A moment ago, I was invited to speak on a fundamental issue that is preventing many citizens of our great country from leading the pack and leading their lives to the fullest. While rounding off my session, I was inspired to say these words: “many citizens of Nigeria today are daily expecting to lead the pack and become wealthy, but they do not know that they are only waiting in vain…Anyone who hides his or her talent (s) (in the earth of excuses) without developing it (them)—can neither become productive nor have a voice in the midst of the earth.” Before stepping down from the platform that day, virtually everyone under the sound of my voice was led to commit themselves afresh and anew to develop and skillfully deploy the talent (s) that God has given to them. There is certainly no one today—who is leading a productive life or being in leadership—who isn’t being committed to his or her talent (s).
Are you too being wicked without knowing? Are you trading with your talent(s) today or you are hiding it in the earth of excuses? There are many citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who are gifted to write, but who are not doing anything about it. There are many fellow-citizens, who are gifted to sing, but who are not doing anything about it. There are many Nigerians, who are so gifted to act drama, but who are not doing anything about it. They are hiding themselves and hiding their talents. They are not being productive as citizens, because they are not doing anything about what they are gifted to do.
Recently, I was discussing a movie and an actor with a young man. A few years back, the American actor was an exceptional one. You do not need anyone to tell you that he’s gifted to act. It was a delight to see him act. I could spend hours watching him. He later went ahead to win OSCAR AWARD and made millions of dollars while acting. There are too many people—who probably can act better than he does, but they have faultily and wrongly chosen to bury their talents in the earth of excuses. Burying their talent(s) makes them being wicked to themselves (they are not making the money they are supposed to be making and they are not getting the honour they are supposed to be getting), to God who gave the talent(s) to them and wicked to those who are supposed to be empowered and entertained while watching them.
“Black Panther” is a movie that is currently sweeping the length and width of the planet-earth like an angry inferno. Not long, I heard that the movie has succeeded in fetching those talented folks—who put it together above 1billion dollars, in just a few weeks! If they had failed to discover their acting-talent and indolent about developing it, they wouldn’t have made the name and money they have made in a very short period of time. If you are not developing and deploying your talent(s), you are shooting yourself in the leg!
The easiest way to make money is swimming in the pool of your own talent—that you are daily deploying skillfully. The link between where you are and where you are dreaming to be is the crucial issue I am looking at today. You are basically and simply being wicked to yourself and Nigeria as a whole on the condition that you are ignorant about discovering your talent(s) and lazy about developing it (them).
Over the years, I have come to appreciate the fact that to lead a ‘sweat-less-life,’ one would need to daily commit oneself to one’s talent. More than two decades ago, I was able to discover my talent and since then, I have not done anything outside of it. It has taken me about 30 years to develop, so doing it today is very easy and it makes life very easy for me.
One major thing that I am correcting today is people going to higher institutions before discovering their God-given talents. It is this same mistake that made me study Mechanical Engineering and today, I am not practicing it. Over the years, I have met with some hundreds of Nigeria who are like me. They went to study an eight-year course and today, they are not practicing it. The question is; why would you study medicine when you know that there is nothing like medicine in you? I struggled to complete Mechanical Engineering, because I later discovered that there was nothing like engineering in me. Today, there are several millions of Nigerians on campus who are not going to practice what they are studying. Campus will be very boring to you, if you are not studying a course that aligns with your talent.
Sweetheart, you would enjoy your stay on campus when you go to school to study a course that aligns with your talent. Formal education is supposed to help polish your talent; it is not supposed to take you away from it. If it succeeds to take you away from it, it means, it has succeeded in taking you away from your voice and leadership. Remember, your voice is enwrapped in your talent. You want to have a voice on earth? Then start developing your discovered talent!
You cannot afford to be wicked to yourself. Remember, those who cover their talents in the earth of excuses are being wicked to themselves, God and those who are supposed to be blessed through their talents.
See you where great people are found!
and then