IS YOUR NOSE UGLY?

‘Never mind if your nose is ugly as long as you can breathe through it’ (DRC)

You can easily hide your bald head, your bad eye, your colored or scattered teeth, but it may be very difficult for you to hide your ugly nose. An ugly nose is always very easy to notice when people glance at your face because it occupies a very strategic position (central). Except in some special cases, people generally believe that the shape of your nose determines how beautiful your face looks or how beautiful you are.

However, our ancestors believe that the shape or structure of someone’s nose is not essential in life as long as the person can breathe freely through the nose. Just as every creature on earth do not serve only one purpose, so also are the organs of our body. There is no part of your body that has only one function. For example, your head is the upper part of your body that serves as a frame in which your hair, ears, eyes, nose and lips are properly fixed. It also serves as a container of the brain. But as significant as human head is, it can never ever do without a nose. Imagine a head with blocked nostrils…I’m sure you can only find such in the coffin or mortuary.

So, apart from facial beautification, your nose may be used for other beautiful purposes in life. Instead of you to concentrate on its ugly structure, it is better for you to appreciate the invaluable gift of respiration. There are many people with beautiful noses who struggle to breathe in hospitals today. No matter how beautiful your nose is, it can never guarantee life. Instead of complaining about your ugly nose or considering surgery, it is better for you to focus on what you can do with the beautiful breathe of life that you have got from the ugly nose. If you can’t change your nose, you can definitely do something that can change the lives of many people.

Also, your ugly nose may be any form of deformity or obvious abnormality in your body (i.e. not exactly your nose). Your body structure does not determine your success in life. The most beautiful or handsome people are not usually the most successful businessmen, powerful leaders or outstanding people in their career. Even in most cases, the genuinely beautiful people are not the ones that wear the crown in several beauty pageants.

Whatever you divert your attention on is what will attract other people’s attention to you. If your weakness or shortcoming is what bothers you most in life, you will definitely attract people who will see you as a weak and disable person. Focus on your strength and your center of attraction, showcase your selling point and project it beyond every measure. If you are not proud of yourself, no one will be proud of you; your family won’t, your friend won’t and your society may not even recognize you.

Show the world what you want them to see in you, feed them thoroughly with it every day until they get engrossed and obsessed with it. If you ignore your bald head, the bad eye, colored teeth, bad leg, bad breath, skin color, flat chest, shapeless buttocks, boyish manhood, etc…no one will focus on it.

Remember, it doesn’t matter if your nose is ugly as long as you can breathe through it.

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WHERE IS YOUR STICK?

‘A stick which is far away cannot kill a snake’ (Uganda)

Have you ever attempted to kill a snake that is about to sting you with its deadly poison? Have you? Ok, imagine how you would feel if the stick you wanted to use to kill the snake is hidden underneath your pillow at home, would you still kill the snake with that same stick? No way! No snake will be patient or silly enough to wait for you to run home in order to fetch the stick that you would use to kill it. If you must kill a snake, you need to have a stick with you.

Also in life, you can never acquire a property with the money you wish or dream to get and you can’t fulfill a dream by just dreaming about it. You need to work out your dreams.

The hope or belief you have in buying a car, house or anything cannot only work out something reasonable for you until it pushes you to get the money that is required to purchase the thing. If you don’t want to be disappointed in life, it is better for you to always move with your stick. So, whenever you encounter any snake, instead of you to run, you would not but kill the snake.

Your stick in life symbolizes many things. It may be the knowledge that you acquired from school, the wise saying of the elders, your wealth of experience, talent, creativity, money, integrity, good will, reputation, honesty, fame or commitment in life.  You may end up being stung by the snakes of life if you don’t have any of these sticks (as mentioned above) glued to your hand.

So, where is your stick? Do you have anyone at all or is it hidden somewhere under your pillow at home? In whatever you do or wherever you go in life, always consider taking your stick along with you. Remember, a stick which is far away cannot kill a snake. May you not be killed by the snakes of life.

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HE WHO COMES LAST…

‘Whoever comes last drinks muddy water’ (Kenya, Uganda)

Have you ever been to the river very early in the morning? You would observe that the water you fetch from the river is usually cool and clean at the early hours of the day. Have you ever asked why? There is no magic involved, it is natural.

You can only get the best out of the river when its peace is not being disturbed by many people. Any water you fetch when a lot of activities (i.e. swimming, washing, fishing, bathing, etc.) are already taking place in the river can never be clean, it would definitely be muddy. So, our ancestors believe that he who comes last to the river to drink water usually drinks muddy water.

Also, you can only get the best out of the river of life when it is at peace and not being disturbed by many people. It is always good for you to achieve the best things you could achieve while you are young. During your youthful days, it is good to invest the best of your energy, resources and time on the things you want to achieve in life and avoid every distractions that may come your way.

Instead of you to wait for other people to do something that you would imitate, it is better for you to do something that is worthy of imitating. If you don’t explore your ideas when other people are still thinking of what to do and how to do it, you may end up doing what other people have already taken some time to do. No matter what you think today, there are several other people somewhere in the world who also think and plan almost the same thing with you. The difference between you and others is your ability to act fast. If you don’t do something positive with what you have now, another person may take the glory.

As from today, always endeavor to get the best from life when the day is still young. May you not end up drinking muddy water in life!

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DON’T SWALLOW NOW!

