Lessons from the Mud: Email Compilation

Mon, 5 Oct 2020WAKE UP AND EAT YOUR PIEI am glad to write to you this morning after a long time of procrastinating. I had planned to be in your inbox since 2019, but the fearful me thought you would not accept me. I also felt I might not keep up with the commitment, but you know what?. That is what fear does. It makes you fail before you start. I was waiting to have the perfect content, perfect audience, and the ideal timing, and I fell into the "Paralysis of Analysis".One of the best lessons I took away from my Public Policy studies is to eat my P.I.E. (Planning, Implementation and Evaluation). Eating your P.I.E. permits you to start anywhere, anyhow and without waiting for perfection. The reason there is "E" in your P.I.E. is to evaluate the process to know things to make better or to keep doing.Do something for me this morning. Open your diary, read those plans you had written down since 2016. Pick one and decide to start implementing it this week. Make that call. Call that friend. Put together the team. Launch that product. Apply for that job again. Call that person that will teach you that skill you had always wanted to acquire. Do not wait till you have all the money or till you have all the networks.Remember, if the first boxlike white and black T.V. were not launched, you would not have that PLASMA TV in your living room today. It is what you start that gets better.Eat your P.I.E. and drink some water. It's another week to live your dream.He gives understanding to the simple.Your friend and brotherOluwaseunMon, 2 Nov 2020DADDY WILL FIX ITMy apologies for not showing up in your inbox in the last two weeks. I have had to take some time off to join my voice with a new Nigeria's struggle, combined with a technical failure I experienced last Monday.This morning, I want to share with you a message of hope. While growing up, there was a popular T.V. series called "Superstory". It showed every Thursday at 8 pm. It was the best family drama series of its time. On a Thursday afternoon, we were watching the T.V. when the T.V. went blank. We tried all we could, but it didn't work. We were already feeling worried that we would not be able to watch our dear "Superstory" later that night. As we fiddled with the T.V., my younger brother said: "Don't worry, daddy will fix it". That statement chased my anxiety away.Daddy arrived at 6 pm, and we told him what had happened. He went to the T.V., and in less than 2 minutes, he fixed the problem. My brother was so confident that our dad will save the occasion, and he did. What looked like a gloomy evening ended in joy.What are you going through?. Don't lose hope. It won't take long; it will be fixed. Don't lose your confidence. You will need a lot of it. As you go through the day, remember, daddy will fix it.Have a great day.Mon, 9 Nov 2020I AM PUTTING A BET ON YOUAs I stepped out of bed this morning, the first word that came to my mind was 'Bet'. While that word rarely jumps at me, I knew there must be a reason for the word to come to me.In 2015, a colleague of mine fought for me to get a writing contract. I was not there, and I would not call that colleague a close friend, but he fought for me anyway. The organization wanted to give the contract to a big company in Lagos. Still, as I was told later, my colleague said I quote "David does not have a writing company, but you will be surprised at what he will deliver if you can give him a chance. I bet you to arrest me if he does not deliver".Those words humbled me, and I went ahead to prove his bet on me. The contract remains my most significant writing contract to date. Can your friends put a chance on you?. Are you a person of value?. Can people speak for you and put their integrity on the line for you?.This morning, decide to be worth people's bet on you. Let the world know that if integrity is lost everywhere, they will still find it in you. In your actions as you go out this week, let the aroma of integrity and value exude out of you. Don't let people's recommendation of you come back to them as shame and disappointment.Remember, no matter how beautiful or handsome you are, your beauty is not complete until you wear your garment of integrity.I am betting over you this week. Make me proud.Your brother and friend.Mon, 16 Nov 2020NEVER BE TOO OLD TO LEARN FROM THE YOUNGIt's a beautiful morning here and my first class for the day starts at 8 am. I am teaching the comparative ideologies of Garret Hardin's "Tragedy of the commons" and Carol Rose's "Comedy of the Commons" and their knowledge application. I hope my students love the class.This morning. I want to share with you something that we rarely talk about as people. It is the issue of age versus value. I have noticed a natural ego that comes with being older than everyone in the room and the urge to relegate anyone that is not in our age bracket as "non - relevant". I am currently mentored on African history and African