Rise Up

The decision that changes your story

Ebereuche Stephen .O

Acknowledgement
I want to acknowledge almighty God for the inspiration given to me to write this book.
Also my entire family for their encouragement and motivation throughout the journey of
writing the book, Gift Chiamaka Okeke , Mr. Cyril Meutang (book reviewer), Mr.
Ebereuche Chinedu and Dr. Kasarachi Innocent one of my motivation in the academics
field, whose story adds meaning to the book. God almighty bless you all.
 DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my lovely parents, Mr and Mrs Ebereuche. They are the reason
for my motivation. God will continue to bless them.
 CONTENTS

Cover page

Acknowledgement
Dedication

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Why you should rise up
2.1.1 Ways to discover your hidden talents
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 When you should rise up

3.1.1 When you are tired of your present state

3.1.2 That point you feel like quitting

3.1.3 When you are being mocked and criticized

3.1.4 The moment you desire to achieve power

3.1.5 That point you desire to win

3.1.6 When the desire for money and reward stirs at you

3.1.7 The moment you desire to reach out to the world

CHAPTER FOUR

4 Attitude toward discouragement and distraction

4.1 Tips to always remember

INTRODUCTION

For sure no man rises or achieves anything without motivation, one must be
motivated to be lifted. We all have the tendency to be great as every man strives
for greatness. It is only one who is dead that has lost the ability to be great, but the
living has that tendency to achieve greatness. There are lots of destinies that are
hidden, held down or caged which should have been manifesting, but due to
discouragement, lack of motivation or distraction they have been tied down lying
latent.
This book Rise Up was born out of inspiration, it is a message to both the author
and the readers who will have the opportunity to have and drink from the fountain
of this book. The book is meant to educate, motivate, encourage and instruct you.
You need to know when, why and what should make you Rise Up, you need to
know how to deal with discouragement, distraction and much more. The riches of
this book are astonishing and necessary for everyone who feels he or she has not
got to the level he or she needs to be and is desirous to be there. All things are
possible with them that believe!

Chapter One
 They say practice makes perfect, but the man who has refused to practise what he
learnt will never be perfected in his field, for you to be perfect, you must be consistent in
what you do.

There have been lot of cases where people have abandoned what they were doing,
who they are and what they were meant to be because of one disappointment,
discouragement, challenges or the other, this book will stir you up to arise from your
slumber to be what you are supposed to be.

Some time ago I was dejected and frustrated, the whole world seemed like it was
collapsing on me, I felt alone, my heart was heavy and burdened in despair. One day I sat
down and cried, and it was like getting mad, I held my head in sorrow and lifted up my
eyes to heaven and cried out from the deepest part of my heart, the lord looked upon me
that day and as early as 5.am while I was asleep the lord spoke into my ears saying “Rise
Up”, that word fueled a passion in my heart and a fire in my bones, fire that carried me
and stirred the writing of this book and other things I have been doing to fulfil purpose,
today, I also edit and shoot videos, these were geared by motivation from within and the
voice that spoke to my heart.

You cannot achieve anything if you are discouraged, fed-up and giving up on yourself
and your dreams, dreams unrealized is a dead dream. I know you have dreams you want
to achieve, I know you have goals you want to meet, but if you do not rise up to achieve
that dream, it will never be achieved. A lot of people have created so much dreams and
goals in their head, but they could not meet up to it, they did not make a move to fulfil or
achieve it. I once heard a pastor saying he had a dream of travelling out of the country,
and said, in fact he usually sees himself leaving the country, but that dream did not come
true.

Take this today:

  Every dream fulfilled was geared out of passion
 Every passion was geared out of purpose
 No dream can be fulfilled without you chasing after it
 The fulfilment of a dream will not run toward you, you must run toward it to get it
fulfilled.
 Every dream is achieved by discipline, e.g. a man who says I want to build a house
by the end of the year, must be ready to work hard and beat down on his expenses,
failure to do this will never achieve his aim. Every athlete who wants to win the
cup must keep to the rule of the game.

The phrasal verb “rise up” simply means to rise to the surface, to come up, to rise. A
weary heart cannot arise because you are busy being tossed in your weariness, neither can
a frustrated man arise, he is busy talking about how life has knocked him and he is giving
up on life, but a man who can arise is a man who has been motivated either by spoken
words of encouragement and motivation which has set fire in his bones and his heart and
is determined to make it so he lifts his hands up and pushes himself off the floor.

Take note of this, “every pain gives a lesson and every lesson gives a story, every
struggle gives a testimony and every testimony has a story”. Some people quit due to the
pain, some people turn their back when they have almost reached the promised land. Do
not quit at the moment of pain, it is only creating a testimony that will add to your story.
Whatever you are pursuing in life, do it with your whole heart no matter the pain and
sacrifice, there is always a lesson that creates testimony that makes up the story of your
glory.

