Seeds of Greatness

One of the things that fascinate me in recent times, is realising that there are a whole lot of people, just like me, trying their best to make every minute of their living count, giving their best to personal development and contributing to their world in no small way. 

Although once in a while I’m sometimes dazed by the other set of majority who see nothing serious about this whole thing called life, and especially those at the extreme of even causing tears and pain in the life of others. It’s a world of good and bad. 

Nonetheless, those category of people cannot be the reason for us to stop being the light that we are to our world. 

A lot of people are buying books and reading them, taking online courses, subscribing to mentorship, showing up daily. This is commendable. 

We are creating and establishing concepts, strategies for our businesses and organisations. Team building is becoming more critical in our time, being part of a growing community is becoming of utmost importance and priority. I see a majority doing their best to be the best. 

However, we must consistently ensure that our intentions and focus doesn’t shift from right to wrong, because this is so much possible. 

You know there are many factors to the greatness formula, and there’s a part of that formula that is always left to the Director-General of our universe. 

I mean, you would certainly have a few men who start executing two to five years or more after you’ve started and yet command the same results you command or even more. 

At times as such, there may come negative thoughts subtly. Something in you might make you think they don’t deserve that. Now that’s the moment I want you to be on the watch out for. 

Moments that bring a distraction to your pure intentions. Moments that bring you into a race you weren’t part of earlier. Moments that keep you focused on an unnecessary competition. Because if all we are taking the personal development courses for is competition, then we are missing out. 

If you established your organisation primarily for ‘competition’ with your peers, with your extended relatives, with the government, then I think something is foundationally wrong.

Please don’t get me wrong, competition isn’t bad, it is needed for innovation. Competition is oftentimes needed to be pressured to think out of the box. Competition has its beautiful place and importance in our society. It has been responsible for the extraordinary brilliance we see all around. 

China wants to be better than USA, Africa wants to stop being a dumping ground. Nigeria wants to set global records. Competition is lovely in the right context. 

But what I’m basically trying to communicate is that there is a way it can shift our focus from the foundational essence and the reason we started what we are doing. The primary aim for us should still remain one thing, to give. 

Giving is sacrifice, and the heart of effective living is sacrifice. Men whose positive legacies have been recounted many times in history are all men and women with an extraordinary giving ability. Men like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela and others I couldn’t mention. One thing is common to them all, their act of selflessness.  

I’ve thought deeply, and there is one seed of positive greatness I’ve discovered. It is the act of giving, especially such with no expectation of a reward in return. And this isn’t easy, I’ve been walking this path, so I know it isn’t. 

But nothing can be compared to the breath of fulfilment that moves with you, knowing that your time made an impact, your idea created a change, your input made a difference. Even if it is in one heart or soul, to me it means a lot. 

The next time you give to someone, can you do it without necessarily expecting a thing in return? Don’t give people of your time, resources, energy and demand forcefully their lifetime in return, if you would for any reason get a thing in return from them, let it be a voluntary act of theirs. 

At every point in time, you give of your knowledge, experience, money, and ability, can you make it magnified in your heart, that you are only privileged? When they return to say thank you, can you simply tell them, that it was a privilege to help? Yes, because it truly is. 

Our lives, as I keep emphasising, won’t be measured by how long we live, but by how much impact we made, how many lives we helped, the number of hearts that felt our presence, the amount of convenience we created for the generations coming behind. 

 

As you set your hands on your business and move back to execute the next strategies in your organisation, as you move from my page to return to your online courses and the leadership sessions with your team, please put this at the back of your mind. You are there primarily to help lives become better, as many as you can in your own field of endeavour.

Beyond the competition we’ve all found ourselves in, should be a heart that is committed to giving. Let giving remain your intention. I see no nobler intention than a heart of LOVE. Love for God, and love for mankind. 

I’m praying that we all win, on the basis of LOVE. 

Oluwadurotimi Okediji.