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13
SECRETS YOU SHOULD
KNOW ABOUT LIFE BEFORE
YOU DIE
LIVINGSTONE IMONITIE
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13 Secrets You Should Know About Life Before You Die. Copyright © 2017
by Livingstone Imonitie
All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe performed, reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the
prior permission of the publisher.
Published by: IMONITIE EMPIRE
Uniben, Ugbowo Campus, Benin City.
Edo State, Nigeria.
www.imonitielivingstone.wordpress.com
imonitieempire@gmail.com
+2348106068693
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ABOUT THE Book
Most persons pass through life without experiencing anything and sometimes
when they are old; their lives are filled with regrets. This book reveals some
secrets of living a more happy life, a life filled with stories and adventures.
Everyone will die sooner or later but there are certain things you should know
before you are called to glory and that is what this book is all about.
This book covers all areas of life from business, family, relationship, career, and
finance to your spiritual life. It reveals some hidden truth and principles about
life.
The key to enjoying these secrets is in the „Doing‟ not only reading. Take time
to study.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
SECRET 1-
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY 8
SECRET 2-
HAVE A PURPOSE 11
SECRET 3-
IT’S OK TO FAIL 15
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHOICES WE MAKE 19
SECRET 4-
SECRET 5SECRET 6SECRET 7-
MAKE FRIENDS 22
KEEP LEARNING 26
LIVE A LIFE; TRAVEL 29
SECRET 8-
SAVE BEFORE SPENDING 32
SECRET 9-
GUARD YOUR INTEGRITY 35
SECRET 10-
FAMILY IS EVERYTHING 39
SECRET 11SECRET 12SECRET 13-
GIVE TO PEOPLE 43
ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST 47
FIND TIME TO PRAY 50
FINAL NOTE 54
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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INTERVIEW WITH LIVINGSTONE IMONITIE
#ASKSTONE
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Your SUCCESS in life
is directly proportional to
your SMART WORK
-Livingstone Imonitie
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SECRET 1: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
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What do you think defines a man?
His age? His ability to make a woman pregnant? Or his ability to work?
Maturity is not in age but in responsibility. Some folks are forty and immature. I
see people who grow old but do not grow up; with the idea that life is a
playground. Maturity begins when you take responsibility.
How do you respond to situations? Do you blame other people for your actions
or misfortune or do you take responsibility?
Joshua and Jerry played in the sitting room and Joshua throw a ball at Jerry.
Jerry managed to duck and the ball hit the glass door leading to the veranda and
of course, the door broke. When their mum returned from work and saw the
mess, she naturally asked Joshua as the older one, who broke the glass. Joshua‟s
response was rather shocking as he shifted the blame to Jerry.
“I threw a ball at him and he dodged and the ball broke the glass, Jerry caused
the glass to break.” Joshua refused to take responsibility for his actions. The
very way most people live their lives. We are so scared; we keep blaming others
unaware that only low self-esteem individuals try to avert responsibility.
One major reason we keep breathing in and out is the responsibilities or duties
we have to perform. These duties beckon on us day and night waiting to be
carried out. Do not wait until you are told what to do like a 3 year old. Do it
because it is the right thing to do.
Taking responsibility is an open door that leads to trust. Your mum tells you to
watch your younger brother before she leaves for the market. While she is
away, you clean the house, do the laundry, feed your brother and help him with
homework. Can you imagine the joy that will be on your mum‟s face when she
returns? That is what taking responsibility is all about. Now she is assured that
she can travel for a week and you will be able to take care of the house, she now
trusts you.
Now imagine it the other way when she goes to the market and returns to a
nasty looking house. Things are not where they ought to be and something gets
missing to crown it off. How do you think she would react? You most definitely
will lose her trust and it will take a long time to earn it back.
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Responsibility is a state of being accountable and answerable for your actions.
As you grow older, you are accountable for your future. No one can make
decisions for you as regards to your life; the ball is in your court. We are made
wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our actions.
I noticed that when a student gets a good grade in a particular subject, he takes
the glory and tells everyone how intelligent he is but when the table is turned
around and he gets a low grade, he blames the teacher or the circumstance he
found himself. He accuses the teacher for his poor performance even if he
actually did not prepare for the test. Now my question is why the change of
attitude? Why do we take the glory of successes and push blame to our failures?
It‟s our life and we should take responsibility for the results we get, be it good
or bad. That‟s the right attitude towards life. A man can fail many times, but he
isn‟t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
Everyone yells „Change‟ in our society, wishing and praying for it to be better
but how many of people really work towards that dream? Some believe it‟s not
their responsibility.
Yehuda Berg said “our contribution purely depends on our consciousness and
our willingness to support those in need, to show vulnerability and accept the
support of others, to share without expecting the credit, to give it out all and
allow our hard work to decide the outcome, to understand that control can only
be achieved with shared responsibility.”
One‟s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices
one make and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. We should
take responsibility and be the change we want to see.
As a married man, your family is your responsibility. Do not run from your
duties as a man, face them.
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SECRET 2: HAVE A PURPOSE
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Every one of us should have a purpose in life; we should have goals in life. That
is the essence of living. Your purpose in life should be the reason why you wake
up every morning. Each day should have its own purpose and do not go to bed
until you are sure you accomplished the goals of that day.
Why are you born?
What are your purposes in life?
What are your short term and long term goals?
If you do not have answers to these questions, then you have a lot of home work
to do. Our purpose in life defines who we are. Show me a man whose life is
driven by purpose and I will show you a man who will succeed in life. Efforts
and courage are not enough without purpose and direction and constancy to
purpose is the secret of success.
Imagine what your life will look like in the next 20 years, where do you see
yourself?
Do you have a business idea? Do you want to be a millionaire before you clock
40? Do you want to graduate from the higher institution with a first class? Do
you want to be the best fashion designer or an Engineer? These should be the
reason why you do not remain in bed every morning. Write down your purpose
in life and paste it on the wall close to your bed. Every morning when you wake
up, take a good look at the things you wrote and say them out loud. “I will be a
millionaire before I clock 40, I will own a big company, I will speak and
millions of people will listen to me”. Say this to yourself every morning and let
it be your driving force throughout that day.
Napoleon Hill said, “There is one quality which one must possess to win, and
that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning
desire to possess it.”
