Life Trade

Secrets

The Hidden Mysteries For

Renegotiating And Navigating
Your Destiny

Israel Owolabi
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Life Trade Secrets:

The Hidden Mysteries For Renegotiating And Navigating
Your Destiny

Copyright © 2021
Israel Owolabi

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including
photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without prior written permission by the
author, except in the case of brief embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright
laws.

All translations of this work must be approved in writing by

the author. Please, contact Israel Owolabi for permission to
translate and for distribution agreements.

Email Author: israelowolabi20@gmail.com

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Disclaimer

While the publisher and author have used their best

efforts in preparing this book, they make no
representations or warranties with respect to the
accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book
and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No
warranty may be created or extended by sales
representatives or written sales materials. The advice
and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for
your situation. You should consult with a professional
where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author
shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other
commercial damages, including but not limited to
special, incidental, consequential, spiritual or other
damages.
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Contents

Before You Go Ahead…..…………………………...7

Chapter 1
Behind a Mystery.………….…………………….…14

Chapter 2
Another Side of a Man ……………………….….…32

Chapter 3
Positioning Yourself
for Greatness………………………..………..……..52

Chapter 4
Access to Great Men……………………….……….61

Chapter 5
The Principal Thing……………………....………...75

Chapter 6
Your Advantage……………………….……………90
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Chapter 7
Helpers of
the War………………...…………….……………100

Chapter 8
The Mystery of Open Doors……….….………….108

Chapter 9
The Big Question…….............................................125

Chapter 10
Not Enough...What Else?........................................134
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This book is dedicated to my Mum and Dad

Thank you for redefining me.
You have ignited me to have
a phenomenal life.
Love you!
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Before You Go Ahead,

Know That...

You are now holding in your hands a book that contains

secrets you can use to trade your way in this world we
are living today. These are what many great and
successful people use but most of them keep the secrets
to themselves and some would only show you a tip of
an iceberg.

And as you probably know, they bombard the public

with something like "7 Ways to Succeed in Business."
And an average person takes it, uses it and still ends up
as failure. Why?

The truth is, there is more they do behind the scene

where nobody sees them and that's why they command
the results they get. Yeah, sure and I'll prove it to you.

Listen: When you see a man shining in the open, just

know that there's something he does in the secret that
makes him shine in the open.
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It is called TRADE SECRET. And there are various

trade secrets in the universe today. The more you
engage them, the higher you rise above ordinary levels.

Immediately I discovered what I'm about to show you, I

stopped looking elsewhere. And when I tried some of
them out, guess what... I began to see dramatic changes
in my life. That's why I'm sharing this with you today.

After reading this book, you'll be at liberty whether to

use the secrets inside for your own benefits or not. As a
matter of fact, you can choose to apply these secrets on
your kids and or teach your loved ones so that they'll
also walk in the path of greatness forever.

Feel free to share this book with your friends. Use it as

a family guide. Because these are principles responsible
for the lifting of "ordinary" men and women... and
everything they lay their hands on. Yes, the actual
causes of true success.

Maybe you don't know: Nobody just becomes great out

of nowhere without a cause. People don't get sudden
lifting just like that. This is not a matter of luck. It's
actually beyond that and as you read every word of this
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book, you'll actually realize the truth you probably don't

know yet.

You see, success (depending on what success means to

you) has nothing to do with your family background,
age, gender, academic qualification, country etc. But it
has a lot to do with the mysteries you're able to discover
and personally use to your own advantage in the
universe.

The best part?

You don't have to struggle or spend years trying to find

out what has already be found. That's why this book is
written to bring you into limelight.

But it comes with a warning: there's a price to pay in

this life for your destiny to work out. In fact, a BIG
price. Yes, it is NOT a child's play. If you're not ready
to make the sacrifices, I'm sorry to tell you this…

Life will continue to be unfair to you as you watch

other folks like you rising and shining at the top like
magic.
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You should be a partaker and not a spectator of life. All

things work out for those who are ready to do whatever
it takes.

As you journey on the pages of this book, you'll begin

to discover revolutionary trade secrets to get yourself
(and your generations) lifted up no matter the level you
are currently.

On another page of this book, you'll uncover how to get

into the inner circle of great men and women you
already admire and look up to.

That's not all…

You'll also discover the dimensions available in both

the Mortal and the Immortal. These two dimensions are
the greatest leverage I have ever discovered and used.
That experience is available for you too.

I have never seen anybody succeed without the two. So

this book shows you how to make both Mortal and
Immortal bodies contribute to your personal success.
The more you leverage on them, the farther you go. But
it's all a matter of choice.
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Life has given us a gift of choice: You can either wait

for things to happen to you or go ahead and make things
happen.

Just 5% of people truly succeed in their lifetime

because they're able to uncover and activate the codes
that bring greatness to them from the other side to their
world.

And 95% don't know how to perform the right rituals to

cause things to happen. I believe you're going to make
things happen for yourself and also make great impact
in this world.

It is my hope that as you walk in the path of the light

I'm sharing with you today, you'll use it to lift yourself
and other people up.

Now, let's go and uncover some deep mysteries behind

the sudden lifting of many folks like you…

Love,
Israel Owolabi
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"The most beautiful experience

we can have is the mysterious.
It is the fundamental emotion that
stands at the cradle of true
art and true science."
- Albert Einstein
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CHAPTER ONE

Behind A Mystery

Dear Friend,

What is the first truth we all have to stand on as a

human being living on earth? I'm going to tell you but
first, let's go over this fact for a moment:

Something is responsible for all we see happening to us;

whether it is success or failure, riches or poverty,
acceleration or stagnancy, death or birth, rising or
falling… and anything whatsoever.

That means, something you know can bring success to

your life. Not only that, something you don't know can
also bring failure and hardship to your life.

This is because the first truth of life says that: Life is

enshrouded in mysteries.

In this life, we live in mysteries. We rise based on the

mysteries that we engage and we fall based on the
mysteries we don't engage. This is why you're surprised
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when you see your friend become successful or lifted to

a higher level suddenly, especially when you've not
seen any traces of success in him.

This is why an occurrence that should happen to

someone probably in 6 years happens in just 6 weeks...
For example, a man planned to build his house in 5
years' time but suddenly completed it in just 3 months.

You can imagine someone who is not really talented

rising far above the ladder than those who are really
talented.

Haven't you seen crazy songs and books becoming

bestsellers and nobody is buying the good ones? Don't
you know some 'bad' girls are getting married to good
husbands every weekend but no man is seeking the
'good' girls for a hand in marriage?

In the same company, two friends were employed. One

started moving up from one position to another...
getting promotions and incentives while the other
stayed at the bottom of the organogram. What's
responsible for that?
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There's a woman selling food in my neighbourhood.

She has a lot of customers eating from her small
canteen every day. People (including me) bypass other
food-sellers who are selling the same food this woman
sells and come down the street to eat her own food.

Many people envy her. They wonder why people rush

to her and not to her competitors. What's so special
about her own food? What strategy is she using to get
lots of customers? Could it be that she's diabolical?
What's her ultimate secret?

Behind All Things is a Mystery.

In 2014, I seated for Post-UTME and scored above the

cut-off mark required for anyone to get admitted. But I
was not admitted into the university. A friend of mine
scored lesser than I did and she was admitted. Do you
think it's because the school system is corrupt? I
thought that way too until I realized that life is beyond
that.

Haven't you seen someone who's not smart but she is

getting ahead more speedily than the smartest in the
industry?
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The shocking part: Many people have killed themselves

because of their ignorance of this mystery. Some even
go enchanting their friend who was promoted ahead of
them in an organization. They're frustrated, confused
and agitated.

You know why? Because they don't understand what is

happening. As for you, don't ever forget that… Life is
covered with mysteries.

The first thing you need to know if you really want your
life to be mysterious to other people…if you really want
to go higher in life is the fact that...

You're Absolutely Responsible for

Discovering the Mysteries
that Will Lift You.

If you want to make your life a wonder, it is up to you. I

know that very few people were born with notable
privileges. Most of the highly successful people you see
have mysteries they discovered and also engage in and
that is why they stay ahead of their peers.

Another thing is, there are some people who are rich
and successful but don't know what made them rich. If
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you ask them deep questions on how they became rich

and successful, they won't be able to answer you
because they don't actually know the secret behind their
riches.

On the other hand, there are people who have practised

business principles, strategies, read a lot of books on
wealth accumulation but at the end of the day, there's
nothing to show for it. And guess what these people end
up saying?

They say things like, "It is a lie. This principle doesn't

work". "The course doesn't work" etc.

As a result of this, they get angry about themselves,

their boss because they have tried all they could but
nothing is working for them. They even curse their boss
because they think their boss is taking advantage of
them and not promoting them.

Listen, it is not the fault of anyone. Those who should

have taught us these things are also ignorant of how
these things work.

But you have the chance now. Because you own your
life. And if you want to succeed in anything you want,
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you need to discover the mysteries that are lifting other

people as soon as possible and also engage in them as
well.

There is another side to this life (and everything within

it) which most people don't know.

Once upon a time, an old poor man looked at one boy,

laid his hand on him and proclaimed, "You shall be
rich." Few years later, this young boy became
extremely rich.

What do you think is responsible for that? The old man

is not his father. So how could someone who is poor
command reality of riches to someone when he himself
is not rich?

How could someone who has never done a business

share a strategy with you and that alone skyrockets your
profit? How could a woman who is barren say you'll
bear children and so be it?

You need to be inquisitive about life. You need to learn

how to find out the real truth. What you know is not a
mystery to you but what you don't know.
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Lots of people propound theories because of their

ignorance of the real truth. They act in respect to how
their parents live. That's why they think God destined
them to be poor.

When they fail, they would say that's how their parents
fail. They are used to failure, poverty and average life.
They don't understand why it happens but they respond
to the elements and eventually call it a fate.

Your ability to question what works and what doesn't

work will give you clarity most times.

If you keep quiet, you'll not get clarity but if you learn
how to question the universe rightly, you'd save your
life and all you do from mediocrity.

The Wise and The Foolish

You and I know that there is a big difference between a

wise person and a foolish person. Right? But we
sometimes don't know what makes the difference.

While there are many discrepancies between a wise

person and a foolish person, there is one thing you
should understand about this concept.
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A wise person is NOT someone who knows everything.

He's just someone who knows how to apply what he
already knows on what he doesn't know and gets the
desired result. Wisdom is the ability to birth solutions
amidst challenges.

And now, a fool is someone who does not know...and

he does not know that he does not know.

You see, a fool rejoices in his ignorance. The problem

is not that the information (what brings you into
awareness) is not available. He just believes that all he
knows is enough. That's why such person keeps doing
wrong thing again and again and still expects different
result.

One of my great mentors said, "What you don't know is

limiting you". The moment you discover what is
holding you and you act on your survival, you scale up
eventually.

If a lot of people had known that prosperity is in their

possession, they would not have settled for poverty. If
they had known that anybody can be rich, successful
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and great without harming another party, they would

not have done anything illegal and unethical just to rise.

Wisdom is hidden. Wisdom is a mystery unknown to

many. A literal meaning of the word "mystery" is
"SECRET".

Now listen: For the fact that something is a secret does

not mean it cannot be known. And it doesn't mean it is
unavailable. It only means it is hidden.

Being Inquisitive
Sets You Apart

I attended a youth Bible study one day. And as we were

reading some scriptures as directed by the Bible
teacher, I discovered a part of the scripture that talks
about the seven Spirits of God...in the book of
Revelation 5:6. That's my first time of seeing that.

Does God have seven spirits? What kind of spirits are

they? These questions kept rolling in my heart.

So during the Question & Answer session, I stood up

and asked, "Please, what are the seven Spirits of God?"
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Those in the Bible class laughed. I guess that's their first

time they would hear that, too.

One man stood up and answered, "Brother Israel, we

cannot know the seven Spirits of God except God
Himself reveals that to us".

I stood up again and asked, "If we cannot know that,

why is it written in the Bible?" Nobody could answer
my question.

