FREE MEAL, THE KILLER OF PERSONAL GREATNESS!

“As mosquitoes cause malaria so free food leads to walking pneumonia in the operating system of our inner confidence. To get the lift, pay the bill. No free meal.”

-Iziaq Olawale-

As a bachelor who speaks across the country and beyond in his verge to add value through his business of MINDgineering and encouragement, my experience in some restaurants from highly rated ones in Victoria island to the so – called mama put on the mainland even in some bukas/local restaurants at Shibiri, Ojo Lagos has taught me some indispensable lessons which I’ll like to share with you today.

As I visit some local restaurants in the city, I observed that some of them usually ask for money before service while others do allow you to pay your bill after service. The yorubas would say; ejo, esan owo yin o boda/uncle/aunty/daddy or mummy. Depends on your age and appearance while the non – Yorubas would say; oga, abeg, your money. As I get busy in my laboratory of thoughts, thinking and gathering ideas about life, I was hypnotised to take a peep at the restaurant/cafeteria of life. And that was when I discovered that in the buka/restaurant/cafeteria of life, you pay before service. You invest before income. You have to sow before you reap.

Now, I guess you want to ask how does the above synopsis relates to you. Here is the relation…my experience as I work and discuss with people from different walks of life has proven to me over and over again that most people posed out there waiting for free meal and free services. They want life to serve them first if at all they’ll pay later. And it doesn’t work that way in the restaurant of life. Every farmer must labour before harvest. Every student must study before result. Every investor must invest before income. Every employee must work before collecting salary at the end of the month. Otherwise you would hear students telling their teachers to give them good grades in this semester and they’ll work hard for it next semester.

The next observation may sound stunning; my observation has proven to me that many people are stagnant on the ladder of greatness and happiness because of their habit of yearning for free things always. They are waiting for the day ministry of education will declare free education. The day there’ll be free transportation/BRT, free meal, free health care, free electricity, free clothes, free accommodation, free wife, free mentoring, free books, and free seminars - free everything. If you’re in the clan of these people, let me tell you the danger in getting everything for free. When you get things for free, you murder your God – given talents and potentials and become a dependant. You are assassinating your ability to think and be creative. You’re killing the heavyweight champion in you! You’re denying yourself the happiness and satisfaction that accompany every success. If you still have peel of doubt covering your belief system, let me ask you this question; do you know that there is pride and value in the result you achieved with your efforts than the one someone just gave to you without any charges? Can you think of how proud you’re of yourself each time you remember how you acquired your result/success without any jiggery - pokery?

 
In the presence of free service, our society suffers and deteriorates from growth. When we make everything free, we assassinate creativity. If everybody is hoping on free things, Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t have come up with the idea of facebook that has helped many of us to connect and learn from one another.
Do not wait for someone to give you for free; pay the price either by giving money or render service. Every free meal has hidden payment, whether in cash or in kind.

In this context, I am not against the art of extending our covering umbrella to those in need and not that I dispute the sense of giving from what we have to the less privileged. And I am not saying you should reject every favour done for you. I am strongly emphasising that if you want the lift, you need to pay the bill.
Perhaps, you’re finding this pill as too bitter to swallow, permit me to invite you to join me in this journey as I am about to open some pages from the note book of my experience.

Years back, an elderly person in Igbo – idunnu, kwara state told me a story on how hunters used to kill guinea fowls in the olden days. The old man said; hunters usually locate a spot in the bush where a number of guinea fowls do gather, and the hunters used to disperse seeds of poisoned maize all around the vicinity. Guinea fowls on the other hand, began to eat the poisoned maize ignorantly as fast as they could not knowing that the habit of free food has led them into taking their last meal. If the habit of free meal has dominated your mind, you’re no different from these guinea fowls.

There are many people today whose lives are in total doom simply because of the free meal they’ve eaten. So many drunkards today started with a free bottle given to them by their ally. Many of the victims of cannabis, cigarette and other hard drugs all started with a free stick bought for them by their acquaintance. A lot of people have destroyed their glorious destinies due to the free food they ate at the so – called birthday party, house warming, burial ceremony, wedding anniversary and all sort of destiny - wrecking parties repackaged before the world as mere celebrations (if you’re a Nigerian, do not tell me that you do not know what I’m talking about here. And if you’re truly in the dark about this issue, you’re free to inbox me to have a chat with me on this). What about those ladies who have lost their virginity or being used for money ritual as a result of the invitation they received to attend a party where all sorts of merriments and music are available for free?

