Dream big, act bigger and never give up

Photo credits: Bride Access

Since I was born till now, it is ONLY Martin Luther King Jnr. that is being praised for the dream he has.

The truth is the world will not reckon with you until you turn your dream into reality

The Wright Brothers had a dream that humans will some day fly; they made the first airplane. Larry Page and Sergey Brin dreamt that one day all the information on the internet will be accessible and useful for everyone when they need it; they built Google.

What dream do you have and how are you striving to make it a reality?

Everybody dream but the difference between you and everybody is your ability to turn your dream into reality. You can only do this by working hard towards your dream and shunning all forms of discouragement. Despite Ernest Archdeacon's hatred and public disapproval, the Wright Brothers still went ahead to make the first plane and Ernest had to apologize. Let your haters apologize; work towards the dream you have.

Remember, the world only reckon with the actualizer and not the dreamer.

Dream BIG! Act BIGGER!! And Never Give UP!!!

My name is Taslim OKUNOLA and I am a progressive Nigerian youth.

Thanks for reading.

Check out "Discover Yourself" if you have not read it.

Happy Birthday to Wole Soyinka

Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka

The light of Nigeria; the epitome of brilliance and greatness; the man of uncommon intelligence; Professor Emeritus Wole Soyinka is 80 today. I would like to use this medium of my own to wish this great man a very happy birthday. He has done a lot for his generation and the youths. Apart from the fact that he is a literature guru, he is an active and non-partisan critic of the government. He is such a role model for every intellectual youth. Can words be enough to describe this great man? I guess not.

In the words of Bayo Oluwasanmi in his recently published article titled "Wole Soyinka: Our Lion and Our Jewel", he said: "Wole Soyinka is unlike most Nigerians of his generation who see self-promotion and self-preservation as their goals in life but failed to discover the liberating power of expendability. Wole Soyinka see his time, talents, and treasures as weapons for the liberation of oppressed Nigerians."

Excerpts from Wikipedia: He took an active role in Nigeria's political history and its struggle for independence from Great Britain. In 1965, he seized the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service studio and broadcast a demand for the cancellation of the Western Nigeria Regional Elections. In 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War, he was arrested by the federal government of General Yakubu Gowon and put in solitary confinement for two years. Soyinka has strongly criticised many Nigerian military dictators, especially late General Sanni Abacha, as well as other political tyrannies, including the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. 

Much of his writing has been concerned with "the oppressive boot and the irrelevance of the colour of the foot that wears it". During the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993–98), Soyinka escaped from Nigeria via the "Nadeco Route" on a motorcycle. Living abroad, mainly in the United States, he was a professor first at Cornell University and then at Emory University in Atlanta, where in 1996 he was appointed Robert W. Woodruff Professor of the Arts. Abacha proclaimed a death sentence against him "in absentia". 

Soyinka was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, becoming the first African laureate. He was described as one "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence". Reed Way Dasenbrock writes that the award of the Nobel Prize in Literature to Soyinka is "likely to prove quite controversial and thoroughly deserved." He also notes that "it is the first Nobel Prize awarded to an African writer or to any writer from the 'new literatures' in English that have emerged in the former colonies of the British Empire." His Nobel acceptance speech, "This Past Must Address Its Present", was devoted to South African freedom-fighter Nelson Mandela. Soyinka's speech was an outspoken criticism of apartheid and the politics of racial segregation imposed on the majority by the Nationalist South African government. In 1986, he received the Agip Prize for Literature. 

We are really blessed to have Wole Soyinka amidst us. Bro Kongi, Nigeria loves you; you are a priceless jewel to us and we will continue to honour your presence amidst us.

Happy Birthday once again, sir.

It's all about Google

Two days ago, I was selected out of many students that applied to represent Google Inc. on my campus as one of the next Google Student Ambassadors for the Federal University of Technology, Akure. I was filled with joy because it is a dream of mine to align with such big company that promotes technology from every aspect. We have hundreds of Google apps and products starting from the Google Search we all use to GMail to YouTube and so on. These guys have really tried for the technology world.

Posting this good news on my Facebook profile attracted so many congratulatory comments and questions in my inbox. "What's GSA all about?" "How did you get to rep Google?" and so many more.

These similar but different stream of questions could be narrowed down to the two questions I will answer here.

What is the GSA all about?

The Google Student Ambassador program is a program aimed at tech savvy students but not necessarily in the tech field. They are to act as liaisons between Google Inc. and their universities; organize Google events; preach about Google apps and lots more.

How do you get to be a GSA?

If you have a Google Student Club in your school, it is advisable that you join them. NOTE that it is not a criteria of selection. Either ways, you have to look out for the next GSA recruitment notice by checking the Official Google Africa Blog or Google Student Blog frequently. You can also be checking the Google For Education website for it.

For more info on the Google Student Ambassador Program, check this website.

Congratulations to all the new Google Student Ambassadors especially those from Sub-Saharan Africa.

TOP SUCCESS: 1000 ways to make money

Photo Credits: Onlinemoneymakingplans.com

Funny title, right? that's just a title ooo. One of the most difficult things for dreamers is how to develop their dream into reality. The big question is "Which way to go?"

We attend seminars, read books, watch videos, learn from role models and do lots of things just to make our way to success. But I tell you, these won't do. All you need to succeed is personal development. You are the only one that can develop yourself to attain success. Nobody can really tell you how to go about it. The only thing people could do is to motivate you, the real work is with you and no other person.

I did a four-hour survey for this blog post in which few people participated:

If I write a 200-page book on "1000 ways to make money" selling for $10 and Bill Gates write a 4-page bulletin on "2 ways to make money" selling for $20. Which one will you buy?

12.5% said they would buy my book
75% said they would buy Bill Gates' book
4.2% said they would buy none
8.3% said they would buy both

Wondering what my answer will be if I am asked this question? My answer will be to buy none. Why?

If I have 1000 ways to make money, why am I not making the money already and be outstandingly rich? You won't want to learn from a novice, right? Then, my book is not the best for you.

Successful people don't sell out the secret behind their success. Bill Gates' business has so many competitors that he won't want to sell out the secret of his success to anybody. Even if a successful person sells out his secret, I can guarantee you the stuff is outdated. He used this secret back in 199*, we are in 2014. Ideas are like drugs, they expire and when you use them after their expiration, they hurt you. Bill Gate's book is not the best for you either.

Another question has came to your mind: "Then, what is the best for me?"

All those seminars, books and co can only work for a few; those who have the opportunity to exhibit and realize them. Can everyone work in the same direction and succeed? NO! You need to unlock your unique potentials and dive with it into the business world to excel. The world is not going to buy the same idea that some guys used back in the 90's. The world is only going to appreciate a new idea or the improved version of that idea.

Come to think of it, if we want to stick to the idea of the Wright brothers, we probably wouldn't have all the jets we have today and after so many people is into that "now wack" aircraft, some will stand to gain nothing from it. If no one used a better idea to develop the fluorescent bulbs we have today, so many people would have been in the Thomas Edison's bulb business and some people will be losing it in that business.

Nurture your dream by discovering your talent; developing it yourself; diving into the business world with your unique potential and we will surely meet at the top.

My name is Taslim OKUNOLA and I am a progressive Nigerian youth.

Thanks for reading.

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