JOHN OGBILE OKPE

It's barely three days to the start of 2018, and though it may be difficult to imagine, we can't deny the glaring fact that another year is in the books. Thankfully, the start of a new year, also represents the opportunity for us to make 2018 the best year yet.

In January, a lot of us set up resolutions for 2017. Where are they right now?
Fulfilled? In Progress? Or totally forgotten?

It's quite easy to dump our resolutions along the first three months of the year if we don't have a clear plan for how to make them come to fulfillment.

You can't just say you want to imbibe the culture of saving if you don't have a clear plan of how to save and make it count. You may end up keeping money aside for when temptation arises rather than for the purpose you intended it.

You need a plan, thoroughly thought through. And that's why I want to advise you not to wait till January before making your plans. My mentor says ten months make a year. Successful people take stock of what has happened in their year in the eleventh month, and plan for the next year in the final month. So that by January, whilst others are waking up to plans, you are already setting yours in motion.

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If you hope to rise above and beyond your goals for the new year and make your 2018 the best year yet, some preparation is needed. These preparations are summarized below.

1. Review Your Last Year

It is important that you review the activities of the last year before moving to the next calendar year. Review your successes. Write them all down. Also, review the goals you didn't reach. Be honest with yourself about why you didn't reach those goals. It's is rewarding to examine what really went wrong, why and most importantly how to improve and move forward.


Taking what you've learnt in 2017 can help you in not only setting goals, but in also reaching those goals in 2018.

2. Set Goals for the New Year

This is perhaps one of the most discussed topics in the area of personal development, so I'm not gonna bore you with the same stuffs you already know. Since you are already aware of the importance of identifying and putting your goals in writing, it's time to do it for the new year, which is just around the corner.


Please note that it's absolutely okay if some of the goals you couldn't achieve make it to your list of goals in the current year. You also want to include new goals based on your experiences from the current year, or changes in your personal and career or professional life.

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3. Deploy "The 10 Goal Method"

This involves taking a sheet of paper and writing your 2018 goals along with the current dates across the top. You write down ten goals that you want to achieve in the next twelve months, as if you have no limitations. Use the guide below to achieve that:

- Write down your goals in the present tense as if you have achieved them. It is a special way of programming your subconscious mind to work 24hrs a day to make the goals come through.

For instance, rather than write: "I want to earn X amounts of dollars a year", write down: "I earn X amounts of dollars a year."

Always write it down as though you have achieved it.

- Write down your goals in the positive sense. For instance, rather than write: "I want to quit drinking", write down: "I am a non-drinker".

- Write in the personal sense. Each of your goals should begin with the word "I". This tells your subconscious mind that the command is coming from the home office, I mean from the headquarters. It can then better register and act on your goal.


When you set goals in the present tense, and in the positive and personal sense, it energizes your brain in helping you to achieve those goals faster and even automatically.

4. Prioritize a Single Goal

Ask yourself, what goal on that list of ten above that if achieved within 24hours will have the greatest positive impact on your life. Give it some thought, and when you arrive at an answer, circle off that goal. This specific goal then becomes your major. definite purpose. It also becomes your primary goal and your most important focal point in life.

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5. Make a Plan

- Transfer this primary goal to a clean sheet of paper.

- Attach a deadline to that goal faced like the goal itself. For instance, "I achieve this goal by this day".

- Identify the challenges you will face in achieving that goal.


- Know the skills you will need and the people who can help you to achieve the goal. Write them down.

- Organize this list in the form of plans. What do you do first, second and third.

6. Take Action Immediately

It's not just about "goal-setting", it's also about "goal-doing". Spend enough time on your goals. Instead of focusing on the end result, begin to track how much time you spend on your goal daily. Take action immediately, even if the action isn't significant. Take the first step.

The key to life is to decide what you want, make a list of the steps necessary and take the first step. You can always see the first step, and when you take the first step, you will see the second step, and when you take the second step, you will see the third step, and you can accomplish extraordinary things with this method.


