Discover Yourself

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Preface Foreword Introduction Chapter 1

The Silent Enemy Called Identity Crisis Chapter 2

The Power of Self-Examination Chapter 3

Discover Your Uniqueness Chapter 4

Accept And Celebrate Your Uniqueness Chapter 5

Express Your Uniqueness Chapter 6

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

The Clarion Call

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Preface You are loaded with so much treasure so that God's awesome power may be made known to the world through you.

Many of us have no idea of our unique identity and what we want to do with our lives even after graduation from school. We just went to the university because it is the next thing to do. After graduation, we become shocked by the realities of the real world. Our degree is no longer as valuable as we thought it was. Bills begin to accumulate and must be paid. So we try to get a temporary job to hold us over until we get back on our feet but find ourselves hooked to that job in order to pay mounting bills. We hate the job, wanting to get out but having no idea what to do next. With increasing responsibilities and bills to pay, we get into more debt through loans to meet needs and sustain our lifestyle thereby finding it more difficult to leave the job. With time, out of learned helplessness, we tend to accept the job and our situation as a way of life claiming it to be our destiny and ignoring our real identity crying for discovery and expression.

Many of us settle into this routine and canÂ’t get out and feel confused, anxious, lost, depressed and hopeless as a result. It is so unfortunate that people go through this experience on a daily basis enduring a life of struggle, frustration and mediocrity thereby missing the opportunities to lead exciting, productive and fulfilling life.

Many go through this circle without making conscious and deliberate efforts to discover and exploit their uniqueness.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

"The greatest discovery in life is self-discovery. Until you find yourself you will always be someone else. Become yourself." (Myles Munroe, On becoming a leader).

Life is beyond just going to school, getting a good job, raising a family and running a rat race of unnecessary competition with others. Life is a call to duty, a call to serve, a call to fulfill your unique mandate. How do you know where you can give your best contributions to humanity through service and find fulfillment if you havenÂ’t discovered yourself?

Life is an endless process of self-discovery says James Gardner. Selfdiscovery is to life what light is to darkness. It inspires direction, hope, vision, focus, faith, purpose; it enlivens your passion and unlocks doors of greatness. Without understanding and expressing your uniqueness, you cannot give your best and be the best you are capable of.

Self-discovery is the gateway to a life of impact and significance. It is what makes life interesting and worth living. It is the beginning of living beyond mere existence. This is why I also believe that no man has truly lived who has not discovered himself.

Many people wallow in struggle, pains, regrets, mediocrity and obscurity today despite their great potentials just because they are yet to discover themselves. Self-discovery is beyond mere clarification and deployment of our unique portfolio of talents, gifts, skills, strengths, weaknesses or personality; it is more about living a life of purpose and significance. It is about achieving success doing what you were created to do here on earth.

This is what this book is meant to help you achieve. What is the beauty of living another man's life when you have your own peculiar life to live?

Why struggle as a photocopy of someone else when you were born

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

original? There is a seed of greatness in every one of us but how we end in life depends on what we do with our unique seeds of greatness.

"No matter the great potential of a seed, a seed planted and nurtured on the wrong soil cannot blossom and flourish as expected. The best such a seed can do is to struggle to survive despite its great potential."

This is what most of us know but refuse to talk about. Unless we talk about it and deal with it, many great destinies and inventions would be buried in the sea of obscurity and mediocrity.

This book is meant to help you deal with identity crisis so you can give your best contributions to the world while leading a life of positive impact and significance.

For the teens and students, this book will help you avoid years of pains and regrets by showing you how to deal with identity crisis early in life so you can enjoy rewarding and fulfilling life.

For the adults, this guide will help you lead more exciting, productive and fulfilling life.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Getting The Most From This Book This book is designed to give you a roadmap that will guide you to clarify your uniqueness, ignite your passion and release your greatness so you can lead more exciting, productive, and fulfilling life. It would help you uncover and release your incredible treasure so you can lead a life of positive impact and contribution. Like a rudderless ship being tossed here and there by the wind, life becomes confusing, boring and meaningless without sense of purpose and direction. This is why we need a roadmap that can give us direction to our various destinations. Identity crisis is one of the major enemies we need to deal with so we can achieve greatness in life. One major way identity crisis harms us is to rob us of our uniqueness and limit our capacity to achieve greatness. This is why we need to deal with this common enemy. This book reveals various ways identity crisis militates against our success and how to deal with it so we can express our uniqueness and release our greatness. It will show you how to exploit your potential and unique assignment so you can achieve meaningful success and impact.

The exercises in this book are designed to help you get the most from this book. Kindly find time to do these simple exercises as they have the power to help you uncover deeper level of information, insight and solutions about yourself and your peculiar situation. This is the guarantee; this book will guide and inspire you to clarify your uniqueness, ignite your passion and release your greatness so you can give your best contributions to humanity while leading a life of impact and significance.

Join me in this journey as we explore together this roadmap to greatness.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Introduction The Goose And The Horse A Goose, who was plucking grass upon an open land thought herself affronted by a Horse who fed near her, and in hissing accents thus addressed him: "I am certainly a more noble and perfect animal than you, for the whole range and extent of your faculties is confined to one element. I can walk upon the ground as well as you; I have besides wings, with which I can raise myself in the air; and when I please, I can sport in ponds and lakes, and refresh myself in the cool waters: I enjoy the different powers of a bird, a fish, and a quadruped."

The Horse, snorting somewhat disdainfully, replied, "It is true you inhabit three elements, but you make no very distinguished figure in any one of them. You fly, indeed; but your flight is so heavy and clumsy, that you have no right to put yourself on a level with the lark or the swallow. You can swim on the surface of the waters, but you cannot live in them as fishes do; you cannot find your food in that element, nor glide smoothly along the bottom of the waves. And when you walk, or rather waddle, upon the ground, with your broad feet and your long neck stretched out, hissing at every one who passes by, you bring upon yourself the derision of all beholders.

I confess that I am only formed to move upon the ground; but how graceful is my make! how well turned my limbs! how highly finished my whole body! how great my strength! how astonishing my speed! I had far

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

rather be confined to one element, and be admired in that, than be a Goose in all.

The story above illustrates the two classes of people we have in the world; those who have problem with identity crisis and those who have discovered their real identity. It is unfortunate that most people are like the Goose in this story. They lose their true identity and are forced to live a life of mediocrity and regrets in the course of trying to seek people's approval and validation. This loss of identity unknown to many of us is a major barrier to a life of meaning and significance.

Life, is not a competition as some people think, it is a journey with different destinations for everyone of us. Each one of us is designed to rule, reign and dominate in our unique domain. We are not here to compete, we are here to complement one another on the journey to our various destinations predetermined even before we were born. Everyone is important and nobody is a nonentity. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God to perform different roles in the course of our lifetime. And no role is useless, every role is relevant and profitable when diligently pursued. Failure to express our individual uniqueness and follow our unique roles is one of the major causes of several problems we face in the world today.

What are the lessons we can derive from this story?

Here Are 5 Amazing Lessons We Can Learn 1. Everyone is uniquely different 2. Your significance in life is not in your superiority to another but in your point of difference 3. Comparison is a trap that keeps its victims in unnecessary anxiety and competition

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

4. Nobody is perfect. Everyone has both strengths and weaknesses 5. We cannot live life to the fullest unless we discover, appreciate and express our uniqueness

Chapter 1 The Silent Enemy Called Identity Crisis "Unless we all see identity crisis as a common enemy and deal with it, we may not be able to give our best contributions to the world and enjoy the success we truly deserve".

Who am I? Why are my here? Which peculiar roles are my here to fulfill?

How do I fit in into the society? What is the purpose of my existence?

These are some of the questions we grow up with especially during our adolescent period. Fortunately some were able to answer part of these questions while most people might not have even thought of or made any efforts to get the right answers to these questions. Failure to effectively answer these questions is the reason why we have so much confusion, struggle, mediocrity, insecurities, distractions, regrets and the likes in the world today. These questions all have one thing in common; they are all meant to help us achieve self-discovery. According to Zig Ziglar, lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem. We all have 24-hour days.

Self-discovery is to life what light is to darkness. It is the pathway to greatness and significance in life. Your significance in life is not in your similarity to another but in your point of difference, says Mike Murdock. Discovering who you really are and your peculiar roles in life is a great necessity without which you will waste time running in another man's lane. We can rarely achieve significant growth and success in life without the discovery and expression of our uniqueness. You were created original but it is up to you to discover your unique identity and release your greatness.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Some Common Myths About "Identity Crisis" You might have heard the term, "identity crisis" but may not clearly understand its meaning, causes or symptoms. This term, unlike many others is one of the few terms that mean different things to different people from different backgrounds. The ambivalence of this term is responsible for some misconceptions that people have about it. These misconceptions keep people in the dark and allow them to suffer from the various symptoms of identity crisis unaware. These misconceptions include: 1. Identity crisis only affects young people particularly the teenagers and youth 2. Most people who are laid back in life are victims of identity crisis 3. Many people understand the identity crisis syndrome and the impact of its symptoms on their performance in life 4. Identity crisis shouldnÂ’t be a major concern as long as you are successful 5. Dealing with identity crisis involves alot of strenuous exercises and activities

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Identity Crisis Explained Identity crisis is a state of unhappiness, confusion and anxiety experienced as a result of uncertainty about who we really are and the peculiar roles for which we are created. It is a silent challenge facing many people today, both young and old in different ways and seasons of life. Identity crisis has done more harm than good in the lives of people, organizations and nations. It has caused many destinies to slip from greatness to mediocrity, genius to stupidity, progress to regression, celebration to mockery, outstanding to ordinary and prominence to obscurity.

Identity crisis usually begins from adolescence, a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. During this period, young people begin to ask themselves some salient questions like who am I? Why am I here?

What is the essence of life? What roles am I here to play? Adolescents who are able to get the right answers to these questions at this stage develop healthy self-esteem, face the future confidently and go on in life to lead exciting, productive and fulfilling lives. Those who couldn't deal with identity crisis at this early stage continually suffer from different symptoms of identity crisis which include perpetual anxiety, self consciousness, confusion, insecurity, imitation, mismatch, obscurity, low self-esteem, envy, unhealthy competition, emptiness, negative addictions among others. This category of people may find it difficult to achieve sense of meaning and significance unless they find their niche, pursue their passions and fulfil their unique purpose in life. Unfortunately many people fall into the second category of people who couldn't deal with

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

identity crisis early in life. This is why we have many square pegs in round holes and so much underachievement in the world today.

According to James Marcia in his article on identity achievement, some people who appear to be successful also suffer from identity crisis. Some of these people may appear successful outside but deep within their hearts, they lack sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. They still experience emptiness created by identity crisis despite their obvious achievement or popularity. This shows that achievement is not the same thing as fulfilment. Someone can have several doctorate degrees, be wealthy, influential or popular and still not be fulfilled. Fulfilment is the ultimate key in life. What is fulfilment? Fulfilment is simply the sense of joy, peace of mind and satisfaction that come from achieving success in doing what you were created to do. It is the happiness that comes from sowing beneficial seeds that improve lives or situations in meaningful ways. It is not a function of your background or duration but your relevance and contributions. It is the satisfactory accomplishment of your God-given assignment here on earth.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

What Are The Causes of the Identity Crisis Syndrome?

We have a number of factors that work together to trigger the menace of identity crisis in the society. Some of these factors may not be easily seen as being major causes of the identity crisis menace but they have direct and sometimes indirect ways of encouraging the syndrome. Some of these factors are examined in the following paragraphs.

Faulty Upbringing is a critical factor promoting the identity crisis menace Our upbringing has a lot to do with our vulnerability to identity crisis.

