebrated now got to that stage because they
insisted on solving a particular problem by staying put till a discovery was made.
They, doing so, make their way to the hall of fame because they have made living
easier or better for humanity.
There might be a situation you are in right now or some challenges you are facing
that is stopping you from rising to your fulfillment. You may be a student having
financial problems thereby hindering your education pursuit, you may be a
business person with some issues stopping you from keeping on with your
business, and you may be a worker in a firm with some challenges in the
workplace threatening your career. Whoever you are and whatever the difficulty,
do not despair or lose hope, there is always a way out of every predicament. Build
resilience and work through the difficult circumstances and I can assure you that
there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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On the other side of the mountain of the problem is victory and fulfillment of
dreams, therefore take the pain to surmount the obstacle.
Risk is a part of human existence therefore be ready to take calculated risks. You
have the power to overcome all obstacles to your fulfillment if you have the will to
take the necessary actions.
If you run away from a challenge you are a loser even before the start of the
contest. If you face the challenge and fail you are neither a failure nor a loser but
you become experienced. When you overcome the obstacle you have become a
winner. A winner has the joy of victory.
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CHAPTER 11
CLIMB UP
"There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs"

- ZigZiglar
In your quest to attain the height of success, you should be ready to follow the due
course and be diligent enough to move up steadily without wavering. There are
stages you must pass through to get to the top. These stages are sequential and
following them accordingly will make you a seasoned achiever when you get to the
top.
The problem with many people is that they want to be successful, get to the top of
their career but they are neither ready nor willing to put in the required effort. They
want to get it in an easy way. But the sad reality is that there is no easy way to
succeed.
Also, many people like to cut corners or take the shortcut to their desired success
destination but doing so will not be helpful because some experience needed later
on would have been missed along the way.
Take pains to climb up one step at a time on the ladder of success. It may take a
while to follow through all the process but in the end, you gain a lot of benefits.
Some people are satisfied with little success and would not take any effort at
moving on. Complacency is an enemy of great achievement as it makes you
satisfied with little instead of achieving all you have the potential for. It makes you
stay put at a particular point on the way without making an effort to go up higher.
It may appear easy to remain where you are, maintaining your current position.
However you are not making use of all resources available to you for your own
growth and improvement if you remain fixed at the level you are.
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Be determined to reach the top with the mindset of doing it right. Climb on the
strength of character and integrity.
This chapter aims at motivating you in two areas:
1. To see the need to follow through all the necessary stages in getting to your
successful destination without making undue shortcuts.
2. To encourage you to keep on making all the moves you are able to in order to
get to the great heights ahead of you and not be satisfied with little achievements.
Follow through all the stages

In biology, we learned about metamorphosis which is the process by which certain
organisms develop, grow, and change form. In metamorphosis there is a biological
process in which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a
conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal‟s form or structure through
cell growth and differentiation. In some cases, metamorphosis is accompanied by a
change of habitat or behavior.
In the above-mentioned biological process, the organism moves from the early
stage of life to other phases until it finally becomes an adult. It lives differently at
each stage exhibiting different characteristics.
Two things are important to note. Firstly, the animal must change from one form to
another if it is going to ever attain its full potential. Secondly, a stage cannot be
jumped or avoided, all the forms have to be passed through for it to become the
real creature it has the potential to become.
The lesson I am bringing out of this is that you have to move progressively from
one stage to the next, climbing the stairs of success in the required order. Don't
jump or avoid a stage thinking it is a waste of time. You must patiently follow the
due course.
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For instance, the fact that you have all the capital to start a business or a
corporation should not make you assume the position of a CEO or chairman at
once when you have not worked in a similar environment starting from a low level
to mid-level and then getting to the top management level in order to learn the
ropes.
The fact that you are a child of the owner of a business organization should not
make you jump straight to the head of the establishment as soon as you graduate
from school without any working experience yet.
If a high position is available to you by the reason of privilege do not rush to
assume it if you have not learned the steps.
Dr. Albert Oduwole said, "If you jump up you will come down but if you climb up
you will stay up." Jumping up seems to make you gain height quickly and suddenly
but how long can you stay up in the air without a base of support underneath you?
Meanwhile, if you climb you will get to your desired height on the platform of
growth and diligence.
You must grow up. As human beings, we grow from infancy to childhood to
adolescence/teenage to adulthood and finally old age. In the same way, anyone
seeking success must work all the way through to the topmost level. Success is not
delivered to anyone overnight but attained by gradual growth through deliberate
and intentional effort.
You have to evolve, metamorphose, and grow from the start to a successful
destination. Following through with the process may be time-consuming and
require much effort but it pays in the end. The experience you gain and the wisdom
you acquire will forever be your forte.
Learning all the lessons through participation at each step makes you fit to stay at
the top of the ladder of success when you eventually get there.
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Avoid taking unnecessary shortcuts and mischievously cutting corners. Be diligent
enough to stay consistently on the pathway and patiently navigate the road to your
fulfillment.
Put all your effort into getting equipped for the peak you aim at. Get all the
training, certifications, degrees, and experience. This will distinguish you from
someone who never takes the pain of passing through the process but depends on
connections or political affiliation to rise to the top. Such a person won't be able to
match up with the standard of excellent performance.
At every level you find yourself, give your very best there. Your good performance
paves way for your promotion to the next level.
Take all available steps to a better you

