The 50-Year Challenge
How Did We Get Here?
Nothing just happens. One of the key principles of geology is that “the past is the key to the future”. To understand today, we must look at the past; and to understand the future, we must look at what we do today. What you do today is your history, imagine it laced with sound character! What we see around us in Nigeria today should not make us expend energy on lamentation or abusing anyone.But to look to the past to see what we began to do that led to where we are today. “But we were not in the past”, you might say; all you need do is see what is prevalent today – the crave for prosperity, get-rich-quick. Life, when lived with sound character, is a progression to prosperity. But when prosperity becomes the die-hard focus, sound character is neglected, and the result is poverty. The poverty or prosperity of nations can be traced to a debasing or an embracing of sound character.
50 years is a Moment at a Time
50 years will never come en bloc, it is a moment at a time. When we watch what we do every time and align it to sound character, we will have a desirable nation. Let us all take up this challenge personally, because each one of us make up the nation. The mass action we need, is not of only carrying placards against corruption or other ills in the society, we need amass action for sound character. So, if the crave for prosperity has led to a degenerate society as we have it today, then what shall we do?
Going Forward
We must raise a new mindset in the society. We must raise a generation of young people who believe in the dignity of labour, enterprise, innovation and integrity. This mindset must be imbibed by a critical mass in every socio-economic segment of society. Your belief is seen in your character, you can’t hide it. This is a journey we must embark on over the next 50 years, and come to a point where what will make for winning in an election, is not how much money those vying for positions can throw around, but how much sound character they have displayed over the years. It looks like a dream; but another 50 years will soon be here.
Your belief is seen in your character, you can’t hide it.
David Adegboyega
David Adegboyega
Author & Sound Character Coach
+2348032015433
daveadegboyega@gmail.com
- Published in Sound Character Weekly
WFH & SOUND CHARACTER
The New World of Work
Most parts of the world that had not embraced remote working before the COVID-19 pandemic have suddenly realized it is now a good option. We now have the new tag – WFH: Work from Home. It is, indeed, so exciting to see traffic time taken out of our daily work life. The thrill of sitting on your bed or at your balcony or outside in the garden and work; is, indeed, new. This, however, calls for a high level of trust. HR should trust the staff while the staff should show themselves trustworthy. WFH requires sound character to build the needed trustworthiness.
Work is all about Trust
Work is first and foremost a trust. It is you staying true to what you have been assigned to do. Work, no matter the type, is what reveals your essence. The way you do it speaks volume about your character. The way you do your work when no one is watching is another true test of character. Your work should inspire you, it should come from your heart. When work is done with a heart of sound character, it sparks with excellence. You must do your job like it’s your work. When a task is your work, you get it done to the best quality without a supervisor. That level of trust is what WFH requires. You must see your job as not just for the pay but for the fulfillment of doing your work.
Make your work Trustworthy
You are trustworthy with work when it is yours. Sound character makes you do your job like it’s your work. When you work like that, you become trustworthy. One of the greatest remuneration you can get for your work is to earn the badge of being trustworthy; not even the salary. You cheapen yourself when you work just for salary. Rather, work for a cause.
WFH is the Best Time for Sound Character
This era of WFH is the best time to work from the heart; best time to show trustworthiness. While work is your God-given assignment (what you were born to do which you know in your heart), your job is what you do so other people’s work can be done. The desired state is to develop your work to a point where it is self-sustaining and can create jobs for others. But before you get to that point, you will need to work for others like it’s your work. Sound character makes you do the job like your work. To deepen your trustworthiness as you WFH, do your work with sound character.
David Adegboyega
Author & Sound Character Coach
+2348032015433
daveadegboyega@gmail.com
- Published in Sound Character Weekly
TEENS, WHAT’S UP?
Welcome to Self-Awareness
Teenage years – an exciting phase for Teenagers and Parents. Teenagers are getting to know themselves and their parents are no longer getting to know them. Most times, this paradox makes it challenging for both parties.
Dr. Mick Ukleja, a leadership and management consultant, listed some emotional intelligence skill sets that must be learned during the self-awareness stage.Adapted to relate to teenagers, these skill sets are self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationship, decision-making and stress management.