Sincerely, I was not satisfied with that. I believed that if

there's no answer to that, the Bible wouldn't talk about
it. Therefore, I sought more for an accurate answer...

See, when you don't understand something, seek for an

answer. Don't let anybody cajole you that there's no
answer for what you're looking for. There's always an
answer. Jesus clearly said, "Ask and it shall be given to
you. Seek and you shall find."

After a lot of research, I discovered that a book has

been written on that. And the book is even titled, "The
Seven Spirits of God" by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. I
read the book and that settled it.
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You see, many people are going to tell you that there's
no answer to the question you're looking for.

For example, a small poor boy asked his father, "Dad,

why are we so poor like this?" The father didn't know
what to say. He thought for a while because riches was
mysterious to him. He eventually answered his son,
"Well, it is destined by God."

"Who is that God?" the boy asked.

"He's an invisible Supreme being who does anything he

likes."

This small boy wondered why God decided to make

their family poor and separately make some people rich.

He kept that thought in his heart, wanting to meet God

someday.

Years passed by, the small poor boy grew up and he left
his father's hut and traveled down to a big city where
there were lots of rich people.

There he met a new guy whose father was very rich.

They became friends. And as he continued visiting their
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home, he had access to the family members. He saw

things differently. He saw how the rich eat, how they
talk, what they do and how they do things.

Everything he saw was totally contrary to the beliefs he

had consumed since childhood. One day, he asked his
friend's father "Sir, why did God make some people like
you rich and lots of people very poor?"

The rich man answered, "God is not responsible for

that. We are responsible for that."

This guy was shocked with that answer.

He asked, "How do you mean, please?"

"You see, God has already made all the resources to be

rich and fulfilled, available to everybody on earth even
before we were born." The rich man answered him.

He continued "Now, everybody has the choice to find

and use the resources for himself or neglect them and
continue to live a wretched life. God is not at fault. He
respects our choices. I am wealthy because I have
chosen to be wealthy. The choice is yours to make,
boy."
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Guess what.

The boy became extremely rich few years after.

The point of the story is:

Stop asking a right question from wrong people. If you

ask the right source, you will definitely get the correct
answer. Look for someone who has a proven record (in
what you're looking for) and ask your questions. They'll
give you illumination and direction.

The reason we, most times, don't get the correct answer
is because we're asking the wrong people. And guess
what? They'll give you wrong answers.

Imagine asking a 5 year old boy on how you can build

your dream house. You'll never get the right answer
because he's not the right source. The right person to
ask is someone who knows about it -- like an architect,
building contractor.

By the way, just because someone is older does not

mean he has wisdom. Wisdom is not attached to age.
Our culture only makes it look like that.
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Knowledge-Seeking Adventure

You're probably thinking...why are there mysteries?

Why can't we all know it? Is it necessary that they
should be hidden?

Yes, I'm going to answer you. And the answer is,

everyone can know it. But the reason everyone doesn't
know it is that, not everyone wants to know.

There is a reason there are mysteries. And there is a

reason they are hidden. It is simply because of
glorification (or let's call it VALUE). If they are not
hidden, they will be trampled on...and abused.

Have you ever seen raw gold, silver, bronze, marbles,

diamond, platinum and other precious stones? You
probably might have not seen them in raw materials.
But you have seen things made of them, right?

You would probably agree with me that, as precious as

these stones are, you can't find them everywhere. Why?
Because if they are found everywhere like the fruit at
your backyard, they become not invaluable.
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Most times, you have to go where it can be found and

dig the ground so deep before you can find a raw gold.
This is applicable to mysteries.

You have to go on knowledge-seeking adventure before

you can discover them. When you don't know what
something is and how it is, all you need to do is, seek
for it.

You'll get the answer in one way or the other. It may be

through encounter, exposure, observation, revelation, or
by any means. I'm sure you will get the answer if you
truly seek. If the answer is complicated, seek more and
you will get a definite answer.

Look at everything that is mysterious to you, perhaps in

your academics, business, finance, spiritual, etc. Write
them down and start looking for an answer to them.

Go on knowledge adventure. Ask the right people who

have gone ahead of you in that area. Read books on the
subject, watch the videos of what other people ahead of
you have talked about it. As you do so, you begin to get
clarity.
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Knowledge-Seeking Births
Answers to Mysteries.

There was a time everything about my life was

mysterious. My business was not productive. In fact, I
lost all my investment and ran into bad debts. In fact, I
almost got jailed as a result of the business I did.
Everything was not fine. What then did I have to do?

I stayed away from social media for some time and I

went on knowledge adventure. I discovered that I had
missed the spiritual road. I was only taking natural path
and things went wrong.

Sometimes, you can be applying some right principles

and still not get good result. That shows there's
something missing somewhere.

Imagine that you want to go to the stadium. You're very

sure that if you take the right-hand side, you'll get to the
stadium. You're very sure of your destination (the
stadium).

Now imagine taking that way to the stadium...but you

ended up meeting yourself in the market. Does it look
like the same destination? Of course, no!
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But you're very sure of your destination. You follow the

map that is supposed to take you to your destination but
you ended up getting somewhere else.

That is what happens to most people who only follow

natural principles and neglect the spiritual principles.

That is what happens when you do things from ordinary

standpoint. We'll talk more about this in a moment. Just
flip to the next page...
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"Physical strength can never permanently

withstand the impact of spiritual force."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
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CHAPTER TWO

Another Side of a Man

Many businesses have failed NOT because they didn't

plan well. Not because they didn't advertise. Not
because they didn't get customers. They did all they
could... but they still ended up as a failure.

Why?

Listen: Natural principles are good and they work. But

they are not the only things that make the world go
round.

Natural laws and principles are not the only things that
make things work in this earth realm.

Another side of a man is this: "Man is primarily a spirit.

And it is the spiritual that controls the physical. The
more spiritual you are, the more extraordinary your
destiny becomes."
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This is an important thing you should never forget all

the days of your life. It is so pathetic that a lot of people
ignore this in their lifetime and they pay heavily for it.

If you would be truly successful in anything, it is

important that you engage in spiritual laws and
principles, not only in universal laws and principles.

The big mistake most people make is, they apply one
side and neglect the other one. They go around doing
their business or work with only universal principles...

It's like a man running in darkness with no light, he'll

never see enough. He'll fall down many times and may
fall into a pit and die. My point is: When you're
engaging life from an ordinary standpoint, you're
simply shooting yourself at the leg.

Let me tell you a secret:

All of the richest, successful and influential people in

this world absolutely KNOW this and they fully
ENGAGE in spiritual laws and principles much more
than the physical laws and principles.
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You know why they do that? Because they understand

the dynamics of the invisible. And they operate from
that standpoint and the result manifest physically.

You don't only need mental intelligence but also

spiritual intelligence to do all things.

The richest people you know are manipulating results

from the spiritual realm and the results are showing
physically. And you may never know this because it is
not taught in school, it is discovered outside school life.

No wonder your competitors never reveal their ultimate

secrets to you. They won't tell you what they usually do
behind the scene when nobody is watching.

During a conversation with a great mentor of mine, he

asked me one question that changed my life forever:

"Do you know why my children are all doing well in

life now?"

"No sir!" I answered. I was curious to know.

He said, "I did it when they were kids"

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"What did you do, sir?" I asked.

And he said...

"While everyone in my house was asleep, I would rise

up at midnight, lay my hands on the three of them
including my wife (one by one), and I would prophesy
good things over them. I would command great things
to happen to them."

"Wow! It is amazing, sir." I said.

"Well, I still do that despite the fact they are now adults
and successful in their various fields", he said.

That's a big secret revealed. And it is applicable to all

aspects of life.

You think a company is doing well because they have

good sales funnel, customer service, quality product...?

What about the spiritual seeds they sow? What about

night prayers the CEO does? What about the anointing
upon them? What about the revelation they received
from the spiritual realm? What about the covenant they
made in the spiritual realm with a spirit?
 36

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook Inc.,

sometimes had a difficulty in his company. He couldn't
find an answer to it and he decided to tell his mentor,
Steve Jobs, about it.

Steve Jobs told him if he wanted to know what to do, he

should go to a temple in India. He assured him he
would get an answer. Steve Jobs told him that he had
also been to the temple to get answers.

So Mark arose and flew to India. He spent two days in

the temple. He said he got what he was looking for in
the temple.

What he did in the temple and how he got the answer,

Mark Zuckerberg never told anybody.

You see that?

Let me tell you one thing about this secret place Mark
visited...

Inside the temple, it is forbidden for you to take pictures

of anything. No camera. No CCTV. No record of any
sound. I hope you know why by now, right? Maybe.
 37

But here's the point: extraordinary results come from

the spiritual realm. And the mystery behind it is
revealed as a result of your indulgence.

The Mystery of the Night

Contrary to what you might have been told by doctors

and scientists, night time is NOT a sleeping hour, it is a
destiny hour. It is the time to determine what happens
during your day, week, month, year and lifetime. It is
the time great destinies are built. In the same vein, it is
the time some great destinies are destroyed.

No destiny, first of all, changes during the day.

Everything is manipulated first in the night – whether
you're aware or not.

If you're serious about living an exceptional life in this

world, night time is your arsenal – the best time for you
to make both the heaven and the earth align to your
destiny.

And if things are not working out as you want, night is

the best time to renegotiate anything in the spiritual
realm. Yes, the best time to renegotiate your destiny.
 38

Remember, when it happens in the spiritual, it manifests

in the physical.

Sometime ago, I had a prospective client who wanted to

hire me to work on a marketing project. This client
promised to send me 50% of the money to start the
project and guess what…

I didn't receive a dime from this client. I looked at my

phone almost every minute, expecting bank deposit
alert till I got tired of it.

But anytime I followed up, she'd say I should not

disturb her. I kept waiting for the money to enter my
account but nothing happened.

One Monday night (at the middle of the night), I rose up

from bed, knelt down and cried unto God that the client
should send me the money. I called the attention of
heavens with unknown tongues.

I started commanding (with faith) that all things should

work out well for me. I didn't stop praying until I felt in
my mind that my prayer had been answered.
 39

Now guess what? That same day, the client sent me

60% of the project money. You're surprised? I couldn't
believe it as well. My client had the money before but
'something' held her back from paying me but that
night, I changed it to what I wanted.

Are you having some challenges? Are you rejected by

people who should have answered you? Don't you think
engaging in night prayers could actually solve your
challenges?

Night prayer is a powerful tool for great people. Learn

to dedicate at least 1-hour to pray maybe thrice in a
week. Set time for it and discipline yourself to pray
until the time is up. And as time goes on, you begin to
have capacity to pray for more hours.

Let's make something clear before we continue… Am I

saying if you pray at night, you would get the same
result I got? NO!

I'm just sharing what has worked for me. I can't give
you any guarantee that it'll work for you except you try
it and see for yourself.
 40

I know many people pray fervently (and fast for days

even more than Jesus did) but they don't get anything to
show for it. Well, I'm not God to judge that. I'm neither
a Pastor nor a Prophet.

But here's what I know: Lots of people's prayer never

get answered because they don't know the RIGHT way
to pray. If you pray but don't get answer, you're
probably getting it wrong somewhere.

If you'd like to know how to pray the right way (I'm

talking about prayers that get answered), I strongly
recommend you patiently listen to an audio message
titled "Teach Us To Pray (Part 1-3) -- by Koinonia".
Each part is about 2 hours or so. Google it, you'll find it.
Don't just listen to it. Act and see the difference.

And I think investing 6 hours (for part 1-3) to learn how

to pray the right way isn't much for someone who's
serious about his destiny.

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, you'll be amazed at

how things begin to work your way as you start using
night time to pray your way to greatness.
 41

Great people (and those who want to be great) don't

sleep all through the night, they are always busy
building capacity for their destiny and prayer is one of
the core things they do at night.

The second thing they do is, thinking and planning their

next move probably in their business or any goal they
want to achieve in life.

It is only average people that sleep all through the night.

Wake up, build capacity at night because you have a
long way to go. You're not on earth to play. You're here
for a real work. And you should complete it before you
leave.