‘Don’t be in a hurry to swallow when chewing is pleasant’ (Malawi- Nyanja)

The next thing that happens after chewing pleasantly is for the throat to swallow the chewed substance. No matter how long you spend chewing any food substance, it will eventually end up being swallowed; but it takes only a patient person to enjoy chewing for long without considering to quickly swallow whatever is being chewed.

Our ancestors believe that it is only a greedy person that is usually in a hurry to swallow when chewing is pleasant. Instead of a greedy man to enjoy every bite of whatever he consumes, he is usually conscious of consuming plenty food. Once any food substance is being swallowed; even if you regurgitate or vomit it, you can never reverse its natural taste.

Also in life, we are not expected to be too hurry to swallow the important and valuable things that nature has put in our mouth to chew. Whatever that is pleasant for you to do to yourself and other people should not be swallowed quickly; don’t just put it to an end by your foolishness or recklessness, enjoy every moment that you spend in doing it.

Someone who is rich, comfortable and happy can also be compared with the person who chews pleasantly. If you allow your riches or happiness to overwhelm you, you may be tempted to quickly swallow whatever that you chew now. Remember, if you are so much in hurry to swallow whatever you chew pleasantly today, you may not have anything else to chew or you may not find anything as pleasant as what you have greedily swallowed.

Life is too short for anyone to be in hurry to kill himself/herself; one day, we will all die anyway. So, why not relax and continue chewing until nature practically has its way. Don’t swallow your life now when there are still many things to chew. At times, your hope to chew for long may be the only breakthrough for you to live peacefully and comfortably. May you not be in hurry to swallow your natural goodies in life.

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LIVING ON THE GROUND

‘A man on the ground cannot fall’.  (South Africa-Azania)

It is only a man who has risen above the ground level that has the tendency to fall. So, if you are in any position that is not too raised above the surface of the ground, it will be very difficult for you to fall on the ground.

Being on the ground does not only mean sleeping on the ground, sitting on the ground or connecting to the ground; we can also view it from another perspective. Our ancestors see someone who is on the ground as someone who is practically humble, complacent and always satisfied with whatever he/she possesses.

Humility is not the ability to intentionally present yourself as someone who you are not. It does not require you to disguise and hide your true status. Humility is not the personal struggle to consciously or forcefully equate yourself with everybody; it is the natural ability of anybody to see whoever he/she is and whatever he/she has got as NOTHING.

Any man who believes that he has nothing (no matter the quantity of his possessions) can never kill himself when he is dispossessed of any of his possessions. You can’t kill yourself over nothing. Also, any woman who sees all her academic qualifications, career credibility and numerous achievements as nothing can never be afraid of falling or fumbling. You can’t lose whatever you do not have.

You can’t pretend to be humble; you can never fly in the sky and claim to be sleeping on the ground. It takes a proper understanding of life and oneself to remain living on the ground. Remember, the ground is the foundation of the earth, so, if you keep being rooted to the foundation, you can never fall, fail or fumble in life.

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DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU GO?

‘The stream knows where to flow’ (Tanzania-Kuria)

Have you ever taken your time to observe how the stream flows? Oh, so you have not. You can take some clues from the pictures above. The stream is usually focused, it doesn’t look confused or destabilized, and it follows wherever it has to follow without compromising the standard.

If many of us could choose to live our lives like the stream, life would be interesting and very comfortable for us. There are a lot of people who are confused and ignorant of their purpose in life. These amazing set of people are the ones who are usually found in different places doing different things at anytime. Most of them cannot easily tell you what they do exactly; they go anywhere and end up discovering that they have been nowhere.

Before you embark on any journey in life, you are expected to know a lot about where you are going, what to do when you get there, when to get there and how to behave when you get there. If you choose to travel to anywhere, you will end up arriving at nowhere. Ensure that you know whatever that you wish to do or wherever that you wish to go before making any decision to move forward. Don’t do any business because many other people are making profit from it, don’t go into any relationship because a lot of your mates are getting hooked up, don’t travel to any country because many people are doing so, don’t choose a career because it is in vogue, don’t quit a relationship because of a sudden change in the character of your partner and don’t just quit a job/business because it is not currently lucrative…how much do you know about what you do? You need to know where your stream flows before you can make any decision about how to move forward in life.

Take time to study what you do or whatever you wish to do and be patient enough to observe how it could work for you. From your study, draft out a comprehensive progressive plan on what you wish to do and ensure that you follow it honestly till you are successful. Whenever you are confused while making some vital decisions in your life; remember, the stream knows where to flow. May you know the right path to follow in life!

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FLAYING AN ELEPHANT

‘The knife for flaying an elephant does not need to be a big one, as long as it is sharp’

(Niger, Nigeria- Hausa)

If you don’t know, you can learn this today; it is not easy to flay an elephant. Yes! The elephant is not just any animal that anyone can find, pursue, beat or whip in the forest. Never mistake an elephant for a dog or goat that you can smash or hit with anything. If you must flay an elephant, your knife has to be sharp, I mean very sharp.

Also, there are many things/people that can represent an elephant in our lives today. Your children, spouse, close friends, academics, career, business, job or project may be your elephant in life. You don’t need a big brain to deal with them but a very sharp one.

