AWAKEN THE CHAMPION IN YOU: Unlocking and Unleashing The Treasure Within

Awaken the Champion in You is the inspirational pill needed by all and sundry in our contemporary day to come out of the current ineptitude that has kept the vast majority of our young and dynamic
men and women in a state of dismay and quagmire. As a matter of urgency, this book affirms the existence of potentials in every individual and the possibility of developing them to the pyramidal point of becoming a celebrated champion in life.
 
Moreover, challenges and complexities in the world have got to such an extent they can only be effectively handled by geniuses who have a high sense of responsibility whose belief is nothing but
success. This book highlights the lives of great men and women who made the world better than they met it. These are the champions who determinedly laid precedence in their chosen careers and refused to submit the virtues in them to mediocrity or procrastination but rather took the right actions at the right time that yielded the results we all behold today. The book draws lessons from their
unquantifiable contributions to the human race in different facets of life.

In fairness to these immortal heroes, we must, as a matter of urgency, rise to the challenge and take the world to the pedestal of complete success. This can only be achieved only if everybody is
determined not to sit aloof on this mission of champion discovery. A philosopher (you will know his name later in the book) once said that "The wealthiest spot on this planet is not the oil fields of
Kuwait, Iraq, or Saudi Arabia. Neither is it the gold and diamond mines of South Africa, the uranium mines of the Soviet Union, or the silver mines of Africa. Though it may surprise you, the richest
deposits on our planet lie just a few blocks from your house. They rest in your local cemetery or graveyard. Buried beneath the soil within the walls of those sacred grounds are dreams that never came to pass, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, paintings that never filled a canvas, ideas that were never shared, visions that never became reality, inventions that were
never designed, plans that never went beyond the drawing board of the mind, and purposes that were never fulfilled. 

Now is the time to begin to do something about our talents to effect
change in our society. Now is the time to stir those virtuous in us to come to the limelight in order to be distinguished in our various fields as champions. According to a popular saying: "Knowing what you want to do and making an effort to pursue it, in a sea of mediocrity, distinguishes you from almost everybody else." 

Indeed, Awaken the Champion in You is the vitamin of the season that will help you out of the malnutrition of knowledge about the principles and steps you need to take to live a complete life of
fulfilment.

I recommend this book to everyone who wants to learn the recipe
for living the life of a champion! The book is just $9. Just click the link you deed have a copy.  

Boluogun Ayobode, Journalist, author and publisher.

CRAFTING A LEADERSHIP IDENTITY

As a leader, it is easy for people to make up stories about who you are based on their interactions with you. Consciously or unconsciously, leaders give off signals and vibes that if added together are used by the led to define their leader’s identity. Naturally, people have no way of seeing beneath a leader’s surface and so they rely on the things that leaders do, the way they behave, their decision-making style and other tangible and intangible parameters to determine who a leader is.
Image result for leadership identityGood leaders know never to leave their self-definition to chance, they know that communicating who they are to their people is fundamental to gaining trust and commitment. This is why globally, renowned leaders have always ensured that they have well-crafted identities that are consciously executed and managed to avoid ambiguities regarding who they are and who their people perceive them to be. The fact that leaders can craft their persona does not imply any form of deception. All it means is that leaders can decide which of their personalities, their truths, and their innermost traits they wish to share with their team.
It can be quite disturbing and disruptive when leaders flip and flop in their portrayal of self. Some leaders believe this Machiavellian style of unpredictability is strategic and helps them stay ahead of the game, but in reality, it is a poor way of leading and may work well for dictators but not for real and true leaders. 
Keeping your team in suspense with regards to which persona is going to show up per occasion can be very tiring and demotivating. Leaders who are inconsistent with their identities fail to understand that people are not likely to stand with them or hand over their trust if they feel uncertain about the leader’s true self.
The two best examples that always come to mind when the issue of leadership identity is discussed are Barrack Obama and Richard Branson. These two leaders are very unambiguous in their portrayal of themselves to their people and to the world. Both of them are able to distinctly and consistently express to the world exactly who they want to be perceived as. Where Barrack Obama’s portrayal of himself is as the smart, easy-going, family-centric, think on your feet, amiable, transparent, approachable and forward-looking kind of leader, Richard Branson consistently showcases to the world his adventurous, think-out-of-the-box, people-centric, fearless, risk-taking, you-only-live-life-once personality as a leader. They both always put their personalities on display and because they are secure and comfortable in their own skin and with who they are, they are accepted and revered for just being themselves.
Crafting a well-defined identity though not an easy feat, is one of the steps that any great or intended great leader should undertake, and for it to be successfully done, it must always start with self-awareness. A leader must know who they are and be comfortable with their different persona. Only then can they successfully transmit their crafted identity to their people. 
This post first appeared on CIPM Nigeria Blog on July 31st, 2019 by Olarinde Abass

