USE

USE

You can't get anything from life if you can't use what you have to get what you want. It is usage that gives value to something, irrespective of what you have, if you don't put it to use, it will remain worthless. A vehicle that has not been put in a long time would break down for lack of use; an axe that has been left idle for a long time would go blunt; use increase effectiveness, lack of use creates deficiency, and misuse brings destruction.

Put your skills to use, it is your currency to a better life; put your talent(s) to use, it/they is your platform to stand before kings; put your knowledge to use, it is your key to doors of achievement; put your abilities to use, they are your ladder to your dream height.

How you use what you have determines what you get from it, and what you eventually become, as Chadwick Boseman once said, "The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people." how do you use your powers? For yourself, or for others? Do you even use your powers at all?

Israelmore Ayivor said in very succinct words, "When you optimize your talents very well, you can pick money from people's pockets and nobody will ever get the guts to call you a thief." this statement further validates that use determines outcomes, and sometimes perception. Use all that is at your disposal to get all that you want to get. You have everything you want, all that is required of you is proper, effective, and productive USE.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

TRY

TRY

The only guarantee to failure is to not try do anything towards being or becoming what you want to become. There is no excuse for not trying, and there is no reason for not trying. The same excuses that you give for not giving your dreams a shot is the propeller that another man rides on, and take advantage of to get to his own dream goal.

Trying may not always result to winning or success, but trying takes you beyond the stage of no experience, trying takes you to a higher level than those who have not tried. All failures are not failure, failure only becomes failure when you stop to try, but as long as you keep trying, you haven't fail even when the results are not in your favour.

The man who failed ten thousand times before he eventually succeeded in inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison once said, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." it was in his not giving up that he attempted ten thousand tries, something he would later describes as "not failures" but ten thousand ways he his inventions would not work.

How many times have you tried? how many of your tries have resulted in failure? do not see them as failures, but stepping stones to a better and more experienced you, and keep trying, keep pushing, never quit, never stop. Do not fear failing, but fear not trying. Try, fail, try again, fall, but never lie on your face for too long, get up more than you fall, success is never achieved by those who do not TRY.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

For every single thing man desires to do, starts doing, and continues to do in spite of whatever comes their way, there is a force, a motivation, and a reason for that sustained and unwavering push. Sustainability is not easy to come by, but when will and determination meets with purpose and fulfillment, nothing will stop that move.

Men are mostly not driven or sustained by what they have, what they want, or what they makes them happy, these things last only for a moment. Most men are driven by the responsibility they have either taken upon themselves or that which was bestowed upon them. Like Jordan Peterson once said, "It's in responsibility that most people find the meaning that sustains them through life. It's not in happiness. It's not in impulsive pleasure."

Aries Spears once said, "To sustain longevity, you have to evolve." Evolution is the only way through which we can continue to remain relevant, and effective in our strides, and efforts towards a better, and sustainable society. If we do not evolve with trends and measure up with changing times, we would be left behind in the scheme of things, and this would not be good for us.

We must hold on to our purpose; we must hang on to the reason we started in the first place; we must look for sustenance in ourselves, and not in anyone else, otherwise we would be disappointed. Find sustenance yourself, and never let yourself down. Abstain from everything that demeans you and others, and SUSTAIN whatever promotes peace, productivity, and pleasure.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

RELIEVE

RELIEVE

The best way to deal with certain situations, or respond to life's events is when one is at ease, when you are free from pressure and pain. Unfortunately, we may not always be in this sort of condition, we would surely, and a lot of times be faced with challenges that are bigger than we imagined, we will be under pressure, and in pains, but we still have to act.

Whenever we find ourselves in these kind of situations, all we have got to do is ease ourselves into the state of mind that is best for action, response, and decision. We have to ensure that we do not face pressure with pressure, pain with pain, and distress with distress, or else we would be forced into errors, and arrive at an unwanted destination and conclusion.

You can't be relieved if you are not intentionally and deliberately seeking to be relieved, and you can't perform at your best or make the best decisions for yourself if you are not relieved.

You are responsible for your life, for the decisions you make, and for whatever becomes of what you do. Do all you can to make the best out of everything you do, because you will eventually be the major recipient of all that comes out of all your endeavors and engagements. As you relieve yourself of pressure and pain, you must not be a source of such for people around you, but be compassionate towards others, you should also be a source of relief to them. As Daniel Goleman said, "True compassion means not only feeling another's pain but also being moved to help RELIEVE it".

