Don’t Be Left Behind (This is NOT Rapture) | Motivation for Monday

I have been meeting weekly with 5 students (4 boys & a girl) doing leaving cert to encourage and support them on “working REALLY hard” at preparing for their forth coming leaving cert.  When I chat with these children, I use real live approaches to drive important messages home for them. When we met last Sunday, I told them that they should do everything possible so as for them not to be left behind. Today on motivation for Monday, I want to encourage you on what I call, “Don’t be left behind – This is Not Rapture”. It is an interesting one with real life takes on matters and changes happening…..

Back in the day, well, the way we were raised (back in “Africa”) and I believe it is the same everywhere else. If you believe or know different, please correct me. We were raised to get education,( very important) not just to get education but to go professional in our course of choice or study .i.e. be Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers and on and on.

However, these days, you see even the most wealthiest or the richest people cheerleading or championing their kids in the area of their God Given Gifts, Talents or Natural Ability. While speaking to the children last Sunday, I gave an example of one of the richest men in Africa – Femi Otedola. One of his daughters is a DJ. Although a graduate from a University in London, she is now “Djing” getting paid doing what she loves in different parts of the world.

Some say, she is able to do this because she has a wealthy Father. Well, I say, she is able to do this because her wealthy father has learnt to adapt the changes that is inevitable these days. He is S-M-A-R-T!

There are changes now in all works and areas of life and we ourselves must “open our eyes” very widely so we are not left behind in any way. Let’s see some very obvious and not so obvious changes I have seen in recent times: 

Change in Career Choice

See, never in a million years would I have imagined a “graduate daughter of a millionaire” from Nigeria become a DJ. DJ for a living or Career? What?

This goes to show that life is moving and we all must move as life is moving. It is important to do the right things but more importantly to change as the world is changing.

Change in Blogging

Take for example Blogging, back in the day, all you have to do was to paste loads of ads on your blogsite and you will be grand money wise. These days, well it doesn’t happen like that anymore. Bloggers have had to become more intentional and strategic in ensuring to be at the top of their game to be able to monetise to support their blogs, themselves and creativity. Bloggers know and understand this very well.

Change in Ministry

Not being left behind is not only in Blogging or in Career choices. Many ministries, organisations and multinationals are embracing change so they are not left behind.

When I was in Nigeria, I worshipped in Daystar. This has always been my Church and I am always happy to go back there because Daystar is not like any other Church I have attended anywhere in the world. They are organised and solid in the word with great mission and vision to raise role models. Role Model – someone others can look up to or want to be like.

So, when I went to Daystar, they announced that they were rolling out Saturday services even though they are not 7th Day Adventists. This is to enable them cater to the needs of some of their youths who work on Sundays. They made available to these youths an avenue to be able to fellowship even though they can’t make it to Church on Sundays. This is a major change, one that is smart on behalf of the Church as an organisation and one that would enable their youths to remain in faith – that is the best of both worlds.

Change in Management 

In the work force, the change is prominent too. Gone are the days when most of top management team are men. These days, all organisations are embracing the change that is needed to position women in leadership. For example, Vodafone Ireland is headed by a Woman. She is the CEO with more than 60% management team being women. That is a very big change. Having said that, women need to be given more opportunities like that.

Change in Customer Relation

Can you imagine? My husband told me his organisation rolled out a campaign that encourages them to contact businesses and customers they are affiliated with by Social Media. Who would have thought? Back in the day, it was just by telephone or email. Now you see what I mean that change is inevitable?

Change in Work Pattern

Back in the day, who dares sleep at work? Nobody or you are fired. These days, most organisation now make provision for workers to sleep at work. If you are tired while at work, all you need do is go take a nap in the nap area and once you are done, you can come back to work. Research shows that this boosts productivity at work. Some argue it is just being lazy. But then, it is a change that many organisations have adapted.

Other changes also include working from home. Depending on what you agree with your employers and your kind of job,  you could work from home up to 2-3 times a week. Isn’t this awesome? It never used to be so but it is a change that is made available to make workers lives easier.

Change in Food, Music & Culture .e.g. Hair & Clothing

Food: Back in the day, Jollof rice – the Nigerian / Ghanian delicacy made out of rice used to be made and eaten by African’s alone. Now Jimmy Oliver, the world’s famous chef has his version of Jollof rice. Well, nothing has changed in this regard – I insist that Nigerian Jollof is the best 🙂. Ghanians, please don’t come for me 🙂

Music: Afro-beat used to be amongst Africans only. Now, get into any club in LA, there is some Fella or Tiwa Savage or Sakodie playing on the radio. African songs are now very popular for work out videos. I love Petit Afro on YouTube.

Clothes: Think of clothes and all things traditional in Africa, it is now accepted and worn by movers and shakers in all areas of life. Imagine Anna Wintour – Editor in Chief of Vogue wearing Ankara?

Hair: And “Boxer Braids” which Vogue claimed was invented by Kim Kardashian. Sorry Kim, my mother wore that style. So, try again, you didn’t invent it, you only embraced was was on ground before you were born.

Listen, change is here and we must all embrace it. 

Lessons to Learn Here:

I told the children that come what may, they should work hard and pay the price they have to now, to pass their leaving cert. If eventually they choose not to go that route of using their education to make a career, they have their education and they would have learnt so much on their journey that nobody would be able to take away from them. Like my mother would say, if you learn anything, it is yours, nobody can take it away from you. NEVER! Also, there is nothing as worse as an a rich illiterate. Nothing compares to education. My opinion!

As for us all, we must move as the world is moving. We must do everything we can to embrace changes, especially in this fast paced social media age. We must adapt to changes as they come up so we are not left behind in reaching our full potentials in life. Changes may be big and they may be small. The most important thing is that without loosing ourselves, we must learn to be flexible enough to adapt changes so we are not left behind.

In this time and age, we must all learn to be flexible. We can not afford to be rigid or want to remain in stone age. We must embrace changes as change is the only constant thing in life. So, don’t be left behind. Finally, if you are a parent reading this, this age is not the age to be overly rigid with your children, guide them BUT listen to them too. Hear their WHY’S. It will make life easier for us all.

PS: I haven’t written these to encourage children to aim to be DJ’s or Social Media experts only, I wrote it to encourage us all to be who God has called us to be and be so unashamedly.  In this world, we need as many Doctors as possible and we also need as many DJ’s or Dress Makers as possible…..We all have a PURPOSE!

I was wearing Asos Skirt | Next Blouse | Casadei Heels 

I can go on and on about the changes happening right now but for now, I will stop here….

I want to thank you so much for stopping by today and for reading. I do hope we all learnt the importance of embracing change so as for us all not to be left behind. Whether we like it or not changes will continue to emerge and for us to be a part of the great stuff happening in the world, we must be willing to change and accept changes.

What is one thing / changes you have seen or experienced? Please share them in the comments below.

Do take care. Much Love, Mojisola

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