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This piece isn't for everyone; it's only for those who are serious about living their lives to the best of their potentials. Yes, it's only for those who are really intentional about leaving their footmarks in the sands of time. If you're among these serious-minded folks, you'll read to the end.

The subconscious is a very cardinal part of the human psyche that shouldn't be toyed it. The reason is: it influences virtually all your decisions and actions_and here's the catch_without you being aware of it. All the decisions you take in life as well as all the choices you make are by and large controlled by this uncanny part of our souls. It's practically the programming language that tells you what to do. The scary part of it all is that the thoughts and belief systems it holds are very unconscious to you; you're barely aware of them. Yet it is what controls you.

Thorough introspection and some life experiences are what reveal to you the beliefs buried in your subconscious. It's like a still water that appears to be clean, but when stirred, reveals the dirt settled in it. An example of a deadly philosophy that can be hidden in our subconscious is what I call the "Que Sera, Sera" ism. Whatever will be, will be.

Were you also flabbergasted like me by the Nigerian version of "The Odyssey"? Ola Rotimi's "The Gods are not to blame." 'This boy will kill his father and marry his mother.' Poor Odewale! Tried to run away from the evil destiny the diviner told him he was carrying. If he only knew he was fulfilling it.

The subject of destiny versus human determination is one that has lingered for so long, stupefied many philosophers and raised many unsolved debates. If you unconsciously believe that whatever will be, will be, then it's going to affect your view on life and determine the kind of decisions you take. It makes you believe that regardless of what you do or not, the destiny that has been decreed for you is going to be accomplished.

Can you now picture what such a mindset can do to a person? Let me mention some.

It engenders laziness. It literally makes you avoid anything that'll push you out of your comfort zone although that thing is very essential to you. Your subconscious is telling you, "Mister, whatever will be, will be. No go kill yourself."

It also fosters complacency. "Why, if God says it's mine, it's mine and nobody can stop it. And if it isn't mine, no matter what I do, I can never get it."

It inhibits creativity. It stops you from thinking. You're just sitting back waiting for what to be, to be.

It stops you from pushing yourself to go the extra mile. In short, it makes a weakling out of you.

It tells you the rich are simply lucky, and the poor rather unfortunate. It tells you to do only the easy things. It tells you there's no point reading, there's no point going for knowledge, there's no point building yourself. It makes you say with conviction, "this life I can't come and kill myself. Las las, na wetin God say I go be, I go be."

I'm not denying the fact that there's that uncanny juxtapositioning game that fate plays. But I believe in balance. Play your own part; pretend as though there's no such thing as fate. See yourself as the master of your own destiny.

Finally, I leave you with Sidney Sheldon's quote, "Life is like a novel; you don't know what's next till you keep turning the pages." Turning the pages is you playing your own part to the best of your ability.

If you find this helpful, let me know by hitting the like button and sharing your comments.
Till I write you again.
Yours truly,
J. Ebute(Penwielder)

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In Peter Anosike's bestseller "Dangote's Ten Commandments on Money", Mike, the trainee taken in by Dangote asked a question that I believe is profound. Dangote was earnestly explaining to him that he'd want Nigerian youths to embrace entrepreneurship with all their hearts. That's when Mike asked that if all Nigerian youths were to take him at his word and become entrepreneurs, who then would be the workers working for the entrepreneurs?

Dangote's reply got me thinking. He said that not everyone would be an entrepreneur; not everybody has what it takes to be one. Some people will always choose the easy way out: look for a job.

This reminds me of the question I always ask myself whenever I hear time management instructors teach. They'll always hammer on the amount of time people waste watching movies. Yet the movie industry is undoubtedly a profitable Industry, ever growing. Movies are produced all the time. Why? It's the same answer as in Dangote's reply. THE CYCLE OF LIFE.

There will always be the poor as there'll always be the rich. It will always be so.

There will always be prostitutes. There will always be people to wash the cars of those who can afford them.

As much as it hurts, there will always be beggars. Those who hawk will not cease to be.

Thiefs, kidnappers, ritualists and all those who choose to delve into dubious stuff to make ends meet will continue to abound. It's the CYCLE OF LIFE. And however passionate you're to make the world a better place, remember that you can't completely change this cycle. The world will continue to be so. (Until of course when the Lord Jesus comes to abolish this present evil age and establish the reign and kingdom of God here on earth.) Until then, the cycle continues.