Using these strategies will put you in a good place to achieve your goals and have the kind of year that you both desire and deserve.


Before I come to the conclusion of this post, I want to prescribe a personal retreat for you before the new year. Find time, a day or two, to reflect, and foreshadow.
Start working on your goals immediately. Don't wait till tomorrow, don't wait till an hour, do something now.

What worked this year? What didn't? What should happen next year? What shouldn't? How do you make things happen?

Work through it, and come to a conclusive end, and you will see how your 2018 will turn out to be.

December is not only for Hangouts, and Christmas celebrations. You can equally use it to get ready for an explosive year.

Remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now!


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Back then, the chilly and dusty harmattan wind that blew up every kind of particle on the dusty ground of Oluyinka Dada Street, U-Turn, Lagos was a sign of good things to come. Then, the only thing on my mind was the Christmas clothes and toys. Those items that made me feel on top of the world! It didn’t matter if it was a rubber shoe or a plastic radio. Like every other kid in the neighborhood, I just wanted to “make Iyanga” marching through the brown earth.

There were no excuses of recession – if there’s one, I never knew– Christmas clothes must be ready! I cannot come-and-go and carry last in the presence of Ify, Frank, Chiazor and the other kids. Lai lai! (Never!)

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It was a time of eating unabated. Time to “drag” the chicken intestines; it was the only part we were allowed to eat before the other parts were served. We had to go through the rigours of cleaning it up ourselves. Afterwards, we threw it into the pot to boil with the other parts. When it was ready, we'd run to a corner of the house and sentence the chicken’s intestines to everlasting judgment in nature’s warmer.

The memories of how mother killed a bird which will later jerk back to life is still very fresh in my memory. It's just like it happened yesterday. I have never seen a scene like that before or after that time. It happened on the eve of Christmas, in the evening around past 4.00pm. We were all gathered in the kitchen when it happened. We witnessed as mother's knife cut deep into the bird's neck. There's no questioning that. We saw blood gush out from it's neck and also witnessed an end to it's long resistance as it lay lifeless on the big bowl. But something happened! As soon as mother poured the hot water (which had been boiling minutes before the bird met with the knife) on the seemingly lifeless bird, it jerked back to life and sprinted a little round the kitchen before mother caught up with it and a more proper and final job was done. It was quite an emotional moment. I still remember and imagine that scene up till this day whenever I witness the killing of a bird.

Before the day, I and my friends will plan the houses to visit and the shortest routes to them to “dash” us money! Those were the times I became a geographer, giving the direction to every house; a time manager, allotting the amount of time to stay in a particular place; an accountant, sharing the “dashed money” with other kids; a good child, because I obeyed the GOLDEN RULE from MAMA: “Thank you ma, we have eaten” even though it was sometimes disobeyed due to the worms running marathon in my stomach; embarked on another Great Trek, with the kilometers covered (even the Great Trek is a played-down comparism to my Christmas visitation).

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“Seek ye first the money and other gifts will follow” that was the code engraved in our hearts then. Once the crisp naira notes were handed to us, it didn’t matter what came next. The owner of the house will forever have his name starched in our hearts when he hands over glittering wads of mint to us. Mr. Dada the Mortician was our best friend: aside handing us the much desired naira notes, he'd also treat us to a very nice meal.

Those were the ones that knew WASSUP. Blessed are they because even Christ, the reason de’tairre for the season, said that it is not good to throw the children’s meat to the dogs!

Abi nor be so Bros J talk am? Lol


We didn't know Santa. Santa was for folks staying in the rich neighborhood. What we knew was "Father Christmas"....

... But "Father Christmas" was not so generous. He would come to our schools to give gifts to only those who payed for those gifts. Lol

So the money we gathered up from neighbors came in handy. We used part of the money to buy 'knockout' and others to gamble for balloon (we always eyed the biggest one, but I don't know why no one ever wins it. If you know, help a brother, biko!)

