Fulfilling Your Dreams by Leke Ademo.Copyright © 2017 by Leke Ademo. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.Cover by Bramodigi Studios: Info@Bramodigi.com

The Dream:To sell a minimum of 1 million copies in 2017.

Twenty percent of the profit is channelled

to the realisation of the dreams of

teenagers especially those in

Orphanage Homes.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD iINTRODUCTION 1CHAPTER 1 - DREAM BIG 4CHAPTER 2 - PURPOSE 14CHAPTER 3 - MENTALITY 19CHAPTER 4 - GOALS 26CHAPTER 5 -KNOWLEDGE 35CHAPTER 6 - DILIGENT ACTION 41CHAPTER 7 - INFLUENCE 51ABOUT THE AUTHOR 57

FOREWORD

O

ne of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century came off the sleeves of two young bicycle mechanics, Wilbur and Orville Wright, who built the world’s first power-driven flying machine. They stunned the world with an invention that many people had termed impossible. In fact, in 1870, Bishop Milton Wright declared that, ‘Flight is

reserved for angels. To think anything else is blasphemy’’ Bishop Wright was the father of Orville and Wilbur! These two brothers had a picture mind, even though they did not have any formal education. God has blessed us with the ability to think creatively and bring to fruition tangible things that once existed in our minds as thoughts. Unfortunately, most people do not utilise this great potential. It is no news again that dreams come true, what counts is what you do with your dreams.In an easy-to-read style with real life stories and examples, the author is challenging everyone, especially young people to pick up their dreams. Your dreams must be bold and audacious. If you are going to dream, then dream big. The only limitations that exist are in our minds. The book also expounds on the necessary steps to be taken to realize your dream like having a clear vision, goal setting, diligence etc. As Bishop Oyedepo rightly quipped, “Behind every move, is a mover.” Dreams do not just happen; it takes a diligent and consistent pursuit of your dreams to see them become a reality. I have known Leke Ademo for over one decade, as a Teen Coach he has a heart for young people with a desire to help them maximise their season. It is with that heart he has written this book. I suggest you do not start reading it if you are in the middle of a chore, because once you start you will want to read to the end. My hope is that your dreams will come alive and more importantly you will take the required steps to make the reality.

Leke dreamt about this, and he has written it. The ball is now in your court. Happy reading! Gbenga Samuel

INTRODUCTION

I

am not where I want to be yet, but I am not where I used to be. I am fulfilling my dreams gradually.  Fulfilling your dreams is a process, a continuum, an ever-challenging process of getting to your next level. Dreams do come through when they are pursued.  Stagnant people are those who have refused to take certain calculated risks at certain points in their life. You are different; make this book that point of challenge that would spur you into action to fulfil your dreams.  Those heart desires of yours that you have numbed for years, this is the time to bring them out and seek challenging opportunities to fulfil them.  Pray, act, and reach out for your life.  Do not live a sorry life; do not let others give you reasons to live a life of mediocrity and nonchalance. I grew up in one of the most enterprising cities in the world – Lagos, which is in one of the most populous countries of the world - Nigeria. I grew up with dreams. Like most children, I believed that one day all my dreams would come to pass. I asked many questions,I watched movies and often wondered how some scenes were created which made me like watching the making of such movies like that of Jackie Chan.Even though I was a shy person at some point, I have always dreamed of becoming an inspirational speaker that would inspire people the world over. It has also been my dream to be the author of a trans-generational bestseller and I believe that this book is the one to make that dream a reality with God's help.

I have always loved the art when it is done right with creative ingenuity. It has always been my dream to inspire people especially teenagers to live their lives to their full potentials. Many people abandon their dreams as they grow up. Pablo Picasso said, "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."Dreams do not become a reality overnight because there is a process to every dream. However, the fact is that the process remains whether you start at 14 or 40. Would you not rather choose to start early? Barbara noted, "Not fulfilling your dreams would be a loss to the world, because the world needs everyone's gift - yours and mine." It is better to fulfil your dream because it makes you better and you make the world a better place to live in.One day, while I was having my bath an inspired thought came to me and it formed the basis for a theory, which I call the Dream Engagement theory. This theory which I propounded, simply states that the higher the level of engagement an individual has towards the pursuit of a dream or goal, the lesser the time he or she would devote to social vices that is capable of causing anomie in the society.

It is true that most dreams do not have monetary advantages at the initial stage; this is the reason why I am one of the proponent of the discovery and pursuit of visions and dreams among teenagers. At the teen stage, there are not major bills to be paid, so the teen can devote his time and energy to his dream so that by the time the bills come, such a person would have reached the money making stage which often takes years.Anybody can start the process of dream attainment, and at any age too, the only thing is that the process of dream attainment must be followed.  This book sheds some light on the necessary ingredients, which men of achievement have used to make news at several points in the lives.  Stay tuned to the blockbuster inspirational material that is capable of turning you from a none-entity to a global superstar.  Enjoy and achieve!

