Opinion
Maintain Your Lane By Henry Ukazu
Published
4 years agoon
By
Eric
A hearty greetings to my esteemed friends!
We are already in the second week of the year. It seems like yesterday, but the year is gradually moving on. Some of you made resolutions and doing your best to maintain it, while some are already backsliding from it. Regardless of where you are, I have just one message for you: maintain your lane.
If you’ll agree with me, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step in the right direction. It’s easy to make a plan, but the difficulty lies in executing it. For example, most people have plans of loosing weight, but the challenge they normally have is committing to it. And even when they get the desired shape and physique they want, maintaining it becomes another task.
I chose to write on this topic today because we are still in January and our ideas and plans are still fresh for the year. It’s always good to stay committed to the task at hand. You can achieve more by remaining focused. Last week, I wrote on The Magic of Focus. In that article, I stressed on the pivotal and critical role focus plays on your success and how you can avoid distraction. This week, we shall be discussing how we can maintain our goals for the year. I don’t know what your plans are for the year, but I already have mine figured out and I’m looking towards maintaining them by the special grace of God. Amen.
You must know yourself in order for you to succeed in life. Every human being is unique, we all have different roles to play in life and your ability to discover your passion is highly commendable because it sets you on the right path. Some of us started very early, some late, while some are yet to discover themselves. Regardless of where you are, don’t be hard on yourself. All that matters is where you are going and not where you are coming from. When you stay on course on your task, your break through might not come easily, but if you stay purposeful, it will come in due time. Just to inspire you, do you know that the founder of KFC Colonel Sanders didn’t start KFC until we was 62; Henry Ford started his Ford Motors when he was 40 years old; Ronald Regan became the oldest American president at the age of 73 and Abraham Lincoln failed several times in life until he became the United States President. The list is endless. One thing that is permanent among these men is that they remained focused and committed to their dreams. They didn’t derail. They stayed on course.
What does maintaining your lane means to you? If you are a driver, it may mean maintain your lane to avoid accident or traffic violation; if you are a teacher, depending on your line of subject, it may mean staying on track, if you are an athlete, it may mean staying on track in order not be disqualified during a race competition. But for the purpose of this article we shall be using the road as an example to buttress the message. To stay in your lane means do not switch lanes, just keep going straight and trust the process. Abstractly, the meaning can apply to anything and simply means keep doing what you have been doing. Maintaining your lane means staying on course on your mission, vision and passion in life. If you have a plan, target, business idea or resolution you want to accomplish before the end of this year, this article is for you. Maintaining your lane cuts across all barriers in life. It comes with own challenges and success if you play by the rules. We shall be looking at the pros and cons later.
It’s important to stress that, you can’t do everything in life, that’s why it is highly recommended for you to know what you truly want. The more specific you are about what you need and want to do, the easier it is to get support. One of the great ways of succeeding in life is following your passion and being passionate about your cause as opposed to being an opportunist. There’s no luck in life; you just have to work hard and smart and believe somehow, everything will fall into place at the right time.
Miracles don’t just happen; you work towards it. Isn’t it true that opportunity meets only prepared mind?
If you really want to get to the peak of your career, you have to give it sufficient amount of time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. No successful business or career was built or achieved overnight. Depending on your line of business, it takes approximately ten to fifteen years for one to be regarded as a professional or expert. It’s not wise to jump into different profession and expect people to take you serious, especially when they know your track record. Consistency is inconsistent with the lifestyle of all great men.
You need courage to maintain your lane, you have to strengthen your courage daily just like you go to gym to strengthen your muscle. Having courage is like taking risk on your business. You are not guaranteed tomorrow, but you are confident about what the future unfolds. Risk takers always believe that regardless of the outcomes they have something to learn from each adventure.
According to Jim Rohn, “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you’ll have to settle for the ordinary.”
You don’t need to explain your story or journey to anyone, when you make it big, your story speaks for itself because your pathway can be traced. According to Malcolm S. Forbes “It is more fun to arrive at conclusion than to justify it”.
Climbing the ladder of success comes with failures and mistakes. But the interesting thing is that mistakes are the price you pay for a better life you plan to live in the nearest future if you learn from your mistakes. Remaining on course gives you the energy to learn and improve which thereafter can make you an expert. According to Bille Jean King, champions keep playing until they get it right.
Let’s look at some of the advantages of maintaining your lane
Credibility: One of the benefits of maintaining your lane is that it gives you credibility. Building of credibility is not an easy task. It takes a long people period of time for people to trust someone, unlike a person who has the tendency to act in a suspicious way. It’s easy for people to see through your actions when you build a solid credibility because your personality and integrity comes into play. It’s instructive to know that your character is who you are, your reputation is what people think about you. When you maintain your lane, people watch you without you knowing. This is because you can tell more about a person by what he or she does with his or time.
Peace of Mind: There’s bound to be joy when you maintain your lane. Happiness comes from within. It comes from what you do. Once you are successful in your business, you will be happy because your hard work has paid off. Jackson Brown made us to understand that “Success is getting what you want and happiness is liking what you get”. Fulfillment is the fruit of peace of mind. When you are contented with what you have, you won’t be concerned with what think about you.
Humility: Being humble makes you receptive to others people’s line of thought or constructive criticisms. When you are humble, you have serenity and sanity of mind which makes you to listen when rational and intelligent people are talking and it will enable you to achieve more based on the ideas you’ll get.
Confidence: Confidence people are courageous people. Entrepreneurs are typical examples of people reposed with confidence and courage. They believe in themselves even when people don’t believe in their products or what they are doing. In the words of Robert Collier, “Your chance of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your believe in yourself”. A little puzzle for you: Do you believe in your hustle? Do you see light at the end of the tunnel? Do you have hope despite the obscurity and disparity facing you? If yes, I encourage you to stay steadfast in you dreams.
Perfection: Once you like what you are dong, you will put in more time to in order to perfect your work. Mastering perfection is not easy, its’s a process and a journey that’s has no end because we continue to learn and improve daily. In the words of Aristotle said “Pleasure in the work brings perfection in the work”.
Maintaining your lane has its own challenges. Life is not a bed of roses. We need to plan very well if we are to reap the fruits of our labour. It is good to plan for the future, it is also good to be hopeful and courageous in your vision and passion towards life. However, it’s worthy to apply wisdom and understanding in whatever you are doing. When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. When you make bad choice and plan poorly, you are bond to hit the rock. Yes, it is good to be steadfast in your vision towards life, but wisdom permits you to think twice in addition to evaluating your plan occasionally. Kim Hubbard once said, “Lots of people confuse bad management with destiny”. Some examples of great men that maintained their lane are Steve Jobs, founder of IPhone, Benjamin Franklin – the founder of electricity, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corporation; and the former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. These great men know what they want and were passionate and focused enough to pursue it to a logical conclusion until they were able to achieve their dream..
In conclusion, as we approach this New Year, it’s important to know that, being prepared for the journey ahead can be challenging, you’ll need to be think deeply against any challenges that may pop out on the road to success. I wish you good luck in 2019.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with New York City Department of Correction as the legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success.
Related
You may like
Opinion
Opinion: Will the Hopes of Nigerians be Truly Renewed?
Published
10 hours agoon
May 31, 2023By
Eric
Related