Build an Altar

An altar is a dedicated place of worship with God. One

thing about God is that He has reference to an altar
dedicated for him. When you dedicate a place to meet
God, He will always be there before you...waiting to
transfer deep ideas and mysteries to you.

Your personal altar should be taken serious. Look,

destiny discussions are not discussed in the public.
 42

They are done in a secret place. Yoruba people say, a

night talk shouldn't be spoken in the daylight.

There are things God won't reveal to you in 'anyhow'

places. That is why, dedicating a place and time to meet
God usually brings the manifestation of God.

When you enter a business conference room, the way

you think becomes different. Your talk inside business
conference room is different from how you talk when
you're in a crowdy market. You think more like a
business intellect in a business environment much more
than when you're in a crowdy place. Right?

The same thing applies to your personal altar built for

intimacy with God. That's where you pray to God and
he answers you.

When you meet God in a secret place, secrets will be

revealed to you. Mysteries that will make your destiny a
wonder will be revealed to you in a secret place. The
best strategy you need to make your business grow will
be revealed to you.

Abraham had built an altar where he communicated

with God. Many years later, Jacob was sleeping near
 43

the altar and he had revelation of angels going to and

fro the heaven. His life was transformed that moment.
He was blessed. Immediately he woke up, he said,
"Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not."

It is at the altar that kings are anointed, it is at the

altar that ordinary men are empowered for
greatness. You can change your life at the altar
ground before God.

Samuel was sleeping near the altar and God spoke to

him about the fate of Eli, his own destiny and the next
generation of Israel.

Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. --
Isaiah 40:31

Notice: it is after you have received strength (enough

mysteries from God), then you can soar higher without
getting tired in anything you do. That is when you can
turn an ordinary idea into extraordinary. With God,
you'll command extraordinary results every single time.
 44

Where do you belong?

There are some secrets you can't have access to, if you
are not a member of the group.

For example, you can't know some secrets of the

military forces if you're not a member of the forces.
Imagine there's a war and as a civilian, you're now in
the midst of soldiers who are waging war against their
enemies.

Now, imagine the commander of the army just signals

with three of his fingers. What will you do? As a
civilian (who knows nothing about military tactics),
you'll be confused. You don't know whether the signal
simply means you should run or crawl or retreat.

It takes someone with military intelligence to decode

military codes. This also applies to every mystery of
life. Mysteries are not revealed in the public but in
secrecy. And you can't get mystery in public but in
secrecy.

Even Jesus Christ did the same. Yes, before he started

his mission, he went underneath (nobody knew exactly
 45

where he went to for about 18 years) to uncover

mysteries of this world. He had to learn them.

And when he emerged, all devils obeyed him, all men

listened to him, his fame went abroad and all things
worked out well for him. But before all of that
happened, he had to go in secret and learn "secrets".

That's not all…

Whenever he was teaching in the public, he would

speak in PARABLES but whenever he was with his
disciples, he would explain everything to them. People
who were outside his circle barely got the whole
information he had to pass.

But what about the 12 guys in his circle? They

understood every single mystery Jesus revealed to them.

His disciples wondered why he did that and they asked

him out. Jesus said to them, "It is given to you to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven but to them, it
is not given."

Remember, the disciples of the Master had no

understand of how mysteries worked until they were in
 46

the circle of their Master. They had zero knowledge

about secrets that are available both in heaven and the
earth.

But the moment they had connection with Master, they

had what others didn't have. They could do what others
couldn't do. And that separated them differently from
others.

God has secrets. And if you're not one of His children,

you'll not have access to the secrets He is transferring to
His children, and that's what you need to elevate in this
world.

By being a child of God, you need to have a one-on-one

relationship with Him. Don't be among His general
children. Be His intimate child. The more you grow in
the circle of God, the more secrets you receive...and the
more you go forward.

You have to understand that mysteries are spiritual

codes. It takes a man of spiritual understanding to
utilize them.

In ancient times, the secrets of each kingdom were

written in signs and codes. And only very few people in
 47

that kingdom had access to these codes. These are

mysteries that are guided carefully. You can't decode
these mysteries except you are member of the group.

Spiritual Incubation

There lived a man called Robert Gilmour Letourneau

(1888-1969). He was a Christian businessman. He was
a sixth grade level dropout. He was an inventor who
had over 300 patents in his name. And one of his
invention led to the victory of the army during the
World War II.

During the World War II, the soldiers needed to clear

their path to their destination. It was a tedious work. But
Robert Gilmour invented a machine that helped the
soldiers clear their path and helping them win the war.

How did it happen? How did a dropout man invent

machinery that solved a national problem? Let me give
you the background...

Robert Gilmour Letourneau was sleeping one afternoon

when something came to his head like a lightening bulb.
He began to see a large earth moving equipment (that
was in existence at that time).
 48

When he woke up, he remembered everything he saw.

He informed his engineers what he saw and how the
design looked like. And they started the design.

That's how he decoded spiritual mysteries into physical

realities. That's how he brought into existence what was
not in existence before.

God is trusting you also with new inventions, songs,

books, fashion, entertainment etc. It is just that, they are
enshrouded in mysteries and it is your own
responsibility to make them happen here on earth.

Spiritual Backup

When you are spiritually backed up, there is a pathway

for you. Your spiritual backing gives you an edge over
others. The person who is at your back at the battlefront
determines whether you'll be victorious or not.

If your backups are weak men, expect downfall but if

they are strong men, expect victory every time.

We need to understand that there's a spirit that is

backing everybody and everything you see in the world
 49

today. We are not alone. There are spirits that serve as

sponsors of men.

There are a set of spirits called evil spirits and there is

another spirit called Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God). The
question you need to ask yourself is, which of these
spirits is backing you. What spirit is sponsoring you?

And how you can know the answer is by checking the

kind of result that you produce. Does it look like the
one sponsored by the Spirit of God or not? If it is not
sponsored by the Holy Spirit, it is then sponsored by an
evil spirit. It is as simple as that.

Your sponsor determines how far you go in the things

he has assigned you to do. For instance, if you're given
a full scholarship on academic pursuit, it is the sponsor
that provides most (if not all) of the resources needed.

That means your sponsor is a determinant factor in your

progress and fulfilment.

Now, look at your body. What's the spirit backing it up?

Check your business, children, career, family...they are
all bodies. What's the spirit backing them up?
 50

Remember, a body without a spirit is dead.

Here's what you should do today:

-What mysteries would you like to discover? Maybe in

your life, business or career? Write them down.

- Who are the top 5 people doing well in these areas that
you can replicate?

-What can you do differently today to change your

mystery to the mastery you really want?
 51

Seest thou a man diligent in his business?

He shall stand before kings,
he shall not stand before mean men
- Proverbs 22:29.
 52

CHAPTER THREE

Positioning Yourself for Greatness

In this chapter, we'll be looking at how you can position

yourself for greatness. You'll also discover how to be in
the calibre of successful people even if you're a son of
nobody.

But first, let's look at a story. It is an old-age story that

has been told many times by many people. So you have
probably heard of it.

But before that, let me ask you: Have you (at any point
in your life) dreamt that someday you'd dine and
hangout with men of great influence?

If you say yes, then what I'm about to tell you will open
your eyes deeply and clearly and you'll see how to make
the best of it happen...

Many centuries ago, the first king of the ancient Israel,

popularly called Saul, was suffering from
schizophrenia. (It means a mental disorder which
affects how someone thinks, feels and perceives.)
 53

This ailment affected the administration of King Saul.

He couldn't perform his royal duties effectively as a
king should.

Then it was proposed to him that the solution to his

ailment was music. He had to get someone who could
use music to bring his mind back to life.

He informed his servants and they promised to find him

a skilful harpist so that his heart would be relieved as
fast as possible. The king accorded.

Not quite long, one of his servants came back and said,
“I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlemite, that is
skilful in playing. He's a mighty valiant man. He's a
man of war. He's prudent in matters. He's an handsome
boy and the Lord is with him.”

Immediately the king heard this, he quickly sent for

him. David came to Saul, and stood before him: he
loved him greatly and David became his armour
bearer.”

Now, here's the thing:

 54

There were many harp players in the land of Israel.

There were many people who could do what David did.
But, they were not chosen. The king’s servant didn’t
bring them to the king. They brought only David.

Why?

They could have brought many harp players, then test

them before taking the best of them to the king for the
final job. But, they didn’t do that.

Again, here's what the king’s servant said, “I have seen

a son of Jesse, the Bethlemite, that is skilful in
playing...” and he mentioned other attributes and values
that David possessed differently from others.

Yes, that’s the man the king was looking for.

David positioned himself and he was brought from the

wilderness into the palace so he could solve the king's
problem. He was not in the city of Bethlehem. He was
in the wilderness managing his father's flock. At the
same time, he was training himself on harp.

Take note: he was a master harpist and singer. Not only

that, he learned how to lead sheep so as not to go astray
 55

or fall into the hand of wolves. He mastered those skills

at a little age and that gave him a hedge in his lifetime.

To stand before king metaphorically means to be

honoured and rewarded by someone (especially great
person)

Honour and recognition do not come on their own. It is

your skill that brings them to you. Your creative ability
drives honour and recognition to you.

Your Skill is the Gateway

to Your Breakthrough

It is your skill that draws people to you. Just like the

king’s servant recommended David, you can be
recommended for a job or contract if you're excellent at
what you do.

Note: I did not say if you're "good". I said if you're

"excellent". They are two different things and they have
different rewards.

Recommendation has lifted some people. It can lift you

as well. You don’t need to always seek for a contract
 56

before you get it. You can stand on the shoulder of

someone and get what you want.

“I know this man. He can do the job, let’s give it to

him.”

This is how some people got a big contract they never

prayed for. Imagine you're offered a job you didn't ask
for.

Because someone fought for you while you were

snoring heavily on his bed just because the person
knows you. And others are begging and queuing in an
interview just to get that same job.

Recommendation is beyond anything, it revolves your

stress. Nobody will recommend you if you don't have
any value to offer.

I remember a day we were having choir rehearsal. It

was usual for a male chorister to play the bell to songs.
So this time around, I asked, "Who among you ladies
can play the bell for this song we're rehearsing?"
 57

None of them signified. I noticed a lady rose up from

the back. Her name is Janet. She took up the bell and
started playing it.

Everybody was astonished at how excellent she was at

it. Why? Because the beat was a little bit difficult. It
was only this young lady who played it well.

Immediately, one guy stood up and gave her N200.

Another person rose up and gave her some money. Few
other people did the same thing. I think she received
about N1,000 that moment.

When I got home that day, I thought, "If Janet could be

given that sum of money, that means people can give
me anything (absolutely anything) when I'm excellent at
what I do."

People don't have problem in giving you anything you

want. If you have not mastered the skills and abilities to
make them give you, nothing happens.

It is your responsibility to…

 58

Position Yourself
Before Great People

If you want average people to reward you, simply stay

among them. But if you want great people to reward
you, you need to position yourself before them.

Positioning is deliberate. If you want to attract anything,

you should deliberately position yourself for it.

If you actually want people to reward you, you have to

strategically place yourself before them. That's not all,
you have to shine your light to an extent that when
kings are passing by, they will see your light
brightened, and they will come to you.

The wise folks do not call for kings. They brighten their
lights very well and kings come to their lights by
themselves.

It is your responsibility to prove what you have to the

world; the skills and abilities you possess and the
problems you can solve.

And guess what?

 59

When they have a problem, they will come to you for

solution. Because they can see your light.
 60

If your gift has not made

a room for you,
make a room for your gift.
- Steve Harris
 61

CHAPTER FOUR

Access to Great Men

If you would like to get into the inner circle of great

people, maybe for mentorship and guidance or you
want to build quality relationship with them… there's a
way to achieve that.

Rich, great and successful people don't just allow

anybody into their network. They understand the
importance of networks, so they are careful about who
enters their inner circle.