CHAPTER 1 - DREAM BIG

I

strongly believe that life is meant to be lived as an adventure.  Those who do not pursue their dreams are just living an average life, which can be better lived. The process of the achievement of dreams could be sometimes scary, because in an adventure, you may not have all you would need to succeed, but as you go along from one level to another, you begin to discover the treasures that you need for your journey.  I believe that is how life is supposed to be. Here is the reason why it is important to start the process of dream pursuit early, preferably in the teenage years.  If you are above the age of a teenager, it is not too late for you; you can still achieve as long as you are ready to put in what it takes and ready to sacrifice time as well for your dreams pursuit. My vision is to see teenagers at the centre of God's will for their lives, fulfilling their dreams or at least in the process of doing so. From the lives of Biblical Joseph, David and Daniel, it is evident that God starts building people from their teens, most times, they do not achieve all in their teens, but the process is ignited.

For David, he started taking care of his Fathers animals in his teens; God was building his leadership capacity by testing his courage and problem-solving skills when he killed the Lion and the bear.

David's ability to inspire and build men to live their lives to their full potential was also checked when he led some societal 'misfits' who eventually became the mighty men of David. It was gradually becoming a reality that David was a king, because by this time he was already anointed. He also added to his CV, the defeating of Goliath. David's life was rich with challenges that made him strong and released the ability that made him succeed as king of Israel.

I believe that for every teenager, even though God would release dreams to you early, it would likely take some time for the big picture to actualise. At 17, David already knew that he was the king of Israel, but the reality was far from it, because at some point in his life he had to live in caves because the incumbent king was on his case. Dreams do come true, that is why we need perseverance. God always releases a big picture, but there are still smaller victories we must win before getting there. Young people need to keep dreaming big and persevere until the big picture becomes a reality, which may not come when you are still in your teens, but you would definitely achieve some victories in your journey to the big dream picture.

For Joseph, his story is quite different. At 17 too, he had his fair share of the big dream picture. One thing I would want you to know is that dreams do come true, but they also take time in most cases. This is the reason why as a young person , you must possess some qualities such as patience, perseverance, love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, self-control and many others. These are extremely important because in your journey to the fulfilling of your dreams, you might meet some disappointing seasons where you might feel discouraged. Your friends might even achieve their own big dreams before you, how would you feel if this happens? If you have love in you, you would celebrate with them knowing fully well that your own is sure. Don't be moved because God has said that He knows the thoughts He is thinking of you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, which would give you a future and a hope or an expected end' This should inspire you knowing that your dreams would definitely come to pass.

Joseph had a great dream, but did not know how it was going to be a reality. Instead of things getting better for him, they were actually getting worse from human comprehension, but God was doing something big. His brothers sold him into Egypt. In Egypt, he was bought as a slave, yet God was with him and made him to prosper. He was later taken to prison because he refused to compromise, he chose not to sin against God. Remember, all this while, his dream was still intact, yet he was in the prison. After he spent some time in prison, he was released, and eventually became a prime minister, like a dream of the night. His big dream became a reality.

You may not have your life like David and Joseph, but I believe that you would have to go through some form of process before your dreams would come to pass. Daniel also had is fair share, he was a slave in Babylon, yet he chose to follow the right path always and eventually it paid off. One day, the king of Babylon ordered that students should be sought out for his school. That school would be like our present day Cambridge, Oxford or Harvard. Daniel and His 3 friends were fortunate to have been selected. The king already made all the provisions for them. However, there were certain practices that were not godly, so Daniel decided that he was not going to partake of them, and God helped him and made him graduate at the top of his class, 10 times better than others. From that moment, he was given a choice employment in Babylon. Daniel continued to get promotions even though there were different kings reigning at different times. God really blessed Daniel and helped him to fulfil his dream in another land where he was initially a slave.  If you would believe in God and do what he says you should do, you would also fulfil your dreams.

Imagine for a moment a beautiful scenery where you have all you want. Your imagination can be your reality if you are committed to actualising it. Henry James noted, "It's time to start living the life you imagined." Every one of us need to stop what we are doing and ask ourselves what it really is that we want out of life and begin to pursue it instead of becoming like that man who climbed a ladder to its apex and later found out that it was leaning on the wrong wall. The realisation of dreams are not age restrictive. However, would it not be better to get to your destination on time instead of struggling on the wrong road?

I believe that in every individual lies the potentials of fulfilled dreams. Many however do not achieve for some reasons. John Erskine, Professor of English at Colombia University, who was an educator, concert pianist, author of 60 books, president of the Juilliard School of Music, and a popular and witty lecturer said to his wife, 'Let's tell our young people that the best books are yet to be written; the best paintings have not yet been painted; the best governments are yet to be formed; the best is yet to be done by them.'Fulfilling your dreams really has nothing to do with age. It however takes a process depending on what dreams are to be achieved. While reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, 'Outliers', I learnt of the 10,000 hours rule, which simply states that for anyone to build a core competence in any field, he must have practiced for about 10,000 hours. With consistency that can be achieved within 3 or 4 years. Young people can achieve dreams if they give it what it takes. Old people as well can achieve dreams if they are consistent. I have read about Grandma Moses who fulfilled her dream in her 70s. She starting painting seriously, when she was in her 70s and still had a famous painting when she was 100 years old. A man that has retired can still fulfil his dreams if only he is ready to give it what it takes. Picasso produced some of his greatest works at 90; Ruberstein gave one of his greatest recitals at 89, Marjorie Stoneham Douglas, who is credited for saving the Florida Everglades was still fighting for the cause at 100.

