Battle of the mind and heart.

BATTLING IN SILENCE.

The world is an interesting place, there is beauty everywhere, the order and wonder in nature is extremely delightful, and the people in the world are very lovely people; unfortunately, the events and happenings around the world today has distorted the beauty, order, and peace; people now do things that are extremely unimaginable, and some have become so inhumane that they do not care what happens to another man, so long their longings and desires are satisfied.

Many today are fighting some battles that is way beyond their age, and mental capacity, but they are holding up so strongly that even the closest person to them does not realise what is really going on with them. Many fight these battles so long that they reach breaking points, and all they can think of is bringing everything to an end. They do not seek an end because they are weak, but because they have stayed strong for so long, and are tired of being strong.

Many people do not want to put their burdens on you because they are considerate, and understanding, they prefer to suffer alone, and in silence, than to bother you with their own challenges; many have lost their lives fighting silently within them; many have taken their own lives. Some of the people fighting the most difficult battles are the greatest cheerleaders in the group. In all you do never be the reason someone else would cry.

Reach out to people; put a call through to an old friend; wear a smile on your face, that is a way of spreading it; surprise people pleasantly once in a while; never be rude to anyone, always show respect; share some love, show some love. If you are fighting a silent battle, find a true, and sincere friend, relative, or colleague and share your burdens with them, it may be a very tough thing to do, but it will help you win. Let us all help one another to victory over all our silent battles.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

You get what you give.

RESPECT LIFE.

You get in life what you give, if you do not give you do not get, and you cannot give something and espect the opposite. You can not disrespect a person, an object or anything at all (through abuse) and expect to get back from them something you would appreciate, if you disrespect, or abuse a knife, it will cut you. We cannot disrespect life and it's principles, and expect to get good reward from life.

Respect is not just about honouring people, it is much more, it has to do with the proper use of something for the purpose it was created for. It is disrespect to an airplane to attempt moving it around town without flying it; it is disrespect to a knife to attempt using it to eat; these things may be able to carry out those tasks, but not as efficient as what was created for that task.

The reason most people still struggle to achieve their dreams, aspirations, and fulfil their purpose in life is because, they have not used their skills properly, they have failed to develop their talents, they have ignored, and disrespected the principles of life. Until you begin to do the things that must be done, in the way it must be done, you will continue to struggle to get in line with what you hope to achieve.

As much as you can, help those that need your assistance, and you will surely get help when you need it; spread love, make others smile, and you will get in return what you have given out. Like Sandra Ingerman said, "We must remember how to honor and respect life with each breath, step, word, and thought. What you bless blesses you in return. This is the power of reciprocity." Respect is reciprocal, if you respect life, life will respect you with the rewards of respect.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

You are not weak.

BUILD YOUR STRENGTH.

Some people see themselves as weak, some people are labelled weak, others just chose to be weak, not putting their strength to appropriate and adequate use. Strength is not something that we receive from outside of ourself, it is not something we can be given, strength is something we all have. We only need to develop, build, and nurture our strength to grow to the extent to which it should serve us.

Strength like muscles is present in everyone, some are only weak because they chose not to develop their strength. Sometimes, when circumstances that need the application of strength arises and we are threatened with great discomfort, severe injuries, or possible damage to our body parts, our mind sends message to our brains to produce an amount of adrenaline that will pump our energy levels and help us mitigate or fight off that threat.

You cannot do what you want to do because you have not built up your strength, your mental abilities, your skills, and other attributes needed to get that thing done. Start at once to build that which you already have within you, to be able to do that which you want to get done. The body builders you see today having big strong muscles, giving them the ability to carry enormously weighty objects were once without such strength and shape, but they built it over time.

King Solomon in Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:10 said, ”If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small“ Your strength is small, not because that is all you can have, but because you did not develop, build, and make it bigger. There is no task you cannot accomplish if you can build your strength up enough to be able to achieve it. You are not weak, build your strength.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Think beyond the box.

THE BOX IS ONLY IN YOUR BRAIN.

Many of us grew up observing so many do's and don'ts, we were basically governed by some unwritten laws, such that when go against them, we go under a lot of scrutiny and face severe punishment. All these experiences have mostly shaped our lives growing up, have created some kind of confinements in our brains and minds, and have mostly dealt a huge dent on our creativity as children, even though some discipline might have been instilled in most of us.

We were all born creatives, we all had the abilities as children to become extraordinary beings, but the imaginary boxes that have been created in our minds have limited the creative abilities of many, they have even rendered many completely uncreative, making so many become shadows of themselves.

Those who have been brave enough to go against the grains of pressure, and confinement, who refuse to be subdued by all the laws, and guidelines, have been tagged crazy, and they are the ones who have really become the most successful, they are the ones who have created the most unimaginable, most innovative, and most rewarding things we would ever see. They are the real geniuses.

We cannot continue to think in the same manner we have always thought if we must have a kind of result different from what we have always had. Albert Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” You must think thoughts that are different from that which created the problem we are trying to solve, we must shatter every limitation of our imagination and creativity, we must think beyond what we see into what we can make visible. There are no limitations to our possibilities.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Be a student, not a follower.

A FOLLOWER, OR A STUDENT?

You cannot fully live the life you are supposed to live if all you do is follow someone, be directed, or controlled by them. No matter how admirable someone is, no matter how successful they are, they can not lead you into the life of your dreams, if you do not take the lead, the steps, and get on the path towards your own desired destination.

No one ever becomes great by following great men, everyone that has become successful might have been students of great men, rather than their follower. Henry Ford, and Nikola Tesla where students of Thomas Edison, they later became great men in their own rights. They were not followers, rather they worked their way to the top by learning from one of the best they could in their own time.

Followers never rise to become anything, but to remain followers. No matter how high they rise in the ranks, they remain followers and will always be in the shadows of the one who is their master. Students, on the other hand, learn from their teachers, and leaders, they seek to understand the whys, and the hows, they question, and they get answers becoming better in their pursuit and endeavours.

Like Jim Rohn said, "Don't be a follower, be a student; take advice but not orders; take information, but don't let somebody order your life; make sure what you do is the product of your own conclusions." Your life is solely your to determine what will become of it, if you let other people's opinion become the basis for your choices, you will be living your life for them, but leaving yourself to bear the consequences of the outcomes. Be a student, not a follower.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Tomorrow's tree is today's seed.

WRITING ON THE WALL.

Seldom will anything event happen that has not been predicted, indicated, or perceived; a lot of times people ignore the clear indications of some things all because their own selfish appetite will be satisfied. People would sometimes act favourably towards a pictures of a clearly unfortunate future neglecting what the probable outcomes might be for the overall good of all concerned.

The writing on the wall can not be erased to alter the outcomes of the future which present actions necessitated the writing, but there can be further actions delibrately taken to alter the potential outcome provided there is a genuine turning away from the ills that activated the foreseeable damages.

Though you successfully deceive everyone to believe your lies, you will within yourself know and understand the consequences of your actions, like Martin Farquhar Tupper said, "He who commits a wrong will himself inevitably see the writing on the wall, though the world may not count him guilty." Unfortunately, when the writings on the wall begin to truly manifest, everyone deceived and the ones who knew the truth from the onset will all feed on grass.

No one who heads in the direction of Babylon will end up in Canaan; you cannot plant cassava and expect to reap sugarcane, life is governed by principles, and principles properly adhered to, guarantees results. You cannot behave beastly and expect to be treated humanly, you cannot burn bridges and expect unity, you cannot open up springs and expect to walk on dry land. Today's results are the seeds of yesterday's actions; if you expect favourable results tomorrow plant good seeds today.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

All that is good does not glitter.

NOT ALL GOOD IS GOLDEN.

Sometimes in life opportunities come like burdens, they come as though they are something that would sap us of the things we already have, but they have actually come to enrich, empower, and give us the things we really need. Many have lost their chances of growth, and real success all because they thought they would be drained by engaging in something that looked burdensome on the surface, not knowing it is a life changing opportunity for them.

It is not enough to be smart in recognising obvious opportunities, one must also learn how to recognise opportunities that looks more like adversity. The greatest breakthroughs men have ever had has come through very difficult and seemingly unfavourable circumstances. One must not lose sight of what an event would yield just because current circumstances are not turning out as expected.

On the flip, some opportunities are perceived to be golden, they appear sweet and creamy on the surface, but they are underlain with dread, and deceit, and their outcomes can only be dreadful, unfavourable, and regretful. One must be careful before jumping into conclusions on certain issues and seeming opportunities, and privileges.

Susan Jones once said, "All that glitters is not gold, and there is also a lot of gold out there you don't see glittering." Do not go in search of glitterings, do not be deceived by shiny surfaces, look deeper into the roots and the crevices of life, and see those beautiful things that is hidden from the behold of many. The rough can become smooth, the ugly can become beautiful, the old can become new, look deeper.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Be flexible, but rigid.

ADAPTATION IS KEY TO SUCCESS

Flexibility and firmness are offspring of same parents, both are relevant at different times, and are important for substantial progress, and eventual success. One must be able to decipher matters for which one must be flexible, and that for which one must be firm and unshaken. Life is very dynamic, and sailing through life requires some dynamism, and flexibility.

In the words of Marty Rubin, "The tree that stands so firm on land trembles in the water." One must be firm when it comes to matters that he is well grounded in, and knows no other truth, but when it comes to matters in which one is a green horn, he must be flexible and dynamic. However mighty a tree is, it will not stand firm in water, it will definitely fall. If one does not become flexible in situations that requires flexibility, he would be broken, and shattered, but flexibility allows for a lasting survival.

Life is governed by principles, if life's principles are followed we would get the results that comes with those principle, but if we negate the principles we wouldn't get what is expected, but times, and seasons change, and things change with time. We must therefore flow with the tides of time, and not be lost in the events of time, we must be flexible, and change with the happenings of times.

Ancient Chinese Philosopher Liezi once said, "Develop flexibility and you will be firm; cultivate yielding and you will be strong." The best way to be firm is to learn flexibility, and the best way to be flexible is to be strong, firm, and unwavering in our thoughts, beliefs, and ideologies. We must learn to make the right choices when faced with challenges, so we can get the best from whatever situation we find ourselves.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Be on guard.

PROTECT YOUR POSSESSIONS.

There is a common saying that, "You don't value what you have until you have lost it", sometimes, you will never realise the value of something you lost, because only you was meant to give it value. Without you there will be no value to that thing no matter how long you have lost it. Every one has been given custody of different and peculiar ideas, and can only be brought to see the light of day by that one person.

Your dreams, visions, and aspirations are yours to bring to life, if you fail to do what you should do with them, the world will never experience the uniqueness of your being, and the peculiarities of those ideas. You must guard everything you have jealously with all you have got, by this I don't mean material things, because those can be gotten in multiples even when lost, stolen, or destroyed, but the gifts that God and nature gave you, and be ready to give your all to see to its optimal use.

You must see beyond your immediate realities, and the brightness of your future possibilities to be able to determinedly and tenaciously pursue the invisible which you hold within you. As Jonathan Lockwood Huie said, "Standing in the inspiring vision of my future, I boldly take every step large, and small with courage and intent."

Never underestimate that which you have; never look down on your own skills, abilities, knowledge, and ideas; never see yourself as lower than anyone else; you are completely capable of achieving everything and anything you want to achieve, the big stage for you is not unattainable, if you put your mind to the realisation of those things, and put efforts and energy into seeing it come to life, you will achieve everything you want and even more.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Keep going.

WHEN IT GETS TOUGH, GO TOUGHER.

Newton's third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When life deals with you harshly, you must be able to stand firm and return the harshness with a reaction that is equal or even superior. You do not relax when life is getting tougher, you do not wait for the tide to roll you over, otherwise you would be swept away, go hard on whatever you are going after.

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going" they say, but for you to get going you have to be tougher than the going, or else your going would not be progressive, but retrogressive. You may not have all the strength to get going, you may not even recognise the path to get going, but you must find a way to ensure you keep going. Find the strength from within, find it from around you, never stop moving forward.

It is okay to cry, but don't stop; it is okay to rest, but don't stop; it is okay to stop by and encourage others who are getting weak by the way, do not stop; no matter what life throws at you, ensure you keep moving. Your story will not be a story without a successful ending, your struggles would not hold any meaning without the outstanding results, your life will not be worth the time if you did not make it in the end.

Every man at the top of the mountain today, have passed through the valley, their journey to the mountain top was never easy, but they were determined to get there irrespective of what may come their way. As Confucius said “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” We may fall many times, but we must rise more than we fall, for that is the only way to get going.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

We need each other.

ALL FOR EACH, EACH FOR ALL.

Man will always be in need of his fellow men. The good times can not be enjoyed alone, talk more of the hard times. At every point, in every situation, in celebration or in distress, in success or in failure, we will always need ourselves, as life is not and can never be lived in isolation. The people that surrounds us is mostly determined by the situation we are in.

These times are difficult, myriads of people are in need of sincere help, and we cannot be contributors to people's problems and challenges. If we cannot help people out of the problems they are in, if we cannot lift their burdens, if we cannot bring solutions to their challenges, we should not in anyway add to their difficulties.

We should provide our shoulders as resting place for disturbed heads, why do we fight? Why do we shut the door of support against our fellow men? Why are we pleased to see others suffer? Life is not meant to be all about us, we should be a source of succour, not just to our family and friends, but to every human we come across. We are supposed to be one big family, we are one race, we are all humans.

Margaret J. Wheatley puts succinctly, "When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we are to each other." We must seek to bridge the gaps that our differences have created, we must live with the consciousness that, alone we may be able to go fast, but together we will surely go far.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Live impactful lives.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE?

Everyday the world welcomes newborns, and although we all do not come into the world at the same time, we all are born for a purpose. However, our purposes are diverse and different in many ways but it is all to serve and achieve one universal goal: making life easier to live for each other. No man was born for himself alone, the fact that someone had to carry you in her womb for nine months says it all. Most of that nine months and some years after was about you, they were moments that was sacrificed to see you develop, grow, and become a fully grown human.

We are all meant to lead lives of impact, we were meant to make live easier for each other, we were meant to fuse our visions and purposes into one universal and globally beneficial course for all of humanity. As Ralph Waldo Emerson would say, "The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." If all who lived before us had lived for themselves, we would not have the world we now have, if they had been concerned only about what they can get from life and not what they can give to the world, our world will not be this good for us to live in, but they lived for something beyond themselves, and today we benefit from their works.

You are not supposed to just stay alive, you are not supposed to just live, you are supposed to be an agent of positive change, you are supposed to fulfil your purpose, you are supposed to live for something greater than yourself. Do not be satisfied with just succeeding, making money, and gathering wealth, there is more to your life than that, there are destinies hanging on the fulfillment of your purpose, if you fail them, for what have you lived?

In the words of Mother Teresa "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." The best way to make the world a better place for all is to spread love, to care for the needy, to support the once who are weak, and bring smile to every face that comes in contact with you. The best job any one can do in the world is to make another man happy, the best gift you can give a man is a smile, so, wherever you go, whatever you do, show some love, spread some cheer.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Choose happiness.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE.

You don't always get everything you want, work for, or deserve in life, but irrespective of what you have or get, you determine the attitude you express, and that attitude have a lot to do with your well being. If what you have or do not have determines how you feel, then you are in for a lot of topsy-turvy moments in life. Nothing should be capable of controlling your mood, only you should have control over it.

The legendary Jim Rohn once said, “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”. If you do not get happy in the present with what you have, you will not be happy in the future even if you have more. Happiness is a self designed state of the mind, not a far away destination to be reached, or a feat to be achieved.

The life of a happy man is smooth and easy, even if he has nothing, but an unhappy man in his wealth and grandeur will never be at ease nor know peace. You can only be as happy as you want to be, no one can give you or take away your happiness. When you have all, make yourself happy; when you have non, make yourself happy.

In the words of Dalai Lama, “I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives.”. When we share of the little we have, when we give to those in need, when we render assistance to those who can't repay us, when we restore hope and bring smile to the faces of those who have lost hope, we will be planting the seed of lasting HAPPINESS in our own lives.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Cooperate not compete.

COOPERATE MORE THAN YOU COMPETE.

In the 2021 Olympic games in Tokyo, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar agreed to share a gold medal in the high jump event that ended in a tie. These two friends were given the option to settle the tie with a jump-off, but Barshim in the spirit of cooperation and sportsmanship asked, how about two golds? The official said it was a possible option, and Barshim accepted the option with a nod and Tamberi instantly accepted, slapping Barshim’s hand and jumping to hug him.

These two people could have opted for a jump-off, one of them would become a gold medalist, and the other a silver medalist, but through cooperation, and putting aside the spirit of competition they both became gold medalists. Sometimes, what we need to be winners is not our skill and ability, but our willingness and readiness to cooperate with others for a joint win.

No one individual has ever and can ever achieve anything all by their own self. Everyone that has achieved something, or done something special in the world has done it with the help of some people. People will always be a part of everything and anything that happens, negatively or positively, and every contribution is always very important to the process.

Competition is good as it can bring the best out of a person when it comes to performance, but cooperation is better, it helps everyone win with ease. As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off." So, cooperate more than you compete.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Who am I?

DEFINE YOURSELF.

There are three possible definition to every man or woman, these three definitions can to the extent which a man allows it determine what a he becomes. There is a definition of people about you; there is your own definition of yourself; and there is the real definition of who you are, what you are capable of, and the potentials you possess.

Except it is positive, and a potential trigger towards a better you, and a more progressive journey, you should not allow the definition of others about you determine who you are. You should not give in to the pressure of conforming to the smallness of thought of anyone for you. You should not allow anyone to reduce you, your efforts, and drive towards success to a standard below yours and your pursuit.

The most valid and most important definition of you is that which you hold for yourself, and that which you really are. This is why you must not think lowly and intimidating thoughts of yourself, rather you should think positively and highly of yourself, you should be your own greatest cheerleader, and your own most important motivator.

If your definition of you alligns perfectly with who you truly are within you, the journey to success is already halfway completed. You are filled with awesome potentials, you are a treasury of hope, and confidence, you are powerful beyond measure; you just have to realise that you possess all these powers, and be Intentional about how you want to assess and harness those powers for your ultimate success.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Love is an action.

LOVE IS NOT A FEELING.

The butterfly flapping it’s tiny wings in your stomach when you think of someone that you see as special and dear to you is not all there is to love. Love is beyond the deep, intense, sometimes eruptive feeling or affection you have for or towards a person; it is beyond pleasure, and emotions; as much as these are symptoms of love, it is the lowest level of its display.

Authentic and sincere love, is a commitment to a person, people, or a course, whether in convenience or inconvenience; love is not the verbal confession made through word of mouth, but the ability to make sacrifices for someone or something that has a spot reserved for them in your heart and life irrespective of who they are, family, friends, and acquaintances. 

Being ready to meet a person’s need when it arises is a show of love; making conscious effort of being present for someone when in their time of distress and discomfort is a show of love; and making inconvenient and uncomfortable sacrifices for someone is a great show of love to any individual.

Love is an action more than a feeling, and it is the exhibition of that action that proofs the existence of love. Someone who loves, does not consider himself more important than another person. We cannot but love those around us. As Elbert Hubbard said, "The love we give away is the only love we keep." The best way to show love to ourselves is to love others, for that is the only expression of love that is true.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

It is all risky.

RISKS AND REGRETS.

It was Jim Rohn who said, "If you think it is too risky, or too expensive to try something you really desire to do, wait till you get the bill from not trying." Everything about life is risky, there is nothing that you do that is not risky, neither is not doing it unrisky. Doing business is risky, you can lose all the resources you put into it, not doing business is also risky, you will struggle to stay afloat financially; so is investing, and not investing; planning and not planning; eating and not eating, and so on, all risky.

Having this understanding that life and everything we do and don't do in it is all risky, why not go for the most rewarding risk. We must take risks, for it is only in taking risks that we can really achieve anything reasonable in life. We must therefore weigh our options, and identify the different types of risks that are available, examine the most rewarding, and the one that can bring us the biggest regrets.

Risks and regrets are part of life, if you take risks that yield great rewards, you might have some regrets. You may feel you should have taken greater risk than the one you took, and gone all out on that particular endeavour; if you take risks that does not yield results, you would feel you should not have taken those risks at all.

So, whatever you do, do not fear taking risks, for it is the only way through which you can achieve anything worthwhile in life. President John F. Kennedy once said, "There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction." Choose your regrets by the kind of risks and actions you take.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Be prepared.

PROPER PREPARATION GUARANTEES PROPER PERFORMANCE.

Every human being is capable of achieving spectacular achievements, everyone is born for a purpose beyond mediocrity, everyone can become whatever they want to be, but not everyone will become what they want, and should be because, not everyone is ready and willing to pay the price for what they really want from life. Potentials are in inertia until triggered, abilities are useless until put to use, circumstances remain the same until a determination is reached to change the story.

Athletes train and prepare for hours, days, weeks, months, and even years for an event that will last only a few days, or hours, and when they win the trophies, and the medals, we think it is the reward for just a few hours on the pitch, court, ring, or tracks, but we consider not their time and effort behind the scenes which enabled them achieve what we see on the big stage. The great Mohamed Ali once said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'” if you must live your life as a winner, and champion, you must first suffer, we must work as if our lives depend on it.

Usain Bolt also said, “Easy is not an option.. No days off.. Never Quit.. Be Fearless.. Talent you have Naturally.. Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work.” everyone have got a special talent, it is natural and inborn, but you must work consistently on your skill to be developed, you must be determined to improve and better your skill everyday or else it will fail you when you need it most. It is better to be prepared for an opportunity that may never come, than to have an opportunity come to us and not be prepared to utilise it. Failure due to lack of opportunity is not as terrible as failure due to lack of preparation.

Always be prepared to cash in on any opportunity, never despise any opportunity to improve yourself. My little brother Muyiwa John once said, "The product of patterned purposeful planning, partnership and preparation, is a positive performance provided proven persistence is present." if your preparation is persistent, your performance will surely be positive.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Hold up, hold fast until you win.

IT IS NOT OVER UNTIL YOU WIN.

The reality of life can be harsher than the expectations you look forward to, you can be in cruise control of your life, you can be so sure that you will get to the end of the road as though you were skating smoothly on ice, and just in a blink of an eye, you are struggling to get back on your feet, you are struggling to find your way back, and all you would wish for is recovery.

Sometimes, you are ahead in life not because you are better than others, or because you were the most skilled in whatever you do, but because you took advantage of an opportunity that was presented to you. You should not take those advantages for granted, neither should you relent in your strides towards a victorious end.

When you are behind, when everything is going against you, despite all the efforts you are putting into everything you are doing, when it seems all your efforts are being flushed down the drain, never let go, never give in to the pressure around, never let the unpleasant results weigh you down. Look beyond the current situation, and keep working towards the result you want.

It is never over until it is over, even if the statistics, the projections, and the odds are against you, never back down. Always look to the skies, always find a way to stand up when you fall, keep a positive mindset, and with your unrelenting efforts, you will see the results turning around in your favour. Whatever happens, ahead or behind, never relent, never look back until you win.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Trailblazers and pace setters.

SET THE PACE, BLAZE THE TRAIL.

Achieving success in life is not a competitive phenomenon, it is a personalised race for every individual, and one that will get to the finish line would not compare his journey to that of others, nor look to go on the path that has been threaded by others. Every one has a purpose for their existence, and until that purpose is established in knowing who you are, and what you were made for, success will only be a mirage.

Your path to destiny is a path meant to be discovered only by you. You cannot walk the path of another man's journey and expect to reach your own destination. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." It is in following your own dreams that you discover the path made only for you.

No one remembers followers, no one gives credit to second place, only the firsts are remembered, only those who have done what no one have done before, and those who break records that have been initially set are remembered and recorded for history. Many have come and gone, but those who left trails of their exploits and created a better life through their inventions, and discoveries will always be remembered.

Find yourself, find your purpose, and find your path. You were made for something special and unique. Do not walk in another man's shadows. Live your life to the fullest, and never allow anyone confine you to their own idea of what, and who you should become. Life is too important to be lived for another man's satisfaction, or on another man's terms. So, find your path, set the pace, and blaze the trail.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Live full.

OWN YOUR JOURNEY (Part 2).

In a 1981 release titles "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." Most times, life never go as we plan it to. Today, we are busy planning, working, and going through a lot of discipline to ensure that you get rewarded for the efforts you have been putting into your endeavours, but something absolutely unplanned for, happens without warning or prior notice, it is part of your journey.

You may not be responsible for the unplanned and unpleasant event, and you may not be proud to associate with it, but that is a part of your journey. It is the cumulation of all these events and happenings, pleasant or not, that sums up who you are as a person, it is what will determine who and what you are becoming.

Wear your scars with pride, flaunt your story, do not be shy of your past. It may be unpleasant, but it has shaped you into a better version of who you were. Things may happen to you that may not necessarily be as a result of your decision or indecision, but life just wanting to have its way and say in your life, do not fight it, rather, embrace it, and know that it came for a reason.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Even when life happens to you, do not forget, and do not neglect the purpose for which you started the journey. There is no way out of life, in fact, no one is getting out of life alife, nevertheless, we should not be swept away by hurricane of life, but own the journey with confidence and pride.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Wear your scar with pride.

OWN YOUR JOURNEY.

Though the future is bright and loaded with lots of goodies, and we are shaping our today to fit our plans, our yesterday has so far produced who we are today, and brought us this far on our journey to the future. We must therefore make no attempt to detach ourselves from our yesterday, or erase our past irrespective of how terrible it might have been. Sometimes, we are not proud of our past actions, we might have taken those actions in haste, from a naive mind, out of ignorance, or even intentionally, we must yet take responsibility for those actions for they have become part of us, and our journey.

Nonetheless, we must not continue to nurse the wounds caused by our terrible past, we must seek to move past every hurt, and limitations it is imposing upon us, we must see it as past and not allow it determine our now, or even affect our future. We must not forget the lessons learnt, because every thing that happens to us teaches us a special lesson. If you sincerely take responsibility for your past, and your present, you will be able to create your own desired future, you will be confident enough to take necessary actions to shape the future you want to create.

The key to true happiness is to accept responsibility for your actions, be accountable for your results, and take ownership of your mistakes. By doing this, you allow yourself determine what you get from every situation that comes your way, and not allow the situation determine what happens to you. You are what you say you are not what others, or your situation say you are.

If you want a future free of regrets, think deeply, think twice before you take any action, before you utter any words. Weigh your thoughts, your words, and your actions before making it public, never do or say anything in haste. You will always reap the rewards of whatever you do, or say, you will always be remembered for what you do, and say to others. At the end of the day when you will remember what you gave others, what you said to others, and what you did to others, will you say you have lived the life you wanted, or you have lived just an ordinary life. Take charge of your tomorrow, by owning your yesterday.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Forward ever.

WHEN IT GETS TOUGHER, KEEP GOING.

Edmund Hillary, and Sherpa Tenzin Norgay were the first men to have reached the zenith of the highest point on planet earth: Mount Everest. This statement would not have been true, had Tom Bourdillon, and Charles Evans not turned back from within 300 feets to the top of Everest three days earlier.

Tom and Charles encountered some challenges on their way to the top which made them quit that attempt, they even went at a record pace, until they felt they could no longer continue their journey to the top of that mountain, three days later Hillary, and Tenzin reached the top of that mountain, not without challenges, but through determination and a never quitting spirit.

Life never gets easier, it only gets tougher, especially when you are going forward vertically. The challenges do not go softer on you, rather it hits you harder, but when you have your eyes set on the goal, and you feel weak and unable to go ahead on that journey, you would have to weigh your options, and decide what you want from what you have gone through. The regret of quitting, or reward for the pain and discipline.

You don't win when you quit, there is no reward for quitting. "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going" they always say. Jackson Brown, Jr. once said, “Let perseverance be your engine and hope your fuel.” The hope of a better tomorrow is enough reason to hang on inspite of the difficulties. Never let go of the opportunity to break through because it got tougher, it is just after that point you will be celebrated.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Suddenly

NOTHING HAPPENS SUDDENLY.

In a fast paced world, where nothing is waiting for anybody, and nobody is waiting for anything, but everyone grabbing everything, and anything they want and can by the neck, and running with it; some people want some things to happen for them and to them suddenly. They see people becoming something they were not some time ago just in a moment, and they feel it all happens suddenly.

Nothing happens suddenly, as a matter of fact, the only thing that sometimes happen suddenly is destruction. Everything that has been built, everyone that has become, and everything that now exists never happened suddenly; everything went through certain processes before becoming what they became. The building that you see standing tall and beautiful had to go through a lot of planning before execution; the trees standing tall, and strong were once seeds, and seedlings in the soil.

Whatever you want to do, whoever you want to become, you must begin today to work towards it for tomorrow. You must be willing to go through the process of becoming, you must be ready to go through the discipline that guarantees progress. Even the things that happen suddenly began long ago without pronouncement.

The thing that you suddenly discover did not just happen suddenly, you have come a long way to find it. Do not be unprepared for the result of the decisions you make today, for tomorrow they will stare at you right in the face. If you don't want to be caught unaware, if you do not want to suddenly realise that you have gone in the opposite direction of your dreams and aspirations, plan, prepare, and put in the work, so you don't suddenly come into regret.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Be a solution provider.

FEASTING ON, OR FIXING IT?

Men always go through different phases of their lives in different dimensions, and level of difficulties. Some periods are very difficult and most times people get confused on what next to do, they become dry minded and unmotivated to go ahead on that journey; it seems nothing is working for them and all they can think of is throwing in the towel.

It is in these kind of times that we discover those who really love us, and those who do not care about us for a moment. Our friends are not those close to us, around us, and with us, who show themselves friendly to us, neither are our enemies those who are far away from us. Our friends are those who in our difficult times rise up to help us find a way out of that difficulty, irrespective of how long we have known them, or how closely related they are to us.

When we see people around us going through life's challenges, when we come across someone struggling with life, what do we do? Do we feast on their misfortune and difficulties by laughing at them, and deriving pleasure in their pain? Or we find a way to fix their problems and lift them out of their quagmire?

If you go out of your way to make someone happy, if you make delibrate efforts to fix another man's problem, you will not be without such help when you need it. Maybe not from the expected quaters, but it will surely come. Helping people overcome their challenges can also help you build the capacity to deal with such challenges when you come across them. Tables turn, and life happens, whatever you do for and/or to another man will never go unreciprocated.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Pain for pleasure, or pleasure for pain?

CHOOSE YOUR PAIN.

It is easy for one to desire greatness and success, it is easy to want to receive something that one wants, but it is difficult to want to go through what it takes to achieve and get those things. Many of us knows what is required of us to achieve what we want, some do not know but they do not want to discover, because they are not willing to stretch themselves beyond where they are to get what they want.

There is no way we would escape pain as we grow through life, but you can decide when the pain comes. You either let life have it's due course (default mode) of bringing you pleasure before pain, or you take your time to go through the pain of putting yourself through discipline, so you can enjoy the pleasure that comes after the pain of discipline.

Subjecting ourselves to pain has to do with a lot of things about our lives. We leave our comfort zones in the quest and search for knowledge; we put ourselves through stress with the intention of getting a skill that will enhance our growth; we give up some irrelevant and unprofitable attitudes to build positive character that will catalyse our efforts.

Jim Rohn once said, "We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment." One of these pains is early, and the other comes later, you have to choose which pain you want to suffer; the early pain, or the later. The pain of regret comes later in life when it might be too late to reverse, but the pain of discipline is one that builds you up in preparation for pleasure. Choose your pain wisely.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

A defence mechanism.

BUILD YOUR SHELL.

A tortoise was once crawling in the jungle when it came across a pride of lions in search of a prey to feast upon. One of the lions saw this tortoise and thought it had found meat; Immediately the tortoise sighted the lion coming, it went into its shell. The lion seeing the tortoise shell made several tireless attempts to extract the tortoise (meat) from its shell, and the tortoise knowing the danger of coming out of that shell stayed calmly in till the lion got tired and left it safely.

Every legitimate army anywhere in the world must have a defence mechanism. It is not enough to be built up for attack, it is not enough to only have strategies aimed at attacking the enemies, you must have a system, and a strategy of defence in case an attack is launched against you.

We can not hope to win in everything that we do without building up a mechanism of defence for ourselves; we can not expect that we will not be opposed in our quest for whatever we want to achieve. We must build up shells against negative criticism, unfounded allegations, and hatred against our personality. We must be ready to withstand all the forces trying to talk us down and out of our dreams, visions, and aspirations.

Calmness in the face of these oppositions and adversity is also a necessary attribute that we must possess. We must be able to stay calm, composed, and patient behind and within our defences, so we don't get caught unguarded. At every point in time, you must be conscious and sensitive of your environment, the threats and the support it possess, and how you can optimise all situations to your advantage.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Fall, rise, and never stop.

PERSISTENCE ALWAYS GET ANSWERS.

Water is light, flexible, without shape and form, it does not have a sharp edge, but it can cut through rocks, and stones. It does not achieve such through force, power, or any special skill, but by constantly hitting the same spot over and over until it gives way to its passage.

You will rarely get what you want from life and people if you ask just once and keep mute about it. "Fortune favours the brave" they say, if you are not bold and brave enough to ask, and fight for what you want, everything will evade you. You cannot be lethargic when you don't have what you want, you need to go all out for it, no matter how long it takes.

Calvin Coolidge once said, "Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." You cannot exercise persistence if you are not determined. Determination and persistence goes hand in hand, and without them you cannot go very far. However difficult something may be, however unbendable a situation might seem, if you do not relent in ensuring that it conforms to your bid, it will surely bend.

Whatever you desire in life, you can achieve if you do not relent. You may fail over and over again, but if you do not quit, if despite falling multiple times, you continue to stand up on your feet and keep moving forward, you will eventually get to your destination. Being successful does not come easy, it comes with so much victory over lots of minor obstacles on the road, it comes with being able to fail and keep going. PERSISTENCE is the key to success.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Look back, don’t go back.

LOOK BACK TO MOVE FORWARD.

You will not leave a place for another if all you have or need is in that place; you will not embark on a journey if it is not for a cause that positively impacts your life or others. Every journey a man begins is always for a purpose, but sometimes, the journey does not go as smooth as expected, sometimes, moving forward on such journeys seems almost an impossibility.

You must have heard that, when you embark on a journey you shouldn't look back, but the truth is, sometimes, you have to look back to be reminded that you cannot go back; sometimes, looking back would encourage you and give you the motivation that you need to keep moving forward.

When the journey ahead becomes difficult, when it seems there is not enough strength within you to keep going, when it seems you are down and out, look back at where you left, look back at the distance you have covered, look back and see those who are expecting you to get to your destination so they could make you a reference on their journey, look back so you would see there is no reason you must turn back.

Better days are right ahead of you, and you will never see them if you turn back. You must believe that someday you will see the brightness of the sun, you will get to the place where you imagined before you left everything behind. Steve Jobs ones said, "You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." The destination is ahead, but the dots are connecting behind; if you look back, let it be for one reason, to push and move you forward.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.