By Kayode Emola
In less than 48 hours Nigeria will welcome a new President, charged with handling its affairs for the next four years. Yet among the many challenges awaiting the new president, whether Nigeria itself can even survive another four years remains to be seen. There is no doubt that the Tinubu/Shettima presidency will need more than courage to keep Nigeria united for the full duration of their elected term.
Only time will tell whether Tinubu and Shettima will be sworn in come May 29, or whether we will instead have an interim government. However, one thing of which we are certain is that the era of Muhammad Buhari is over, never to be experienced again. Those who have survived living under Buhari’s misrule in Nigeria for the last eight years deserve an award for endurance.
We must not allow the expected swearing-in of a Yoruba man as Nigeria’s president on Monday 29 to make us complacent. Indeed, my Yoruba people, our task has just doubled.
Nigeria’s future is now looking more imperiled than ever before. The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) are already threatening to declare their own independent Biafra nation if Tinubu is sworn in come May 29. And the Biafra campaigners are not the only disgruntled people within the country. The vast majority of our Yoruba people and even the Hausa people are becoming embittered with the trajectory Nigeria has taken since independence. At this point now, the new president must decide if Nigeria will continue as it is, or ask the indigenous people to decide their future.
It is increasingly evident that Nigeria is not a sustainable venture, and that a trading post cannot become a country that can endure the test of time. The people within Nigeria never decided to unite and become a country, so trying to hold them to ransom can never succeed.
I will therefore urge the incoming president to rethink his policies if he has not thought about a peaceful way in which Nigeria’s dissolution can be established. Powering through and hoping that he can hold Nigeria together like his predecessor Buhari did will definitely not stand the test of time.
To my fellow Yoruba people who are singing hallelujah that a Yoruba man is going to be president. I want us to know that just as Buhari is leaving the Presidential seat come Monday 29, Tinubu will also not be president for life. When he leaves what will be the fate of the Yoruba people or the other nationalities that makes up Nigeria.
At this juncture in our history, it would be the time to give the indigenous peoples of Nigerians the opportunity to determine their future in a constitutional conference. Nigeria has gone past its due date and must now be prepared for decommissioning just like several countries such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc has done in the past. If not, a dysfunctional disengagement may lead to utter chaos if not another civil considering the damage the country is currently doing to the lives of millions of frustrated youths. The rate of poverty is not abating with the currency being devalued on a daily basis putting more strain on the people’s finances
The handlers of Nigeria must acknowledge that the unitary system being practiced in Nigeria has utterly failed the people. The people must now be handed a lifeline in order to salvage a future for themselves and their future generations. Anything short of that may mean Nigeria may go the way other African countries such as Somalia and South Sudan etc have divided with years of bitter civil war which has resulted in the loss of millions of innocent lives.
Yoruba people should not shout ‘Uhuru’ yet because one of us is sitting in ‘Aso rock’. If history has thought us anything, whoever becomes president of Nigeria is there for themselves and not necessarily representing their constituents. That Tinubu will be president does not stop the call for an independent Yoruba nation, if anything, the call for an independent Yoruba nation should now become louder and clearer to send a strong signal to the local and international communities that the Yoruba people have finally made up their mind to leave Nigeria.
Related