Monty Roberts is someone who has proved that dreams do come true. When he

was in high school, his teacher asked his class to write about what they wanted to do when they grew up. Monty who had believed that he would raise thoroughbred race horses in his future ranch of 200-acres, held on to his dream. His teacher gave him an F judging by his present condition at the time claiming that his dream was unrealistic just because he was then 'poor' and not looking like it. Monty believed in his dream to the extent that his teacher offered him the chance of rewriting the paper for a higher grade, Monty told him, 'you keep the F, I'm keeping my dream'. Today, Monty's 154-acre flag is up in California where he raises thoroughbred racehorses and trains hundreds of horse trainers.

Many of us have discarded our dreams because of what people are saying even when we are so sure about it. Jack Canfield said 'early programming often gets in the way of what you want. Inside of every one of us is that tiny seed of the 'you' that you were meant to become.' The aim of this book is to spur you up to action in order for you to revisit your dreams. There is wealth in the fulfilment of your dreams only if you are ready to pursue it to the end.

I was reading one of John Mason's book where he noted that 'dreams of the future are more valuable than histories of the past'.  Dreamers have to be progressive if they are to achieve because regrets looks back, worry looks around and vision looks up and ahead. John Barrymore quipped rightly, when he said, 'A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.'

This dream thing is real, many people have dreams but they have killed them by what they call the 'realities of life'. It takes determination, encouragement and a great drive to pursue your dreams to fruition. For me, I refused to throw away my childhood dreams. I have always seen myself as an international inspirational speaker, writer, and I have kept pursuing it, hence this book.For a moment, neglect all the 'impossibilities' that you have been told, change everything and document your dreams afresh, believe in them and start a fresh order of pursuit.  It will not happen immediately, but with counsel, perseverance and diligent pursuit, you will achieve. Do you know that what was impossible some years back is now possible today? For instance, it was impossible to snap a picture, and edit the clothe you are wearing before printing it out. It was also impossible to do a conference call with your mobile phone (that is only if you even had one).  In addition, we did not have drones in time past, not to talk of Snapchatting, Facebooking, or hosting tweet conferences.  Technology has changed the way we do things.  These are products of people's dreams.  Indeed impossibility is nothing. I strongly believe that your own world is waiting earnestly for you to manifest. Are you ready to think out of the box and manifest the reality of your dreams,  or are you just going to grow old and tell people how the times  where hard? The time to act is now. Do not tell stories, become one!

CHAPTER 2 - PURPOSE

P

urpose simply means reason. It is the 'why' of the creation of a thing. Cars were made to aid motion and for roads too. Trains were made for a similar purpose but for rails. The moment a normal car tries to sail on sea it could be the end of the people in it because it was not designed for water, except if the car was made for James Bond.Man was created for dominion and the replenishing of the earth. God created man to be fruitful and multiply. However, apart from that general purpose of man, God also has individual purposes for each man. Jeremiah was created to be a prophet; Bezaleel was a very creative artisan. Jesus Christ was born as the Messiah of the world; Esther was a queen to help the Jews. God is the Creator and He has different purposes for every one of us. It is left for each one of us to find out what it is that God would have us do with our lives. I know one thing; God did not create a mistake!

The discovery of purpose is sometimes a tedious job to do and it happens in succession. God would help you discover yourself gradually as you progress in life. God has put certain desires, gifts and talents in you, and I believe all these

have their own part to play in purpose discovery. The fact remains that only God that knows what He created you for. Therefore, you need to be close to Him to fulfil your purpose His way.

Purpose is one topic that only the bearer understands. It is only you that can understand in details what you are sent to do. Others might not understand. They might even criticise you or discourage you. This is the reason why you have to be sure yourself before you start making plans for the pursuit of your dreams.

His peers continually attacked Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, for his work. He found out that criticisms come in three stages. First people would tell you that it won't work, then when you begin to succeed they'll say what you are doing isn't really important and finally when they see that its important, they say, 'we knew you'd do it all along'

Everyday my desire is to understand the concept of purpose the more. Bob Gass in the Word for today says, 'you say how I can recognize my destiny? First, your destiny is a desire that will not let you go. Second, your destiny would be more than a job, it will be joy and third, your destiny will unlock your creativity. Inspirational writing and speaking does these three for me, especially to teenagers. What is yours?In the pursuit of dreams, two things are important. They are great relationships and God-given purpose. They give stability to us, they help us achieve in proportion.  In this chapter, my emphasis would be on purpose. Humourist Sam Levenson said, 'My folks are immigrants. They fell under the spell of the American legend that said the streets are paved with gold. However, when Papa got here he found out three things: (a) the streets are not paved with gold. (b) Many streets are not paved at all. (c) He was supposed to do the paving.' My question to you now is what is it that you were created to do. What problems bring out the genius in you?  If you can answer this question well, you are on your way to enjoying your life. Dreams are given, I believe, for you to be better, and for you to make the people around you, and the whole world a better place. What would people remember you for when you have left? I read with laughter the story of an unsavoury character, that passed away and a pastor who had never met him delivered a eulogy. Hoping to comfort the family the reverend was carried away, describing the departed as a caring son, a dedicated father and a loving husband. After the service, the widow nudged their son and said, 'Go up to the coffin and make sure it's your father he's talking about. It is funny, but it is also a wakeup call for us to live our lives deliberately with quality donations rather than just by the durations of our age.Many people live lives that are not purposeful. The ‘why’ question is very important for everything that anyone wants to do in life. If you do not know why you are on earth, your dreams would not make sense. You need to know your purpose for your dream to come alive.