Few years ago, just after National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), I wanted to pursue
my masters but had no resources, I envisaged doing my masters in two to three years’
time, but while I was managing a small place where I was working, the lord came to me
and spoke to me in the dream and said, “when are you going back to school, don’t you
know that there is no time? I woke up and started preparing without resources and
money, the little money I gathered from where I was managing, I used to clear my fees
and that was where it began, the journey of a thousand miles as we popularly hear begins
with a step, God provided a job to assist me pay my fees and cleared my school and now
I am done with the masters. God says Rise up, this message may be speaking to you too,
what is that thing you want to do, that place you aim, that achievement you want to get,
but discouragement from people colleagues, friends, neighbors, life and everything is
fighting you, “rise up” take up that mantle, “rise up” make that move, “rise up” pursue
your dreams. Nothing is impossible. Your case may not be God said, it may be you have
a dream to fulfil, want to achieve or a goal, do not quit on your goal, do not be
discouraged, there is nothing impossible, arise and push forward.

“Rise Up” in this term means to be motivated to make a move and to achieve something.
To avoid procrastination and make a move to achieve something meaningful. To bring
out the best in you which can be achieved by motivation and doable attitude. Making the
right decision.

Many people have lot of talents and dreams but procrastination is one problem a lot of
destiny holders have, a lot of people I have discussed with have so great plans and
visions, skills and career plans but, are still sleeping, procrastination has eaten up a lot of
destinies, lot of plans have been consumed by procrastination. The truth is if you do not
rise up to achieve your dream and take the bull by the horn, there is no great time for it.
Nobody has time and everybody has time. There is no time and there is all the time.
There is no time because, looking at your schedule plans for each day, there is never a
time for you to achieve your aim, there is no resources, there is no helper, no one can
assist you, time is not waiting for you, but, you have the whole time, in the sense that you
have to be the one to create your time for your achievement, you have to make out time
from your busy schedule, yes.

How do you make out time?

 Five minutes of your 24hours in a day can drop a good piece of information, some
people think they must have convenient time before they can sit down to drop a piece,
no! you must not have hours, few minutes can drop a powerful piece gotten through
inspiration, if it’s a music, you can record it in your phone while walking and even
working, if it is a book or written information can be dropped piece by piece, little by
little the pages are being covered with great ideas. Do not let that idea die because of
procrastination. Every idea is like a bird, it perches and if not written down or recorded,
it disappears like a bird flown away. Pen down that idea, do not let it fly away, do not
procrastinate anymore, they say procrastination is a thief of time and often times we hear
that the richest place in the world is the grave yard, there you find people of great
importance, great skills that were never used, great ideas that were never harvested, great
songs that were never sung, great instruments that were never used, great hearts that were
never met, great skill and talents that never impacted the world, great ministers who
never manifested, they all died with their skills, some due to financial excuses, some due
to the excuse of no time, others were excuses of I had no sponsor.

I have a short story for you, there was a young boy named Kasarachi, he had just one
good leg and the other leg was withered, growing up he was seen as a strange boy other
children would not play with him because he had a withered leg, the moment he goes to
join his mates to play with his walking stick, their parents comes out take the children
away they never wanted their children to play with him and this young child was looked
down at and ignored, one day he told his father he wanted to go to school and his father
said my son, are you sure with your condition you can do it? Kasarachi refused to sit
down with a plate to beg by the road side, he decided to rise up, he proposed in his heart
to be successful, so he made the move despite the mockery from the people around, one
of the days in the university Kasarachi rose his hands to ask a question and the lecturer
said to him, boy, did you see that gate before you entered the school? He said yes, and the
man said, that is where you are supposed to be sitted and begging, others laughed but
Kasarachi saw it as an inspiration that charged him to become great, he saw it as a story
that will bring his glory, others saw a funny insult, but he saw a stone that will be added
to build his story that will make his glory more interesting, his story was actually building
and he was compiling it little by little to build up his glory. I am glad to tell you that
today that little boy Kasarachi who was laughed at for his withered legs is a man now,
and not just a man a successful man, who lectures at the University of Port Harcourt, a
PhD holder and has a beautiful wife and children, travelling from one country to another.
Today he is no longer called Kasarachi as people once called him, today you cannot call
him without his title Dr. Innocent Kasarachi. He did not allow his condition to let him
remain on the ground, he did not say one of my leg is not functional, I cannot go far, he
did not lose hope due to the mockery and laughter, he did not back down, he always says,
“do not let your background keep you on the ground”. He made the decision to “Rise
Up”.

Are you there, still sitted on the floor with a plate in your hand waiting for people to
put money in your plate? Are you there, waiting for the time that may never come? Are
you there, sitted and waiting for someone who will sponsor you? What is that challenge
of yours that people have not encountered? Let your situation be your motivating factor,
let your situation be your driver, let it be your push to “Rise Up”. Every success has a
story, every story has a struggle, every struggle has a journey and every journey has an
end. Rise up to that struggle today, you can be whatever you want to be if only you can
“Rise Up”. The struggle only builds you, the struggle adds a story to beautify your glory.
A lot of people have stories

There is no better decision you make that can aid you than that which you can give to
yourself, you can decide to listen to ten thousand advisers but if you have not decided to
take those advices, they are just like pouring water on the rock. The best advice is that
which you give to yourself. Make that decision today, “Rise Up”.

