QUIT THE AIMLESS JOURNEY

“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born and how you become mostly alive.” – Ophrah Winfrey

Every action taken by a man must be backed by purpose. The evidence of man’s existence is in the fulfilment of his purpose on earth. Most people go through frustration in various aspects of their lives because they have not discovered their purpose in life.

One of the reasons why Nigeria is experiencing major setbacks in major areas of her economy (e.g. education, commerce, e.t.c.) is lack of purpose by many of her citizens. Most students do not have a drive that propels their desire for education. Many are riding on the wings of “normalcy”, in that their reason for education is to “fulfil all righteousness”. What we fail to realise is that normal actions produce normal results while extraordinary actions produce extraordinary results. Benjamin Disreali once said, “The secret of success is constancy to purpose.” Lack of purpose is the reason why we have so many certificate holders and few problem solvers. Anybody that lacks purpose will continually be at the mercy of common disappointment.

For you to be relevant in your generation, you have to be driven by purpose. Great minds who impacted their generations did not do so out of the void. Nelson Mandela did not just stand against apartheid for the fun of it, he had a vision, a goal and a purpose, which made him to be dogged in his pursuit of freedom for South Africa even in the face of stiff opposition. Isaac Newton was not the only scientist of his time, yet purpose and drive was what made him to stand out. His desire to be relevant led him to commit himself to the study of Physics and Geography which ultimately made him the propounder of various laws that unravelled mysteries that were once hidden to his generation. Mother Teresa, Mahatma Ghandi and other world influencers all had a purpose that made them relevant in their society. In the words of John C. Maxwell, “people who use their time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life.”

Every action and decision that one takes must be defined and this cuts across every aspect of human life. You have not lived at all if you have not found the purpose of your course in school, your job or career, your religion, your associations and even relationships. One of my mentors would often say, “any relationship that is not defined will defile you.” Setting a purpose to every decision you take is the key to achieving maximum satisfaction in life.

Great minds, according to Washington Irving, have purposes while others have wishes. There is no leader who can ever excel without a vision or an agenda. Nigeria’s pre-independence nationalists had a vision that someday, this nation would rule herself, by herself and for herself. Today, years after that purpose was achieved, they are still celebrated and remembered as heroes. Posterity will only remember you for the purpose you achieved, not the certificates or titles you obtained. Find your purpose, pursue it and live by it.

“Until you find and fulfil your purpose, you owe the world a debt.” - Gbenga Adebambo