However, you need to know that dream without vision is dead. Vision is what you were shown; dream is what you can see? That is a pointer to your purpose. Howard Thurman made a profound statement when he said, “Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”

CHAPTER 3 - MENTALITY

M

entality has to do with your thinking patterns. You can never grow beyond the quality of your thoughts. Someone said, if you take a pig, wash it, make it look good and leave it alone, it would still go back to the swine. Your thoughts shape your environment and your environment shapes your thoughts.The story is told of a group of Barbers and hairstylists who wanted to project their profession in a new way. They simply went to the slum to pick a random man, with a typical 'slummy' look and decided to give him a face-lift to show how they can transform an individual. They gave this dude a complete makeover, gave him new clothes, barbed his hair, and made him look good.  Took pictures of him before and after the transformation and used it to advertise saying 'see what the barbers and hairstylists of America can do to a man. Indeed, they transformed the man from a person that lives in the slum to a person that you could mistake for a bank executive, but that was not all, they did not change his mind, his thinking. They gave him new clothes, but left him with his old thought patterns. Even though he was dressed well, he was still the same slum person. Nothing really changed. It was all camouflage!  To make the attendees of their event see the transformation, they made this man to shake hands with guests as they entered the venue.  When a manager in the hotel saw all that happened, he decided to help the man with a job, but... the next day came and the man did not show up!  His attire was changed, not his attitude. To fulfil your dreams you have to change your thought patterns, even if you are helped like that man, if you still think like a poor person, your dreams would practically run away from you. Dreams can be elusive too you know, this is the

reason why we have many dreamers and only few actually fulfilling their dreams. Choose today where you belong. The power of our mind is bigger than we think. In the Ted talk, 'the gift of Blindness', Cobhams Asuquo who was born blind and yet plays the piano excellently well and sings as well said 'blindness is a gift'. Now he was not talking about it from the perspective that he was blind but from the fact that when one is focused on something 'blindly' the mind brings out the solution in an unbeatable manner. He explained that being blind makes him use his mind well. We all need to be wise and use our minds as well to make our dream a reality. Helen Keller was also asked what was worse than being blind and she said 'having sight without vision'. What can you see about your future? Continue to envision it until your entire being believes it, and with time, if you plan well and take necessary actions, it would become your reality.

I recently read about the story of a man and his wife who were poor, they decided to visit a hotel every night just to dream about their future and talk about it. Now you do not have to go to a hotel, but you can dream big and enlarge the capacity of your mind by reading books like this from great authors, watching inspirational videos like the ted talks, and even attend seminars and conferences that would help you achieve your dreams. Always remember that in the pursuit of dreams, people might think you are insane especially when you want to achieve things that have never been done before. Also, know that once it is done, you will become celebrated and everyone would talk about you. You will instantly become a voice to be reckoned with. You need to think about what you really want out of life, whether you want to become an epistle of hope or just a passer-by, another methuselah. We all need to work on our thinking patterns from time to time, this is essential because it is only a future that you can see that you can be a part of. Seeing the future is the first step to get there. Your mind has to be engaged for this to become a reality. Aruosa Osemwegie wrote, “The more you can dream is the more you can do.” That simply means that thinking precedes action. A life of vision pursuit is always going to be a life of impact.

If you are going to fulfil your dreams, you must change the way you think even before you start to do. The fact is that if you do before you think, you would be limited and may not achieve much. Your life can be much better with the right mentality. Your environment matters a lot, but your internal environment is more important than your external environment. If you were already fulfilling your dreams in your thought life, it would only take a while for your physical environment to change.

Dreams come true first in the mind. You need to break free from every limiting mentality. Walt Disney saw the Walt Disney world even before it was completed because he first saw it in his mind. That is how life really is. The mental picture precedes the actual future. Your life is beautiful, start dreaming and start doing, but do not do before you think.

I recently theorized the dependency mentality, which is one of the reasons why

people do not fulfil their dreams. It has the same root with a social theory called dependency theory. It is such that many countries that are either developing or under-developed have remained so because they have kept on depending on bigger countries for help. It is a rule that as long as people keep depending on others for certain things, they would not develop. Their minds would be limited to what they can get from those people.

To turn things around dependants have to move their focus from those they depend on and look inwards and upwards to God and they would then see how they could become better. The same applies to the pursuit of dreams. Many would not fulfil their dreams until their focus is changed. In every human lies great potentials that can practically cause inventions to happen if only the mentality is polished.

'Nothing can stop a man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.’ There is no limitation anywhere; the only limitation is your mentality, which is self-imposed. Someone said, whether you think you can or cannot, you are right, it all depends on what you think is possible. Who would ever imagine that a blind person could be an author, Helen Keller showed that it is possible. On the other hand, who would imagine that a person born blind would be play the piano so skilfully that he would even produce his own songs, as well as that of others - Cobhams Asuquo proves that.Until I saw those feats, I did not believe in their possibilities, however the story that shocked me more was that of Derek Rabelo. He was born on May 25, 1992. He suffered congenital Glaucoma and was blind from birth. His father named him Derek after Pro-Surfer and Surf Champion Derek Ho believing that his son would one day become a surf champion. Young Derek did not give up on him dreams. He continued and became fulfilled. He attended trainings different times until he became good enough to surf alone. Today, he is a Surfer Champion.He travels all year round to catch the best waves to surf on, reaching at least five different surf locations around the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Today Derek is inspiring people of all ages through speeches about his journey in schools, surf camps and global conferences.