When you have a purpose, you work towards achieving them. Don‟t just dream;
work hard to make your dreams a reality, and then you have fulfilled your
purpose. There is always a great joy, happiness and peace of mind anytime you
achieve what you aim for. Do not be distracted, remain focus on that dream and
you will at the end accomplish it. It is not an accident that musicians become
musicians and engineers become engineers. If you can tune into your purpose
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and really align with it, setting goals so that your vision is an expression of that
purpose, then life flows much more easily.
Surely, there will be distractions on the way, but you have to decide today if
you will let those distractions stop you from achieving your dreams. Everything
starts with a plan. Back up your purpose with a well-structured plan. It is said
that a man who fails to plan for his dreams, plans to fail.
I have a friend who always visits the gym; he doesn‟t miss any of his sessions. I
once asked him why he spends so much money on his body building, he said
that he wanted to be an actor and he was to play a role but the director wanted
someone who had a good body stature. The only way he would get the role is if
he works out day and night. That was his purpose and he was ready to give
anything to achieve that.
I meet students who say they want to graduate with first class and they spend
most of their time in the library reading, getting knowledge because they want
to come out the best. These guys have purpose and they are not going to let
anything stop them. Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose
in your life, and that happiness not pain or mindless self-indulgence is the proof
of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the
achievement of your values.
Anything that is without purpose will be thrown away or it becomes load or a
problem. Martin Luther King Jr. said that law and order exist for the purpose of
establishing justice and when they fail in purpose they become the dangerously
structured dams that block the flow of social progress. Once something has
outlived its usefulness in one area of life, its purpose for being in existence is no
longer the same. The leaf that captures a stream of sunlight, and then transfers
its energy to the tree, serves one purpose in the spring and summer, and another
completely different one through the fall and winter.
When a baby is born everyone around him smiles but he cries. Why? Because
everything is new to him and has no idea of what is going on. But after he has
fulfilled purpose and dies, everyone around him begin to cry. This is because he
will be missed and has impacted lives, but a man who didn‟t fulfil purpose will
be alone. People will not care of his departure because his impact was not felt.
How will people feel when you die?
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Everything in the universe has a purpose. Indeed, the invisible intelligence that
flows through everything in a purposeful fashion is also flowing through you.
Go, find your purpose and let the world see, feel and relate with it.
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SECRET 3: IT’S OK TO FAIL
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Some people view failure as the enemy but it isn‟t, failure shouldn‟t be the
reason why you stop trying. Most people are scared of failing so they do not
attempt to try anything. A man who has never failed in life has never learnt
anything.
“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so
cautiously that you might as well have not have lived at all, in which case you
have failed by default” – J.K. Rowling.
Do you remember when you were trying to walk as a baby?
Of course not, you were too little but pretend you remembered. Initially, you
started by standing then you took the first step but you fell down. My mum used
to tell me that anytime I tried taking a step and I fell, I would start crying.
(Why would baby Livingstone cry because he failed when he attempted to
walk? He was so naïve).
Back to our story, so you took another step and you fell again. You didn‟t cry
like me and you didn‟t give up but you kept on trying and today you are
jumping like a frog and running like a rabbit. Failure is the key to success; each
mistake teaches us something.
Do not give up because you failed in an attempt to achieve your goals in life.
Rather learn from your failures and give it another shot. Failing doesn‟t make
you a failure. Failure gives you an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. I
remember when I was learning how to ride a bicycle; it was not a nice
experience. I fell close to a million times (of course I was counting) and I
almost gave up. But anytime I see my friends riding their own bicycle, I would
run to get mine and try again and I kept on trying till I was able to ride my
bicycle without assistance or falling.
Use this in your day to day activity, you failed a course in school does not mean
that you are dull. Know why you failed that course and use that as an advantage.
Go back and retake the course and this time around, score higher. Failure is
simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Most top business men have invested in certain business that they lost money
but they did not quit business, rather they learnt from their mistakes and tried
again. Today you see them as millionaires. I am not saying you must fail before
you succeed, what I am trying to let you know is not to be scared of failing.
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Have you not heard that Thomas Edison tried so many times in his attempt to
create the electric bulb and failed? But he never gave up and at the end he did it.
He said, “I have not failed. I‟ve just found 10,000 ways that won‟t work.” Why
then should you be the first to quit because you failed an interview test? Defect
is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. Will you let your
fears stop you from achieving your dreams?
Failure is another stepping stone to greatness. There is nothing wrong with
making mistakes but when you repeat the same mistakes, then there is a
problem. In the game of chess, every move is important. You only improve your
skills by losing. Imagine you were taught the game of chess and after learning
the game, you won everyone in your class. You kept on using the same move
you learnt and you were wining everyone. You will not improve, you will
believe that you are the Queen and no one can defeat you but unknown to you;
you are just on one spot. What if you then decided to play with someone from
another school and you lost to him. Yes, you would naturally feel bad, but you
will study his move and know where you missed it and play again. As you lose,
you learn and that‟s how you become better. Failure is a privilege to learn and
not to quit. Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.
Failure should be seen as an advantage and not a disadvantage. Johnny Cash
said, “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the
past. You don‟t try to forget the mistakes, but you don‟t dwell on it. You don‟t
let it have your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”
Whenever you fall down, if you are facing up then you can get up. Dust
yourself and get up. Success consists of going from failure to failure without
loss of enthusiasm.
I am not saying it‟s OK to relax and accept failure with open hands. I want you
to channel your energy from your failures to achieve something greater. Let
your failures motivate you, let in strengthen you instead of bringing you down.
Skylar Grey wrote, “Your personal life, your professional life and your creative
life are all in intertwined. I have gone through a few very difficult years where I
felt like a failure. But it was actually really important for me to go through that.
Struggle for me is the most inspirational thing in the world at the end of the day
–as long you treat it that way”.
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Do you want to learn anything before you die? Then double your enthusiasm to
succeed and do not be held down by your failures. Do not be embarrassed by
your failures, learn from them and start again. My greatest concern is not your
failure but your contentment with failure.
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SECRET 4: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHOICES WE
MAKE
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Life is a series of choice and everything we do in life revolves round the choices
we make. You can choose to either remain in bed or get up to work and the
choices we make in life are a reflection of who we are. It is our choices that
show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. If you make the wrong
choices, you discover yourself in wrong places and vice versa.