The way you discipline your kids determine who they will eventually grow up to become in future. Children are not only disciplined by the way you beat, rebuke or criticize them; the values and morals that you instill into them after every whipping, rebuke or criticism go a long way in transforming their future. Don’t beat a child for no reason and never assume that your child knows that what he/she did is wrong, you need to convince the child about the moral or ethical implications of his/her actions. There are no small kids anymore, their thoughts, desires, expectations and projections in life are as big as an elephant. So, you need to be very careful when you deal with them. Every corrupt, immoral or hostile society in the world today is a product of indiscipline.

Your spouse, siblings, parents or close friends could also be the elephant that you need to flay before you become successful in life. Don’t assume that you know more than them and don’t ever disregard them for any reason. No matter how influential or successful you are, remember that you might not have gone as far as you are today without their little contributions and support. Don’t rebuke, condemn or criticize them because of some flimsy excuses and never assume that you know more than them. You can never be great in life if you don’t consider your spouse, siblings, close friends or parents as an elephant that has to be flayed with a very sharp knife (i.e. wisdom, intelligence and respect)

Your academics, career, business, job or projects are also the elephants that you need to smartly flay in life. If you are not very careful about the way you flay any of these elephants, you may end up being injured or disappointed in life. You need a very sharp brain, focused mind and unrelenting determination to pursue and flay your elephants. You don’t need to know many things in order to become a successful person in life (success is not determined by the big brains, it is by the sharp ones), you only need to know the right things.

As from today, don’t be tempted to flay the elephants of your life with a big knife, (a big knife doesn’t have any harmful effect on an elephant, it may even be too big for you to carry) you need a very sharp knife to do the magic.

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SLEEPING AWAY

‘Sleep and indolence are not cousins of a good harvest’

Sleep is good because it is required to maintain and sustain a healthy body, but it becomes a problem when it is attached with indolence. An indolent farmer is a lazy farmer and a lazy farmer is not just any farmer who sleeps or a farmer who enjoys sleeping; he is the man who sleeps when he is supposed to be working in the farm.

Our ancestors usually believe that sleep and indolence do not make a good harvest. Any farmer who expects a bountiful harvest is not expected to spend most of his time sleeping. Yes, there is always a right time to sleep. No man can cheat nature; when nature calls, you can’t but obey.

Sleep is expected to come as a result of the extensive energy exerted into wok, so when you are tired after doing a strenuous work, you need to sleep in order to relax your nerves. A man who wishes to be great, effective and relevant in life ought not to choose sleep as his hobby. If you want to achieve what other people fail to achieve, you need to do what other people usually fail to do. A farmer that expects the biggest harvest needs to know that he has to spend more time in planning and working towards the harvest than many other farmers. Until you have accomplished your principal goals in life, you are not expected to sleep and work like every other person, then expect an outstanding result.

Genuinely great people are not those who sleep over their goals and ideas in life, they are the few ones whose goals and ideas cannot make them to sleep easily. Whatever you cannot sacrifice some sleep to plan or do in life is not really worth having. People who often plan while others are sleeping and work while others are slumbering usually achieve greater things while others are still sleeping. If you think, plan and work ahead of your competitors or colleagues, you will eventually have enough time to sleep and even achieve more things while you are asleep.

Don’t be lazy; lazy people joke with their future, they exchange the comfort that is reserved for their old age with the hard work designed for today. So, instead of them to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor at old age, they end up laboring for the mistakes they made in their youthful days. If you want to live a fulfilled life, you need to control the way you sleep and avoid being indolent. May you never sleep away in life!

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MANY OR MUCH?

‘He who is afraid of doing many things always does little’

There is a very thin line between doing too much things and doing too many things. The word ‘much’ is an indicator of something done in excess or beyond normal control, while the word ‘many’ is usually used to indicate things that are more than one, countable, measurable and quantifiable.  If you are not careful, you may misrepresent doing many things for doing much things.

Our ancestors believe that it is better for one to be afraid of doing too much things (i.e. doing something in excess) than for one to be afraid of doing many things. Anyone who is afraid of doing many things in life usually ends up doing little things.

It is always good for you to be afraid of doing too much things but it only becomes a problem if you are afraid of doing anything, something or many things. If you are afraid of doing too much things, it means you have the ability to control yourself, it also gives you the opportunity to be responsible or accountable for everything you do. It is only the person who is afraid of drinking too much of alcohol, eating too much of food, drinking too much of water, reading too much of books, speaking too much, loving people/someone too much and doing anything in excess that is worthy to be called a responsible man/woman. At times, the only sure way to stay out of trouble is to avoid doing something beyond control. You need to be afraid of doing too much things, not too many things.

The number of goals you set for yourself in life and the problems you plan to solve determine your achievements. If you are afraid of doing many things or solving many problems, you can never achieve many things in life. Keep sowing seeds, keep solving more problems, keep doing the things that you enjoy doing and ensure that you do them properly; one day you will definitely find yourself in the world of multiple blessings.

If you always find yourself doing one thing repeatedly, you need to be careful because you may end up doing it in excess. Also, whenever you discover that you are doing many things that you cannot account for or things that are more than what you can easily administer, it means that you are doing too much things. Remember, he who is afraid of doing many things always does little. Don’t be afraid of doing many things in life but be careful of doing too much things.

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NOT BY YOUR DREAMS!

‘We live by hope, but a reed never becomes an Iroko tree by dreaming’

Have you ever seen a reed or an Iroko tree? Do you know what any of them actually looks like? A reed is a tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family that grows in water or on marshy ground. Iroko, on the other hand is a large tree from the west coast of tropical Africa. It is one of the woods sometimes referred to as African Teak, although it is unrelated to the teak family. The color of Iroko wood is initially yellow but darkens to a richer brown over time.