Dare to Dream




Dreams are extremely important. You can’t do it unless you imagine it.”
- George Lucas

One of the greatest artistic masterpieces in the world is the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, located in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, USA. The magnificent mountain sculpture features the 60-foot faces of four great American presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln - who represent the birth, growth, development and preservation of the American nation.

What I consider most interesting about this tourist attraction, however, was the vision that propelled it. On a remarkable day in 1924, the brain behind the project, Gutzon Borglum, while gazing from a distance at Mount Rushmore (which was just a mere mountain as at then), declared: “American history shall march along that skyline." Three years later, he began the project that eventually took 14 years to complete.

Today, that history envisioned by Gutzon not only marches but glows triumphantly, attracting multitudes of visitors, inspiring thoughts of greatness, generating massive revenues, providing large-scale business and employment opportunities – and, above all, serving as a compelling testimonial to the power of DREAMS!


It is not enough to discover your talent – you must envision where you want to take that talent and where you want that talent to take you. This is what it means to dream. Your dream is the picture of your future. It is the blueprint for your destiny which you must continually set your mind upon until you achieve it.  This is why Thomas Edison says, “Your dream today is the raw material with which God will construct your tomorrow.  If you do not have a dream, you do not have a future”.


Every great accomplishment begins with a dream. Every heroic deed, revolutionary change and life-changing invention begins with the imagination of someone who dared to dream. Rebecca Edwards, author of the “African Legends of Faith” series, says: The paintings of success are always drawn with the brush of decision, the ink of determination and on the timeless plaque of human hearts, if one can dare to dream”. Arthur Williams asserts: “If you can dream it, you can become it; if you can imagine it, you can possess it; if you can see it you can have it." Anatole France, the French poet, journalist and novelist, adds: "Dream are like stars ...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.  To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan but also believe." 

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Igede New Yam Festival (Igede Agba): A progenitor of Biblical Passover, And Unleavened Bread

To begin with, Igede people are a unique people. 

This unique ethnic group occupies majorly two local governments (Obi and Oju) in Benue State, with some pockets in Konshisha and Gwer West local governments’ area of the state. Also, they are found in parts of Cross River and Ebonyi States, all in Nigeria.

The Igede Nation is a composition of fourteen premedieval clans including Ada (Ada), Anchim (Ọchẹchẹ), Oye (Ugbodu), Ụkpa (Amọnọ), Ọbọrụ (Ọgbagba), Owo (Ochim-Aadu), Ibilla (Ugbeyikum), Ainu (Ada-Ainu), Ito (Ada-Oto), Uwokwu (Ololẹga), Idelle (Anyị-Odum), Ịgabwụ, Itakpa and Oju (Ọnyị-Okpogo) at home and in Diaspora.
 
Amidst eroding cultures and traditions, the Igede of Benue state have maintained some aspects of their culture, one of which is the annual New Yam Festival (Igede Agba) which is celebrated during the harvest of yams to mark the beginning of the harvest period. It is a cyclic festival that comes up on every first Ihigile market day in the month of September. The people use the occasion to thank God in anticipation of a bumper harvest before they officially begin to eat the new yam.  It connotes celebration of hard work and dignity of labour: Moral values such as honesty, goodness, social justice as well as respect for the culture of the people are celebrated. It is a highly revered event, as neighbouring tribes join in the celebration every year.

The day also serves to commemorate and celebrate their successful arrival at their current abode. The Orgirinya, Obemu, Aita, Alatakpa, Onyantu and Woro form parts of the celebrations; while Yam, the king of all farm produce, is used to mark the occasion of harvest and the new planting season. As such, harvesting of new yams before the traditional rites are fulfilled is a taboo, because of Akpang deity. And to an Igede man, Akpang deity ensures the suppression of the activities of witches and wizards. It is a deity that keeps people away from harvesting their yams prematurely; however, it is not considered as the god of yams.

