JOHN OGBILE OKPE

Fact 1: You know what you want to do.

Fact 2: You certainly know you need to be doing that right now.

Fact 3: You say to yourself: "I will do it tomorrow."

Fact 4: Tomorrow is here. The unexpected happens and you forgot about what you said you will do today.

Fact 5: It's January 2018, it will be February few days from now. Yesterday was 13th September 2015 when you had this idea. It's almost three years down the line and still nothing from you.

The truth is that in as much as you were doing nothing concerning what you want to achieve, you were making a choice, because everyday we make decisions consciously and unconsciously. You must have heard the gist that says that life is about the choices we make, haven't you? My previous post on How To Buy The Future explains in detail.

We have to realize that time is a fixed (or limited) resource. It cannot be increased, it can only be maximised. It's better to start no matter how little, because a year from now the little things will accumulate into 365days worth and you will be glad you started.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly until you get it right.

Let me tell you a story. Before three months ago, I've always wanted to share my thoughts on a blog. Although it's been my utmost obsession, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. "Where was I to start from?", "What do I know?", "How do I combine it with my studies?", "How much information do I have that makes me think I could be a blogger?" The thoughts were overwhelming. Plus I wanted it to come out perfectly. I wanted it to be topnotch and for that to happen, I had to do 'enough' research. I felt I haven't read enough books. I didn't have enough information to make it happen.

This is the exact same reason many people never do anything in their lives and go to their graves with their potentials and dreams still inside them. The thing is, if you wait until all the conditions are perfect, you may have to wait forever. Stop waiting for a perfect condition, there will never be one.

One striking principle of successful people is that they are action oriented. When the thought comes, they get started and autocorrect on the way.

Every master was once a disaster. You've got to know that your first product cannot be your best. As you grow and develop, your products become better. It is better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. An ancient proverb says it's better to try and fail than fail to try.

While it's true that it is good to plan, if you take all your time planning, nothing gets done. You can't absorb all the logistics involved in carrying out a project at first try; hence people give room for miscellaneous. Remember, people don't get known for what they intended to do, they are known for what they did.

Apply the corridor principle. It states that you may not see the whole rooms in the corridor, but once you step in, the other rooms become visible.

John Greenleaf Whittier once said, "Of all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: it might have been".

Today is what you've got, please maximize it. Procrastination is expensive. Whenever you notice it creeping into your life, arrest it immediately, the further you wait the worse it becomes. Moreover, you are not growing any younger you know. Few years from now, you will wake up and notice grey hairs growing all over your head, so make wise use of today. Don't wait till the end of your life only to discover you haven't really lived.

Always remember, you don't have to be great to start but you have to start to be great. The best ideas in the world are of no value until they are implemented.

So start now! Don't discount yourself!! The world is waiting to hear your success story!!!


Got any lessons from this? Leave it in the comment below.

Yes, that's right! Bobrisky had a "gateman" called Jacob!
And so?

It is no longer news that we are already into the first week of 2018. I love this time of year because it has proven to be the most productive for many people: gyms are packed, motivational quotes are tacked to office and room walls, and people are constantly talking about their new diet or their new pledge to becoming a better person. But then, it makes me a little sad to know that a few weeks from now, the zeal to follow through with these resolutions might be no where to be found. According to a story by U.S News & World Report in 2015, about 80 percent of people give up their new year goals by February.

As January drifts further into the rearview mirror, it can be easy to settle into old habits and forget about the resolutions and goals established at the turn of the calendar. Below are some steps you should take in order to increase your chances of achieving your goals.


1. Write Down Your Goals

Take time to write down carefully what you want to accomplish with your life. I have found out that writing down one's goals makes one more decisive. The fifteen minutes you invest in making a Daily Schedule will be multiplied 100-fold before the end of the month. Visualization of a goal builds remarkable confidence. Planners can predict their success. The secret of uncommon achievers is linking tasks to their calendar.

"And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it," (Habakkuk 2:2)

I already handled this area of goal setting  alongside other equally important areas in my previous post. Please read more here>>> HOW TO PLAN 2018 TO BE YOUR BEST YEAR YET


2. Break Down Your Goals Into Smaller Achievable Units

It's alright to have big goals on the horizon, but you will never get there if you can't break it down into actionable steps. Goals that are way too ambitious are destined to fail. It's best to start small.

You see, when a goal isn't trackable on a daily basis, it becomes exponentially more difficult to feel as though you're moving in the right direction... And as humans, unless we feel like we're making progress, we tend to give up on our pursuit.

Ask yourself, "If my massive goal is to make ten thousand sales this month, what do I need to get done this week in order to move myself in that direction?"


People often ask me how I manage to read one non-academic book per week, especially being a final year Mechanical Engineering student.

I simply reply: "First, I didn't just start reading a book per week in my final year, this is something I had been struggling so hard to do since my second year, but it wasn't until my fourth year that I achieved it. Second, it didn't happen because I love reading: many people genuinely love reading, but it's a little difficult for them to read through an entire book. Most stop halfway because good intentions are not always enough. It was possible because I discovered a method which is to break bigger goals into smaller unit. What I simply do is to calculate the number of pages in a book (most of the books I read for now usually don't exceed 350 pages), then I divide it by seven, which is the number of days in a week. The result I arrive at is the daily portion I read per day."

It's a very simple principle, break the mountains obscuring you into rocks, break the rocks into bricks of stone and you would soon get rid of it.

Unfortunately, most people set big, overarching, difficult-to-measure goals for themselves because they're in love with the idea of the end pursuit. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if that strategy didn't plan out very well for you in 2017, then it's probably not going to fair much better in 2018.

Henceforth, I challenge you to only set goals you can accomplish within 7 days. If you can't accomplish it in 7 days, the goal is too big.


3. Be Intentionally

When it has to do with achieving your goals, good intentions aren't enough. It takes more than just a numbered list to plant a goal and really have the emotional wherewithal to achieve it. That is why you've also got to be intentionally.

Being intentional is a deliberate action step, in the now to be committed to your goals. On the other hand, good intentions don't last, they are about unfulfilled longing, and they are passive. That is why staying on course and achieving one's goals requires one to also live intentionally.

READ MORE HERE: HOLIDAY IS OVER; GET STARTED!


4. Know Exactly the "Why" for Setting the Goal

Most people think goal setting is some routine or ritual that one has to carry out every new year. If you think that way, you are very likely not to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. If you can't tell the reason why you want to achieve a particular goal, it is only a matter of time before you lose motivation and enthusiasm to carry on with your plans.

For instance, if your goal is to lose some weight, say 20kg, but without an understanding of why you have the extra 20kg, or a big enough motivation to lose it, it's easy to let the extra calories slide, or skip that extra gym session. When you realize that the 20kg is a lot to carry around, that it represents a safety barrier for you from love and relationships, that when you lose it, you feel better, look better and your love life improves - then you can be motivated to stick to the diet and exercise.


5. Be Focused and Discipline

Be clear about what you want to accomplish. Vague goals can also fail. Rather than saying you want to make money this year, it's better to pinpoint exactly how much money you want to make, like one million naira in two months, as an example. Have a focus.

Also, you need to be disciplined. Staying on course and achieving one's goals requires a lot of discipline. Discipline is sticking to the plans you have put in place to achieve your goals whether you feel like it or not. Don't wait to feel right. Just do it!


6. Be Accountable

It is very possible to derail or totally abandon our goals. Hence, we need to have accountability partner(s). I found out early in my own life that I am more productive when I make myself accountable to others. I know this is not an easy thing for most people to do, especially in our today's world where everyone is claiming "their-own-space." But it is a necessary requirement in reaching our goals.

Accountability partner(s) hold you accountable to your goals. They are the ones you report your progress to, and who spur you to continue in achieving more.

They are responsible for helping you achieve almost all (if not all) of your goals, instead of stopping halfway, and feeling like you have done enough.

They help you get rid of excuses. They help you think of alternative solutions, in case you hit a snag. They go further to help you by exposing you to their network of friends and associates. And they join you in celebrating your successes, little or big.

You may be good, you may even be better than everyone else, but you will never be as good as you can be without being accountable to someone. We reach our potentials and goals faster when we have someone watching our back.

So, as you set your goals for the year, it's important to find a person or persons as your accountability partners. Sometimes,  you may not have the inner strength to move, you may just need that extra push from someone outside of you.


7. Be Willing to Restart

You may not be able to achieve a goal at first go. Don't feel bad about it. Accept the failure, see it as an opportunity to learn and simply restart. Things often turn around for better after no more than three or four times. Don't give up! Try again!!

Let me get straight to the point.
(sorry if it's a rough way to start, but I'd like to emphasize strongly the urgency and the need to get started with your 2018 goals)

"Holiday is over!"

I hate to do this, but permit me to spoil your mood a little bit further.

Whether you are resuming work, school, or training tomorrow or next week, the truth is exactly what is written above.

Everything continues from where you stopped, and what will determine if you enjoy a head start, reach your goals and become a better person this year are not just the plans you have made and tacked up on the wall, but also how serious you are about getting started and putting these plans to work.

On December 19th 2012, Jelili said he was waiting for the New Year before he gets started with his dream of becoming a movie script writer. He was serious about what he wanted, he even went as far as writing them down, but Jelili lacked the will power to enforce his desires. It's been over five years since he made those comments, and as at the time of writing this post, Jelili is yet to get started. Goals, plans and dreams die when they are left unattended to.

I remember someone saying this to me fifteen days to the end of 2016 in response to our conversation on getting started: "Oh c'mon John, I promise to put all my dieting plans to work. I'm just waiting for the New Year to get started." It will shocked you to learn that she still weighed something around 90kg all through 2017. I can only hope that she gets started this time around.

I think there's a widespread misconception about a New Year. We think the first few days in a new year are some sort of a super day that automatically changes and makes things work out, and as a result we put off all of our plans till then. But it doesn't work that way! You see, the first few days in a new year are just like every other normal day. The only thing that makes it different is the frenzy surrounding it. Whatever you can change, change it now, don't put if off any longer.

It's important to note that things will not automatically change because it's a new year, things will change because you do something about them. In the same vein, time doesn't change things, it is what you do with time that changes things. Likewise, intolerance of your present will not automatically create your future if it is not merged with action.


Don't only move decisively towards the goals and plans you have set. That's just the start but it doesn't end there, be sure to also apply corresponding action. Everything boils down to ACTION!

You really shouldn't be content with "managing" a bad situation or maintaining 'Status Quo' anymore in 2018. Stretch yourself.

Don't manage that bad job for another year, determine to change it. Don't manage that degree for another year, you know you need an upgrade, get it!

Don't be scared to start that business, refuse to be mediocre, stop waiting for handouts, learn that all important skill.

Do whatever it takes to get out of your comfort zone. Don't manage a bad situation this year, get out of it!

Be dissatisfied with mediocrity!
Be dissatisfied with wishful thinking!
Be dissatisfied with plans without action!!!

Today is the first day in the year 2018, and you have already started creating your future today. You will never leave where you are only because you decide so, you will leave where you are only when your desires translates to work. The moment you move from decision making to decision managing is the moment your world will change.



Holiday is over, it's time to get started with your 2018 goals. Go buddy! Get to work!!