I remember when I wanted to connect with one of my

mentors, few years ago. He's someone I admire so
much. I wanted him to mentor me but getting access to
him was a big problem to me. You know what I did?
Here are they:

Planning

I believe that anything worthwhile should be set as a

goal. And I know that whatsoever a man wants to
 62

achieve, he can. If you plan your way well, you'll arrive

to your destination. Let me explain:

I practically wrote it down as one of my goals that year,

and then used affirmation everyday. I imagined myself
talking to him one-on-one. I imagined him calling my
name and guiding me on some things. I imagined
myself having a cordial relationship with him and doing
lots of things together.

One thing is, the universe knows how to make your

thoughts to become a reality.

You too can turn your imagination into reality. You can
imagine sitting, dining and conversing with any great
person you desire. You can tap into the power of your
subconscious mind. Your mind does not know the
difference between fake and reality.

If you can imagine it, the law of attraction will find a

way to connect you together, sooner or later.
Remember, if you've got to gain access to a great
person, you've got to be strategic by setting it as a goal.
Don't just stop there. Follow your goal.
 63

Have a Positive Mental Attitude

You see, rich people don't hang out with poor people
not because they hate them, but because they don't want
to be affected with their poor mentality.

So when a rich man sees you, the first thing he checks

is your mindset. Is it rich or poor? When he finds out
that you are rich in mind (even if you're not rich in
cashflow yet), he would give you more access.

If you want to associate with successful people, you

need to think like them. You need to be enthusiastic and
positive.

Having a lot of money in your bank account is not what

makes them give you access. Among other factors, your
mindset is the first on the list.

Be Hungry

Another thing is your hunger for success. Are you

hungry for success or not? A great man can look at you
 64

and know whether you're serious about achieving

success or you're just a playboy.

If you're hungry for success, it'll show all over your

body and great people have a lens to easily detect that
in you because they've once been like you.

Also, you need to know the great people you'd like to

have access to. Go online and get every detail about
them. Buy their books and courses. Listen to their tapes.
Attend their seminars or webinars.

Voluntary Service

More importantly, use what you have to serve them. Do

you have a skill that they can benefit from? Offer it as a
sacrifice. Is there an opportunity you discover they can
benefit from? Inform them about it. Dispense your
value.

That's a strategic way of getting their attention and

being in relationship with them. Great people don't
forget people who have helped them.

Be In Their Environment
 65

Surround yourself in a location where great people are:

If they go to a particular gym on Saturday, go to that
gym center. Is there a coffee shop or restaurant they go
to? You also need to be there.

Go to the church where great people worship.

Contribute your value there. And you'll be amazed at
how you begin to attract them to your network.

Celebrate Them

Has your achieved something significant? Maybe he

has just been awarded... Celebrate with them.

A great man you'd like to become is celebrating his

birthday, you should be the first person to wish him
happy birthday. Strategically register your name in
people's heart.

And when you start a relationship with them, respect

their time. Don't ridicule them just because you now
relate easily with them. Demonstrate a sense of wisdom.
Implement what they teach and be a good testifier.
 66

Let's say a great man taught you how to make money,

you applied it and it worked for you. What would you
do afterwards?

What most people do is that, they keep the results to

themselves. That's bad, right? Yes, it is.

What average people do is, they send a private text

message or even send a gift as a show of appreciation.

Is that a good thing? Yes. But is that the best thing to

do? No!

The way to a great man's heart is not by buying him

gifts but by announcing him in public what he has done
for you. Buying gifts is good but sharing in public how
he has helped you achieve something significant will
light up his heart and he would want to do more things
for you.

That is one big trade secret that will change your life.
You become great by practising greatness.

Remember, kings do not come to your light but to the

brightness of your light. Is that clear enough? Good.
 67

Now, here comes the big question you're probably

asking:

Why Do Some Skilled, Talented And Gifted

People Aren't Recognized At The Top?

First, let's consider this:

“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him

before great men” – Prov. 18:16.

This shows that what we have should take us to the top

of the world.

But you and I have seen many people who are skilled,
experienced but unfortunately, their lives look weird.
They are poor. Nobody knows them. Nobody rewards
them.

Remember what the principle says “Any man skilled in

his business shall stand before kings and he shall not
stand before ordinary men”.

The law says “any man” and it means regardless of his

gender, age, position, status, country, background,
culture, or whatsoever. In fact, religion has nothing to
 68

do with this. This is not a religious law. It is a law of

God. It is scriptural and universal.

We can all testify to the first part of the verse. The

question is “Have you seen a person who knows his
onions?” The answer is yes.

Numerous men and women, skilled and diligent are not

being recognized by high men. The set of people that
know them are “ordinary people.” These are the people
that they are standing before.

What then is the problem? Why is a skilled man not

standing before kings? Why is a godly gifted and
talented man only have ordinary people as followers --
not kings?

The answer is DISHONOUR.

Honour means showing respect or recognizing those

who are different from you.

For instance, if you know someone who has a

successful marriage and you also desire that, celebrate
the couple. Honour them. You know people who are
very intelligent in your class, honour them. Don't envy
 69

them. Don't mock them. Don't belittle their

accomplishments.

You can't attract what you don't honour. For example, if

you don't honour rich people, you'll not attract riches to
yourself. If you don't honour people who are older than
you, the grace of longevity will not come to you.

If you disobey the law of honour, you have nowhere to

go. If you lack honour, you're violating the highest law
of greatness. No high calibre of men shall hear your
name. It's harsh, right? I know. But that's just the truth.

Most people who are skilled, gifted and talented are not
rising to their place of destiny simply because they lack
honour. They dishonour God, men, principles,
authority.

Honour God

God is the source and sustainer of everything. Not

honouring Him means you are not making reverence to
Him. That means you devalue Him. No wonder the
Master said “Anybody that is ashamed of me, I will be
ashamed of him in front of my father.”
 70

Honouring God means to make reference to Him every

time for who He is and what He does.

When you're dishonouring God, you won't be able to

hear His voice even when he's shouting. Because the
spirit of dishonour turns your sense of hearing into
deafness.

Honour Principles

Principles are codes of this nature that are responsible

for the activities of men. In other words, principles are
the soul of human world.

We are to align principles. For instance, if you don't

follow the codes and conducts of an organization you
work with, you'll be sacked. Because every sustainable
organization follows principles.

People who don’t understand principles and alignment

that are already laid, don't do well in all things. They
don't prosper in all things because they neglect
principles that are necessary for their lifting.

Follow the principle of sowing and reaping, the

principle of giving, the principle of time and chance,
 71

etc. You'll be doing yourself a great disservice if you

don't apply the principles and laws of the universe.

So no matter how skilled, talented and gifted you may

be, you still need to work in principles. This will make
you rise exponentially. Then, you can stand before
kings and great men.

Honour Leaders

Do you honour the leaders around you? Or are you

among the people who mock their leaders? If you know
you're a potential leader, don't criticize leaders who are
ruling over you.

You can say your opinion and you can advise your
leaders if they do something wrong without criticism.
When other people are criticizing their leaders, don't
join their wagon. Remember, you'll become a leader
someday.

Whether your leader is older or younger than you (in

status, age or any measure), do well to honour him. Yes,
even if he is not of your calibre. You know why?
 72

Because we all are NOT the same!

Dr. Mike Murdock said, “Wisdom is the ability to

recognise the difference in men. We are not the same.”

Some people are fond of saying “Everyone is the same.

God created us the same way.”

Spit that out! We are not the same. Never say that
statement again. If you hear someone say that, caution
him or her.

The ability to RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE IN

MEN is what separates men from boys.

We have different abilities, gifts, grace and all sorts of

bunks that separate us from another. Thinking that we
are the same is foolishness. Some people have a high
level of grace that you don't have.

Remember, even in the sky, some stars are brighter than

others.

A lot of human beings have an ego that stops them from

submitting to someone who is not up to them in
 73

standard. They are too big to learn from a person who is

lower than them in terms of age and status.

Honour all men and build your own capacity by

learning the skills and principles that can lift and sustain
you in the realm of greatness.

Don't think of pressing other people down just because

you want to rise. Nobody rises by lifting himself; rather
we rise by lifting others.

Make peace with all people. When you do that, you're

aligning yourself for a lifetime greatness.
 74

“A man’s wisdom makes

his face to shine, and the boldness
of his face shall be changed”
– Ecc.8:1.
 75

CHAPTER FIVE

The Principal Thing

Haven't you heard that wisdom is the principal thing?

But what is so paramount about this thing called
wisdom? You might even ask, “Why do I need wisdom
every time?”

In this chapter, I am going to reveal to you how the

SECRET of many successful people you know is
basically WISDOM.

And you'll discover by yourself that you can’t be misled

when you walk in wisdom.

If you don’t want to stumble, you have to be walking in

wisdom. Wisdom is supreme. And if you want to be
fulfilled with no regrets, wisdom is your ultimate key.

Let me explain:

Many centuries ago, there was a little city where people

had been enjoying their lives. Everyone was living
 76

happily, enjoying the best of their lives. They could eat,

drink and sleep peacefully. Everything was fine.

Suddenly, a great king came and enslaved everybody in

that city. The enemy king built a great wall around the
city and he started ruling over them.

Their democratic governance became dictatorial and

full of fear. Those who were once free instantly became
slaves.

After many years of dictatorial government, a poor man

among the people that were enslaved rose up. He was a
wise man.

And by his wisdom, he devised a strategy and he

rescued the people from this cruel king who was ruling
over them.

He delivered the inhabitants from enslavement and

oppression. And they started living peacefully again.
They started enjoying freedom in abundance.

Immediately the poor wise man gained freedom for all

and sundry, nobody remembered him anymore.
Everybody forgot his struggles.
 77

Yes... They no longer remember how he delivered them

and their children from captivity. They forgot how he
rescued them from the great king who built a great wall
around them and oppressed them.

Why do you think nobody remembered this wise man?

Most people who hear this story usually end up pitying

the poor man. Some, after hearing the story, say, “Oh,
the people are wicked…they shouldn’t have forgotten
the man.” “They should reward him with some money
and make him rich”. “They should make a statue of him
at the center of the city so that he would not be
forgotten”.

If you also thought the same way, that’s good. But the
endpoint was – nobody rewarded this man!

Why?

Could it be because he was poor? Does poverty have

anything to do with this? The answer is YES! Because
he was a stupid wise man.
 78

But before we argue, let’s examine another story you’re

probably familiar with...

Many people have read this story. Even teenage boys

and girls are conversant of this story.

It's just that we were told the victory but we were not
told the wisdom attached to the victory. We have by-
passed the wisdom in the story and only read the
excitement.

Over 3,000 years ago, the Philistines and the Israelites

had been fighting for a very long time.

(That's not new in ancient times, anyway. They

necessarily had to fight over many things to prove their
territorial and kingdom powers).

It got to a time, the two countries decided to fight once

and for all. They drew a line, each army on one side;
Philistine army on one side, Israel army on the other
side.

Here's the deal:

 79

The Philistine army commander said, “Find a

representative to come up here and fight me. If he kills
me, we will be your servants and if I kill him, you all
will be our servants.”

The battle line was drawn but no one was able to step
out from Israel army. Everyone from Israel army was
terrified, including the king.

Now, there was a young boy called David Jesse. He was

a young shepherd looking after his father’s sheep.

His father called him and asked him to take some food
to his brothers who were in the army camp. When he
got there, he discovered that there was a challenge
which nobody was ready to take.

Seeing this, HE DEVICED A PLAN IN HIS MIND

BUT KEPT SHUT and he further asked, “What shall be
given to the man that kills this Philistine, and takes
away the reproach from Israel?”

They answered him that the king would give him great
riches, the king’s daughter and also make his father’s
house free in Israel. That's a good offer.
 80

The boy went forward and confirmed from the king’s

mouth what the reward would be. The king said, “Yes
that is it.”

The moment he heard this from the king, he knew what

could be used but he still kept quiet.

This is the stage where many people who supposedly

would have been great miss it. Just because they have a
booming idea, they are too eager...and they quickly
burst into the air.

You have an idea that can change the entire world?

KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT FIRST! You can do
something no one has ever done before? Keep your
mouth shut first.