CHAPTER 4 - GOALS

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t is plans that separate achievers from ordinary dreamers. Do you live your life on purpose or you just take life the way it comes? Goals precedes plan, plans are simply the next step after goal setting and it takes time. It takes thinking, research and fact-finding. It is the basis for programming. Achievers strategize with great plans.

If you claim to have dreams and you have not written a single goal out, not to talk of strategic planning, then you are a joker, you cannot achieve anything that way.

We have the ABC of goals according to one of my role models, Sam Adeyemi that is Achievable, Believable and Concrete. You can measure your goals by these three. Your goals should be bigger than you should, but they should not weigh you down. They should be achievable not something that would kill you. This is where planning comes into place, when you have big goals, you need to space it over a longer period and begin to achieve it in bits, that way, within the specified period, and you would have achieved your goal.If you cannot believe in your goals, don't expect someone else to buy into it, therefore your goals should first inspire you to believe it such that when others hear of it, they would love to commit their resources to help you achieve it. Your goals should also be concrete; they should be solid and be able to stand the test of time. It all depends on what your goal is; it can be achievable, believable and concrete. A popular school of thought is of the opinion that your goals should be SMART. By this, I mean that they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Most goals are not achieved because there is no fire driving it, it's not time bound. If you are serious about achieving anything, put a deadline to it.

Jesus of Nazareth told a story about planning and strategy especially as it involves accomplishing anything worthwhile. He established the principle of planning as a pre-requisite for success in any given venture. His teaching was in form of a question. He said which person intending to build a tower would not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has enough to finish it so that people would not mock him. Or which king is there that wants to make war with another king that would not first sit down and check to see if he can win another king that has a larger army.Planning and strategy is very important in the pursuit of any dream. Planning must be detailed before pursuit. David Oyedepo is of the opinion that there is a process, which first is purpose, then planning, programming and pursuit. Once the purpose is known, which is the reason why you are doing what you are do, you should follow through with a plan, then programme with dates, and then begin to pursue. The stage of pursuit is where you take actions.

While you are ready to pursue, you should have what is called the action points. These are just checklists of what it is that you want to achieve. As you begin to achieve them, begin to tick them until you have achieved everything. Then write new goals and follow the process again.

If you do not have a plan, you cannot become a highflier in life. Planning is what sustains success, it is what brings order into every endeavour that you do.One of the attributes of a good goal is that it is specific. Ben Stein said 'the indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want'

When you know exactly what it is that you want out of life, it makes it easier for you to make progress and achieve success, that way you would not be leaning against the wrong wall. Goals keep you moving, they give you solid drive. Lou Holtz said, "If you are bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things -- you don't have enough goals!"

Let me challenge you a little, as Lou Holtz was also challenged many years ago. He learnt a lesson in 1966 when he was only 28 years old and had just been hired as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina. His wife, Beth was 8 months pregnant with their third child and Lou soon found himself without a job.

In an attempt to lift his spirit, his wife gave him a book -- the magic of thinking big, by David Schwartz. The book said that you should write down all the goals you want to achieve in your life. Lou sat down at the dining-room table, turned his imagination loose, and before he knew it, he had listed 107 goals he wanted to achieve before he died. He achieved 81 of those goals!

Let me tell you what writing goals can practically do for you. There is this secret I discovered recently - all you would ever need has been made available, it’s your goals that would help you to access it. If you think your problem is money, I assure you it is not. Imagine some rich folk meets you now with a million dollars, what would you do with it? You can only answer this question if you had set goals earlier. Set your goals and strategize with great plans how to make it a reality.

It is commonly said that it is not the size of an army that wins a battle but the superiority of strategy drawing inference from Jesus' teaching. It therefore means that when we write out our goals, we must break it down into smaller bits, which is where planning and strategy comes into place. Mark twain said 'the secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.'

I remember reading the book: 'one minute manager' where I got deeper insights on goal setting. The one-minute manager does not waste time on frivolities; he simply sets goals and does periodic appraisals on the achievements. I think that is how to go about it - set goals, break them into the smallest possible task and get to work!

Your goals should motivate you to achieve the big picture. In the building of a house, there is the foundation stage, there is the time for setting up pillars on which the house would stand, and all these are simply part of the goal setting stage. The book of proverbs says, “Wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn her seven pillars.” Here, I believe the house is the big picture - the dream, while the pillars are the goals set at different times to achieve the big picture.

Your goals should inspire you to achieve. Greg Anderson said 'when we are motivated by goals that have deep meanings, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expression, then we truly live life.'

Goals help to change your perspective to life and helps you manage circumstances. In 1994, there was an earthquake in Northridge. During that earthquake, one of the main freeways leading into the city had been damaged. Traffic was at a standstill, and what was normally a 1-hour drive had become a 2 or 3-hour drive.

During that period, a CNN reporter knocked on the window of one of the cars stuck in traffic and asked the driver how he was doing. He responded angrily, 'I hate California. First there were fires, then floods, and now an earthquake!' One could tell from his tone that he did not set goals to maximise the time he was in traffic. He further said 'no matter what time I leave in the morning I'm late for work. I can't believe it.'

