Growth aint a gift

leaders-forum3You are not going to wake up and find out that you have accidentally become a better person in every sphere of life. Growth is not a gift and on the condition that you want to become better than you are right now, you would need to grow in every sphere of your life. You will need to grow in your character. You will need to grow in your relationships with relevant people. You will need to grow in your skills. You will need to grow in your knowledge about how money works. You will need to grow spiritually…

The truth is; you will not be able to reach your goals in life if you refuse to grow. Increasing in years on earth is automatic, but growth is not automatic. Everyone increases in years, but not everyone grows in life. There are too many aged people who behave like babies! This should let you know that the issue of growth is very important. Over the years, have you ever met with people who couldn’t match your expectations, as an effect of their refusal to grow up?

Also, have you ever let some people down because you failed to know and do what was expected of you to know and get done? I am so sure you would not want this to repeat itself. Now listen, if you want to grow, so that you can be sought after by people of influence and affluence, you will need to plan for it. And you shall need to be determined to walk and work through what you plan to accomplish within the context of growth. This is very imperative.

We live in an age when people want everything done for them. But when it comes to the issue of growth, no one can grow for you. Only you can pay the price for your own growth. And no one improves by accident. Also, personal growth does not happen on its own. Take for instance; nations do not grow by themselves. And Nigeria will not improve by accident. Since 1960, several millions of Nigerians have been hoping to wake up one day and find out that Nigeria’s development has happened on its own. This is why they get disappointed when each administration fails to deliver as promised.

In the last 25 years, I have looked at the culture of leadership of Nigeria and I have come to conclude that it is anti-development. The current culture of leadership in Nigeria cannot deliver a 1st world country. We do have a culture that is unfavorable and inimical to growth within the context of nation building. Remember, it takes leaders—who consistently grow to grow a nation. No one can develop anything beyond his own personal development. No man or woman can grow a family beyond their level of corporate growth. No governor can grow a state beyond his own personal development. No managing director can grow a company beyond his own personal growth.

Think about what it is that you want to do. Who do you want to become? Make a list of things that will help you reach that goal and be that person. Is there something on that list you can do now? If yes, then go ahead and do it. Do you need to attend a course? Set some cash aside for it and register for it. Do you need to build a functional library before you can become the type of person you dream to become? If yes, then go ahead and get it done!

About 30years ago, I did dream of becoming a consultant working with companies, the federal government, government agencies, the nations of the earth, columnist and an author. Buddy, you know it takes more than dreams alone to live a worthwhile and valuable life. Also, remember that dreams alone cannot come to pass when you are asleep. A dream only does come to pass when you wake up from your sleep and give it all it takes to become a reality.

For many years now, you have been waiting for the advantageous and favorable atmosphere before you can begin the journey of growth. Those who wait endlessly for what they call the right time to grow—do end up becoming a waste. My counsel on this issue is this, whether you feel good about growing or not, now is the time for you to start growing. Get up from where you are right now and get started!

Growing can be a very untidy and chaotic business. While growing, you are going to make a lot of mistakes. At first, growth is going to make you look foolish. I remember when I was learning how to speak. I made too many mistakes. I did not know how to start the plane of public speaking, let alone taking it off and landing it. There was a time I finished a forty-five minute presentation in five minutes and after that, I was standing there, looking at those under the sound of my voice. Did people laugh at me then? Yes. Are they laughing with me today? Yes! Do not allow mistakes stop you when embarking on the journey of growth.

You can learn only if others are ahead of you. Make sure you always surround yourself with people who are ahead of you. Over the years, this has helped me a great deal. Always surround yourself with great minds, not little minds. In the last 30 years, I have discovered that great men are always willing to share their ideas. So when you surround yourself with great people, you will never lack ideas that work. Great men are institutions of learning. I call them—school of wisdom. Buddy, make sure you get enrolled today in the school of wisdom.

Lastly, in the last 25 years, I have had countless people asking me to become their mentor, but over the years, I have found out that many emerging Nigerians and Africans as a whole do not understand what mentoring is all about. There are too many mentors, who do not understand what it takes to be a mentor and there are too many mentees, who do not know a hoot about what mentoring. Come next week, I am going to be educating you on this crucial area. See you next week and see you where great leaders are found.