Once in a while I like discussing with an intelligent person so I discuss with myself. I discuss with myself a lot. I have actually thought of writing one of my conversations with myself. (Does anyone still remember Conversation With Esther?) But I couldn’t figure out how I was going to differentiate between me and me. Secondly, I was like, Nah! These guys are gonna think I am a crazy.

Today, however, was one of such times when I had one of such conversations with myself. And NO! I am not going to write out the conversation I had with myself. What I am going to do is tell you what I learned after the conversation.

The question was, “How do I do more?” How can I achieve more? Reach out to more? Attain greater heights that will enable me make more impacts in the lives of people and give me the kind of influence and affluence that I desire? And the answer was “GRACE”. Grace makes great. Grace makes the difference between one person and the other. Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” -1 Cor 15:10.

Then the next question was, “Okay, we’ve actually heard that like a “megazillion” times. Hard work does not make great. Effort does not make great. Even though we are encouraged to work hard and exercise effort at whatever we do. But the core ingredient that makes the difference is grace. So, I think the right question should be how do I get to increase the measure of grace in my life?

Now this is the part where we go, “Are we about to go ‘spiritual’ here? Are we about to hear another sermon? Or are you really going somewhere with this?” Hush! I am going somewhere.

Now I am thinking, if hardwork does not make great and only grace and grace alone makes great, then there has got to be a way of increasing the measure of grace in my life. Now, that would make sense, wouldn’t it?

Everything I have done in my life up until now has been the result of the grace of God over my life. So if I am really going to do more than I have done before and greatness is measured by how much you have done that added value to others, then I have got to find a way of increasing the grace over my life so when grace increases I can do more and as I do more I become reckoned with as a great person.

Then the answer suddenly came. I found it in 2 Pet 1:2. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” Wait a minute! Did it just say “multiplied”? Yes it did! Grace can be multiplied. And when anything multiplies, it increases. But multiplied, how? Through the knowledge of Jesus.

As my knowledge of Christ increases, grace increases. And as grace increases, results in what I do also increases because grace is favor. Now, how does that affect my everyday life? In what practical ways can I experience this?

I believe in data. I was trained in the corporate world to back whatever I present with data. And that is what I am going to do here. Today, I teach. I teach personal leadership online, using the Facebook platform and it is not free. The average fee per session is NGN5,000. I don’t pastor a church where my result is measure by the number of people who come for service and give their lives to Christ. I teach and am paid to do it so my result is measured by the number of people who have actually paid to participate in my school where there are no exams and no certificates will be given to anyone at the end of the school.

As at my last count over eighty persons have participated in the school which has held only six sessions and is less than a year old. In fact, the sixth session is currently going on as I write this. I know eighty may seem small when compared to the number of people that turn out to attend those one day seminars held all over town and held for free. It’s a whole different ball game when people have to pay to participate. (A friend was just telling me yesterday how she went for a public speaking seminar that Olakunle Sorinyan was the guest speaker. And after publicity and renting of venue only four people paid to attend.)

Now, grace is what made me do that. Grace is what has made people residing in five out of the six continents of this world to have participated in my class right here on facebook. And you know how grace did that? Through the knowledge that these people saw exhibited when they read my notes. As my knowledge increased, grace increased. And as grace increased, results increased. That is why people who don’t know what I look like will send money from half way around the world to participate in my class four weeks before the class begins. And I have not even started yet.

Grace increases as knowledge of Christ increases. And as your knowledge of Christ increases you begin to find it easier to put things in proper perspective and you no longer struggle to get results. And knowledge is “becoming more”. If you want to do more, first be more. Being precedes doing. This is where I have a problem with the next generation. By that I mean those between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. In fact, I can even say anyone below the age of thirty.

A lot of those in that age bracket, not everyone though, but quite a lot, have a very strong desire to do more and achieve more, which is good. But they don’t have a commensurate desire to be more: to learn more, become more, so they can do more. Zeal without knowledge is stupidity. It is an unguided missile. No trajectory.

You see, creativity comes naturally, discipline does not. You have to be deliberate to be disciplined. Sit your butts down and learn. Learn something useful. Five years from now "Azonto" is not going to mean anything. "Swag" is not going to mean anything. Only what you learn now will count. To do more you must first be more. And you become more as your knowledge increases.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying you should not have fun or that you should not play music. I love the music industry in Nigeria, I am glad at what is happening there. Better quality of music videos, better beats, etc., even though I can’t say the same about the lyrics. What I am saying is what late Stephen Covey said, “First things first.” When you do last what you should have done first don’t expect the result to be the same anymore.

The one whom Jesus loves,
Mute Efe
+234-803-874-9796 (SMS Only)
www.facebook.com/mutehimself

N.B

To register for the Special Weekend Session of School for Personal Leadership that will hold on the 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th November, 2012, first, add Mute Efe as your friend on facebook (www.facebook.com/mutehimself), then text SPL*Surname*First Name*Sex*State of Residence*Country of Residence*Email Address*GSM Number to +234-803-874-9796. NGN5,000 Only (US$35).

Payment details will be sent to you almost immediately.