Our ancestors believe that a reed can never grow to become an Iroko tree by dreaming or just aspiring to be one. It takes more than a dream for a reed to transform itself to being an Iroko tree. No matter how you want to see it, a reed is a reed and an Iroko remains an Iroko.

Also in life, it would be almost practically impossible for anyone to become great or ultimately successful by just dreaming. Fine, it is good to dream, but dream alone is not enough to make someone achieve his/her goals in life. There are a lot of people who dream big today; in fact, almost everyone that you see around you have one dream or another but it takes only those who decide to wake from their dreams and live to act their dreams that finally become whoever they dream to become in life.

There are many poor people in the world today who dream to become very rich but refuse to take the steps that would change their poor status. Many of them still talk, think and act like the poor. It is not enough to dream big; if you really want to become big in life, you need to start talking, thinking and acting like a big person. Poor people get attracted to poor people, lazy people get easily attracted to lazy people, bad people are most likely attracted to people who are worse than them and the people with low self esteem find it very easy to mingle with one another. Do you want to know why?  It is simple; there is a natural force that repels every man from people who do not belong to his class or level of reasoning. Until you break loose from your shell and start living your dream, you may never be the person you dream to become in life. A poor man who has many rich people as his friend can never be seen by other poor people as a poor man.

A reed that dreams to be like an Iroko tree will never grow in the midst of other reeds (if it does, it will only end up being a big reed), it takes the reed that grows in the neighborhood of the mighty Iroko to start growing like the Iroko. As from today, start talking, thinking, acting, studying and relating with the people you dream to become in life. You can never be exactly like another person but you can be yourself and live your dream. Remember, we live by hope, but a reed never becomes an Iroko tree by dreaming. May you never lavish in your dreams in life.

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NOT BY MUSCLES!

‘Sinews and big muscles do not make a farmer’

Sinews are pieces of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscles to bones or bones to bones. Literarily, sinews and muscles are both often used to represent the source of vitality, strength, power or vigor.

Our ancestors believe that sinews and big muscles alone do not make a farmer. A farmer that depends only on his strength or power may not finally reap the best crops. It is not only the energy that a farmer exerts into planting seeds that determines a bountiful harvest.  At times, natural disaster, pests or some unforeseen circumstances may affect the growth of the seeds and eventually hinder a bountiful harvest. So, it takes experience, wisdom, determination, commitment and discipline to make a successful farmer.

Also in life, we do not become a successful man or woman because of our physical strength or power.  At times, it takes more than power to be on top of others. There are many strong people today who work relentlessly and tirelessly for money, yet they cannot afford enough money to feed themselves or cater for their family. Majority of the people in our society today who focus their attention on building their physical strength and power are the ones who work as slaves in the empire of the wise ones who plan and commit themselves to being on top of others.

Physical strength is usually subjective to spiritual strength. If the source of your power is physical, you may not be constantly effective. No matter how successful you are in whatever you do, remember, someday, strength may fail you. Any source of success that is based on physical strength or what the eyes can see is usually temporal; it takes only a supernatural force to continually prepare and propel you for greatness.

If your strength is on your certificate, degree, money, cars, property, job, business, family, benefactor or whatever/whoever you can see, you are not worthy to be called a strong man or woman. There are many lost, stolen or burnt certificates, money, cars, property, businesses, relationships, failed jobs and inconsistent benefactors. You are not yet a strong man if whatever/whoever you depend on is perishable.

Instead of focusing on your certificate or degree, it is better to focus on the skills or knowledge that you have acquired. Instead of depending or focusing your attention on the money, cars or property that you have today, it is better for you to be concerned about how to use them to solve people’s problems. Instead of you to rely on what you get from your job or the business that you do, it is better for you to be committed to rendering qualitative services to your clients and customers. When your job or business fails you, it is only your wisdom, knowledge, commitment, discipline and the good things that you did to people who patronized you that will sustain you, not the job title or qualification. Instead of you to depend on your family or benefactor for strength, it is better for you to see yourself as an entity whose attachment with other entities may be a necessity but not an essentiality. If your family fails you, it is only the strong belief that you have in yourself, the courage, experience and wisdom you have acquired in life that will sustain you.

Always remember that sinews and muscles don’t make a farmer...it takes more than your physical strength to make you a successful person.

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A GIANT ANT-HILL

‘An ant-hill that is destined to become a giant ant-hill will definitely become one, no matter how many times it is destroyed by elephants’

An ant-hill, in its simplest form is a pile of earth, sand or clay that build up at the entrance of the subterranean dwellings of ant colonies as they are excavated. It is usually built and maintained by legions of worker-ants that carry tiny bits of dirt and pebbles in their mandibles and deposit them near the exit of the colony.

There are some ant-hills and there are some giant ant-hills. Many natural challenges usually hinder an ordinary ant-hill from becoming a giant. So, it takes only an extra ordinary, special or destined ant-hill to survive the natural struggle and challenges on its way to becoming a giant ant-hill. Our ancestors believe that any ant-hill that is destined to become a giant ant-hill will definitely become one, no matter how many times it is destroyed by elephants.

Also in life, there are some people and there are some great people. It is only the common or ordinary people who believe, understand and acknowledge that they are destined to be great who will eventually become great in life. The zeal to pursue your dreams and your ability to challenge your challenges today, guarantee your greatness tomorrow. It is either you choose to die as a common man or as a great man. When difficult challenges afflict people in life, it is only the special ones who are destined by nature that will survive and overcome the challenges to become great.