political landscaping by a younger colleague. The guy has all that I am looking for, and his knowledge is worth tapping into. All my writings on Africa goes through him for vetting and ideological coherence before I publish. He is that good. My age has nothing to do with this relationship.I have also had the privilege to befriend older colleagues, and all we share is value and mutual respect. We must understand that what gives us respect is not our calendar age but the value we add to others, younger or older. When we begin to see people as humans first and not their age, we will start to tap into cross-generational wisdom and creativity.Don't be afraid to get a younger mentor or a younger friend if they have what you need. It is even then you get more respect.Have a great day today.Mon, 23 Nov 2020THE MEDAL IN YOUR SCANDALMy heart has been speaking like a ready writer's pen since 3 am, and I want to unleash the words on you.Have you done something shameful in the past, and it has affected you so much that your head is still under the water after several years?. Are you being held down by the guilt of a mistake or an error despite receiving forgiveness from the people concerned?. Have you given up on living your full life again after a scandal that seemed to have rendered you incommunicado?.I want you to know that you are the composer of your song; you can change the lyrics anytime you want. The song indeed went sour, and the melody was lost, but it is the time to change the chord, re-write the notes and make those sweet melodies again. Sing a new song. The utterly perfect man has not been born on the surface of the earth, so why drown in self-pity.The "medal" in your scandal will come when you shun the voices that put you down and embrace the chance to prove to yourself that "one mistake" or "scandal" does not define you.To a renewed commitment to live your full life.Mon, 30 Nov 2020WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FAVOURITE SHIRT?I woke up this morning thinking about life and how it is merely a flower that blossoms in the morning and withers in the evening. I want to describe this with the story below.Two weeks ago, the pipe that connected water to the washbasin in our dining area burst, and there was a mini flood in the house. As we managed to scoop the water from the floor, we needed some dry clothes to mop the last water traces.My mind went straight to my wardrobe because I have had some clothes in there that are already faded and weak beyond even gifting them out. I picked three worn-out shirts and headed for the dining area to clean the floor. As I bent down to use one of the shirts to mop, I remembered how lovely the shirt looked each time I put it on and how it was my favourite shirt six years ago. I remembered I wore the shirt to defend my master's thesis. How come my best shirt six years ago is now being used to clean the floor?.It dawned on me that the shirt has fulfiled its purpose, and it served me well while it lasted. I appreciated the shirt even more while I used it to mop. Friends, nothing lasts forever. Now that you are a favourite shirt, shine and present yourself useful. Fulfil the purpose for which you are made. Beautify the life of those who put you on and attract compliments of goodness to your creator and designer.A time shall come when the favourite shirt of yesterday shall hang un-used in the wardrobe. What you are in your most active years will be used in reviewing you when you are no longer the worthy party shirt.As you go out this morning, LIVE INTENTIONALLY.He gives understanding to the simple.Your brother and friend.Mon, 7 Dec 2020DON'T ALLOW ONE MISCARRIAGE TO DEBAR YOU FROM HAVING YOUR TWO SONSThis morning, I woke up to renew my mind, not to allow one lousy situation to stop me from being who I am meant to be. Let me share a quick story with you.I recently met someone. Please permit me to call the person X. The conversational me asked X the country they came from as we left a meeting together and having a chit chat to the car park. As if I had asked the most sacrilegious question in the world, X started saying all kinds of things that made me withdraw from my problem, and I had to apologize for asking. A few days after, X met me at the restaurant, and I stepped aside for them to go first, which was another issue. X went all ballistic on me and explained to me why it is not acceptable to do that. I apologized again, and I vowed never to be superior to anyone around that place anymore.However, that same evening, I went to pick a drink at the restaurant, and I unconsciously allowed an older woman to go first before I made my order; the woman smiled, held my hands and said a few prayers for me. I felt human again, and I changed my mind not to stop being human even if someone has an issue with it.Has someone thrown your trust to the pigs?. Has your goodness been repaid with hatred?. Have you been told that your own is too much?.Don't be discouraged. As you