Now this piece is not about the world; yea it's not about everyone. While you can't change the whole world, you're responsible for your OWN life. So, I'm writing to YOU. Yes, YOU as a person, as an individual. Purpose in your heart to be different. Purpose in your heart that you will not end up a prostitute; beat your chest that you'll not be among those who will sear their conscience with a hot iron in an attempt to survive.

The cycle will surely persist, but strive not to be at the dirty and unfortunate end of it. Do everything within your power to escape the ugly part. The truth is if you don't do the right thing as becomes you, you'll be fulfilling the cycle. You'll be the one sweating to build someone else's empire. You'll be the one washing someone else's car. As much as I want to earnestly pray the prayer, "It shall not be your portion" it's hardly enough. Your grit and decisions are key factors that will determine where you end up in this game of life and chance.

It starts with making up your mind on which part of the wall you want to end up in. And then what steps are you actively taking to see you make this a reality? It's not an easy road. Like the road to heaven, the way to greatness is very narrow. Only few people dare to take such a tedious path. Are you going to be one of them?

If you find this helpful, let me know by dropping a comment.
Till I write to you again.
Yours truly,
J. Ebute(Penwielder)

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As the 'high fever' that came with the new year is gradually dissipating, you'll surely be needing this lesson I'm about to share with you from the famous fox fable.

The fox was attracted to a tall tree. It wasn't the height of the tree that pulled its attention like a magnet. It was rather the appealing sight of some fresh grapes on the tree. "OMG!" the fox cried. "Do I want some of those!"

And quick it went to work, rushing at the tree with a speed and gusto that would certainly have caused the tree to jump in fright if it had been animate. Few minutes after its energetic race for the grapes, the fox was still unable to get its desperate hands on the inviting fruits. At last, it sighed in defeat, jumped down from the tree and prepared to walk away.

However, some animals that had witnessed its earlier enthusiastic race for the fruits, teased the fox about it. For a reply, the fox said, "I never really wanted the grapes. They're sour grapes, anyways."

How ever it knew that the grapes were sour without even tasting them! But you see, some of us are just like this fox. There are some things we want so badly, and we go for them with so much fervor. But when we're not able to get them sooner, we then adopt the self-deception that we didn't really want them in the first place. One, we give up; secondly, we start making excuses. And so strong are the excuses we make up that we start to believe them. And they begin to fix themselves in our minds as "strongholds" and negative mindsets.

One of those "strongholds" is MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. You probably started a business which failed or made an investment that ended up swallowing up your funds. Your morale is now low and you're no longer feeling motivated to go for that big dream of yours_a dream of financial freedom. And then you start telling yourself, "After all, money is the root of all evil. Does not the Bible say so plainly?"_you're misquoting Apostle Paul's words to Timothy_"We came to this world with nothing, and we'll leave with nothing."

Check your heart deeply; you want to be rich. Yes, deep within your heart you really want to be rich. And that's why when you hear talks or tips about financial freedom, it quickly gets your attention. It's a sign you're interested in making money. There's something you're really running away from, and until you identify it, the farther you will keep pushing yourself away from your real deepest wish. Another sign you want to be rich is that you keep falling for Ponzi schemes.

Money is not the root of all evil. Tell yourself that. Work on your orientations. Work on that laziness; go for pro financial knowledge. Stop being a sissy; nothing good comes easy. Learn consistency. Master intentionality and perseverance. Look yourself in the mirror and say, "I want to be rich. Yes, that's what I want, and I'm not telling myself the lie that I don't want it. And I'm going all out to see I achieve this."

Practice this and see if you won't get better results. Stop lying to yourself. Stop making excuses. Go for your dreams.

If you find this helpful, let me know by dropping a comment.

Till I write to you again.
Yours truly,
J. Ebute(Penwielder)

You should run away from the above � as you would a deadly plague. Read on to get my point.

Naira to donut, you have read or heard the story of a superstar or a celebrity that was born into penury and abject poverty. But despite being born without the proverbial silver spoon in his/her mouth and growing up in humble beginnings, he/she was "somehow" able to rise up above destitution into a place of prominence and fame. If you don't know a real life celebrity with the above story, you at least have watched the above being played out in movies.