Are you satisfied with your present level of achievements? Do you really think you
have got to the highest level available of which there is nothing more to be
achieved?
If your answer to the questions above is 'Yes', then you have by yourself limited
your own destiny. As long as you are alive you should keep on adding value to
yourself. The more value you add to yourself the more invaluable you become to
the world around you. Therefore keep on aspiring for the best.
There are many stories about successful, wealthy, and influential people who rose
from obscurity, poverty, and hopelessness to become renowned today.
One thing about such people is that they were not satisfied with their status quo.
They wanted something better for their lives and they got it by deliberate effort.
You should copy the examples of such people. They are go-getters, be one.
Just like a mountain climber never finds it easy climbing to the top of the hill so
you won't find it easy climbing up the success stairs but as the mountain climber
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gets the recognition, pleasure, and accolades for the brave venture after scaling to
the top, so also you get the recognition for a worthy effort in personal
development.
Don't stop until you get to the top. Your place is waiting for you at the top
therefore rise up and take your place. Remember there is always room at the top
for everyone. Don't allow any barrier to stop you from making an effort at getting
better.
Keep on pushing your frontiers, raise the bar of achievements, go and do more for
yourself and the world around you.
Avoid the temptation to stop and rest before you get to your destination. Doing so
may make you lose vigor and alacrity to continue with your goals.
You have not got to the end of your achievements if you will be determined to do
more. You can keep on growing till you reach the sky and even at that you can still
go higher. You have no limits unless you impose one on yourself.
You have to keep up continuously with the needed change and progressive actions.
The fire of your passion must keep burning else it turns to smoke which disappears
with the wind.
Don't stop on the way. Keep moving forward, keep doing what you need to do for
a better you and for a better world.
"Even if you‟re on the right track, you‟ll get run over if you just sit there". – Will
Rogers.
Be ready to innovate when and where necessary. Understand when the season
changes and move up with the right trend. Take your lesson from some big
corporations who held sway in the past but eventually lost out and fell out of
business just because they did not move in the direction of new technology and
emerging business acumen.
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Keep on keeping on. Keep on climbing the ladder of success. Life at the top is
sweet and satisfying. Make sure you take your place there, don't stay mediocre all
through life. Climb up, go up higher!
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CHAPTER 12
SOW UP
"If you want to achieve your highest aspirations and overcome your greatest
challenges, identify and apply the principle or natural law that governs the results
you seek." -Stephen R. Covey
One of the laws of nature that I want to apply here is the law of „sowing and
reaping‟. This natural law plays out whether we are conscious of it or not. 'Sowing'
and 'reaping' go together because as you give out you also get back according to
what you give.
„Sowing and reaping‟ is an agricultural parlance which when applied figuratively
has a lot to do with our daily lives. A farmer's duty is to deliberately plant whatever
he desires of which after a particular time, depending on the crop, goes to harvest
what he previously sowed.
You have the potential to rise to the top, you should not get stuck at the base.
Meanwhile, there are some seeds you need to sow that will get you to the place of
fulfillment.
Everything we do now matters a lot to what we shall have or become later. All our
actions of today come back to us tomorrow as a reward either good or bad. There is
nothing we do that ends there at the action phase. All actions get their
corresponding reactions either immediately or at a later time.
Since we are in a world where the phenomenon of „sowing and reaping‟ is an
inevitable part of our lives we must make conscious efforts to sow the actions that
will take us to our desired destination in life.
A Chinese proverb says, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago while
the second-best time is now. In case you have not been making the inputs that will
bring you to the fulfillment of your dream or you have been taking wrong and
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unproductive actions that are inimical to success, you have a golden opportunity to
turn over a new leaf today. You cannot go back to the past to change whatever had
happened there but you can start afresh today to earn yourself a different future
that is desired.
To „sow up‟ is to do things deliberately that will give you the future you dream of.
The future is not necessarily a far or distant time, it could be the next few hours or
days. Take the right actions now because every action is a seed that will germinate
and come back to you as a harvest of results.
I will expound on this topic with three related points using the implications of the
law of sowing and reaping.
1. You reap what you sow
A farmer that planted a particular kind of seed on his farmland will not anticipate a
harvest of a different crop other than what was cultivated. For instance, a farmer
that puts down corn seeds will be living in delusion if he begins to expect to see
cowpea growing on the farm or hoping to harvest oranges on the same plot of land
in the future.
Every seed brings forth its kind as a harvest, you reap what you sow. There is no
technology or miracle that will make you plant rice and then harvest groundnuts.
Sow what you want to see as harvest, plan your future now before you get there, it
is just the wise thing to do. When you know what you want to achieve or become
in the future you have to start doing things now that will make it a reality.
Just as sowing good seeds on good land yields a good harvest, so is the preparation
you make today for a successful tomorrow. Do the right things at the right time and
in the right way.
A student that would succeed in his academics will attend classes promptly and
regularly, study well, carry out assignments given and sit for all required tests and
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examinations. All these efforts amount to sowing the seed that produces success at
a later time as the harvest. Without sowing this seed, academic success cannot be
achieved. In a school, the brightest student who has the potential of having a
distinction grade can end up with an average result or fail woefully if he would not
put in the required effort. That is to say no sowing of academic seed, no harvest of
academic success.
This same principle applies to any area of life. You get what you prepare yourself
to get through some particular and definite actions. If you put in diligence and
commitment into your work you are sure to get the expected results and be
successful but if you work with slothfulness and laxity you get a poor result which
is tantamount to failure.
Sow good seeds and get a good harvest, sow bad seeds and get yourself a bad
harvest. Whatever you do does not end there, it comes back to you. In life always
bear in mind that your actions are your way of preordering an event that you will
experience in the nearest future.
Take note of the following:
 Sow an action and reap a habit
 Sow a habit and reap a character
 Sow hard work and reap an outstanding performance
 Sow diligence and reap excellence
 Sow kindness and reap affection
 Sow love and reap acceptance
 Sow gifts and reap friendship
 Sow integrity and reap a good name
 Sow ideas and reap innovation
 Sow prayer and reap divine intervention
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On the other hand,

 If you sow laziness you reap failure
 If you sow apathy you reap hatred
 If you sow idleness you reap poverty
 If you sow wastefulness you reap lack
 If you sow falsehood you reap loss of trust
The list is endless. It is all about your everyday life. You determine what comes to
you by what you give out.
"If you don't like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been
sowing." -Jim Rohn.
2. Nurture and protect your seed