A popular story goes thus:
There was this particular man who had 3 servants and was preparing to embark
on a long journey. He called his 3 servants and gave the first one 5 talents, the
second 3 talents and the third 1 talent and went on his journey. The first servant
who had 5 talents decided to invest his talent and made 5 more talents which
made a total of 10 talents. The second servant did likewise and made 3 more
talents making a total of 6 talents but the last servant decided to bury his talent
due to fear of the master…
The story goes further but our focus is on the extract above. Each servant made
a decision and they got their results. If you want to be successful, then you have
to decide today.
Due to fear, we sometimes allow others make decisions for us. It‟s your life and
you are the driver. Others can give suggestions on how to live but they do not
have the right to decide except you let them and if you make decisions based
upon people‟s reactions or judgement then you make really boring choices. The
ball is in your court, choose today how you want your future to be. If you want
to be the best academically, then you have to choose to give up certain things
and read. You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fears.
Do you want to be rich and famous? Do you want your name to ring a bell all
around the world? Do you want to be successful in business? Do you want to
live a happy life? Do you want people to listen to you anytime you speak? Do
you want to grow spiritually?
Then make the right choice today. For I set before you two doors - RIGHT or
WRONG. Choose which you want to follow and may the force be with you.
The 3 C‟s of life: CHOICE, CHANCE AND CHANGE. You must make a
Choice to take a Chance or your life will never Change. I‟m a big believer that
your life is basically a sum of all the choices you make. The better your choices,
the better opportunity to live a happy life.
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Steve Jobs said, “Remembering that I‟ll be dead soon is the most important tool
I‟ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost
everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or
failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is
truly important.”
I see people just sitting down lamenting or complaining about the economy and
yet they do nothing. They point fingers at their parents for their present
situations and do not plan on moving forward. Do you want to remain in a
stagnant position? Make a choice and decide how you want to live your life.
Don‟t be like others who accept anything that life brings to them, be in control
and make the right choices.
There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or
accept the responsibility for changing them. Some of our important choices
have a time line. If we delay a decision, the opportunity is gone forever.
Sometimes our doubt keeps us from making a choice that involves change. Thus
an opportunity may be missed. Do not miss that opportunity in life.
Every person has a free choice. Free to obey or disobey the natural laws. Your
choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will escape from
the consequences of his choices. In the long run, we shape our lives and we
shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make
are ultimately our own responsibility.
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SECRET 5: MAKE FRIENDS
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When I hear people say they are introverts and have no friends, I usually
wonder how they live their life. A life of that sort strikes me as boring. Friends
are important set of individuals in my life and my friends have impacted in me
greatly and I believe I have also impacted in them too. If you want to go fast in
life, go alone but if you want to go far, go with a friend who has the same vision
as you.
Friends shouldn‟t be just folks you hang out with, laugh with or play with.
Friends should be folks who are interested in you and your betterment,
interested in your success, guys who love what you do and are willing to assist
you in achieving your dreams. Friends should come with benefit and if you have
individuals in your life you call friends and they do not really add anything to
you or you do not impact in them, why then are you guys friends?
Friendship is like a spaceship and you need to choose carefully who comes on
board or else there will be confusion. The issue is not having friends; the issue
is having the right kind of friends. I keep telling young folks anytime I‟m
invited to give a talk on “Making Friends”- Not everyone is expected to be your
friend, if there is no positive impact between the both of you, please end the
relationship. There are some people you call friends who always gossip about
other people with you and still you call them your friends. I will shock you with
this, “if your friend always gossip about other people with you, that friend will
surely gossip about you with other people”.
You need to be careful while choosing friends and please don‟t just make
friends, make network. Connect with people, be interested in their lives, and be
interested in their success. If you want to share your idea with someone, first
make that person you friend. Stop thinking about only your success and start
thinking about the success of others. Share your smile with the world; it‟s a
symbol of friendship and peace.
Be Social. I so much love the social media but I do not live my life on social
media. I connect with individuals on social media, get to know them and meet
with them and with time I become friends with them and I learn a lot from
them. There are millions of people who have the solutions to your problems, go
and become friends with those people and connect with them.
Your friend is a reflection of who you are and your friends have effect on you
that is why the elders will say, “Show me your friend and I will tell you who you
are”.
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If you move with negative friends, your life will be negative but if you move
with positive friends, your life will be positive. I am really glad of the friends I
keep. Anytime I‟m having issues or difficulty, I go to them and I get advice
from them. They have impacted my life in so many ways. It was a friend who
inspired me to begin writing. It was also a friend who inspired me to start
blogging. It was another friend of mine that motivated me to write my first ebook “70 PUSH UPS FOR SUCCESS” and if you haven‟t read that book,
please order for it now. It is free.
Friends have inspired and impacted me awfully much. There is an indescribable
feeling of joy whenever we exchange ideas or think out a new concept. It is
overwhelming. I cannot even imagine where I would be today if not for the
handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let‟s face it; friends
make life a lot more fun. These are friends with benefit and these guys have
become family to me. I am forever grateful to God for bringing Joshua Navi and
Jerry Weajs to me, they are great friends. A very great gift of life is friendship
and I have received it.
Friendship isn‟t a “do or die affair”. If you try getting closer to someone and the
person doesn‟t want your friendship, do not force yourself on that person.
Kindly walk away and look for another friend. You shouldn‟t change who you
are just because you want others to accept you. I see ladies living fake lives just
because they want acceptance from a particular clique of friends. That‟s not
living, that‟s prison. Why should you imprison yourself just for acceptance? Be
who you are and you will get connected to the right folks. Make friends with
people who bring out the best in you and not friends who bring out the worst in
you.
Simon Sinek said, “The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced
equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares.
Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be
there for you when you need something, no matter what and when”.
Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
Friendship is priceless. It is not something to take and throw away. Friendship
comes with trust, understanding and love. Friendship is not something you learn
in school. But if you haven‟t learned the meaning of friendship, you really
haven‟t learnt anything.
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“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make
friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books – especially the bible, build
a shelter against rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for
guidance every day” – John Wooden
Go out today and share your smile with someone, make friends with people
from different background and culture. Live a happy life, have fun with friends
and impact one another. I love you.
If you ever need a friend, my door is open to you; contact me and let‟s connect.
Let‟s impact each other and have good memories together.
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SECRET 6: KEEP LEARNING
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After Jude finished high school in Suleja, a town in Niger state- Nigeria, he got
admission to study medicine and surgery in one of the best Universities in the
country. He was quite serious with his studies and never missed any of his
classes. He always read his books, did research and most of his classmates
wanted to be like him. After 7 years of med school, he graduated and became a
medical doctor but he never stopped reading. He kept on researching and
learning new methods in his field. One day, his younger brother paid him a visit
and noticed that even after school, his elder brother kept on staying late at night
reading as if he was preparing for an examination, so he asked, “Jude, why do
you read so much when you have no examination to write, you ought to be
resting”.
