Courage

Why You Should Stay Hungry & Foolish, By Steve Jobs

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment

Just came across this and its sending me thinking…. Thought to reproduce it here.

Stay hungry and foolish……

This is yet the most celebrated speech made by Steve Jobs. It was the 114th Commencement Address to graduating students of Stanford  University on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories!

The first story is about connecting the dots

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife.

Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

Continue reading →

A Tribute to a Woman of Valor

/ Sam Aderibigbe / 2 Comments

Early this morning, i got a call from my younger Brother, “Hello Bros, Mama Adamasingba has gone ooo!!!” For a moment i was shocked and told him on the phone, its not possible. Burt why is it not possible?

This is a woman, 90yrs+ who has been on her back for about 10yrs due to an illness that left her paralysed and partially blind. This was a woman, who before she was rendered incapacitated, would come visiting us at home and ready to stand for us and fight for justice and fairness for us. Continue reading →

Back Again.

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment

Hi All,
Its been a while that i last wrote on my blog or visited it. But now, i want to do something…write again. Discover the flair for writing and put my thoughts to pen.

Will need some encouragement…will you give it?

Lessons Learnt

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment
Lessons

Lessons

Its been awhile that i last posted on my blog. Been busy watching and participating in events.
Well, lets leave that forthat. I had quite an interesting experience on Friday 3rd July. I never knew the Police where not meant to enter your vehicle at any point in time for whatever reason or offence. Well what happenned, i and a collegue went to pick the German expatriate that came to work on our Shape CD machine, so we took Allen round about stopped with the traffic waiting for the go signal. We were not able to see the light, because we were at the back of the queue. So the vehicles in front of us moved and we moved along naturally as expected only to hear stop! stop! You broke the traffic light offence! Where is your driver licence! Open the door! And before we knew it, they had forced there way into the vehicle and told us to drive to park or go to the station. Funny thing, there was no traffic light at that point and we were asked for our tax clearance papers!Luckily, my collegue driving was a Youth Corper but that did not fly with the Policeman! Now the clincher, he said fine for commiting a particular offence was N250. Fine for commiting a traffic light offence was N65070! Haba! Oga Police!

They wanted us to drive down to their station but my collegue slowed down enough to create a traffic situation that obtructed a siren blowing official coming behind us! Suddenly a woman drove alongside us and asked,”Are you going together?!” and we replied “No Madam!”And she ordered them out of the vehicle. Meanwhile, an official looking man was suddenly at the other side of the vehicle and demanded of the policemen if their duty post was inside the vehicle! The men scabbled out of the vehicle dropping the driving licence (which we did not know until much later) and the woman ordered that we follow her. Fortunately we lost the woman and continued to our office withh the German expatriate amused and not the least surprised by it!

The second incident actually happened in the middle of the night between the hours of 1:55am and 3am on saturday. I suddenly awoke to the sound of an alarm outside. I got up to enquire only to discover that a flat in the next block to my block was in flames! people were screaming, shouting  running up and down and i remembered that i had the lagos emergency number. So i dialled, it went through once and the information passed aacross and said the fire team will be there shortly. Ten minutes later, i called  asking were they where, and told they had been dispatched. The next thirty minutes were harrowing as we watch the flat burn. The young men summoned courage, got buckets of water with detergent to combat the fire. And for the next Thirty minutes the young men battled with the fire and succeeded in taming it. Meanwhile a friend also called the fire service and was told they were on their way. And they came in less than ten minutes after the fire had been relatively tamed and contained! They were led in by the RRS who had earlier visited the scene and left. Of course trust the people, they ordered the fire engine back to its origin! They were lucky the policemen where there and they pacified the youths and told them that as soon as the call was put through, they had been on their way all the way from Alausa to FESTAC! Thirty minutes after my call went through!

 

Lessons learnt:

1) A Policeman has no right to withhold your licence for any traffic offence, he should issue a ticket if empowered to do so: Have a photocopy of your licence everytime, and demand he issue you a ticket if you have indeed committed a traffic offence. But be wise!

2) Always be wary of traffic points where policemen mount, they would use any guise to obtain you. Because a foreigner was in the vehicle, we suddenly committed a traffic light offence with a fine of N65070!: Desperation can drive men to unimaginable limits! Nigerian Police especially!

3)A Policeman has no right whatsoever to board your vehicle without your consent: Any Policeman trying to board your vehicle is a thief! Especially when uninvited!

4)Always have the emergency toll free numbers with you always. 767 for lagos state: It could be the difference between life and death. It could be your only saving grace in a dire situation. Have it all the time!

5)In an emergency situation, keep your cool and take a proactive approach to the situation. Don’t join the band wagon of pity party that compounds the situation: Its a very bad habit of Nigerians to gather round the scene of an accident and gape at the helpless victims and lament without doing anything to help but add their wailings to the hapless. Its a very bad cuilture that needs to be dealt with. Think positive, think of the next step to rectify the situation and be a blessing!

6)You alone can help yourself and your situation! Don’t wait for the Federal Government! Most people put the spot on the Federal Government to remedy the situation in the country, but forget the saying that heavens help those who help themselves! Am not trying to absolve the FG from there responsibilities, but we need to know that we must fend for ourselves to solve our problems before we expect the government to act!

7)A help you think is nearby is farther than you think! Don’t count on it! FESTAC fire service did not show up, but Lagos state fire service showed up all the way from Alausa to put out a fire in FESTAC! The person you think is nearby to help you may not be readily available to do so. Don’t count on that brother or friend less than a metre a way to help you, help might actually come from a 100 kilometers!

Cheers!

My condolence and sympathies to the family of the Adeolu Akinyemi and my friend, Abiola his brother over the sudden exit of their mother on thursday 2nd July 2009. God grant the family, fortitude to bear the loss. Amen.