Few years ago I met a lady and she was beautiful, she was in the university studying
economics, few years later we were talking and I asked her about her academics and she
said to me she dropped, I asked why? She said she had no finance, that she wants to
marry so that her husband can sponsor her in school, wow!! I was so shocked that
someone in this dispensation can still have this idea of waiting for husband to come and
train her, these are the days women move to achieve success and come out with
something, the economy now is a place where one man does not carry the responsibility
of the family, now it is a combined contribution to carry the family and move it far, when
the load is on one person the family will break down. I then asked her, what if your
husband is doing his masters or PhD will he be training you and himself? These are the
days men marry a productive woman no longer that house wives that sits and wait for
husband to come and sought out the family. I encouraged her to do what she can to
continue in school, find something to do to aid yourself, these days we have students who
school and work. Make the move, decide to achieve something worth talking about, Rise
up and achieve your dreams, dreams kept in your heart without action cannot be achieved
if you do not rise up.

A lot of people have stories to tell, success story, you often should have heard some of
them give their story, former president Jonathan said, “I had no shoes”, some will say I
wore torn clothes while I was listening to Mark Zuckerberg, he said he started in a one
room apartment with his bed on the floor. Do not look at your present situation, your
present condition should be a motivation to your journey of achieving your goal. One
thing you should always keep at heart is, a man of vision who rises up to achieve his
vision will not be frustrated on his mission because his vision is his driving force to
achieving his vision. But a man of vision who remains on the floor without rising up to
achieve his vision will watch his vision die off while on the ground. Every man has a
vision, every man has what and where he plans to be, these can only be realized when we
rise up.

Chapter two
Why you should rise up

Rising up has so many benefits, no one gets what he dreams of or yearn for without
rising up to achieve it. How does anyone get anything done? How do you develop new
skills and break bad habits if not without a driving force. You must rise up because:

 People look up to you: there is one thing lot of people fail to understand, there are
generations looking up to you, tied to you, you may not see them physically tied,
you may not know them but they are there. There are lives that need to be
influenced and motivated by your rising.
Your rising can inspire your siblings, the elders or younger ones out there, if you
do not rise, some nations (individuals) will not rise, your life is an inspiration to
others out there. They say happiness is contagious, so is your rising. If you hang
around people who are motivated and have risen, you are more likely to feel
inspired to rise. That is why to be successful, you need to be around successful
people. You are a motivation to people and so you must and should arise so they
also can rise. Do not look down on yourself saying “small me”, you are never
small. If the president of France (Emmanuel Macron) had looked down on himself
he wouldn’t have been president of France today. If the former president of the
United States of America Barrack Obama, had looked down on himself he
wouldn’t have been the first black president who ruled United States of America.
It takes a decision to change your life, just one decision that will lift others up.
Make that decision today and “Rise Up”.

 You need to get through hard times: this is the kind of information you need right
now, especially in a time like this when things are hard, situation in a country like
Nigeria is getting tougher day by day. It is not too difficult to stay motivated when
things are going well, but when things get harder it is easier to lose sight of the
finish line. The stress of your situation can overwhelm you and make you feel like
you are failing, yes, I have been in that situation. Think about what motivates you
 is one way to float in this critical time, always remember that you are capable of
getting through this time. Rising up compels you to keep trying in order to bypass
this time. You must keep trying keep pushing and never remain down.

When nature puts you down rise up again, it is not your fault when you fall, but
what do you do after the fall that is what matters, did you rise? Or did you remain
on the floor? Always remember this, great men fall seven times but rise again, you
are a great man.

“action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without
action”~ William James.

Always remember that rising up may be tough but there is always a fruit out of it.
So “Rise Up”.

