DESTINY

DESTINY

The concept of a predetermined outcome for what someone would become is one that can be discussed at length and in depth without reaching an agreeable conclusion. Will (desire, wish) and choices would be unnecessary and needless if destiny is fixed and unchangeable. William Shakespeare once said, "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves".

Your destiny is in your hands, you can mould it, fashion it, and weave it however you want. Destinies can however be desirable or undesirable. Unfortunately destinies are unknown until you get it, but what you do, and the steps you take towards what you want eventually determines what you get.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be". If you do not determine who you want to be, you would become anything you do not want to be. People have become great, achieved enviable feats, and turned a terrible and undesirable life around into a great and inspiring one, because they became decisive about what they want.

Whatever you choose and whatever you work towards is your destiny. If destiny was fixed, you would not need to work to achieve what you have been predestined to be, you would have been what you are meant to be irrespective of what you do, but life respects the principles of nature, the only true destiny is reaping what you have sown. Sow the the seed of a desirable DESTINY.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

CHARITY

CHARITY

Giving out of your excess and overflow to someone else is a good gesture, but sharing the little you have with someone in as much need as you are is real love, and charity. We are meant to live our lives in ways such that we will be remembered for our contribution to the progress, development, and advancement of humanity.

John Bunyan once said, "You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you". The real essence of being charitable is defeated when those we are charitable to are those who will repay us for what we have done to them, or having expectations of a return favour for what we have done.

True charity is when we do things for people who will and can never repay us, people we might not even see again, or people who will not be able to tell us "thank you". Irrespective of what we have or don't have, irrespective of who needs our assistance at any point in time, as much as we are able to make things happen for others, we must endeavor to do it.

A better world is in the hands of every one, and like the legendary literary Icon, late Chinua Achebe said, "While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary". The greatest charity that can be done is the charity that will make any other charity unnecessary. Nevertheless, practice CHARITY.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

BEHAVIOR

BEHAVIOR

A man's true personality, make up, and image is revealed in his behavior, like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe puts it, "Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image". What a man has, or lacks is revealed in how he responds to issues and circumstances around him, in thoughts, words, and action.

In the words of the great ancient Greek Philosopher, Plato, "Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge". What you want, the things you desire affects your behavior. Your behavior is tailored and directed towards the achievement of your desire. So, whatever you have to do to achieve what you want determines your behavior.

Your emotions also have a say in how you behave, hurt and pain, pleasure and enjoyment exudes differing behaviors, it determines our response and gives us a direction to follow, and a path to thread. Knowledge is the most important source of behavior, what a man knows has the greatest degree of influence on his behavior. That is why the acquisition of good knowledge must be prioritized, so we can develop good behaviors.

Whatever you do, let your behavior be that which is enviable, and worthy of emulation. Associate with people of good, or even better behavior than yourself, seek to always be better in all ways, by all means, work on the bad behaviors, and turn them right, your BEHAVIOR is one of the major determinants of what and who you will become, make it good.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ATTENTION

ATTENTION

It was Mary Oliver who said, "Attention is the beginning of devotion". Whatever you have not given attention to, you cannot be devoted to, and whatever you are not devoted to, you cannot get anything out of it. There is a standard fruit for every seed planted, and a standard result for every endeavour entered into, whatever you focus on gives you the attendant result and outcome.

When someone is said to lack attention, it really is not lack of attention, it is giving attention to something other than what is supposed to be more important, something less useful, and less productive. People get different results in life because they devote their time to different things. There is no bias in life, everyone has twenty four hours a day, how it is been maximized determines what each one gets out of it.

Susan Sontag once said, "Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager". Paying attention gives you direction to go after that which you truly desire.

Keep your focus, your gaze, and your determination on the fulfillment of your life's dreams, and purpose; difficulties will come, challenges will arise, but when your ATTENTION is on the price, the destination, and your devotion is unwavering, you will surely get there.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ZENITH

ZENITH

At the top of the mountain, there are no crowd; the party is always small but exotic; the gathering there is that of champions. Not every one will get to the mountain top, not every one can get there, because it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, determination, grit, will, and focus.

Many starts the journey to the mountain top but never get there, not because they don't have what it takes to get there, but sometimes because they don't want to give what it takes to get there. It is not an easy journey to the top, nevertheless, it is not an impossible journey. Many have been there, and many are still on there way there, and they will get there if they don't look back.

Life at the mountain top is easy, because it is less congested; life at the mountain top is smooth, interesting, and pleasurable, because you have there the real movers and shakers, those who make things happen when everyone else says it can't be done. They have known and seen how difficult situations are being subdued, they have done it, and will continue to do it.

Whatever you do, do not be satisfied with staying at the base; dream big, aim high, shoot for the moon, go for the biggest and the best, never stop moving. The going would get tough, you have to get tougher; when you feel like quitting, encourage yourself to keep moving, the destination may be just at the turn of the toughest point on the journey. Until you reach your ZENITH, the journey is not complete.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

YES

YES

The beginning of every journey is a YES. It may be a very simple word, but its sophistication is beyond pronunciation nor spelling, as short as it is, it can be the beginning of a very long or unending voyage. The genesis of most results we now see and experience today was a yes. Many people have said yes, and are happy they did, many others have done same but regretted it afterwards.

There is no big deal in saying yes, but it is very crucial and most important to say yes to the right person, the right question, the right course, and for the right reasons. Be careful not to be tricked into a yes that would put you in servitude, be careful not to say yes to someone who is not concerned about what becomes of you, but only concerned about themselves.

E. E. Cummings once said, "Love is a place and through this place of love move (with brightness of peace) all places; yes is a world and in this world of yes live (skillfully curled) all worlds". What you say YES to will create the world you will live in, it will shape the life you live, and the experiences you will have.

Say yes to your dreams, they are valid and will become reality; say yes to your gifts and talents, they will take you places you never thought you would get to; in the words of Marshall Sylver who said, "You can never get more by saying "No." You can hold a current position by saying "No", but you can only move forward by saying "Yes."" Consider deeply your thoughts before saying YES, do not be in a haste to say YES, but the more the YES, the better your life, say YES.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

Xanadu

Xanadu

It is every man's dream to one day arrive at a place of rest, happiness, and beauty, where they will be relieved of their troubles, cares, and worry, but most are not ready to give what it takes to make that destination a reality. There exists no such destination, but it is created, and erected by our works as we progress towards the future.

A popular African proverb says, "the sky is large enough for two birds to fly without their wings touching" this is very true, but we also need to add that, "each bird must build its own nest in the shy". There are no nests in the sky; there are no castles in the air; everyone has the opportunity to shine unhindered, but you must light your own candles, you must shine your own light.

There is a paradise for everyone, there is a Xanadu for everyone, but you must design with your hands, and build by your works that place of rest and happiness, that place where you want to enjoy the fruits of your labour, and the efforts of your hands. What you do, the effort you put into what you do, will determine what you get out of it, and how your paradise will look like.

Live your best life; put in your best effort; give your all to the fulfillment of your dreams and aspirations; never consider quitting; life does not get easy, so must you not go easy on life; keep moving; keep building; when you eventually get there, you will be proud of who you have become, and what you have built. What you build is what you will get, build for yourself a worthy XANADU.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

WARRIOR

WARRIOR

Battlefields are the grounds on which warriors are made, they are the training grounds for men who would fight and liberate themselves and their own from oppressors and slavery. They do not sit idly waiting for a savior, rather they would get up and fight for their lives, and what they want for themselves; they do not wait till they are served leftovers, they get up and get their portion.

You have gotten this far because you have been a warrior, you have overcome many battles, you have recorded many victories, but you still do not see yourself as a warrior. Life's battles come in stages and will not be pronounced as battles, but if you do not prepare to face those battles, you will be beaten down helplessly.

Matshona Dhliwayo once said, "Cowards shrink from challenges, weaklings flee from them, but warriors wink at them", you have got to face your battles, challenges, and problems headlong. You can be afraid, but you have to face those challenges in spite of your fears; your fears should not be barriers to you taking your rightful place and claiming what belongs to you.

As Ash Alves said, "Remind yourself of what you have been able to overcome. All the times you felt like you weren’t going to make it though, you proved yourself wrong. You are more powerful than you think". You can win because you have always won, and if you do not quit after the defeat, you will surely come out victorious.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

VICTOR

VICTOR

If there is no war, there is no victory, so, if you are going through a battle, you are preparing for victory. Life does not always give us what we want, it gives us something else and we would create what we want out of it; it may not also give us the opportunity to get what we want, but we must create and grab this opportunities for ourselves if we must make anything out of life.

Victims can eventually become Victors if they do not quit in their efforts to win, despite having previously lost; victory is not about winning from the start, it is about getting up after falling, going on despite failing, and moving forward despite setbacks.

Winning comes with various responsibilities and tasks, we do not stop being active after the a victory, rather we continue working on ourselves and get better than who we are before our victory. Life is dynamic and we must become dynamic too, because if we do not move on with the dynamism, we get left behind in the scheme of things and that will be detrimental to our progress.

We all have what it takes to be Victors, we are all made for more, we are made to manifest the greatness that is within us; we can not accept anything other than victory. We must make effort to win in every way on all sides, we cannot afford to lose, we cannot afford to die as victims, the hope of many generations hangs on our victory.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

UPSIDE

UPSIDE

Smooth sailings are never a guarantee in life, there will always be twists and turns in every situation, but one thing is certain, no situation is permanent. Nothing goes on in life without a change, it may take a while, it may even seem like an unending process, but a change will surely come.

As the earth is made up of various features like, mountains and valleys, land and oceans, deserts and seas, so is life made up of ups and downs, sky high moments and valley base moments, we must understand that every moment has a part, and a role to play in our lives. The rough and tough times come to teach us lessons that we cannot learn in the smooth and rosy periods, so, we must take every moment seriously and get what we need to get from it.

We always want the upside, the good times, the mountain top moments, we crave for the best of situations at all times, but that is an impossibility of we are to become who we should be, we cannot learn what we need to know and learn if all we experience is the juicy smooth journey. Ease does not make great men, it breeds cowards and weaklings.

See every moment, and every situation as an UPSIDE, an uptime, and opportunity, because those times come to us for a purpose, and nothing is useless that has a purpose and fulfills that purpose. When everything goes upside down, do not panic, do not be downbeat nor discouraged, look on the other side and see the brightness, just in a moment everything WILL return UPSIDE up.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

THINKER

THINKER

By nature all men are created thinkers, we were all made to be productive, creative, and supportive; we are meant to make the world a better place for ourselves, others, and the generations yet unborn; we have the ability and capacity to create the life we truly desire. Many have lived up to these great potentials and have done their bit in building a better world, there are many others who are still doing theirs, but there is an abundance of those who are not doing enough.

Thinkers are neither realists, pessimists, or optimists, they are creatives, they think their way out of a problem into a solution; they are not bothered by what situations are but by what they can make out of situations; they do not wait for free rides to destiny-land, they get on the journey and move goal-ward.

Thinking alone goes nowhere without doing, so does doing becomes a waste without thinking. So, like François de La Rochefoucauld said, "Thinkers think and doers do. But until the thinkers do and the doers think, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary by sense".

Activate your greatness, your growth, and progress by thinking and doing; learn to think and do; do not be tossed around by the wind of general, popular, or common opinion; liberate yourself from the usual; go beyond the norm; think outside the box, that is where life is truly lived. Don't be afraid to think, you are your truest self when you think for yourself instead of act on other people's opinion, if you are not a THINKER, you cannot act right, so think.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

STAR

STAR

This quote by Marianne Williamson says all about who you are and what you have within you, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others".

Stars do not shrink, they do not need permission to shine, and they are never shy of shining, their light gives light to others and brighten wherever they are; you are a star, you are meant to shine, and help others shine, your shrinking and shying away from shining is a disservice to yourself, those around you, and the world.

The world awaits your brightness, the universe expects your shining, be who you are supposed to be, not who you are conditioned to be, break limits, surpass expectations; you have within you powers beyond your imagination, all you need do is explore, dig deep, and shine like the STAR that you are.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

REWARD

REWARD

Man can not reap what he has not sown, there is always a result for every deed, act, and actions of every man, and the result of every action is commensurate to the effort put into that activity. One can not expect to get a reward from where he has no effort or investment. Every work well done will always bring an opportunity to do more work, and bring about more and better rewards.

Today's fruit are the rewards of yesterday's seeds. If you do not like what you are getting today, you have to change what you are planting so you can get tomorrow what you really want. No one gets to determine for you what you get from life, only you can decide, and determine what your rewards will be by what actions you take and activities you engage in.

Amelia Earhart said, "The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward". When you are ready willing and determined to do a thing, nothing can stop you from doing that thing and getting the attendant REWARD.

Sometimes, the reward for doing something is the thing that you did, and who you become while doing. Don't be too focused on the end result, the REWARD that you forget the essence of what you are doing. Life pays everyone according to what they have done, if you want the best give your best, do not let people's opinion make you turn your back on your vision, face it heads on, and get the REWARD you deserve from it.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

QUINTESSENCE

QUINTESSENCE

There may not be something quintessential about what you do, the things you have, and the things around you, but one thing that must be known is that you are the most quintessential thing to happen to the world. Nothing beats the gift of you to the world, because there is no one who can replace you on the surface of the earth. You are a unique creature.

Your presence must also be a light to others around you; people need men who can lead them aright, men who would be the perfect example for them to follow, men they can trust. Being a quintessential person and leader requires a lot of personal work and, development, it requires that one makes himself valuable enough to be a force to reckon with.

Many things are important in life, but the most quintessential is a life lived for others; a life lived to make others live; a life lived for the betterment and growth of others. Be a good example for others follow, be who you want to see in those who look up to you; be kind, show love, share happiness, live a life of impact, be an inspiration.

Like Germany Kent said, Reach out and help others. If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. Be a vessel, be the change, be the difference, or be the inspiration. Shine your light as an example. The world needs more of that". There are many who have done harm in the world, be a part of those who will heal the world.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

PROMISE

PROMISE

It breaks no sweat to make a promise, it is no work at all, but the real work is after a promise has been made, because from that moment you become a debtor to the person to whom you have made the promise, and no man honourable, noble, and sane would owe a debt and not pay, nor consider paying it at a point.

If you don't want to be a debtor of promises, do not make rash, and unnecessary promises; if you must make promises consider very well what the situation, conditions, and circumstances are, and be sure you are up to the task of fulfilling that promise. Sometimes, you don't have to make a promise, but you have to take an action, it is best you take that action, because it speaks louder than words.

We don't only make promises, sometimes we receive promises too, and when we do receive this promises we must ensure we understand them and not interpret them to be what they are not. We must also understand that when promises made to us are broken, we keep ourselves intact and unbroken. Like Jennifer Donnelly said, "I know it is a bad thing to break a promise, but I think now that it is a worse thing to let a promise break you".

Giving or receiving a promise is a good thing, but breaking a promise, or over-reliance on another promise is not a good thing. Be careful how you promise, and what you promise; you must also be careful whose promise you accept or believe. In the words of Anthony Hitt, "Keep every promise you make and only make promises you can keep". Don't put yourself in an unredeemable debt in the name of making a PROMISE.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

OPTIMUM

OPTIMUM

The default human ability is at the medium or mediocre level, but men are not made to be mediocre but to be and perform at optimum level. Mediocrity is an enemy of greatness, and will not allow one attain his best heights and status in life. We all have potentials to go beyond and perform at unimaginable and exceptional levels, but our will to do and become will determine our level of performance.

As humans having the capacity to do more than we are doing, we should make our optimum performance at everything we do to be our minimum expectation. When we set for ourselves such high standards we can outperform them. Like Michelangelo said, "the greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it".

As much as we would want to push ourselves to reach optimum level of performance, we must also be careful of how much we push ourselves, and the pressure we exert on ourselves towards becoming who and what we want to be.

We are powerful beyond measure, we have more than enough within us to become the best of ourselves, we only need to dig deep within us to explore that which we already possess to achieve what we desire. It is what we can do that we do not do that hurts us the most, and brings to us the most displeasure. Go beyond the norm, reach for your OPTIMUM, break limits.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

NOBLE

NOBLE

Many would say, "the end justify the means" but true nobility would say "the means is as important as the end". How you become what you become, and how you get what you get is as important, if not more important than what you become or get. Would you proudly tell the story of your journey to your current destination, or you would shy away from telling the truth of your story?

As Ernest Hemingway would say, "there is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self". Nobility is not who you are in relation to others, it is who you are in relation to who you were yesterday. Your former self must always be jealous of the new you, every new day must dawn with a new you, a better you.

Doing what is right at all times irrespective of who is looking is nobility; helping others, showing kindness, expressing love are the real attributes and characteristics of noble men. You do not have to do great and mighty things to be noble, you just have to do and carry out little acts in noble ways to become a noble man.

We must go after being good and noble; we must seek to set others free from unknown shackles and bondage; we must enlighten others to see the brighter side of life, rather stifle their hopes of a better future; we must lighten people's burden than be a burden, a problem and a cause of pain to them. Like Mark Twain once said, "to be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble". The highest form of nobility is to open up NOBLE paths for others to become NOBLE men.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

MISTAKE

MISTAKE

Perfection, excellence, flawlessness, precise and accurate decision making are great possibilities, but it does not come by mere wish, it comes by constantly and consistently doing with the mind and readiness towards becoming perfect. Everyone who would give enough time, effort, and energy into what they do with consistence will surely become perfect.

Before perfection comes errors, failures, and mistakes. Mistakes are not a bad thing in life, they are a very important part of life, and they teach us great lessons that we would never learn through other's experiences nor teachings. Your mistakes are not problems, your response to those mistakes is more important and critical to what you comes out of such mistakes.

People who don't make mistakes in life are those who never take up the responsibility of living fully, people who do not give themselves the opportunity to live life as they should. They shield themselves from the greatness they could achieve and never become anything of pride nor envy. They are merely existing and not living.

Bryant McGill once said, "a person who makes few mistakes makes little progress", do not be afraid of making mistakes, but be afraid of making one mistake twice, that would mean you never really learnt anything from the first mistake. The more you make amendments to your mistakes, the better you become everyday. A MISTAKE is a curve if properly used it beautifies everything else.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

LEEWAY

LEEWAY

No one gets anything from life on a platter, anyone who has achieved or gotten anything from life must have worked hard enough to get it. As much as hard work is very important to one's eventual success, it is not a real guarantee for the desired breakthrough. There are a lot of ingredients that must be added to hard work and in the right proportion, until that is done success can still be a mirage.

Sometimes, some people enjoy some privileges that others are not opportune to have, this may not necessarily be as a result of life's biases but as a result of their past efforts and hard work; at times for going the extra mile that others wouldn't go. Like British film director and screenwriter, Ken Loach once said, "Because I have been around a long time I get a bit of leeway that other people don't".

The consistency, longevity, contribution, effort, and dedication some people have put into their work, a cause, and others will always give them some leeway that those who haven't done as much as they have done will get. Their pedigree is known, their capacity and ability is known, and their effort recognized, so, they get the extra privilege.

Getting a leeway does not come cheap, and it is not asked for but earned. It might seem to be an irrelevant idea, but it is a very powerful advantage and privilege to have. When one get a leeway, one is automatically ahead in any race, allowing one more time, resources, and flexibility to do conveniently whatever one needs to do. Work, grind, build, and develop yourself, over time you will begin to earn some LEEWAY.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

KING

KING

Pietro Aretino once said, "I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself." Every man is a king, every man has a kingdom, and every king has at least one subordinate, that one is himself, every other are extras. A king who does not know how to control himself, and conduct himself in the best manner possible will not be able to rule over his kingdom effectively.

You are a king, maybe not over a kingdom, but over your mind, thoughts, actions, and deeds, however you control them, however you lead them, will determine what your kingdom will become. If you rule over them well, you would be a happy king. Like John Milton said, "He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king"

Be a responsible king, take responsibility for your life, take actions towards becoming who you really want to be, do not be controlled by your environment and circumstances, rather respond to every of those circumstances in a manner that will propel you towards a better place, and in a much profitable and respectable standing.

Kings are brave; kings are strong; kings are wise; kings are not scavengers; kings decide what they want and they go for it; kings provide for, protect, and guide their own; they create and inspire creativity in others. Be a king over your own kingdom; live like a king, and act like a king; you are all that you have and want, you can be all you want to be if you will do what you can do. You are a KING live like one.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

JINGLE

JINGLE

One thing jingles does is to always create a lasting memory in our minds. Jingles are mostly used for advertisement and propagation of a product, an idea, or phenomenon; jingles are always short and memorable, sometimes very melodious. The importance of jingles can not be ridiculed in today's society.

We all have visions, dreams, ideas, and aspirations; we are always looking forward to some greater things, but most times we do not always commit these things to our memory, we do not let enough people know about these dreams, and aspirations; we bottle them within us, and most times we eventually lose sight and vision of them.

One way of ensuring long lasting memory of all these dreams, visions, plans, ideas, and aspirations is to turn them into jingles. Sing them always, talk about them always, tell those who would be important to its actualisation and manifestation about it, never stop talking about it until it is realized. Put everything you want to do into words, say them out to yourself always, because words create realities.

You cannot forget what you always tell yourself; you cannot forget what you always tell people; you would rarely forget what you always sing about, when you turn your the things you aim for into jingles, you would not stop at anything less than achieving it. You would be more determined to get it because you would be held accountable and asked about your dreams by all who have heard about it. Make a JINGLE out of your dreams and see the magic of jingles.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

INTENTION

INTENTION

Every action or inaction of men is always driven by an intention. No one does anything for nothing, anyone who does, or is doing something is doing it for a reason, which can be declared or not. Good or evil, necessary or unnecessary the intention behind an action is the ultimate determinant of the outcome of that action.

Intentions are intangible and irrelevant if they are not backed by corresponding actions. The purest of intentions without the slightest of actions in the direction of that intention is a purely invalid and unproductive exercise. T.S. Eliot once said, "most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions", not because they did evil, but because they never acted on their intentions, thereby depriving the world of the good that could have been.

Give life to whatever intentions you have by acting on it, otherwise it never existed. Like Frank Sonnenberg said, "a good intention is like an idea that you keep to yourself. If you don’t do something with it, it’s like it never existed." 

Train, educate, and feed your mind to develop intentions that are pro-humanity, and tailored towards the growth and development of yourself, others, and the world. Intentions are like spirit, no one see them, actions are the body that give visibility, result, and effect to those intentions. Whatever you do, for yourself or others, be sure that your INTENTION does not make life difficult for another man.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

HERO

HERO

Every human being has the capacity to be a hero to someone else. It takes nothing special other than a little bit of endurance, tolerance, and some humanity. You don't dream or wish to be a hero, you rather act your way into the hero status, you don't become a hero by what you do for yourself, you become a hero by what you do for others.

Heroes and villains don't do things differently, what differentiates them is who they do things to, and how they do it. Villains do things for selfish purposes, they do not consider the well-being of others as long as what they do benefits them, they care less about what happens to others. Heroes, on the other hand never does anything to hurt another person, and are never about themselves alone, but for everybody.

As Bob Riley said, "Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed." we all are heroes but different circumstances comes to reveal to us and other who we really are, 'heroes or villain' by how we respond to those circumstances.

Many have saved the world by through their actions, their works, their words, or their deeds; many others has caused the world more problems by the same. History will remember everyone for who they are, and what they have done. We don't have to be the HERO that saves the world, we just have to be the HERO that saves ourselves from being a problem to others.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

GRACE

GRACE

Receiving undeserved and unmerited gifts from people, and God is called grace; having enviable qualities, attributes, and character is also another class of grace; having the privilege to do freely and unhindered what others want to and struggle to do is another level of grace. Grace is a phenomenon that all men crave for and need to survive and succeed in life.

Effort may not always be rewarded for what it is worth, and sometimes, little effort brings great and unimaginable results. As much as we all want to reap the fruit of our labour, there are times when our labour can not produce for us enough fruit as we would have desired. Grace is what settles this deficit and gives us the opportunity to keep going despite our shortcomings.

Every man has got grace work for them at different times in their lives, to what extent they are maximized determines how much of the effect they will get. We can also earn some level of grace by intentionally working on ourselves, through character building and the formation of enviable and humanistic habits.

Though unmerited, GRACE can be provoked. The reception of some special kind of treatment from people can be provoked by our special way of interacting with them. As much as GRACE comes at will, receiving it can also be backed by a reason. Learn to be good to people, treat people with love and kindness, and see everyone as someone deserving of something special, this way GRACE will not be far from you.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

FORCE

FORCE

When one is made to do something against his will, desire, or something is done for him , to him, or on his behalf without his consent, or out of compulsion, such person is being forced. This kind of force is a negative kind of force, except such persons are not in their right frame of mind to make the right decisions, or they are not knowledgeable enough to make the right or best decisions for themselves.

If you want to get something done, you have to properly propagate the knowledge of it, and ensure it is properly understood, then allow those who are concerned make decisions for, or against it. Force never achieves anything good, neither does it promote peace and friendliness. As Albert Einstein said, "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." to promote anything promote the understanding of it.

In other light, force is the powers that a phenomenon possesses. Certain phenomenon have forces that they create, faith, fear, love, hate are some of the most powerful forces on earth, and they mostly govern our living and existence. Whatever force you engage in will emit its resultant effect to you.

Life and nature responds to you in accordance to the force you employ. We must know what forces are behind the kind of results that we want, desire, and wish for, and see how we can start to put these forces to use to our own advantage and success. Do not underestimate the powers inherent in the forces of nature, they are the ones with which we can climb to the heights we desire.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

EXPECTATIONS

EXPECTATIONS

The only person from which we must have expectations is ourselves. Expecting things from others is the quickest and easiest way to disappointment. The best way to reality and the accomplishment of something is not to expect it from others, but to get into the action of doing and getting it done by one's self.

If you must expect something from people either by promise they made to you, or by some sort of responsibility, it must not be taken too seriously but lightly. Brandon Sanderson once said, "Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack." The intensity with which you expect will be in direct proportion to the intensity of your disappointment or otherwise.

When you stop expecting from people what you can do for yourself, you will become more of an active rather than a passive individual, you will take your own life more seriously, you will live a much better life, and you will accomplish more than your own expectations.

By your actions and activities, by the way you live your life, do you expect to be what you want, or wish to be? Are you going in the direction of your dreams? Are you making progress reasonable enough for accomplishment of your desires? Life does not respond to mere wish, or expectations, life does not honour dreams, but life responds to and honour actions, determination, dedication and pursuit. EXPECTATIONS can give you everything you want, but most times it gives you disappointment.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

DIGNITY

DIGNITY

"One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered." these are the words of Michael J. Fox on our ability to project and protect ourselves in the best way possible and necessary through upholding what is rightly ours, 'the sanity and dignity of the human life'.

You have the right to whatever you want to have and whatever you want to do, be it in acquisition and development of different things, such as, material possessions, knowledge, beliefs, character, and attitude. But it must also be understood that whatever these things come with are a result of one's decisions and choices and should be ready to bear the consequences.

Laura Hillenbrand in the book ‘Unbroken’ wrote, “Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen.” Dignity presence or absence of dignity will determine a man's productivity, self esteem, respect, and effectiveness at whatever they do. A man that has lost his dignity is a man that has got nothing left to leave for other than redeeming his dignity.

We must treat everyone around us with dignity and respect, we must protect the dignity of the people with whom we have direct or indirect relationships, a treat on the dignity of one, is a treat on the dignity of all. Every man deserves to be respected, protected, and honoured irrespective of class, age, gender, creed, or race, but as much as we be careful with the dignity of others, we must also not joke with ours, DIGNITY is the life and right of every man.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

CHOICE

CHOICE

Every man has got the power to decide, and determine what, and who, they want to become. We have within us the ability to create the kind of life we want to have, rather than leave the outcome of our lives to chance. Our desired destiny can only be realized when we make determined and intentional efforts to make it so. On the other hand, if we leave the outcome of our lives to chance we will get undesired and unwanted results.

You are what you say you are and what you work towards becoming, but if you do not work towards being who and what you want to be, you will be who and what you do not want to be. Roy T. Bennet once said, "You are not a victim of the world, but rather the master of your own destiny. It is your choices and decisions that determine your destiny."

Easy or difficult, choices have to be made. Sometimes, easy decisions are not always the right once, but we must be sure that whatever we do, we make the right decisions rather than the easy ones.

Choice, chance, and change are threes inseparable siblings, you must make a choice if you want to have a chance for a change in status and destiny or else, you will continue to maintain status quo. Whatever happens to you in life, either as a result of your choice or as an event of life, how you react to it is a choice that will determine what eventually comes out of it. Don't make hasty decisions, and be ready to stand by your CHOICE irrespective of what the outcomes are, that will help you make better choices.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

BRAVE

BRAVE

Ease is not an option for consideration on the menu list of the brave, he understands that whatever comes easy goes easy and never lasts, he knows that if he must get what he wants, he must go out of his way to get it and therefore is ready to do whatever is necessary. The true test of bravery is how one acts when he is faced with unpleasant situations.

We will always face different circumstances, some good and other bad, but we must know how to use both to our growth and development, like St. Catherine of Siena once said, "To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both." when the good happens, we should enjoy it; when the bad happens, we should learn from it and move on with life.

Outcomes are the main determinants of what your actions really are: bravery or stupidity; wisdom or foolishness; courage or naivety. Hayden Sixx once said, "Bravery and Stupidity are the same thing, the outcome determines your label." if your actions in the face of a challenging situation turn out to become a rewarding outcome, it is bravery, but if it turns otherwise, it is stupidity, so, wisdom is before taking actions.

We must be ready to do what is right even in the face of fierce and frightening situations, we must be ready to fight for what we want even when the circumstances are not easy, we must give our all to ensure we get to the heights we seek. Be BRAVE, be wise, be watchful, you can do whatever you set out to do, if you have the courage to go the distance.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ADVENTURE

ADVENTURE

The world and everything in it has evolved over time, great inventions has been innovatively improved and transformed into better versions and greater quality; all these has been possible because some men do not sit still and bask in the euphoria of what they have done, and achieved, rather they have gone ahead to break seals and stamps to give us better lives.

Life is best lived as an adventure, you cannot get the best of life living in a box, in a regimented, and controlled lifestyle. Safety does not guarantee progress, but taking risks is the only way through which we can attempt reaching unknown heights.

Andre Gide once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” we cannot discover new landmarks, new territories, new horizons if we do not leave our comforts zones and go into the depths of the sea, the thick of the jungle, and beyond the atmosphere into spaces ordinarily unreachable, we will remain here as eagles with wings capable of flying into the skies, but choosing to scramble for feed on heaps of rubbish.

We are not trees, we do not have roots, we are mobile, dynamic, and extraordinary beings, we are meant to explore, dominate, create, and rule our world, and this can't be done when we have rooted ourselves in place. If we must live our best lives, and be what and who we are meant to be, we must go out of our boxes into the wild and take the risks, because like Paulo Coelho said, “The danger of ADVENTURE is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort.”

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".

ZAPPY

ZAPPY

Sometimes in life, one have got to shake off some quietness, calmness, and coolness, one has got to be lively and energetic, one has got to show how high spirited one can be. Life is a very short story of how one have lived, so, one must therefore live in such a way that would not be forgotten in a haste. 

Douglas MacArthur once said, "Life is a lively process of becoming." The process of doing, becoming, living, and exploring is not a gentle process, it is a rigorous process of setting targets, planning, and executing the plans. It is a process that must be attacked with serious, determination and efforts to achieve that which we really want to achieve.

A lively lifestyle is a curious, questioning, answer seeking, inquisitive, and inquiring lifestyle, it seeks knowledge at all cost, it goes beyond the norms to find the difficult answers to the the difficult questions of life, it is the life that never settles for the less, but strives to attain the best attainable height. It is the growing lifestyle.

Your visions will not come to life without the right energy, it is not just about the words, it is not about what you say, it is about the energy you put into what you do, because words gets nothing done, only action does. Live happily, happiness brings life; be determined, it brings energy, enthusiasm, and passion. These are the ingredients that gives result to our actions.

(A➡️Z)14➕Z)

John Kamikun

Author, "366 days of wisdom".