Igede Agba is celebrated with all male children gathering at the father’s round hut called Ugira, while the wives gather together with the female children in the most senior wife’s hut. The father usually washes his hands first, followed by the most senior son and that is how the eating proceeds. Nobody is allowed to jump the order. Those who disobey may be stopped from further eating. Meat is usually shared after meal or somewhere close to the end of eating of pounded yam.

It is celebrated in commemoration of the progenitor of the Igede people just as the celebration of Christmas, Easter Holidays by the Christians and the seven sacred annual feasts of the old covenant in the bible including Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Weeks Pentecost, Trumpet, Days of Atonement and Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16: 1-16 and Exodus 23:14-17). It is in the like of these events that Igede Agba festival is being celebrated. Yam (Iju) is the chief crop in Igedeland identified with a rich Igede cultural identity and heritage. That is why it is being used as the fundamental crop to celebrate Igede Agba.

But why New Yam Festival is highly pronounced in Igede nation even more than other yam producing communities is best explained to mean how the people cherish, treasure, adore and cultivate the crop as a key staple commodity with a masculine fanfare. Festival involves a plethora of complex ideas, thoughts, religions, culture and experience of Igede history and activities over a long period of time. This simply implies that our heritage should be embraced, renewed, conserved, preserved and revitalized in the most efficient way for tourist attraction, national and international recognition.

It is imperative to inform the readers that Igede Agba (New Yam Festival) is not a fetish event but a thanksgiving ceremony to the Sky-God (Ohe Oluhye and the Earth-god (Ohe Oleji) for a good harvest and prayers are offered for the next farming season. Celebrating these kinds of heritage helps communities to retain identity.

Therefore, let’s use the occasion of New Yam Festival (Igede Agba) to revive every extinct aspects of our cultural heritage that may have being occasioned by globalization and westernization, in order to emblematize and showcase our unique identity globally.
Our culture is our identity and is unique, let keep it alive! 

Happy Igede Agba
Long live Igede
Long live Benue State
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Means To An End

     At times certain problems can be solved only by following wrong or unfair means. Although it could appear to be unfair, ultimately the result it brings will be beneficial for all concerned. In order to put down evil forces one will have to resort to means that may appear a bit wrong at times. The benefit achieved in the end will be huge and good that the means employed will seem justified. Of course, care must be taken to see that no one is unduly hurt in the process.

Once there was a crow that lived with his wife in a huge tree in the jungle. The couple led a peaceful life until a large green snake appeared and decided to stay in the hollow of the same tree. That was when all the trouble started. When the crows went out in search of food, the snake would sneak up the tree and eat up their eggs and the little ones.
The crow couple were very upset and sad because of this, but they did not know how to fight the evil snake. They went to the wise owl living in the neighbouring tree and sought his help. The wise owl said, "You can win over your enemy – the snake only if you are cunning. So stop worrying and follow my plan."

The next day the crow flew down to the palace and found the ladies of the royal family having their bath at the royal pool, they had kept all their jewels in a corner. The crow picked up an expensive diamond necklace and flew away.
The guards at the palace chased the crow. The crow dropped the necklace in the hollow of the tree where the snake lived. The crow knew that once the guards found the snake they would definitely kill it. The guards went to retrieve the necklace from the hollow of the tree as the crow had expected.

They disturbed the snake and it started hissing at them and the guards were frightened of the snake. They killed the snake and took the necklace out. Thus the crow got rid of the evil snake and lived in peace. The crow went to the wise owl and thanked it for its witty idea to get rid of the snake which was killing the future of the crow.
Although the snake did not steal the necklace it had to pay the price for being evil at heart.

As a means to an end. Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing to get the right result. I don’t mean “Ahab killing Naboth” in other to inherit his land….but I mean Abraham saying “Sarah is my sister” to safe Abraham’s neck. Better still, you can call it doing fairly wrong thing for right reasons.

The kernel is, whatever you are doing now: give it your fullest attention. 100% of your presence and 100% of your soul. Treat whatever is in front of you as the most important thing in the world…Yes it is. Now is the most important time in your life.

Till I Come Your Way Again, Benson Adima Remains Your In-house Motivator

WHAT IMPACT ARE YOU MAKING?


 Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.”
- John Maxwell

Two paramount questions that anyone who has ever made a meaningful and lasting impact upon the world has had to ask at one point or the other are: “Why exactly am I here?” And “How exactly do I want to be remembered after I’m gone?”

For one man in particular, it took a mistaken obituary that was published about him for him to realise that he had not been living the life that he was meant to live. That man was Alfred Nobel, who is best known for founding the Nobel Prize that rewards outstanding achievements in literature, peace, economics, medicine and the sciences. It was that realisation that jolted him to make a decision that would not only cause a rewriting of his life’s story but galvanised him to leave a legacy that has continued to spur millions of people worldwide on the path of excellence.

Image result for what impact are you making?So, who what really happened to Alfred Nobel and why is his story important to us? Alfred was a Swedish scientist and inventor, who had amassed much wealth and fame by producing explosives. Among other things, Nobel invented the dynamite. With the amount of wealth and recognition that his inventions had brought him, Alfred had considered himself a success – until he had an experience that made him rethink his definition of success.

When Alfred’s brother, Ludwig, died in 1888, a French newspaper thought it was Alfred who had died. It published a story with the headline, “The merchant of death is dead” and went on to say “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.” It suddenly dawned on Alfred that he was not making the kind of impact he should be making. This got him thinking and the result of that sober reflection was a life redirected to saving money to improve the lot of humanity.

Shortly before his death, Alfred signed his last will and specified that the bulk of his fortune should be divided into five parts and to be used for prizes in .........

Do you like what you are reading? Do you enjoy the story line? Do you want to read up the full gist? Then check this: Awaken The Champion In You: Unlocking and Unleashing the Treasure Within 

Here is an invaluable book written in the tradition of Recipe for Success
by Emma S. Etuk, The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent
Peale and Your Road Map for Success by John C. Maxwell. You would
also be reading inspirational nuggets from the champions who had
distinguished themselves in their chosen field from Africa to Europe,
North and South America through Australia and Asia. 

Don't forget to click here. Til I come your way again, my name is Benson Adima 

BEAUTY OF RESPONSIBILITY


Traditionally, we have viewed the notion of “responsibility" in a negative way; it is a matter of obligation or of having duties. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

But as I will argue, accepting personal responsibility for your life is actually quite liberating. Abraham Lincoln asserts: "A man is not held responsible for the beginning of his life but the end thereof.” John F. Kennedy declares: "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

One of the most important personal decisions you could take on your road to success is to accept complete responsibility for everything you are and are currently experiencing, as well as everything you will ever become or experience.  This understanding has been the defining moment for many successful people and legends throughout history.

Champions are not those who never fail but the “failures” who take responsibility before, during and after their choices. Responsibility is what it takes to learn the maximum requirement for success in any field. You become responsible by taking responsibility. Personal responsibility is the paramount trait of leadership and the main source of high performance in every person and in every situation. 
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Let’s take a look at what it means to accept complete responsibility. When you blame others for anything in your life that you’re not happy about, you’re giving them the power to create (or destroy) your happiness.  Accepting responsibility means that you refuse, even if it’s from this moment on not to criticise or blame others for any reason. 

When you accept full responsibility for a situation, it means you have the power to create the solution.  Most of the time, you do that anyway, don’t you?  To awaken the champion in you, you must start taking credit for all of your wonderful ideas by taking responsibility when things go awry. 

From now on, no matter what happens, say to yourself, “I am responsible”.  It goes like this:
*          I am responsible for this situation
*          I am responsible for my happiness
*          I am responsible for my well-being
*          I am responsible for my children’s well-being (assuming they’re not                        adults).
*          I am responsible for performing well on my job
*          I am responsible for making my own way
*          I am responsible for providing for my family
*          I am responsible for my health
*          I am responsible for my energy
*          I am responsible for my growth in every area of my life
*          I am responsible to discover, developed and maximise my potential
*          I am responsible for either being poor or wealthy in life

Starting to get the picture?  Just saying these things to yourself and resolving to make them come true will increase your self-esteem.  When your self-esteem goes up, you accomplish more.  When you accomplish more, you feel more successful, you become successful.  Simply put, the day you start taking complete responsible for your action or inactions, you become a "champion" in the making. 

A responsible person doesn’t allow things to end anyhow. Instead, he takes full charge until the change he desires emerges.  For any part of your life that you are not happy with right now, say, “I am responsible for ...” and complete the sentence in whatever manner makes sense to you.  Isn’t that empowering?  Even if you don’t know how you are going to change things, just accepting the responsibility makes you feel better about it.