 You need to discover your talent and build new skills: everyone in this world has
the characteristics to develop new skills and everyone is born with a talent. You
will never discover what you can do if you do not rise up, so many people look
down on themselves, I have seen some people who say, I don’t have a talent, I
don’t know what I can do. Every man was born with a talent, no man was born
without a talent. How do you discover your hidden talent? There are ways you can
discover your hidden talent and this can be done when you make decision to rise
up.
Ways to discover your hidden talents
a. Think about what you enjoy: In today’s hyper-connected society where there are
lots of drowning happenings and stream of contents, it is easy to lose sight of
yourself and what makes you happy, from time to time it is important to consider
what you enjoy doing, look at your hobbies, your passion and interests. It doesn’t
matter what it may be, whether reading, singing writing, you will discover that
with doing so you derive joy that can satisfy you and you discover your hidden
talent, because these little joys can tap into what you are good at.
b. Step outside your comfort zone: humans naturally love comfort a lot, we really do
not like what will stress us a bit, we want everything at the comfort of our home,
no matter how bored we become with our professional or personal lives we do not
appreciate when our comfort gets tampered with, we get angry, anxious and
apprehensive, but we cannot move further and farther if we cannot expand our
knowledge, ideas and mind if we stick to what we know rather than moving from
what we know to what we did not know and this can be done when we rise up,
move out from our comfort zone. If you do not move out of your comfort zone,
you will be stock with in a neutral zone, dissatisfied with life.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is so necessary if you are searching for
meaning, purpose, testing of your strength, or improving your abilities. One who
likes sport and want to play football must be at the field training not on the bed
sleeping, if you want to enhance the nourishment of your mind or transition into a
different career with a new talent, you need to take the risk, develop some energy
and resist the fear.
c. Experience the gift of nature: there is one thing people would love to do but
cannot or find it difficult to do maybe due to cost, time or responsibilities, which is
travelling to the world, seeing exotic sights and learning about new cultures. By
travelling you are going to experience lot of challenges and inspiration and
struggles. For instance, travelling to Lagos can give you an insight for a book,
meeting people and interacting with them can actually give you an idea for a
novel, or when you visit the mountain in Oyo state Iseyin local government can
actually give you an idea in poetry.
Travelling can leave a lasting mark on your mind, body and soul. Whether you
want to travel to Lagos or you want to go to Iseyin local government to see the
mountains, you have the opportunity to actually change your life.
d. List your strengths and weaknesses: in order for you to discover your talent, you
must first know what you are good at, what you are bad at. You will not truly
know unless you think and write it down. This is what you need to do to move
forward, first thing in the morning and last thing in the night, sit down grab a pen
and paper and outline your strengths and weaknesses. You may be successful in
reading a full novel, and cracking puzzle and many quiz questions but you may be
unsuccessful to arriving at an appointment in time, cooking Egusi soup may be a
huge problem to you. Some people may say they don’t know how to tap into their
talents, but with a little bit of patience, thought and concentration you can identify
your gifts.

e. Take a career assessment: career assessment is an essential tool for self-discovery

which could help you get a better understanding of your deeper talents as well as
explore your personal traits, motivations and broader interests. Career assessment
could also serve as a blueprint for your potential career path. Lot of people have
been aided in this line in getting to know their inner potential by taking a career
test. To know the parts that are easier and motivating to them, the path that they
derive pleasure treading on.

f. Start a daily journal: this part can also help you discover who you are and what
you love doing. A daily journal can serve as insight into your mind and as a log
into your past. It is a veritable tool to both know who you are and what your gifts
are. This exercise should consist of: childhood, academics career, romance,
interest and the future. You can also dive into the abstract, what makes life more
interesting for you, where you see yourself in the future and what you have in
mind to do if money was not an issue. It is also important to be honest with
yourself, self-deception will not aid you success. Just write with reckless abandon
without checking for spellings or grammatical rules and glimpse into yesterday,
today and tomorrow.
g. Do not copy others: a lot of people want to be rich some want to be the next
Dangote, Bill Gates and so on, but can you emulate their success? The high rise of
peer influence in the country today has rather made a huge mess to the economy
and society at large. I usually say to people, copying your mate will set you in a
place of emotional disturbances and high desire to be like them which can be
dangerous to you in encompassing ways. Youths these days want to be like their
peers in making money not minding where and how the money is got.

The better alternative is not to copy, but to be inspired by their work ethic and
brilliant minds and their concentration on their discipline. For instance, a friend of
yours keeps releasing new write-ups in books, you should concentrate on his
discipline, how he disciplined himself to manage his time, how he got motivated,
what gives him motivation, his dedication. This can motivate you to rise up and
look inward to do something for yourself, it can aid you bring out that hidden
talent in you and how you can employ these skills and aptitude for your career
objectives.

h. Ask for feedback: sometimes trying to discover what you are good at comes by
asking for feedback from families, friends, colleagues and professors. Their
comments may be surprising to you because they may direct your attention toward
things you never considered. By having someone view your talents, you can find
out what kind of profession you could excel in.
Before I gained admission into the university I knew I had that passion to talk to
people, to give advice and also to talk about ideas and things and when I got
admission to study Linguistics and Mass communication my pastor asked me,
what course was I studying? And I told him the course, he then said to me that
really suits you, it is best for you, then I knew I was in line with myself and my
talent.
 Discovering who you are, identifying new interests and finding your hidden talent
can be an extensive difficult process but it is a lifelong adventure that never ends.
The journey is certainly an investment but it should be done with determination
and patience.
Here are few ideas to help you in your discovery.
 Find out how you occupy your time when you are not in the office and then
prioritize it.
 Make time that is just for you, self-discovery requires “me time” you need to
discover yourself.
 Build on a current skill you have, like composing music or writing novel or books
 Try an activity that you have never experienced before.
 Enroll in a class on a subject you are interested in.
 Volunteer to help your community, meet new people and become passionate about
something.