But Jude replied, “It is true that I have no examination to write but I need to be
up to date if I want to be the best medical doctor. I read because I want to know
more and I want to learn more”.
Don‟t think because you have gotten to a particular stage in life or because you
have graduated from the University you stop learning. No!!! Please do not make
that mistake because learning continues and you stop learning only when you
die. You can learn from anything and anyone. You can learn from the beggar on
the street, from your barber, from your cook, from your parents, from school,
from books, from television, even from nature, you can learn from anywhere.
Keep in mind that a wise man can learn from a foolish man but a foolish man
cannot learn from a wise man.
Never be too proud to learn, always keep learning. Do not ever assume that you
have gotten all the knowledge you need, even Professors still read and learn
every day. There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an
examination, and then you are done with education. The whole of life from the
moment you are born to the moment you die is a process of learning.
You can decide to learn from people‟s experience or your experience. Amisha
Patel said, “Life is all about evolution. What looks like a mistake to others has
been a milestone in my life. Even if people have betrayed me, even if my heart
was broken, even if people misunderstood or judge me, I have learned from
these incidents. We are human and we make mistakes, but learning from them is
what makes the difference”.
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No knowledge is a waste; whatever you learn today will be useful tomorrow.
Life is a school and experience is the teacher, do not miss any class or you
might fail the exam.
Do not say because you are in the medical field, you will not learn anything
from Art or Commerce. Give it a try and learn from other fields, culture and
people. That is more reason you need to go out and make friends. When you
exchange ideas with people, you learn from one another, that is the essence of
friendship.
Reading books is also one of the best ways to acquire knowledge, that is why I
always advice my clients to keep reading. The beautiful thing about learning is
that nobody can take it away from you.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever.”
-Mahatma Gandhi.
Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. Let
learning be part of you. Do not sleep at night until you learn something new for
that day. Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep
your mind young and that is what you are doing by reading this book.
And before I end this chapter, I have a message to all parents – Please do not
limit your child‟s learning to only what you know. Do not limit your child‟s
learning to what you were taught in school. The world is changing, do not limit
the future generation to ancient information. This is one of the reasons I believe
our education system is so messed up because they keep feeding us with ancient
information to operate in a modern world. Learning and innovation go hand in
hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be
sufficient for tomorrow.
Go out and learn something new today and do not come back home if you do
not learn anything. I will be watching you in 3D.
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SECRET 7: LIVE A LIFE; TRAVEL
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“I do not like travelling”, she said as we walked down the street.
I was having a conversation with a lady I met some years ago on my way back
from lecture. Her long hairs drew my attention; she had really long hairs. I
walked up to her with my widest smile on my handsome face and exchanged
pleasantries with her. She was easy going and that made the conversation more
interesting. It turns out she had been living in the state since birth and has never
gone out. This baffled me and I felt she was in a cage and I had to free her, so I
requested for her to join me on my morning jog. It took me hours to convince
her that jogging would not kill her before she agreed to join me. The next day
she came out and we jogged together that was when she told me that she had
never travelled out of the state.
I concluded that she didn‟t like travelling because she had never felt the
experience of a good journey. After our little chat, I walked her to her
apartment. I felt happy. Few weeks later, I got a text from her that she travelled
out and had a wonderful experience and she contemplated including travelling
to her list of hobbies.
But seriously, how do you get to have fun if you don‟t go out? I really need to
know that secret.
You have been living in the same house for 5 years; going to work and coming
back home daily. You really need to go on a vacation. Travel out of the state, go
and live your life and have fun. If you remain in a particular location for so
long, your life will just be a page but if you go out, go on a journey, or take a
road trip, then your life will be an entire book. The world is a book and those
who do not travel read only a page.
A friend of mine travelled to India and after a few days, he had a change of
mind-set. He started thinking different from how he used to think. He was
exposed to real life situations which were entirely different from what he saw in
the movies.
Don‟t you want to have interesting stories to tell your grandchildren? Don‟t you
want to have memories? Then make travelling a hobby. If you are married with
kids, you can decide to take the whole family on a road trip, you can use that
opportunity to spend some time with them.
If not, you can go on a journey with your close friends. My most awesome
memories occurred the times I travelled with my friends and family. Once, in a
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particular period of time, I travelled to 6 different states in 5 days. It was
magnificent. I met new friends, ate new food and now I have stories to tell. Life
is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is.
People lose their capacity to walk, run, travel, think, and experience life. I
realise how important it is to use the time I have.
To travel is to take a journey into yourself. You get to know some things about
yourself.
When you travel, you explore and exploration is really the essence of the human
spirit. Someone told me that an unplanned journey is usually the best. Lao Tzu
said, “A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving”.
If I have my backpack, laptop, phone, my passport and cash, then I have no
worries. That‟s how I enjoy my holidays. I travel light. I think the most
important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life wherever you are.
A.P.J Abdul Kalam has this to say, “My message, especially to young people is
to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored
path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and
succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my
message to the young people.”
Here is a friendly advice from me to you as a friend. We are friends right?
Good.
Anytime you are less busy, travel and explore the world. You will not die
by doing that, rather you will gain experience. During the summer holiday,
you can take your family or your friends out. Or you could go alone.
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SECRET 8: SAVE BEFORE SPENDING
32
For those of you who have read my previous free e-book “70 PUSH UPS FOR
SUCCESS”, I explained how to go about this. Do not save after you have spent
all your cash or you will be broke. Always try to save before spending, I know it
a little bit difficult when you have so many expenses and debts to take care of
but you just have to do this.
Do not save what is left after spending but spend what is left after saving.
Wealthy people invest first and spend what‟s left but Broke people spend first
and invest what‟s left. When you get your pay checks or your allowance, please
save a portion of it. I advise folks to always save at least 10% of their monthly
pay and you will be amazed at what you will get at the end of 5 years.
I told a friend of mine this same principle and wished she had listened to me.
One month later she called me and told me that she was broke and needed some
money. I asked if she had saved any money by applying the principle I taught
her and she said “NO”. She told me that she had started selling some of her
properties to raise cash for herself before her parents send her more money.
There was nothing I could do because she had missed it from the beginning. But
she promised to apply the principle on her next allowance.