By Dolapo Aina
According to Citizen Remote, “A digital nomad visa is a temporary permit that allows visitors to stay in a country while they work remotely. Multiple countries offer these sorts of visas, and most of them have a duration of twelve months, with the possibility to extend your stay. While they may not be for everyone, a digital nomad visa allows many remote workers to travel the world while they work from the comfort of their computers. They also help the countries impulse their economy by having foreigners stay for extended periods.”
Several benefits and fallouts of having digital nomads in a country include but not limited to positive country branding by the digital nomads who are residents in their host country. Digital nomads tend to amplify messages the host country might have been trying to get across to potential travellers. On the African Continent, only a few countries have latched on to Digital Nomads and Digital Nomad visas (and it is noteworthy to state that some African countries might not term it Digital Nomad Visas but have something in that guise.)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant fallouts, digital nomads and remote work have increased exponentially globally and in Africa particularly.
According to the Harvard School of Business, with the global shift towards remote work over the past three years, approximately forty-seven countries have developed digital nomad visa programmes. On the African Continent, a few countries offer Digital Nomad Visa. These countries are and in no particular order: Cape Verde, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles. Other countries on the African Continent have something within this category but officially, it is designated as Digital Nomad Visa.
On Tuesday, 9th of May 2023, Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board announced and welcomed Namibia’s first Digital Nomads.
According to a statement signed by Ms. Catherine Shipushu, who is the senior manager: Marketing, Branding and Communications of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, “Namibia officially recorded her first digital nomads just five months after the official launch of the country’s Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) on 11 October 2022. The programme was launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration and Security (MHAISS) and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), with the aim of enhancing economic activity in the country. The first two digital nomad visa applications were approved on Tuesday, 14 February 2023.”
The statement further revealed that the Digital Nomad Visa programme aims to capitalise on the growing global remote workforce by offering location-independent foreign professionals the chance to live, work, and experience Namibia for up to six months. These digital nomads contribute towards the country’s economy by injecting foreign currency in the ecosystem, but without usurping jobs meant for Namibians. Early results are encouraging, with over 121 enquiries about the programme recorded so far. Of this number a total of 20 applications were received, out of which nine were approved, with five rejections. The reasons for rejection were made known to include; applicants who do not meet the income requirements of two thousand dollars per month, and are thus unable to prove that they can effectively sustain themselves while in Namibia. Other applications were rejected because they were submitted while the applicants were already in Namibia on a different legal status such as a Tourist Visa, or they arrived in the country before approval of their application.
According to Ms. Catherine Shipushu; “The launch of the Digital Nomad Visa earned Namibia international praise, from Cape Town to Germany and as far as Australia. Additionally, we have witnessed a surge in queries and applications for the DNV through our website, further demonstrating the growing global interest. This demonstrates Namibia’s potential to harness the digital nomad trend and create new opportunities for local businesses in the tourism and information and communication technologies support sectors. As an effective marketing tool for Namibia, the DNV program has also created visibility through digital nomads documenting and sharing their experiences on social media and other mass media platforms, showcasing the nation’s natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and hospitality. This increased visibility has the potential to help attract more tourists, investors, and talent, further stimulating the nation’s economic growth and development.”
It is said that, by design, the Digital Nomad Visa complements, rather than competes with, the local workforce, ensuring digital nomads bring their own remote jobs or freelance projects to Namibia. This approach benefits the Namibian economy and its people while creating an environment for local entrepreneurs and professionals to expand their networks, learn from their international counterparts, and explore new avenues for collaboration.
Dolapo Aina reached out to Ms. Catherine Shipushu (senior manager: Marketing, Branding and Communications of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, in the Office of The Presidency) for more clarifications and insights.
On the abovementioned statement that the digital nomads contribute towards the country’s economy by injecting foreign currency in the ecosystem, I asked if this is the only criteria being looked at? What about those nomads who can attract global attention and global traffic into Namibia? How do you factor that into the policy? Ms. Catherine Shipushu stated that, “The Namibia Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) serves a dual purpose in enhancing the country’s economy. Firstly, it allows digital nomads to inject foreign currency into the ecosystem, contributing to economic activities and growth. Additionally, the DNV harnesses the power of digital nomads as ambassadors for Namibia. Through their documentation and sharing of experiences on social media and other platforms, they become valuable marketing assets, attracting global attention and generating publicity for the country. As part of our marketing campaign, we have engaged digital nomads, who are currently in Namibia, to share their unique perspectives and experiences, aiming to inspire and attract more digital nomads to choose Namibia as their preferred “work” destination. By leveraging their presence and influence, we strive to create a ripple effect of positive exposure and interest in Namibia, ultimately benefiting the local economy and fostering collaboration between local and international professionals.”
On the two thousand dollars per month projection, I asked if this was targeted at only Western nomads only or global nomads including African nomads who might not have the same financial muscle as their Western counterparts? And would this amount be reduced anytime soon? Ms. Catherine Shipushu stated that, “The requirement of USD 2,000 per month for the Namibia Digital Nomad Visa is not targeted exclusively at Western nomads. The income requirement serves as a benchmark to ensure that digital nomads, regardless of their nationality, have the financial means to sustain themselves comfortably in Namibia. The aim is to provide a positive experience for digital nomads and contribute to the local economy. The income requirement is based on the cost of living in Namibia and takes into account expenses such as accommodation, transportation, food and other essentials. The Namibian government understands the diverse backgrounds of digital nomads and aims to create an inclusive environment that welcomes global nomads, including those from Africa and other parts of the world, while maintaining a reasonable financial stability requirement. As with any programme, there is a possibility of periodic evaluation and adjustments based on feedback and the evolving circumstances.”
The launch of Namibia’s Digital Nomad Visa programme is a bold and strategic move that positions the country as a prime destination for remote workers from around the world. By embracing this global trend and offering a world-class visa program, Namibia stands to reap substantial economic, social, and cultural benefits.
Related