When a farmer puts the seed in the soil he does not abandon it afterward, leaving it
alone to care for itself. If he does so he would come back one day to get a harvest
but instead of a harvest, he will meet a field overtaken by weed and nothing to take
as harvest.
A serious farmer keeps going to the place where he has planted his seed to care for
the plant until it is ripe for harvest. He protects the seed from whatever will not let
it grow be it rodents, weeds, adverse weather conditions, or pests. While the seed
grows he never stops nurturing what he has planted.
In the same way, you have to look after your ideas, efforts, and other inputs you
are giving for a successful life. When you make up your mind to succeed and
achieve a particular goal you are putting a seed into the soil of destiny fulfillment.
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So many people started that way too but did not see the outcome they anticipated
because they failed to cultivate, protect and nurture the ambition to fruition.
Following the points elaborated below will help you to get it right in keeping your
seed protected and nurtured for fruitfulness.
i. Choose the right location
The planting of any crop begins with site location and preparation. So also you
must find a good place to realize your dream. You cannot accomplish your purpose
at every place. There are some places where your vision will be blurred, your
potentials stifled and your ability unexpressed. Such places must be avoided. It
may be where you live or where you work. If you notice you don't have the
opportunity for growth and to fulfill your life's goal and ambition there, do not
hesitate to leave such a place and move on to fertile land that can help you
germinate and grow your ideas and worth.
Make sure you get your foundation right in your aspiration for a successful life.
That is, be planted in the right place. Connect yourself to a source that gives life to
your dreams and ambition.
ii. Choose viable seeds
A good farmer carefully selects the best seeds for planting. An infested or
defective seed will never yield a good harvest but end up in futile effort. Therefore
a success-minded farmer chooses the best and most viable seeds, the breed with the
desired genetic formation that is pleasant to him.
A farmer often desires hybrids that have certain characteristics that are appealing
in features such as high quality and quantity of yield, resistance to diseases, period
of maturity, taste, and so on.
In like manner you must carefully sort out the activities you involve in to know
which ones are relevant and germane to your growth and fulfillment. There are
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some activities that you may like but which will be distractions to you in the
pursuit of your dream. You have to keep such away completely or participate in
them in your spare time.
For instance, it may not yield a good result for someone who desires to be a
renowned scientific researcher and at the same time wants to be a sports star. A
person with such ambition will most likely end up not becoming either of the two.
He would have to make one of the two his main target and the other one a leisurely
pursuit.
Furthermore, you should identify what will work and what will not, based on the
circumstances surrounding you. You should not be oblivious of the social,
political, and economic situations in your environment. This should determine the
kind of business you do and how you do it, the kind of course you study in school,
and the kind of skills you would need to acquire.
In terms of character formation, there are some behavioral tendencies you must
embrace and others you must discard.
Friendliness, courtesy, respect for others, nice attitudes, kindness, genuine love for
others, and such other virtues are good seeds towards building relationships.
Behaviors such as arrogance, pride, grumpiness, uncouthness, indiscipline, and
such other vices are bad seeds that will make it impossible for you to get along
well with people.
In the job you do, dedication, commitment, and innovativeness will lead to your
productivity on the job and earn you good recommendations while laziness, being
shambolic, poor interpersonal skills, and lack of enthusiasm will make you be
below average and you will soon find yourself out of the job.
In as many areas as it applies to you, choose the good action path and avoid the
bad ones. Select what is productive and eradicate what is unproductive.
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iii. Tend your garden
When you have been rightly positioned and have wisely chosen the viable seeds
then go on further to tend the plant of success you have established. That is to say,
be intentional about keeping your dreams alive. You must sustain the effort you are
making towards your goals.
When you have made a relationship that will help you achieve your goals there are
certain things you should be doing to keep the relationship going smoothly. There
are certain attitudes or behaviors that destroy good relationships, such must be
avoided. Show respect, kindness, care, and sincerity to the people you relate with.
This builds up your social capital which will benefit you in diverse ways since no
one is an island. You need others to fulfill your dreams.
When you place value on relationships with your family, friends, neighbors, co-
workers, etc. you are building up a strong connection that will be there for you in
times of need. A piece of information, a recommendation, or an opportunity
offered by one of these people can be the avenue for the big breakthrough you need
in life.
Aside from relationship maintenance you also need to keep on with habits that help
you stay afloat in your career. Input your best into whatever you do and exceed
expectations.
You cannot afford to have a better yesterday in your career or life achievements.
So you need to keep on improving yourself. Keep getting better and more
productive. Do not rest when it is not yet time to do so. Never stop being at your
best at all times.
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3. Harvest comes at a later date and it is more than the seed sown
You cannot plant on a day and then harvest on the same day. It takes some time
from the sowing of the seeds to the harvest of the crops. However, when you
harvest, it is a far greater experience than the sowing because what you harvest is
in multiples of what you sowed. Though you reap after the order of what you sow
but not in the same quantity.
One grain of corn will produce over five hundred other grains! That is amazing.
You can go sowing with a few bags of seeds of a particular crop but you are surely
not coming back from harvest bearing a few bags of crops, you come from harvest
with truckloads of fruits.
It is important to take note of this in each of your endeavors. The effort you put in
comes back to you in a fulfilling way as the result of your work.
A student that is devoted to his studies, burning the midnight oil, will experience
the joy of graduating with good grades one day. The joy of this achievement will
submerge the pain endured while being a student.
A dedicated and committed worker who also keeps on developing himself will get
promotions and better pay or even more lucrative job offers. His past efforts pay
off in the end. He now enjoys more than he suffered.
In all your undertakings, always know that whatever you do is coming back to you
in folds. The good you do has a way of coming back to you as you reap goodness
from other sources, at times the sources you never knew nor expected. In like
manner, if you do evil it is going to be returned to you.
The little habits of self-development you form today will take you to great places
in the future. Therefore always do whatever you need to do to make progress no
matter how little it is.
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“Plant a kernel of wheat and you reap a pint; plant a pint and you reap a bushel.
Always the law works to give you back more than you give.” – Anthony Norvell
Also, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an
act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character
and you reap a destiny."
In conclusion, this chapter is titled "sow up" because it encourages you to take
actions that will be rewarded by your rising to higher altitudes in life.
Make sure you put in all it takes to make you become a better person, more
productive, and well suited for the higher level you desire. This is an act of sowing
the seed of greatness and you will surely start to harvest it sooner than later.
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CHAPTER 13
STAY UP
When you have risen to the place of your expectations and your dreams are
becoming a reality, you should rejoice, yes, but take note that you cannot afford to
relax too much and sit back in complacency. You need to keep up with that success
and maintain the upward trajectory you have found. To be successful in life is so
much desirable and much more preferable to being a failure or mediocre. Therefore
if there is anything you need to hang on to and never let go of it after you have
found it, it is the height of success and great accomplishment you have got!
After achieving great success it is easy to begin to think that you are a champion
who has conquered where others failed and also to beat your chest and shower
accolades on yourself for being able to accomplish greatness. The danger here is
that you may gradually begin to lose the fervor, desire, and commitment to keep on
working hard and achieving more in life. The feeling of „I have arrived‟ makes one
oblivious to the fact that there is more to be done no matter the magnitude of what
has been done already.
One thing you must have at the back of your mind always is that the pinnacle of
one person‟s exploits is the starting point of another person‟s accomplishment. The
attainment you have ascended to should therefore not be a place to put a rocking
chair and retire to inactivity for the rest of life. Also, it is not a place to let down
one‟s guard while basking in the euphoria of the success that has been obtained
through hard work and persistent right attitude.
The reason for all the admonition and encouragement not to sleep off in the land of
successful accomplishment is because it is very possible to slip and fall off the
height of greatness or success that has been achieved.
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There are people who are known to be highly successful in the past and who many
people looked to as a model of accomplishment but then after a few years, they are
no longer where they used to be. Some erstwhile wealthy men later found
themselves barely able to sustain themselves without support from the government
or other people. Some influential persons ended up not being a force to reckon with
in the scheme of things or field where they held sway previously. What happened
to these ones? They simply lost the glory they attained earlier. The success they
achieved eventually became a history and a thing of the past.
Now, this sad event happened because they did not realize that there is the cogent
need to continue to make effort to STAY UP after they have climbed up the ladder
of success. If you are not careful to give it all it takes to stay up, then know that
going down is inevitable.
When you have found yourself ahead in any area in life you should never get to a
point where you are tempted to stand till or where you start to mark time. The
reason why you should not try that is that the people that are coming from behind
are not stopping. When you stop they simply move past you and as more and more
of them get passing you by, they are getting lined up ahead of you thereby pushing
you back gradually. Before long you will suddenly find out to your chagrin that
you are no longer as relevant as you used to be. What happened? People have gone
ahead of you to take your place! Therefore in order for you to avoid a situation of
being a man of the past, you need to keep up being relevant by giving it all it takes
to maintain the glory you have attained. When you have succeeded in life you need
to keep on succeeding in order to maintain that success otherwise the success you
attained may soon turn out to be stale.
It is delightful to be at the top. To be successful and remain so continually is
everyone's desire. That is why when you get to that place of accomplishment, make
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sure you remain there. You must avoid the „grace to grass‟ story because it is one
of the worst experiences anyone could have in a lifetime. „Once upon a time‟
success in life is an excruciating tale of a life. You must not lose the great height
you have achieved for anything. You must stay up and stay relevant, it is one of the
best gifts you can give yourself and the world around you.
Here are five tips to help you to remain on top of the ladder of success.
1. Keep working
Don‟t retire when you have attained success but refire to get more success. Until
you give up the ghost and lay quietly in the grave you must keep on getting things
done no matter how old you are. As long as you are still moving you must be
moving something.
The hard work, dedication, and commitment that you applied in order to become
successful should not be jettisoned in the corridor while you step into your
fulfillment. In fact, they must form part of the most treasured assets in your
newfound level of success.
You must realize that success is not a destination but a continuous process. In view
of this, you need to brace up and keep getting the work done. If you go to nap at
the sight of success you will wake up later to discover to your dismay that the
success is no longer in sight. It has been snatched by someone else who is not
sleeping while work should be done.
Keep working to be a better person than you were yesterday in all ramifications.
Keep working to hone your skills.
Keep working to seek more knowledge to keep you afloat in the face of fierce
competition and opposition.
Keep working to contribute to the wellbeing of the world around you.
Keep working to maintain your success.
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The truth is that circumstances and situations change over time, yet the fact is that
at any level of life, something can still be done to keep up with the success. So, are
you getting older? Have you retired from your regular job? Have you quit the
position you previously occupied? Have you attained the peak of your career and
there is no higher position to climb to?
Whatever the unique situation that is yours, you have not reached the end of
achievement. There is something you can still do to keep being relevant. Always
remember that a loss of relevance is a loss of success. As long as you are alive you
must keep on being relevant or else you have become a liability to your world.
Never be caught in that, always be an asset!
Someone who is no longer in the capacity to function in a role after leaving a
particular position, can go onward to be a consultant in that same field. He should
continue to update his knowledge to be able to keep up with present realities. This
coupled with the experiences he has garnered before will make him a force to
reckon with continually.
As you therefore find yourself at the top in life, keep on working to remain at the
top. That is your stamina to remain there at the top else the „force of gravity‟ will
soon pull you down.
2. Maintain integrity
Integrity is very paramount to your credibility and acceptability. You may walk
your way to the top by means of hard work but to be sustained there you need
character and integrity. Once you lose your integrity the loss of success is
imminent. Note that success is not only about money, you may still have the
money but once you lose the trust you have lost goodwill. King Solomon said, "A
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good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver
and gold."
Many known and celebrated people by the reason of their outstanding success have
afterward been relegated to the level of disdain and shame as they were found in
immoral acts of dishonesty, cheating, fraud, perversions, and the likes. When
character is lost a great asset is lost.
You must constantly hold on to the right virtues if you are going to have a firm
grip on the success you have gotten. Avoid sharp practices, cheating,
misappropriation of resources, falsification, Machiavellian acts etc.
Many top executives and politicians have found themselves in a place of disrepute,
many lost their positions, others found themselves in jail and some committed
suicide when they were caught in unwholesome acts. Their failure to hold on to
integrity when they got to the peak of their career caused them a sad ending. Those
people are not necessarily bad people. In fact, some of them are among the best
and desirable sets of humans. They are good, intelligent, and humane but they
carelessly let down their guards, and thinking they can sly through without being
found out, they put their hands in the forbidden. This eventually led to the downfall
of some finest and great men and women.
In order to avoid a costly slip from the top of the ladder of success, you must keep
on to cleanness, candor, and impeccable integrity at all times. It must form part of
your life from the beginning of your journey to success and when you get to the
top it must never be cast away. Fight against every temptation and challenge that
could make you get involved in shady acts.
Keep your integrity and in turn, it will keep you at the top.
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3. Seek stability
A chair or stool that is designed to have four legs will never be able to make
anyone sit conveniently if two of the legs are absent. It must have four legs before
it can be sat upon conveniently else whoever sits on it will find himself fallen to
the ground.
After attaining success, you need to be aware that you have to sit on the place of
honor comfortably and safely so as to retain the position for as long as it could ever
last. Therefore it is pertinent to your continuous stay at the top to get stabilized.
You have to be sure that everything around your success has been guaranteed and
secured.
You can maintain balance and stability:
 Via risk management:
So, if you are a business person and you have succeeded in establishing a
flourishing business, never neglect to put in place all that will help you to minimize
risks to the barest. You may need to diversify your investments so as to avoid
putting all your eggs in one basket. You would also not joke with the matter of
insurance and other institutions that can help you secure your investments against
fatal losses.
Also, avoid making deals hastily without proper consultation and due diligence.
 Via increasing knowledge:

If you are in a position of leadership in whichever form, you must consolidate your
position of leadership. As a person whom many people look up to for guidance and
instructions, always make yourself fit for leadership. In order for you to solidify
your ground in leadership, you need to be able to continuously provide exemplary
leadership by learning more to improve your knowledge and skills. Once your
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followers begin to know more than you, you can‟t be their leader indeed anymore.
That is why a leader must always have an edge by always being ahead. Ignorance
is not an ornament, it does not befit a leader. An ignorant or uninformed leader will
lose relevance by being repulsive to the people who once held him in high esteem.
 Via strength:
Another way to guarantee stability is by getting strengthened above opposition.
Oppositions may come from competitors, enemies, policies, institutions, life
situations, and circumstances. Therefore it is of paramount importance to garner
strength that will keep you afloat in the face of any storm to avoid drowning.
You need physical strength to be able to keep working to maintain your success.
Therefore you should never take your health issues with levity. Many people could
not stay long to enjoy their success because they suddenly dropped dead at the
peak of their careers. Many of these breakdowns are caused by health issues that
were not discovered on time. Always have your medical checkups and seek quick
remedy for any abnormality, eat healthily, maintain cleanliness and hygiene and
put up with regular exercises.
Other areas of strength which you cannot overlook are emotional, psychological,
spiritual and mental strength. These are very essential to make right and accurate
decisions at all times.
 Via concentration of attention