Let me show you something. Assuming your monthly pay is about $10,000 and
you save 10% of it monthly, that will be $1,000 and you will have $9,000 to
yourself. At the end of the year, you will be having $12,000. Let‟s pretend you
kept on applying this principle for the next 5 years or 10 years and after 5 years
you must have gotten about $60,000 and after 10 years, you will be having
about $120,000 and it‟s that easy.
If you are a student in Nigeria and your monthly allowance is ₦20,000 and you
apply the same principle by saving ₦2,000 every month. At the end of the year,
you will be having ₦24,000. Continue like this till you graduate without
touching the money and at the end of 5 years, you should have gotten about
₦120,000. It works like magic, from your year 1 to your year 5 you have gotten
₦120,000 which started with ₦2,000.
With the amount you have gotten you can invest in any business of your choice.
All what it requires from you is just patience and consistency. You can decide
to save more than 10%. I heard of someone who saved 25% of his salary and
after 7 years he used the money to start up his own company.
33
Why not apply this same principle in your finances? There is nothing to lose
because it‟s still your money.
You can choose to open a different bank account to keep your savings or have a
small metal safe where you can keep the money. Most of us had metal safes
while we were little, saving every penny given to us by Uncles and Aunties who
came to visit us. Go back to that principle because if saving money is wrong,
then I don‟t want to be right.
I love the way Will Rogers put it, he said “The quickest way to double your
money is to fold it in half and put it in your back pocket”. If you use money you
ought to save to buy things you do not need, you will end up selling what you
have to get what you need. It‟s not your salary that makes you rich, it‟s your
spending habits, so you need to beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink
a great ship.
Financial peace isn‟t the acquisition of stuff. It‟s the learning to live on less than
you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can‟t
win until you do this and going into debt usually isn‟t caused by lack of money,
it‟s caused by lack of vision.
Suze Orman said, “if you are worried about job security and do not have an
adequate emergency fund (ideally eight months‟ worthy of living expenses
stashed away in a federally insured bank or credit union), you need to focus
more on saving money than paying down the balance on your credit card”.
You need to start thinking of the future and not just the present. So know how to
spend more wisely. You will win with money when you decide that your
family‟s future is more important than any new toy you want to buy. You need
to be in control of your finances.
There is a popular proverb in Jamaica, “Save money and money will save you”.
Wealthy people save and plan for 3 Generations but poor people save and plan
for Saturday night. A word is enough for the wise.
You can get books that talk about money, saving money and using money to
make more money. Being in control of your finances is a great stress reliever.
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SECRET 9: GUARD YOUR INTEGRITY
35
Simmi has always dreamt of living in Mumbai, India. So after her studies in her
small town, she travelled to Mumbai to start life. She had heard so many
wonderful stories about the city and couldn‟t wait to be part of it. But life in
Mumbai wasn‟t as Simmi thought it would be. The country was in recession and
most telecommunication company were no longer employing. She searched for
a job for months moving from one office to another but found none. It was as if
bad luck followed her everywhere she went.
After so many months of searching and had almost given up hope, she finally
met a man who promised to help her. The job had a good pay but the man
wanted something from Simmi. Late in the evening, he called her to come to his
office that it was urgent. She had no option and needed the job desperately, so
she went. When she got to the office he was the only one there and he requested
her to sit down.
“Here is your acceptance letter, all I need to do is sign it and the job is yours but
you have to do something for me”, he said to her.
“Anything Sir, anything and I will do it”. Simmi responded eagerly, not
knowing what was going on.
“Nothing goes for Nothing, you have to sleep with me in order to get the job.
It‟s as simple as that”.
With great anger and disappointment, Simmi stood up from the chair, slapped
the man and walked out of the office in tears.
Never lose your integrity because of material things, learn to guard it.
Not too long Simmi got a job and got promoted within 6 months and her salary
was 5 times the one she rejected.
What would have been of her if she had slept with the man just to get the job?
Her integrity and pride would have been lost. Your integrity is who you are and
you must guard it at all cost. You need to be Righteous, Honourable, Truthful,
Blameless, Graceful, Upright, Disciplined, Faithful and Holy. All these makes
up your integrity. Tragedy in life normally comes with betrayal and
compromise, and trading on your integrity and not having dignity in life. That‟s
really where failure comes.
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Let me share another story with you. Bola was recently employed as a driver in
Civil Engineering firm and every week he was to purchase diesel for the
company‟s 150KVA generator. 50 litres of gas would run the generator for 30
hours but ever since Bola started buying gas for the company, the number of
hours reduced to 23 hours. This continued to happen for 5 weeks until the
manager couldn‟t take it anymore. Bola was asked if he had been stealing
money from the company but he said no. More investigation was carried out
and it was discovered that Bola was buying 39 litres of gas instead of 50 litres
and was stealing money from the company. This was something that wasn‟t
tolerated in the company and he was arrested. He lost his job and lost his
integrity.
To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or
measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.
Wherever you find yourself, be truthful at all time. The truth doesn‟t kill, rather
it set you free. Be faithful in your works. Let people have good reports about
you. Don‟t be the type that people hate to associate with because of your lies
and dishonesty. Let folks be around you because you always tell the truth no
matter what.
If you are a business man, do not sell fake products to your clients. Always give
your customers quality services and they will always have you in mind. Honesty
and integrity are by far the most important assets of an entrepreneur.
As a leader, a lot of people look up to you, do not lead them astray. The
supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real
success is possible, no matter whether it is on a selection gang, a football field,
in an army, or in an office. Don‟t be like most Nigerian politicians who lie and
sell their integrity for wealth. Promising heaven and earth during their manifesto
but when they get into office, they turn their back on the masses. They keep
telling us that they are fighting corruption whereas they are the corrupt ones.
Bob Marley said, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he
acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him
positively”.
Let your character speak positive about you.
It is commonly said that if you cannot beat them, then join them. But I tell you
today, do not change who you are because you want acceptance from friends.
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Always be yourself both in private and public, never ever compromise who you
are. A popular Nigerian Writer, Chinua Achebe said, “one of the truest tests of
integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised”.
“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 key to living your life with
integrity” –W. Clemet Stone.
In exam, do not cheat. In business, do not cheat. In relationship, do not cheat. In
sport, do not cheat. In life, please do not cheat.
Guard your integrity.