My candid advice for you as you read this message is that, stop the habit of waiting to get things for free. Use the little you have to develop yourself gradually. And a day will come when you’ll become a genus in your art and GOD will crown your efforts.

Let me remind you that you can always get what you want when you make use of your potential and resources or by paying the bill in cash.

Let me tell you a part of my story that relates to this. When I was in primary school, my grandmother (the best teacher in the whole world) didn’t buy all the text books needed for me so whenever I needed to read any of those text books, I have to get it from any of my classmates either by helping the dunces among them to do their class work/assignment or we do trade by batter of text books or by bringing orange/guava/cashew/kulikuli/sweet for them or invite the brilliant ones to eat in our house. Although, some of them were nice mates who wouldn’t request for anything. Sometime they used to borrow me without any debate or trade by batter.

Will you like to read another instance? Okay, let me tell you another experience of mine. There were about 12 houses that had television (black and white) in the community where I grew up around early nineties. Automatically, my grandmother (the best teacher in the whole world) did not have one. Children around early nineties loved to watch soap Oprah such as Isawuru, koto orun, indian films (tufan, mad, damendra, gabasin etc were among the reigning indian films then), iru esin etc and super eagles’ matches. For me to enter any of those 12 houses that had television set, I had to pay the price. As a kid who wanted to be part of those crowd watching football or film inside that narrow parlour, you have to help them hold their shaky bamboo antenna or help the brother who owns the television to fetch water or run another errand for him without grumbling. I know this may sound very funny but they are things which I’ve done as a child. They are the bills I’ve paid to get the lift.

I spoke in a youth leadership summit, organized by coach Mac-chuks Nwadioha on Saturday, 12th December, 2015 at Segosh Hotel, Mushin. Audience were in awe and extremely inspired as I speak. Why was I able to gear them up to pursue their dreams? It was because the organizer; Coach Mac (founder of School of Public Speaking) had informed me about the summit months before the day and I bought some powerful books (money was invested), listened to some inspiring audios (time was invested) and also series of meditations took place just because I wanted to make that summit a remarkable one. I didn’t wait to get those materials I used for free.

The mixture of my months of thorough preparation added to the finance I invested with my years of experience as a MINDgineer gave birth to that inspiring display that has opened another door of speaking tour for me and my team in 2016.
Why did I tell you this instance? It is because I want to remind you that in the cafeteria of life, you have to pay first before you’ll be served. As mosquitoes cause malaria so free food leads to walking pneumonia in the operating system of our inner confidence. To get the lift, pay the bill. No free meal.

HERE IS AN INVITATION FOR GREATNESS.

Do you need a system that can help you triple your performance and achieve your goals in 2016?
What if reading a book means achieving your loftiest goals?
Do you know that people don’t achieve by mere wish? So, how do you plan to achieve your goals in this year?
Don’t you think it’s time for you to overcome your goal setting problem and achieve at the highest level?
I believe you don’t want to end this year too in the street of “e go better”? I believe you want the betterment to start now. You want to relocate to the mansion of prosperity.
Do you know that without goals, our lives lack direction? Won’t you rather acquire what will help you put your life on the right track?

If the aforementioned guesses are right about you, you’re the person to whom my goal setting class and workbook are designed for.
To pre – order for this guide to achieving something legendary, pay a sum of N1500 ($8) for the e-book into GTB account. Name: Iziaq S. OLAWALE. Account number: 0169360622. Or by paying a sum of N3000 ($16) into the same account to attend the class on facebook on Saturday, 23th January, 2016. Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm and also, you’ll be given an e – book free as a guide.
After the payment, text your full name, e-mail address, teller number, facebook name (if you’re attending the class) to +2347068518747. You will receive a confirmation message stating that your payment has been received. And the e- book will be forwarded to your email address on the 20th January, 2016. Remember: nothing great was ever achieved sitting down. This is a new year. A new dawn for you to turn your story around. Yes, you’ve prayed to God. And God can turn your situation around. But please, do not fold your hands.

Kindly share. You may be doing someone a favour that’ll change his/her life forever. Thank you. Together, we’ll do and achieve more in 2016.

With so much love + undaunted belief in your greatness;

 

Iziaq S. OLAWALE.

The MINDgineer.