A very practical way of gaining stability is to eliminate distractions. An athlete
running a race will always look straight ahead. He does not focus on the opponents
by his sides nor does he look at the crowd cheering him on. He suspends all his
responses to accolades till he finishes his race. Just as distractions on the highway
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are dangerous as they could lead to an accident, so also is a distraction in the
highway of success which has led to many fatalities of success.
When you are at the peak of your success make sure you are focused and
committed to the values you hold in high esteem that have helped you so far. Seek
to consolidate every single effort that is expedient to your continuous success.
Never be so drunk with power or be found reveling in the euphoria of success to
the extent that you let go of principles that keep you safe in the voyage of life.
You also need to avoid sycophants especially when you are a political office
holder. Be mindful of the fact that power is transient. Many people will flock
around you and tell you that you are the best thing to have ever happened to the
human race. All these make you oblivious of the shortcomings and excesses of
your actions which would result in losing the goodwill of the populace.
There are so many things around that are sources of distractions. Some present
themselves as things very enticing that one would find difficult to ignore. Others
present themselves as opportunities of life. Still, other forms of distractions are
problems and challenges of life. Some problems that come to one in life, if one is
not careful enough to manage them well, can constitute a clog in the wheel of
progress.
Distractions in any guise must be avoided. Maintaining your height of
accomplishment should be your lifelong goal. It is far better and more desirable to
be at the top than anywhere else. Grace to grass narrative is definitely not a
pleasant story anyone wants to be associated with.
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4. Get the right anchorage
No man can be an island to himself if he ever wants to live a fulfilled life on earth.
The constituent parts of the universe are not designed to exist in isolation. There is
a constant relationship and interaction between natural elements as well as between
organisms and their environment in order for life to be sustained. The same way a
man or woman that will rise to the level of success and then sustain it will not joke
with certain people, systems, or institutions.
Earlier in this book, I have written about getting the right relationship as a step to
the top, but here I am taking it further to another level of relationship that will not
only help you to get to the top of the ladder but also help you remain there
permanently. In some cases, you need more than the relationship that got you to
the top for you to be sustained up there.
Your anchorage is what gets you firmly secured to the place of your fulfillment
and helps you to stay there against all forces that will tend to pull you down. There
are waves, storms, and boisterous winds that come in form of antagonism, change
in government policy, competitors, saboteurs, betrayals, health challenges, and so
on and so forth which may blow you off the good life you are already enjoying if
you have nothing to hold on to or if your anchorage is not strong enough. That is
why it is expedient for you to get your anchorage right!
Let‟s examine the anchors you need for your continuous stay at the place of
success and fulfillment:
People
A certain set of people are very relevant when you are at the top and desire to
remain there. These people may not be there at the time you were rising but now
that you are up there you will definitely need them to be there perpetually.
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These people are in various forms and different areas of expertise such as wealth
management, financial experts, branding experts, people experts i.e. HR
personalities, security personnel, law experts, government personnel, health
professionals, spiritual leaders, and so on.
Since you cannot be an island of knowledge, you will need to benefit from their
wealth of knowledge and experience in their fields for you to be safe.
You need people who are financial experts and wealth managers to help you in
advising you on how to invest profitably and guide you against wrong financial
decisions which may cause you to lose your fortunes. They also guide you against
taking certain steps which are too risky. When you are to take such a decision you
would have been guided through to avoid falling victim to a bad decision.
The human resources, branding, and sociology experts are there to help you to
relate well with your employees and get the best of them and your organization as
a whole. You learn practical steps to keep up the harmonization of different
segments of your corporation and to keep being relevant in the face of your clients
and patrons or customers.
It will be of benefit to you to have some people around you who are experts in
security matters. They will feed you with information that will guide you, your
business, and your loved ones from danger.
The same goes for the law expert. There are some things you should never attempt
based on your limited knowledge of the law and constitution of the land. You will
need a certified professional in that field to give you experts‟ advice and guide you
through in order not to be caught in unlawful practices in which ignorance would
not be accepted as an alibi.
Knowing people in power or in government can also be a good source of business
and protection for you if there is any need for it.
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For your physical, emotional, and mental well-being, you should never be far from
your doctor. Don‟t ever make light of your health issue since you need to be alive
first and then be in good health before you enjoy your success. Also, besides
regularly visiting your doctor, having a connection with health workers will be of
importance to you as you have the privilege of getting attention informally without
visiting the hospital. The knowledge and thoughts they share with you will
definitely be invaluable.
It is of great importance to note that you may not have direct physical contact or
relationship with some of the experts in various fields as listed above yet you can
benefit from all they have to offer. It is a matter of getting conversant with them
via their works such as books, television programs, social media tutoring, etc.
Whatever form it takes, always make sure you have friendships with people that
can be easily accessible to give you timely and relevant assistance for your safety
and well-being.
Institutions
Being a member of certain institutions will go a long way in endorsing your
character and competence and further strengthening you in success. There are
some professional bodies that you must belong to in order to practice certain
professions or you will be caught in illegal practice and labeled a quack. Some are
not compulsory but they offer you the privilege of meeting people of like minds
who can reinforce your success by your association with them.
Being a member of groups of people of the same faith with you will also help you
in growing your commitment to the faith and finding the peace that comes with
spiritual fulfillment.
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Other institutions like social clubs, recreational clubs, and humanity/community
development organizations will also help you to meet successful people from
different walks of life who share the same passion as you. They will be of good
company to you and you can continue to influence each other for greater success.
People in the entertainment industry can capitalize on institutions to be able to
have collaborations with other successful people in the industry. This will give rise
to co operations that can be leveraged for more successful outings rather than being
in the competition all the time.
5. Be thankful
Wherever you are in life always have the attitude of appreciation. There are other
people too who are equally intelligent, smart, and hard-working like you but who
never attained to the level of success you have. Some were affected by various
calamities and unexpected circumstances such as sickness, accident, disasters
(natural or manmade), being a victim of fraud, untimely death, and so on.
Some were not affected by negative instances but they were simply not bestowed
the opportunities that you have. There are gifted and talented people in the world
who could have done great in this life and left a lasting impact and legacy but they
were unfortunate to have been born in some of the worst places on earth such as
war-torn regions and other such places characterized by famine, diseases, lack of
education and the likes. Some could not survive this harsh reality of the life they
unfortunately found themselves in. Others survived it but their lives have been
rendered useless due to lack of education or the necessary exposure they needed.
Yet some others have all the opportunities but they were carried away by vices
which made them end up in correctional facilities as prisoners who couldn‟t live
out their normal lives.
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So, it happens that many people who could have been at the top of life never had
the privilege to locate the stairway to the top. They were completely shut out by
life‟s unfairness and man‟s inhumanity.
That is why you need to be appreciative of your successes and accomplishments.
Avoid grumbling and jealousy because some people have risen higher than you.
Also, do not gloat over those you are doing better than. Instead, be happy and
contented with what you have gained in life while making effort to improve on
your achievements. Even if you feel like you deserved more than what you
presently have, you still have to be grateful because things could have turned out
very badly by some circumstances you have no power over. Therefore you should
be happy that you still made it.
Gratitude shows contentment. This is very necessary because if you are not
contented with what you have attained per time with the hope of getting better with
time, you will be tempted to indulge in what is not right or moral out of frustration.
Such desperation can lead to your downfall and a loss of all you have painstakingly
built up over time including your goodwill.
Being grateful also keeps you humble knowing fully well that you did not achieve
all that you have got by your solo effort. There are people who have assisted you in
various ways to get to the place of fulfillment. There are people who backed you
up to the place of your success. Some of them are your parents and guardians who
raised you and gave you all the necessities of life to grow up and become the man
and woman you became. Others are the various sets of people you meet in life
along your way up and who have in one way or the other sharpened you up and
molded you into greatness.
Be grateful to:
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 Your parents. Appreciate their love, care, and efforts on you and never see it
as a right. They gave you life and nurtured the life from womb to cradle and
till you are where you are now.
 Your teachers. They taught, tutored, and guided you all the way through
from crèche to the highest level of degree you possess. They built you up
intellectually and mentally in order to set you up for a fulfilling life.
 Your family, friends, and associates. They play a major role in your life
from the beginning of life till after you cease to live. They are the people
who shared your views, culture, and lifestyle. They add spice to your life
and work, making life fun and a smooth sail. This includes your spouse,
children, siblings, parents, and every human being that you come across in
life and are of benefit to you.
 Institutions. There are various institutions that made it possible for you to
follow up your dreams and make it possible for you to continue living.
Among them are the government and all the functional organs such as the
security, education, health systems etc.; your academic institutions; religious
institutions; corporate organizations and companies who
produce/manufacture the tools/gadgets/equipment and systems that make life
easier. Others are sports, insurance, financial and so on.
 People of impact. There are people that make an impact on you either by
direct or personal contact such as family, teachers, doctors, etc. Yet there are
others who you never meet in person but you benefit from their works.
These include authors of books you read, the people that have inspired you
by their words or lifestyle, the people who work for you, and those who
challenge you one way or the other.
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 God. Never be caught in the error of ingratitude to God. You must always
appreciate Him and give Him thanks all the time knowing well that He is the
force behind your existence and successes.
In all, live a life of gratitude, by this, you will relate well with your environment
and all the contributors to your success. This in effect will help you to perpetuate
your success in life.
"Take time to be kind and to say thank you" – Zig Ziglar.
CONCLUSION
Life is beautiful and pleasant at the top but it is painful and unpleasant at the
bottom. Once you have the privilege of being at the top of the success ladder, make
every effort to remain there. That will help you to make a greater and lasting
impact on your generation. A failure in life has no impact to make; they make no
impression on anything or anyone. You are designed to be a blessing to the world,
your generation, and the incoming generation. This can easily be achieved if you
succeed at what you do.
Please note that being successful does not only imply that you make a lot of
money. Yes, money is important but not all rich people are actually successful.
Money is just one of the very important indices of success but not all. One may not
make a lot of money but yet make a lasting impact on their generation. If all you
make is money and you make it to become very wealthy but you have not made
your world a better place then you are a rich failure. And if you make lots of
money doing illegal deals then you are a successful criminal who cannot be
regarded as a success.
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Finally, be successful by all credible means. And when you attain success never
stop doing more for more success to come. To remain at the top, keep giving your
best possible and don‟t compromise on the standard of excellence.
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CHAPTER 14
LIVE UP
There are some behaviors, character traits, and lifestyles that are portrayed by
people regarded as living a great life or heading for it. Some positions require
certain acts of discipline, restraint, and comportment. For example, the royalties
have their own set of values and mannerisms they comply with which distinguish
and accord them the respect that is due, according to their status. Also, some
lifestyles and characters distinguish people and they separate the top people from
the people at the base.
Reading this book so far, you have been enlightened and groomed to take your
place at the top. You should not be debased, you are honorable. You are fit to sit
among the notables and nobles of the society. You are ably suited for the top
positions in the organization where you work. You have what it takes to take your
business to the top-notch.
Are you aspiring for the top or are you there already? If you are on your way there
you have to imbibe some characters that will make you get there without hassles. If
you are there already you also have to live by certain principles that will help to
sustain you.
The focus of this chapter is to bring to the fore the habits, lifestyle, and characters
to hold on to as you quest for a flourishing life.
To live up is to live your life in such a manner that others around you will benefit
so much and the world made a better place by your life. To live up is to make your
existence a blessing and encouragement to others. Living up implies living up to
expectations of your position and ability.
In this chapter, I will be discussing ten of the personality, lifestyle, and character
traits which if you have them in you, you will be doing yourself a great help and
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you would be living both your personal and interpersonal life in the best way
possible.
Having these qualities makes others feel esteemed, valued, and honored as they
benefit from your magnanimity. They also enjoy the humanity in you.
These qualities also contribute to your movement towards getting to the heights
you dream of. They as well keep you in good shape at the top of the ladder.
1. CONSISTENCY
One of the things that hinder people from achieving their dreams is the inability or
lack of willingness to continue to stay on with a decision, commitment, or activity.
Many people make new resolutions at the beginning of a new year but fail to keep
on with their decisions a little way further into the year. For example, some people
decide to discipline themselves in some areas such as taking actions towards
weight loss but they soon neglect the scheduled workout or fail in maintaining the
diet plan.
Josh Billings said, "Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the
ability to stick to one thing till it gets there."
Consistency makes you keep on doing what you need to do to get the required
result. You have to persist in doing right no matter what circumstances you are in.
Don't deviate from the established principles that make you successful.
When you start a new venture you may not hit your target immediately. It may take
some time before you begin to make your expected returns. However, if you stay
consistent with what you are doing, offering your best services and improving
steadily, you will soon get to your desired destination and even surpass your target.
When you reach the top of your career it is important to keep doing certain things
you did that helped you get there. You don't get to the top and then relax. If you
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relax and stop working you will not be able to maintain that position. Others are
coming behind you who will displace you because they keep on working on
themselves and by the time they become better than you they take your position.
Be consistent with good character, good attitude, good habits, good decisions, in
fact, everything good.
2. HUMILITY
To be humble is to be modest about how you rate or classify yourself, especially
when dealing with other people. It is a great virtue to possess. It shows you are not
carried away by your achievements and position.
A humble person is not haughty, disdainful, and arrogantly proud. He is rather
sensitive to the feelings of others and ready to relate with other people no matter
their position in the social stratification.
When a person is humble, he endears himself to the people around him. People feel
comfortable being around a humble person but avoid a proud individual. Being
humble is a very helpful social behavior you need. It helps you to get certain things
done more easily and to acquire favor.
An HR executive once shared her experience of how a potential employee lost the
opportunity of a lucrative job offer in a multinational company where she worked.
At the interview, the candidate who was a first-class graduate was asked if he
would use "sir" while addressing a customer who is lower than him in status but
older. This candidate responded by saying he did not see any reason to use "sir"
when addressing someone who is not superior to him. The organization being one
that takes customer care and satisfaction as a core value did not give him the job.
Though he was qualified by every other standard he ended up being disqualified
because he lacked humility.
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When you become successful at your endeavor keep your cool and relate well with
everyone around you. The people who are below you can be of help to you at some
point. Do not underestimate anyone. Be humble enough to accommodate other
people and their opinions. Be ready to learn from even your subordinates.
Being humble does not take anything away from your personality but it surely
helps you to add value to other lives while also making you receive value from
them.
3. KINDNESS
It is good to be good, says an adage. Being kind to others is a very lovely behavior
that our world needs to make it a better place. Everyone needs people or at least
someone who makes them feel important and whose actions towards them make
them feel good about themselves. Your acts of kindness can go a long way in
giving meaning to someone's life.
To be kind is to be friendly, caring, and nice to others. It also means being
courteous and considerate. People who live in such a manner are usually people's
favorite. As a leader, you will do well in your leadership role if you can get along
well with your followers. A leader in an organization will get the best of his
subordinates if he can gain their loyalty. One of the easiest ways to get along well
with others and to have their loyalty is when they are shown kindness. You can
have more influence on people, find it easier to lead them, and get the best out of
them if the people like you. How can you get them to like you? One of the ways is
by showing them kindness.
Wilson Mizner said, "Be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet them
on your way down."
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You have to show empathy to people. Treat them with respect. Be magnanimous in
your relationship with others. When people feel cared for and they feel comfortable