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SECRET 10: FAMILY IS EVERYTHING
39
David is a hardworking man, he goes to work every day just to make sure his
family get the best but was missing something. Because of his busy schedule, he
has no time to spend with his kids. He‟s out of the house before they wake up in
the morning and returns home after they have gone to bed at night. He misses
their birthdays, football practices and his eldest son Junior High school
graduation ceremony. His kids were really angry with him and this was
breaking the family.
Kids do not understand what‟s going on. They don‟t get the idea that you want
to spend time with them but cannot because you have to be at work to be able to
put food on the table, buy clothes for them and put them in the best schools.
They only understand who shows up when they are in need.
Whatever you do, please try and create time to spend with your kids, they really
need your presence. It‟s all about quality of life and finding a happy balance
between work and friends and family.
One day a father got home from work really tired, and then his son ran to him
and pleaded for $2. With anger the father sent his son away. When he had
rested, he asked himself, “Why does my son want $2 from me? He has never
asked me for money, maybe he wanted a new toy or something…” Later that
night he went to his son‟s room and apologized then he handed the $2 to him
and kissed him goodnight but before he left the room, his son held his hand and
asked, “dad, how much do you make per hour?” his father was confused and
said “$10 per hour, why do you ask?”
The son brought out $8 and added it to the $2 given to him and gave all to his
father and said, “Here is $10. I have been saving money for some time now,
please come home early tomorrow and spend an hour with me for dinner”.
Tears rolled down the father‟s eyes and he hugged his son and apologized to
him.
Family is everything, spending time together is what binds a family. As a man,
you should spend some time with your wife and kids. A real man loves his wife,
and places his family as the most important thing in life. Ask about their day, be
friends with them, get to understand them, get to know them better. Be your
kids best friend, let them confide in you. That‟s how to build a strong
relationship with your children. Nothing has brought more peace and content in
life than simply being a good husband and father.
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As a young man, always call or send messages to your parents and relatives. Let
them know that you care about them. You will not die by sending goodwill
messages to them. Remember their birthdays and send gifts to them regularly;
this will bring joy to their heart. No matter how small the gift is, just send it. It
is not the size of the gift that matters but the size of the heart.
If your parents or spouse does anything to offend you, please forgive them. Do
not break the communication because you are angry with them. Call them and
tell them that you have forgiven them and if you have to apologise, please do.
Family is everything. Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of
a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It
is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth.
Guys always spend time with your fathers and ladies spend time with your
mothers, you will learn a lot from them. Respect them and you will live long. If
possible go on a picnic with them, eat dinner with them, take selfies with them,
have fun with them and most importantly pray for them because family is
everything. You will appreciate your family more when you go to the street and
find people without fathers, mothers, or siblings. They are just on their own and
have no place to call home. They don‟t know who they are. You have a family,
why not appreciate them. You don‟t choose your family; they are God‟s gift to
you, as you are to them.
Family support one another, they stand by each other and go through the storm
together. Kim Kardashian said, “At the end of the day, life is about being happy
being who you are, and I feel like we are so blessed to have the support system
and the best family to really just support each other no matter what we are
going through”.
And Ronaldinho said, “My family is everything. I am what I am thanks to my
mother, my father, my brother, my sister…because they have given me
everything. The education I have is thanks to them”.
My friends and family are my support system. They tell me what I need to hear,
not what I want to hear and they are there for me in the good and bad times.
Without them I have no idea where I would be and I know that their love for me
is what‟s keeping my head above the waters. Family will always be there even
when the material things come and go. Family is the most important thing in the
world.
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Family is everything.
Please do this favour for me. Pick up your phone and call your parents and
siblings, not to ask for anything but to tell them that you love them. If you are
too scared to do that, send them a text message and it will gladden their heart.
You can thank me later.
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SECRET 11: GIVE TO PEOPLE
43
Giving is one principle that is being taught in almost all religion if not all but
only a few persons practice it. Maybe they think if they give, they will
lack….but I don‟t think that true, no one has ever become poor by giving.
Giving is sowing seeds into someone‟s life and with time it will germinate and
produce fruits. Giving should be done with a joyful heart and should be part of
you. You should see giving as an avenue to bless someone.
I have studied some great men and I discovered that one of the reasons they
remain at the top is because they understood the principle of giving. Bill Gates,
the Co-founder of Microsoft is one of the richest men in the World and he gives
to the poor regularly. Bill and his wife Melinda Gates founded a private
foundation called „Bill and Melinda Foundation‟ (or the Gates Foundation,
abbreviated as BMGF). It was launched in 2000 and is said to be the largest
transparently operated private foundation in the world. The primary aims of the
foundation are, globally to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty. As
of May 16, 2013, Bill Gates has donated US$28 billion to the foundation and he
is still a Billionaire.
As of 2015 Priscilla Chan and her husband Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of
Facebook donated $1.6 billion to charities. Isn‟t that the net worth of some
Billionaires today?
Aliko Dangote, the CEO of Dangote Groups and the richest man in Africa also
founded Dangote Foundation. The foundation has contributed over $25 million
in charitable funds to several causes in Nigeria and Africa over the past four
years. The activities of the foundation revolve around the four pillars of health,
economic empowerment, education and disaster relief.
All these great men are using their wealth to help other people; they give and
get back in 100 folds.
Now, what if you are not yet a Billionaire like me, how then can we help
others?
You can involve yourself in community service, send gifts to the orphanages,
volunteer or go for exchange and help out in other countries, help that old
woman cross the busy road, help those school children cross the road, etc. There
are many ways to help out, just look for what you can do and help out.
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Giving is not restricted to just money, you can give your services, material
things like clothes, shoes, your time, your smile, your hug, your advice or
anything that can be of help to someone in need. Do not be satisfied with just
giving money. Money is not enough, money can be gotten, but people need your
hearts to love them. So spread your love to everyone and everywhere you go.
Paul Bloom said, “We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as
giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on our long term
moods. The key to the happy life, it seems, is the good life: a life with sustained
relationships, challenging work, and connections to community.”
Cynthia was a young girl who recently got admission to study medicine in the
university but with the economic recession, there was no money to pay her
school fees. She called all her relations but they all gave her one excuse or the
other. She cried day and night wondering where her parents would get the
money from, for they were just farmers.
One day, on her way back from selling pineapples, she was almost knocked
down by a car. The driver stopped and with anger asked her if she was blind and
why she tried crossing the road without looking. She apologized and began to
cry. Her tears touched the heart of the man, and then he asked what the problem
was. Cynthia explained everything to him, how she got admission and has been
looking for money to pay her school fees which her parents couldn‟t afford the
money because of the recession and she really wanted to go to school.