The level of parental care and attention given to children will determine the children's perception of themselves and the world at large. Homes where children lack parental care and attention needed to form a healthy self-concept and personality tend to produce adults who are pre-occupied with craving approval and affirmation from the society. This situation forces this category of people to continually seek approval and affirmation of their uniqueness through the opinions of others without questioning their authenticity. This way, many people are being controlled by the whims and caprices of others and denied the opportunities to express their unique voices and identities.

Troubled Childhood is another trigger of identity crisis.

Children who are raised in emotionally unhealthy environment or who have possibly experienced abuse or trauma tend to have deep-seated issues with their self-worth. This abuse or trauma might include rape,

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

incest, maltreatment, divorce, accident, loss of a loved one, addiction, sickness, etc. These unpleasant childhood experiences may hamper people's self-confidence and make them care less about exploring their individuality. Adults raised in this unhealthy environment often find it difficult to accept their uniqueness and develop a well-rounded personality unless they come to terms with the negative events they went through as kids and the way those incidents affected how they see the world and themselves. Troubled childhood is one of the reasons why the menace of identity keeps growing by the day Peer Pressure also contributes to the prevalence of the identity crisis menace.

Peer pressure accounts for much of the promiscuous sex in high schools and colleges. “ Conform or get lost.” Since no one enjoys losing friends or being cast out of his own circle, peer pressure, especially during the years of adolescence is an almost irresistible force says Billy Graham. Peer pressure is a big factor in the formation of our self-concept and personality. According to Alexandra Robbins, when a child sees herself through the prism of her peer group, the resulting self-image can be distorted. This bandwagon effect has an overwhelming influence on us particularly during our teenage years. Going with the fad without questioning our rationale becomes acceptable to most teens during this period. Otherwise, they may feel alienated or left out. The yearning for sense of belonging and approval especially from our peers when growing up is a fundamental trigger of the identity crisis menace. Many of us, in order to fit in and get approved by our peers lose our true identity in this process

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Similarly, self-limiting beliefs are some of the catalysts promoting the identity crisis syndrome Our beliefs have a profound effect on our state in life. A wise man said that your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds on which you can either grow flowers or weeds. That means the mind is like a garden on which we can either sow empowering or limiting beliefs.

Empowering beliefs are those that energize us and keep us going in the face of fears and difficulties. Limiting beliefs on the other hand are those that constitute barriers to our growth and success. They magnify our fears and reinforce negative feelings. The limiting beliefs some of us pick up from the people around us while growing up have a way of distorting our identity. A child who is used to being told by people while growing up that he is stupid will most likely believe so. Examples of these limiting beliefs include "am not good enough," "am too skinny", "am too fat," "am not from a rich home," am not intelligent, etc. These limiting beliefs prevent us from exploring our uniqueness and make us victims of the identity crisis menace Parental expectations can also be a major factor promoting identity crisis.

Some parents already have the blueprint of what they want their children to do in life without giving room for these children to explore their individuality. "Instead of celebrating what makes each child unique, most parents push their children to "fit in" so that they don't "stick out". This unwittingly stomps out individuality and encourages conformity despite these parents' good intentions" says Tom Rath. Some of these children grow up as adults to live the life already planned for them by their parents and never truly unleash their unique greatness.

Little wonder we have many unfulfilled dreams, aspirations and vision.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Societal Expectations and precedents may also encourage the identity crisis menace According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “ To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

The society has some traditional roles and expectations that everyone is expected to fulfil. These traditions are being touted daily by our media houses and some thought leaders. Any attempt to deviate from these traditions makes an individual an abnormal and awkward member of the society. For example, the society expects an individual to go to school, get a good grade, get a good job and start a family without emphasis on self-discovery and exploration. To conform to a sick society is to become sick says Richard J. Foster. It is pretty easy to lose our true identity among the crowd particularly in this fast paced and increasingly challenging 21st century global society where we are being bombarded daily with various conflicting information and options Economic factor is a big reason why people don't bother about the consequences of being a square peg in a round hole The need for survival is one of the basic instincts of man. The quest to guarantee our sustenance is one of the major causes of identity crisis. The need for survival is the reason why many of us do the work that we don't enjoy and find it difficult to truly express our uniqueness. Even when it is very clear to us that we don't find our work exciting and fulfilling, most working class people find it difficult to leave these jobs for fear of not being able to meet mounting obligations. We hold on to these jobs for which we are dispassionate and in which we can rarely attain greatness just to get by. This is why it is very important that we help our youngsters

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

discover their unique identity early so they can pursue suitable careers that they will enjoy and not endure. Economic survival has overshadowed the need for most of us to follow our passions and fulfil our life purpose.

This is a major factor encouraging identity crisis today.

Dangerous Symptoms Of Identity Crisis You Should Avoid Identity crisis has a number of undesirable symptoms that work together to sabotage the progress of individuals, teams and organizations. These symptoms affect us in subtle ways and have the capacity to make life boring, unproductive and meaningless for people unless they are proactively dealt with. These symptoms also serve as stumbling blocks to a life of significance and greatness. Some of these symptoms include:  Confusion- lack of clarity and understanding about one's uniqueness and peculiar roles in life  Mismatch - occupying a position or role for which you are passionless and underutilized. Being a square peg in a round hole  Emptiness - feeling of worthlessness experienced when life seems boring and meaningless  Self-consciousness - unnecessary concern about what people say or think about you  Retardation - mental dullness as a result of not engaging the brain in activities that naturally release your creativity  Imitation- artificial lifestyle based on the need to enjoy people's approval and sense of belonging  Complacency - being comfortable with the status quo without making great efforts towards achieving more laudable goals.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

 Learned helplessness - resigning to fate and believing there is little or nothing you can do to improve your situation or lot in life  Job Dissatisfaction - a feeling of unhappiness or disapproval about one's chosen career or occupation  Depression - recurring feeling of sadness and loss of interest in people and happenings around as a result of inability to achieve desired results  Poor Self-concept- having a low self-esteem and inferiority complex.

Lacking confidence in one's ability to set and achieve worthwhile goals in life  Unhealthy competition - striving to impress and outperform people primarily for the wrong reasons  Poor Decisions- making decisions most time based on what people will say and not facts  Unhealthy friendships - inability to build and sustain long and productive friendship with people  Negative addictions - constant struggle with one negative addiction or the other that seems to give temporary relief from worries and pains  Vision less life- life without sense of purpose and direction Failure to examine ourselves in the light of these symptoms and take necessary actions to deal with them is a gateway to a life of mediocrity and insignificance. Some of these symptoms may also be associated with mental or psychological issues. For this reason, someone exhibiting some of these symptoms may not solely be affected by the identity crisis syndrome

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Why You Must Deal With Identity Crisis Syndrome Without Delay It Robs People of Their Uniqueness and Significance.

Your significance in life is not in your similarity to another but in your point of difference says Mike Murdock. No two individuals are exactly the same no matter the resemblance. You are unique in your own way and this uniqueness shows in everything you do. You may not know it but people around you know it that you are different. Although Crocodile and Lizard are both reptiles, they are different in nature and occupy different niches. Flying is natural to a bird, swimming is natural to a fish, monkeys don't struggle to jump and horses don't pray to run. It comes easily to them. Identity crisis robs people of their unique brilliance and greatness It conceals your genius and exposes your weaknesses.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. The one we magnify determines how far we go in life. Death is not the greatest tragedy in life but what dies in us daily. Many of us, unknown to us lose our significance on a daily basis as a result of identity crisis. According to Albert Einstein, "Everybody is a genius. But when a fish is judged by its ability to climb a tree, it will believe its whole life that it is stupid." Identity crisis is the reason why people pursue careers or businesses for which they are dispassionate and in which they can't contribute their best. Identity crisis is a terrific menace that suppresses our strengths while exposing our fears and weaknesses

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

It Makes Life Boring and Meaningless Life may be vanity for some people, but life is interesting and meaningful for those who have dealt with identity crisis and are pursuing their passions and purpose in life even in the midst of challenges and difficulties. Identity crisis is a major factor why people often find life worthless or insignificant despite their achievement in life. This feeling of worthlessness is caused by emptiness, which is a major symptom of identity crisis. Life is a continuous cycle of monotonous activities or tasks for victims of identity crisis no matter their accomplishments It Promotes Poor Self-concept and Underachievement How we perceive ourselves is a major determinant of our performance in life. Self-concept is the mental image we have of ourselves. Research findings show that we ultimately become what we believe about ourselves. Poor self-concept is a mental missile that forces people to lose their uniqueness and significance. As a man thinks in his heart, so he is says Proverbs 23:7. When people suffer from poor self-concept, they find it difficult to set big goals and accomplish great things legitimately. Poor self-concept is one of the symptoms of identity crisis that makes people think less of themselves and doubt their ability to achieve great things despite their unusual capacities It Turns People From Being a Blessing To a Burden We are all created to be a blessing to humanity. This is why we all have the capacity to solve problems. According to a popular saying, people will always remember us for two things: the problems we solved and the ones we created. Identity crisis turns people to objects to be tolerated instead of being celebrated. There is no sitting on the fence; you can

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

either be a blessing or a burden to humanity. Nobody deliberately chooses to be a burden but unless people deal with identity crisis, find their niche and release their greatness, they may end up a burden to their generation.

Deal with identity crisis so you can be a blessing and not a burden to generations It Promotes Poor Growth and Development "Growth is painful, change is also painful. But nothing is as painful as getting stuck somewhere you don't belong says a wise man. No matter the great potential of a seed, a seed planted and nurtured on the wrong soil cannot grow, germinate and blossom as expected. The best such a seed can do is to struggle to survive despite its great potential. Identity crisis hinders the creative juices of people from growing and flowing. It is a cog that cripples growth and progress in life. This is why we have many talented people wallowing in mediocrity and obscurity just because they are running in other people's lane. This is a silent cause of depression and frustration for a lot of people It Promotes Costly and Recurrent Mistakes Mistakes are inevitable part of human existence. They tell us what not to do next time to achieve our desired results. Mistakes occur for various reasons one of which is to teach us some valuable lessons about a subject or situation. Identity crisis is one of the major reasons why people make avoidable mistakes repeatedly. These mistakes may be the results of putting square pegs in round holes and often impact negatively on peopleÂ’s morale, self-esteem and productivity thereby making them appear stupid or inferior despite their unique brilliance.

It Wastes Precious Time and Resources

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

According to Robin Sharma, Time slips through our hands like grains of sand never to return again. Those who use time wisely are rewarded with rich, productive and satisfying lives.

Time is the most important commodity in life. Once it is gone, it is gone forever and cannot be recovered. Identity crisis wastes people's precious time by keeping them in perpetual confusion, anxiety, distractions and indecision. According to Zig Ziglar, lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem. We all have 24-hour days. Deal with identity crisis so you can make the most of your lifetime.

It Promotes Negative Addictions and Vices In the pursuit of happiness and significance, some people engage in different counterproductive activities that further unleash suffering on them. When people become confused about their uniqueness and peculiar roles in life, they are usually tempted to express themselves through negative activities and addictions with the hope of getting a sense of satisfaction and meaning which they soon discover to be nonexistent.

They get used to these harmful activities and find it difficult to come out.

Identity crisis is one of the major reasons why we have many negative addictions and vices in the world today. We need to deal with it in order to make the world a better place It Promotes Disservice to God and Humanity Everyone is designed to be a blessing and source of joy to the world. Your success in life determines the success of some other persons. These are the people you are designed and sent to serve and help. They are the people who can benefit most from the peculiar solutions you carry. The success of these people depends so much on the delivery of your solutions. "Life is more than mere going to work and paying bills, it is a

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

call to serve: a call to fulfil a mandate." Failure to deal with identity crisis and reach out to these people is a great disservice to God and humanity.