No matter what happens to you today, no matter how many times you have failed in life, if you are destined to become the giant ant-hill in your family, career, profession, society or in anything you do; someday, sometime, somehow, you will definitely see yourself on top of your troubles, afflictions, challenges, competitors or critics. No matter how the elephant in your life tries to destroy or discourage you from becoming a giant ant-hill, you will surely get there someday. May you not die without discovering your portion of greatness in life.

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WHEN A DYING MAN CRIES…

‘When a dying man cries, it is not because of where he is going which he knows nothing about, but because of what he wishes he would have done in the world he is leaving behind’

Have you ever had the opportunity to share the last few hours with a hopeless patient who is about to die in the hospital? Such awkward moments are the moments when people cry deeply with regrets and bitterness of mind. Some people wish they had never lived, some remember the steps they shouldn’t have taken, some remember the advice they shouldn’t have neglected, some remember the friends they shouldn’t have trusted and many other people spend some time to remember the things they should have done.

It is only the few people who live everyday of their life as if there are no other days ahead that can reflect and relax for living a fulfilled life. How do you live your life today? Don’t ever make the mistake of believing that you can never die. No matter how long you live on earth, someday, somehow you will die. At the point of death, what would you like to think about yourself? Whatever you choose to do with the little time that you’ve got today determines how fulfilled you would be tomorrow. Don’t postpone whatever you have to do today till tomorrow, tomorrow may never come.

Cheer up, enjoy your life, live every bit of your life with no regrets, take every responsibilities for all your actions and reactions, then endeavor to go for the best in whatever you do. Life is too short for you to remain irrelevant and idle; you may never have the second chance to make a significant impression. Remember, when a dying man cries, it is not because of where he is going which he knows nothing about, but because of what he wishes he would have done in the world he is leaving behind. What would you love to leave behind?

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PREPARING FOR DINNER

‘ It is one’s handwork that determines what one eats for dinner; for some it is pounded yam, for others it is pounded plantain or nothing’

Your handwork is simply anything you can do with your hands or whatever you can do with any skills you have got. So, whatever you get from what you choose to do with your hands determines what you will eat for dinner.

Our ancestors believe that anyone who chooses not to do anything or earn anything from his/her handwork may eventually eat whatever or nothing. You can only determine or choose what you want to eat for dinner if you can do something lucrative or worthwhile with your handwork. However, if you decide to be lazy or idle, you have no choice than to accept whatever anyone gives you or else you may end up eating nothing.

Every human on earth has a special time for dinner. Your preparation while working in the day determines what you would eat for dinner. What do you choose to prepare with your handwork? There are many people today who have hands but are unable to do something worthwhile with their hands. Instead of allowing people to dictate what, when, where and how you would eat, it is better for you to start doing something with the skills, knowledge, education, idea, strength or influence you have got.

Don’t be idle; always strive hard to do something that will help you make a living. Don’t just do it, do it well. It is natural for every hand that feeds you to influence you, so if you don’t want to live for other people, you need to start doing something good with your hands.

Remember, if you don’t use what you have to get what you want, there may not be any food for you at dinner. Many you not end up your day eating nothing.

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WHAT WOULD YOU REAP?

‘The heap of yams you will reap depends upon the number of mounds you have plowed’

Before planting a yam seed, a farmer has to plow some mounds on his farmland. A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of sand as seen in the picture above.

According to the ancestors, the number of yams a farmer would reap is usually determined by the number of mounds the farmer had plowed while planting the yam seeds. It is only a foolish farmer that would plow scanty mounds and expect a bountiful harvest.

Also in life, the mounds that we plow are plans that we make today for a better future. Many of us are very careless about making reasonable plans for our future, we live our days on earth without plans or concrete steps to live a better life in future. Some of us engage in some activities, businesses or tasks that are not beneficial to us in the future. We spend a greater part of our life in doing things that can destroy our lives and render us useless in future. Many of us fail to understand that whatever we choose to do today determine what people will write, read and know about us tomorrow. It is better for you to quit or stop giving your attention to whatever or whoever that cannot help you to fulfill your desired goals in life.

The caliber of friends that you keep today will determine the man or woman who you will grow to be tomorrow. If your friends are not the kind of people that you can be proud enough to show your family or kids, your family may not be proud of you tomorrow. Any friendship that does not inspire you to move forward in life or challenge you to work harder is not worthy of your attention and commitment.

This is the best time for you to work, the harder and smarter you work today determines the rate at which you will be successful tomorrow. Don’t allow anyone to distract you from plowing more mounds in life, keep plowing and sowing more seeds. Invest your time in learning new things, meeting new people, reading new books and doing many things for people. Whatever you do for people whole heartedly today is not a waste of time, it is as good as plowing mounds…someday you will be rewarded by nature.

In whatever you do in life, always remember that the heap of yams you will reap depends upon the number of mounds you have plowed. So, have you started plowing?

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NO WORK, NO HARVEST!

‘A farmer who would not work inside the rain and would not work under the sun would have nothing to harvest at the end of the farming year’

It is natural for every farmer to face the challenge of either the rain or sunshine during the process of cultivation. It takes only a hard working farmer to ignore the challenges that are thrown at him by rain or sunshine while working on the farmland. The lazy farmers on the other hand usually hide under the excuse of nature.