The reporter, definitely seeking for a balanced reportage went ahead, knocked on another car, and asked the same question. The other person obviously had his day well planned. With smiles, he said. “It’s no problem. I left my house at 5am, I do not think under the circumstances my boss can ask for more than that. I have lots of music cassettes and my Spanish Language tapes with me. I have my cell phone. I have coffee in a thermos, my lunch and I even bought a book to read, so I am fine.” That is how goal setting can change your response to any problem.

Goal setting and planning are inevitable for success in any endeavour. Planning has to do with knowing what step to take at any time. Parents need to help in the planning of their children's lives at early ages. I believe Tiger Wood's parents understood this principle early enough. When Tiger was two, his father Earl and

his mother Kultida discovered his amazing talent and made him learn golf at that age.

Tiger Wood gained national attention on a talk show when he beat the famous comedian and avid golfer Bob Hope in a putting contest when he was only three years old. He spend many hours practising his swing and playing in youth tournaments. He won his first formal competition at 8. By 1996, he had won three US Amateur titles one after another, an amazing accomplishment in itself. He started his professional career at 21. From there he went on to achieve other notable successes.For Susan Boyle, she had carried her dream for many years. The opportunity came for her dream to come true, and she seized it, even though it looked as if age was not on her side. I believe she must have been planning for that big day.Plan to achieve today and you would!

CHAPTER 5 -KNOWLEDGE

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hat you know is what gives you an edge.'      I heard this a long time ago from Mr Ayo Oyedepo. He explained that knowledge is simply the combination of two words, which are 'know' and 'edge'. A look around the world today, I have seen that it is those that know a little above others (either in theory or in practice), that are ahead of others.How much you know is what makes the difference. Your level of exposure counts a lot in the achievement of your dreams. I read recently, the story of Dubai. It is the craze of the moment, everybody around me seems to want to visit Dubai. Even Dubai is advertising all over the Internet. What they are simply trying to do is to make prospective visitors hungry for an experience.I read of how their leader travelled to the United States of America at a young age. The pictures he saw influenced his dream of a new Dubai. The place of Knowledge and exposure cannot be over-emphasised because it prepares you for the achievement of your dream in grand style.David Oyedepo who the Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, has made it known that he visited Oral Robert University at some point and it fuelled the possibility to do something similar.If you want to be outstandingly successful, you must get unique exposure, which would make you ahead of others. Exposure is important and it is not a respecter of age. A young person might be more exposed than an older person in certain

aspects might; this is the reason why each of us have to take time out for personal development.

Anyone that wants to fulfil his dream must make the gathering of relevant information a must if he must fly high. Brian Tracy encouraged the habit of lifelong learning explaining that if you do not keep learning, someone somewhere is doing it and that person would become ahead of you.

Depending on what your dream is, there is the possibility that someone else has a similar dream as yours. Although no two people have exactly the same purpose, there could be competition for space at times; it is at this point that knowledge gives you the edge. If you need to get more education, please do. It is commonly said that exploits happens when opportunities meets preparation.Action that is preceded by adequate knowledge always yield positive results. For anyone that is going to make a mark on the earth adequate knowledge of what to do per time is essential. A few years ago, while I was going through old episodes of 'The Word for Today', a daily devotional that inspires people to gain knowledge to take action based on God's Word written by Bob and Debby Gass with Ruth Gass Halliday. In the episode of Wednesday April 16, 2008, here is what I learned and I thought I should share it:

'You'll never be successful if you're forever putting things off. If you take too long to make up your mind about an opportunity, you will miss seizing it. One of the best illustrations of this is the story about the patent of the telephone. In the 1870, two men worked extensively on modifying and improving telegraphy, which was the current technology. Both had ideas for transmitting sound by wire, and both explored the transmission of the human voice electronically. What is remarkable is that both men -Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray filed their idea at the patent office on the same day, February 14, 1876. Bell was the fifth person that day who filed for a patent. Gray, on the other hand, got busy with other things so he sent his attorney. Unfortunately, the attorney arrived more than an hour after Bell, to apply for a Caveat, a kind of declaration of intention to file for a patent. Those minutes cost Gray a fortune. Bell's claim was upheld in court, even though Gray complained that he had come up with the idea first. So it's not enough to see you God-given opportunities, you have to seize them.'

Many people do not go far in life because of one thing - fear. The cure of fear is action. Norman Vincent Peale once said 'action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but also the cause of fear' The Chinese people say, “He who deliberates too long before taking a step, will spend his whole life on one leg.” No other time than now is action tome. Edgar Guest wrote, “The greatest of workers this man would have been tomorrow. The world would have known him, had he ever seen tomorrow. However, the fact is that he died and he faded from view, and all that he left here when living was a mountain of things he intended to do tomorrow.” That is not you; of course, because you would make use of the knowledge of wisdom you have received today. I believe there is always something to find that

would distinguish you from others. I call it the 'knowledge of wisdom'. It is well explained in Proverbs 24:14 where it is written; “So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto your soul, when you have found it, then there shall be a reward and your expectation shall not be cut off'."As you plan to fulfil your dream always, remember that it is what you know that gives you an edge and what you do not know could be costly. Take time to study to show yourself approved.Your dreams are coming true!

CHAPTER 6 -DILIGENT ACTION

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ork is life. Action is the only guarantee of results. If you do not move, nothing moves. Science has proved that many times. Isaac Newton theorized it; he said that an object remains in a state of rest until an external force is applied. Everything that works is worked. If you do not move, do not expect your name in the sands of time. Action precedes results. I have always believed that my book would be purchased and read around the world and I know that this book is kick starting this trend.