The man felt sorry for her. He went to his car and brought out some money and
handed it over to her but she refused out of fear.
Why will a total stranger give her money? What if he wants something in
return? She pondered within herself.
The man noticed this and introduced himself and told her that he only wanted to
help her. She took the money, appreciated the man and ran to her parents. The
school fee was paid and she went to the university.
Many years later, an accident victim was rushed to a hospital. The victim was in
a critical condition and a female doctor was called to perform an operation on
the victim. It turns out that the doctor was young Cynthia and she recognized
the victim as the man who helped her with her school fees many years ago.
45
She successfully performed the operation and when the man gained
consciousness, he asked the nurse who was responsible for the payment of his
hospital bills, then Dr Cynthia walked in. she introduced herself as the young
girl he helped many years ago and told him that his act of kindness made her
who she was. She took care of the bills and was really happy she had seen her
helper.
We shouldn‟t give because we want something in return rather we should give
because we want to be a blessing to someone. Love consists in giving without
getting in return; in giving what is not owed, what is not due the other. Kindness
in words creates confidence, kindness in thinking creates profoundness but
kindness in giving creates LOVE. Remember that the happiest people are not
those getting more, but those giving more.
“I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the
world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a
person‟s life is the affect they have on others” – Steve Nash.
In my life I have learnt that true happiness comes from giving. Anytime I have
the opportunity to help out, there is this great joy in my soul that I cannot
explain. Helping others along the way makes you evaluate who you are. I think
that love is what we are all searching for and because of the love I have for you;
you got this book for free. I haven‟t come across anyone who didn‟t become a
better person through love.
Please when you are done reading this book, kindly share with your friends to
be a blessing to them. Starts practicing the act of giving with the little you have.
Sow seeds into someone‟s life and they will never forget your act of kindness.
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SECRET 12: ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
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Do you want to be the best at what you do?
If yes, then say this out loud, „I WANT TO BE THE BEST‟. Let it echo in your
mind and be stamped in your subconscious, „I WANT TO BE THE BEST!‟
You can be whosoever you want to be, first you must believe that you can, then
you have to work towards making what you say a reality. If you want to be the
best Doctor, the best Engineer, the best Lawyer, or any profession of your
choice, then you need to disappear for a while and study. Study to be the best,
do not settle for average. Give your best to be the best. I believe that in life, you
have to give your best shot, do your best.
If you want to be the best Hip Hop artist, go to the studio and practice, practice,
practice. Practice makes perfect, you need to give in your best. There is nothing
extraordinary about people at the top, they are just ordinary guys and ladies who
go the extra, do the extra and we call them „Extraordinary‟. When others quit on
the way, they refused to quit and kept on moving. When others were satisfied
with the little or average that they have, these people refused to be average and
went the extra mile. You too can be extraordinary, just add extra to whatever
you are doing, take one more step, give your best shot and do not quit.
We hear on television that C. Ronaldo of Real Madrid is the World Best
Footballer but they didn‟t tell us how he spent years practicing his dribbling and
shots. He is always practicing to remain the best and on the pitch, he gives
nothing but his best.
The news only told us that a 7 year old boy could play the ground piano with
great skills and speed but they never told us that the 7 year old boy practice for
at least 10 hours daily to be the best.
Success has a simple formula; do your best and people will like it. It is not
enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.
Yes, you too can do it. You can if you believe but you have to give something
to get something. Be angry at the word „AVERAGE‟, don‟t settle for it. Get up
and study for one more hour, practice for one more hour, just add one more to
what you are doing. Give in your best and aim for the stars. Always do your
best. What you plant now will harvest later.
When you are given a project to execute at the office, give your boss the best
outcome. Let them feel it, let them fall in love with your work and you will be
48
an asset to them. Every job is good is you do your best and work hard. When
you give your best to produce the best, you become so valuable that men will
pay anything just to hear you speak. Not just in business, also give in your best
as a husband and a father. Let your kids wish to be like you.
If you are somebody that gets a chance to go somewhere…that has to work
somewhere or go to another city, then do your best to see it. Because I just think
that‟s the best way to have an interesting life.
Charles Kingsley said, “Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will
breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will,
cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never
know”.
If you work hard and do your best, you can do anything.
We are here for a short period of time and soon we will be no more. Have a
good time and do your best. Let it all come ripping right through you. You
should always be well and bright, for so you do your best work; and you have
so much beautiful work to do. The world needs it, and you must give it!
For those of you who have read my articles, „BECOMING YOUR DREAMS‟
and „7 THINGS GUYS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LADIES‟; these articles
have not gotten a single negative comment since I wrote them because I put in
my best to write those masterpiece. „Becoming Your Dreams‟ have gotten
comments from Tanzania, Uganda, Finland and United State. If you give your
best, men will look for you.
It is not easy to achieve greatness in life. If anyone tells you that it is easy,
please know that he/she is lying to you because if it was easy, everyone would
have been the best and would have been great. However it is Simple. All it
requires from you is hard work, dedication and consistency.
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SECRET 13: FIND TIME TO PRAY
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Whatsoever difficult situation you find yourself, prayers should be your number
one weapon because the physical world is controlled by the supernatural and
you need to be connected to the supernatural to be able to live in the physical
world.
No matter how busy you are, always find time to pray. God is always ready to
listen to your prayers. Take all your troubles to him and he will guide you.
Every successful man knows the importance of prayers. Prayer is not an old
woman‟s amusement. Properly understood and applied, it‟s the most potent
instrument of action. I believe that prayer is our powerful contact with the
greatest force in the universe.
I do not joke with my prayers. Before I write any examination or carry out any
project, I always create time to say a short prayer because I know I can never
succeed without it. I need God‟s help and in my deepest and darkest moments,
what really got me through was a prayer. I have discovered that prayer is that
intimate connection and communication with the creator and it is needed in
every man‟s life. Please when you pray, believe that your prayers have been
answered. Sometimes unbelief stops a man‟s prayer.
Prayer is a man‟s greatest power. You shouldn‟t pray only when you are in
need, you should pray when everything is ok. It‟s not that hard, if the only
prayer you ever say in your entire life is Thank You, it will be enough. „Thank
You‟ is the best prayer that anyone could say. It expresses extreme gratitude,
humility and understanding.