You have a technological device that can solve the

problem of the entire world? Keep your mouth shut first
and look out for a strategy that will earn you the reward.

Listen up my friend: Climbing a ladder of greatness

requires you to be discreet. You have to learn how to
keep your mind and mouth first. Build in silence and
plan your next move without announcing to anybody.
 81

Don't be in hurry that you burst into the thin air what
your next plan is, when you're yet to accomplish your
goal.

If you're not discreet about your plans, you'll be

shocked at how someone else will steal the idea from
you and make the most out of it right in front of you
(there's no judge that will settle such case)...and you'll
be left with a lifetime regret. Wisdom is profitable.

DAVID KEPT HIS MOUTH SHUT FIRST. Even the

king thought he was going to use shield, armour and
sword to fight the battle but David knew in his mind
what he wanted to use.

When he was going for the battle, he KEPT his

instrument of battle in his bag – sling and stones. He
didn’t take them right in front of Saul, the king and not
in front of other army of Israel. HE KEPT HIS
MOUTH SHUT.

Your greatness comes quickly when your mouth is

not loosening. A loosened mouth is a lost destiny.
Learn to keep a SECRET that is possibly going to
lift you higher.
 82

Albert Einstein said, "The secret of creativity is

knowing how to hide your sources."

David went ahead with his hidden strategy… and killed

Goliath with ORDINARY slingshot.

That's not all...

When Goliath, the head army of the Philistines, fell

down, David ran quickly and cut off his head. He took
his head and sword and kept them in his room. Why?

He did that so that someone else would not cut off

Goliath’s head and claim the victory. Nobody cares
when you say you've done it, they want you to show
them the PROOF.

To David, the head of Goliath served as the proof.

Because the man that goes home with the proof is the
man that truly wins the battle.

Now, can you see the difference between David and the
poor wise man who delivered his city but was not
remembered?
 83

Take note of this:

Both David and the other man were poor. Both of them
were considered wise. Both of them delivered their
cities from an enemy (problem-solving).

But there was a big difference. David got the rewards

and the other got nothing.

What made the difference? Some factors contributed to

that but here are some things you should look at:

Poverty in the Mind

Look: riches is not measured by the amount of money

you have in your bank account or the number of cars
and houses you own. It is measured by your mind.
Because both riches and poverty are produced from the
mind.

Tade Esan said, "Poverty is a bandit, it steals your

mental bandwidth."

When a man is poor in the mind, it reflects in

everything he does. Such person never recognizes an
opportunity that is supposed to lead to his breakthrough.
 84

David Jesse was poor in pocket but RICH IN MIND. So

he recognized the time to change his poor fate when
that opportunity came.

But the poor wise man was unable to recognize the

opportunity to change his destiny when it came.
Because he was poor in pocket and still poor in mind.

That's why you have to find a way to stay out of poverty

zone. Because no matter what you do, no matter how
intelligent you're, if you're poor, nobody will see you.
Nobody will listen to you.

Understand that money is a defence. And as a matter of

fact, it makes your voice to be heard clearly by all and
sundry even if all you do is whispering.

Negotiating Your Way to The Top

For you to navigate your way to the top, it is essential

you master negotiation skill. David asked what the
reward would be before making any attempt. He asked
3 times. Most people never ask. And some ask once and
when they don't get a positive answer, they go back to
their shell. That shouldn't be you.
 85

More so, never fight a battle that has no reward. Note

that, I didn't say "struggle". I said "Battle". The
difference is clear.

When fighting a battle, you're putting your life on the

line and a reward should be put in place before you take
such high risk. So you need to negotiate your ways.

Use the 'Ordinary' Thing You

Have to Navigate Your Way

You should be smart enough to use what you have to

navigate your way. It doesn't have to be special. It
doesn't have to be new. You just have to make it special
and new.

Using sling was not a new thing in the land of Israel.

Everybody from the tribe of Benjamite could do that.
You see, David was from the tribe of Benjamin and that
means his older brothers; Eliab, Abinadab and
Shammah who were at the battle ground could also do
it.

All Benjamites were so good that they could sling

stones at a hair breadth and not miss – Judges 20:16.
 86

If King Saul had known that David wanted to use stone

to kill Goliath, he would have sent a more experienced
soldier to use the same along David intended to use and
David would not have received the victory medal and
applause of all Israelites.

If that had happened, nobody would have remembered

him today. The young shepherd boy knew this.
Therefore, he didn't lose the loins of his mouth.

Your mouth is directly tied to your destiny. That's why

people who can't keep secrets don't go up in life...even
when they are tested with a tip of the top, they shoot
themselves at the leg and eventually fall down.

Learning to shut your mouth when you should is a skill

you should master really fast. It is a life trade secret of
legends. Even Jesus Christ knew when to talk and when
to keep quiet.

If you want good success, riches, abundance and

fulfilment, learn to do this. The ability to know when to
talk and when to keep shut is called wisdom.
Remember, wisdom is the principal thing.
 87

Honour The Source Of Your Wisdom.

Anyone can receive knowledge from men but wisdom

comes from God. David received knowledge
(awareness of information) from the army at the battle
ground but he received wisdom from God how to win
the battle (using slingshot).

David said, “This day will the Lord deliver thee into
mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head
from thee... THAT ALL THE EARTH MAY KNOW
THAT THERE IS A GOD IN ISRAEL.” – I Samuel
16:46.

You see that?

Note: David didn’t say, “I will do this, I will do that,

that all the earth may know that there is a boy called
David in Israel.”

Here is the point: Never try to prove yourself but what

God has put in you. It is foolish to prove yourself to
mortal men but it is wise to show God to them. Proving
yourself is pride, proving God in you is power.
 88

Have Divine Wisdom

Divine wisdom is the ability to bring supernatural

solution to a delicate problem for God’s glory. That
means, when you prove God's glory, God ensures
you're seen by all and sundry.

The most essential thing a human being needs to have is

God's wisdom. It is this wisdom that brings wealth,
riches, abundance and fulfilment.

So how do you get divine wisdom? It's simple:

Ask from God. He is the only person that can give

divine wisdom. When you trade on earth with God's
wisdom, here's what's going to happen:

It makes you an extraordinary being. You'll be able to

solve any challenges you encounter.
 89

"Look at your back whether

you have strong warriors or not."
- African Proverb
 90

CHAPTER SIX

Your Advantage

Are you aware of the law of cause and effect? The law
says, “For every effect, there are actual causes.” This is
a firm reality.

The law is superb. I have seen many people talk about

an effect of a thing and forget cause. No one can reject
this reality. Nothing happens on its own. There are
actual causes for every force working.

A friend of mine once told me on how surprised he was

in getting things done. He didn’t quite understand what
was happening. Whenever he needs a help, a hand
shows up and helps him. When he needs money,
someone shows up and gives him the money. That’s an
experience he can't explain. And it's a big advantage for
him.

There is a system of advantage created for all human

beings. The advantages are different; we don’t possess
the same advantage. What is your own advantage?
 91

Series of people are easily rising to the top because of

an advantage they have. You really need to know what
yours is or else, life will seem unfair to you. Your world
may become unbearable when you see that things are
not working well for you. You need to discover what
your advantage is.

Thousands of years ago, the entire nation of Jew was

about to perish as a result of one man’s plot. The
intention was to destroy all the Jews but the Jews had
an advantage which made room for their own delivery.
The advantage was Esther, Queen of King Ahasuerus.

They would have been destroyed if Esther was not the

queen whom the king highly loved. She became
spokesman and delivered them from oppression.

Mordecai knew a time like this would come so he

planned ahead; he knew that the law could be changed
overnight and that would make them to be doomed.

When the king of the land wanted a new queen,

Mordecai took advantage of that opportunity. He
brought Esther to the chamberlain and Esther eventually
became the lovable choice of the king and she emerged
as the queen.
 92

The purpose of Esther becoming the queen was not to

enjoy food at king’s palace. The purpose was to save
the entire Jews. This was what Mordecai had in mind
when he asked her to go to king’s chamberlain where
all young virgins were tested.

Mordecai and Esther created an advantage for their

generations. What Esther did changed the entire nation
of Jews. All the Jews’ fame, honour and dignity went
throughout all the provinces.

Esther had an advantage of beauty. Her beauty made

room for her and she became the queen. Do you
remember Vashti? She had the same advantage (beauty)
before the king but she refused to HONOUR the king,
her husband, and she lost her estate as a queen.

No matter what advantage you have, if you lack honour,

you’re going to lose your estates which could help your
life.

Vashti lost her advantage, Esther used her own

advantage (the depth of love the king had for her) and
saved her people. What advantage do you have that can
save you and your coming generations?
 93

Your advantage is not limited to wealth or beauty like

Esther – not everyone has that. Your advantage could
be your knowledge, skill, money, wisdom, ability, gift,
talent, business, spouse, friends, children, family or
whatever.

There are people who have become ambassadors of big

companies just because they have pointing nose. And
that nose is used for an advert and they are paid
millions of dollars. Someone's life has changed
miraculously just because he has a gapteeth.

That means YOU ARE AN ASSET. Your finger, nose,

body shape, skin colour, etc. They are all asset. There is
a value for everything you have all over you.

God has taken his time to give you all of these things as
an advantage you can leverage on anytime.

So you have an advantage you can make use of to

create the best life you have ever desired. Esther had an
advantage of beauty. Mordecai recognized this
advantage and he used it to save an entire generation –
that is wisdom.
 94

The difference between you and another person is an

advantage. What differentiates you from other people is
an advantage that can save your life from unnecessary
stress forever.

When a business owner discovers what differentiates

his business from others, and he uses that, his business
game levels up. In business, it is called Unique Selling
Point (USP).

Your USP is a concept that makes you have an edge

over others in a competitive market. Your inability to
discover and make use of it will make no difference in
your business.

If you can solve life problems, you’ll get the mark of

rewards. You’ll get good grades in life. People want a
person who can solve problems. They want you if you
can offer a solution.

Your potentials are enough to solve the world’s

problems. If you can release your potentials, you’ll
solve many problems and bring changes to the lives of
many people.
 95

Nobel prizes are awarded to people as a result of the

problem they solve for human kind. James Peebles
received the Nobel prize in Physics 2019 for theoretical
discoveries in physical cosmology. Greatness is a game
of value. If you follow the pathway to greatness, you'll
become great.

What changes will you bring to the world and the

people there in? You need to discharge the potentials
within you. You need to work on them and you’ll solve
many problems with them. Rooms will be made for you
when you can solve problems. You’ll be brought before
great men when you can create solutions.

Decide to be a problem solver today. Stop running away

from problems. You have all it takes within you. Your
potentials within are enough.

You can solve many problems with the songs you have
within you. You can bring solution with the books
within you. The new innovations within you can solve
the world’s problems.

Like Thomas Edison, you have what it takes to bring

light to the world. All you have to do is to release the
 96

potentials within you. Do whatever it takes to develop

them and never ever quit.

Think Big,
Go Bigger

Why most people much opportunity for greatness is

because their mind is darkened and eyes are invisible.
They are unable to see the importance of what they
have. And they are unable to create the things out of the
little things they have.

If you have a little gift or skill, you can maximize it.

Nothing is small except you decide to make it small.

Think big and maximize what you have because what

you have is big enough to change your world. Thinking
big will make you go big. A large number of people
don’t go big simply because they are afraid of big
things.

Your ability to think big will make your life big. Do not
see what is impossible. Open your eyes to create the
possible, and the impossible will vanish. The little thing
you have means a lot.
 97

There’s a shoe distributor who was sent by his company

to sell shoes in one part of Africa continent. Getting
there, he saw that nobody wore shoes. He went back to
his home country and reported to the company saying,
“Nobody wears shoe in that country.”

The company sent another person to that same country.

When this new shoe distributor got there, he saw that
nobody wore shoes.

He called the manufacturing company and said,

“Produce more shoes and send them here. This is a big
market.” Within few time, he sold out every shoe he
brought and even requested for more and more.

He became the most successful salesperson/distributor

in his company.

