ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.

Here’s a story of two men who were stranded on an unidentified island after their ship capsized. One resigned to fate but the other saw the island as an opportunity to go wherever he chooses - North, South, East or West. As expected, the former died on the island while the latter sailed to the shore of a land flowing with milk and honey. Such is the power of attitude.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “attitude is the way that you think and feel about somebody or something”. Your attitude towards somebody or something will inevitably affect the results you get because bad begets bad, while good begets good. Our attitude affects our vision, our vision affects our reactions, our reactions affect our actions and our actions affect the results we get; you can’t beat it. This explains why only the positive minded excel. Believe me, no situation ever defines the outcome, your attitude does. When you have the right attitude, when others see impending setbacks, you’ll see only opportunities. For instance, Thomas Edison at age 67 in 1914 lost his factory to fire. As he watched his lifetime effort go up in smoke, he was quoted to have said “... there is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burnt up. Thank God we can start anew.” What an attitude! In spite of the deadly blow he received, he still invented the phonograph three weeks later! What other evidence do you need that a right attitude works? Why fail when all you need is a change of attitude?

In Thomas Jefferson’s words, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” Thus, I implore you to assess your attitude and be truthful to yourself. If your attitude needs to be changed, do not hesitate because a right attitude will inevitably increase you while a bad attitude will always decrease you. Since attitude comes from within, no one can help you make the necessary changes. So, pull yourself up by your bootstraps! No matter how gloomy the situation may be, be positive always. Whatever the challenges may be, you can surmount them if you change your attitude. Change your mindset - recondition yourself to see only the positive sides of every situation and see if providence won’t move in your favor. You bet.

You’ll have nobody but yourself to blame if after your sojourn on this earth you fail to achieve a meaningful goal. Your approach counts, so brainwash yourself. You can influence the outcome of any situation because you are at liberty to entertain the kind of thoughts you choose. You are also at liberty to decide how you feel about any situation, which gives you the advantage to influence the results you get from life. You can turn around your situation. You can win!

RETRACE YOUR STEPS.

None is perfect, so no one can possibly go through life without making mistakes. Life itself is so full of temptations that derailing from the path of success is very easy. We’ll always have decisions to make and our decisions will often determine our actions and our actions in turn will determine the results we get from life. Since we are not infallible, we are bound to make wrong decisions at times. However, the crime is not in ever fumbling, the crime lies in not retracing one’s steps after making blunders. Most times, our destinies are not sealed after erring, we still have chances to retrace our steps and make corrections. Alas, majority do not retrace their steps after fumbling and in so doing they seal their fate. Whereas, should they have taken a conscious effort to retrace their steps, they would have had another opportunity to right the wrong(s). Therefore, the need for a constant re-evaluation of our lives and the retracing of our steps whenever we err cannot be overemphasized if we are to live a meaningful life.

No matter how terrible your mistakes in the past might be, you can still start afresh because you are alive. To the dismayed teenage mother… who says you cannot still succeed in life because you got pregnant in high school? To the drug addict… who says you cannot still live a normal life if you stay off drugs? To the prisoner…who says you cannot make impact even while in prison and after your release from the prison? Whatever the case, however peculiar and hopeless the odds might be, there’s still hope! You are not doomed yet, you can still retrace your steps. You can rise.

Where are you heading...towards ruin or success? Re-examine your life. Don’t be stuck on the wrong direction. Don’t recklessly pass through life when there is remedy. No matter how messy the situation might be, you can still bounce back, but for daring. Swallow your pride, identify your mistakes and refrain from repeating them, re-strategize, dedicate yourself to the newly-hatched goals, and then bring the desired into fruition. You can do it. Just like the automobile, you have been endowed with an engine that powers your being called the brain, eyes to discern with hands and legs as steering with which you can steer your future, and the heart with which you can will which acts like the gear that controls your acceleration through life. What is there to trounce you?

Victor, I charge you to slug it out with life to take back that which rightfully belongs to you. Success is your heritage, take it!

GRATITUDE UNLOCKS BARRIERS.