go out this morning, take with you your full humanity. Bring a smile to a face. Help someone to carry a heavy load. Let that person go first.I wish you a great day.Mon, 14 Dec 2020 WAKE UP AND SHOW UPGood morning and trust you had a restful night?.At about 9 pm yesternight, I received a message from a Professor of E-government, whose research group I had applied to work with a few years back. He did not give me a chance because I did not have any publications in the research area he was working on at that time.In his message, he noted that he came across my latest publication on google scholar and that he was impressed at my growth since the last time we spoke. My latest co-authored publication is coincidentally in the area he plans for his lab's academic conference for 2021. I guess who has been invited as one of the main speakers to discuss the thoughts we engaged in the book chapter?.The same man who dropped me a few years back because he was not sure of my research acumen and subject expertise is ready to fly me across the oceans to headline a conference. Why?. I published.This morning, be determined to keep getting better at the things for which you were looked down upon sometimes ago.Keep learning that design pattern.Keep writing those articles.Keep learning that programming language.Keep showing up.Keep speaking.Keep on keeping on; you will be called upon one day for your consistency and diligence.He gives understanding to the simple.Oluwaseun David ADEPOJUMon, 21 Dec 2020PLEASE FLUSHI woke up this morning remembering some of my responses to an interview I granted three years ago, and I thought of sharing with you.The interviewer asked, and I quote, "What is the first prerequisite to leadership?. I responded, "Lead yourself". In my quest to expound what I meant by leading oneself, I dropped the following lines of thoughts.If you want to be a leader, flush the toilet when no one is there. If you're going to be a leader, you must be consistent with fulfilling little promises such as buying 5naira biscuit for your niece. If you want to be a leader, return the money you borrowed as at when due.The interviewer laughed and responded by saying he has never heard anybody define leadership in such a simple way before. We often think that exceptional leaders need to go to a big leadership school to perform. No. Outstanding leaders learn their best leadership lessons by subjecting themselves to learning from their environmental interactions and responsibilities.A man with a record of not fulfiling simple promises to his friends will most likely not fulfil his promises to his country. In a nutshell, the best leadership school is leading yourself first of all.Lead yourself this week.He gives understanding to the simple.Have a great weekMon, 4 Jan, 2021 YOUR PERSON FIRST, THEN POSITIONLet me, first of all, wish you a happy new year.I want to share something quickly with you this morning. I believe you will need this wisdom as we proceed in this new year.I did a short term consulting for a research team last year. The research lead told me after they had selected me that they had three names suggested to them. The two other professionals had huge positions and high CV. My CV was not anywhere close to the two of them.We were interviewed on the same day, but I was selected. I asked the research lead why I was chosen despite the fact the other two people held prominent positions in popular organizations. I was dumbfounded when the research lead said, and I quote, " We chose you because of your "person" and not because of your "position".It dawned on me at that point that it is better to invest first of all in your "person" before you start seeking "positions". "Positions" will come chasing you when your "person" is right.This year, invest in your "person" and "positions" will not be a problem.Have a great week.Mon, 18 Jan, 2021I HAVE NOTHING TO BRING TO THE TABLEIt's a new week and another beautiful day to be alive. I would like to quickly share something with you before I step out of the house.I was invited to join a business team in 2017. I went to the meeting to hear what they are all about. I was not okay with the business model because it had some unfair way of making money, according to my understanding. After the leader finished speaking, he asked those of us coming for the first time, and I quote;"What are you bringing to the table?"I was the first to respond. I said, and I quote;"I have nothing to bring to this table, but rather, I am bringing a new table".They were all surprised by my response. I carried my bag and left the meeting hall.This morning as you go out, do not compromise your value system because of money. Don't take anything to that table if it violates human rights and dignity but instead, create a new table of dignity, good moral standing and humanity. If they ask you to bring something to the forgery table, tell them you have nothing to bring but a new table of integrity.Have a great week.