These is the conclusion that can help you find your hidden talent, there are things
deposited in you which need to be let out to the world, do not leave this world without
discovering yourself, do not leave this world without making an impact, do not leave this
world without touching lives. These can be done when you make the decision to “Rise
Up”.

Developing a new skill depends on new things: innovation and habit. Initially, doing
something for the first time may be stressful you need motivation to carry you through.
But when you have done something for a while you can power through and just do the
thing out of habit. Make it a habit and it becomes fun, however while you are forming
those habits you need motivation. You need to reason to stick to a new skill or hobby
when you are still not at it. keep thinking back to why you started all these in the first
place, trusting that with time it will become a habit, this will help you achieve your aim.
Situation most times makes us strong and makes us who we become, the choice to “Rise
UP” must be made. Always remember the word of Williams James Bryan
“Destiny is not a matter of choice, it is not a thing to be waited for, and it is a thing to be
achieved”.

Always strive to achieve your aim.

 You need to fulfil purpose: everyone have definite purpose to fulfil and by this
time it is expedient that you should have discovered your purpose. Knowing your
purpose helps you and guides you on your choices. What do I mean? I mean,
knowing your purpose in life guides your choice of career, it guides your choice of
job to go for, your skills and development programmes, what you eat, drink,
watch, listen, where you go and everything. For instance, one who has found his
purpose in life and discovered that he or she is a singer will walk toward
developing his or her voice and not eat and drink anything that will add damage to
his voice. One who discovers that he or she is a teacher will not be negligent with
information, will work towards developing his or her knowledge. And when you
have discovered your purpose, you must strive to fulfil it, this can be done by
rising up. It is okay to think about 5-10 years plan and what you want to achieve
within that time although it can be hectic and lot of work to involved, but when
you rise up to pursue your dreams following purpose can make things easier for
you.
Just find yourself a chair, sit and ask yourself, what am I here for? What am I
supposed to do? That’s the first step. That is when you start to rise, the decision to
rise comes from you, comes from within.
Do not forget,
“Our plans miscarry because they have no aim, when a man does not know what
harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind”.~ Seneca 4 B.C – A.D.65.

Chapter three

When you should rise up

 To find success you need to find motivation and motivation is one of the trickiest thing
in life, and for you to rise up you need to be motivated. There was an interesting case
study in Tiger Woods. Here was a man that found motivation for the early part of his life
to be one of the greatest golfers in the world, and he did it. There were a few motivations
driving him to be as good as possible. I think much of the drive came from within, but
some also came from a drive to make his father proud. Those motivations worked for
several years. Then his father sadly passed away. Tiger’s life, for many reasons, turned
negative. He kept trying to find his old glory in the game and continued to suffer.

A very successful golfer, Jackie Burke, was asked for his thoughts about Tiger and he
said that Tiger now looked like a man standing at the bottom of a mountain that he once
climbed wondering if it’s worth it to make the climb again. Tiger knew what it took to
reach the top of the mountain. He seemed to know that his previous motivations would
not be enough to push him to climb the mountain again. But I think he found a source of
motivation with his children. His children really had not been old enough to see Tiger at
the top of his game. That was enough motivation for Tiger to climb the mountain again
and win The Masters for a fifth time and celebrate with his children. To show them what
their dad could do. To make them proud.

Finding Motivation

Understanding motivation seems to be at least partially about understanding yourself.

When I think about my own life, i think about what is important to me, that requires
thinking about times when I feel good, challenged and fulfilled. When I think about my
work I think about times when I feel motivated. The times when I’m really focused on
doing something and trying to get better.

I have learned, at least a little bit, that part of my motivation comes from seeing success
others have attained, when I am criticised, wanting to make my family proud, to achieve
success and when i feel frustrated about a particular level I have been for a long time,
these makes me motivated. When something is wrong or out of place with my business, i
seem to narrow my focus and really give all of my effort to figure it out. The challenge,
with that information, is to figure out how to apply it more often, that seems to be a way
to grow in life, at work or at whatever you find yourself doing.

Finding what motivates you and seeing how you can put yourself in those situations and
focus on that source as you work to improve. It is obviously not easy. I am sure there
were times when Tiger Woods thought that he could just show his kids his own
Wikipedia page. But he was able to find a source of motivation and focus on it enough to
climb the mountain again. If he can do it, anybody can do it. For whatever matters most,
do not discourage yourself, Rise Up.

When you are tired of your present state

For me, this is one of my motivations, this particular state sets me on my feet. You
have been on a particular state for a long time, you should not take it for granted.
Everyone should be a mover, one desire of man is desire for a greater position, a greater
level, you should not be relaxed when in a lower position, you have to move. Every
career has phases, every human has his desired level he want to be, until you have met
and attained your desired level do not settle for less. You have to rise, do not forget you
have to be happy that you have attained your dream height and that you are living this
world a fulfilled person.