Anaïs Nin, in The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1, says: "What we call our destiny is truly our character and that character can be altered. The knowledge that we are responsible for our actions and attitudes does not need to be discouraging, because it also means that we are free to change this destiny. One is not in bondage to the past, which has shaped our feelings, to race, inheritance, and background. All this can be altered if we have the courage to examine how it formed us. We can alter the chemistry provided we have the courage to dissect the elements."

Steve Chandler calls accepting “making yourself the problem” because when you’re the problem, you are also the solution. Once you accept complete responsibility for your life and every aspect of it, even the past you previously thought you had no control over, your life will get better.

After you accept responsibility and start to feel empowered, you first solve all your immediate problems.  Then, start creating your life and you will absolutely be powerful to create your world by accepting full responsibility for it, since, after all, everything was everyone else’s fault.
 

Don’t Sit Back And Take What Comes. Go After What You Want.

In the last article precisely on 10/11/2018 I leave you with a question: “If you quickly comes to terms with the idea that you have less than 100 days left to live and takes immediate action. What will you do? Or what would you do differently if you knew you had 100 days”? Well, that post got several reactions and response from different places and people. If for any reason you were not able to read that articles, just scroll up because is a must read.

On this edition I want to start by: Do you feel as if you are putting in enough work toward achieving your hopes, goals, and dreams? If your answer is no, there is absolutely no need to fret. Cast your worries aside because, at any moment, you can make the choice to do better and maximize your potential. People who wait around for life to supply their satisfaction usually find boredom instead. In other word, the moment of satisfaction you get from life depends largely on your own ingenuity, self-sufficiency, and resourcefulness.

The door of opportunities won’t open unless you push. Those who want milk should not seat themselves on a stool in the middle of the field and hope that the cow will back milk up to them. Being on the defensive has never produced ultimate victory. God help the courageous. I believe God want you to take the initiative, to live your life on the offensive. Sara Teasdale would rather make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.
A doctor was speaking to us recently at a youth function, guess what he said “you either go big or go home”. It resonate with me. Listen to E.M. Bounds as John Mason recollected his words in tranquillity “There is neither encouragement nor room in the Bible religion for feeble desires, listless efforts, lazy attitudes; all must be strenuous, urgent, ardent, flamed desires, impassioned, unwary insistence, delights Heaven. God would have His children encourageably in earnest and persistently bold in their effort.” When you are bold, His mighty powers will come to your aid. 
What I respect as far as in myself and in others is the spirit of just doing it. For better or worse, it may work and it may not, but I'm going to go for it. Ultimately I probably prefer to be respected for that than whether it works out or not, either winning or losing. It was Pastor Joel Budd of RiverGate Church in Tulsa Oklahoma Who said “A hungry heart is like a parachute. When you pull on it, it opens up and save you.” To be at your best, you've got to keep wheedling your way. You can't just sit there and fight against odds when it's not going to work. You have to turn a corner, dig a hole, go through a tunnel - and find a way to keep moving.

For example, in 2018 I lost an entire year savings plus some borrowed capital in an attempt to invest. Not only do I failed big time, but also with big SCAR (debt). But trust how POSITIVELY STUBBORN I could be, I’m up to something else in the year new. I will not sit down and take what comes, I will go after what I want. If I failed, I will learn something new.
Just go for it. Don't be afraid of trying new things. You have absolutely no idea what's going to present itself to you. Don't be frightened. Just buckle down and do whatever your heart desires.

George Adams mused “In this life we only get those things for which we hunt, for which we strive and for which we are willing to sacrifice.” Don’t just face opportunities and problems, attack them. Don’t be like mediocre men who wait for opportunities to come to them, be like strong, able and alert men who go after opportunities. The Popular Helen Keller puts it in a more fragrant way “Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eyes.” If you want success you must seize your own opportunities.

Don’t Wait For Success – Go For It!

Reach us on: 08137003868/prof.benson@gmail.com/facebook.com/bensonadima 

DEAR, THIS COULD GET YOU THE BIGGEST ASYMMETRICAL RETURN

DEAR, THIS COULD GET YOU THE BIGGEST ASYMMETRICAL RETURN If you want to grow your income and net worth, talk to strangers. Talking to strang...