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

QUELL

QUELL

A life free of challenges, a life of smooth paths and straight road, a life that never encounter opposition is a life that that has not been lived to its full potential, it is a life that has been carefully lived, a life that never attempts anything new, and will never take any risk. That is not living, it is not even surviving, it is merely existing, and existing is not what any man should be doing.

Trailblazers are not without challenges, opposition, and tough moments, but they are trailblazers because they did not allow any situation hold them down. They are trailblazers because they quell the effect any situation could have on them. They set the pace for others to follow because, they look forward into the future, and the possibility of a better life, than the situation they are faced with.

You can not make reasonable progress in life if you do not subdue your pains, your challenges, your setbacks, worries, and turn them into gains, opportunities, bounce-backs, and stories. You may fall many times, but as long as you keep getting up, and get up one time more than you fall, you will surely arrive at your desired place of fulfillment.

When the storms rage fiercely and it seems to be sweeping you off your feet, QUELL it's effect with your resilience, your guts, your patience, your courage, and your faith. When your heart begins to burn for the things it wished it had, but have not gotten, QUELL the fire with thoughts of positivity, and hope of a bright end of the tunnel. QUELL every limitation and live your best life.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

PERSEVERE

PERSEVERE

One can argue that, on the journey to one's desired destination, consistence is key, and most important, and would have really raised a valid argument, but one thing that would trump consistence is perseverance. One who cannot persevere will never be consistent. Perseverance is the ability to be consistent in spite of changing situations and circumstances.

You may start a journey at a point where the road is all smooth and straight; you can begin a course when you are all motivated and fired up to do everything all at once; you may not realize that things change easily, and when it does, and everything changes from what you always knew and expected, to an unknown, unexpected, uncertain, and unpleasant reality, you will be pressured into quitting, but you must hang on.

The legendary John C. Maxwell once said, “The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying.” you don't fail until you stop trying; you don't fail until you give in to the pressures of the unwanted circumstances and situations that comes your way on your journey to your dream destination; you don't fail until you allow fear of what is to come weigh you down from becoming who and what you should be.

At no point in time should you consider quitting, as Norman Vincent Peale once said, “It’s always too soon to quit!” and as Thomas Edison also said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” You may just be as close to success than you ever imagined, but quitting will deny you of your life long dream. Irrespective of challenges, hang on, never let go, everything will align just as expected if you just PERSEVERE.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

OOZE

OOZE

Seemingly broken hearts may cause a man's spirit to ooze out unwanted, and unwelcome attitudes and habits, he may begin to display in manners that are contrary to his personality, but that is not what it should be. Our broken hearts should be channels through which we ooze out the attitude that we hope not to receive from others.

Lidia Longorio once said, "You were born with a broken heart. From the cracks of it love oozes out." maybe the broken hearts are not caused by man, but by nature; maybe the wounds are not wounds, but an exposure of our already broken hearts; maybe the cracks in our hearts soaked in what it does not want, and gets hurt; but all these should not deny others of our love and grace.

However broken your heart is, never allow it ooze out negativity; never let it be a source of hurt, pain, or regret for others; never break another person's heart because yours has been shattered, only love should be shared and spread, not hurt, wickedness, and hatred. We are supposed to be a source of light, love, liberty, and hope, we are supposed to be builders of a better world.

Whatever you want to get, you should give out; whatever you desire from others, you should extend to them; you cannot give what you don't have, and that which you have given you will always get back in multiples. Ooze out some love, ooze out some cheers, ooze some care and affection to those who need it, let the world have a feel of the goodness within you. You have something special for the world, OOZE it out.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

NEATEN

NEATEN

Sometimes, life will ensure everything around you, and about you is scattered, messed up and disorganized, and it can continue that way for as long as it is permitted, but once a decision has been made to ensure that we put our life and everything around us in order, there will be a natural force that pushes us to do the necessary things and also work in our favour.

It may be an overwhelming task to begin the decluttering our situation, and turning it into our desires, but that decision to do so must first be taken to have an headway in the process. Your life may not be without some mess, caused either by you or those who you have given the permission and power to create such in your life. It happens but what can or will you do about it?

Clean it up; clean up the mess; it is your responsibility to put your life in shape and in the best frame. Neaten your space. Once you realize the problem, the solution is half solved, make a determined effort to identify the cause of the mess, and be ready to find a solution to it. Solutions will come when you seek it, but nothing happens if you are not ready to do the cleaning.