Based on our understanding of success in this part of the world, many people focus more on ACHIEVEMENT and place little or no premium on FULFILLMENT which is more important. This explains the rat race and unnecessary competition among people to outshine one another instead of complementing one another. Achievement is surely a good thing but it is a means to an end while fulfilment is the end itself. It is a fact today that many people are busy running in other men's lane while leaving their unique lane unexplored in the pursuit of achievement. Little wonder many people are struggling instead of reigning as kings in their unique domain.

I strongly believe real success has more to do with our inner being than our outer realities. It has more to do with peace within and without.

This reminds me of a story Fela Durotoye, the CEO of Visible Impact shared with us some time ago. Fela was doing a training session in one of the banks in Nigeria. And as usual, he did an excellent job because that is one of his strong points. After the training session, one of the bank directors called him into his office. The bank director said to him, Fela, you have killed me and Fela asked out of fear that sir, what did I do sir?

The director said to him, do you know that in the course of your presentation, it just dawned on me that what you are doing is what am really passionate about? It is what I really love and enjoy doing but I missed it.

According to the director, I work very hard to rise to this level in the banking industry. I learnt early in life that you can achieve anything through hard work; I paid my dues to get to this position. I travel outside

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

the country three times in a year, alone, with my wife and then with my family. I also have three official cars for myself. Despite all these, I feel empty inside, am not fulfilled. According to Fela Durotoye, the director later resigned, founded his own firm and has started following his passion. This director discovered what gives him unlimited joy, energy and sense of fulfilment that money cannot buy. He actually discovered himself. What a positive transformation!

Defective and Effective Success This is the difference between being busy and effective and being active and progressive. Many people are busy and active while only few people are effective and progressive today. Defective success occurs when someone achieves success in doing what he is not designed or mandated to do. A good example is the case of a student who registered for, wrote and successfully passed a course he is not supposed to do at all thereby missing his rightful course. This student obviously did his best but not in the right direction that would help him fulfil his course obligation and earn a degree certificate. It is the same thing as a boy who was told to clean the dirty dishes at home but went ahead to carefully wash and iron all the dirty clothes already assigned to someone else. What a waste of time and efforts!

Effective success on the other hand transpires when we achieve success in doing what we were designed and sent to do. It is about fulfilling a unique mandate or obligation. It is carrying out the original intention of the one who gave the assignment. It is what happens when we discover and express our uniqueness to fulfil the unique assignment for which we are created. Effective success is one that brings lasting joy, peace of mind

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

and satisfaction through service to God and humanity in our unique domain.

According to Anthony Robbins, I have seen business moguls achieve their ultimate goals but still live in frustration, worry and fear. What is preventing these successful people from being happy? The answer is, they have focused only on achievement not fulfilment. Extraordinary achievement doesn't guarantee extraordinary joy, happiness, love and a sense of meaning. These two skill sets feed off each other and make me believe that success without fulfilment is failure."

Fela Durotoye has this to say, "I pray that everyone can experience this joy of living out your purpose, doing what you were created and wired to do and earning a decent income accompanied by great honour from your clients.

Fulfilment is not something we should wait till the end of our life to see whether we got it or not. No! Fulfilment is what you should feel laying down at night having done what you believe you were created to do that day.

You can t buy fulfilment. It s not a function of what you are paid. I agree that money can give you some happiness (especially just when you earn it) but money can t give you fulfilment.

Fulfilment is what you get from actualizing purpose and your life s assignment for the time being. It leaves you with a smile on your face when you lie down to sleep even when you were not paid for what you did. It s worth is far more than money."

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

This is why I know that no amount of wealth, level of position, fame or influence can compensate for the lack of inner peace caused by identity crisis. You will just know that something is missing.

Success is an ambivalent subject because it means different things to different people. The definition of success I find most insightful is one given by the Leadership Expert, John C. Maxwell which says, "Success is fulfilling your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential and sowing seeds that benefit others." The key words are FULFILL, GROW and SOW.

Are You Living Authentically or Adaptively?

Have you discovered your purpose in life? If you have not, just read on Are you fulfilling your purpose?

Is your career a pathway or barrier to fulfilling purpose?

Are you growing in the direction of your maximum potential?

Are you sowing beneficial seeds in form of service to God and humanity?

It is amazing to know that people strive hard to achieve success in areas where they have not been assigned, leaving their own assignment and struggling to become someone else photocopy. Why do people struggle to rule and reign in the wrong domain? The answer is Identity Crisis. It may interest us to know that ultimately, God will not judge us based on what we did here on earth but based on the purpose for which He created us to pass through life in this time and season. This is why we need to discover and fulfil our unique assignment here on earth so we can enjoy a life of purpose, meaning and significance.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Great Benefits Of Overcoming Identity Crisis Besides being free from the vicious circle of identity crisis, overcoming identity crisis has a number of other valuable benefits that can help us enjoy and live life to the fullest. The following are some of the benefits of overcoming identity crisis: Sense of purpose and direction In the midst of increasing confusion and distractions all around us, overcoming identity crisis gives us the focus and resilience required to achieve meaningful success and greatness in life despite glaring challenges Life of Meaning And Significance Beyond just existing, overcoming identity crisis makes life more exciting, meaningful and fulfilling as you feel relevant and useful through the unique difference you are making in the world Rewarding and Fulfilling Career The fact is that we spend most of our precious time at work. And we all desire to enjoy our unique careers. Dealing with identity crisis gives us the privilege to do what we love and enjoy doing for a living accompanied with a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment Productive and Celebrated life

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

While many people struggle to achieve meaningful results, you will be recognized and appreciated for being able to improve lives and situations in meaningful ways by pursuing your unique purpose and calling Happy and Lovely Family You Will Be Proud Of Through your lifestyle and passion, you will be able to inspire your loved ones and people around you to also lead a life of purpose and significance Life of Positive Impact and Contributions to the world Nobody desires to be a spectator in the game of life. Unfortunately, many people exist as spectators. Overcoming identity crisis makes you an active player and solutions provider to your generation and generations yet unborn through the expression of your uniqueness Abundance and Prosperity Money is a product of adding value to lives or situations. Dealing with the identity crisis syndrome helps you make a living as a result of your valuable contributions to the world through helpful solutions in form of products and services in your niche Wider Windows of Possibilities and Opportunities Through adding meaningful value to lives and situations, more opportunities and possibilities for growth and expansion will naturally present themselves once you stay true to your purpose and calling in life Peace of Mind And Joy That Money Cannot Buy Beyond enjoying the things that money can buy, discovering and pursuing your purpose in life will enable you experience peace and sound

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

mind even in the midst of increasing challenges and difficulties around the world Life of Service to God and humanity As you follow your passion and purpose in life, you will be able to meet several needs in the world and also delight God by fulfilling the unique purpose for which He created you.

CHAPTER SUMMARY 1. Identity crisis is a silent enemy that affects most people in many ways unknown to us.

2. Most of the factors that trigger the identity crisis syndrome are offshoots from our childhood experiences 3. Identity crisis has some undesirable symptoms that we need to avoid to enjoy satisfying and meaningful life 4. We have defective and effective success. Defective success is success without fulfilment while effective success is fulfilment itself 5. Overcoming identity crisis has a number of great benefits that far outweigh the burden of being a victim of identity crisis

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

NOTES Erik Erikson: Stages of Psychosocial Development Kenda Cherry, Identity Crisis - Theory and Research

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Chapter 2 1. Examine Yourself "An unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates.

Just like we go for medical check up to know the state of our health and possibly prevent health problems through diagnosis, we also need to examine our life periodically to know how we are doing. This is needed to help us determine whether we are making meaningful progress towards the attainment of our dreams or stuck in a rut. Looking inwards and carefully assessing areas where we might be affected by the identity crisis syndrome will go a long way to help us chart the right courses toward greatness. People may deceive others, but they cannot deceive themselves. It is wisdom to tell ourselves the truth before the consequences of not telling the truth become too obvious to ignore. We need to tell ourselves the true state of affairs periodically in order to make meaningful progress.

Awareness is the first step towards change. Until we recognize the existence of a problem, we may not be motivated enough to take necessary actions to correct the problem. Awareness is the catalyst that creates dissatisfaction with the status quo. Until we discover, we may not be able to recover. Until you acknowledge the missing link, the situation

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

may persist despite your great efforts. The first step towards dealing with identity crisis is to face reality and tell yourself the truth. Living in denial in the face of reality is tantamount to self-deception and may not help the situation.

For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching has become a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong. – Bill W.

The Great Questions We Should Answer The quality of our questions determines the quality of our life. You need to ask yourself some salient questions about your life. Are you pleased with the life you lead now? Is your job, career or business a pathway or barrier to fulfilment in life? Do you find joy, peace and significance in what you do? Are you really living or just existing?

Have you discovered your purpose in life?

What informed your career choice? Parental opinion, peer pressure, popularity, money, ego or passion? I think the desire to lead exciting, productive and fulfilling life should be a major motivating factor in choosing careers.

"I strongly believe the starting point for everyone desiring to achieve greatness in life should be to discover and follow their passion and unique purpose. This is because we can rarely attain greatness outside our passion and purpose in life."

Useful Guide

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Kindly choose between the options below in response to the following statements.

Most Time or Sometimes  You feel lost and confused about your uniqueness  You feel your life lacks sense of purpose and direction  Going to work is a necessity and not a pleasure for you  You feel your course or job is sucking life out of you  You find it difficult to give your best in your career or job  You know you possess some unique strengths but don't know how to productively harness them  You often look for excuses to be away from work  You think your course or job is a stop-gap and not what you intend doing for the rest of your life  You feel deep down that you could be doing something better with your life  You feel you are being underutilized or less appreciated for your value  You feel your career or job exposes your weaknesses instead of magnifying your strengths  You feel time is going but you have no control over your life  Besides the pay, you really don't find your course, career or job exciting or satisfying No matter how far you might have gone on the wrong path, you can still embark on your journey to greatness if you are willing to follow your passions and pursue your purpose in life.

The Formula For Greatness

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

The popular definition of success: Go to school + Get a good grade + Get a good job + Earn lots of money + Raise a family = Success These are vital components of success but they are not sufficient to make us experience the true meaning of satisfaction and significance. I have seen people who have all these great components yet lead miserable life without sense of fulfilment.

When it comes to success, I strongly believe          

It is not enough to go to school It is not enough to get good grades It is not enough to become popular It is not enough to be talented It is not enough to have a good job It is not enough to be powerful It is not enough to be born with a silver spoon It is not enough to raise a family It is not enough to be widely read It is not enough to be ambitious

Real success has more to do with peace of mind. And this peace of mind only comes from fulfilling the unique purpose for which God has created you.

This formula is only relevant as long as it helps us to live each day with excitement, energy and passion. It should help us express our uniqueness and experience joy, peace of mind and sense of significance. It shouldn't leave us living each day with resistance and boredom waiting for weekends to come again so we can escape from the energy sapping job we find difficult to leave.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

It is important to have good education, a good job, happy family and lots of money, but without fulfilment, the success becomes defective.

True Greatness What is Greatness?

Greatness is simply fulfilling God's expectations of you.

What are God's expectations of you? Fulfilling the unique purpose why you were created is one of God's major expectations of you. We can only achieve true greatness when we nurture and maximize our seed of greatness to serve God and humanity.

True Greatness lies in the discovery, pursuit and fulfilment of your Godgiven assignment in life. Anything outside this is not greatness.

Discover Yourself +Follow Your Passion + Pursue Your Life Purpose = Greatness.

Greatness may remain an illusion to many of us unless we nurture our nature, awaken our sleeping giants and take our rightful places in destiny

The Road Less Travelled The journey to self-discovery is an endless exploration of our uniqueness and mandate in life. It involves the search for our true identity and peculiar roles that we have been shaped to play in life. Not many people embark on this journey because it seems to be against the precedents already laid down by the society. This journey helps us to answer some great questions of life which include who am I? Why am I here? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? The journey to self-discovery is so important but many people seem to avoid this journey simply because they do not understand the impact of identity crisis on their happiness, productivity and fulfillment coupled with the fact that identity crisis

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

affects us in subtle ways. It is essential that we make conscious efforts to deal with this silent menace sabotaging our happiness, productivity and satisfaction.