Our ancestors believe that a farmer who would not work inside the rain and under the sun would have nothing to harvest at the end of the farming. This means that the farmer who usually hides under the excuses of nature would eventually go hungry and starve for food while the diligent ones would feed richly on their bountiful harvest.

Like the lazy farmer, there are several instances that we fail to perform our duties or to be active in some tasks which would require us to make a living. Many of us are usually fond of giving flimsy excuses when we are supposed to do something reasonable.

There are many people today who decide not to go to school or broaden their knowledge because they think they are poor or because they think that they cannot afford to sponsor their education. These people end up walking behind their colleagues in life while others are flying forward.

Also, there are many jobless people today in our society who feel that since they have acquired certain skills or knowledge; the government and private corporations have the right to create adequate jobs for them. These people may be right in some sense, but instead of folding one’s arm for the right job to come, it is better for one to start doing something reasonable with whatever skill or knowledge that one has acquired. If truly you believe in what you can do (depending on what you think you have acquired) there are several means in which you can let everyone around you know the stuff you are really made of. There are many people today who got their dream job as a result of recommendation from people who believe in them based on what they have done and not what they can do.

Excuses have a way of overwhelming people. If you continue to fold your arms and expect something good to come to you, you may end up living your life like the lazy farmer who has nothing to eat on the day of harvest.

We can also view the words of our ancestors for today from the perspective of relationship. A man or woman who carefully searches for a partner who is decent, clean, faithful, well cultured, civilized, educated, fashionable, hard working, humble, kind, nice, beautiful/handsome, rich and God fearing, may end up marrying nobody.

Stop hiding under flimsy excuses. There are many people out there who choose to ignore most of the things that you count as excuses for not moving forward; yet they are doing greatly in what you have failed to do. Life is not worth living if we do not learn how to tolerate and manage other people’s differences. There are no perfect human or perfect situations in life, until you break the ice and start ignoring some excuses that are pulling you back in life, there may be no reasonable harvest for you. May you not waste your potentials in the land of excuses.

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TEAR IT OPEN!

‘A farmer does not conclude by the mere look of it that a corn is unripe, he tears it open for examination’

A typical African corn is usually tightly covered over by several layers of leaves, and so closed-in by them to the extent that they do not show themselves easily until the emergence of the pale yellow silks. The silks are elongated stigmas that look like tufts of hair, at first green, and later red or yellow.

Our ancestors believe that it may be very difficult for an experienced farmer to determine whether a corn is ripe or not by just looking at the corn. The farmer has to do more than just looking at the corn from afar (or while the corn is still enveloped in some covering) but to closely examine the corn by removing its covering.

Also in life, there are many things that you cannot determine their quality, value, progress, usefulness or durability by just viewing them from afar. Until we move closer to examine the critical or essential aspects of some of the things that we do, we may not get the best from them.

A young man/lady who strives hard to marry someone because of the person’s outward appearance or glaring features (beautiful looks, attractive jewelries, welcoming smile, good job, flashy car, etc.) should not be carried away by the covering of the corn. The covering of a corn does not determine how ripen a corn is.

You cannot determine the success of any business because you have seen that other people excel in it. The fact that it works for others doesn’t guarantee that it will work for you. Also, you are not expected to easily embrace a business idea because of its juicy benefits and attractive promises. There are many business ideas that appear to be good and beautiful from the beginning but end up being fraudulent or unproductive. You need to observe the business closely and tear off the covering before you could determine how authentic it is.

An employee who wishes to leave his job for a better offer in a bigger company with attractive packages may just be carried away by the beautiful covering of the new corn. There are many attractive job openings without job security today. Unless the employee closely observes the new job offer, he/she may end up being disappointed by the actual nature of the job.

In everything that we do in life, let’s remember that a farmer does not conclude by the mere look of it that a corn is unripe, he tears it open for examination.

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LITTLE BY LITTLE

‘It is little by little that a bird builds its nest’

A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young ones. But it should be noted that it is not all bird species that build nests. Some species lay their eggs directly on the ground or rocky ledges while others (the brood parasites) lay theirs in the nests of other birds.

Today, our ancestors have chosen to talk to us about the species of bird that build nests. Our ancestors believe that bird nests are not just built in a day because birds are aware that their eggs are fragile and they wouldn’t afford to lose any of their eggs for lack of structured and well constructed bird nest. Eggs are very fragile and delicate, once they fall and scatter on the ground, the potential birds that are covered in the egg-shell are dead and gone for life. This is one of the reasons why birds take quality and special time to build their nests.

There are several things that represent a bird nest in our lives today. Whatever we use to groom or raise the things that are very important to us in life can be related to our bird nests. Our business, our job, our home, our level of education, our experience in life and our exposure represent our bird nest. The way we build our bird nest determines how we live our life and the future of our offspring.

If you don’t spend quality time in building your business or securing your source of income; your welfare and that of your children may not be guaranteed. You need to strive hard to build a reliable business, get a good and secured job, acquire quality education from school or get adequate experience in life before you could build a good home to raise your kids. If you are too hasty about building the home for raising your kids, you may not end up acquiring the essential things that would enable you to start the solid foundation of a secured future. You don’t need to wait for several years before you start a family, all you need is the right knowledge and the important things that will sustain the healthy growth of your family. There are a lot of failed marriages and broken home today because the builders built in haste or without a solid foundation.

