Seyiwryte

30 Rules To Guide You in 2020 A few hours from now, the clock will tick past twelve and usher us into a new month, a new year and a new decade. The feeling in the air is that of optimism, hope and excitement. Its an incredible feeling to see what you've been able to achieve so far. But in a few hours, clocks will tick and calendars will flip. So in the spirit of newness and optimism, I present you thirty (30) rules to guide you this new year. 1. Have a plan 2. Believe in yourself 3. Be happy 4. Prepare for Challenges 5. Be resilient 6. Maximize every opportunity 7.  Value People 8. Stop trying to please others 9. Never stop learning 10. Don't assume, always ask questions 11. Be simple and accessible 12. Be humble and teachable 13. Don't hurt others with your words 14. Be extraordinary : pursue excellence 15. Mind your business 16. Manage your time wisely 17. Be patient 18. Stop Procrastinating 19. Be Contented 20. Always leave your comfort zone 21...

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE? Don't be comfortable with small achievements. You see, It's easy to allow all the accolades that come from small wins get to your head. Before long, you begin to feel entitled, like an heir to a throne. But you don't need to read a thousand pages of history books to tell what a sense of entitlement can do to a person. The consequences of living with a sense of entitlement are depicted all around us: that friend of yours that had the world at her feet and it seemed like she was headed for the stars until she allowed the little fame she started getting get to her head until she abandoned all the discipline, hard work and diligence that got her there. I mean, you still remember the stories of people from way back that had so much potentials, their prospects shone like a million stars until they got complacent and abandoned the things that got them the little fame in the first place. But the biggest danger of getting complacent is that, overtime, y...

WILL YOU BE LESS BUSY TOMORROW? What's the excuse for procrastination? That's right, "I will do it tomorrow". Each time we procrastinate or put off an activity or goal for a later time in the future, we rely on a dangerous prospect: that tomorrow will come with more time or better opportunities for us to achieve the task. We place hope in a future where we will be better equipped to achieve the task. But you see, the future is like a thread that begins with your past and continues with your present. Which means the future is totally dependent on the present. Because you need to have a "today" to live in a "tomorrow", your tomorrow depends on your today. I know this is a hard pill to swallow but there are things that if you can't do today, you can't do in ten tomorrows. So instead of banking on an alibi that makes you procrastinate, start getting things done even when you don't feel like it or the circumstances don't look like ...

LIFE: FAIR OR UNFAIR? At some point in your life, you've probably questioned the sense of justice of this thing we call life. Like many mortals before you, you've at some point uttered the common expression "life is unfair". Maybe not with the same exact words, but expressions like "why me" fall into that category. Is life fair? Is it unfair? Well, I think the answer lies in the middle. Now you are probably thinking "what is she saying? Something is either fair or unfair. What's the middle ground?" Think about it this way. Life is more like a referee. Not for or against you. This means what you make of your own life depends entirely on you. And unlike some unscrupulous football referees having a dense amount of bias running their veins, life is entirely neutral. But now you are thinking "How about those born with a silver spoon? I wasn't even born with a wooden spoon! How can you say life isn't fair to some and unfair to ot...

GO FOR VALUE As diverse as the different economies of the world are, they share the same characteristic: they are all built on value creation. No matter how small an economy is, it is built on the foundation of value creation. The more value an economy creates the bigger it is. But the same is true for individuals, your worth to society is commensurate to the amount of value you are creating. But there's a popular misconception about value that I'll like to briefly touch on. You see, money is a consequence of value creation. Valuable people didn't start out by first accumulating money to be valuable. Money is the result of creating value. Because of the close relationship between the two, it's easy to misunderstand the dynamics of the relationship. But value creation always precedes wealth accumulation. So when you run into a rich person or someone of influence, the last thing you want to ask them for is money. More than anything, you want to know how they were ...