The Journey to Self-discovery (True Life Narration) Just like every one of us, right from my secondary school days, I knew I carry the seed of greatness but I didn't really know how to nurture it to greatness. I knew God has a purpose for my life and has deposited the treasure required to fulfil my unique purpose in me. But I practically lost my true identity while trying to seek a sense of belonging and approval from my peers.

Back then in my secondary school days, I was told by my close friends that only the best students go to science class in Senior Secondary class.

Right after getting this information, I decided to become a science student no matter what.

As a science student in SSS1, I started representing my school in Spelling and Debating competitions. I could remember on one of those days that we had a debating competition, I wasn't in a good frame of mind to participate in the competition but our English teacher, Mr. Pedro insisted that I must participate and to the glory of God, I participated in the competition and my school won. I participated in competitions relating to Spelling and Debate along with my friends and we won some notable laurels for my school until we graduated from secondary school.

One of our victories even earned us personal gifts, handshake and hug from eminent personalities including Mr. Ajiboso, former chairman of Agege Local Government and Mrs Oluremi Tinubu. Ironically, I never

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

participated in any science competition, but I do follow my participating friends to cheer them up even though I was a science student. I struggled a lot with Chemistry. My fellow students admired me for making my school proud but never knew the internal struggle and confusion I experienced with Chemistry.

I later went to the University to study Management and Accounting because that was the course given to me after attempting JAMB for four times as a science student hoping to study Economics, a major deviation from my calling. I wasted four precious years during which I could have graduated due to IDENTITY CRISIS. This is why I strongly believe that people, particularly youngsters need to be serious about dealing with identity crisis early in life in order to save their precious time and lead a life of meaning and significance. I never enjoyed the Accounting side of the course but I was able to read and pass.

In my second year in the University, it dawned on me that I was on the wrong career track so I started asking myself and God some questions.

Going for lectures was not fun but a necessity most time for me.

Something within kept telling me I have lost direction and I kept asking what can I do in the midst of confusion and anxiety? This dissatisfaction with the status quo was what led me to begin to research on how to discover my passion and fulfil my unique purpose in life. I invested in helpful books, programs and courses on the subject of self-esteem, selfdiscovery, productivity and other relevant topics. After spending years trying to unravel the mysteries behind my situation, I later realised that I had a problem with identity crisis. It dawned on me that we cannot truly discover and express our uniqueness until we deal with identity crisis.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

The more I intensified efforts to deal with identity crisis, the more I started seeing my other sides which were previously hidden from me. I knew I could do many things but I could only do few things exceptionally well.

I realized I really enjoy researching, writing and making presentations on issues relating to personal development particularly how they it affects our happiness, growth and performance in life. I had on several occasions been called a pastor by a number of my friends possibly because of my look, the way I talk and the kinds of books I read. After becoming familiar with the subject of identity crisis, seeing someone struggling with the identity crisis syndrome became a concern for me. In my final year in the university, the subject of identity crisis became an obsession for me as I dreamt severally about teaching on this subject but I wasn't very clear on how to go about sharing this message

I later got a job as an accounting personnel with the intention of doing it for a while until I am able to follow my passion. It wasn't long before I started feeling empty and lost inside. The company is a great place but I was a mismatch for the role of an accounting personnel. Though I initially found the job interesting at the beginning, the role wasn Â’t something am passionate about. This subsequently made me lose interest in the job but I couldn't resign as I had bills to pay. After two years on the job, every attempt made to show more interest in this role was met with more confusion and emptiness. I felt empty and lost. This actually impacted on my morale and productivity on the job. I realized what it means to be a square peg in a round hole through this experience.

Going to work every day wasn't that interesting, not because the role was bad but because I felt I could be doing something better with my life. I

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

had attempted to quit but could not especially whenever I remember my financial obligations. From my personal research findings, I discovered that this experience is not peculiar to me alone; it is what several people all over the world also face. Mismatch which is a symptom of identity crisis is a major problem facing a lot of people today. Though I knew the areas where I could be of great benefit to people and organizations, the company didn't have the platform through which I could fully express my uniqueness and release my greatness. The role I took up was a barrier and not a pathway to joy and fulfilment for me. I had to put up with this situation until I started following my passion on a part time basis. I started writing, speaking and giving advice on "How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness."

Even right from my days in the University, I had got a glimpse of what my purpose in life is all about but I lacked the motivation to pursue it.

Helping people to deal with identity crisis, find their niche and unleash their greatness so they can lead exciting, productive and fulfilling life is my passion. This is what gives me joy and makes me come alive.

Through research and personal experience, I was able to put some of my findings in books and programs that have been of great help to many people.

My experience as a square peg in a round hole actually served as a catalyst that motivated me to help people enjoy more exciting, productive and satisfying life and work through helpful personal development solutions.

But for my self-discovery experience, I wouldnÂ’t have probably written any book or offered programs on personal development solutions that have helped valued friends, teams and organizations.

This is the story of my life.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

"The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion" says Terry Orlick.

"I can do what you cannot do; you can do what I cannot do. Together we can do great things."

Mother Teresa We are all shaped to do certain things well; neglecting these things and trying to do other things well will only lead to struggle and frustration.

No matter your station in life right now, endeavour to find your domain and follow your passion. Working at jobs we do not particularly enjoy may be a temporary career move but this shouldnÂ’t be something we do for the rest of our life. The economic situation may be a major factor in following our passion, but it shouldn't hold us captive to a life of mediocrity and regrets forever. Dare to discover yourself and release your greatness.

One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself".

Shannon L. Alder

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

CHAPTER SUMMARY 1. Self-examination is a great exercise that helps us to take stock of our life and make necessary adjustments toward enjoying our dream life 2. Your dissatisfaction with your present situation is a wakeup call to awaken your sleeping giant and release your greatness 3. Being a square peg in a round hole is a gateway to a life of frustration, mediocrity and insignificance 4. No matter how hard we try, greatness will only remain a mirage unless we discover and maximize our unique domain 5. We were created to fulfil purpose, unfortunately most people exist to abuse purpose for various reasons

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Chapter 3 2. Discover Your Uniqueness "Knowing Yourself Is The Beginning of All Wisdom." Aristotle" Everyone is unique in different ways. We are all fearfully and wonderfully crafted by our maker. No matter your size, colour of skin, place of birth or pedigree, you carry the seed of greatness which makes you special and different from every other person. YOU ARE SUI GENERIS, you are one of a kind. Your specie is rare. Despite this great feature, it is so painful to know that most people never fully discover and express their uniqueness in their lifetime. Only few people really live to discover and release their greatness. No wonder the grave yard is said to be the richest place on earth. Because there lies immeasurable unexplored treasures.

Your uniqueness is a set of attributes that differentiate you from others around you. It is your competitive advantage, differential value and distinctive difference. It comprises of those things within you that cannot be found in another. Your uniqueness is not meant to compete with others,

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

it is meant to complement that of other people in order to make the world a better place.

There in your uniqueness you find your greatest advantage and benefits that others around you need to be complete.

If you don't know your distinctive difference, you won't know what others need from you and you may lose your relevance. Your uniqueness includes qualities that make you stand out from the others. Those things that make you outstanding and awesome.

Failure to discover and express our uniqueness is a gateway to a life of mediocrity and insignificance A great mind said this, being the best is great, it means you are the number one. But being unique is greater because you are the only one."

How Gillian Was Able To Find Her Uniqueness GILLIAN WAS ONLY eight years old, but her future was already at risk.

Her schoolwork was a disaster, at least as far as her teachers were concerned. She turned in assignments late, her handwriting was terrible, and she tested poorly. Not only that, she was a disruption to the entire class, one minute fidgeting noisily, the next staring out the window, forcing the teacher to stop the class to pull Gillian s attention back, and the next doing something to disturb the other children around her. Gillian wasn t particularly concerned about any of these she was used to being corrected by authority figures and really didn t see herself as a difficult child but the school was very concerned. This came to a head when the school wrote to her parents. The school thought that Gillian had a learning disorder of some sort and that it might be more appropriate for her to be in a school for children with special needs.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Gillian s parents received the letter from the school with great concern and sprang to action. Gillian s mother put her daughter in her best dress and shoes, tied her hair in ponytails, and took her to a psychologist for assessment, fearing the worst. Gillian narrated that she remembers being invited into a large oak-panelled room with leather-bound books on the shelves. Standing in the room next to a large desk was an imposing man in a tweed jacket. He took Gillian to the far end of the room and sat her down on a huge leather sofa. Gillian s feet didn t quite touch the floor, and the setting made her wary. Nervous about the impression she would make, she sat on her hands so that she wouldn t fidget. The psychologist went back to his desk, and for the next twenty minutes, he asked Gillian s mother about the difficulties Gillian was having at school and the problems the school said she was causing. While he didn t direct any of his questions at Gillian, he watched her carefully the entire time. This made Gillian extremely uneasy and confused. Even at this tender age, she knew that this man would have a significant role in her life. She knew what it meant to attend a special school, and she didn t want anything to do with that. She genuinely didn t feel that she had any real problems, but everyone else seemed to believe she did. Given the way her mother answered the questions, it was possible that even she felt this way. Maybe, Gillian thought, they were right. Eventually, Gillian s mother and the psychologist stopped talking. The man rose from his desk, walked to the sofa, and sat next to the little girl. Gillian, you ve been very patient, and I thank you for that, he said. But I m afraid you ll have to be patient for a little longer. I need to speak to your mother privately now. We re going to go out of the room for a few minutes. Don t worry; we won t be very long. Gillian nodded apprehensively, and the two adults left her sitting

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

there on her own. But as he was leaving the room, the psychologist leaned across his desk and turned on the radio.

As soon as they were in the corridor outside the room, the doctor said to Gillian s mother, Just stand here for a moment, and watch what she does. There was a window into the room, and they stood to one side of it, where Gillian couldn t see them. Nearly immediately, Gillian was on her feet, moving around the room to the music. The two adults stood watching quietly for a few minutes, transfixed by the girl s grace. Anyone would have noticed there was something natural even primal about Gillian s movements. Just as they would have surely caught the expression of utter pleasure on her face. At last, the psychologist turned to Gillian s mother and said, You know, Mrs Lynne, Gillian isn t sick. She s a dancer. Take her to a dance school. I asked Gillian what happened then. She said her mother did exactly what the psychiatrist suggested. I can t tell you how wonderful it was, she told me. I walked into this room, and it was full of people like me. People who couldn t sit still.

People who had to move to think. She started going to the dance school every week, and she practiced at home every day. Eventually, she auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in London, and they accepted her.

She went on to join the Royal Ballet Company itself, becoming a soloist and performing all over the world. When that part of her career ended, she formed her own musical theatre company and produced a series of highly successful shows in London and New York. Eventually, she met Andrew Lloyd Webber and created with him some of the most successful musical theatre productions in history, including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Little Gillian, the girl with the high-risk future, became known to the world as Gillian Lynne, one of the most accomplished choreographers of our time,

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

someone who has brought pleasure to millions and earned millions of dollars. This happened because someone looked deep into her eyes someone who had seen children like her before and knew how to read the signs. Someone else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down. But Gillian wasn t a problem child. She didn t need to go away to a special school. She just needed to be who she really was.

If you don't know who you are, you will accept other people's definition of who you are. This is why it is important that you discover your uniqueness.

"Every man has a specific skill, whether it is discovered or not that more readily and naturally comes to him than it would to another, and his own should be sought and polished. He excels best in his niche."