Few years ago, I was discussing with an elderly man, and he said to me, “if I die now, I
will be dying a fulfilled man”, and I asked why? he said that, he has got his PhD and he
has got grown up children, who are in school. He said, “my father was not educated, I
told my father I will read till I get my doctorate degree and here I have it”. To him,
getting his PhD was a vision which will give him fulfilment and happiness, so he rose up
worked towards it and achieved it. What is your desired level you aim for? What is that
your dream? Do not let it slide, do not let it die, rise up to achieve it.
 Another professor once said to me, growing up, his father was a secondary school
teacher, one day a professor came to see his father and that professor had a driver, so he
turned to his father and said, daddy, I will become a professor and also have a driver who
will open door for me to enter the vehicle. Today he is a professor, he has a driver. Do
not allow your dream slide away, pursue it, work toward it and you will achieve it.

That point when you feel like quitting

There are lot of times when we all feel like quitting, there are times when you feel like
you should just end it at this point. Sometimes it comes based on the fact that no one is
helping, you try left, left is not working, you try right, right is not working, you get tired
and ask yourself, are you sure I am supposed to be doing this? Why not just quit and
return to where you started. Something you need to know, at the beginning of every
plantation, the seed struggles with the soil, the weight may be too much for that seed,
imagine the weight of the sand landing on the seed and covering the seed, yet that fragile
flower grows out of the ground bypassing the weight of the sand fighting its way through
the heavy sand then shoots through, from being a single tiny stem, it becomes a mighty
tree.

Do you think that tiny leaf did not pass through tough storms and struggle shooting
out of the ground? It did, but yet it shot its way out of the ground due to consistency and
determination. You may be facing so much storm growing, you may be almost
discouraged if not discouraged and about throwing the towel, do not lose hope, imagine
yourself as that leaf, if that leaf or plant did not give up despite the huge sand thrown at
it, you should not give up, when you pass through the storm or sand thrown at you, you
will become a mighty tree. All you have to do, never quit, do not think of quitting, rise
up, and make the decision to move on.

When you are being mocked and criticised

 One thing that scares people off their dream is mockery and criticism, this has made
many people abandon their dreams, quit pursuing to win and all that. But I must tell you
one thing you need in your career and you need to achieve purpose is mockery and
criticism. People must laugh at you, people must criticize your work less you feel relaxed
and feel you are the best and you have won.

I am going to tell you a short story, there was a young lady whose name was Blessing,
she lived in Oyo state, Blessing was schooling in a notable secondary school in that area.
She came from Lagos state to the village and continued her education there, she seemed
to be the best among her class mates, she was very brilliant and people recommended her
and gave her the position of the Head girl. But when I came to the school and tested the
students, I discovered Blessing was seen as such because among all the students Blessing
has lived in the city and has been exposed to the competition in the city, more so, I
discovered she was the only one among her class mates who took her academics very
serious, the rest were just so nonchalant about it and wanted to farm or do business but
were forced to go to school.

Because of this, Blessing felt relaxed, she was not having critics, people praised her on
her success, and she felt she was the best. So she relaxed, no one can stand in my way,
until I walked up to her one day and said to her, after your secondary school I want you to
go to a more competitive environment to further your education, because right here you
feel you are the best, Until Blessing wrote Jamb and saw her score, it was very low, she
had to see that there are more competitions outside the school environment, she had to
make more effort in studying.

Truth is no body pushes through without critics, critics should not make you hate
others, it should stir you up to achieve success, you have to face it to become who you are
meant to be. Do you want to be successful? Do you want to be the best? Stop being angry
at people who criticise your work, but rather, be angry at yourself for not achieving the
best and rise up and work. Rise up and develop yourself, rise up to doing something.
Quitting is not an option, falling back is not an option, tell yourself, forward ever and
backward never. Criticism is one of the things that has kept me going, when you laugh at
me for making mistakes, when you laugh at my weaknesses and when you laugh at my
imperfections, I then work on them to prove you wrong and become very good in those
areas in order to shock you and prove you wrong.

Few years ago, after my first degree studying Linguistics and communication, I
decided to go into phonetics, British English phonetics, while learning the British English
and accent I thought I had learnt it and was good, until I visited a friend of mine, she
laughed at my English, she laughed at me and said what kind of rubbish am I speaking?
She said, was this how they taught me the British accent? She made a mockery of me and
shamed me that day, i swore to make her ashamed of herself, i swore to prove her wrong i
swore to be the best, at least among the best, today she hears me speak and it is wow! In
essence, do not allow or let anyone make you quit your pursuit, do not allow critics make
you feel bad that you have to quit your pursuit because you are not best yet. Let their
criticism motivate you to prove them wrong that you can achieve the best.

That moment you desire to achieve power

Some people are so motivated by power, influence and fame. I love fame a lot. Some
want to become powerful and a leader, such as politicians, pastors etc. they want to take
charge and achieve great power. If you are such a person that want to achieve power then
go for it, do not allow the drive die, do not allow that passion for power die, move for it
do not give up.