Apart from that, your bird nest may not only be the home where you raise your kids. It may be the foundation in which your ideas, dreams and projects in life could be groomed, incubated and actualized. You need to acquire the right skills, knowledge and experience that would allow you to propel and secure your ideas beyond ordinary measure. The reason why many dreams, projects and ideas fail today is not only because their initiators fail to plan, it is because they fail to plan on a solid and secured structure. There is always a very big difference between a person who plans to do a project or launch a business idea because he feels that he is knowledgeable, wise, skillful and experienced in the field and the person who plans to go into business because he feels that he has the money (capital) or people that can do the business for him.

As from today, whenever you think of launching something that is very important to you, always remember the words of our ancestors that it is little by little that a bird builds its nest. May you not be too hasty to build your nest in life.

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DON’T JUST RUN…

‘It is not enough to run; one must arrive and know when one has arrived’

There are different reasons why people run. Some people run in order to win in a competition, some run to break record, some run away from trouble, some run for money, some run to keep a healthy body and many others run because they just feel like running.

Our ancestors believe that it’s not enough to run, one must arrive and know when one has arrived. Every race must have a targeted destination. When a man chooses to run without a specified target or destination in mind, his race becomes boring, meaningless and futile.

Also in life, there are many people who run to the extent that they get carried away with their speed or movement in the race of life. Our career, business, work, political ambition and other things that we do can be regarded as our race in life. We don’t just have to run for the sake of running the race, we must arrive at a destination and know when we have arrived.

A scholar who keeps on studying and learning everything to the extent that he/she gets carried away with the study, may end up living the rest of his life studying and researching on things, places or people that many other people have said or written something about.

Similarly, a worker or leader who chooses to work or lead for the sake of it (i.e. without a specified destination or point of arrival in mind) may end up working for nothing till his or her strength will be gone. This explains why there are many confused entrepreneurs, workers, leaders and professionals in our society today. A country without a realistic or specific vision is like a woman running to an unknown destination. How would she know when he has arrived?

Nature only celebrates and rewards those who know where they are going. People who know where they go in life do not just run anyhow or stop anywhere. In fact, they do not need anyone to tell them when they have arrived at their destination. It takes only a person with purpose, vision and clear goals in life to differentiate between a race and a point of arrival.

As from today, before you embark on any special project in your life, always remember that it is not enough for you to run; you must arrive and know when you have arrived. May you run and arrive at the right destination.

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WHEN WILL THE LEOPARD DIE?

‘When will the goat be strong enough to kill a leopard?’

Today’s post may be very funny to those who still consider the possibility of a goat killing a leopard. Let’s be patient enough to consider what the ancestors have for us today.

A goat is a very strong and unique animal. It is a domestic animal that runs no errand for anyone. People usually believe that the goat is stubborn because it personally chooses not to follow other people’s opinion, advice, instruction or belief. Unlike the dog or cat, all the goat does is to stick ruthlessly to whatever it chooses to follow. But no matter how strong a goat is, it can never ever kill a leopard.

A leopard on the other hand is a very strong wild animal. It is usually known for its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometers per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch (the goat is not an exception). But it could be very difficult for a leopard to encounter a goat in the forest because both of them do not exist in the same world. This means that there may not be a common ground for a goat and a leopard to confront each other in a battle (no matter how strong they are).

Also in life, no matter how strong we are, it could be very difficult for us to personally pull down, castigate, overthrown or override on others who we consider as our enemies. It is always good for us to avoid trouble by remaining in our territory and allow our competitors or rivals to exist only in their world. Don’t allow the thought of conquering or killing your enemy to overwhelm you to the extent that you would forget to cross your natural boundary.

It is better to live peacefully as a king in your world than to be treated as a slave or stranger in another man’s world. Instead of asking your creator to strengthen you to kill your leopard, it is better for you to discover your individuality and unique purpose of existence. Once you have discovered your purpose, follow it thoroughly to the extent that no other persons would be strong enough to cross your path.

Hmmm, it is only the ancestors who know when the goat will be strong enough to kill a leopard.

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THE HIDDEN THORNS

‘We do not use our bare feet to search for hidden thorns which we had seen in day time’

Thorns are hard structures with sharp or at least pointed ends. They are modified versions of different plant organs, stems, stipules, leaf veins, or hairs.

Our ancestors usually believe that thorns are not just ordinary structures on plants. There are several African traditional myths that present thorns as a symbol of pain, inconvenience, danger and hardship. An early popular myth involving a thorn is that of Androcles, a fugitive slave in ancient Greece who was said to have befriended a lion by pulling a thorn from the lion's paw.

Anyone who searches blindly or carelessly for hidden thorns is eventually inviting danger, pain, inconvenience and hardship to his/her life. Your hidden thorns may be excessive drinking of alcohol, unprotected sex, reckless and careless driving, crime, idleness or anything that can endanger your life or the lives of the people around you. If you keep searching carelessly for your hidden thorns in life, you may soon be inflicted by the pains of the hidden thorns which you had seen earlier in life.

Nature usually allows you to see the thorns in your life during the day time in order for you not to carelessly get pierced by the thorns during the night. Be cautious of how you attend to dangerous things that are happening around you, if you get hurt, you can never blame anyone for what you have allowed to happen to you. Always adhere strictly to warnings and precautions that are given to you by the elders. Remember, you are not expected to use your bare feet to search for hidden thorns which you had seen earlier in the day. May you walk and never step on the hidden thorns in life.