Criss

Clusters Of Your Uniqueness It is one thing to appreciate your uniqueness and another thing entirely to be able to express your uniqueness and make meaningful contributions to the world. The need to be able to make our peculiar contributions to the world is the reason why we are designed in different ways. Some of us have missed several opportunities to explore their uniqueness as a result of lack of understanding of specific channels through which we could express our uniqueness and unlock our potential. This explains why many are living adaptively and not authentically. There are many ways through which we can explore our uniqueness but we are going to talk about a few of them below.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Your (strengths) portfolios of gifts and talents: Anything you enjoy doing effortlessly that produces great results "If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything."

Tom Rath Strengths are your assets in achieving personal growth and success.

Everyone is endowed with strengths but some people never get to harness their unique package in their lifetime.

Your strength is what you find easy which is probably not easy for everyone else. It is what you do best and where you are most effective.

While some people neglect their strengths, wise people build on and focus more on using their strengths to the fullest because that is where they can create the most value for people and organizations. Besides, your strength is your area of passion and where you have the highest potential of giving your best and becoming one of the best in your field.

Play to your strengths. I haven't got any says Harry, before he could stop himself, Excuse me, growled Moody, you've got strengths if I say you've got them. Think now. What are you best at?

J.K. Rowling.

"We all have strengths and weaknesses. The best advice is to embrace, focus on, and nurture our strengths. Unless of course, those strengths include exploiting the weaknesses of others. Then I suggest discovering new ones” says Charles F. Glassman Your personal strengths could include some of the following:

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Accuracy * Action orientation * Artistry * Analytical * Athletic * Bravery * Caring * Compassionate * Charming * Communicative * Confident * Creativity * Curiosity * Disciplined * Empathetic * Energetic * Entertaining * Enthusiastic * Focused * Friendly * Good-looking * Generosity * Honesty * Humility * Humorous * Idealistic * Industry * Ingenuity * Inspiring * Integrity * Intelligence * Kindness * Leadership * Lively * Love of learning * Modesty * Motivated * Optimistic * Open minded * Orderly * Organized * Outgoing * People skills * Persuasive * Persistent * Responsible * Prudence * Self-controlled * Speaking * Social intelligence * Social skills * Straightforward * Tactful * Thoughtful * Thrifty * Tolerance * Trustworthy * Versatile * Visionary * Vitality * Wisdom It is far more lucrative and satisfying to leverage your strengths instead of defending your weaknesses List Your Top 10 Personal Strengths 1...........................................

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Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

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Your general strengths in the workplace could include some of the following: * Acting * Activating * Adapting * Administering * Analysing Information * Arranging * Advising * Blogging * Budgeting * Building teams * Communicating * Computation * Conceptualizing * Controlling * Coordinating * Checking * Creating * Counselling * Compiling * Composing *Coaching * Dancing * Designing * Detailing * Developing people * Directing * Devising * Discovering * Data input * Drawing * Driving * Empathizing * Evaluating * Examining * Explaining * Editing * Empowering * Finding * Filming * Fixing * Formulating * Guiding * Gathering information * Generating ideas * Helping * Hosting * Imagining * Implementing * Influencing * Initiating * Innovating * Interviewing * Instructing * Judging * Learning * Listening * Locating * Launching * Leading * Managing * Mentoring * Monitoring * Motivating * Meeting people * Marketing * Negotiating * Navigating * Observing * Organizing * Overhauling * Overseeing * Persuading * Planning * Preparing * Presenting * Problem solving * Producing * Proof reading * Prioritizing * Questioning * Qualifying * Researching * Resolving * Reporting * Recording * Repairing * Reviewing * Scheduling * Selling * Setting-up * Supervising * Simplifying * Singing *

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Speaking * Strategizing * Teaching * Team-work * Trouble-shooting * Training * Tracking details * Thinking Creatively * Understanding * Uniting * Upgrading * Updating * Verbalizing * Volunteering * Verifying * Writing

List Your Top Ten Transferable Skills 1....................................

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You need to find your ideal career niche. Ask yourself: what could you be doing more of in your career that aligns your passion and strengths? Find

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

a way to follow a career path that allows you to do what you are great at while delivering outstanding services that can make you highly valued and sought after.

You will learn the most, grow the most and develop the most in your area of greatest strength. Your strengths are your multiplier. Your strengths magnify you Before you build that career, make sure it is in the direction of your sweet spot. Look for ways to maximize your strengths if you have been neglecting them Your Weaknesses Your areas of shortcoming and inadequacies Every one of us has weaknesses just as we have strengths. No one likes to be identified with any weakness. We all want to be known and celebrated for our strengths. Weaknesses make us look vulnerable and might constitute obstacles to our dreams. This is why it is not one of people Â’s favourite topics. Nobody is perfect but wise people are all working towards perfection. Failure to effectively handle weaknesses has done so much harm to many people in their lifetime. A small leak can sink a great ship its just a matter of time. We can only get the best from our strengths to the degree to which we are able to deal with our weaknesses. This is why it is essential that we critically look at areas where we might be weak and begin to improve upon them or turn them into strengths. We need to learn how to mitigate the impact of our weaknesses on our performance in order to achieve greatness. In the same vein, sometimes what we see as weaknesses could be the pointers to our uniqueness and stepping stones to greatness in life. No matter how debilitating your weaknesses may appear, you can surely attain greatness if you are willing to focus on your

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

strengths while improving on or turning those weaknesses into strengths.

Remember, your Achilles heel could also become an asset and the source of your greatest strength depending on the way you handle it.

The Weaknesses Samples Among other things, people's weaknesses include being * Fearful *Obstructive

*Pushy *Loose-tongued *Mistrustful

*Undisciplined *Sloppy *Rude *Contemptuous *Short-sighted *Passive *Aggressive *Bossy *Chaotic *Cynical *Blunt *Stand-offish *Vague *Inflexible *Moody *Indifferent *Intolerant *Wasteful *Stubborn *Reckless *Inhibited *Naive *Greedy *Fanatical *Dull *Arrogant *Lazy *Selfish *Complaining *Impatient *Hard *Shallow *Strict *Shy *Prejudiced You know your weaknesses just as I also know mine.

Failure to work on our weaknesses will rob us of many opportunities and possibilities in life. Identify your personal weaknesses and look for ways to turn them into strengths or mitigate their impact so you can enjoy the success you deserve.

List Five Major Weaknesses You Are Going to Work on 1........................................

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Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

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"DonÂ’ t die by your weaknesses, live through your strengths."

Mark S. Kerr Being in touch with your strengths and weaknesses, as well as what motivates you, will help you achieve more success in your life Your Problems Peculiar vices or ills in the society that irritate you and that you have the capacity to correct Discovering who we really are and the peculiar problems we are created to solve is a great necessity without which we will waste time living another man's life Problems have a way of interrupting the flow of our lives. This is why our first reaction to them is usually a feeling of frustration and annoyance. Many of us get trapped in that reaction never getting beyond complaining about things that don't work properly, people who have offended us, personal needs that are not being met; difficulties at home, in school, at work, in the community, in the nation and in the world.

Interestingly, these responses do nothing to improve the situation; rather they worsen the situation by giving more power to the problem.

There is never a problem without a solution. It Â’s just that you don't see it because of fear, insecurity and lack of passion that makes you blind says Abhishek A wise man said that, the problem is not the problem. The problem is our attitude toward the problem.

Your frustration is an indication of the solutions you are carrying crying for expression.

For example:

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

-Nigerian born Juliana Richards launched her company, Slim Girl Shapewear, a global brand out of necessity when she couldnÂ’t find the right texture to shape her up -Arthur Scott invented the paper towel when his company received a shipment of paper that was too heavy and wrinkled to be used for its bathroom issue -George Safford Parker designed a dependable fountain pen after being disappointed with the leaky pens of his days -Oprah Winfrey started the Oprah show to teach and comfort people going through emotional pains and trauma after going through similar challenges -Francis McNamara invented the credit card after suffering the embarrassment of taking clients to dinner and realizing he didnÂ’t have enough money with him to pay the bill -Tallis Gomes' failed attempt to hail a cab drove him to create a smartphone app, Easy Taxi. Globally, Easy Taxi now has 155,000 taxi drivers signed up in 30 countries and seven million users.

Do not focus on money, instead think of a problem that needs to be solved for the world... money will follow you as a bi-product Manoj Arora.

Your rewards in life are determined by the problems you solve for others says Mike Murdock Why do we find it difficult to turn problems into opportunities?

I think we complain a lot and sleep too much.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

A research finding shows that 80% of the world population don't think, 15% think they are thinking while only 5% think. We waste a lot of our precious time on petty competition and unproductive activities especially in this part of the world. Yet we wonder why we are far behind our desired destinations. We are always desirous to improve our circumstances but not willing to pay the price. This is why we are lagging behind in many areas.

According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

Your solutions Your portfolios of ideas and insight that can help improve lives and situations According to Anthony Robbins, "Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions."

There are many problems, but I think there is a solution to all these problems; it's just one, and it's education. Malala Yousafzai I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution.

Shaquille O'Neal Everything God creates is a solution to something. Whether you realize it or not, you are a solution provider. You have some things others need and others also have what you need. You have the power to help improve lives and situations. In other words, you carry the potential to add meaningful value to lives and situations. Solutions help us remove or relieve a challenge, burden or problem so we can enjoy some form of benefits. They have the capacity to move us from a dissatisfied position into a desirable one. All human progress and development depend so much on the capacity of people to come up with innovative solutions to

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

rising problems or challenges. This is why the role of solutions in the overall growth and development of a society cannot be overemphasized.

All business enterprises, whether big or small do the same thing probably in different ways. They all proffer solutions to problems through products and services at a price. In other words, they add meaningful value to lives and situations through packaged and organized solutions called products and services. When solutions are packaged and organized in a useful manner, they are called products or services. Each of us has several latent solutions waiting to be unleashed. How do I know? I know because we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God. We all have the creative ability of God inside us. We have many great ideas passing through our minds each day that we do nothing about.

These are solutions in their raw form that have the capacity to transform lives and situations when nurtured. What solutions are you most passionate about and also have the highest potential to proffer? How can you turn these solutions into useful products or services that can benefit humanity? This is how to make a living while adding meaningful value.

You can offer your solutions either as an employee or a business owner.

Idleness is not an option. The most important thing is to release your unique solutions to make the world a better place Your audience The class of people you feel drawn by conscience and compassion to help and serve for the time being You are a life jacket to someone drowning. Those who unlock your compassion are those to whom you have been assigned, says Mike Murdock. God designed us specifically to meet certain needs of some category of people in the world. This is why someone may feel so much compassion for a particular set of people while someone else doesn't care

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

a hoot. There are some categories of people that have been destined to benefit from the peculiar solutions you carry. These set of people may not be able to enjoy the success they deserve unless they benefit from your unique solutions. For example, I am moved with compassion to help people clarify their uniqueness and unleash their greatness so they can lead a life of purpose and significance. Failure to reach out to these people with helpful solutions may promote a life of confusion, mediocrity, regrets and insignificance in the society.

Your platform The opportunities God presents to you to reach out and meet your audience's needs Where you are right now and the opportunities you have access to are not accidental. The position you occupy is not a mistake. There is a reason for everything just that often time, we don't care to really understand the underlying reason why we have some things that others do not have. Your platform is meant to help you reach out to your audience and meet their needs. Which position, network, opportunities or resources do you have that could be of great benefit to people and noble causes in the world.