Joyce Meyer said, “Spending time with God through prayer and his word is a
prerequisite for having a great life and fulfilling your purpose.” Prayer is more
than meditation. In meditation the source of strength is one‟s self. When one
prays he goes to a source of strength greater than his own.
As a family man, you are the head and should be responsible for everyone in
that family. When you pray, do that as a family. Call everyone together, hold
hands and pray to your creator because a family that prays together stays
together.
Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayers. For
me, it is essential to have the inner peace and serenity of prayer in order to listen
to the silence of God, which speaks to us, in our personal life and the history of
our times, of the power of love.
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“Faith and prayer are the vitamins of the soul; man cannot live in health
without them.” – Mahalia Jackson. The function of prayer is not to influence
God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
Pray for your country, pray for your family, pray for your neighbours and pray
for your enemies. The best time to pray is when you don‟t feel like praying. At
that moment, just do it.
I want you to take a few minutes and say a short prayer to your creator. Leave
whatever you are doing and talk to Him. What are those things that have been
bothering you? What are your challenges? This is an opportunity, say a short
prayer now and believe in Him. He is always there to listen to you.
(Pray)
How do you feel after praying?
Relieve right? Do this regularly and live a happy life.
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THE BEGINNING OF THE END…
53
FINAL NOTE
Are you done reading this book? So soon?
How was the ride? Did you learn anything?
I am really glad you took your time to go through the book.
But don‟t just stop here; apply whatsoever you learnt from this book in your
daily activities. I want to hear testimonies at the end of the day. Go through the
book again and when you are done, share with your friends and family members
to be a blessing to them.
Thank you for reading and God bless you and your entire generation.
Also I want to show my appreciation to my friends who assisted me on this
project; Chukwutem Dickson Ossai, your cover page is as awesome as you
are.
David Osawese Uwagboe, thanks for coming to my rescue when I needed a
photo editor and designer.
Osekhonlemen Idoni, your wisdom is indeed from above, thanks for editing.
You were busy with other things but you took out time for me, I love you with
all of my heart.
Emeghai Chukwuemeka Joshua ‘Motivator’, thanks for the biography. I love
the write up.
Always remember that your SUCCESS in life is directly proportional to your
SMART WORK.
Have fun guys…
Livingstone Imonitie
(Writer and Public speaker)
Founder/CEO- Imonitie Empire
Always Ready to Serve
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
55
Livingstone Imonitie (STONE) is an undergraduate studying Civil
Engineering in the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. He is a Blogger, a
Google Certified Online Marketer, a Public Speaker, a Writer, ROI Africa
Ambassador, and ROI Africa open Knowledge Advocate/Educator. He has
written and authored lot of articles and books which can be found on his blog at
www.imonitielivingstone.wordpress.com.
His previous book titled „70 PUSH UPS FOR SUCCESS‟ and write up
„BECOMING YOUR DREAMS‟ attracted a lot of readers with good comments
from various parts of Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Finland, China, India and the
United States saying they wanted more of his write ups.
Public speaking has made him go places in the Federation to speak among
young ones, teenagers and youths in various conferences and churches
motivating, impacting and changing lives. He was the best student speaker at
OPEN MIC BY GOODNEWS 2017 and one of the most sought-after young
speakers in the University of Benin.
He is the founder and CEO of Imonitie Empire, a platform that Motivates,
Impacts and Teaches young people around the world through writing and public
speaking. He also offers counselling to students across higher institutions in
Nigeria.
He is born into the family of Chief and Mrs Sunny Imonitie. He is the first son
of the family and has three other siblings; Cynthia, Jude and Destiny Imonitie.
He can be contacted on +2348106068693
Twitter: @stoneimonitie
Instagram: @stoneimonitie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/imonitie.livingstone
Email: livingstoneimonitie@gmail.com
Blog: www.imonitielivingstone.wordpress.com
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INTERVIEW WITH LIVINGSTONE IMONITIE
INTERVIEWER: Can we meet you?
STONE: My name is Livingstone Imonitie, an Engineering student from
University of Benin, Google Certified Online Marketer, a writer and public
speaker.
INTERVIEWER: When did you start writing and public speaking?
STONE: I think I started writing and speaking when I was in kindergarten but
then it was A B C. I started sending short write ups out to my whatsapp contacts
in November 2015 but public speaking and teaching started in 2012.
INTERVIEWER: How do you manage to combine your studies with your
writing and speaking career?
STONE: It‟s quite simple. It all boils down to time management and dedication
to what I love doing. I read when it‟s time to read and I work with a time table.
I plan for everything.
INTERVIEWER: Where do you get your inspirations from?
STONE: It was a friend of mine, Joshua Navi whose work inspired me into
writing but most of inspirations come from God, others from reading books,
watching movies and my experience in life.
INTERVIEWER: What were your challenges as a young writer and speaker
when you started?
STONE: When I first started, nobody had my time. Nobody wanted to read my
write ups and I almost gave up at some point. Most people don‟t like to read
motivational write ups/books or listen to motivational speakers and that was a
big challenge for me. I had to invest in myself by studying more and practicing
more to be unique. People want to see something unique and that is what I
always bring to the table.
INTERVIEWER: What gives you joy as a writer and speaker?
STONE: My readers and listeners. When I write or speak and I hear
testimonies of how my work has helped people, I am filled with joy. When I get
positive comments outside Africa concerning my work and when my readers
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demand for more of my write ups, I shed tears of joy. They are the source of my
joy and inspiration and I do what I do for them.
INTERVIEWER: Currently, how many write ups and books have you written?
STONE: „70 Push Ups For Success‟ was my first book and I gave it out for free.
This „13 Secrets You Should Know About Life Before You Die‟ is my second
book and I gave it out for free too. I have so many write ups, they are all on my
blog. Visit my blog to check them out.
INTERVIEWER: If you give your work out for free, how then do you make
money?
STONE: Everything is not all about money. I want to impact and change lives
and I‟m doing that through my gifts. Money will surely come, but for now I want
to create value.
INTERVIEWER: Will you focus on your writing and public speaking or
Engineering after leaving school?
STONE: There is nothing wrong with doing both. My 6 years in the University
shouldn‟t be a waste. I will work as an Engineer and still be writing my books
and speaking to the youth.
INTERVIEWER: What do you do with your free time apart from writing and
speaking?
STONE: Traveling + Photography + Visiting friends = FUN
INTERVIEWER: That will be all for now, thank you for your time.
STONE: You are welcome. Have fun.
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