The link between who you are and who you are aspiring to become

THERE is no one who is a success in his or her field of purpose who does not understand and practice the principle of “leaving and cleaving.” This code has changed my own life, business and leadership. It would change your too, on the condition that you can live it out. Are you ready to savor and take pleasure in what has taken me some years to cook? If yes, let’s go!

Gandhi said: “A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do. Nothing else.” One of the actions that you would need to take is leaving what causes distractions in your life, business and leadership and cleaving to purpose. Until this happens, you cannot live a meaningful life in the midst of the earth. Nothing destroys a man’s life more than distractions, so leaving things and people that distract is a personal sacrifice you would need to pay. No one can pay this price for you. Only you can pay it.

It is just one person you shall need to cleave to and your life, business and leadership shall change forever. It was when Keith Harrell cleaved to late Myles Munroe that his life changed. It was that singular encounter with late Dr. Munroe that imbued him with the required courage to step out of the comfort zone of IBM to the unfamiliar territory of human capital development business. Today, he gives about a thousand talks yearly and he is known the world-over—as an excellent speaker on the subject of attitude and he is transforming lives and companies.

Many years ago, beyond the shores of Nigeria, I was on a campus to study. On an evening, I took a casual walk to meditate on a few crucial issues before me, in which how to move from where I was to where I needed to be was chief. I knew what I wanted to do and where I needed to be, but I did not know how to go about it. But before retiring to bed on that day, it became very clear to me what I would need to do. And the how to go about it that was revealed to me was about cleaving to people who are relevant to my life, business and leadership. And this has changed everything about my life today.

The link between who you are and who you are aspiring to become in the days to come is just either one relevant man or woman. Locate that one man or woman and cleave to him or her. After cleaving to him or her, you’d need to be teachable and down to earth. You’d need to know how to follow. You’d need to be hard at work. You’d need to become excellence-driven. Ultimately, you shall rise beyond where you are today.

Many emerging leaders today do not know how to follow those who are relevant to their destinies. When you are following a leader, it is not your call to be looking for his or her mistakes. Remember, those God will use to move you from where you are to where you desire to be would not be perfect people. Many ignorant youths are fond of rushing to social media to talk about the humanity of their leaders. This is foolishness and you cannot afford to do what they are wrongly doing.

Once again, the best that can happen to anyone on earth is to discover and cleave to his or her purpose early in life. This will help and give you an edge in your field of purpose. Great artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci started drawing and studying art when they were very young. Mozart was composing music when he was four years old. May you not waste your time, energy and wisdom before finding the true purpose why you are on earth!

• How to improve everything around you (Part two)

I discovered and cleaved to my purpose when I was a teenager. I wrote my first manuscript when I was about 19 years old. And I gave my first public speech when I was 20. Over the years, I have grown through mistakes, regrets and accolades, and here I am today still doing what I began to do when I was about 16 years old. In my field of purpose, I do have a lot of experience, not because I am very old, but because I started very early in life.

Each time I am opportune to teach “youngboods”, this is what I do tell them: “The best time to start a life of purpose is when you are a teenager. When you are about 30 years of age, you should have about 13 years of experience, learning on the job of purpose. When you are 30 years of age, you should have become an expert in your field of purpose.

Are you a youth, reading through this article? If yes, then the best time to leave what you are wasting your time, energy and wisdom on and cleave to your purpose is right now. Find out why you were born before you die. I did this many years ago and I am not regretting it. Remember, you cannot afford to be part of a generation that is daily wasting away.

Lastly, having a sense of purpose is not enough, however. You can feel you have a sense of purpose to help cure a disease, but if all you do is feel, that will not get you very far in life. Purpose is nothing without consistently and passionately running with it. After leaving the activities and people that impact negatively on you, what is left is for you to consistently run with your purpose with a rare level of excellence, passion and consistency. If you can do all I do have for you today for the next 10 years, you shall become a clear voice in this nation and beyond. See you where great leaders are found!