No matter how messy the situation may be, the cleansing starts once a determination is made. As Jules Renard once said, “Oh! Old rubbish! Old letters, old clothes, old objects that one does not want to throw away. How well nature has understood that, every year, she must change her leaves, her flowers, her fruit and her vegetables, and make manure out of the mementos of her year!” until you let go of all the mess, you can't make space for new things in your life, so NEATEN up and expect newness.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

MINT

MINT

Currency notes, crypto coins, are not the only substances for us to mint, one thing we also all have the ability, privilege, and the responsibility to mint is the kind of future we want and desire for ourselves. No one will build for us the kind of future we want if we do not grab the bull by the horn and pull it in the direction we desire.

The future is a blank bill, we write on it whatever we want or desire, and if we refuse to do that which we so wish, we will get on the bill what we do not wish to have. Building, scripting, and working towards the future you want will not be an easy task, but it will be a worthy and worthwhile task if we really do it with to the best of our ability and capacity.

Success that is not envisioned, planned, and worked towards is a pure mirage, but when the necessary ingredients of hard work, planning, dedication, determination, and consistency is been added to our vision, we will surely achieved our dreams. We must see our success as our own responsibility and not that of another person for us.

Tony Gaskins once said, "If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to help build theirs." Their can be no vacuum in life, everyone must be busy doing something, either for themselves or for others. So, if you are not busy building your own castles, you are definitely building for another man. Fill up your life with the business of building your own future, MINT the life of your dreams.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

LUMINATE

LUMINATE

The world needs a lot of light to dissipate the darkness that has so engulfed it. We have seen so much darkness in the world, and it has created so much of a scare to many people and many are determined to stay in their shells and keep to themselves alone what they should share with their communities and the world at large.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." (Matthew 5:14‭-‬15 KJV). We are meant to illuminate the world, we are to show the path for others to follow, and to make the world a place for all to enjoy.

There are people whose aims does not align with illumination and a better world, but those who are bearers of light must rise to the occasion of propagating and promoting light, beaming it as far as it can go and ensuring others see and carry this light. Dr. Lucas Shallua once said, "There is one's presence that illuminates the moment and makes a day; while there are those that darken and ruin the occasion." We should always make people's days by bringing them light, rather than allow another ruin their day through darkness.

Be sure to always keep your light shining, it is your most primary and most important responsibility, when your light shines well enough, the world will sooner or later see your light. Don't dim your light, LUMINATE your world.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

KVELL

KVELL

The achievement of big goals and dreams always come along with some celebration. Whenever our visions come to reality after we have put in the hard work, the determination, and everything we have got, we celebrate our achievements, as great as that may sound, we do not always have to wait until the big achievements before we celebrate.

Every big achievement is always a cumulation of little ones, these little achievements also need to be celebrated. Celebrating the small wins and achievements will give you the motivation to keep moving, it will give you the feeling and mentality of a winner, thereby strengthening you for more wins, and greater achievements.

Kvell in all your achievements however small it might be, doing so will open the door to more. As Abhishek Ratna once said, "Celebrating the small wins is a great way to build confidence and start feeling better about yourself." Kvelling in the small wins is an happiness booster, and a catalyst for greatness, never look down on yourself and your achievements but value and celebrate them.

Success is a series of small victories, and the more the victories the success; little by little, milestone by milestone, win by win, we come to the summit of our dreams, we become a reference and a beacon of hope for everyone who look to become what we have been, we create paths for others to follow, we illuminate the darkness that beclouds their sight towards progress. KVELL in the little wins, the bigger will follow.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

JUNK

JUNK

A popular Proverbs goes thus, "When life throws you lemons, make lemonades out of it", but when life throws you thrash, you have got to junk it. Not all situations in life can be managed, not all circumstances can be turned around, not every relationships must be maintained, not every acquaintance should be bosom.

Sometimes, you have to know those situations and circumstances that must be stuck to, and turned around, and those that must be thrashed and junked. As much as we should not take people for granted, nor look down on others, we cannot at the detriment of our growth and advancement hold on to negative, and retrogressive people.

Negative attitudes can not produce anything positive, junk it; negative thoughts will only bring negative actions, and results, junk it; when life throws you rubbish, junk it; when you come across thrash, junk it; you don't continue to hold on to negativity and expect positivity to come forth.