The result of your advantage is in how you think – big

or small. The first shoe distributor had an advantage but
saw a disadvantage. He thought small and got no result.
The second shoe distributor saw an opportunity to
become a successful shoe distributor. He saw the big
thing and did it right.
 98

Are you a small thinker or big thinker? If you are a big

thinker, think bigger. If you are a small thinker, you can
change your thinking right now and you’ll see
incredible changes in your result.

Those who think big do surprising things. They change

their world and our world. These are people our world
needs.

Are you thinking big?

 99

"Manna only falls from heaven

when you have someone at the
top showering it down on you."
- Michael Bassey
 100

CHAPTER SEVEN

Helpers Of The War

Don't you think it is profitable and even better when

someone else fights your enemies on your behalf? After
all, nobody wins a war alone. If it is a small battle, you
may struggle and win by yourself. But when it comes to
war, nobody fights a war alone.

Here's the thing: Imagine you're standing alone in front

of a lot of enemies. They are bigger and stronger than
you. And right there, you're thinking of what to do. You
don't even know what to do to conquer them.

Suddenly, a group of warriors appear from your back,

ready to support you. Now, instead of you holding your
sword and fighting, these men ask you to go back and
they fight the war on your behalf and they eventually
win for you.

You see, in this life, there are people like that. They are
MEN OF VALOUR, helpers of your war. They fight
the war… and you take the credit. This is a life trade
secret that very few people understand.
 101

The Book of Chronicles tells of different events where

men of valour rose up and helped David. David was
anointed by God but he needed men of valour for his
success. You needed helpers to sustain this life and
everything therein.

Your ability to recognize men will save you a lot of

stress. David knew them and called upon the likes of
Amasai, Ismaiah, Ahiezer and thousands of men of
valour.

David knew these men could use both the right hand
and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of
a bow. These were the men who fought the war David
could have fought alone against the band of rovers.

Most times, men of valour themselves do not know that

they are God’s oracles. A wise man once said, “You
rise through men.” David had much success through
men. Don’t forget the king’s servant who recommended
David as a great harp player. Remember Jonathan, son
of Saul, who saved him from death.

A group of people ran to meet David and said, “David,

we are going to make you a king.”
 102

And guess what? They did. They were not king but had
the power of making anyone they liked their king.

You need to have discernment

There are people who may not be as successful as you
think they should but when they are talking, you need to
listen to them.

There are people who don’t have a marble but they can
give you hectares of land that are full of gold and all
precious stones thereupon. It is foolish to measure
people by their look, dress, status etc. Wisdom is
profitable to direct.

The Yorubas say, “What you are looking for in Sokoto,

is in your 'sokoto'” that is, what you are looking for in a
far distant place is right in front of you.

The helpers you are looking for are near you. They may
be your spouse, friend, parents, roommate, neighbour
you sleep with every time.

But when your spiritual sensitivity is closed, you won't

be able to recognize them. When your eye is myopic,
you’ll see everyone as ordinary people.
 103

Insensitivity is a lack of discernment. We are gods but

there are God’s oracles among us. All of us are not
God’s oracles.

In the days I wanted admission into the tertiary

institution, two women helped me. They are Mrs
Adeleke and Mrs Gbaike. They were my helpers of war
and I am indebted to them forever.

They ran helter skelter to ensure I got admitted into the

institution. While I was in my father’s house, these two
women were busy doing photocopy of my documents,
sending them to the admission office and monitoring
everything so I could get admission.

I remember the day Dammy and I resumed into the

polytechnic. (Dammy was also a new student and we
came from the same town.) As soon as we entered the
school gate, we were directed to the admission office
for screening.

Getting there, we met over 200 newly admitted students

like us on the queue, waiting to be screened. They had
been on the queue since morning.
 104

If we had to join the queue, we would not be screened

that day for sure. We would have to wait maybe a week
or two. But Mrs Gbaike took us by hand and by-passed
everyone that was standing on the queue.

Lo and behold, we were standing right in front of the

screening officers. She said to one of the screening
officers, “This is my son, and this is my daughter,
screen them please.” The screening officer said, “All
right Madam.”

Within five minutes, we were screened. It saved us a lot

of stress and time. We would have spent many days, if
not because someone rose up for us.

The fastest way to get to the top is by network –

through connection. No man has ever risen to the top by
himself.

The fastest route to the top is a road of networks. Men

are channels of uplifting. When you see a man rising,
know that there are men of valour behind him.

These men of valour are gifts to our world. Wise people

don’t joke with them. These men are gifted. They know
the way. They are might warrior. They are intellectual
 105

beings. They have understanding. They can wage a war

and destroy a ‘whole city in a twinkling of an eye.’

God gave the men of valour to Joshua and they helped

him pull down the wall of Jericho.

The priests who blew the trumpets, the armed men and
Rahab, the harlot were men of valour that made the
pulling down the wall of Jericho a success.

Who is pulling down your wall of troubles for you?

Who works for your success? Are there people that can
stand for you when you have problem? Think about it!

This life becomes scary to you when you have nobody

contributing to the achievement of your goal. Life is
hard when you have no folks running to ensure you
succeed.

The man who helped David had thousands of mighty

men at their commandment. Men like Naphtah, Danita,
sons of Issachar, Asher, and the likes...

They all were powerful men; men of war with high

ranks. They all came with one heart to make David
King of Israel.
 106

It is one thing to be helped by God; it is another thing to

be helped by man. You need to be helped both by God
and men.

If God could recognize the fact that men are important

in fulfilling His agenda, why do you think you don't
need other people in your destiny?

Human beings are important to your agenda. No

wonder when God wants to lift a man, He uses another
man as the utmost channel. It's quite unfortunate that a
lot of human beings don't see other people as important.

Listen, you have people that can lift you all around you.
People that can make your business grow, people that
can make you generate exponential income, are all
around you. People that can connect you to kings and
presidents of nations. But do you recognise them?
 107

"If I have seen further,

it is by standing on the
shoulders of Giants."
- Anonymous
 108

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Mystery of Open Doors

Do you have to always knock on every door before you

enter a locked room? Some people will say YES. Some
will say NO. But as for me and my household, the
answer is NO!

When you hold a master key to a room, you don't

actually have to stand at the door for hours or continue
begging someone inside to open the door for you. Do
you?

But do you know why many people are unable to enter

a room freely? The answer is simple: they've lost the
master key.

That's why you see many unwise people who run after
money and forsake quality relationships. Money is very
important but it is not the most important thing to run
after. Why? There are other things that are more
important in life. Besides, money does not determine
the absolute value of people, it is people that determine
the value of money.
 109

Don't be like a young woman who rejected a man with

vision and got married to a man with television. Guess
what... She later watched the man with vision on her
husband's television.

My point (if there's any) is, don't forsake a good

relationship with other people because of things they
don't have yet. Times and seasons happen to everyone
of us.

People are more important than money because the

money you're looking for is in the hand of other people.
So when you have a relationship with them, your value
can easily go in exchange for the money you want.

You need to learn how to build relationship with

people. This is because your relationship with other
people determines how far you go.

The skill of relationship is a vital skill you need to

develop. If you don’t have this one skill, your lifting is
limited. Nobody rises to the top except through the
channel of other people. You can’t diminish the
importance of men (people in general) and expect
yourself doing great things.
 110

God created man but still relates with him and gives
room for man to relate with Him. When Jesus came to
the earth, he built relationship with people and even
asked them to do the same. Even the Holy Spirit craves
for your relationship with him (see 2 Corinthians
13:14).

You should not leave a relationship because of money,

except such relationship is draining you.

There are people who have broken a good relationship

because of money. They think they don’t need
relationship but money and at the end of the day, they
struggle. You remember the parable of the prodigal
son?

The young boy told his father he doesn’t need his

relationship; all he wanted was money. He terminated
his relationship and went to another country. He spent
all the money and was left alone with nothing.

Then, he realized that his relationship with his father

was much more important than the money he was
initially after. While he was in relationship with his
father, he ate as he liked and did whatever he liked
 111

without paying a dime. When his eyes opened, he

quickly ran back to his father and built back his
relationship with him.

Build relationship with people, it will save you from a

lifetime stress. You need to get rid of the mentality
which you have absorbed that you don’t need other
people. Relationship connects you and it makes your
journey faster.

How men easily rise is through connection. Connection

is a fast track to the top. It is quite unfortunate that
many people don’t know the difference between
connection and corruption. Negative people see every
sign of connection as corruption and they react to it.
The reason they react to it is because they lack it.

During my polytechnic days, I remember I wanted to

withdraw money from an ATM. Getting to the place, I
met a lot of people on the queue and saw that only 2
machines were working. (As at that time, the entire
community had just one bank functioning). So I knew it
would take me a very long time if I joined the queue
and I looked around to see if someone I know could
help me out but I didn’t find any.
 112

I went and pleaded to some of those who were closer to

the machine but those who were standing shouted at me
and asked me to go back and join the queue. I decided
to join the queue. It took me so long before I got to the
front of the ATM.

Immediately I punched my debit card into the machine,

I heard a voice calling me, “Israel...” Before I looked
back, he was already beside me. It was my course mate.
He gave me his debit card and those at my back started
murmuring, “That’s bad... Go and join the queue.” My
friend didn't answer them.

When I helped my friend to withdraw and was about to

leave, a lady said to me, you’re also one of those who
corrupt this country.” I smiled and replied, “Young
lady, don't you know that connection is different from
corruption?” and I left the scene.

There are many things you may think about the story
and there are lessons to learn from it but hear this...

I didn’t want my friend to pass through the same stress I

had passed through. Many people like my course mate
have got to the top quickly just because they knew
somebody and the person saved them from stress. Many
 113

have gotten jobs they did not apply for because they
knew somebody. Who do you know? And who knows
you?

Relationship is a powerful mystery of open doors.

There are wise folks who have used it to open great
doors for themselves and their generations.

My dear friend, if you can't build relationships for your

own sake, please build it for your children's sake so that
they don't have to pay for everything in their lives.
Build it for them so that they won't always have to
knock on every door before it opens. Let your name be
the master key that opens doors for them. Let your
impact open doors for them even when you're no more
on earth.

Relationship is a way to buy what money can't buy. Not

everything money can buy. Not everywhere money can
drive you to. But relationship can get you
ANYWHERE.

Relationship is a seed. Sow it now. Water it now and

enjoy its bountiful harvest that comes over and over
again.
 114

The Power of Mentorship

The fastest route to your destination is the channel of

mentorship. It enables you to see far. How do you do
that? You simply find someone who is already
successful in your field and follow the person's process.

Nothing great is achieved in solitude. Mark Zuckerberg

stood on the shoulder of Steve Jobs. Warren Buffet
stood on the shoulder of Benjamin Graham. Oprah
Winfrey stood on the shoulder of Maya Angelou.
Richard Branson stood on the shoulder of Freddi Laker.
Nelson Mandela stood on the shoulder of Mahatma
Gandhi.

Whose shoulder are you standing on? Who are the

people you leverage on? Who are the people in your
network or you don't have any?

In the area you want to see outstanding result, get

someone (with proven track record) to mentor you.
Model the person.

Let's say you are an entrepreneur or you look forward to

starting a successful business someday, the first thing to
 115

do is not to start the business even if you have all the

capital, idea, marketing strategy and everything needed.
Relax. What you should do first is…

Find someone who has already succeeded in that

business and replicate the person's system. The same
applies to your marriage, academics, finance, etc.

You don't need to spend years trying to figure out what

already works. All you have to do is, follow the
blueprint of a successful person in your area of focus or
passion.

Solomon David, the wisest king that ever lived once

said, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many
advisers they succeed."

The fulfilment of your destiny is limited if you don't

have mentors to guide you on your path.

Give Up Excuses

Stop saying you’re not the kind of person who likes

talking to people. Stop giving such excuses and start
learning how to relate with people, because your life
really depends on it.
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The starting point of any relationship is to first of all

make yourself friendly. In 2016, I intentionally joined
network marketing business simply because I wanted to
learn how to network with people. Apart from making
money, having a successful life requires meeting new
people.