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MOVING WITH YOUR SHELL

‘It is only the tortoise that moves and carries its shell about, which it calls its house’

 

The most visible part of every tortoise is its shell. A tortoise may choose to hide every other part of its body but not its shell. There is no tortoise without a shell; if it’s without a shell, that means it is not a tortoise. Apart from being the most visible part of a tortoise, a tortoise’s shell also serves as its shelter, shield and symbol of strength.

Our ancestors believe that the tortoise is a very shy animal despite the fact that it is very sensitive and usually assumed to be the wisest animal. Also, a tortoise may be too shy to show people its bald head or its tiny legs but it is always proud to move majestically with its shell everywhere it goes.

There are a lot of things that you can learn from the lifestyle of a tortoise. Instead of concentrating on your weaknesses and physical challenges in life, it is better for you to focus on your strength and be proud of your uniqueness in life. You determine how and what people see, say or know about you. If you focus on your weaknesses, problems, challenges, abnormalities, deformity or natural inabilities in life; many people will see you from the same lens that you view yourself. Like the tortoise, you need to concentrate on your strength, skills, talent, intelligence, inner beauty, character and good will in life.

Don’t allow people to castigate, mock, disgrace, embarrass or bully you because of some things that are irrelevant or intangible in your life but be proud of yourself and concentrate on the things that make you different from others. Remember, some other animals may see a shell as a burden, but a tortoise calls it its house. People will value and appreciate you based on the way you see and present yourself. If you see yourself as a poor man, it will be very difficult for anybody to see you as a rich man because everything about you will reflect who you claim to be. There is no way a foreigner will see your country as a developed country if you think, act, move and behave like a developing country. You need to let the world see and appreciate you based on your strength and remain focused on it.

It is only the tortoise that moves and carries its shell about, which it calls its house. You too can be the only person that is proud of your skin color, your language, your family, your country, your status, your character, your good looks, your talent, your profession, your husband, your wife, your children etc. Remember, whoever you tell the world you are is who they will say you are.

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DON’T BOAST YET

‘A farmer does not boast that he has had a good harvest until his stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season’

A farmer may determine if a crop is bad on the day of harvest but it is usually very difficult for any farmer to determine if a crop is good or strong enough on the day of harvest. There are many bad crops that appear to be good on the day of harvest but with time, they turn out to be bad. It takes a patient and tolerant farmer to wait for some time before concluding that a particular crop is good or not.

Our ancestors believe that a farmer does not have the right to boast that he has had a good harvest until his stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season. Yes, the success of every farmer cannot be determined on the first day of the harvest, the ability of the harvested crops to last till the next harvest season is what determines a good or successful harvest.

Also in life, you cannot determine the success of any marriage from the way the union is being celebrated, you cannot determine the success of your business based on its mode of establishment, you cannot measure the intelligence of a student from his/her first grade in school, you cannot measure the performance of an employee based on his/her first assignment in an organization, you cannot determine the integrity and commitment of our political leaders based on their first year in office…the list goes on.

Out of every expensive and elaborate wedding ceremonies organized in a year, it is unfortunate that only few of them have the strength to last till the next five or six years. There are many businesses that started greatly some few years ago but now, we only hear and read that they had existed. We have heard about many students who used to be very brilliant and intelligent in high school but later became dull while in college or university to the extent that they struggled to graduate. An employee who is active or productive today may disorganize your organization tomorrow. A celebrity who is known and celebrated by people today may be a nobody tomorrow. Also, a leader who is assumed to be responsible, brave, generous, eloquent, civilized or sensitive to the basic need of his/her people today may turn out to be the worst political leader tomorrow.

Don’t boast about your good works yet; wait till the next season before you jump into conclusion. Be patient and tolerant to study your achievements before you start boasting about them. Also, don’t start praising or condemning people from the start (at times, your appreciation or criticisms may be baseless if they are not subjected to the principle of natural timing).

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ARE YOU STRANDED OR NOT?

‘The fish that can see that its water is getting shallower cannot be stranded’

It is natural for a fish to swim, eat, mate, reproduce and live in the water.  Any fish that suddenly finds itself on a dry land can be regarded as a stranded fish.  This means that a stranded fish is not only a fish that has nothing to eat but a fish that is deprived of its source of livelihood.

Our ancestors believe that it is not all the fishes in a river that are sensitive to their environment. Some of them do not bother to know when the water in the river gets shallow or otherwise. It is only the fish that is sensitive enough to understand that the water in the river is getting shallower that can never be stranded.

Many of us live our lives like the fishes in the river. We eat, drink, merry, play around, socialize with people and enjoy swimming in the river of life without being sensitive to the source of the water. Some of us cannot easily differentiate when our river becomes shallow from the time that it becomes deep. Some of us are easily carried away with the fun and enjoyment in life that we forget to be sensitive to the source of our livelihood; and at the end, we become stranded.

A stranded person is not only the person that has no money or food to eat but a person that has lost his/her source of livelihood. You do not become stranded in a day; before your river runs dry, there must have been some indications that would alert you about the impending danger ahead of you. If you choose not to be sensitive to your source of income and start living your life according to what you have, you may soon be stranded.

As from today, always endeavor to study your source of income, develop some principles for yourself and watch the way you expend your resources. Remember, it is only the fish that can see that its water is getting shallower that cannot be stranded.

May the ancestors give you the eyes to see and understand your environment and may you not be stranded in life.

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