Are you motivated to become famous? Do you feel good leading a team? Know your
deepest desire and achieve it. Pursue it, do not let anyone discourage you with the talk of
politics is a dirty game, you can go there and change things, the very moment we keep
saying politics is a dirty game and shy away from it, so will the dirty ones keep winning
and going into it and achieving what we all are supposed to achieve.
That point when you desire to win

Everyone or almost everyone has had that desire to win, and has had that burden
within him or herself. Something would have sprung it up. Do you work hard because
you hate losing? Do you spend much time in mastering your craft because you want to
excel in your field and be at the top spot? Do you desire to be the champion?

Successful people, even if they fall and stumble they just do not quit because they want to
be the champion, if you want to be the best, be ready to give all your best, you need to
work hard and smartly every moment until you achieve your goal. Work on your dreams
every single moment, some people want to be the best musician but they do not practice,
they hardly spent time practicing, they do not discipline themselves with the rules of
music on what and what not to eat and drink. Some want to be footballers but they do not
discipline themselves, they do not go for regular training and exercise.

If you want to win, you must:

 Have a dream or career you want to achieve

 Make that dream your vision
 Know the dos and don’t to aid you achieve the dream or career
 Set your strategy,
 Avoid distraction,
 Follow it religiously
 Work on your dream every single day, wake up early and achieve more.
 Welcome to your success

When the desire for money and reward stirs at you

Money and award are one of the things that drive people crazy to achieve success.
Some people want the best of the world and that they think they can have them if they
have the money. Money is one thing that drives people toward achieving success, some
do it because of the money they want to get out of it, however if your driving force is the
money keep pushing to achieve it.

However, if you want to get more value on your journey to success, you should value
the process and the progress you have made. They are what count, not the money. Look
at your effort, hard work and time spent on those activities to achieve what you have
today or what you want to have in the future. The reason is that, it is your journey that
matters, it is what shapes you as a person. Money is what you get as a result, but what
shapes you is the process and what keeps you going is the motivation. That is why you
must focus on your progress, your progress determines your success which determines
the money. Become that person worthy of the success you want to have. With this
mindset, you can grow as that person you desire and you will be proud.

That point you desire to reach out to the world

While some are chasing after money and others are chasing after some other things,
there are some people who have this desire to reach out to the world. Some have the
ultimate desire to touch lives, to reach the world through their messages or videos that
will bring positive changes in the lives of the people.

While doing this, however it is very germane to understand the people who are your
audience, and do not be desperate for the outcome immediately. you need to know this,
people who are yearning to touch the world or reach out to the world are always mindful
of their process more than the outcome, because, your process determines the outcome,
so as the journey determines the destination. If you are looking forward to reaching out to
the world, remove the desire to see immediate results and be mindful about the process
and your actions during the journey of reaching out to the world, this will determine how
far you will go and if your desire will be met.
 Some people in their quest to touching the world are so focused on the end goal
ignoring the process, they are so determined by all cost without patient to get the results,
and some put the money at heart and are so determined in achieving the money and
losing sight of the process or the journey. In the birth of anything successful the process
must be guided and monitored to achieve a better result. For example, before a child is
born the process is very important, if there is no process, there will be no child and failure
to follow the due process and procedure as directed by the doctor or medical practitioner
will either affects the result which is the childbirth.

In order to reach out to the world, one must give more importance to the process,
make the journey or the process more aesthetic, glorious, with diligence and working
hard. The process determines the kind of result. Diligence mixed with hard work will
produce an excellent result.

Chapter Four

Attitude toward discouragement and distraction

In your pursuit for success and your movement to achieving your goal, there are
always discouragement on the way. Every success has its discouragement and distraction
that stands on it way. No successful person will ever say it was all smooth and sweet.
There were challenges, there were pains and struggles, there were things that made them
almost throw away the towel, but something gave them courage and motivated them to
continue. To achieve success, there are some attitude you should have toward
discouragement and distraction, they are:

 Identify the discouragement and distraction from whom, or what it’s coming from.
You cannot cure a sickness without first identifying the sickness and the cause of
the sickness. So to surmount and overcome every discouragement, first thing is to
identify the discouragement and from where, whom or what it’s coming.
It can be personal, from your action or from without. Discouragement and
distraction can be a red light issuing warning to us that we have left the primary
focus. Often it is pride, greed or covetousness that’s feeding our discouragement.
Some people have a vision to write a book, or things they want to achieve, but due
to some things that have beclouded their minds, some distractions, that have
overshadowed them, books they would have written ended up in their hearts and
not published.
Some distractions are friends, some friends are distractions, they are not
excelling yet they do not want you to excel, they are not moving forward, they
have no dream of achieving success, your friends should be such that challenges
you to achieve something tangible, that motivates you, that ignites positivity in
you, that exposes your weaknesses to you and influences you to wake up and arise.
If your friends are not of this sought mentioned above then you must have made
the wrong company your friend. You may have made discouragement you pal, any
friend that takes you from party to party, drinking to drinking, and all the
pleasurable places without instigating development ideas or pushing you to
achieve success is not a friend but a knife.
Some people sit in front of the television and it takes their whole year and
dreams they have to achieve die off, to some it is their smart phone, to achieve
 something meaningful, you must be willing and ready to put away your
distraction. Distraction can cause discouragement.
 Meditation and self-examination: Take some time for yourself, sit down and
meditate, remember what was your plans and vision for the year? Have you started
making a move to achieve any? The year is almost done, flash your mind and
think what is that thing that has kept you stagnant from fulfilling it? When you
have got it, cut it off from you.
After you may have discovered what has brought about the distraction and
discouragement, endeavor to cut it off, no success is achieved in discouragement
and distraction. One must pluck himself off every distraction and encourage
himself
 Think of the Glory: Think about the satisfaction, peace, joy and happiness it brings
to you when you achieve your dream. There is a great joy that flows within when
you touch lives, there is a peace that overshadows you when your dream is
fulfilled.
 Remember that there are people who have gone through this part, they had similar
challenges with you, and some had greater challenges than you have and yet they
achieved their dream and were fulfilled, you can see a lot of them on the media,
some are living close to you, so you are not justified if you do not achieve your
dream, rise up and motivate yourself and arise to your dream.
 Do not forget to pray: At every time you are discouraged, remember to come
before the lord for succor and strength. He gives encouragement, he builds the
faith. You do not have because you do not ask, you do not find because you do not
seek, the door does not open because you do not knock. (Matt 7 vs 7 – 8) ideas
comes from God when we ask.
 Have patience and do not be in haste: Be patient with yourself. Sometimes we get
so distracted that we lose patience because others are more heard, successful and
have created name for themselves than us and we become so disturbed in our
hearts, we want to achieve it by all means so we can meet up to other's level. It is
 not supposed to be so, we are not them, and we have our timing and should be
patient with ourselves till we achieve our aim.

Tips to always remember

 Sometimes to succeed in life you need enemies, yes, you need people who will
make you lose your position so that you can work harder in developing yourself to
achieve success. You need people who will find fault in all you do so that you can
be better.
 You need people who will try to intimidate you so that you can be courageous.
 You need people who will say no to you, so that you can learn to be independent
and be able to do things yourself. Some people never learn until they find
themselves in a position where they have no body to turn to.
 You need people who will disappoint you so you will put your trust in God alone.
 You need people who will frustrate your effort in that job, to make you lose the
job, so that you will start your own business
 You need people who will sell you out like Joseph, so you will get to Egypt and
become a prime minister in a strange land
 You need a cruel land lord so that you will not be too comfortable in someone’s
house, and then you can build your own house on time.
 Sometimes you need an Esau that will make you spend time with God.
 But sometimes when we are disappointed, we feel very bad and we want to remain
on that one spot, not knowing that the end point of your disappointment is the
beginning of your accomplishments, know this, that every disappointment you
once had comes with a blessing, not everyone partake in this blessing anyways,
because some people are still holding on to the disappointment, pain and
heartbreaks of the past, while trying to force the close door to be opened. Every
disappointment comes with an attached blessing, only if we can ask God to open
our eyes and see the blessing that He has brought to you.
 Disappointment is phase one, while accomplishment is phase two, you cannot skip
one for the other that is why it is called breakthrough, it has to break you from one
oppressive situation, whether it is a job or something else, so you can go through.

I want to tell you a true story about a young man called Chinedu.

After NYSC (National Youth Service Corp) Chinedu sought for job for five years, from
one company to another, he was a second class upper graduate of English language. One
day he got a job in a Chinese company that sells pumps. While he worked there, he was
one of the best marketers and due to that, he was envied by others and so, they laid
allegation on him that he stole pumps, so he was sacked. Chinedu at this point had just
six thousand naira with him, he travelled to Edo state meeting the customers he had made
and bargaining business with them that was a new beginning for him. Today, he is a
successful businessman, owns his own business and is an importer. If he had remained in
the company, he would not have been where he is today, for you to be great, something
must happen. It is either someone will be taken away or you will be taken away. You
know what? Chinedu is my brother.

I keep telling his story to people because it tells me that, every disappointment
happens for a reason, there is an appointment in every disappointment, there is an
accomplishment in every disappointment, there is a grace is every disgrace as long as you
are sincere. All we need to do is discover the riches behind that disappointment and take
advantage of it.

Have you been disappointed? Have you been sacked? Have you lost your engagement?
That interview did not go as planned? The car you wanted to buy did not work out? Has
anyone promised you and disappointed you? Have you had a heart break? Do not weep
too much, there is a reason and there is a blessing attached to that disappointment, just be
sensitive and observe, ask God to help you to see it so you can take advantage of the
disappointment to bring out the success therein.
Do not forget, you are the best.