Cheers!

Why Elephants Don’t Run

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment

 

elephants
As told by Jim Donovan
A number of years ago, I had the rather unique experience of being backstage in Madison Square Garden, in New York, during the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. To say the least, it was a fascinating experience. I was able to walk around looking at the lions, tigers, giraffes and all the other circus animals. As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. 

The Power of Breaking Free

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment
THE POWER OF BREAKING FREE
by Michael T. Smith

When my son, Justin was four, he found a caterpillar and out it in a jar. Each day he fed it fresh grass and leaves. In a few weeks the caterpillar was fat and ready to sleep. One morning we discovered the caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon. It hung from the top of the jar, an example of one of nature’s wonders.

Justin was excited. To him, it was like Christmas. He knew a moth or butterfly was about to be born, but he didn’t know what kind. He was curious to know what gift nature was about to give him.

“Dad!” he ran to me one day. “Something’s happening. Come see!”

He led me to his room. The cocoon had become translucent. We could clearly see the wings of the unborn. A few days later, a beautiful black moth broke free from its silky cage and began to lay eggs on the blades of grass in the jar, completing the life cycle of the little caterpillar.

The next day, I convinced my young son it was time to set the moth free. He took it outside, opened the jar, and the little moth flew out. It circled the yard twice, came back, and landed on Justin’s arm. He picked up, tossed it in the air, and the moth repeated its flight pattern. He tried over and over to set it free, but each time it would return to his arm.

Justin gave up. He returned his little pet to the jar. The next day he attempted to set it free again, and after a few return flights to his arm, the moth finally flew off into the tall grass.

Like a person, I believe the moth was afraid to leave what was comfortable. It wanted to stay with something familiar, scared to move on and experience new things.

I was once that little moth. My cocoon was my mother’s love. I was comfortable wrapped in it. Like the moth, I didn’t want to fly too far from it. My first job required me to move to a new city. I resisted. I was afraid. What would I find there? I liked where I was.

Many times in my life, I have faced a move and resisted. Humans are creatures of habit. We resist change. However, if I hadn’t moved, I would not have experienced many new and wonderful things. I also would not have met many of my friends.

The moves have been between cites, provinces, states, and even countries. Each move gave me the opportunity to learn and experience, but best of all, I met friends. I hated leaving my old friends behind, but when I think about it, I didn’t lose them.

They’re still my friends. I talk to them regularly. However, I have even more friends now.

I’m glad I found my wings, because I met you, my friend.

Torn in-between

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment
Crossroad of life

Crossroad of life

Matters of the heart could be very dicey atimes. Causing you a ache that you never bargained for nor imagined. A times, the line between sanity and insanity is so thin its hardly decipherable,between your heart and people is also a great tug of war; trying to please them and at the same time following your heart.

This atimes lead us into making certain decisions that could either mar our relationship with people or build it. But the truth must be told, if you are a people pleaser, you would follow them even if they are wrong and vice versa.

Though am not an authority in matters of the heart, but i believe everyone has a responsibility to the choice made over who to love and not love, who to go out with and not, who to marry and who not to marry. Life is a matter of choice, whether we are in-between or not, its for us to make up our minds, follow our intuition and listen to our heart, the still small voice to guide us in making the right decisions that puts us at peace with God primarily then man, secondary when they come to see the import of the decision taken.

So when torn in-between, why not seat still, settle the decision within your heart, be at peace with your own soul and with God and move ahead to take a action.

Cheers!

WE SHALL BE GIANTS!!

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment

images

Its know longer news that Barack Obama won the US Presidential Elections on Tuesday, 4th of November. It was a victory unprecedented in the history of the world. What makes it so? Is it because he is black? or What? The answer is simply this;

Its a new dawn in our history, the change in the hearts and minds of people all over the world, the freedom to be and do anything we desire, backed up by hope to dream and the determination to
go all the way to achieve our dreams and desires has been rekindled with this victory.

This victory of Barack Obama at the election is not for the Democratic Party alone nor for the United States of America. Its a victory for the “Peoples” of the whole world, Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Arabs etc. People with a dream, with a vision, a desire to be who they trully want to be. The renowned hip hop artist, Puff Daddy while been interview by CNN when the results where announced said “…. i can now tell my son to be the President of the United States.” Its not a dream far away, its the realisation of its possibility with the emergence of Barack Obama, an African – American of first generation, a Kenyan, as the President – elect of the United States.

It reminds me of the words of the great Sage, the best educationist Nigeria has ever had, the Late Dr. Tai Solarin, he said;

We can become whatever we choose to be;

No Kings, no Lords, no knaves can say us nay,

For we believe that man, is a potential Doctor, or Lawyer

or Crook or Dwarf or Giant,

Whichever he sets his mind to be,

We shall be Giants,

And therefore  we shall work,

And work,and work, and work,

Even if we must work,

Work our fingers to the bone,

So may it be!

So folks! Yes we can! We can be all we want to be in life! Its all about the Vision, the Courage and the Tenacity to be who we want to be. So i say congratulations to you all, for the dawn of a new era!

Its Time!

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment

Yeah its time! Time to wake up from lethargy and start writing my thoughts down.

Time to take responsibility for my actions and inactions.

Time to take the step of decision that acts as a catalyst to greater things that is to come.

Time to create a change, a lifetime change.

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Its all about the courage, the tenacity and the vision.

Its time indeed!

Great Things

/ Sam Aderibigbe / Leave a comment

I have come to believe a saying we recite in my alma mater, Mayflower School that,

“Great things can be done greatly

With a great purpose,

A great mind,

A great energy,

A great courage,

And a great persistence patience”

lets start to think great!