Your Experience Various encounters in the journey of life that God allows you to go through to help you fulfil your unique mandate Experiences are personal yet there is a lot of learning that can be derived from them. However horrible or palatable, our experiences in life are not in vain. Sometimes we go through some situations in life and wonder why we have to taste some bitter pills of life. Those experiences are peculiar to us and they could become great catalyst of positive

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

transformation for us and others around us if we are willing to share them. What bad habits or challenges have you been able to overcome that several people are still struggling with today? According to Ella Wilcox, it is easy to tell the toiler how best he can carry his pack. But no one can rate a burden's weight until it has been on his back. It has been observed that people resonate more with the people who have gone through the problems they currently face. They are more attentive to these people and are more willing to act on their recommendations. This is why it is so helpful to share our experiences with those who can benefit greatly from them. Have you successfully overcome drug addiction, masturbation, loneliness, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, barrenness, rejection, poverty, etc? Kindly share this message of hope, healing and transformation to alleviate pains and burdens in the lives of others. This is part of fulfilling your unique mandate in life. Also, whatever the problems we face in our life right now, some people have faced them and have overcome them. We just need to get in touch with them and ask questions through helpful platforms. You can share your helpful experiences through seminars, counselling, movies, songs, books, articles, etc. I strongly believe everyone has at least a book to be written in their lifetime.

Your burden Recurring heaviness or pains laid in your heart to correct some sort of ills or anomalies in the society or help some class of people No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another says Charles Dickens The kinds of people you have burden for are those you have been assigned to help. Most NGOs are born out of the burden to correct some sort of ills, injustice or anomalies in the society. Who are the people you

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

have burden for? We are all designed to solve problems but not designed to solve the same problems. We all have our peculiar problems that we are shaped to solve. There are some specific problems that you have been equipped to correct. How do I know this? You often complain about these problems and also pity the people going through these problems. Many great businesses today are born out of the burden to alleviate problems or suffering for different categories of people. What can you start doing today to reach out and help the people you have burden for? This might be the beginning of a great NGO or business organization.

Your Passion Any subject or activity that excites and makes you come alive and makes life worth living for you "Neglecting passion blocks creative flow. When you are passionate, you are energized. Likewise, when you lack passion, your energy is low and unproductive. Energy is everything when it comes to being successful" says Gabrielle Bernstein

Reasons Why We Need To Follow Our Passions Your passion energizes you to go the extra miles to generate extra ordinary results. When passion and skill work together, the end result is often a masterpiece says a wise man.

It motivates and sustains you to break seemingly insurmountable barriers that others find difficult. Passion will move men beyond themselves, beyond their shortcomings, beyond their failures according to Joseph Campbell

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It helps you take advantage of more opportunities and possibilities where others see problems." Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors to you where there were only walls," Joseph Campbell also asserted.

Passion pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you an outstanding performer and shining star in your niche. M Forster said that one person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.

According to Albert Einstein, I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious.

While others complain, your passion makes each day exciting, productive and meaningful for you despite your challenges Passion drives you to fulfil your unique purpose and assignment here on earth. Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way. "Purpose may point you in the right direction but it is passion that propels you." Trauis McAshan It enables you to make money while adding meaningful value and having fun. Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.

Hard work is not hard when you concentrate on your passions.

It enables you to make significant contributions and impact in the society. According to Denis Diderot, "Only passions, great passions can elevate the soul to great heights."

Passion gives you joy, satisfaction and sense of fulfilment that money cannot buy. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them,

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

any happiness is only temporary because there is nothing to make it last, says Nicholas Sparks Passion helps you leave a lasting legacy that your posterity will be proud of. There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions in a way that serves the world and you. - Richard Branson According to a wise man, life is short. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you; that moment is NOW.

Your Purpose The reason why you were created here on earth "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why says, Mark Twain According to Mike Murdock, Your purpose in life is not your decision but your discovery."

Like a ship without rudder, many people wander aimlessly through life just because they don't know their purpose

Great Principles To Discover Your Life Purpose The principle of passion.

Passion is what keeps you going even in the face of challenges, obstacles, insults, etc. It is your staying power when everything around you says quit. It is the fuel that sustains you in your journey towards success and

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

significance. We can rarely become great at what we are not passionate about. What are you passionate about?

Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will normally find it is something you are tremendously passionate about" says Steve Paulina "If you canÂ’t figure out your purpose, find out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose," Bishop T.D Jakes asserted.

The principle of compassion.

Those who unlock your compassion are those you were sent to help. The purpose of human life is to serve, to show compassion and the will to help others according to Albert Schweitzer. Compassion helps us to transform and heal the world. Whom are you most compassionate about?

They are your audience.

The principle of Time.

How you spend your time reveals so much about what you value. What activities do you enjoy doing that make you lose track of time most of the time? These activities that consume most of your time are pointers to what you are created to do as long as they are beneficial to humanity.

The principle of annoyance.

What annoys you the most is a pointer to the problem you were created to solve. What are the ills in the society that you find very irritating and disgusting? These are some of the problems you were created to correct.

Highlights these problems and plan to do something to correct them in ways that will benefit you and humanity The principle of freedom.

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If you have all the money you will ever need and are given the freedom to pursue any career for the rest of your life, what would you love to do?

This shows where you can add meaningful value and make significant contributions while leading a life of purpose and significance. It is wise to build your career around this area because this is where you will find the most joy, peace of mind and sense of fulfilment.

The principle of Models.

The people you look up to say volume about who you are and what you will become in life. What celebrities do you aspire to be like? Why do you want to be like them? Study these people, read their books and follow them because they are already where you want to go. They are your reference points that you need to learn from to replicate and exceed their achievements The principle of research.

What subjects fascinate you so much that you can't stop digging further to know more and understand better? The kinds of information you enjoy gathering most time determine who you are and what you want to become The principle of happiness.

What activities give you so much joy and happiness each time you engage in them? What activities excite you and make you come alive most time? Whatever creates joy and happiness within you is an indication of what you are created to do, Mike Murdock also asserted.

Wise people build their career around these activities.

The principle of career choice.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Amongst several career options available, if you could only have one career for the rest of your life, what would it be? This is where you are designed to be of greatest service to humanity and fulfil your unique mandate in life.

The principle of the niche.

Swimming is natural to a fish just as flying is natural to a bird. In which field or activities can you perform exceptionally well and generate meaningful results without struggle. It is wisdom to build your career around your niche The principle of wishes.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?

The principle of fame.

What one thing would you really like to be known for? What would you like to come to mind whenever your name is mentioned? What name or title would you really like to be called? What would you like to be remembered for at your obituary?

The principle of the speech.

If you could make a 30 seconds speech to the world, what would you say? Your response is the message you are sent to share with the world.

Don't fail to share this message in your lifetime.

The principle of childhood dreams Our childhood dreams have a lot to do with what we are created to do here on earth. What are your childhood dreams that you seem to have

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abandoned? Please bring them back to life because they have so much impact on your bearing in life.

According to Pastor Sunday Adelaja, nothing is as important as your calling and purpose in life."

"Remember, your greatness in life is tied to your purpose. If you can't discover your purpose, then greatness becomes a fantasy."

Don't die without fulfilling your purpose

Your Niche Peculiar roles you can outstandingly perform based on your passion, talents, personality, experience and purpose in life.

The choice is up to you. You can either be a king in your own niche or a slave in another man's lane Are You Like The Fish Out of Water?

There once was a man who netted three trout, delicious freshwater food fish from a mountain stream and carefully placed them side-by-side on a thick patch of grass. Before he removed them from the water, they were like a liquid ballet in motion. Fluid. Graceful. Vibrant. Alive.

After he netted them, it was another story.

As the trout lay on the grass, they were motionless. Their eyes were fixed.

They gasped for air, and they looked and acted stupid.

The man noticed they seemed unhappy, so he talked to them, hoping that his encouragement would change them.

Little fish don t be sad. You ll like the grass. Just try it out for a while.

No movement. No response. No change.

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A few more seconds passed. The man s neighbour walked by. Hey, Bob! Come and check out these fish!

Bob strolled over and the man explained that he was certain the fish could adjust. I m sure they could prosper here on the grass. Don't you agree?

Why not? Bob replied. So he also tried to tell the fish it would be good if they learned to like the grass. After all, he liked the grass. Why shouldn t they?

Still, the fish didn t blink. They just lay there looking dumber by the second.

Finally, a little boy approaching exclaimed, What are you doing? Put them back! They can t be all they ve been created to be when they are out of the water.

Finally convinced, the man carefully placed each fish back in the stream.

After splashing for a split second, all three swam away effortlessly.

Again, it was like a liquid ballet. What ease! What grace! What beauty!

In that moment, the man realized that no matter how long the fish lay there they would never adjust to the grass, and would never be satisfied no matter how much he (or anyone else) told them otherwise. Even if the fish tried to convince themselves they could learn to like the grass, they never would, and they would never prosper. In fact, they would eventually die. End of story.

What can we learn from this story? Just like in an ecosystem where each organism performs its specific roles in its niche for survival and the proper functioning of the ecosystem, we humans also have our specific roles and functions through which we can contribute our best for the growth and development of the society. Failure to occupy and rule in our niche is one of the major reasons why so many struggles, confusion, frustration, mediocrity, obscurity and the likes hold sway in the society.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Just imagine  Pastor Adeboye having been a Boxer  President Muhammed Buhari having been a Teacher  Pastor Sam Adeyemi having been an Engineer  Frank Edwards having been a Doctor  Ben Carson having been a Musician  2Baba having been a Banker  Chimmamanda Adichie having been a Pharmacist  Lionel Mercy having been an Artist  Philip Emeagwali having been an Accountant  Don Jazzy having been a Lawyer  Fela Durotoye having been an Engineer  Usain Bolt having been a Chemist  Adele having been a Vertinary Doctor  Michael Jordan having been a Broadcaster  Ali Baba having been a Gynaecologist  Bill Gates havng been an Athlete "You will never be honoured for your difference when you are in the wrong place."

Flying is natural to a bird, fishes swim with ease, monkeys don't struggle to jump and running is a pleasure to a Cheetah. In which role, career or field do you have the highest potential to generate outstanding results with ease? What roles do you have the highest confidence performing excellently without any fear of failure?

Building your career or business around these roles is a smart way to unleash your unique genius and become a shining star in your generation.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

According to the leadership expert, John C Maxwell, The wrong person in the wrong place = Regression The wrong person in the right place = Frustration The right person in the wrong place = Confusion The right person in the right place = Progression The right people in the right places = Multiplication Do a self-reflection and identify a career "sweet spot" or niche that fits your passion, values and strengths and is sought after by people, industries or society.

According to Idowu Koyenika, "A genius in the wrong position could look like a fool."

Your job is to find your niche, excel and build a lasting legacy God created roles before He created people. Never stay where you have not been assigned by God. Your weaknesses will flourish while your strengths die gradually.

Things You Should Do With Your Uniqueness Clarify Your Uniqueness Communicate Your Uniqueness Capitalize On Your Uniqueness

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

CHAPTER SUMMARY 1. We are all uniquely beautiful and significant in different ways 2. Discovering and deploying our uniqueness is essential to living a life of purpose and significance 3. We can rarely achieve outstanding success and greatness outside our passion and purpose in life 4. We are not created to compete with one another; we are made to complement one another to fulfil our unique purposes in life 5. The choice is up to you; you can either be a king in your own domain or remain a slave in another man's palace 6. Discovering your uniqueness is an on-going process that will impact on your vision, mission and purpose in life

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

NOTES Tickle: Strengths and Weaknesses Finding Your Elements: Sir Robinson and Lou Aronica

Chapter 5 Accept And Celebrate Your Uniqueness "It is not our differences that divide us, it is our inability to recognise, accept and celebrate those differences."

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Aundre Lorde.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything The Peacock and the Fox A peacock was very unhappy with his ugly voice, and he spent most of his days complaining about it.

"It is true that you cannot sing," said the fox, "But look how beautiful you are!"

"Oh, but what good is all this beauty," moaned the dishearten bird, "with such an unpleasant voice!"

"Oh hear," said the fox, "Each one has its special gift. You have such beauty, the nightingale has his song, and the owl has his eyes and the eagle his strength. Even if you had an eloquent voice, you would still complain about another thing."

Do not envy the gifts of others. Make the most of your own.

"Does the sun ask itself, Am I good? Am I worthwhile? Is there enough of me? No it burns and it shines. Does the sun ask itself, what does the moon think of me? No it burns, it shines. Does the sun ask itself; am I as big as other suns in other galaxies? No it burns, it shines."

Andrea Dworking

The Broken Pot A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on an end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pots side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In Gods great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws.

Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness God's strength is made perfect.

"Don't compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself". Bill Gates "Accept yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses and know what tools you have to fulfil your purpose."

Steve Maraboli

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Self-Acceptance - the key to happiness in life "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Reinhold Niebuhr A large number of diseases are now said to be caused by negative emotions like anger, hate, resentment, self-pity, bitterness and the likes which are offshoots of not accepting oneself.

Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth. You are valuable. Tell yourself you are great no matter what anyone thinks about you. This is not pride but the truth. As you think in your heart, so you are.

Self-acceptance is simply recognizing your value as a person and being happy being the person you are, regardless of your faults or weaknesses.

There can be no significant personal growth and development without accepting and exploring our uniqueness.

Self-acceptance does not make everything perfect; rather it helps us accept the beauty and the uniqueness of our imperfections. It is about celebrating our uniqueness and embracing our differences, strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies and tendencies. Self-acceptance doesn't necessarily mean condoning an unpleasant habit, thing or situation, rather it means accepting the true reality of a thing or situation whether we find

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

it pleasant or not. It helps us face reality instead of living in denial and deceit. It also makes you a friend to yourself by telling yourself the truth even before others tell you. Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world. It helps you take charge of your FEELINGS, THOUGHTS and ACTIONS. "The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique." Walt Disney Do not underestimate yourself by comparing yourself with others. It is our differences that make us unique and beautiful

Signs You Have A Problem Accepting Your Uniqueness  You are too sensitive to people's words and actions towards you  You have negative opinion about yourself that you are unworthy and unlovable

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

 You compare yourself to others most time even when there is nothing to compare  You feel intimidated by the attributes and the achievement of others most time  You are too eager to please people most time even against your wish in order to get their approval  You tend to dust issues under the carpet instead of attacking and resolving them upfront  You often feel awkward when complimented and appreciated  You are defensive to a fault  You almost always want to gain everyone's attention  You often underestimate your strengths and magnify your weaknesses Learn to manage whatever you discover about yourself that you cannot change and work on those things you know are within your control. Dare to be yourself.

According to Shannon L. Alder, unhappiness comes from living the life of two people--the one people want you to be and the one you want to be

How Do You Accept Yourself?

Having established the importance of self-acceptance in the quest for happiness and fulfilment, it is equally essential that we examine various ways through which we can accept and celebrate our uniqueness.

Learning to accept and celebrate your peculiarities will not only make you outstanding but will also help you find life exciting, meaningful and satisfying even in the midst of the vicissitudes of life. Following are practical ways to embrace and exploit your differences

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

 Love yourself despite all the things that you think may be terribly wrong with you.  Accept yourself unconditionally because we all have both strengths and weaknesses  Forgive yourself for all the wrong doings of the past. What can you forgive yourself for today?  Capitalize on your uniqueness. Therein lies your power  Stop worrying too much about what people say or think about you  Don't compare yourself to other people. We all have our peculiar shortcomings and journeys in life  Don't define yourself by your mistakes, but by your achievements  Do let go of perfection. No one is perfect. Aim to be better than you are. Try your hardest and do the best that you can.  Do focus on your strong attributes. Everyone is strong in certain areas.  Do something every day that makes you feel good about yourself and moves you closer to achieving your dreams Remember, God is not surprised about your faults, He knew about them even before you did. And He loves you anyway says Joyce Meyer.

The opposite of self-acceptance is self-rejection. Self-rejection is simply dissatisfaction with some aspects of one's make up that cannot be changed. All of us have some unchangeable features that make us unique individuals. When these differences are pointed out, especially in insensitive or even malicious ways, the resulting concerns may cause varying degrees of self-rejection. "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? (Romans 9:20). Symptoms of self-rejection include comparison, hyper critical attitude, inferiority complex, self-criticism, self-hate, perfectionism, suicidal tendencies, etc.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." Marilyn Munroe "When you know yourself, you are empowered. When you accept yourself, you are invincible." Tina Lifford Nobody is superior, nobody is inferior, but nobody is equal either. People are simply unique, incomparable.

Get over past hurts and bitterness. No matter how great we become, we all have our shortcomings both visible and invisible. Nobody is perfect.

"No man was ever great by imitation" says Samuel Johnson.

No matter how badly you might have been treated or the troubles you might have gone through, you are still great and wonderful. You still have many things to celebrate about your life. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Successful people just know how to leverage on their strength and manage their weaknesses. We all have one area or the other where we think we could be better. So it is not peculiar to you alone.

Accept and celebrate your uniqueness.

"I have strengths, and I have weaknesses. I don't pretend to be able to write a great thesis or doctorate - I have no pretensions in that direction,” says Bob Ainsworth "He, who loses his individuality, loses all." Mahatma Gandhi Comparison is a trap. If you compare yourself to someone you appear to be better than, you may think you are doing great. But when you are compared to someone who appears to be better than you, you may become envious.

The best comparison you can make is between you and your best in life.

And until you die, you will always compete with your best because there will always be room for improvement.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

"If your number one goal is to make sure everyone likes and approves of you, then you risk sacrificing your uniqueness and therefore, your excellence." Unknown

CHAPTER SUMMARY 1. We all have both strengths and weaknesses. Our attitude towards them can either turn them to real assets or liabilities for us 2. Comparison is a self-inflicted trap that keeps people in perpetual bondage and sorrow 3. Failure to accept and celebrate our uniqueness is the cause of many negative feelings we experience today and a gateway to a life of sorrow and pains 4. Your significance in life is not in your similarity to another but in your point of difference 5. No matter how hard you try, not everybody will like you. The earlier you accept this fact, the better for you

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

6. While others struggle with weaknesses, the wise play on their strengths and work on their weaknesses or turn them into strengths

NOTES Aesop's Fables.

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

Chapter 6 5. Express Your Uniqueness "If we can all discover, appreciate and express our uniqueness, the world would be a better place."

Expressing your uniqueness is fundamental to living a life of contributions and greatness. People recognize and celebrate results and not good intentions. No matter how lofty and great your ideas and good intentions, they have no practical relevance until they are harnessed to improve lives and situations in meaningful ways. What is the essence of having a burden that we never do anything about? Of what use are your helpful experiences when you are unwilling to share them with several others who desperately need them to be saved. How can the peculiar solutions you carry be of help to several people who need them when you are not willing to leave your comfort zone and reach out to your dying audience? How do we attain the greatness we desire when we are not willing to pay the sacrifice required?

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

One of the major attributes of all successful people is action orientation.

Action orientation is simply the capacity to regulate our emotions, thoughts, and behaviour to achieve the objects of our desire. It is all about maintaining a sense of urgency and responsibility to complete a given task. A wise man said that the distance between your dreams and reality is called ACTION. No matter how great our ideas, they have no capacity to transform lives and situations until they are productively harnessed.

Action is the foundational key to all success says Pablo Picasso. There is little or nothing our ideas can do without us taking the necessary steps to turn them into beneficial assets. It is a pity that many people never get to express their uniqueness in their lifetime despite the incredible treasure that God had deposited in them. This kind of people watch others play active roles to make the world a better place but only prefer to remain a spectator. They enjoy making excuses while others are busy making progress. According to Mary Kay Ash, there are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what is happening. Only few people make things happen because they are the few who are able to take massive actions toward expressing their uniqueness and living a life of significance. According to Zig Ziglar, you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

How do you express your uniqueness? You express your uniqueness by following your passion, deploying your talents and gifts, solving the problems you are designed to solve, reaching out to those you were sent to serve, carving a niche for yourself, sowing beneficial seeds and fulfilling your unique purpose in life.

"If you celebrate your differences, the world will too. It believes exactly what you tell it-through the words you use to describe yourself, the

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated". Victoria Morian

What you hate is an indication of what you were created to correct. What do you hate?

Joe Odumakin hates Domestic violence Nelson Mandela hated Oppression Marthin Luther King hated Racism Gani fawehinmi hated Injustice Mother Theresa hated Destitution According to Oprah Winfrey, "there is no greater gift we can give or receive than to honour our calling. It is why you were born. And how you become most truly alive."

We have several ills in the society that each and every one of us has been given the grace to correct. The problem that annoys you the most is the problem you have been assigned to solve says Mike Murdock. What are the things you hate? Examples could include:  Prostitution  Rape  Divorce  Teenage pregnancy  Unemployment  Depression  Loneliness

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

 Sexual perversion  Identity crisis  Robbery  Cultism What are you going to do with these problems you find annoying?

"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to go out there and make it happen for yourself, says Diana Ross Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contributions experience life deepest joy - true fulfilment says Anthony Robbins

Those who unlock your compassion are those you have been sent to help. Who have you been sent to help? They could include:  Orphans  Singles  Teenagers  Prostitutes  Prisoners  Children  Nursing mothers  Pregnant women  Widows  Widowers  Rape victims  Drug addicts

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

 Single parents, etc.

Remember that small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.

You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand says Wooldrow T. Wilson

What Comes To Mind? *When Albert Einstein is mentioned, what comes to mind? Theoretical physics *When Akeem Adejunwo is mentioned, what comes to mind? Basketball *When Sam Adeyemi is mentioned, what comes to mind? Leadership *When Mike Murdock is mentioned, what comes to mind? Wisdom *When Myles Munroe is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Purpose *When Pastor Adeboye is mentioned, what comes to mind? Holiness *When Steve Jobs is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Apple *When Mark Zuckerberg is mentioned, what comes to mind? Facebook * When Walt Disney is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Disney land *When John Momoh is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Channels TV *When Dangote is mentioned, what comes to mind? Entrepreneurship *When Tinubu is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Politics (APC) *When Nelson Mandela is mentioned, what comes to mind? (Justice) Apartheid Rule *When Michael Jackson is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Music

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

When Malala Yousafzai is mentioned, what comes to mind? Girl child education *When Serena Williams is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Long tennis *When Tiger Woods is mentioned, what comes to mind?

Golf What comes to mind when your name is mentioned? Think about it.

According to Mark Twain, Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover. — In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it, asserted Mahatma Gandhi Failure to heed the call to correct these ills and reach out to these classes of people is one of the major causes of anxiety and emptiness prevalent in the world today.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Major Enemies of Greatness We Need To Fight "Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do." Satchel Paige "Some were born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them." Williams Shakespeare There are several reasons why many people still remain in the prison yard of mediocrity. Despite being aware of the dangerous nature of the identity crisis syndrome, many people still find it difficult to break through the shackles of identity crisis, follow their passions and achieve greatness.

There are many reasons for this situation but here are some of the major reasons why many people remain victims of identity crisis and find it difficult to achieve greatness. The following are major enemies we need to confront to achieve greatness.

Self-limiting beliefs JOHN MASON said, “You may succeed if nobody else believes in you but you will never succeed if you do not believe in yourself.” Belief in oneself is a major key to success in life. Your beliefs are powerful. They are powerful enough to make or mar you. It is quite true that your words are a reflection of who you are but more importantly, your beliefs reveal your true identity. Beliefs are gateways to our destiny. They can either open doors for us to move to our place of greatness or shut the door of greatness against us leaving us helpless and hopeless about life. In my

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

research about great people, one of the amazing discoveries I made was that the singular trait common to them all was that they all started out believing they were great and they began to live it. Self-limiting beliefs are great obstacles to a life of greatness. They are the architect of all the excuses we give for not making meaningful progress in life. Author Brian Tracy wrote, "You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts and beliefs. A lot of people unknowingly limit themselves by maintaining self-imposed beliefs that perpetuate exhaustion of resources without ever increasing productivity, hence losing the touch of greatness. You become what you believe. The mind is like a photocopy machine. Garbage in, garbage out. The original document cannot be different from the photocopy. Your internal beliefs cannot be different from your outer realities. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. To experience true greatness, you must first of all believe that you can achieve greatness no matter what your present situation looks like. Anything short of this, is settling for a life of mediocrity. World famous and award winning boxer, Mohammed Ali wrote, "I am the greatest, I said it even before I knew I was". His confession of what he believed about himself eventually became his reality. So, if you must truly become great in life, you must identify, confront and eliminate selflimiting beliefs that could be preventing you from releasing your greatness. Believe you are a great brand going places and your greatness will become more evident to you and the world around you.

"The greatest tragedy of the average man is that he goes to his grave with his music still in him."

Poet Longfellow

Fear of Greatness

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

"OUR deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people wonÂ’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson Many people are really afraid of greatness. Having being faced with persistent failure over a period of time, many people find it difficult to believe the fact that greatness is still possible through them. They believe everyone cannot be great. What a pity! This condition is called learned helplessness or addiction to affliction. It is the act of resigning to fate, believing that there is little or nothing you can do to improve your situation or lot in life. This is a major reason why a lot of people are ensnared in the prison of self-pity and mediocrity. Yes, you carry the seed of greatness within you waiting for manifestation. Why would you allow yourself to be the stumbling block to your greatness? Awaken your sleeping giant, unleash your greatness and enjoy the success you deserve.

Fear of failure YOU can never tell how far you will go until you try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Failure is one of the most dreaded words in English Language. The idea of failing is enough to discourage most people from pursuing their

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

dreams. Failure is an inevitable process of life. If you don't fail, you don't learn, if you don't learn, you don't grow or improve.

Everyone wants to succeed but no one wants to be identified with failure.

"Fear cuts deeper than swords,” says George Marthin The fear of failure is a major barrier that prevents most people from even starting any worthwhile project or assignment. It has been a killer of dreams and remarkable feat since time immemorial. "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure," asserted Paulo Coelho. According to Charles De foucauld, outstanding people have the same fears, doubts, inner conflicts and mixed emotions like everyone. But they have learned to follow their vision, no matter what they feel. They know they are taking action for a bigger cause and that vision inspires them to keep going even in the face of fear. The absence of risk is a sure sign of mediocrity. The truth is, there can be no significant level of success without a history of failure. The great people we celebrate today were once failures who refused to give up. According to Bill Gates, it is fine to celebrate success but it is much more important to heed the lessons of failure. The opposite of fear is courage. It takes courage to achieve any worthwhile goals in life. Mark Twain said this about courage, "courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not the absence of fear." Get busy taking purposeful actions towards achieving your dreams and you will soon forget about your fears. It takes courage to grow up and become who you truly are, says E.E. Cummings. Never allow the fear of failure to stop you from taking chances towards achieving your dreams.

Procrastination "ACTION may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action." Benjamin Disraeli

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Procrastination can be seen as a form of laziness as well, as postponing tasks has a lot to do with the laziness to actually do something. People postpone things for several reasons, one of The reasons being laziness. Procrastination and laziness have in common the act of giving excuses that prevent us from doing what we need to do or what we would like to do. "Time slips through our hands like grains of sand never to return again. Those who use time wisely are rewarded with rich, productive and satisfying lives," says Robin Sharma. Procrastination is a thief of time. It is a great weapon of attack against meaningful growth and success in life. One of the major causes of procrastination today is distractions. We now have so many things contending for our limited time and attention such that if care is not taken we will concentrate on what is less important at the expense of our more important activities. This is why setting our priorities right based on our personal values can be helpful in dealing with procrastination. Don't postpone until later what you know you should do. Procrastination is a major barrier to a life of impact and greatness, don't let it stop you.

Comfort zone "EVERYTHING you have ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone."

Greatness in life requires continuous, tenacious and persistent effort focused and directed at achieving our dreams or goals. Your attitude to life ultimately determines your altitude in life. You cannot afford to be careless about the things that truly matter in life and expect your life to record meaningful progress. Great things never came from comfort zone.

You cannot settle for less and expect more. A life of complacency is a life

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

that is satisfied with the status quo, not wanting to move forward, reach out and

forge ahead both when situations seem favourable and

unfavourable. A complacent life is a life of comfort, settling for what life offers you and not demanding what you want from life. A life of greatness is cantered around having the courage to take what you want from life and not just accepting what it offers you. Situations around you may encourage a life of mediocrity but you must demand your greatness because it your right. If you leave your life to chance, then you don't have a choice. Hope is not a strategy. Being decisive about what you want from life and taking purposeful actions are essential preconditions for achieving greatness. Martin Luther King Jnr said, we begin to die the day we become complacent about the things that truly matter in life.

Complacency is the enemy of excellence. Greatness does not come to those who accept and react to what life brings to them, greatness responds and favours those who place a demand on it. Demand your greatness today and life will deliver it to you.

Laziness LAZINESS may appear attractive but work gives satisfaction. Anne Frank Laziness also known as indolence or slot is simply failure to do what you are supposed to do, despite having the ability to do it. It is a vice that slowly creeps in and holds us captive. Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Inspiration is a good starting point, but it takes lots of hard work to translate ideas into remarkable achievement. This is why success may remain an illusion to the lazy. Laziness is a self-destructive enemy that excommunicates us from the possibilities and opportunities of life.

Laziness is a temptation to all of us but a lifestyle for some people. This is because of the fact that the human nature loves to enjoy pleasure and

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

avoid pain. I personally have times where laziness causes me to feel incapacitated. This makes me avoid doing anything productive and forces me to postpone things that I want to achieve. It is a result of trying to pursue instant gratification and avoid painful experiences. Laziness is a symptom of a problem and not a problem itself. What could be the cause of your lack of motivation and energy to do what you are supposed to do?

Are you tired, overwhelmed, afraid, hurting, or just uninspired and stuck?

Once we address the root causes of laziness, we will be able to deal with it effectively. Discipline is the antidote to laziness. Discipline is doing what you know needs to be done even if you don't feel like doing it. Don't allow laziness to rob you of your greatness. Work doesn't kill, rather it brings honour.

Ignorance IF IGNORANCE cannot kill us, it will waste our precious time and resources.

What you don't know can hurt or mar you, someone once said. The life of the ignorant is not only hard but dangerous. Life answers to principles and it is only the knowledgeable that enjoys the best life has to offer. The world paves way for the man who knows where he is going and shuts its door against the ignorant. A life of ignorance exposes us to stagnancy, struggle, delay, under achievement, poverty and the likes. Martin Luther King Jnr once said that, there is nothing more dangerous in life than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. We cannot afford to be ignorant. Your destiny is too great to fail just because you fail to know.

Life is an endless learning adventure and it is only those who take advantage of this truth, by acquiring and applying the relevant knowledge needed to succeed that end up recording meaningful progress in life.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Greatness is not beyond the reach of anyone who is willing to acquire the requisite knowledge and observe the principles governing its attainment.

The only way to defeat ignorance is to keep asking questions through continuous learning. It is a great disservice not to know, but a greater tragedy to refuse to know. This is why it is so important that we commit to continuous learning and personal development. Be willing to learn, unlearn and relearn so you can evolve with the rhythm of life. Ignorance has robbed our world of greatness than the devil has. Don't be a victim; knowledge will empower you to conquer your world.

Mediocrity WE are not created to be small or average; we are destined to be outstanding and great.

Despite this truth, quite a lot of people miss out on this great revelation such that they live an average life. The story of the human race is that of men and women selling themselves short. But the truth is this; whether we will be great or average in life, it begins from our minds.

The difference between the average and the excellent is not so much in the difference in their skills, abilities or knowledge but of will. We can either decide to be committed to a life of excellence or settle for average the rest of our life. The choice is ours. Good is the enemy of great. This is why you don't have to be afraid to give up the good for the great. There are so many people living an average life in the world today missing out of the opportunities and possibilities to release their greatness. The only way to be truly outstanding and significant is to be committed to a life of

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

excellence however small your beginning. Michelangelo said, "the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark. The average person settles for far less than he or she is truly capable of. There is no passion in playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living says Nelson Mandela. Greatness is your birth right, don't settle for less.

Giving up People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit, most men succeed because they are determined to. Giving up may seem to be the next logical thing to do especially after making several efforts towards achieving our desired outcomes without success. A fact of life we shouldn't forget quickly is that people and situations will say NO to you many times in life but it takes persistence to get the YES you need to achieve your dreams. You can go beyond the limit people have set for you and the one you have set for yourself if you refuse to give up. The truth of the matter is that the road to greatness is paved with many challenges that could scare even the bravest of us. But the good news is that these challenges could also be turned into stepping stones to greatness if we are determined not to give up. According to Maever Greyson, no one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them. I think often time, obstacles are placed on our way to see how much we really want what we desire. The intensity of our desire is a major factor that determines whether we will give up or persist on our journey to greatness. In the words of Calvin Coolidge, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Remember, champions keep trying until they get it right. It is not over until you win. Don't give up.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Chapters 7 Steve Job's Story About Love And Loss I was lucky I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We had just released our finest creation the Macintosh a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down — that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley.

But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did.

The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT; another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."

John F. Kennedy

The World Is Waiting For You The World Is Waiting For You To Show Forth Your Glory To Sing Your Own Song To Deliver Your Pregnancy To Unveil Your Own Package To Carve Your Own Niche The World is Waiting For You

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

To Release Your Own Greatness To Deliver Your Own Message To Occupy Your Own Territory To Rule In Your Own Kingdom To Reign In Your Own Domain The World is Waiting For You To Ignite Your Powerhouse To Bear Your Own Burdens To Make The World A Better Place To Play Your Own Roles To Express Your Uniqueness The World is Waiting For You To Solve Your Own Problems To Shine Your Own Brilliance To Follow Your Own Star To Uncover Your Hidden Treasure To Reach Out To Your Audience The World Is Waiting For You To Fulfil Your Own Mandate To Be A Blessing To Humanity To Give Hope To The Hopeless To Perform Your Own Wonders To Spread Your Own Good news The World Is Waiting For You To Contribute Your Own Inputs

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

To Leave A Good Legacy To Navigate Your Own Path To Release Your Latent Powers To Make Your Positive Impact I implore you to heed this clarion call to awaken the giant within you and make the unique difference you were created to make here on earth.

Being alive is an opportunity to fulfil this unique mandate and enjoy numerous blessings that follow. Don't be a spectator, be an active player in the game of life. Not just a player but a player in your own niche and domain.

You are here for a reason: to be of service to give and receive and truly thrive. So be who you truly are destined to be, do the work you were born to do, share the message you were meant to share, and make the difference you are here on this planet to make, by following your heart, listening to your soul, and doing what you love.

Olivia Lobey "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Remember, it is not how much money you make that ultimately makes you happy. It is whether or not your work fulfils you.

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness

Final Thoughts Don't Settle For A Life Of Mediocrity And Regrets.

Discover Yourself And Release Your Greatness Strive To Live A Life Of Meaning And Significance By Dealing With Identity Crisis.

I Celebrate You And The Greatness Of God Upon Your Life You Are The Treasure The World Is Waiting For The World Will Miss A lot Without Your Own Contributions See You On Top Where You Belong To Your Greater Success

Oyewumi Oluwasanmi, DISCOVER YOURSELF: How To Uncover Your Uniqueness and Unleash Your Greatness