being with you they will always find a way to reciprocate even if they are not up to
you in status.
Don't be nice only to people at your level or people who are above you but to
everyone including those whose livelihood depends on you, for example, your
domestic staff. Your real proof of kindness is how you relate with and treat people
who cannot do anything for you.
Therefore in your actions towards fellow men, be benevolent, generous, gentle,
sympathetic, considerate, and have a warm-hearted disposition.
4. LOVE
Living a life of love is one of the greatest virtues to be possessed in life. Love is
said to be the greatest of all attributes of man. The world we live in would have
been so much better if everyone lives in love with one another. Every evil done
against a fellow human being was borne out of lack of love. No one will
deliberately hurt or harm whom they love.
To love is to have affection and likeness for others. It is to have a caring heart for
another person. Love makes you want to do well to others and to take care of them
like you do take care of yourself.
As you aspire to go to the utmost heights in life let love for others be one of the
values you hold in high esteem. When you love others they will most likely love
you in return. Even if someone did not like you if you show them love they will
sooner or later change their mind towards you and accept you with love.
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Love keeps a family together in peace and harmony. Love bonds people together in
a friendship that is beneficial to all of them. Love heals, love builds up, and love
gives assurance. Love is kind and charitable.
Clear your mind of hatred and resentment. They are weights that will slow down
your progress in the journey of life.
Begin by loving yourself first. You cannot give what you don't have. Have love
towards yourself and then extend the same towards others around you.
When you love, giving and sharing your resources with others will be easy but to
make life hard for other fellow humans would be so difficult for you, you wouldn't
even do that. When you love people you would not cheat them or deny them their
rights. Be affectionate and full of charitable deeds. That is love in action.
Love genuinely and teach others to love. Our world is bleeding but love will heal
it. Love lifts but the absence of love sinks.
5. INTEGRITY
To have integrity is to have strong moral principles that make you act in honesty
and decency. Integrity connotes a life of uprightness and moral rectitude which is
manifested in virtue, probity and sincerity.
A person of integrity is known as a trustworthy person. He can be relied on with
assurance that he won't fail or disappoint. His word is his bond and he has a pure
heart devoid of deception. If you have integrity you will always do the right thing
even when no one is watching.
If you cannot be trusted no one will like to associate with or do business with you.
They won't like to have you in their company as well. This is because no one likes
to be cheated or deceived; everyone wants a fair deal in all of their transactions.
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Having integrity makes you to do things the way it is expected. This helps you to
rise to the top in your career as you will be distinguished and trusted for higher
responsibilities with the belief that you will do well.
Someone at the top of his career needs integrity to be able to stay there. Remember
the sacred truth in the saying:
"Ability may get you to the top but it takes character to keep you there." - John
Wooden.
Your character of integrity will make a success out of you. Therefore stick to it.
Never compromise it. It is a great value that must be kept. No matter the
temptation to lose integrity never give in to it. Be a man or woman of integrity in
all you do. It is a great reputation to have. Keep it and live it.
Be dependable; let people see you as someone they can rely on always and who
will not disappoint them. It is a way to win the trust and respect of people.
6. HEALTHFUL LIVING
It is important to know that whatever you will be or do is only possible when you
are alive. Also you can pursue the fulfillment of your dream better when your
health is sound.
That is the reason you must pay attention to your health and keep yourself in good
shape always. Do not be careless with your health but take it as one of the most
important things in life.
There are people with great potentials and lofty dreams who have been cut off in
their prime due to carelessness in handling their health.
There is a popular saying that "health is wealth". This is a valid statement. It is
when you are in health that you can work and put in the required effort to achieve
your goals.
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Take care of your physical, mental, emotional and social health. It helps you in the
discharge of your duties. You can do more and be more productive when your
health is intact. You don't have to breakdown before you begin to take care of your
health. Paying attention to little details of your well-being helps to avoid any
calamity from springing up. Remember the adage, 'a stitch in time saves nine.'
Some things to do to be in good shape health wise are as follows:
 Do your medical check-up regularly.
 Exercise regularly.
 Eat good food. Eat and drink rightly.
 Have enough rest and sleep.
 Have a good personal hygiene.
 Avoid unhealthy habits and risky behaviors that could jeopardize your health
and that can cause accident.
 Do not allow negative emotions such as hatred, resentment and fear to rule
your mind. Do away with pessimism but embrace hope.
 Be quick to seek help and counseling if you are feeling down or depressed.
All the above and others that you can learn of will help you to be in health and
wellness.
When you have a sound body and mind, you have the privilege to move up the
ladder of success with more certainty but if your health is in bad shape it will be
difficult if not impossible.
As a successful person in your career, your health status will determine how long
you stay at the top and how long you enjoy your achievements. Therefore stay
healthy so you can be around much longer. Your family, friends and your career
need you around for a long time still to come. Do not allow sickness, disease or
accident to cut your life short.
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May you live long in good health, prosperity and outstanding success.
7. SELF IMPROVEMENT
Self-development has to with improving on yourself thereby making yourself
better qualified and positioned for tasks higher than you do and obtaining benefits
beyond what you previously earn. It is your effort at making yourself better than
who you were.
There is no limit to who you can be or what you can achieve as long as you are
making the right effort towards it. There is always the opportunity for you to know
more, do more and get more. Do not be satisfied with little or what seems to be
much in your perspective as long as there is room for improvement. Once you are
satisfied with what you have, you have allowed complacency and that means you
have put a lid on your progress, thus limiting yourself.
Always make self-improvement your goal. Keep on increasing in value. We often
talk about stock or real estate property appreciating. The most important value
appreciation that you should target is you. You should be going up in your
resourcefulness and usefulness and contribution.
Constantly develop your skills to stay relevant in the work place. Be at the top of
your game in your field or you become irrelevant and obsolete.
The topic of self-development has been discussed extensively in chapter 9. You
can refer to the chapter for a more elaborate explanation.
Do not be relenting in making the efforts and taking the right actions for a better
you. Enroll for advanced courses, do more personal study, read good and relevant
books, move with the right people, have good disposition towards change and
innovation. Make use of every opportunity that comes your way to improve on
yourself.
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In conclusion, here is what Dr. Travis Bradley said on self-improvement:
"We are not perfect, nor should we pretend to be, but it is necessary to be the best
version of ourselves we can be."
Keep on updating yourself to the best version of yourself available. Self-
improvement is a lifelong activity.
8. HOPE
To have hope is to have a high expectation of something positive coming ahead. It
is to believe that what you wish for will happen.
Being hopeful means having positive mindset about any issue. Having hope makes
you envisage a good and desirable outcome without fear or feeling of uncertainty.
It‟s always of great good to be hopeful in all situations. Hope gives you peace of
mind and it makes you approach life with optimism. A life of hope is a life that
sees possibility in impossibility.
Even when things are not going as expected you should not despair or give up.
Hang on in hope that things will be alright again even though it seems they are
otherwise.
There is a popular saying that when there is life there is hope. As long as you are
still breathing, you can still achieve your dreams. Let hope be your anchor to your
vision in life.
When there is hope there is life because hope encourages one to live on when there
seems to be no reason to live. People who committed suicide did so because they
lost all hope in life. If they have had some iota of hope left it would have sparked
off some rays of light in their mind to enliven them to stay on till the situation
changes for better. Hope indeed is a life sustainer.
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Are you just starting up? Have great hopes for a successful career. It helps you to
move on with boldness and determination.
Are you already climbing up? Keep your hope alive as it will help you see
possibility in your future and makes it easy for you to sight and utilize
opportunities.
Are you already at the top? Continue to hope for the very best in all you do and
you will never cease attracting the best to yourself.
Even when the situation is looking bad and gloomy, keep on moving forward with
hope. Hope makes you see the way and navigate through the turbulence till you
land safely in your place of fulfillment.
What does hope give you? Hope gives you:
 Confidence
 Strength to carry on without giving up.
 Relief of tension and stress
 Seeing possibility in impossibility
 Seeing opportunity in difficult circumstances.
 Resilience and grit.
Finally a life of hope is a life of happiness and feats.
9. GOOD APPEARANCE
How you appear does have a lot to say about you. Your physical appearance
determines people's perception of you. In the same way before you have an
interaction with anyone especially if you are meeting for the first time, their
appearance gives you an idea of who they are and what is likely to be their
personality.
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Different occupations have different styles of dressing and appearance which gives
credence and respect to what they do. A military man dresses in uniform that
shows who he is and which kits him for his assignment. A sports person is kitted
differently in wears that help him to function best depending on the type of sport.
So do all other jobs with their unique dressings. In the same way a person who
believes he is bound to succeed should appear like a successful person at all times
even when he is not yet there. Note that you will be addressed according to the way
you are dressed.
Appearance goes beyond dressing alone. It involves your facial expression,
tidiness, neatness, smartness and demeanor.
You must mind your appearance at all times. If your appearance does not match
who you say you are people will find it difficult to accept you. A patient will be
skeptical about receiving treatment from a medical doctor if the doctor shows up
appearing like an automobile mechanic just the same way a car owner will doubt
the capability of an auto mechanic that would work on his car if he is clad in a
white three piece designer suit.
Everyone going for a job interview dresses up according to the etiquette of the job
he is applying for. Although he has yet to be given the job, he dresses to show that
he is ready for it. If he does not dress appropriately he gets a poor rating in terms of
dressing in the assessment of the interviewers.
So also in your effort at going to the top in life you must make sure your
appearance corresponds to where you are aspiring to get to.
Have a great mien, friendly disposition and good carriage at all times. You might
not know who is watching you and who could recommend you for the position you
desire.
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“You‟re never fully dressed without a smile.” ~Martin Charnin. Therefore smile
often as it beautifies your face. No matter the face you inherited from your parents
or born with, to look good and appear attractive is your responsibility. Therefore
give attention to your looks. Your appearance can either endear you to people or
make people loathe your presence.
Be neat, smart, hygienic and responsible in your dressing. Do not indulge in
immoral dressings because you want to trend in fashion. Say no to indecent
dressing. Be an example to the upcoming young generation and do not contribute
to the rot and depletion of the moral rectitude of the society.
Good appearance cannot be over emphasized. It tells a lot about you even before
you open your mouth to utter a word. Avoid haggardness and unkemptness. Even
someone with bad intention such as a fraudster disguises as a genuine person using
good dressing and smooth talk to deceive people.
A friend shared an unpleasant experience he had due to improper dressing. He had
gone to attend an occasion and because he wanted to be seated in a very good place
he made sure he got there in good time. He was able to secure a seat in the front
row which made him happy and felt fulfilled. Unfortunately his happiness was
short lived as the organizers of the event approached him shortly before the
commencement and politely told him to take another seat, some few rows back
from the front row because he was not appropriately dressed for the program. They
told him the event was going to be video recorded and transmitted on air. They
were thus mindful of the people in the front row, they wanted the seats to be
occupied by those whose appearance commensurate with the standard of the event.
That was how he was displaced to his chagrin. He however decided then to always
appear in his best at all times. Now several years after the incident till date, he has
been one of the best dressers I have known.
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If you are going to the top, then dress for the top.
10. EXCELLENCE
Excellence refers to being exceptionally good and having the best quality.
Excellence is reflected in outstanding acts. It is superiority of performance; nothing
but the very best.
Having excellence implies that you excel above the ordinary. When you live a life
of excellence you have risen above the mediocre life. Excellence distinguishes you
and makes you to stand out from the crowd.
In whatever you do, make a decision to always be at your best. Be excellent in the
way you work, the way you speak, the way you act, the way you dress, the way
you do anything you do.
Let excellence be your culture and your lifestyle. That is when you are a person of
excellence indeed. Be consistently excellent.
The world celebrates the best. The best are usually given special recognition. If
you will make it to the top you must be at your very best at all times. Being at the
peak of your performance is a goal you must pursue if you will be regarded as a
success in your career and any field of endeavor.
Rick Pitino said, "Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what
you have to offer." In all you do you should keep working to outdo your present
best. Do not be satisfied with your present level of performance and productivity.
You can still do more and become more.
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As you embrace excellence your value rises and your worth is increased. You will
become the preferred and the choice in a world where competition exists in all
ramifications.
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CHAPTER 15
NEVER GIVE UP
This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has been working diligently and
conscientiously in a bid to rise to the top and be a successful person but who has
yet to achieve the desired result. This is to strengthen your mind and heart and to
tell you that you are going to make it at last no matter the obstacle or the delay you
are experiencing, as long as you will not stop trying.
Have you failed at your tasks? Have all your efforts at becoming successful been
met with firm resistance? Are you getting wearied and already planning on
quitting? I plead with you to hold on a bit. Let's have some words together.
One of the realities of life is that nothing good comes easy. The successful and
celebrated people did not achieve success by chance but they labored hard and
during this period they have failed several times. They just stuck to their resilient
and dogmatic determination to push through to the finishing line.
I will not mention specific names in this book but I challenge you to do some
searching and read the stories of great men who have had indelible impacts in their
generations. You will discover that successful people were once failures who
refused to accept they are failures but rather pushed themselves into the realm of
success after they have failed at several attempts. Such people are found in
different endeavors of life such as business, politics, academics, career, sports,
relationships, arts, etc.
Some people have chosen to resign to fate after several attempts that resulted in
failures. They sit back in regrets and painful emotions calling out their reasons for
failure. You hear them say things such as "if not for this….", "but for that"…. .
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Some keep on blaming themselves or other people for the mistakes they made that
cost them the opportunity to succeed.
Whatever have been your reasons to want to quit trying, I am here to tell you that
you should not quit because your success is around the corner if you will not give
up.
As long as you are alive there is hope for you. As long as you can breathe, you
should never write yourself off as someone who cannot make it again in life. All
the scientific and technological discoveries and breakthroughs we are enjoying
today did not just drop from the sky but some people who would not quit searching
discovered them through persistent and painstaking research and experiments.
Some people attempted to hold a political post and thus contested but failed in the
election several times. These people were seen at a time as perennial failures but
just because they refused to give up they eventually ascended to the office to which
they aspire.
Some people got their breakthrough in business after they have already grown old.
Some people got to marry the love of their lives because they refused to accept the
rejections from the woman of their dreams. They kept on going back after several
noes. They had to endure the pain of rejection and embarrassment but then tried
again and again. At last, they got their heart desires simply because they would not
give up.
Some people got their dream jobs because they would not be deterred by the
number of times their applications were turned down. Some people got the
contracts they pushed for by not allowing discouragement to set in after their
proposals were rejected several times.
157
What I am telling you here is that there is joy and fulfillment ahead for you in life
if you would not stop trying. You should do all the right things you need to do to
get success in life but one thing you should never do is to give up. Never give up!
In what areas have you quit trying? What projects have you abandoned? What
dreams have you given up on? Today is the day for you to rise and dust your file
and go for it again. Examine everything critically to see where you have got it
wrong in the past. Think of how to better approach the situation and then go back
there with full force. If it does not work at once, repeat this process again and again
until you achieve the success you desired. As long as you are certain that you are
on the right path never allow the obstacles you encounter to cause you to veer off
into the lane of giving up. If you don't give up you will go up and get fulfilled.
Problems, challenges, difficulties and trials cannot destroy you if you decide to
remain strong and keep on working towards fulfillment. They rather strengthen and
give you some experiences which will be useful for you along the line. According
to Helen Keller, “Character can‟t be developed in ease and quiet. Only through
experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired
and success achieved.”
I will conclude this chapter with ten powerful quotes to encourage you to keep on
hanging on without giving up on life and your dreams. The pain, defeat, failure,
and obstacles won't be forever. You will surely come out better and fulfilled if you
don't lose hope and give up.
1.”Champions are not those who never failed but those who never quit. No one is a
failure until he quits."
-Albert Femi Oduwole
158
2. "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to
success when they gave up."
-Thomas Edison
3. "It is not whether you get knocked down; it is whether you get back up.”
- Vince Lombardi
4."History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered
heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to
become discouraged by their defeats."
-Bertie Forbes
5."I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my
purpose."
-David Livingstone
6. "Fall seven times, stand up eight."