Concentrate on the good; look forward into the bright future; see beyond the darkness in the tunnel, into the light at the end of it; look forward to the end of the storm, and imagine the calm and peace that follows. Life may be unfair, but whatever we get out of it has been directly impacted by what we put into it. We do not continue to do the same things over and over again, and expect different results. Whatever is not working, whatever is not worth it, JUNK it.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

INPUT

INPUT

What you get in life is always in direct correlation to what you give. The output you get from an endeavour or engagement you are involved in is always proportionate to your input in such endeavours. Life is governed by certain principles, and the principle that relates to input is simple and dynamic, you either get back in same measure as you have inputted or given, or you get back in multiple fold.

Indian Musician Allah Rakha Rahman once said, "When you do something with a lot of honesty, appetite and commitment, the input reflects in the output." Pursue your dreams, goals, and visions with determination, dedication, and doggedness, the level of commitment given to its pursuit will determine the level of achievement that will be obtained.

Whatever is within, is what will be given out. A man cannot give what he does not have. If all that he possess is mediocrity, all that will come out will be mediocre; if he has stupidity within, he will always act stupid. It is every man's responsibility to daily and consistently put into themselves valuable skills, and virtues that will aid human development and advancement.

John Maxwell once said, "Only when you make the right changes to your thinking do other things begin to turn out right." You cannot experience a turn around from unwanted situations unless you begin to think differently from the usual, and this is by taking in transformative resources that will cause positive improvement in all our dealings with people and our society.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

HABITUATE

HABITUATE

Habits are formed overtime by humans, it is determined by whatever we get exposed to and what we fill our minds with. Our habits are the major determinants of our decisions and actions, we must therefore be careful about the kind of habits we submit ourselves to building and developing, because it will be the factors that either make us or destroy us.

Though we may not have control over our early habits, that is the habits formed during our childhood and growing years, we have all the powers and the ability to change every negative habits we might have developed into positive and impact making ones. It becomes our fault and a problem to us if we cannot amend those unfruitful habits when we come of age.

We must make it an habit to continuously form good, progressive, and impact promoting habits. In the words of British writer, Samuel Johnson, who said, "The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken". When developing an habit, it may seem like nothing, it may look irrelevant and of no serious effect, but when it is fully formed it becomes a part of you, and difficult to let go.

If you want to be successful, you must understand make yourself familiar with the habit of successful people; if you want to get to heights only exceptional men get to, make exceptionality an habit; You are what you repeatedly do (in thoughts and actions), so if there is anything you sincerely desire to have or become make it an habit of doing things that people who have had or become such things do.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

GATHER

GATHER

It is the default nature of every man to gather up stuffs for themselves, in fact man is never satisfied with what he has, no matter how much it is,he will continue to crave and seek for more. It is not odd, nor out of place to want more, or gather as much as we can gather, but the question is, what is the value and essence of what you are gathering?

Gathering is a necessity for continuous survival and relevance, but we need to be careful what we gather, for what you gather will determine how well you will survive and how relevant you will be. As much as the gathering of material wealth and possessions may be important, more important is the gathering, obtaining, and acquisition of immaterial wealth.

Knowledge, skills, understanding, are necessary and very important acquisitions for every human who would have an impact on others, and their society. These must be accumulated unrelentingly and at all cost, it must as a matter of fact be prioritized over material possessions. One can lose whatever one has gathered materially, but no one can take away your immaterial possessions, they are with you and for you for life.

In all, whatever we gather if it can not be used for the promotion of good living for ourselves and others, and the betterment of human lives in general, we have gathered, but in vain. Gathering for one's self is temporary gathering, but when you accumulate for others to benefit, you have gathered towards immortality. GATHER but in all thy gatherings, GATHER Wisely.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

FOCUS

FOCUS

Every man's reality is revealed in the things he is focused on, whatever you focus on, you get. We must be careful what we focus on, because that is exactly what we will have. Focus is a very powerful tool at the disposal of every man, and it can give us everything we want or the things we do not want, depending on our focus.

Napoleon Hill once said, “Focus on the possibilities for success, not on the potential for failure.” success is always possible if we can give enough focus to it. Failure may come, but it is not the end of the journey, and if we can focus more on the possibilities of success we will certainly come to a successful end in everything we do.