IT'S OKAY TO CHANGE It has almost become a cliché to say the only thing constant in life is change. But it's true. Seasons change. Things change. People change. But change is never easy and doesn't come without a prize. And sometimes the consequence of change is that we have to let go of some beliefs we once had or walk away from relationships that are no longer helpful. But whichever way, change is never without a prize. And because society at large is uncomfortable with change, people find it hard to change when they have to. The criticism that accompanies change can sometimes feel unbearable so people just try to avoid the stigma and continue to stay in line with what the general society expects of them. But if you will ever achieve what's possible for you then one of the first principles you need to adopt is breaking out of the norm; Learning to chart your course and learning to think for yourself. The hard truth is, no one ever achieved greatness by alignin...

BE CONSIDERATE Perhaps nothing is a better marker for maturity and emotional intelligence than empathy. The ability to feel the pain of another without wearing their shoes to know where it pinches is one of the biggest markers of emotional intelligence. But it goes beyond that. It doesn't have to pain. It can be the ability to be tolerant or the willingness to view things from another's perspective. It can even be the art of not jumping to conclusions before knowing the whole story or avoiding the tendency to judge people, especially when you don't really know them and have no idea where they've been or the tragedies they've had to endure. If I can summarize all I've been saying in two words, it would be "Be Considerate". Being considerate also means you care genuinely for others, always looking for ways to attend to their needs. What kind of place would the world be if we begin to pay attention to the needs of others? What would happen when you ...

TREAT THEM WELL Long after you've both parted ways, how you made people feel will always be a part of them. Put simply, people will never forget how you made them feel. It will always be a point of reference for them. How you treat people is the legacy you leave with them. But how you treat others also has far reaching consequences. You see, how you treat people can have an impact on their life trajectory. I know you are probably thinking "How's that even possible?" But it's true, how you make people feel might affect how they feel about themselves and their potentials and how people feel about their potentials will determine how far they are willing to go to actualize it. And how far they are willing to go to actualize their potentials will determine their life's trajectory. So whenever you are opportuned to lead people, always think about what your actions and words are actually communicating. Always think about the effect it is having on their psyche...

"SEE FINISH" Syndrome: Are You Infected? As you journey through life, you meet people. Some become acquaintances, others become friends and yet with others you develop a special and close relationship. The latter is usually the best of all. You have become close friends with this awesome person, and their impact is giving your life a new turn. But overtime, if you are not careful, overfamiliarity sets in and you find yourself taking for granted the things you once cherished. Please permit me to call this the "SEE FINISH" syndrome. The "SEE FINISH" syndrome has been the cause for many unrealized potential. That person you have become overly familiar with is holding some keys that could unlock your potential but because you have become so familiar with them, you no longer value their input in your life so much that they don't bother giving it again. The truth is, once you become overly familiar with someone you used to respect, you are likely to l...

WE'VE GOT DIFFERENCES People are different, so they think and act differently. You need to understand that the fact that you judge something to be right and someone else judges it wrong doesn't necessarily make that thing right or wrong. Most times, our judgment of things depends on our perspective, our vantage point and the school of thought we subscribe to. With a different perspective and from a different vantage point, you will see things much different. So not only are we different as humans, we see things differently depending on our vantage point. This means what you might judge right today, might look entirely wrong from a different vantage point. What does this mean? It's simple: the fact that someone disagrees with you about something you think is valuable or important doesn't make them foolish. It also doesn't make you wise. True wisdom means you are willing to subject your ideas to scrutiny but still willing to hold on to them if you still find str...

APPRECIATE GOOD THINGS Isn't it ironic that the things that truly count are the ones we don't count? The car you are yet to buy, the places you are yet to travel and the things you are yet to possess as opposed to the air you breathe, the life you have and the people God has blessed you with. It's easy to get caught up in life pursuits and get buried in the shadows of our limitations that we forget the things that really matter. And until you calibrate your value system, you won't be able to enjoy the good things of life. You will just get caught up in the chase and wind up frustrated in the end. Even worse, you might get caught up in jealousy and begin to hate people for having what you can't (or "think" you can't). How easily do we forget that each time we undermine ourselves we are comparing our worst tendencies with another's best tendencies, the whole time ignoring their imperfections. Before us, they have a perfect life. We are just un...