And like me, whenever you watch such movies and hear such stories, you feel pumped up, excited and inspired. You then heave and say to yourself, "There's light at the end of the tunnel. It's doesn't matter what I'm going through at the moment; tomorrow is definitely going to be better."

The story/movie had served its purpose: it has given you hope. Hope_what a powerful word. An indispensable virtue in the Christian faith. "And now these three things remain", Apostle Paul had written. "Faith, hope and love."

But whilst hope is very crucial in helping us put up with unpleasant present circumstances, we must be wary of the tendency of us falling prey to the 'tomorrow syndrome.' I'm referring to the tendency of us forgetting the PROCESS and focusing on the END RESULT. The reason we must be careful of this is that it's something we do unconsciously. It's a mindset deeply seated and rooted in our subconscious.

"I have faith that tomorrow will be better", we say. "I see myself leading a life of affluence in the future." Good faith and great declaration, but unconsciously you are passive about the whole thing. You fold your hands and expect tomorrow to take care of itself and fix a beautiful life for you. You suppose it's something that'll happen spontaneously according to happenstance.

But here's the fact. You must understand you have a role to play in the kind of tomorrow you'll have. Your actions and habits of today are going to determine what kind of future awaits you. Your future is an accumulation of your today's decisions. As you hope, pray and anticipate for a better tomorrow, realize that your future isn't just going to reinvent itself but depends a great deal on the actions you're taking today. Picture yourself as the master of your own destiny and be intentional in making the right decisions that will eventually yield the kind of future you hope for.
If you find this helpful, let me know by dropping a comment.

Till I write to you again.
Yours truly,
J. Ebute(Penwielder)

This piece is an eye-opener, so read to the very end.

The art of business is the art of giving people what they want, not what you think they need.

As long as it's legitimate and does not trample on your moral or personal principles, by all means give it to them unreservedly. The more you can satisfy people's whims, the more willing they'd be to part with their hard-earned money and give to you. Take football for example. It is indisputably one of the largest profitable and well-paying industry, worth billions of dollars. The reason is quite plain. It is satisfying the craving of billions of people_ the need to be entertained_ and oh, how fanatical the people are.

To further buttress this point, I'll share with you a joke I once heard. The comedian was humorously trying to explain why the ibos do well in business than any other tribe in Nigeria. He created these three scenarios.

Scenario one: A customer walks into a Hausa man's stall and tells him he wants 'so, so and so' product. The Hausa man checks around the stall and realizes he doesn't have that particular product. He turns to the customer and humbly tells him he doesn't have it, so he should try somewhere else. Customer thanks him and exit.

Scenario two: The customer then finds himself in a stall belonging to a Yoruba man. He places demand for the 'so, so and so' product. Sadly, the Yoruba vendor doesn't also have it. But unlike the Hausa trader, he's not going to allow a potential sale elude him. So, he tries persuading the customer. "I don't have the exact product you want, but I have this other one. And take my word for it, they both have the same function. In fact, the one I have functions even better than what you're looking for__I speak from my many years of experience in this business." Customer doesn't budge. He insists he's only interested in his "so, so and so" product. Our Yoruba man gives up and ushers the stubborn customer out.

Scenario three: The customer who is determined to find the "so, so and so" product stumbles into an Ibo man's stall. He tells the trader what he wants. But the Ibo trader, like the others, is lacking in the product. As the smart businessman he is, he tries the Yoruba trader's tack. The customer, however, proves to have a heart as stolid as Mount Zion which God has promised cannot be removed. He knows what he wants, and no one can wheedle him into buying something else.

But this is where the Ibo trader is different from the others. Seeing how mule-like persistent the customer is, he realizes he either loses the customer completely or gives him what he wants. "Let us go to my other stall", he says. If you're a Nigerian, you clearly know that 'my other stall' isn't the trader's stall, but his brother's. Yes, the Ibos have that brotherly solidarity and co-operation. Rather than lose a customer completely, they'll instead take the customer to one of their brothers they know has the particular product the customer wants.

But my lesson here is not brotherly solidarity_though that is a noble virtue. However it is this: in business, rather than focus on trying to persuade and convince a customer to buy what you have because he needs it or because it can benefit him in many ways, find out what people want and give it to them. And not only will they pay you handsomely for it, they'll love you as fanatically as football lovers and sing your praise.

I'm #Penwielder, and I'm interested in seeing you become the best version of yourself.