-Japanese proverb
7."Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people
who have kept on trying when there seems to be no hope at all."
- Dale Carnegie
159
8."Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that
counts."
- Winston Churchill
9. "When you come to the end of your rope....tie a knot and hang on."
- Frank Roosevelt
10. "A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits."
-Richard Nixon
Always remember that if you don't give up you will go upward and get to the top.
160
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Upward Way to the Top is a book that gives a pragmatic approach to the
essentials of being fulfilled in all spheres of life.
Getting to the top is synonymous with growth, increase, advancement, fulfillment

and being successful. It signifies accomplishing great feats and realizing one‟s
dreams.
Everyone wants to be successful but not everyone knows the steps to take to get it.
Some people know what to do to be successful but are not inspired to take the
required actions. This book addresses the both categories of people. The book is an
exposition into what is needful in order to be successful and fulfilled while at the
same time motivating the reader to take the required steps.
As you aspire to climb the corporate ladder, become successful in your business,
and to achieve all your life goals, this book will guide and inspire you all through
the way.
See you at the top!
161
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dayo Isaac Ojediran is a writer, public speaker and entrepreneur.
A graduate of Agricultural Economics and Extension from Ladoke Akintola
University of Technology, Dayo has over 15 years working experience in both the
public and private sectors. He is the CEO of Dalans Integrated Ventures.
His life calling is to help build up and make positive impacts on the lives of people.
One of the ways this is being achieved is through giving of motivation and
inspiration as a writer and a speaker. He has written several articles of which some
have been featured in different magazines. This book, The Upward Way to the Top
is his first published book.
Dayo is happily married to Blessing and blessed with a son, Victor.
162