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK We have all made decisions we regret. it's a badge we all wear as humans. At certain points in our lives, we've all made decisions we now look back on with regret, some of which are a consequence of impatience. Impatience compels us to do things we shouldn't and unfortunately, we can't undo some of these things. The truth is, when we run out of patience, we are compelled to act in a way that is not consistent with our beliefs. You see, impatience breeds regret. If you don't want to live a life full of regrets, one of the things you should curtail is the natural tendency to be impatient. Since patience doesn't come naturally to most of us, you have to make it a life long goal to learn the art of patience. If you are committed to developing patience, you will find it easier to deal with the tendency to get impatient and in turn elude the need for regrets. If you don't act out of impatience, you won't do things you later ...

GROW BEFORE YOU BLOW Never ignore the process if you want to get the right product. If you want to see an effect, you must trigger the cause tied to it. Let me reiterate: Never ignore the process, if you want the product. You see, even with the right ingredients you won't get the right product if you don't follow the right process. That means even if you have the right combination of skills talent and know-how you still won't make the most of it if you don't follow the right process. Why do people skip the process? There are many reasons but for the sake of brevity I'll focus on one. Many people walk around bound to the chains of other people's expectations of them. So because they want to be seen or perceived a certain way, they do all they can to play that role. And if you are caught up in this rut, it's hard to follow through on the process that leads to maximizing your potentials. You know, there's a popular catchphrase people use to justic...

MONEY ISN'T ENOUGH How I desire a world where we genuinely love and look out for each other. How I desire a world where success is measured not by the amount a person has accrued but by the number of people they reached out to and impacted. We need to get to the point where we look at ourselves and smile because of the impact our care and love is having on others. Giving isn't necessarily about money. To give is to show kindness, love, and care to others. Not everyone needs your money, some need attention, time, and a listening ear. Make sure you are giving people what they really want. A lot of times, we wait for others to tell us what they want before we respond to their needs. While it might feel like poke nosing into other people's business, if your intention is right, people will see it for what it is. people can usually tell the difference between genuine affection and fake love. But what about the times when people mistake your genuine interest in their affairs...

STOP WAITING FOR TOMORROW The funny thing about waiting for tomorrow is that tomorrow never comes. The truth is, nobody has ever seen or been in tomorrow. Does that sound strange to you? It shouldn't. You see, tomorrow becomes today before you even get to it. When the clock ticks past twelve, you can no longer call it tomorrow. If you follow through on what I've said so far, you should have ideas on what I'm about to say next. _Waiting for tomorrow is waiting for a day that never comes_ . I mean, I'm not telling you something new. I'm just reminding you of what you already know but for some reason have chosen to ignore. I think one of the reasons we ignore this fact is that it is a helpful alibi for making excuses. Get over it. If you keep waiting for tomorrow, you will grow grey hairs on your dream and still not come anywhere close to achieving them. Worse, you might end up frustrated in your old age. And you don't have to talk to ten old people to figure ...

THEY ARE NOT MAD, JOIN THEM Everybody has this one friend that seem to remain calm no matter what life throws at them. We also have friends that find a way to smile and stay happy even in the fiercest storms. Their ability to stay calm, find a silver lining in dark clouds attracts our admiration. But at some point, it can seem like madness. How can someone maintain calmness and even find a way to be happy in fierce storms? Isn't that weird? bizzare? Crazy? Can't they see the gravity of the crisis? Are they wallowing in oblivion? The questions that run in our heads are endless. But you see, people that remain calm and find a way to be happy even in the face of  daunting challenges aren't crazy as you might think. They are also not wallowing in oblivion. They know the gravity off the crisis. I mean, they wear the shoe and they know where it pinches, better than you can ever imagine. Why do they still remain calm and seek happiness? There are many reasons for this but I...