If there is anything, I think I do effortlessly, its writing and of course speaking in front of a crowd. I must confess that I am a shy person but I love inspiring great audiences especially teenagers to live their lives to the fullest.

Action is life. Anyone that does not take action, would not be respected on the long run. If you do not take action after some time, all you would be left with are excuses. Those that give excuses today are those that saw opportunities yesterday but refused to take action. Therefore, if you are going to fulfil your dreams, you need to take action. Do something!  Write that book, make that call, send that mail, submit that proposal, attend that networking event, just do what you need to achieve your dreams. Do not live a sorry life. Live the life of your dreams. Live the life that you and your children would be proud of. Start small, dream big. It may not be easy but with consistency and God’s help, the journey would be worth it.

By now, you should have written your goals, you should start making them a reality. Start with the small ones and gradually move towards the big ones. That is the way to do it. You must take action. Life sometimes is funny, to achieve, we must be persistently ready. Someone said that to be rich you must find a way to make money while you sleep or else you would work until you die. That is an investment quote but it applies to the pursuit of vision too. People that pursue their visions and dreams early and build structures reap from the fruits even in old age. Amazingly, a quote says, “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakens and knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakens and knows it must outrun the swiftest gazelle or it will starve to death. It matters not whether you are a lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up you had better be ready to run.”

In life, I believe the future is only bright for those who take strategic actions towards the fulfilment of their dreams. There are many examples of people who believed in the beauty of their dreams, took action, sometimes against reason, and still became the best for it. Ronald E Osborn puts it rightly, 'undertake something that is difficult, it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.'

In part, the inspiration to complete this book (I used complete because I have been writing it for almost two years) came from the desire to see my name on the cover and to see lives of people transformed, to see many people do what they've always dreamt of...in short, to see DREAMS come through and true! John Mason said, “Be bold and courageous! When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.”That is similar to what Mark Twain said when he noted, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. Sail away from the sail harbour; catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

So dearest reader, whatever it is that you've always dreamt of, be it writing a book like me, or designing a software, or recording an audio, or even taking a course or getting your dream job, the time to take action is now. Samson Reina capped it up with his insightful words, “What's the purpose of living if you don't go after your dreams?”

Many people give up too early. The fact that things have not worked for you yet is not a proof that your dream is not authentic. Actually, things that last take time to develop. You need to be consistent, persistent and resilient. Recently I saw an animated picture of a man who was digging for an underground treasure, gold I suppose. He had dug for a long time; all of a sudden, he gave up and stopped digging. The animated picture showed that only a small hit on the ground would have made that man wealthy but he gave up.

Thomas Edison had this to say, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.”

This book is written to spur you up to action in pursuit of your dreams. Take a pen, get your jotter, and begin to jot down your action points on the different parts of your dream. The fact that you are reading this book now is proof that it works. So get your pen, set your goal, and put the deadline. Setting the goal is not my issue here; it is the pursuit that I am concerned about. Once you do this, seek help where necessary and experience Godsend help your way in order for your dream to become a reality. Many of us want to achieve extraordinary feats, but are never in the mood to do what it takes to attain that feat.The book of Proverbs sums it up thus: “the desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.” The idea of diligence is simply the art of doing something; it is the process of discarding inactivity.  There are people who do not do regular physical jobs but their brains are processing jobs that 100 other people would do for them. Talking about diligence and it links with consistency, I read in ‘the word for today’, quarterly inspirational manual by Bob and Debby Gass with Ruth Gass-Halliday: “your giftedness will get you noticed, separate you from the rest of the pack and give you a head start on others. But your advantage would only last so long.”  To drive home their point, Songwriter Irving Berlin said. ‘The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success.  Talent is only a starting point in business.  You’ve got to keep working that talent.” Still on consistency - if it is your place, stay there.  The Chinese Bamboo tree is a classical illustration of how change comes gradually.  During the first five years, the Bamboo tree does not grow much even though it is watered and stocked with fertilizer. However, in the fifth year, the Chinese Bamboo tree suddenly grows very tall.  Most of the values I have today were built when I was in Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, from waking up by 5:30am for early morning prayers to the morning, afternoon and night preps and even the Sunday services. I have learnt from experience that anything you do consistently over a long time would be part of you.There is just no way we would talk about diligence without talking about ants. They never give up.  If you block the way, the ant would find another.  The book of proverbs says, “They are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” No wonder we are admonished: “go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meal in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

In one of my reading escapades, I came across this story in John C Maxwell's book, failing forward. For many of us, anytime we hear Aeroplane, what comes to our mind is the name of two brothers, the sons of a Bishop who said man could never fly, claiming that only angels could fly.