When we want a new beginning, a new life, a change to our current situation, we can not continue to look back at the things we don't want but on the things we are looking to have through the change we want. As Socrates said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

Focus on your dreams; focus on your desired life; never look back at the past, unless you want to apply its lessons to the now, but look forward into the future, into the new life that you desire. Nothing is impossible to the man who will not stop moving forward in the direction of his dreams until he gets what he wants. Turn a blind eye on all distractions, FOCUS only on the goal and you will get there.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ENJOY

ENJOY

Life is a mix of everything, the bad, the good, the ugly, and the beautiful, most times, we don't have power over what happens to us, we cannot determine how it happens, but we can determine how we see it, and how we respond to it. Life may be filled with too little laughter, and too much sorrows, but we must continue to make the most of the laughing moments.

Enjoying life is your own responsibility, no one would make life enjoyable for you if you do not make efforts to enjoy life. As Kenneth Branagh said, "Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don't get so worked up about things". If you take life easy, life will be soft and easy with you, but giving too much consideration and thoughts to the things you can't control will really mess things up for you.

There may never be a time to enjoy if you do not create the time for yourself to enjoy life, and life is really meant to be enjoyed. Fulfilling purpose, living the life of your dream, and becoming all that you ever desired to become are all towards having an enjoyable life. A life lived selfishly cannot be enjoyed, a life that would not make sacrifices for others cannot be enjoyed, living fully for one's self and other is to enjoy life.

Nancy Reagan once admonished, "To my young friends out there: Life can be great, but not when you can't see it. So, open your eyes to life: to see it in the vivid colors that God gave us as a precious gift to His children, to enjoy life to the fullest, and to make it count. Say yes to your life." we have to say yes to life, ENJOY every bit of it, and make an impact on others.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

DARE

DARE

The only way to become whatever we want to be in life is to dare to be. You do not get what you want on a platter just because you wished for, thought of it, or desire to have it, you get in life what you want because you are ready, and willing to fight for it, and get it irrespective of what it takes. The person who does not dare not not get.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." one who never fails will never succeed, success is the tree that rises when the seed of failure has been buried.

If all we can dare are the things every one else can do, we have not done anything different. Daring demands doing and attempting to do what many will not or cannot do. If we fail at our dare, we have moved a step higher and closer to a better self than before the failure. It is better to fail at an attempt than never to try at all.

Someone once said, If there were ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, it is now. Yesterday is gone, today is what we have, we must take advantage of it and dare to dream big; dare to be your best self; dare to go where you think you cannot get to; dare to do the things you feared most. DARE to win.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

CHEER

CHEER

Being frisky, zestful, and lively can sometimes be a very difficult task especially in a time when things are not going smoothly for us or those who we want to cheer, it takes a lot of courage, strength, and wisdom to perform such task and in an harmless way, but many a times we must make effort to do these things just to ease ourselves or people of these pressures.

We may not always have reasons to be happy but we must always find reasons to be cheerful. Being cheerful is wanting to be happy in spite of the unhappy situations around us, and this is a true show of strength and character. A cheerful mind dwells in an healthy heart and body, but a mind that would refuse cheerfulness would suffer from bad health.

Elizabeth Ann Seton once said, "cheerfulness prepares a glorious mind for all the noblest acts". A man that spreads cheer will never be found in acts that are not noble, promote peace, make life easier for another man, or make another man smile, he cannot be associated with destructive and human demeaning actions, he is purely a man for the good, better, and best.

In ensuring that we remain cheerful, and bright, we must not forget that it is also upon us to lighten life's heavy weight on those around us who would need some cheers, as Louisa May Alcott said, "cheerfulness can change misfortune into love and friend". It may not come easy to be cheerful, but it will surely be rewarding, productive, and life saving to CHEER up ourselves and others at every time and in every situation.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

BANG

BANG

Life reacts in the exact same manner with which we relate to it, and sometimes, we have to deal with life in the manner with which it deals with us, and most times the dealings of life comes with a heavy bang. When life gives us those bangs we have to respond with bangs of determination, dedication, and confidence in our selves.

Some doors will not open unto us if we do not bang on them heavily, and keep banging till it opens. We do not get what we want with ease, we get it by force, and until we exert our force, it would not yield unto us our desired results. We must always anticipate that life will treat us fairly, but when life treats us with a bang, we must respond with the same.

The harder life gets, the harder we must strive to keep moving, we do not allow the weight and challenges of life to have a damaging effect on our growth, morale, and motivation. Sometimes, we have to receive these bangs to retrace, and redirect our steps back on track and towards our desired destination.