PDP Can Suspend, Expel Wike According to Law, Court Rules

Is There a Hostile Takeover in Wema Bank?

Don’t Dare Nigerians, NLC Warns Tinubu over Fuel Subsidy Crisis

Opinion: Will the Hopes of Nigerians be Truly Renewed?

Oyo PMS Crisis: Auxiliary Escapes As Police Kill One, Parade 78 Suspects, Recover 20 Guns

Adedoyin Bags Death Sentence for Murder of Timothy Adegoke

From the Archives: Tinubu Makes U-Turn on Subsidy Removal

Nigerian Engineer Wins $500m Contract to Build Monorail Network in Iraq

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Will Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Join Presidential Race?

World Exclusive: How Cabal, Corruption Stalled Mambilla Hydropower Project …The Abba Kyari, Fashola and Malami Connection Plus FG May Lose $2bn

Rehabilitation Comment: Sanwo-Olu’s Support Group Replies Ambode (Video)

Pendulum: Can Atiku Abubakar Defeat Muhammadu Buhari in 2019?

Fashanu, Dolapo Awosika and Prophet Controversy: The Complete Story

Pendulum: An Evening with Two Presidential Aspirants in Abuja

Who are the early favorites to win the NFL rushing title?

Boxing continues to knock itself out with bewildering, incorrect decisions

Steph Curry finally got the contract he deserves from the Warriors

Phillies’ Aaron Altherr makes mind-boggling barehanded play

The tremendous importance of owning a perfect piece of clothing
Trending
-
News5 years ago
Nigerian Engineer Wins $500m Contract to Build Monorail Network in Iraq
-
Featured5 years ago
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Will Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Join Presidential Race?
-
Boss Picks5 years ago
World Exclusive: How Cabal, Corruption Stalled Mambilla Hydropower Project …The Abba Kyari, Fashola and Malami Connection Plus FG May Lose $2bn
-
Headline5 years ago
Rehabilitation Comment: Sanwo-Olu’s Support Group Replies Ambode (Video)
-
Headline5 years ago
Pendulum: Can Atiku Abubakar Defeat Muhammadu Buhari in 2019?
-
Headline5 years ago
Fashanu, Dolapo Awosika and Prophet Controversy: The Complete Story
-
Headline5 years ago
Pendulum: An Evening with Two Presidential Aspirants in Abuja
-
Headline5 years ago
2019: Parties’ Presidential Candidates Emerge (View Full List)