Growth Comes before the Fame; Written by Adeyemi Okediran

Hey guys,  lately, I’ve been on the street of social media and I have some gist about my dear country Nigeria,  that I will like to talk about here.

My Gist

A lot of e-rats have been blowing their aggressive whistle against the Oyo State Governor without a modicum of a sane excuse to execute their hilarious and unapologetic grievances shown towards the appointment of a young man, Honorable Seun Fakorede,  as the commissioner for Youth and Sport in the state. Funnily,  we all have been clamouring for not too young to rule, but why are some people against this new appointment? Could it be wanting to maintain the status quo, or are we not yet ready for the change we so desire?

What many antagonists didn’t see about the new commissioner Honroable Seun Fakorede, were the many years of selfless labour, and leadership skills he had displayed in the past. Phakoo as he was fondly called then have tilled the land, and here comes his pay.

Another gist is that of Seun Onigbinde, the founder of BudgiT, who has over 50 young Nigerians on his payroll. Seun Onigbinde has been all over the internet for the past few days followed by his appointment in the present-day Government. A lot of folks are goofing around the social media, querying why he should be given such appointment. But I ask, what were these same people building while Seun was busy working hard on his idea BudgiT.

What these happening have shown to us clearly is that these young men have consistently been deploying their intellectual capabilities over time, and now their labour has been rewarded.

Here are 2 key lessons to learn from these stories

1. Keep building on your expertise: Seun Onigbinde was known for his expertise on Budgeting, and that singular knowledge earned him an advisory role to the Nigerian Government on budget matters.
2. Be genuinely interested in serving humanity: When Honorable Seun Fakorede founded Home Advantage Africa, his intention was to advocate for African patriotism among youths which he did very passionately. Little did he know that his diligent work through that platform will be rewarded with a political appointment.

What does this tell us?

I have realised over time that many people have vision, skills, talents and ideas that they can use to better the world. But most never move past the initial stage of ideation, because they struggle with being consistent at what they do. It is fine to launch an idea, or even start selling a product, but what happens when the chips are down? When no one seems to be noticing what you are doing? Would you still keep at it?

Finally,

So long as you’re still sitting within your comfort zone, you’re not growing because you’re not moving. Growth is about becoming more than who you are now and the only way you’ll ever become that is by experiencing what is outside of you. This requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and do exploits in the space you belong!