In all we do we must be conscious of our thoughts, actions, and reactions to whatever life throws at us. T. S. Eliot once said, "If you start with a bang, you won't end with a whimper." whatever we want to do, we must do with all focus and determination to end it well, and on the best note we can think of. Live the best life you can and never quit in your strides to the top. Keep moving with a BANG.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ANTICIPATE

ANTICIPATE

It was Claude Bristol who said, "We usually get what we anticipate." yes we usually do. Sometimes, we feel what we get is not what we anticipated, but that is not always true. Anticipation comes in two different forms; what we expect; and what we want. When we want something, what do we do about it? Do we expect that thing, or we fear that such thing will not happen.

It is something to want something, and expect that thing, it is another thing to want something and expect something else. The fear of not having what we want is an anticipation of what we do not want, so, when we get what we do not want, we have gotten what we anticipated through fear. The fear of something is an anticipation of that thing, except a conscious determined action is taken to avoid the realization of such fears.

Worrying and fear is the anticipation of a negative outcome, but faith is the anticipation of a positive and desirable outcome. Life is governed by certain principles and having a good understanding of these principles is the only way we can optimize them to our own advantage.

Never allow worry, fear, and anxiety bring upon you unexpected events. Most times the things we get are the things we fear most. Allow positive anticipation rather than negative anticipation. The mind attracts whatever it thinks about, so, train your mind to only think positive thoughts and positive things will surely gravitate towards you. ANTICIPATE the best outcomes always.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ZEALOUS

ZEALOUS

If you do not get zealous with your dreams, vision, goals, and aspirations, you are unlikely to achieve or make them a reality. Zeal is the tireless devotion and dedication of a person to a particular cause or interest, it is one of the most important factors towards achieving one's dreams, and aspirations, it is the fuel that keeps the engine rolling.

Lailah Gifty Akita once said "Zeal without knowledge is very fatal. Knowledge without zeal is fatal. But knowledge with zeal is a force of being". Zeal is very important to every human being, but zeal alone cannot bring one to His desired destination. We must to our zeal add the required knowledge to manoeuvre the hurdles on our journey.

Our life may be on the downward slope into the drain, it may be running in the exact opposite direction to our dreams and visions, but we have the privilege and power to turn things around in our favour, if we do not quit, if we do not give up. Our story can be rewritten in the twinkle of an eye if we do not relent in our effort to make things right.

In the words of Amit Kalantri who said, "The smell of the sweat is not sweet, but the fruit of the sweat is very sweet". It may be difficult work to keep going when it is tough, it may not be easy to hold on to the those desires and dreams, but in the end when we would have overcome the obstacles, and surmounted all the pressure to come out victorious, we would enjoy the taste of victory, and appreciate the reward of our ZEALOUS actions.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

YOUTHFUL

YOUTHFUL

Youthfulness is not in how old or how young a man is, it is in how a man lives his life, and the things he holds dear. A ninety years old man can still be a youth, while a twenty five years may no more be a youth. Being youthful is a state of the mind and not the structure, frame, and stature of the body. As much as strength is a common feature of youthfulness, it can not in isolation make one so.

Daisaku Ikeda said, "Youthfulness is not determined by age. It is determined by one's life force. One who possesses hope is forever young. One who continually advances is forever beautiful." Hope, which is the expectation of something; one's heart desire. Hope is a good thing, and never dies, it is a major attribute of youthfulness, and any one who exhibits such, is a youth irrespective of age.

Age is a self erected barrier by people who does not understand the wonders of life; people who refuse to see the freshness, and the newness in the usual, who sees life the way they have always seen it, rather than in a new way, and this is all in the mind. Every new day brings freshness, but if all you see is the old, you will surely experience the usual.

In the words of Sophia Loren, "There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age." Live your life for impact, live for an effect that transcend you, live for purpose; no matter how old you are or how long you live, you would have lived a YOUTHFUL life.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

XENODOCHIAL

XENODOCHIAL

We all are sojourners in this world, so we could also be at certain times in our earthly sojourn. The stranger status can be acquired at any point in time as we go along on our journey. Everyone and anyone can be a stranger at any point in time, whenever we are in our comfort zones, in our residence and home locations, our treatment of strangers matters a lot and should be an healthy one.

Strangers will always need assistance when they get to new locations, either in settling in, navigation, or locating important places, Everyone with such status always does. As residents and seekers of a better, and peaceful world, we must be willing to render necessary assistance to these people. We must be hospitable to them and make them feel loved and accepted.

Supporters and propagators of xenophobia are unwise, undiscerning, and insensitive, they are short sighted and do not see beyond today, and their immediate environment, or are even visionless. At any point in one's life, in the pursuit of a better life, a greener pasture, and advancement, we can become strangers in another man's land, and whatever we have done to such people we will receive ourselves.

If you want to be accepted when you become a stranger in another man's land, accept the strangers in your own land; if you want to be loved and treated fairly in your sojourn, treat sojourners in your neighborhood with love and fairness. Life pays people back in their own coins, you receive whatever you have given, and sometimes in multiple folds. Be XENODOCHIAL.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

WATCHFUL

WATCHFUL

The carelessness and recklessness of a man will surely cause him a wreck, but the watchful man will sail through thorns and thistles however enormous or little they can be. There may be tears, prickles, but there will always be a successful sailing. Watchfulness is a key virtue and catalyst to every successful endeavour.

Sometimes, no matter how watchful you are, you will still stumble, but your stumbling will be minimal for the care you have given to your process. Watchfulness does not stop you from making mistakes but it can reduce your mistakes and the effect it may have on you. Mistakes are actually a part of life, and when you make mistakes, your watchfulness will help you discover what lessons are in it for you.

No one is perfect, perfection is a work in progress, so is watchfulness and carefulness. The more you become watchful, the better you become at watchfulness. You need to be watchful against yourself and your deeds, as much as against the actions of others towards and against you.

Be careful what you do to yourself; be careful what you do to others; be watchful of what others do to you; and be watchful of what others do to themselves because of you. Life is a bunch of unknown, unseen, and undiscovered events and its revelations always give a shock to many, but a WATCHFUL person always anticipates what to come, so, be WATCHFUL.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

VIABLE

VIABLE

The viability or possibility of a thing is sometimes not in that thing but in the mind of the Originator. It is not whether that thing is possible but whether you believe it is possible. Even if everyone is doing it, but you think you cannot do it, you will not be able to do it. Irrespective of people's perception on whatever you want to do, what matters most is your mindset, and that will eventually become your reality.

Orville and Wilbur Wright believed in the possibility of powering a motorized vehicle to flight, many people who saw their quests in achieving their dream doubted it. They thought they were not in their right frame of mind, but on December 17, 1903 they successfully flew their flight. Many people have achieved great feats in life who were never given the chance, or even considered to become anything meaningful.

Every thoughts that has been conceived in the heart of man is viable and possible however difficult it may seem. If you have a dream, a thought, or even an idea and you are willing to work towards its realization, just go for it with all that you have, plan adequately towards its achievement, and you will see it come to reality.

Like Israelmore Ayivor "Within every little dream seed is the potential viability of sprouting to becoming a great forest." never despise little dreams and thoughts, in them are present great realities. Look beyond situations and circumstances around you, look into the future, see the possibilities rather than the challenges. Everything is possible, everything is VIABLE, when you believe.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

UNITED

UNITED

All of man's woes and calamity has not befallen him because of his enemies, but his friends and acquaintances. Like the legendary Sir Winston Churchill once said, "When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you." It is difficult and almost impossible for one to be easily beaten if there has not been a conspiracy by those close to him to bring him down.

This is a well known truth among world leaders, and it has always been a viable strategy to winning wars. Generals and war Lords cleverly identify, attract, and recruit individuals from enemy camps and territories who they feel can be of value to them in their quest for victory. These individuals then divulge viable informations that will aid their victory. The possibility of this strategy is due to the disunity in the opposition's camp.

If we will be an undefeated body, we must be undivided, and undiluted, we must be firm and tightly joined together in one voice, one mind, one focus, and one ideology. We must see every man as our self, and be ready to protect each other at every time in every situation. Anything that affects one, affects the whole, and anything that affects the whole affects everyone.

In every strata of our relationships, be it family, community, group of friends, religious body, work place, neighborhood, or nation, division will always lead to destructive retrogression. Alexander The Great once said, "Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all." every man's actions, determines what becomes of an entire group. When issues arise that threaten our unity, and safety, we must strive to resolve them, rather than find faults or blames. Fault finding weakens the group, and UNITED we stand, divided we fall.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

TEACHABLE

TEACHABLE

The man who is always ready to be taught is a man that will always grow irrespective of the his status, and situation. Teachability is a very important virtue for every man, but only a few have it. Being ready to learn from others gives us the opportunity to be able to go down the path they have been through without going through their experiences.

Criss Jami once said, "The unteachable man is sentenced to being taught only by experience. The tragedy is he reaches nothing further than his own pain." when a man is unteachable, he will have to experience by himself what he would have escaped through teaching, thereby causing him to lose reasonable time, and even experience unwanted tragedies.

Curiosity is a big stem in the tree of teachability, one who would be teachable must be curious to learn, to know, and to understand, he must be open to learning from whoever has what he needs irrespective of age, class, and status; he must be open minded and ready to question everything he already knows if they are valid truths or fables.

Every new day is a opportunity to learn new things, to sit at a teacher's feet and be taught, to be a beginner at something new, and fatten our banks of knowledge. Make every opportunity count, in life everyone is a learner at one thing or the other no matter how old you are. Today's lessons are a step higher from yesterday's lessons, so learn every day, and remain TEACHABLE.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

SERENE

SERENE

Late renowned self help coach, and author Wayne Dyer once said, “Peace can become a lens through which you see the world. Be it. Live it. Radiate it out. Peace is an inside job.” One can not experience peace except it comes from within, one must be intentional about having and living in peace with himself and others, otherwise life will be frustrating and discouraging.

Without peace nothing else makes sense in life, and peace must first be with oneself, accepting who you are, being who you should be, and being in tune with the realities that comes upon you; and then living peacefully with others. You owe yourself and those around you the duty of peaceful coexistence, love, and moral support, as much as kindness at all times, even when it is tough to show.

If you would not be tough on yourself, and make things difficult for yourself, life would be a lot more easier, if you know that everything that you have does not belong to you alone, but for the good of everyone around you, you wouldn't take things too seriously, like Byron Katie would say “Nothing belongs to me. Everything comes and goes. Serenity is an open door.”

No matter what you do, however bad things get for you, knowing that your best is still ahead of you gives you some calmness and peace, always accept that there is another opportunity on the horizon, and it will surely bring you the best. As much as possible, live peacefully with all men, and you will experience peace in all of your endeavours.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

RESILIENT

RESILIENT

Adversities are not the expectation of any man, it is never wished for, but somehow they are a part of life, and human beings experience adversities in different forms at different times of their lives. These adversities are not meant to destroy man, although they sometimes come with great effects and damage, they are supposed to toughen us.

When faced with these difficulties and challenges in life, we must always find ways of bouncing back from the effects it might have had on us, and take the lessons learnt as stepping stones to higher pedestals. Resilience is a very important survival ability, we must develop it to such depth and height that it carries us as far as we need to go.

Greg Kincaid once said, “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.” how ever tough life becomes, however heavy the challenges might be, irrespective of the storms on your journey, the only way to have a clear path towards the future is to keep moving. Forging ahead in spite of challenges keeps you strong and moving.

In the words of Shane Koyczan, “If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces.” Life's challenges mostly come to reveal our hidden strengths, unseen beauty, and underestimated abilities. We have to explore whatever our adversities reveal in us, they happen for a reason, and if that purpose is missed, getting ahead may become tougher. Build resilience, be RESILIENT, you live better with it.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

QUEMEFUL

QUEMEFUL

A song lyrics goes this, "show a little bit of love and kindness, never go along with hatred's blindness, take a little time to reach for joy, and wear a happy face, sing a little bit when the days are dreary, give a little help to a friend who's weary, that's the way to make the world a happy place." The world can not be a happy place if we refuse to make help people out of their difficult situations.

It lies upon us to make the world a place to live for everyone. In the words of Harold S. Kushner “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” What you do for people tells the world about you, not about them. If you make people live better lives by your actions, and deeds; if you make people happy and smile more because they met you, you will yourself have a better life.

You can change the world by changing a man; you can change a man through one simple act of kindness. Kindness don't have to be huge before it can be effective, little acts of kindness make great impacts. Love for others is the only force that can drive you towards showing kindness to them, let love have a place in your heart towards your fellow men.

Kindness, mercy, love are powerful forces and can achieve what the use of force can not achieve. Man is naturally submissive to subtlety and empathy, but repulsive to force. Consistence in showing love and kindness towards an hardened man can turn him into a soft hearted and loving individual.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".