Today: The Most Important Day in the History of Man

It’s an irrefutable fact that it takes process to achieve one’s goal and makes one’s vision a reality. It amazes me how we are most times so drenched in the reality of our dreams/visions that we forget that it took even God process to make the heaven and the earth. It is high time we understood that the road to success is like a ladder on which an attempt to skip a rung rather affords a slip, of course, to the ground.There is one consciousness I have come to realize that is common to every great achiever; “The power of today”. They understand that every present moment counts. They realize that by taking proper care of “today”, they would have taken care of yesterday and the day to come. Making the most of “today” is not just a priority to them but a lifestyle. 

How? You may want to ask. It’s simple and it’s not a kind of new lifestyle I invented. It had been here long before now. It’s the lifestyle that generated the testimonies of people like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and in our present day, people like Bill Gate, and Aliko Dangote. The issue with many today is the simplicity of this lifestyle. The world culture had thought them, if it must produce desired results it has to be complex. Thus, they major in the minor. They forget that complexity does not equate productivity. David Oyedepo said, “Only fool doubt proofs”. Let me take you on a ride through this lifestyle that brought out the great scientist in dullard like Einstein and turned the dumb like Ben Carson to a great Neurosurgeon.

1. To every great achiever waking “today” brings them the assurance that they own a special place in the day’s agenda. What a special day that sets before them, overwhelms there consciousness – they can’t afford to mess with today, is the rhythm of their heart. They are full of live, full of appreciation for the opportunity to live yet another day. Just like Olive Twist they ask for more, however, to contribute to a better world. They learn (though in their individual way) to acknowledge the owner of the day (God) before setting out for their pursuit.

2. They learn to affirm their willingness towards a great “today”. They believe they owe it to themselves to contribute to a better world. So, they are set to deliver. They know they are in for a big deal and it’s not going to be easy but they have a way of assuring themselves they can. They are not only up for a great performance, they also understand not jeopardize “today” playing the game of getting it all in shape. So they don’t become unnecessarily cocky. They just manage themselves appropriately and be sure they do not miss out of the enthusiasm.

3. To them “Today” is all about what they love and enjoy and the opportunities that serve their passion. Somehow they understand the importance of prioritizing; as such, they learn to schedule their priorities as against the world culture that says prioritize your activities. However, they understand the unavoidable and the unexpected (crises, emergences, some unrelated calls, meetings etc.) happen. They learn to always keep focus on the important, and never allow to be overrun by the urgent.

4. Every “today” they approved themselves. They are conscious of their worth so they don’t live by any principle/ideology that is not of their own. Most importantly they are crazy about who they are becoming. They dress to their heart. What is important to them is not what is in vogue but what they can afford to be contented and feel at best, though they frown at complacency. They understand they are not in a show off game. What they do every “today”, they dress up and show up to make the most of the relevant opportunities. Every “today” they learn to do that which goes well with their health and performance, to put them at their best.

5. Last but not the least, they close every “today” with one sure consciousness; tomorrow is another day. They appreciate “today”. No matter how the day has turned out for them, they always believe things can only get better. So they always hope for a better tomorrow.

I leave you with this word;

“If you cannot do great things yourself, remember that you may do small things in a great way.”

Idris Elba: What You Don't Know About Him

Date of Birth	6 September 1972, Hackney, London, England, UK
Birth Name	Idrissa Akuna Elba
Nickname	DJ Big Driis
Height	6' 2¾" (1.9 m)

An only child  of African immigrants living in England. His father was from Sierra Leone and his mother was from Ghana, Idris Elba was born and raised in Hackney, London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at a Ford motor factory. His mother, Eve, is from Ghana and had a clerical duty. Idris attended school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting. He gained a place in the National Youth Music Theatre - thanks to a £1,500 Prince's Trust grant. Currently he resides in New York City.

He worked as a disc jockey in nightclubs under the nickname DJ Big Driis at age 19. However, he began auditioning for television roles in his early twenties. He has starred in both British and American productions. The soap opera Family Affairs (1997) and the television serial Ultraviolet (1998) were his first acting roles. His best known roles are as drug baron Russell "Stringer" Bell on the HBO series The Wire (2002) and as DCI John Luther on the BBC One series Luther (2010). He also starred in the movies Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Prom Night (2008), RocknRolla (2008), The Unborn (2009) and Obsessed (2009). He also appeared in the films American Gangster (2007), Takers (2010), Thor (2011), Prometheus (2012), Pacific Rim (2013), and Thor: The Dark World (2013). Idris Elba also starred in Beast of No Nation (2015), The Jungle Book (2016) and a host of other movies. However, For his role in Beasts of No Nation, he's the first (and, as 2016, the only) winner of the SAG award for Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture not to receive an Oscar nomination for the same performance.

However, it may interest you to know that Idris Elba has no formal acting training. He is a father of two; Winston Elba from his first wife Hanne "Kim" Norgaard and Winston Elba from his girlfriend Sonya Nicole Hamlin. Idris Elba is a big time Arsenal Football Club fan since age 15 while is father is a  Manchester United Football Club supporter (interview on arsenal.com website February 2010).

Drive towards Effective Living

Life is a race to many; to some it’s a journey while others see it as an experience. Whichever telescope of perspective we view life from; I’ve come to realize that we all do to achieve same purpose – happiness. Amazingly, the quest for “happiness” had led us into more mysteries. We have become more envious and competitive; looming in frustration and anger, stress and loneliness. We ask ourselves one thousand and one questions every day to no avail. Every moment, we crave for a way out – we all want to get value out of life. But how?!

There are three major questions that determine the quality of our lives. That help us make sense of our lives at any given time. That determine not only whether we feel happy but also whether we are on course.

Question 1: What Am I to Focus On?

As a matter of fact, we all have focus. But the question is, “Is our focus on what that matters?” The meaning (value) of our lives is dictated by what we focus it on. We can consciously decide on what to focus our life on, and make positive meaning of it or decide otherwise and be like majority of people, who trade their happiness; leaving their lives to chance. The ultimate step is to appraise what you presently focus on and decide consciously what you are going to direct your focus on. You can direct your focus on being a solution; trail blazer; source of joy or otherwise. The point is this, the happenings around us tend to get hold of us and render us ineffective and even vicious if we do not consciously redirect our focus.

Question 2: What Does This Mean?

As you choose to consciously decide what to focus on, the next question is what does this mean “to you” – a call to service or a crusade to live/die for? How do you feel about this – inspired, excited, motivated, or passionate? Understand this clearly, how your life turns out has nothing to do with what people think of you. The quality of our lives is controlled by our focus and the meaning we attribute to it. So consciously take charge and be in control of your life.

Question 3: What Am I to Do?

Our feelings are patterned by our thoughts and thus dictate our actions. The meaning we attach to our focus dictates how we feel about it, how we feel about it dictates how we go about it, and how we go about it determines what we get out of it. As we all want the best out of life we should understand that the best comes with a price tag; and comes only to those who are ready to pay and pay rightly. You can choose to consciously and effectively live out your focus – discovering the right approaches and living by them. Read the necessary books, keep the necessary company, visit the necessary places, acquire the necessary skills – act rightly – and offer your very best. You can as well decide otherwise. The choice is yours so as the consequence.

“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do; something to love; and something to hope for”.  – Allan Chalmers