Appreciation is to man what sacrifice is to the gods. It is in appreciation that more gets revealed. You can dissolve a fight with it. Appreciation even unlocks barriers. In Robert Heap’s words, “Appreciation may be called ‘human oil’. It lubricates the wheels of all human relationships. No one can do without it. We all need it and should give it to others in return.”

One of the reasons why some fail or retard their growth is because they have not fully acquainted themselves with an important science in living – expressing gratitude. Face it, there’s nothing anyone can do in this Universe that doesn’t involve people; from making purchases, to selling, name it. To get the best from people, you must understand and meet their deep needs – the craving to be appreciated. Everyone hungers for applause, thus it is imperative that anyone desirous of achieving more should learn how to accede to people’s demands – by way of appreciation.

Our wants are insatiable and we tend to focus more on the things we lack instead of appreciating what we have. And that creates barriers. The easiest way to have more is by appreciating what you have - the more you appreciate what you have, the more you get. Appreciate the Great Architect and Creator of the Universe (if not for anything, at least be thankful for the gift of life) for making you part of His grand design and see whether He won’t smile on you by granting unto you your heart’s desires. However poor your parents may be, appreciate them (remember, you couldn’t have possibly come to this world without them) and see whether the blessings that come with obedience of one’s parents won’t be yours. Appreciate your colleagues and see if they won’t go out of their way to support you. Appreciate everyone that helps you in one way or the other and see if they won’t go miles to further help. You bet!

Appreciation works wonders. According to Melody Beattie, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.” Despite the fact that human beings are proud and difficult by nature, people are still your best assets. Don’t be deceived, God will not come down physically to help you, He will still use people. Since you cannot do without people, it is only wise that you learn how to deal with them (by massaging their ego) to better your lot. Employ tact. Swallow your pride. I implore you to dish out words and deeds of appreciation generously so that doors will continually open for you. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!

I’m certain that countless of to-be-inventions never saw the light of the day because the ideas got extinguished by inaction and negative thoughts; not that the Great Transmitter didn’t broadcast the ideas, just that the receivers failed to utilize that which was broadcasted. Really, millions of talented people had cheated this world of ours of their brilliance by dying without leaving anything behind for posterity. Even now, the world is flooded with brains who will never apply their talents till they inevitably join their ancestors. What a waste!

Truth be told, it’s not easy to make a difference – never was, never will. The world is so full of obstacles, temptations, challenges, uncertainties, pestilence, to name a few that attaining a great height can be said to be tough. However, the fact that few reached the zenith, despite having undergone the same harsh conditions, is a testimony to the fact that everyone desirous of greatness can ultimately reach it. If some can make it, everyone can! Thus, this is a wake up call for all and sundry: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!

Everyone has something to offer the world; irrespective of geographical location, height, race, disposition or sex. Don’t be pessimistic about your situation, always look for the bright side. If you are partially or totally blind, you still have a reason to the thankful because you will have little distractions. Some blind fellows like Stevie Wonder, Helen Keller, to name a few still made waves despite their predicament and so can you. Who says a disabled cannot be the president of a country? Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), often known as the Wheel Chair President, set the pace for all disabled when he was elected as the thirty-second (32nd) President of the United States of America! Elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945, and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms. A central figure of the 20th century during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war, he has consistently been ranked as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents in scholarly surveys. FDR’s successful leadership proves for all time that it's ability, not disability, that counts. The list of men and women who lived exemplary lives, despite overwhelming limitations, is endless. You have no excuse, what are you waiting for?

Isn’t it amazing that the same number of hours available in a day to the world’s richest is the same available to the world’s poorest? Yet, the former lives in abundance while the latter in abject poverty. What makes the difference is what each man does with his time; the thoughts that each man thinks, and the steps each man takes to actualize his thoughts. Concentrate on the target - give it all it takes and you are sure to win – that’s the recipe that makes miracles possible! You can rise above any limitation. You too can change the course of history, if you so desire. The results won’t come on a platter of gold though, but through hard work, concentration and perseverance.

You have been endowed for exploits. Don’t disappoint the Creator and the created, let your light shine. Identify the area of your calling and then harness the powers of your intellect towards the attainment of some worthy goal(s). To-be champ, I charge you to arouse your creative powers; rekindle the fire in you! Redefine possibilities! Unleash your potentials!