DON'T TWIST YOURSELF INTO SHAPES She eventually became a being that others wanted her to be. For her,  it was a welcome development because she was making them happy.  Every piece of advice and comment seemed valid and she made use of all; a combination of good, bad and ugly.  You can easily tell when you meet her. She had become so conscious of your comments and was always ready to adjust and be the being you want her to be. Her life became like the proverbial coat of many colours except that it wasn't colorful. The shades of others peoples expectations of her had concealed her essence. I know what you are thinking right now. You think she is very simple, obedient and always teachable right?  But that wasn't the case. She wanted to be like others. So, to everyone that came her way and said "you are not enough'' she believed them and started living their life not hers. In the end, she became lost in the shadows of other people's opinions. How does th...

EVERYWHERE IS A SCHOOL He was always observing how the engineers worked on the machines. The act of fixing the machines caught his interest whenever he saw them working. Everyday, he would listen to them talk, describe and operate the machines. He never said a word but kept observing and learning. As time passed, he continued to learn about the machines. Two years later, he became a pro.  You know what he did? He didn't waste his time and he didn't overlook the activities around him. For him, it was an opportunity to learn. He made the workshop a school. The same applies to you. You don't need to attend a special school to acquire certain skills. You can learn by observing and watching. As a matter of fact, observation always precedes discovery. Everywhere is a school, so as you journey through life, learn as much as you can. Sometimes, you even learn better and faster by sheer observation than the traditional way of reading and writing. So don't wait to be t...

SMALL OR BIG, VALUE THEM She spent more than fifteen minutes sizing up this guy. To her, he was just a little boy not worthy of her attention. Although she needed his help he didn't look the part of someone that could render such help. He looked so small, short and tiny. "He needs help himself, how can he even help others" she thought. After facing the consequences of not seeking his help, it would later dawn on her that she was wrong and yes for the very first time in her life, she felt terrible and sad, she just missed a great opportunity for sizing up the person who could have helped her clinch it. You are like her. Yes, you are just like her each time you write people off because of their stature or size. Be careful not to miss opportunities all because you think the person who would have helped you is a little boy. Do I need to remind you? Age, stature and size have never been a criteria for wisdom. Small or big, people should be respected. Give them the hon...

MAXIMIZE EVERY OPPORTUNITY How can you be better if no one knows what you are capable of doing? How can you earn a lot of money if your friends or the people around you don't know what you sell? How can you have more customers if you are not good in marketing your products? Advertise your products and make good profits. What I am saying? Share your ideas and knowledge to people who will buy them. A lot of times we begin to feel that we  are too forward or we are trying to show ourselves by ourselves ☺. Well, that's not always the case, I know there can be exceptions, true but every little opportunity you get, make the most use of it to get better and use that as a way to other achievements. If you meet someone who you feel or think can be of help to you, don't hold back, tell them how great you are in doing certain skills.  Let them know the kind of talents or gifts you have got. It is not everytime that others will blow your trumpet, you can blow your trumpet by your...

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRIENDS AND CROWDS People are important and yes we need people to survive, we need people to live but be careful not to keep crowds as friends all in the name of "I need others to survive". One obvious fact about life is that we all need ourselves. 2019 taught me the difference between crowds and friends. If the people you call your friends cannot add any value (no matter how little to your life  then you are keeping crowds and not friends. You need to also know that the people you relate with, share ideas with or live with have great influence over your life and actions. You may end up joining the crowds if you keep relating with them. Identify your friends and hold them tight, never let them go but run fast as you can from crowds. Stay around people that motivate, encourage, celebrate and respect you. It's very good to relate with others. It's important but everybody cannot be your friend because you are on a mission, so if you don...

PREPARE FOR CHALLENGES TOO We all start the new year with the mindset that everything is gonna be new and are we optimistic about greater blessings, bigger opportunities and bigger sucesses. Fine, this is a very good mindset but you know what?  We always forget that there will be bigger challenges too. Every season actually comes in with bigger challenges, you may never know if you don't take risk or experiment. Don't be scared to face challenges when they appear and always bear it in mind that these challenges will come and the beautiful thing is that they will also disappear When the year started, I was optimistic about a lot of things, a better and brighter year, yes I got that but there were challenges too. You may even be depressed at some point. Don't think depression is all about suicide, no but we express depression in several ways because of several thought in our minds and hearts. In essence, one of the big lessons I learnt about life this year is the fa...