Potentiality Digest: Do Something Differently

By Sodeeq Abdulakeem Sulyman

First of all, let me apologize for not making myself available yesterday, Monday that has been our usual practice. I was caught off guard in an engagement that was exigent which I did my best to decline its call, but by the virtue of the interference of some power above me, I have no choice than to later answer the call. Trust me, I have learned a new lesson on self-management and adapting to the evolving nature of work to remain ever resolute, consistent and productive.

Now let’s go to the subject of our discussion today – to be doing something differently. It is known to everyone of us that we are doing something – there is no doubt about that. Everyday we go round the street, we see people displaying their wares, doing all they could to canvass us to patronise them or deal with them. Sometimes, you will be left with no choice than to wonder how some people will make ends meet from what they are doing. It is troubling to note that virtually all of us are running the same or similar race.

And that’s the major cause of the problem we are facing as individuals, society, nation, and the global world today. We are now stuck in a world or climate where people give little or no credence to originality, the authenticity that comes with what we are doing. One of the beauties of humanity is that we are all made for purpose in life, but we can’t fulfill our purpose if we don’t leverage on what we have to discover the best version of ourselves. Most people are not all aware of this!

Regardless of what one has earned in life, life won’t be perfect. However, we can live a nearly perfect life when we don’t stop doing what astonishes us. Many people are out there doing things for the sake of engaging themselves in something so that people can say they are not idle. Those people living like that won’t amount to something worthwhile in life. The core of life is to live to find the thing that brings out the best in you, that makes you to create an avenue for the better expression of your innermost being.

Someone once said “A man’s gift makes room for him.” I am sure no one will counter the fact that majority of the human race is yet to be trained for the different tasks each and every individual is yet to perform. We are too beclouded with the noise around us. We are lost in the quest for illicit fame, rather than pursuing noble life that will be filled in honour, even in silence. No one ever lived to fulfill his destiny by struggling to work in another person’s space.

Everyone of us has a realm that has be designed for us to be operating. If you think someone is doing awesomely well in what he does, you are also programmed for distinction in your own arena. You have just made it your choice to be running in the space that is not meant for you. For you to amount to a person of value in life, just find something you can do with uncommon awe. Charles Mingus submitted that “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”

In whatever you are doing, you have to be improving yourself, striving for excellence and identity that will earn you the reckoning you crave. There are many different ICT gadgets producers and manufacturers in the world during the time Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak took over at Apple Inc in the 80s. But what changed their story? They do something differently. The infusion of fonts in their gadgets to give users an artistic imagination and expression of their mind gave Apple Inc the edge above their competitors.

There are many motivational and inspirational speakers before Brian Tracy joined the train of public speaking. But instead of just speaking for speaking sake, Tracy introduced himself by speaking on the concept of marketing and selling and that paved the way for him. America had had different leaders with varied exemplary qualities in the past. But Barack Obama led American in a dynamic way reflecting his ideals and demonstrating his acumen in building an egalitarian society founded on the ideals of the forefathers of America.

Friedrich Schiller noted that “He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times.” At every stage of your life, the cross will always fall on you to do things in a way that will redefine people’s perceptions of it. If you stick to the old, known style, you will be considered as a person living in the present but belongs to the previous world, you will be rendered valueless and obsolete and you will be seeing yourself as a victim. Just add little spice to what you are doing, your story will change.

There is no limit to your winnings in life when you have realised that no matter what you are doing, the world has been familiar with more than one thousand ways of doing it. What determines if opportunities will be given to you to showcase your talent is what you are doing to redefine it, to transcend the known norms and practices. That’s your pathway to become a winner. Someone says, “Winners need to associate with inspiring people who build you up, people who challenge you to go higher, not anyone who pulls you down and convinces you to settle where you are. Your destiny is too important for that.”