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Of course, there were those who just didn’t show that it was time for the season. They wore long faces looking like a Yoruba masquerade known as EGUNGUN! Even when they faked happiness when we say welcome at the door. Once they told us “E PADA WA NI ODUN TUNTUN” (COME IN NEW YEAR), we knew that our village people have succeeded!

That New Year ran like a snail and when it came, it only ended in locked doors with statements that touch the heart like: "I have done Christmas for everybody with the money I had, why didn’t you come then?"

Las las, if-you-too-argue, they'd tell us: “You guys should come during Easter!” But thunder was rare then, we didn't know much about it, unlike now. We would have sent one from the Head Bridge to do the needful. Hehehe

Watching the older males in their baggy jeans and boots, and the females regaled in their flowing dress sharing "Christmas Rice" from door-to-door capped the beauty of the Christmas season. More so, the ever-melodious sounds from Tony Tetuila and Olu Maintain (Hip Hop Kings of those days), accompanied by the rhythmic dancing steps (which are now old school) and the dust it generated, were all testament to the season.

Oh, how can I forget how Ode almost got drowned and swept away by the raging waters of Kuramo beach. How lucky is Mr. Okey? Oh, very lucky! Had the boy drowned that day, the kind hearted and clear conscience man would have been accused of taking the young boy to the beach for rituals. Typical African conclusion!

As I sat, scribbling this piece, I can only reaffirm the biblical assertion that “there is time for everything!

Even though my mum is still “keeping” some of the money I made then, as per bank CEO, and wouldn't return it till Jesus comes, Christmas as a child was fun filled. I don’t know about you!


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As a little boy I loved NOODLES. Well, we all loved noodles... My favourite brand was INDOMIE. I loved slopping up long strands of noodle into my mouth. I loved the way it felt.

I wasn't born with a silver spoon. We didn't always have the luxury of eating noodles in my house at all times. As such, whenever mom came back home with a cartoon full of noodles, I would be extremely excited.

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Then one day something happened that killed that excitement. Mom was particular about the number of packs we were supposed to prepare so as not to waste "her noodles".

(Yes exactly, "her noodles". Mums believe that everything in the kitchen belongs to them. Lol)

She would allocate two medium size packs to me and three medium packs to my three big sisters.

"Mummy! Abeg you fit add me two extra packs to this one?" I wailed into her ears in pidgin English.

(We were not really the sophisticated type, so we communicated mostly in Pidgin English or Yoruba)

"No, the two don do you. You nor go fit finish three or four", she replied sternly.

"I go fit o! Abeg add me two more now", I broke into a fake cry just to manipulate her to give me those extra packs, being the renowned Olojukokoro (Oliver Twist) of the house back then.

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Yes! It worked. She added the extra packs of noodles to the one's I already had, making it four packs in total. Boy! I was excited. Parts of the benefits of being the last child; you get to always have your way anytime, anyway and any day you want.

I turned on the stove and started to cook. In minutes the noodles was ready for munching.

When I brought the pot down and saw how big the noodles was, I became scared. Oh boy, I was damn scared!

Why was I scared?

Because I had had a deal with mom. Prior to giving me the two extra packs, she had warned that if I couldn't finish it, then she would give me 12 sound strokes of her KOBOKO. Typical African mom; they hate wasting resources.

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So, there was mom sitting calmly with her KOBOKO by the side waiting for me.

Here was I looking at the pot of noodles and coming to terms with the fact that I won't be able to finish it just like mother had predicted.

Slash! Warp! The KOBOKO landed on my back, accompanied by a left hand slap. Oh, I learnt my lesson that day.

The rest is history.

MORAL
It is WISDOM, when you learn to control your impulse. Acting out of impulse or excitement is FOOLISH. Spend time analyzing and evaluating a decision before you step out on it.

Understand the end from the beginning. Have a plan B, C, D through to Z.

Acting based on impulse will block your mind from seeing what could go wrong. And once you can't see this, you can't prepare a contingence plan.

Always look and count the cost before you LEAP.


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