Get out of your comfort zone and get to know new

people. Determine to have at least, three new friends
every week. That's 156 new friends a year! You can
even write down their names and contact address in a
book and reach out to them at least twice a week. Relate
with them so that you'll stay in their heart. The internet
has made things easier. Make use of it to build
relationships around the globe.

And if you're someone who feels shy but would like to

quickly learn how to make people know you, some of
the things you can do to get ahead in a crowd.

Make Yourself Known

One of the ways to start building relationship or connect

with people is by showing yourself in every group you
meet yourself. Before people can know you, you need
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to show yourself. And you can do that by raising up

your hand in every group or meeting you find yourself.

People will start seeing you when you show yourself

but nobody sees you when you hide yourself. Being
liked is your own responsibility.

There are many platforms that give room for you to be

recognized. Around you, you’ll see social clubs,
religious groups, academic society, etc.

Join as many as you can and learn to participate. Be a

contributor of value in every group you are. Raise up
your hand and talk wisely in public when there is a
room for you to do that.

People who stand up and speak in public get known.

And they become leaders. You are also a leader, get up
and contribute in every group you are.

Speaking in public is what many people are afraid of

doing. You can learn to be a good public speaker by
learning. Most of the highly paid public speakers we
have in our world today were once poor speakers but
they learned how to do it and that changed their lives.
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That’s a skill you can also learn. When you speak in

public, you connect with new friends who may later
help you in future. Master the art of public speaking.
That is a powerful way to build relationship and
persuade other people really fast.

Relationship is easily built and sustained when you

know how to influence other people.

Learn To Ask Questions

Perhaps you are a person who doesn’t know how to

build a relationship, or you don’t know how to make
people know, like and trust you, one of the easiest
things you can do is to ask questions.

When you ask people questions about them, they are

always happy to answer you. I do not mean asking
questions that intrude their privacy.

People feel bad when you try to know what they want
to keep as secret. But if they trust you, they can reveal
all their hidden secrets to you. And if they want it to
keep it as a secret, let it be.
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If you want people to talk to you, ask open-ended

questions. These are questions that make them talk
while you listen to them. You ask them questions about
their dreams, aspirations, family, and career. People like
it when you talk about them.

Let’s assume you ask someone, “What do you want to

become in future?” The person will tell you. He may
say something like, “I want to be a Pilot.”

You can then ask another open-ended question and say

something like, "Wow...that’s great profession. But why
do you want to be a Pilot?"

You’ll be amazed at how the person will talk more to

you. That way, you’re building relationship with that
person.

You are asking questions for relationship purpose and

not to investigate. If you ask a question but you see that
the person doesn’t want to talk about it, please let it be.
You don’t know why they don’t want to talk about it.
Let it go and ask another good question. They may tell
you the previous question when they later discover you
are trustworthy.
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Learn To Listen

When you ask questions, you’re expected to listen.

Many people can talk but very few people know how to
listen. If you are a good listener, people will share more
of their problems with you. You’ll build quality
relationship with them when you listen to them.

Don’t just talk, don’t just ask questions. Listen to them

when they talk. Nodding is a sign that you’re listening
to them. Also, agree with everything they say. Even if
their opinion is contrary to yours, don’t declare that
what they are saying is wrong. It's like you attacking an
enemy. Rather, tell them you have another view
different from theirs.

This will make them listen to you and they may also
agree with your own opinion. Remember, do not
criticize their opinion, rather ask question, pause and
listen to the person talking.

With that, you’ll be conversational with people and they

would like talk to you another time.
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Memorize Their Name

In building relationship, you need to learn how to

remember people’s name. When you meet a new friend,
ensure you get to know his name and store it so you
don't forget. The next time you're meeting, call the
person by name. Don't say, "erm...erm.. remind me your
name again, I've forgotten."

When you call people by their name, they feel more

attracted to you. They believe that you've put them in
your heart all this while. That is how we are wired as
human beings.

Don’t be surprised if they forget your own name. Most

people lack the ability to remember the name of
someone they have once met. But if you learn how to
do this, it is a great advantage for you. It'll help you
connect with build relationship quickly. And it'll
dramatically make you become exceptional in life.

You see, life is short but it is our relationship with other

people that keeps us living even after death.

If you want to enjoy this life, have good relationship

with other people and be valuable to them. Discharge
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your skills. Offer them an assistance when they need

you. That is a way of leaving an imprint in their heart
even if you leave them.

Remember, whatever money can buy, relationship can

pay for it.

Do this every day of your life and watch the amazing

blessings that'll come to you forever.

Register Your Name

In People's Mind

Invest in people. Do something that they'll always

remember you for. Give value to them. Sow seed in
their land.

Is there an advice you can share to help solve their

problem? Is there an opportunity you can share with
them? Or do you have a book that can improve their
life, business or marriage? Kindly share with them. That
may even be the person's breakthrough.

For example, in 2016 when I just joined network

marketing, I met a guy online called Yusuf Adebayo.
He's the one who sent me Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich
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Dad Poor Dad. That was the first self-help financial

book I ever read and the book changed my life. And
come to think of it, I still remember Yusuf today. We
are now very good friends. We've done business
together.

Always do well for people. Even though, not everyone

has the power to reward you for the good thing you did
to them but guess what? The universe knows how to
reward you.

When you sow a seed in a good land, you don't have to

worry if it'll bring forth fruits or not. The universe takes
care of that because it is not your own duty to multiply
a seed sowed to the ground. Right?

The same goes with making your name to be

remembered forever. Plant good seeds that'll multiply in
folds even when you exit the earth.
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“I bet you could sometimes find

all the mysteries of the universe
in someone's hand.”
― Benjamin Alire
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CHAPTER NINE

The Big Question

Have you ever had some challenges but didn’t know

how to solve them? Here, I'll show you how to come up
with solutions, even if your challenges are very
complicated.

Whenever you encounter a challenge, ask the question

“How.” But most people don’t do this. The question
they ask themselves is “why.” They say, “Why is this
happening to me?” “Why am I poor?” “Why is my
business not moving?” “Why am I having this
problem?”

Listen, asking ‘why’ will do you no good. It looks like a

good question but it will not give you solution to any
problem you want solved. When you ask the question
‘why’ it shuts down your brain from coming up with
solutions.

When you ask yourself “why”, you’ll not see changes.

All you see is blame and criticism. You’ll blame
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yourself, blame other people, blame the government

and even blame God. You’ll not see positive things. All
you see is blame.

Successful people don’t do that. They don’t ask that

kind of question. That’s a trait of unsuccessful ones.
The most successful people ask the question “How.”
That is the one big word that brings a big difference in
results. You need to do what the most successful people
do if you desire success.

When you ask yourself the question “How”, you begin

to see different ways you can go. This question triggers
your brain to work. It makes your brain to search for
different answers that can help you solve your problem.

“How” question is like an in-built software of a search

engine. When you go to a search engine on your
browser and you type a keyword, the in-built software
of the search engine goes ahead to look for what you’re
asking for on websites that are on the internet.

It then brings all the websites that have what you are
searching for. And when you see what you are
searching, you are contented, right?
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Your brain is the search engine, “how” is the inbuilt

software that brings what you are looking for on the
search page. When you ask the question, you begin to
see certain things you can do that will help you solve
the problem. You will be amazed at certain things you
will get.

When you encounter a problem, think of how you can

solve it. Do not think of why you are having the
problem. Think of how you can change things

Let me share my experience with you on how to use the

“How” question to solve a financial problem I had
sometime ago.

When I finished from secondary school, I started

working in a small bakery in Ogun state. I was earning
N400 daily from Monday to Saturday. That's N9,600
per month.

I had decided that I wanted to go to the higher

institution but the money I was earning that time was
not enough. Most times when I calculated every bread I
sold, I was at loss.
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So I would remove from my wages and use it to balance

up the account. I had to do this because I didn’t want
my image to be tarnished. It was a very hard way to
live.

I was still working in the bakery when I got admitted

into the Polytechnic. I checked the money I'd saved and
discovered that it wouldn't be enough for the 2 years
course (School fee, admission fee, accommodation fee,
handouts, transport fee etc. ) I didn't want to forfeit my
admission but money was the problem. I had to do
something.

One day, I sat down at one corner of the bakery and

asked myself, “How can I make more money?” I kept
on asking myself that one question over and over again
throughout the day.

While I was busy rolling dough in the bakery, I kept on

asking myself that same question. In a twinkling of an
eye, I got it. I got an answer that changed my life.

My mind started telling me what my brain had worked

on. I got a lot of answers that night…

“I can steal the boss’ money and run away”

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“I can join the Yahoo-yahoo gang and start fraudulent

work”
“I can use my talent to make money”

I had a lot of things I could do. Despite the fact that I

had many unlawful things I thought I could do, I wrote
everything down. I cancelled those illegal ideas from
the paper and my mind.

Then I saw that truly I could do the third one. “I can use
my talent to make money,” I concluded. I can play
keyboard. That's good enough but there's still a
problem. I didn't know how to go about it. I had no idea
of how I could execute my idea.

I asked my brain again, “How can I do this? How can I

use my skill to make money?” I kept on asking myself
and my brain started searching for answers.

And I got answers, “I can play for churches and

musicians that will pay me.” “I can teach people on
how to play the keyboard using WhatsApp platform.”

I remembered that I had once attended an online

training on how to play the piano.
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Guess what I did…

I went on Facebook and posted in almost every

Facebook group I was, that I could teach them how to
play the keyboard online. I posted the WhatsApp group
link to join. When they joined, I asked them to pay
N1,000 if they're interested in learning and some people
paid.

I studied what my trainer did. At that time, I didn't

know how to teach people online so I modelled
someone else.

At the end of it all, I got some people who paid for my

training and I taught them how to play the keyboard
using charts I got from my trainer's group. I used that
same strategy for 3 months and made about N140,000.

That was how I got the money that sustained me

throughout my two years course in the polytechnic.

My point is:

If you ask your brain to work for you, it will. If you

don't, it won't. You don't have to limit yourself or give
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up on your problem when it can be solved and you can

move forward.

The best thing you can do is to ask "How?", and you'll

be surprised at the best answers you’ll get.

Take note of the answers you get from your brain and
think on the best one you can work on. This one activity
changed my life career and business. It can change
yours too.

Your brain will suggest different ideas to you, when

you work on this simple exercise.

For instance, let's say you're looking for a way to make

money. That is a financial problem. If you ask the
"how" question, your brain may suggest to you certain
things you can do to make money if you lack skills, it
may suggest certain skills you can learn that will earn
you more money.

Whatever your brain suggests to you, write it on a

paper. The smallest ink on paper is better than a lot of
words or ideas in the brain. If you don't write them
down, you may forget. Our brain easily forgets things if
we don’t write them down on paper.
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You can use this one activity of “how” question to solve

all the problems in your marriage, finance, business,
career.

Remember, if you can solve people’s problems, rooms

will be made for you and you’ll be brought before great
men. Even kings and noble men will run after you to
help them solve their problems.

You can use this to stay ahead of other people who

reject problems. And they will be running after you.
 133

What makes the difference

between an ordinary man
and extraordinary man?
It's nothing but the extra
added to what they do.
- Israel Owolabi
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CHAPTER TEN

Not Enough…What Else?

Your skills, gifts and talents are not enough. No matter

how skillful you are, if you lack the principles in this
chapter, it will be hard to maximize your skills fully.

There are many talented and gifted people in this world.

Many of them do not follow the principles in the
chapter. And as a result of that, they stay being average
and they don’t really go far in life.

In this Chapter, I will be revealing 7 traits of highly

successful and great people to you. Learn those traits if
you lack any of them and you’ll be amazed at how far
you will go if you possess them.

There is no limit to which you can go. Ensure you learn

all the traits because each of them is very important to
your destiny.

1. SELF-DISCIPLINE: It is very important you have

self discipline as a skilful person. Self-discipline is an
ability you can learn right away. Self-discipline is the
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act of doing what you are supposed to do whether you

feel like doing it or not.

Let’s say you want to build up your muscle and you

have decided to do ten push-up every morning for six
weeks. As you continue to do the push-up every
morning, you’ll get to a point where you feel tried or
stressed.

Perhaps, you wake up one morning and you are having

headache or stomach ache – that’s an excuse not a
reason for not doing that push-up.

Some people would say, “Well, I cannot kill myself, I

will skip today’s push-up instead, I will do 20 push-up
tomorrow.” That is not self-discipline. That is laziness.
Lazy people don’t grow. You must be able to do all it
takes to achieve your goal.

With self-discipline, you go ahead to do what you are

supposed to do even when you don’t feel like doing it.

Many people are gifted but they lack self-discipline.

Self-discipline is very important. It stretches you. Self-
discipline makes you grow. It makes you achieve your
goal and changes you to a fulfilled person. When you
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achieve a goal, you feel happy. Your self-esteem rises

and you love yourself more.

Anything worthwhile requires self-discipline. To

nurture a skill takes self-discipline. The most paid and
highly successful people are people who have
disciplined themselves to pursue their goals. They have
taken their time to be disciplined. And as a result of
that, they eventually became successful.

You know the top public speakers? Most of them were

not born speakers. They had to discipline themselves to
be the best speakers in the world. They had to learn how
to speak fluently and persuade audience with their
words daily. Becoming the best in your field requires
self-discipline.

Take note of the word, “self” in “self-discipline.” That

is to tell you that nobody can help you to be disciplined.
It is your responsibility. That means, disciplining
yourself by yourself. If you have a great skill, ability or
talent, you need to learn how to discipline yourself.
Doing that will stretch you like a rubber. When that
happens, know that you’re growing – you’re no more
the same.
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2. PREPARATION: You need to prepare yourself with

your skill, talent or ability. This is a trait you need to
have. Preparation aligns you to the top. David was
prepared for winning. He had learnt how to use
slingshot long before the Goliath battle came up. When
Goliath showed up, he did not have to look for the tool
needed – he had one and was ready.

He did not have to go and learn to use slingshot, he had

become a master of it. Most people prepare for war
when the war has started already. When you prepare for
war before the war comes, you have a big chance of
winning the war when it comes.

The tool that will skyrocket your life may be right in

front of your nose but lack of preparation will not make
you see it. If you don’t prepare yourself, you’ll lack the
perception that the tool that will save you is already
available for your advantage.

How prepared are you in your field? If a battle starts

now, what is your chance of winning?

There are a lot of people working in other people’s

company. They don’t think about what may happen to
them if a change occurs at their workplace.
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If you are an employee, you need to prepare yourself

now. If your employer sacks you today, can you still
live more comfortably without worries? Without you
thinking about how the bills will be paid? Do you have
the skills that will take you forward if there is a new
thing that occurs?

If you can’t answer “Yes” to all these questions, that

means you have not prepared. You need to start
preparing today.

You prepare for opportunities. You don’t prepare when

opportunity has come. A common saying that “change
is constant” is very true. You have to prepare yourself
for any change that may occur in your industry or in the
world.

Recently, a drastic change happened throughout the

world. It was a big surprise to a lot of people because
they did not prepare for it and they had to close down
their businesses. Many employees did not prepare for it
and they were sacked by their employers because they
could not afford to pay them.
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While this was happening, there were some people and

businesses that were booming regardless of the
recession. Many other people got employment. This
was as a result of preparation.

Those who were booming had prepared for recession

time before it came. The people that were getting paid
had learnt new skills that could sustain them and help
them more in times of recession.

Are you also prepared? Are you learning new skills that
will help you in time of hardship? Are you giving it all
it takes to stand firm in times of hardship?

You can start doing that now. You can learn new skills
now. All you have to do is to go in search of them and
get yourself prepared.

3. RESPONSIBILITY: Highly successful people take

responsibility for themselves. If you want to be like
them, you need to do the same. You need to take
responsibility. If it is to be, it is up to you. If you have
to learn new skills, it is up to you. If you want people to
run after you, it is up to you.
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If you want to stand before great men and not before

ordinary men, it is up to you. Everything depends on
you. You are responsible for every result you have.
Taking responsibility means you determine what
happens to your life.

Many people who with great skills, abilities and talents

do not take charge of their lives. They expect things to
happen to them and still complain about it. They blame
other people, government and God for their results.

You have to take responsibility because that is what

determines your outcome. If you don’t like your
outcome, change it.

There are three categories of people in this world;

i. The ones who make things happen.
ii. The ones who watch things happen.
iii. The ones who let things happen to them.

You choose which category you belong to. The best you
can do is to be in the first category and make things
happen.

The first category of people are risk takers. They

control themselves and change things they don't want
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even if it is risky. They are the world changers. They

don't give excuses. This is the category that best fits
you.

The second category are spectators who watch those

who are playing and winning on the field. They don’t
take part in the game. You know why?

Because they don’t want to lose. They wish they could

be the best player on the field but they have never learnt
how to kick the ball. They want to be the best singer but
they have not produced a single CD.

They don’t participate in success league. But they

frown at someone else’s big success. This category of
people don’t take risks because they don’t want to be
harmed. They want to be safe, stay low and unnoticed.

A lot of gifted people are in this category. If you are in

this category, all you need to do is to shift to the first
category and make things happen.

The third category are called victims. They are always

comfortable being where they are. They are affected by
every new change that occurs. When the government
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changes its policy, they cry out. When their employers

sack them, they go all around cursing their employer.

They blame the school they graduated from for not

teaching them what they want. They blame their parents
for not being rich, and for not sending them to good
schools. They blame God for not putting them in a rich
family or in a rich country.

Think about it. Are you in this category? A lot of people

belong to this group. They do nothing about themselves.
They don’t develop their own lives. They don’t take
charge. They let the government control their lives.
They let their employer determine their income.

If you are in this category, the best advice I would give

you is to change and shift from this category to the first
category where you can make things happen.

Look at highly successful people around you, they

belong to the category. You can also decide to be in the
first category and you’d be marvelled at the great things
you’ll begin to do.

4. BELIEF: This is a starting point of every

achievement. Every great achiever has this trait. If you
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are a skilled or talented person, yours shouldn’t be an

exception.

You need to believe in yourself. Many skilled and

talented people don’t really believe in themselves. They
don’t think they can prosper through their skill, talent
and abilities. They see themselves as nobody.

Believing in yourself gives you courage to do better

things and change things. It lifts your skill, ability and
talent. It makes you do exploits.

When you love yourself and what you do, your self-
esteem goes up and your ability to produce also scales
up. The more you believe in yourself, the more you see
new things or changes you can make.

5. PASSION: You have great skill, that’s good. But are

you passionate about it? Passion in skill, gift or talent
produces more result. It energizes you into doing more
and more. If you are not passionate enough to do all it
takes for what you have, you’ll do little or nothing.

How much enthusiasm do you have as regards the skill

or talent you have? Is your passion full or low? How
passionate are you when it comes to pursuing your goal
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in order to be a skilful master? Do other people see the

passion you have in what you do?

Your passion lets you go extra miles to achieve more of

your dreams. Your passion lets you sharpen yourself
and learn more new things. Your passion lets you go
out of your comfort zone and do what is hard in order to
get to where you desire to be.

6. EXCELLENCE: Many people possess great skills,

abilities and talents but few are excellent. Being gifted
or talented is not what matters, what really matters is
how excellent you are at what you do. Having skills
alone will not promote you. You must add excellence to
it.

Excellence is self-marketing. Remember, when king

Saul wanted a harpist who could soothe his heart with
music, his servant said he knew a good harpist called
David. And David was called upon and the king
honoured him.

This is the rule; Do it great or don’t do it at all; be

excellent or don’t do it at all. You don’t need to try to
be small when you know you won’t be great at it. Why
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do you learn something if not to become an expert in

that field?

In the new world we are, people run after those who are
excellent, not those who can do a little bit. I usually tell
people that we have two kinds of people in the business
world – the pros and the quacks. You can’t stay in-
between. It is either you are a professional at what you
do or you are a quack.

If you are a quack, nobody will look for you. This is

because you don’t have the power to satisfy their needs
fully. But if you are an expert, even kings and great
people will beg you because you can solve their
problems.

What differentiates those who get paid more in a field

and those who get little or nothing is excellence.

Excellence is what separates those who get promotion –

perhaps in an organisation – from those who do not.
The former do it more excellently and get more
excellent result. The latter do it little, not giving their
best.
 146

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were found

ten times better than their counterparts. The king of
Babylon had to honour them. Throughout the kingdom
of Babylon and its provinces, no one was as excellent as
them.

You may have nobody but if you have excellence,

somebody will promote you to somebody… and that
cycle goes on like that. You may be in dungeon or you
may be living in a little village, but if you’re excellent,
you will be brought into limelight -- where the world
will see you and people will honour you.

Remember, great men don’t look for an averagely

skilled person but an excellent one.

How you dress can show how excellent you are. Do you
dress as a professional or just as an ordinary person?
Every little thing you do matters. Some folks are fond
of dressing anyhow and say it doesn’t matter. You need
to get rid of that mentality because every little thing you
do matters. Your dress shows who you are.

When the King of Egypt asked Joseph to be brought for

the interpretation of his dream, Joseph shaved himself
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and changed his dress before meeting him. See Gen.

41:14.

Just because you have what a noble man needs does not
mean you can go before him anyhow you like. Wisdom
is profitable.

7. LEARNING: The successful people are highly

skilled people who are adapted to learning. Learning is
the most important aspect of human existence.

It is an important task you need to perform as a living

being every time. It is through learning you can find
hidden mystery.
That is how you can know the hidden truth you never
knew existed before. How often do you learn? Do you
learn everyday or once in a while… or not at all?

Most people do not like learning. They hate learning

because it is going to stretch them and they don’t want
that.

You can’t go far if you don’t learn. It is a common

saying in business that “the first thing in business is to
LEARN, then remove the ‘L’ from the world ‘LEARN’
and you’ll ‘EARN.’ That is so true. Learning to do
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something is the first thing a man should have on his

priority. We grow by learning.

God has given every man the same twenty four hours.
But very few people use most of their time to learn
while others waste theirs. The difference is in results.
What you learn and how you learn differentiates you
from others.

When you stop learning, you start diminishing the

greatness in you. It is through learning you can discover
the best of you but if you don’t want to learn, you’ll
stay low like every other people. Successful people use
their time to learn but the average and unsuccessful
ones waste their time.

“Learn to do well” – Isaiah 1:17.

Ordinary people who have found their way to the top

seat have adopted learning as a priority. If you can’t
learn, you aren’t fit for the top. This is because being at
the top requires you to implement what you have learnt.

Don’t stop at where you are. Don’t be comfortable at

what you have learnt; the skills you have acquired, the
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talents you have developed. Learning is a journey of no

end.

What makes a journey sweet and memorable is not your

destination but all you see on your way to the
destination – the seas and oceans, beautiful trees,
deserts, lands and people you meet. Everything makes a
journey so good.

If you are willing to do these things, you’ll enjoy the

best that life has to offer you forever!

Thanks for reading!

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And One More Thing...

Has this book helped you in any way? Let us know

what you thought of this book. Send your testimonials
and you'll get a FREE copy of my book, Financial
Wisdom: 21 Age-long Lessons From Wealthiest Men
That Ever Lived

Please send your feedback/testimonials now via:

Email: israelowolabi20@gmail.com
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Israel Owolabi is a classic Direct Response Copywriter

and Marketer. He helps business owners and companies
create hot marketing campaigns that generate consistent
sales in their businesses.

He teaches entrepreneurs around the world the Art and

Science of Online Marketing to produce consistent sales
in their businesses.

Israel Owolabi is the author of the following books:

Elevate Yourself Now, Zero Capital Businesses, and
Social Media Marketing Mastery.

You can reach him a multitude of ways:

E-mail: israelowolabi20@gmail.com
Facebook: Israel Owolabi
Twitter: @IsraelOwolabi7
Phone: +2348142713065