Dear teenagers, it is time to be self-aware, so you can evolve from this life stage with the right results. It starts with self-perception (knowing your strengths & weaknesses), self-expression (communicate clearly so people get what you are saying), interpersonal relationship (get along very well with family and friends), decision-making (make good choices and quickly too) and stress management (let pressure bring out the best in you). Parents should be patient with their teenagers to support them to build these life skills.
Commit to Purpose
As you come to self-awareness, be patient with yourself and answer this question “What is my assignment on earth?” There are tons of resources on this, find them and dig deep so you can find your purpose. Living a deliberate life should start in your teenage years. Living a life of purpose is not just for adults, it starts in your teenage years.
Bill Gates (Microsoft) started coding at age 13; Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) at age 11; Elon Musk (SpaceX, Tesla) at age 12; Jeff Bezos (Amazon) started at Grade 4 with the school computer; David the Shepherd Boy killed a lion at a young age, which began his career in leadership, borne out of a heart of service. Find your purpose early and commit to it. Let your education and schooling be in line with your purpose.
Get the Best of Friendship
You are more socially aware and want to have friends. Ensure you get into friendships where you can give your best and get the best. It must be a friendship that values you and adds value to you. Authentic friendship is not about the number of likes or dislikes on social media. Take charge of your heart and don’t allow depression because someone unfriended you or did not like your posts on social media.
See you in the Future
The future is now. We are in the information era and you can learn what any adult knows and even more. You don’t have to wait anymore to get into the future. But you must honour your parents and adults around to learn what they know which you will not find on the internet. Discover your strengths and weaknesses, stay true to your purpose, be deliberate about your friends and you are on the path to greatness and making positive impact in society. Remember this, you are not too young to be yourself so find your authentic self and stay true to it. Doing this, you will have the best of times with your parents, friends and society at large.
David Adegboyega
Author & Sound Character Coach
+2348032015433
daveadegboyega@gmail.com
- Published in Sound Character Weekly
INFLUENCING THE NATION THROUGH FATHERHOOD
One of the Greatest Privileges
Fatherhood is one of the greatest privileges ever. The privilege of having a wife and both of you working together, to raise children, is one of the most influential tasks as far as Nation-building is concerned. Fatherhood is like taking up a job; you are first assessed for suitability. When successful, you get your job description (JD) and the tools to work with, to achieve your key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets. The joy of getting a dream salary or making a dream profit should be the kind of joy we get from fatherhood. The joy of fatherhood is of a superlative degree.
Fatherhood is simply reproducing people like you; not in terms of profession but in character and principles that can be applied for success in any chosen profession. Fatherhood is reproducing people like you in terms of character. This places a great responsibility on fathers to live up to expectations.
Fatherhood is reproducing people like you in terms of character.
David Adegboyega
Nothing to do with Economic Status
Misplaced priorities make a lot of fathers focus on their economic status at the expense of their character status. They do whatever it takes to live up to a defined economic status at the expense of role-modelling sound character. While every father should strive on the path of honour and integrity towards economic well-being, it should not be at the expense of sound character. Your character status is more important than your economic status!
Your character status is more important than your economic status!
David Adegboyega
Creating Enabling Environment
In most cases, mothers do a lot more in raising the children. Dear fathers, you can make mothers do much more by “learning to create an enabling environment in your homes.” How? By loving your wife. The best display of sound character is love. The first KPI of fatherhood is to love your wife. To love a woman is to be patient with her in unveiling her essence. Every woman has an essence waiting to be unveiled by the man’s love. When a man loves his wife, he doesn’t want to win any argument with her, he doesn’t want to prove any point; he just wants to love her.
To love a woman is to be patient with her in unveiling her essence.
David Adegboyega
When a wife is loved, she will become the best mother ever.The children can see it and they will be formed by that environment. Great children are products of love-filled environments.As we mark another Father’s Day, let’s remember to create enabling environments in our homes through love, especially for our wives.
It’s a Chain Reaction
When the woman in every home is loved, great children are raised in every home, then they become great students, they grow to become great citizens, from whom great leaders are either elected or selected. The nation is better for it. Fathers have what it takes to influence a nation by simply loving their wives. This piece is to “Inspire fathers to be deliberate about raising great followers from whom great leaders will emerge for our nation”.
We are counting on fathers to give us a new nation!
We are counting on fathers to give us a new nation!
David Adegboyega
David Adegboyega
Author & Sound Character Coach
+2348032015433
daveadegboyega@gmail.com
- Published in Sound Character Weekly