Orville and Wilbur were the two people that first flew a plane, but they would not have been the first if              Dr Samuel P. Langley had succeeded in his own pursuit.Dr Langley was a respected professor of mathematics and astronomy. He was an accomplished thinker and inventor. He had published several works on aerodynamics and done extensive experiments with large unmanned plane models and had achieved a high degree of success. He approached the US War Department for the funding of his design. He got $50,000, went to work, and enlisted the aid of Charles Manley an engineer who built a powerful new lightweight engine. On October 8, 1903, Langley expected his years of work to come to fruition. Journalists and onlookers watched to see the first aircraft fly. They all went home disappointed, when The Great Aerodrome, as it was called was flung into sixteen feet of water, a mere fifty yards away from the boat. At first, he did not give up. Eight weeks later, in early December, after he had made numerous modifications to the Aerodrome, he again launched out, but met an even worse failure than the other one. At this point, Manley almost lost his life. After several criticisms, His Great Aerodrome was called 'Langley's Folly'. At this point, he gave up, defeated and demoralized. Just few days after he gave up, on December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright - uneducated, unknown, and unfunded - flew their plane 'Flyer 1' over the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. For George Frederick Handel, it was not any rosy. He was a musical prodigy. Though his father wanted him to study law, he gravitated towards music at an early age. By age 17, he held the post of church organist at the cathedral in Halle, his hometown. A year later, he became a violinist and harpsichordist at the Kaiser's opera house in Hamburg. By age 21, he was a keyboard virtuoso. When he turned to composing, he gained immediate fame and soon was appointed Kapellmeister conductor to the elector of Hannover (later king George I of England). When he moved to England, his renown grew. By the time he was 40, he was world famous. At a point in his life, his fame did not matter; competition with rival English composers was fierce. He was in debt and was discouraged. On April 8, he decided to retire even though he was only 56, so he gave what he considered his farewell concert. However, in August of that year a wealthy friend named Charles Jemmings visited Handel and gave him a libretto based on the life of Christ. The work intrigued Handel - enough to stir him to action. He wrote nonstop for 21 days and in 24 days, he had completed the 260-page manuscript called the Messiah. Today that work is considered a masterpiece.It does not matter how far you have gone, if you have not achieved your goal, keep moving. Remember, only diligent people that stand before kings. Therefore, as a king whom you are, you must start pursuing your visions, going on missions or living your passions. You can!

CHAPTER 7 - INFLUENCE

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ole modelling is life. Many have missed many opportunities because they lacked the guiding eyes of those that have gone ahead of them. In this chapter, I would be doing an exposition of the benefits of influence with emphasis on role modelling and mentorship.The Concept of Influence

The concept of influence is broad. It is also very important in the fulfilment of dreams. Haven’t you noticed that rich and influential people have their own clique? It has been said many times that you cannot grow above your influence. In addition, many have agreed that the kind of person you would be in five years’ time is dependent on two things: the books you read and the people you hang out with. That is to say that you are limited largely by your influence. By influence, I mean your environment, and I am not talking about your physical environment only, it is all encompassing. It includes your physical, spiritual, mental and social environment. Your physical environment is the closest in explanation because it is the one that people can readily relate to.

Your physical environment shapes your life largely. Your mental environment is the main environment that you must take time to cultivate. It only takes time, if your mental environment is healthy, your physical environment would soon adjust. This is imperative for you to know because your physical environment might be that of poverty, but if you can adjust your thinking through books, audio messages, etc., It does not take time.  It starts with a decision. Sam Adeyemi said something some time ago; he noted that you could travel round the world through your mind. He was only explaining the reality of relocating your mental environment from your physical environment. The level of knowledge at your disposal matters a lot. It can tell a lot about your environment and I am not talking about your physical environment here. You must continue to harness your mental environment, Gbeminiyi Eboda quipped, “Knowledge not updated would make you outdated, and therefore, a step upward in knowledge is a step forward in life.” Your environment has shaped your worldview until now, if you want a change, you must change environment. Let us examine who a role model is. A role model is someone like a mentor who inspires you to achieve certain things in life. Most of the time, a role model is a distant person whom you might never have met before. I have different role models.

Life is fun when you know how to live it. Role models’ timeless counsels through books and messages are guiding eyes, which help us achieve our dreams faster and better. There are certain things in life that we must learn ourselves, but there are certain things that we can simply learn from our role models and mentors. Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen far in life, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

Sometimes, in the pursuit and fulfilment of dreams, there could be down times when all you need is some encouragement. At such a time where do you go? This is why role models and those that you can trust are important in your life. Someone said, “The company you keep determines your conduct, your conduct determines your character, and your character determines your destiny.” Therefore, it is pertinent that you have a company that you can always bank on at any time.

The scripture says, “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” Sunny Olinkwu said, “Never underplay counsels” Scripture also says, “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” I also value what George Burton Adams said; “There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”

The time to be positively influenced to become a better person and to fulfil your dreams is now. The world needs the fulfilment of your dreams more than you can ever imagine. Change your environment, seek role models and mentors and get challenged to become the better you. Imagine if Walt Disney had not established Disney World, or if we did not have the internet, or just maybe iPhone did not exist, how would the world look like? The good news is that what we have seen as at now is nothing compared to what we shall see in recent years from now because young, old and middle aged men and women are thinking outside the box to become outstandingly successful. They are ready to fulfil their dreams to greater extents that the world would know that life is indeed fun for those who dare to take action in the direction of their dreams.The time to attend those positively influencing seminars and conferences is now, the time to read those books is now, the time to listen to those inspirational messages is now, and the time for the world to know that you have a purpose is now. Get up and go, make God proud, be consistent, persistent and resilient. You will make it!Congratulations in advance, your best days are ahead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR'Leke Ademo is a Brand Consultant who has also cut his teeth in Customer Service and Hotel Management in recent years. He is a graduate of Sociology from Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos. He believes that the future belongs to those who believe and work towards making their dreams a reality.