OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF FAILURE: The courage to get things done.

Everything we do is driven by something. Some of our actions are driven by love. Some are driven by hate. Money is also a powerful driver. Some people also act based on their religious sentiments.

I was recently reminded of another powerful driver, Fear. Having the opportunity to meet with a lot of people from different walks of life on a daily basis, I peer into the psychological depths of many of them and see all kinds of emotions on their faces. One thing that is constantly reoccurring and almost impossible to ignore is Fear. These faces are adult faces, so the fear I see is not fear of the dark or of monsters. It is a fear that paralyzes us to act.

Break it Down!

Have you ever felt the stress and pressure that comes with trying to complete a huge task in your work? I bet you have. It’s more like an everyday struggle, isn’t it? You are not alone.

Does Your Routine Work For You?

 

 

 

Life is messy. Every day we meet series of activities that compete ruthlessly for our time. We spend a huge chunk of our day struggling, often unsuccessfully, to squeeze in all our responsibilities at home and at work into the time available to us. Not to forget the time we spend on our most common obsession, the social media.

Do Not Be Satisfied

A new-born starts life being carried around; soon he becomes unsatisfied with being carried around, and begins trying to sit on his own. When he has mastered sitting, still unsatisfied with his level of achievement, he starts learning to crawl, then stand, walk, run and in some cases fly. Not being satisfied with a status quo has been the starting point of all advancements. Every worthwhile achievement and invention has always started with “not being satisfied”; it is a force that pushes us to be better and do better. It impresses in us a strong desire to make better use of the resources available to us to create a better environment for ourselves. If you are not “not satisfied”, you will not have any desire to invest any time or effort in improving any aspect of your life or achieving any objective, actually, you will not have any objective. You will simply not care; you would be satisfied.

The Timekeeper

He doesn’t know it yet but on January 4th, at 79 years of age, Ifeanyi will be laid to eternal rest at his wife’s side. On March 4th at 29 years, he and his wife will have their first child on February 4th, when he is 26, they will be married. Today, December 4th at 24, he will meet his wife.

Chioma (excerpt from a WIP)

The moon dotted generously and flattered the New Ritzy spot, the marble columns seemed to glisten as the moon poured down graciously on them—it was a beautiful place. The fact that it was an open space with the evening zephyr coming at intervals made it all the more sensual. To Chioma’s eye this place was much too grand for her and the waiter who obviously had more flamboyance than she did appeared to have agreed with her.

ONE NIGERIA

"Relax Ikemba, this is a personal story only few people have heard.” he said after he paused to look at my face. “And I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.”

Jerry Obiagbor, a renowned professor of History, was heading to Abuja for the Independence Day celebration when his car broke down on his way to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. It was my wife, Adekemi, who first spotted him leaning against his car along the Emene express.

I had insisted on a souvenir; especially since I was going to turn back towards old Abakaliki road. After some light-hearted haggling, my wife suggested he give us a significant, personal story, only very few people had heard. He thought for a while before he found a story; the story of the Nigerian Civil War.