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The Upward Way to the Top

DAYO ISAAC OJEDIRAN

The Upward Way to the Top

Tel.: +234 806 212 9047

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

7. BUILD YOURSELF UP…………………………………………………....55

10. SHOW UP………………………………………………………………….96

11. CLIMB UP………………………………………………………………...110

12. SOW UP…………………………………………………………………...116

13. STAY UP…………………………………………………………………..125

14. LIVE UP…………………………………………………………………...141

15. NEVER GIVE UP………………………………………………………...156

We live in a very precarious time. Pandemics, political problems and pressures

Here is my counsel to you.

See you at the top!

Albert Olufemi Oduwole

Dayo Isaac Ojediran

The following must be avoided for your dream not to be jeopardized.

5. Lack of passion and determination

To sustain your dream and make it a reality, do the following:

4. Keep it intact. Don't lose it

Some things appear as impossibility or look difficult to achieve at some point.

WHAT IS POSITIVE THINKING?

HOW TO DEVELOP A POSITIVE THINKING LIFESTYLE

THINKING YOUR WAY UP IN LIFE

The allegory explained:

The allegory explained:

The allegory explained:

RISE AGAIN AFTER A DEFEAT

WHEN THE CLOUD IS BLACK

The sun will always shine again

LOOK UP TO PEOPLE WHO ARE AHEAD FOR INSPIRATION

2. You are benefitting others

3. Work keeps you fit

4. You earn an income

5. Work gives you recognition and respect

Here are five reasons why you should build yourself up

3. To build resistance and resilience

4. You deserve better

5. There is more ahead

Having placed a foundation on the importance of building yourself up to go up, let

These are some of the ways to build yourself up:

A. ADD VALUE TO YOURSELF

Relating with your mentors

Relating with your contemporaries

Relating with your protégés

Five reasons why people do not start up their dreams or projects

2. Waiting for the perfect time

Some reasons why people procrastinate:

2. Start from where you are

3. Start with adequate knowledge

c. Apprenticeship and volunteering

5. Start with the right mind

Here are some reasons why you need to step up:

3. To avoid being left behind

4. To keep on the virtue of excellence

5. You find fulfillment in doing so

2. They don't know how to go about it

3. They are distracted

4. Laziness and complacency

5. Lack of opportunities or not making use of available opportunities

2. Use your knowledge and experiences

"There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs"