A Son Never Forgets.

I MISS HIM.

It was my first time attending a Toastmaster's meeting during my National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) year. I had always wanted to be a Toastmaster but been unable to, and on this very day, I attended a meeting, while enjoying every bit of that meeting a tray was passed randomly and somehow got to me, I was asked to pick a piece of paper that had something written on it, and I would have to make an impromptu speech on whatever topic I had chosen from that small tray.

I was not allowed to open the paper until I was on the stage, and when I finally did, I was to talk about "the worst day of my life". I took a deep breath because, the worst day of my life happened not more than a year ago from that day, and it does not require any thought, it was fresh; It was the day my father died. That day is still fresh even after nine years, it was a Wednesday, and I was in my final year in school. He had been sick and we hoped he would recover. He had plans for after his recovery which he had shared with me, and I wished he recovered to fulfil those plans, but he never did.

He was one of the most selfless man I have ever seen, he never joked with the education, and wellbeing of his children. He was never ashamed to do anything for his family no matter how dirty, as long as it is legal, and would feed or give his family the comfort we need. He never had any higher education, but he was always ready to learn; he never took anyone for granted, and was always ready to sacrifice his own convenience and comfort for that of others.

He always encouraged me to read wide, he will always say, "read wide, read everything: match pack, bill boards, book covers, everything" and that has helped me alot. He taught me so many things, many of which have greatly helped me thus far in life, but there was still so much he should have taught me, and so much I wished I had done for him, but death never allowed. Today is not an anniversary of any sort, and I do not mean to receive pity by writing this. Twelfth of February, his birthday anniversary; and forth of February his death anniversary. I just miss him today like never before. Keep resting Dad.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Fight a good course.

A REBEL OR A SOLDIER.

Everyone in life is fighting for something, and those who are not in the fight for something are basically not existing. You can not sit on the fence in the battle of life. It is a fierce battle, and everyone in it is either a soldier or a rebel. Soldiers and Rebels are basically the same, what differentiates them is what they are fighting for; the purpose of their agitation, and who they are fighting for. Rebellion are sometimes seen as unlawful and a fight against a perceived good course, but it may not always be the case.

Sometimes, some people have to rebel against organised forces that are putting people in pain and deliberate hardship. When we rebel against a course that dehumanises others, and make others go through inhumane conditions, we are fighting a good cause, and whether we be tagged soldier or rebel it does not matter. People may fight for their own personal gains, it is not uncommon, and it may well be a worthy fight, but when we fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, we are doing the human race a huge favour.

The world does not need more tamed souls, who succumb sheepishly to the horrific act of wickedness perpetrated by men who care less about the welfare of others, but would do anything to place themselves and theirs in affluence and prosperity. The world need warriors, rebels, and soldiers who are ready to fight for a cause that is bigger than them, those who would stand for those without feet, and speak for those without a voice. The world need people who truly care for others and desire the wellbeing of others.

Life may be tough and difficult, the world will not give you anything on a platter of gold, but if you would go out and fight for what you want you would get it. Be a warrior, be a soldier, be a rebel, but never put others in discomfort and unrest. Fight only for peace, harmony, and the greater good of all around you. Find your voice and use it for the voiceless; be a reason for others to want to give their dreams and aspirations a worthy fight. Be a beacon of hope, be a fighter in love.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Appreciate the little things.

TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED.

Frank Sonnenberg once said, "Appreciate what you have, while you have it, or you will learn what it meant to you after you lose it." many times, we do not appreciate the things that we have, we look at some of those things as little, irrelevant and unimportant, we despise them, only to learn the true value of those things when we have lost them. Most times, the things we take for granted are capable of granting us access to the things we really want, they might be the key to us fulfilling our dreams and desires.

Everything that happens to you, everything that you go through, everything that comes your way, and everything you experience all happens for a reason, and rather than consider the significance or insignificance of those things, we should consider the purpose, and reasons for the occurrence of those things. When something happens too often, and sometimes too easily, we take them for granted, we do not appreciate it until we are unable to do those things as easily as we would normally do.

Everything is a miracle, everything takes effort, and nothing is of insignificant value or effect, we must always show gratitude, and appreciation for the privilege of being able to do and witness all of those things. Many people pray for the opportunity to have what most other people have but do not appreciate; many will gladly accept the gifts that most people reject and despise; others would pray just to be in people's shoe but they never see as an opportunity.

Life is a gift, and everything that we have and experience in it is a privilege and opportunity. We must always be grateful for everything, and take nothing for granted. People are the greatest gifts we can ever have in life, and no matter who they are, no matter their social status, age, or anything else, never take anyone for granted, no one will appreciate being taken for granted, and what you will not accept, you must not give out. Everything you have is a blessing cherish them and you will have much more.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Finishing strong matters most.

IT IS NOT HOW YOU START BUT HOW YOU FINISH.

In a marathon, the man who wins the race is not always the man who got off the mark all guns blazing, and speeds off, it is not always the strongest man, but the man who understands the techniques, and strategies of how to run a marathon successfully. Sometimes, people rush off to start a journey or an endeavour without knowing what it takes to embark on that journey, and go through it successfully, they just think they could sail through without having prerequisite knowledge of what they are getting themselves into.

Planning is an essential part of any endeavour, without planning failure is an highly probable outcome. As much as growth, adaptation, and upgrading one's self during a journey as the journey unfolds and we know and see better is essential, we can not downplay the importance of proper planning. It is not enough to start a journey well, it is not enough to be the first off the mark, and show very good signs of progress in the early stages of a journey, but begin to lag behind when it matters most.

The end is the most important part of any journey, how well you finish is what determines your reward, not how well you started. It does not matter how you started; it does not matter where you started from; it does not matter what you have or did not have when you started, what matters most is how well you finish. Gary Ryan Blair once said,. “You can’t finish what you don’t start, and you should never start what you are not committed to finish.” If you do not start, you will never finish, and if you are not willing to commit to finishing never start.

It is not always easy to keep going on when the journey gets tougher, but giving up is not anything to be considered. We must continue to move forward, it is in those tough moments that we can develop real strength and bring out the best in us. We must turn our potentials into tangible working power pushing us towards our desired goal. If you ever started, ensure you finish well; if you ever dared, never back down when it gets touch; it is not how you start that matters, it is how you finish, so finish well, and finish strong.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Suffocate your challenges.

JUST GO HIGHER

The only bird that dares to peck an eagle, they say, is the crow. It sits on its back and bites the eagle’s neck. However, the eagle does not respond nor fight with the crow, it spends no time on the crow instead the eagle opens its wing and soar higher to the heavens. The higher the flight the tougher it is for the crow to breathe then the crow falls down from the lack of energy and oxygen. You can choose to suffocate your problems, challenges, and criticism by going higher.

You will always be faced with different levels of challenges as you go along the journey of life, irrelevant and baseless issues will fight for your time and attention as well as very critical and important ones; criticisms of all kind (positive and negative) will also be a part of the things you will have to deal with, but you must learn how to best react and deal with all of these. You do not sit down to sulk, and whine in the face of all these issues and challenges, you do not give in and resign to fate, you simply rise, and go higher.

You just keep developing yourself; you keep working harder on yourself, your skills, and your talents; you keep growing and going higher, and you will automatically lose all of those challenges. As you go higher, you become stronger, you get the strength to keep going higher, and all the criticisms, difficulties, and challenges will begin to fall off your back, they begin to suffocate, lose strength, lose basis, and lose their hold of you, they start becoming irrelevant to you, and all of a sudden, just like the crow falls off the back of the eagle, you would no longer find any of those things bothering you.

Don't waste your time fighting irrelevant battles, do not be dragged into any time wasting, and energy sapping endeavour that will just waste your time, energy, and resources, but would yield you nothing. You are better than all that, just keep going higher. It may not always be easy, but keep going higher; people may see you as weak, but keep going higher. Be like the eagle, just keep going higher, keep becoming more of what and who you are meant to be, the higher you go the better you become, and you will get to the point where non of those things will be able to touch you again, the higher, the better.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

We rise by lifting others.

YOU DON'T GO DOWN WHEN YOU LIFT OTHERS UP.

In construction, working at height always require the erection of scaffolds. A scaffold is a temporary platform that help workers work comfortably at height. In erecting a scaffold, certain safety measures has to be taken to ensure the safety of all the men and materials on that scaffold. The scaffolder who erects the scaffold can not erect that scaffold staying on the ground. The higher the scaffold will go, the higher the scaffolder have to go, and he and his team are responsible for getting all the parts of the scaffold to the various heights they are needed.

As long as the scaffold is standing, the scaffolder, his team, and anybody who have the right, the ability, the need, and the skill to ascend that scaffold would be able to reach the height that the scaffold allows them. A man who helps others grow, who provide a platform for others to go higher, and lift others up, will always have access to the top at will, whenever he desires. Someone who help others cannot be helpless when in need of help. He may not receive the help from those he expect but he will surely be helped.

You can not lift another man's hand while your hand is down, your hand have to be up for it to lift another's, and this is how strength is forged. We are as strong as our weakest link, and we can only build strength when we help each other grow; we can only go up when we lift others up. Like Robert Ingersoll said, "We rise by lifting others." When we have the opportunity to help others become better than they are and we refuse to, we will one day regret that action, when we need someone in a position that we might have helped some people get to.

There is no gain in bringing people down, in fact, you have to be down to drag another person down, you must be in the mud to drag someone else into the mud, this is a lose lose. Life has a way of paying people back with what they have given, and sown. So, if you want happiness, make others happy; if you want success, help others to become successful. If you want to go up, help other go up. Our actions today are the seeds of our harvest tomorrow, and if we want to have a good, desirable harvest, we must sow delightful and desirable seeds.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

There is more to who you are.

DON'T SELL YOUR HERITAGE FOR PEANUTS.

You might have heard the story of the farmer who had a farmland, and had for many year tilled the land, cultivated and harvested many plants and crops on that land, but he rose up one day and thought he could no longer continue farming on that land and wanted to go in search of diamonds. He decided to sell the land to another farmer and went in search of diamonds, in a distant land. Few days after he had left, and the new farmer had taken over the land, he was tilling the land when all of a sudden he struck some strange stones, he had found diamonds.

Old former owner of this land never found diamond anywhere, unfortunately he has sold the acres of diamond he had unknowingly. Sometimes, many of us do not know what we have until we lose them. A lot of times, we dispise our own gifts, talents, and skill; we do not regard them as anything useful or worthy of working upon. At times, we have to be told by others who see beyond what we see, the real value of the gifts that we posses, they open our eyes to what we can achieve and become with what we have.

Robbie Robertson once said, "You don't stumble upon your heritage. It is there, just waiting to be explored and shared." You have so much hidden within you, you are a reservoir of unlimited greatness, waiting only to be explored. There is so much within you, there is so much you can achieve, there is so much you can become, you just have to look deep, and inward to see the things that are hidden within that the world is craving to have a share of. There are contributions that only you can make to the world, and the world eagerly awaits it.

Be proud of who you are, carry yourself with respect, dignity, and honour, you are not a piece of rag of no value, you are an epitome of everything good and glorious. Your heritage is greatness, and success. It is not to be given to you, it is what you have, but you must work hard to reveal it to the world. Your dreams and aspirations are worth a fortune, never sell it or trade it for anything less than its worth. You may not be great today, but it is normal to start lowly, and grow to glory. You are more than enough.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

The way up is down.

HUMILITY PRECEEDS EXALTATION.

A tree is seen to stand tall and elagant, producing edible and sought after fruit, many come from far and near to enjoy the fruit of that tree, but a seed had to be sacrificed and buried below the surface of the ground, and after the death of that seed, a new life begins which would grow to become a fruitful tree. The humility of that seed and its readiness to go into the ground is the only reason it will ever become a tree, if it remained in a jar, on a tray, or in the shelf it will forever be a seed and at some point will begin to rotten and later disposed as waste.

The way up they say, is down. If we must grow to become what we hope, wish, and aspire to be; if we must reach enviable heights, we must first go down, and be ready to the the things that are not so enviable. If you want to be a leader, you must first become a servant. Nobody ever become great starting from the top, you must start from the base and go up the ladder. Those who have attempted to start from the top, and probably got there never lasted at the top, most of them failed irredeemably.

Most of those who we remember today, those who we respect, and pay tributes to, are those who started from the very lowest levels in the community, they were servants who led through serving and became great leaders worthy of envy and emulation. Rick Warren once said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." When you think more of what you can do to help others, when you think more of becoming a source of hope and life for others, you are thinking less of yourself, but actually building a happier life for yourself, because at the end of the day, the things you have done for others will be your greatest source of joy.

Henri Frederic Amiel puts succinctly, "There is no respect for others without humility in one's self." It is when you humble yourself, that you can truly respect others, and the reward for respect is greater respect. You will never grow, if you think you are already grown. You will never become great, if pride has covered you up like a garment. Without humility, man would almost not be able to carry out any virtuous act, humility is the root, and basis of all good, humane, and beautiful actions. EXALTATION is the reward for sincere humility.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Do the right thing.

YOUR RIGHT OR THE RIGHT.

The world we live in today is a place where people's rights are been protected, or voilated, upheld, or opposed. Many go about protecting their own rights, but violating the rights of others; some are about fighting for their right and possibly that of others, but they ignore the fact that sometimes, activating your right in certain circumstances may not be the right thing to do. Life is never all about you, and the things you want, you sometimes have to consider others in your actions.

If you do not care about the effect your actions will have on others, as long as your own personal rights are not infringed, you are not doing the right thing. The fact that something is your right, does not mean it is the right thing. As a matter of fact, something may be your right, but it is harmful and injurious to YOU. As much as you should protect your rights, and that of others, you must also ask the critical question: it is the right thing?

The right thing may be inconvenient for you, but it would be ultimately beneficial to a vast number of people, and yourself inclusive; you may not even be satisfied with what the outcome might be for you, but knowing that many people will benefit from it should give you more joy. If we choose to always do right even when no one is watching, we will have a better world for everyone to live in.

Do the right thing always, whenever your right come in the way of what is right, you must shift grounds to allow what is right to take pre-eminence. Who you are does not matter, as long as you do the right thing, you are saving the world. William Clement Stone once said, "Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity." Irrespective of the situation you find yourself always do the right thing.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

The immortality of good men.

HISTORY NEVER FORGET ITS WRITTERS.

Many have come and gone, many present today lives as though they do not exist, but many will never be forgotten, no matter how long they have gone. One of those who will never be forgotten is Sir Nicholas George Winton MBE. In 1939, during the holocaust Sir Winton helped save the lives of 669 children, many of whose parents perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp. He helped this children find new homes and families in Britain, giving them hopes of life.

Many of the children he saved later became notable successes in their various endeavours, adding tremendous value to the world, and making it a better place for many more to live. Sir Winton died on 1st of July, 2015, at the age of 106, but he will never be forgotten. History will always remember him, because he wrote history through his rescue activities. There are many more people past and present who have done greatly to advance the good cause of humanity; Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Malala Yousafzai, and many more will not be forgotten in a hurry.

We all are mortal men, and our time here is very short, but we can become immortals by our actions, and deeds, we can help others live better when we decide to do things for them that they can not do for themselves. We cannot live life solely for ourselves, because that would be an unlived life, rather we should live the kind of life that would make others remember us even when we are no more.

Bob Marley once said, "Live for yourself and you will live in vain; Live for others, and you will live again." It may not be easy to live for others, in fact, it is difficult, but as we go along on the journey, we would realise that we have lived our absolutely best life. Never see the things you do for others as a waste of resources, or as something done in vain. It is you writing history, creating a better live for those who might not have had the opportunity if you did not come into the picture. Let history be proud you were here.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Try something new.

EXPERIMENTS ARE WORTHY ADVENTURES.

Life is not all about getting things right at first try, you don't have to be correct, accurate, and precise on your first try. Sometimes, you just have to try, experiment, and see how things will turn out in different scenarios, under varying circumstances. All of the great inventions we have today were never achieved on their first try, they all started as experiments before becoming inventions.

Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it best when he said, "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." When you are too scared too try out new things, you will never discover anything new, and when you shy away from delving into new endeavours, you will never know what you can achieve. The more new things you try, the more your chances of uncovering the undiscovered, and the better your life is likely to turn out.

Fortune they say favours the brave, because only the brave would dare to do the things that everyone else would not do, so they are likely to get the results that everyone else would not get. The fear of failure will keep one stagnated, but the courage to go out and try will open doors of unprecedented opportunities and unlimited possibilities. Jeff Bezos once said, "It is not an experiment if you know it is going to work." The certainty that comes with knowing something for a fact, is born out of concise knowledge and experience, and that cannot be reached without prior experimentation.

Never be afraid to try something new, do not fear failure, success cannot be achieved until you have first failed, strive to unlock a world of unknown possibilities, life holds so much for you to be limited to existing knowledge and experiences. Go in search of a better life, let your dreams, visions, and aspirations drive you to unveil a world without limitation. Experiments are never a waste of resources, but an investment into greater possibilities.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Friends to foes.

WHEN FRIENDS BECOME OPPONENTS.

On 16th of October, 2021, just after the final whistle in a Serie A match between Lazio and Inter Milan both football clubs in Italy. Lazio had beaten Inter Milan coming from one goal down to win 3 goals to 1. In excitement, Lazio's Felipe Luiz jumped on his old friend and former team mate Joaquin Correa who at that time was playing for Inter Milan. This act resulted in a brawl between players of both teams, and earned Felipe a red card. Surprised and bewildered at the whole scenario and the reaction of his friend, Felipe left the pitch with his eyes laced with tears.

There is an adage in Yoruba Language that says, "Ogún omodé kò lè seré fún ogún odún." which literally means "Twenty children cannot play together for twenty straight years." They would one day be separated by different circumstances and situations, and some will just decide to leave the group, when this happens each of them must realize that it is life trying to have its course with them.

Someone puts succinctly, "Strangers can become best friends just as quickly as best friends become strangers." People come into our lives at different times, for different purposes, we must recognise our friends for who they are, and why they are in our lives. We must realise that we do not have the monopoly of friendship over anyone, and when a friend chooses to exit our life, or when life separates us, we must accept this in good faith and move on with our lives, no matter how valuable we think that friend is.

Care must be given to how we relate with old friends, some may still have our interests at heart, and may still be ready to be of help if the need arises, while some might have become antagonist of our course, they may be ready to hinder us from becoming what we wish and hope to be, and will do whatever they can to make that a reality. Do not be afraid of turning strangers into friends, but be terrified of allying with a friend who has chosen to become an opponent. Know when to draw the line, know when to let go.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Leading by example.

LEADERSHIP IS LIVED NOT EXERCISED

In a recent interview with BBC news Yoruba, HRH King James Oladipo Buremoh Aroko-Ola, the Onidera of Idera land in Kwara state, also known as "Ladi the African Tiger" a one time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, narrated how despite being a king, he would go to the United States of America to drive the New York Sight seeing buses for six months in a year, and come back to govern his people of Idera land for the other six months. He did this to be able to cater for the needs of his family and those he rules over.

As a King he never saw rolling up his sleeves to get the job done or started as a challenge, he was always ready to lead by example. These acts and actions never reduced him or made him smaller than he is by any standards, in fact, it has made him the kind of leader that the people want, and are ready to follow. He has exemplified true leadership, by living out what he would expect from people, and not just by telling people what he wants them to do.

As leaders, we must be ready to lead the kind of life we want to see our followers live; we must be ready to be the first one rolling up our sleeves and getting to work; we must be ready to go the extra mile for those we lead. Leadership is not a position to be occupied, but a responsibility to be carried out; it is not a title to be honoured, but a call to service; leadership is an opportunity to show the world how to do the right thing, the right way.

Those who call themselves leaders must live as leaders, leading the frontline towards the collective vision of the group, and not just exercising authority over those who they lead. Empathy, and compassion are two necessary qualities a good leader must have, they will be needed to help the led. Don't be the one who rocks the boat, when others are rowing, be the one who challenge others to row faster to increase the speed and get to the destination faster.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Winning against yourself.

WINNING YOUR WAY.

Alice was on the starting line with seven other contestants in a 100 meter sprint event, at the sound of the gun, everyone took off including Alice, and by the time she got to the finish line, she was the last person to arrive there. Disappointed at her position in the sprint, she began to weep, but her coach seeing the time she got to the finish line was happy, because it was a record time for Alice, she had never sprinted in such short time, in training or any competition.

The coach came to her and said, "Alice, you broke your personal best record, you have never ran in such a short time before, surprised she wiped off her tears and her face glowed with a smile. Despite coming last in the sprint, Alice was a winner. She was not a winner because she beat anyone in the sprint, she was a winner because she had beaten her own personal best record. She did what she have not been able to do prior to that race.

Winning for you does not always have to be by other people's definition, you don't have to satisfy other people's criteria before you can be declared a winner. Your greatest competition is not the man on the other lane, your greatest competition is the man you were yesterday. Whenever you climb higher than you previously were, you are winning; whenever you know better than you knew yesterday, you are winning; whenever you do what you could not do before, you are winning, and it is only then you can win against anyone else.

Winning is a personal personal journey, and you don't need any medal to know you are winning, or feel like a winner, as long as you are growing and becoming better. You must never be satisfied with what you have, or who you are, you must strive every day to beat yourself to new levels, you must work determinedly to rise above every obstacles, and limitations to arrive at a new destination. Be proud of yourself and everything that you do, do not let anyone put a tag on you, no matter what they say, you are a winner.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Curiousity is genius.

CURIOUSITY NEVER KILL ANY CAT.

You do not know because you do not ask, the man who ask questions will surely get answers, and the quality of your questions asked, will determine the quality of the answers that you get; but if you do not ask, you will never get. The most curious people in the world, are the most quintessential people, they have been to realms that the incurious man would never get to, they know what the ordinary man will never know, and when they stand before their peers, there is that aura of distinction around them.

Curiousity is the only thing that has led the world to this level of advancement that we have today, it is the only thing that has made new inventions possible, and great innovative ideas a reality. Curiosity has never killed a cat, but it has given many a better life to live. Walt Disney once said, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Creativity births curiousity, and curiousity births more creativity. A curious mind will always unfold new ideas, conquer new territories, and ascend to heights unimaginable to a man without curiosity. Like James Stephens would say, "Curiousity will conquer fear, even more than bravery will." Your curiousity will reveal to you the true picture of what is in the shadows, and unveil the unreal figure behind the mask that scares you.

Don't be afraid nor ashamed to ask questions, never be too timid to go in search of the answers that you earnestly desire. Curiousity is a great gift of nature, that the world around has silenced in many individuals, to limit them from poking their fears in the face, and discovering rarities. Without asking the right questions, we will be stuck, rot, and weakened; without curiosity, progress will be just a mirage.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Everything comes at a cost.

NOTHING IS FREE

Everything in the world comes at a price, and the things that may seem to cost nothing or the least, actually cost the most. A price has to be paid for everything. You can have everything you want to have, you can receive all the free gifts in the world, but you must realise that, if it cost you nothing, it cost someone else something, or even everything. Life never gives anyone a free gift.

You would sometimes hear people say, that the best things in life are free, but like E.A. Bucchianeri said, "I have been told the best things in life are free; I found them very expensive." Someone once wrote, "If everything was suddenly free, you would quickly discover that many of the things you want, and many of the things you need, such as food, might no longer be available."

The world is a battlefield, and nothing is fair in it, if you must get a thing, you have to pay a price for it, and if you get something for free, someone else already paid. Some people today enjoy so many free things because someone has paid the price for them to enjoy. Success can never be achieved on a platter, it must be worked for, no one achieves anything without paying a price, everything comes at a cost.

Parents can give their children easy lives, by paying up front the cost of a better life for their children, through adequate planning, and extra hard work. You can choose to make someone get something for free, by doing the things they would have done, if you knew they were incapable of doing those things by themselves. The only free thing in the world is nothing, and if you expect to receive something for free, all you would receive is nothing. Except a price is paid, nothing is given.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Seeing the unseen.

INSIGHT OVER SIGHT

Until we are able to see the things that are not the visible to the physical eye, we are not seeing anything. The physical eyes can see the things that are already existing, but the inner eyes can see the things that can be brought into existence. Without the sight of the mind, the sight of the eyes is almost pointless. If we cannot see what is invisible, if we cannot see what can be made, but can only see what is made we will never be progressive.

The imaginative mind is our other eyes, and is the most important one, because without the physical eyes we would still be able to get so many things done, but maybe not as effective and efficient as we would have wished; but without the inner eyes we would be unable to visualize a better way, a better life, and a better world for ourselves and others. Without the imaginative mind the world will not experience the inventions and innovations we have today.

Abiodun Fijabi once said, "We are better off when we see both with our outer and inner eyes. The inner eyes see beyond the pain, the weakness, and the challenge. They fuel hope and give us reasons to live. The eyes of faith then become our indispensable ally in our unstable world." We cannot but be wary of our inability to put our inner eyes, the mind's eye to its absolute best use. It is our greatest tool towards our desired tomorrow.

Imagine the tomorrow you desire; visualize the life of your dreams; look into the future, and see the opportunities that await your activation. There are no obstructions on the path of the mind's eye, there is no limitation to what can be achieved in the tomorrow that is viewed with the eyes of unlimited possibilities. Do not be ruled by your physical eyes, but let your inner eyes guide your steps, your path, and your actions towards a more rewarding and brighter tomorrow.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Build your tomorrow today.

TOMORROW IS THE REAL DEAL.

Life is like a roller coaster, today we are up, and tomorrow we are down; today we are happy, and tomorrow we are sad; sometimes the things that happens to us, and around us are not particularly pleasant. We are sometimes hurt by those who are supposed to have our backs, and this can sometimes go on for so long that we begin to lose our trust in friends, relatives, and acquaintances, and we begin to shell ourselves from the world around us.

Sometimes we hold on to the past that we find it very difficult to live in the moment, we may be so hurt that we hold so much grudge in our hearts against those who have hurt us, and we let the pain caused by their deeds to hold us down for too long. There is no gain in sulking about the events of the past, we must leave the past behind, and the pain that it brings along, we must look into the future by living in the present.

"Today, they say, is a gift and that is why it is called present", we cannot disrespect the gift of today by looking back into the events of yesterday. Tomorrow is uncertain, but we cannot leave the outcome of tomorrow to chance, we cannot let tomorrow meet us on prepared. So, we must do today the things that would guarantee us a pleasant and desired tomorrow.

We must in the words of Albert Einstein "Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.“ Yesterday is gone, but we can learn from its mistakes; today is here, we must live in it; tomorrow is yet to come, we must prepare for it. If we fail to prepare for tomorrow, we will reach tomorrow, realising we wasted yesterday. Today is what we see and know, but tomorrow is pregnant with unlimited opportunities, and we must be prepared for those opportunities.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Start today.

JUST START

Everyone who starts a journey always start with a goal, a target, and a view of what the end is supposed to be like. Most times it may not be so easy to achieve these goals due to some unforeseen and unforeseeable circumstances that may occur. Sometimes, you even see yourself as being behind on what you should have done, and where you should have been, but one thing you must know is no matter how behind you think you are, no matter how late you are running it is never too late to start.

Did you have dreams for the year that you have not achieved? Did you start the year on a very enthusiastic mode but are now so apathetic about the thing you showed so much enthusiasm about? Have you fallen short of your goals for the year? Did you abandon your project and never started what you planned to start? It is not too late to start, it is not too late to start again. As the popular saying, "it is better late than never" but Drake as an addendum to that saying said, "... never late is better" You should not delay further your start date, start now.

As a Chinese proverb says, "the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the next best time is now." if you had started and never quitted, you could have had the success you so much desired, you could have been reaping the fruits of your labour, but it is still not too late to start, it is not too late to give it another trial, it is only too late when life is no more. Now is the time to start. Today we know, tomorrow we are yet to see, if we do not do today what we can, and should do we may not be able to do tomorrow what we ought to do.

Time waits for no man whether he does something or nothing. If you have a project that will reach maturation in five years and you think five years is too long a time to wait for what you want to achieve and you refuse to start, in the next five years you will regret your action of not starting. Whether you start or not five years will come to pass, and you will either regret or be grateful for your actions or inaction. It is never too late to start something new; it is never too late to make things right; it is never too late to begin again; your dreams are still valid, it is not too late to pursue. It is never too late to change your life, start now and you will only regret not starting earlier.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Everything is possible, if you believe.

ALWAYS BELIEVE.

In 2012, Chelsea football club was in the final of the European Champions League for the second time in 4 years, they were nearly eliminated in the round of 16 stage when they were beaten by Napoli 3 goal to 1 in the first leg of that tie. Their manager got sacked after that match, and they rallied themselves to win the second leg by 4 goals to 1, advancing to the next stage.

As the tournament progresses, the ties became more difficult and in the semi finals against Barcelona, after been down to 10 men, and losing 2 goals to nil, they came back to draw the match 2 goals apiece sending them to the finals. In the final match, Bayern Munich scored the opening goal of the match in the 83rd minute on their home soil. This was enough for anyone on the Chelsea side to give up their hopes of winning that tournament, but they never gave up, they kept believing, and in the 88th minute Didier Drogba leveled from a Juan Mata corner kick, sending the tie into extra time and then penalties.

Chelsea football club won their first ever European Champions League trophy that night against all odds. Nothing worked in their favour in Munich that night, except their determination to win. They were outnumbered, outcheered, and outplayed, but they never stopped believing. Nothing beats your believe in yourself, even if no one believes in you, never stop believing in yourself and your ability to achieve whatever you set out to achieve.

Life may not be fair to you, the odds may not be in your favour, but your believe, backed up by your determination, will get you your desired victory. Never look down on anyone, because as much as no one is indispensable, anyone can be instrumental to you eventual success. As Norman Vincent Peale said, "Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Happiness always win.

PRIORITISE HAPPINESS.

Life and everything in it is transient, everything is moving faster than ever before, and the passage of time is gradually taking away everything that is dear to us, including our loved ones. Life does not care what you do with your time, you must decide how you use your time and what you want from the things you do with it. The best way to use our time is to live in the moment, and one way of living in the moment is to be happy always, and to create happiness for others.

Happiness does not come as a result of what we have, but is state of mind that we are determined to be in. We are not happy because we have so much, but we are happy because we are contented with the little that we have. Our happiness is our responsibility, we cannot leave it to chance, or in the hands of other people who do not really care about how we feel. Denis Waitley once said, "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

We must make being happy our priority, as it will enable us to be productive and proactive in our daily engagements. You cannot be happier than you are willing to be, so lose yourself of every hindrance to a peaceful life, and be happy as often, and as much as you can, and should be. As much as you want to be happy, do not take away the happiness of others. Be a man who spreads happiness, instead of a man who takes away the happiness of others.

Prioritise your happiness, cease to worry about the things you do not have control of, be intentional about your will to be happy, and focus on activities that make you happy, and bring out the best in you. When you have a choices to make, choose happiness always. In the words of Lucius Annaeus Seneca "True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future." Live in the moment, enjoy today, and when tomorrow comes, live in it also.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Anger is a dangerous weapon.

WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

According to Wikipedia, "A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a biological, chemical, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natural structures (e.g., mountains), or the biosphere. Sometimes, the effect that the weapon of mass destruction have on where they have been activated are irreversible and irredeemable.

Every man is carrying a weapon that is as potent if not more potent than these weapons of mass destruction, and the only reason the entire universe has not been brought to ruins, is because many people have been able to subject this weapon under control, and those who have not mastered the art and act of subduing their own weapon, have at one time or the other felt the harsh, and negative effect of their actions.

Anger is a very dangerous weapon of mass destruction, if not controlled, it is capable of destroying the entire universe; if not controlled, many people can suffer for crimes they never knew anything about. Anger drives one to do things he would later regret, it takes a man from sanity to insanity. No one is immune to provocation, so anyone can be made angry at any time, but before you get angry, consider the consequences of your unguarded actions.

An English proverb says, "He is a fool who cannot be angry, but he is a wise man who will not." Be careful how you make use of the weapon of mass destruction that you posses, it cannot be destroyed nor taken away, but it can be subdued, controlled, and properly channelled. Be careful what you do when you are angry, it is better to be silent than to act in anger. Never let anger drive you, because it can drive you to a very dangerous destination.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Talent is the starting point.

TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH.

The world have seen so many talented people who never lived up to the expectations of people about them, they never reached the level they were meant to get to, they never fulfilled their potential, not because they lacked the skills, or the ability they needed to get things done but because they lacked some other qualities that is necessary and important to get them to the top, and keep them there. Talent will always give you the opportunity to let the world see you, but you would need more than talent to keep the world on you.

Tony DiCicco once said, “Talent is not enough. It's an important component in a successful performance, but it is really only a starting point.” Talent is like an ignition, it gives you the privilege to start, but to continue moving, you need discipline, hard work, determination, and dedication to your craft. You need to improve your skills, and upgrade your performance. You need to be ready to learn from those who knows and understand the trade better than you.

Cristiano Ronaldo is not one of the most talented footballers in the world, but he is arguably one of the greatest footballers the world have ever seen. His great success, and continous competitiveness can be credited to his rigorous training routine, hard work, and the determination to remain at the highest level in the game. At 39, he is still performing at the highest level in world football and is not looking like slowing down anytime soon.

You have got to be ready to give your all into whatever you do, there are many people competing for the crown, you must outwork them, outperform them, beat them at their game, and keep yourself ahead of them always to remain at the very top. You must be consistent in your delivery and ensure you better today's efforts with tomorrow's performance.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

A world of women.

WOMEN ARE WARRIORS.

Whilst some people have been raised, believe, and are propagating the believe that women are supposed to be confined to the kitchen and the other room, that they are supposed to be a modern domestic slave, only attending to domestic issues and satisfying their needs; some people are really investing in women and girls, and giving them the resources, opportunities, and privileges to become shapers and builders, leaders and trailblazers, winners and record breakers.

Women are an integral part of any society, and a people, nation, society that seeks growth, progress, productivity, prosperity, and order, must intentionally engage, and include women in its leadership, policy making, and developmental plannings. Women are never second fiddle in the intellectual game, they bring in dynamism, and uncommon but unique perspectives to different situations, scenarios, and problem solving.

We have seen women become very influential in making the world a better place for people over the years. Rosa Parks was pivotal in the eventual emancipation of the black race through her involvement in the freedom movement; Marie Curie was the scientific genius behind the discovery of X-rays and radioactivity which today is a major tool in medicine and other fields; Anne Frank, Florence Nightingale, Queen Elizabeth II, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mother Teresa, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Margaret Thatcher to mention a few are all women who played, and are playing their part in history and leaving great marks on it.

These Women and many more today are doing so much to make the world a better place, and their courage, resourcefulness, and passion for humanity needs to be celebrated. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, who said, "Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world." We must continue to empower women, and girls, for with them, the world is capable of being a better place for all.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Set your priorities right.

PRIORITIES DETERMINES PROGRESS.

People will always make a fuse about their poverty of time, they attribute their inability to get something done to the unavailability of enough time. Time seems to be one of the most available resource to every one, ironically it is the most underutilised resource. Many people run through the day busy doing some of the most irrelevant tasks around, becoming particularly unproductive at the end of the day.

One way of ensuring your time is maximally utilised is to set priorities. Like Stephen Covey said, "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." When you set your daily activities according to preference, order of importance, and possibly their level of difficulty, it helps you in the words of Brian Tracy "eat the most ugly frog first", and eases you up to face the simpler tasks ahead, making you more productive. Whatever you prioritise takes the center stage of everything you are doing, and until you get it done you will not feel fulfilled.

In the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." If you fail to give priority to the most important things in your life, you will find yourself attending to the unimportant and somewhat negligible ones.

In whatever you do, ensure your biggest priority is yourself. You must be at your best always to be able to get anything else done. Invest in becoming healthier, more knowledgeable, more skillful, and wiser person, as you would need these qualities to sail through the hurdles and challenges that life would throw at you. A lot of things will seek and fight for your attention, but having your priorities set would ensure you are on top of your game, and progress for you would be on autopilot.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

A new problem everyday.

PROBLEM NO DEY FINISH.

Life is like a giant cooking pot, and it is always cooking problems (challenges). Every new day comes with its own problems (challenges), and the more we want to achieve, the more problems (challenges) we face. The ability to surmount these problems (challenges), and find authentic solutions to them, is what differentiates the successful from the unsuccessful. If we must become successful in anything we do, we must be ready to become problems solvers.

Many are going through very tough situations in life, they wake up every day wishing their lives were less problematic, they hope for a day when they will be free from all the troubles and challenges they face, but they do not realise that problems (challenges) will never cease, and that those challenges are building them up for a better life. "Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors" they say. We must while going through the challenges of life, learn everything that life wants us to learn.

Every new stage of our lives will always require a better, more sophisticated, and upgraded version of us, so we must always make the best use of every opportunity we get, to learn how to be better persons for ourselves and our society. We can rise above our challenges, we can turn our obstacles to stepping stones, we can teach ourselves to become masters in problem solving, we can make the best use of ugly situations.

"Problem no dey finish" is a popular slang in Nigeria, which means "there is no end to problems." Having this knowledge that problems is an ever flowing phenomenon in life, we have to live one day at a time, learning, growing and going through life intentionally and with determination and courage. You cannot dwell for too long on a problem, if you can't find a solution to a particular problem, relax, take a break, seek help, and if you can't find help, move on to the next problem, but never stop finding solutions.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Everything is based on perspective.

PERCEPTION IS WHAT WE SEE.

Nothing in life is in a particular way, everything that you see appears to you in the way that you want to see it. When you look at something you have seen before differently, you will see a different thing. We are the determinant of how things will be seen by us. If we ask people who have the same thing to describe what they saw, we would be surprised at the variance of their answers.

Most of the things we see are the mental pictures of what we already have created in our minds, We may sometimes see something different when we take a second and more careful look. We cannot see beyond what we have trained ourselves to see, and when we do see what we have not been trained to see, we find it difficult to comprehend.

It is sometimes important to understand the effect of perspectives. If we perceive something wrongly, we will make wrong decisions, and pass faulty conclusions, but having the understanding that our standpoint will always determine our viewpoint will help us adjust ourselves, and thought accordingly.

When you look for something, you will see it, but be careful to look for what is right. Do not seek to judge someone without first standing in their place, do not reach conclusion on a matter without looking at the various angles to it. It was Marcus Aurelius who said, "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." Always seek the right perspective in every situation.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Give and receive.

THE POOR RICH MAN.

Poverty is no man's desire, it is by no means what anyone would wish for, or be proud of, but unfortunately poverty will always abound; of material things and of the mind. There will always be poor people around. Poverty is not only the lack of money, or materials resources, but also of character, humanness, and value. You can have huge sums of funds, you can accumulate so much to yourself materially, but lack everything else you need to be a real human.

Someone once said, "some people are so poor, the only thing they have is money." Some believe that having money will bring them all the happiness they want in life, they struggle so hard, sometimes illegally, and through crooked ways to acquire wealth, and upon having so much, they realise how vain life could be even with lots of money.

True wealth is in what is given out, not what is received, or accumulated. We get so much when we give out. We should learn from farmers, who plant seeds, and reap trees. If we must be truly get rich, we must be people living lives of impact, we must be ready to always render a helping hand to those who need it, whenever they need it.

Everything that we have, we do not have for our selves alone. As much as we must be wise in our dealings with people, we must understand that the life lived for one's self is a wasted life, but the life lived for others is a well lived life. "There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you." ~ Paramahansa Yogananda.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Learn from the forerunners.

THE GAINS OF TEACHABILITY.

Olakunle Soriyan once said, "There has to be foolish people around, for the wise to be celebrated." Similarly, there has to be ignorant people for people of knowledge to be celebrated. No one in life is an island of knowledge, no one knows it all. The moment you claim to know everything, you declare your ignorance.

You do not know more by pretending to know all, but you know more by accepting the degree of your knowledge. The people who know so much about alot of things are people who have been humble enough to want to learn from anybody irrespective of their age or social class. Our experience, exposure, and perspective about life determines how we respond to the gap of knowledge between us and some other persons we feel we should be more knowledgeable than.

In the words of Criss Jami, "The unteachable man is sentenced to being taught only by experience. The tragedy is he reaches nothing further than his own pain." There is more pain in being unteachable, you get to go through the pain that you would have skipped if you had through humility released yourself to be taught. Life is a very good teacher, but sometimes the scars that some unpleasant experiences leave is irreversibly unnecessary.

Give yourself to learning from people's experiences, enjoy the luxury of going on a ride through a road that has been threaded by others who have gotten to the destination you wish to arrive. Be willing, and ready to be a beginner at whatever you have not afore learnt. Be a teachable student of life.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Dream it, achieve it.

YOUR DREAMS ARE VALID.

Dreams are not the things we see when we sleep, they are the things that does not make us sleep. Every one have dreams and aspirations, we all have desires, hopes and expectations, but the actualization of these dreams, aspirations, hopes, and desires are dependent on the things we are willing, ready, and able to do.

Dreams come true, but not while you are asleep, to achieve your dreams, you must awake from your sleep, get on the threshing floor, and grind out what you want from life. No dream is too big, as long as you can conceive it, you can achieve it. Walt Disney had a dream of a wonderland that has never been, the largest theme park in the world today is the Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida which is Disney's flagship resort opened in 1971.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Your dreams are beautiful, they are valid, they are given to you for a reason, and if you do not work on them to bring them to life, the world will miss out on the greatness and the quality of those dreams.

Determination, discipline, dedication, and hardwork are the ingredients to the achievement of your dreams. Believe in yourself and the validity of your dreams. Wake up from your sleep, let your dream fuel your actions, and give yourself the opportunity to be a game changer. Give the world a taste of your uniqueness.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.

Go with courage and confidence.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD UNAFRAID.

No one is born courageous, no one is born confident, but our environment, the events that takes place around us, and the people in our lives determine a lot of what we develop along the way, courage or cowardice; boldness or fearfulness. We cannot expect to win a battle that we are afraid of fighting. If we must win any battle, we must go into it with courage and confidence, otherwise we are defeated before the battle begins.

It is not uncommon to be afraid of doing something we have not done before, but facing that fear irrespective will gear us toward success, and will give us the confidence to do more. Nothing worthwhile comes with ease, anything that comes easily is not worth much, and we will loose it easily.

In the words of Aristotle, who said, "You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." Life does not yield and bend to those who are not ready to bend it; doors does not open to those who are not willing to pull it down; fortune they say, favours the brave.

Whatever dreams you have, whatever your aspirations are, everything is possible to you if you believe in yourself. You must be ready to take risks, you must be willing to deal with difficult situations. Nothing happens if you don't make things happen. Never look down on yourself but always keep your heads high. Like Helen Keller said, "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." When you face your challenges headlong, they bend to your will, and surrender to your bravery.

Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.