The idea of lessons learnt implies mistakes were made.  I definitely made some in 2012 and learnt lessons from them but I also learnt lessons just by living through specific experiences both personally and vicariously. 

F.E.A.R often is False Evidence Appearing Real: I always thought this was a pithy saying and mocked that it should be told to someone being chased by a cheetah.  But in 2012, I realized that there is some truth to it.  I became well-acquainted with fear in 2012 as I changed jobs and moved residence.  I was afraid I would not find a home to live, and then I was afraid I would not get a rental agreement, and later I was afraid that I would not be able to register the girls in school…  At a point, I was afraid of making a move in any direction.  So many steps caused a paralysis fear that when they eventually turned out right, I was stunned by how much I had feared the outcomes.  I realized that some things I built into gruesome obstacles were mere puny challenges that with the right strategy could be overcome.  Now, I know to feel the fear and do it anyway.  I know not to let fear be a paralyzing emotion by remembering that it is false evidence appearing real.

Following your dreams takes hard work: forget ‘work smart not hard’ and other fanciful ideas which sound great in theory but are impractical.  You must WORK HARD to achieve your dreams. I learnt that running my own business means that I have to be on top of everything going on.  I must vision, plan, and see to the timely execution of my plans.  I must keep the agenda and also the books.  Sure, I am learning to strategically employ others to help me achieve my dreams (by the way, beware of web designers who promise an awesome website and deliver malware), but ultimately, the accomplishment of anything depends on me.  Its either I do what needs to be done or I lean heavily on someone I pay to do what needs to be done.  Period.

We are all connected one way or another:  My aunt said of 2012, “the highs were really high and the lows really low.”  Indeed, the lows of 2012 had greater global impact than in previous years.  The crash of Dana Flight 992 brought home the reality of our global village not just for Nigerians but for Indians, Chinese, Americans, and others connected to the victims of the ill-fated plane.  It taught me that turning a blind eye to corruption is not a viable option nor is it an approach for dealing with the kind of sanctioned evil perpetrated against innocent children in Newtown, Connecticut.  We must fight evil with everything we’ve got before it gets us.

Some people are really not worth the time:  I used to be a sucker for intellect.  Give me a guy spouting ideas and I am a goner (correction, I was a goner).  No more.  In 2012, I encountered more time-wasting intellectuals than you could count on your fingers.  Folks who spun brilliant ideas, inspired others to “work towards the goal,” and came up empty.  Very disappointing.  I am officially cured, thank you.

Other lessons of 2012 include: don’t expect Nigerians to RSVP, simply prepare for a horde; don’t expect the same group to keep time, you should simply keep your own time; and what you eat matters, quit the junk habit and get with the program or into a program as the case may be.  Finally, there’s a difference between potential and performance – a person might have the potential to do a big something but may never do it.  So, I am building on my lessons and moving from potential to performance in 2013. See you next year by God’s grace.

My friend Brian is petrified about going ‘home’ to the village to celebrate his parents’ golden anniversary.  He’s endured endless calls and emotional pulls to make him change his mind.  Initially, I joined the herd, “You know, it would mean so much to your parents.  If fact, you shouldn’t go alone but with your entire family,“ I remonstrated thinking to myself, I would never do such a heartless thing my parents.  Almost as soon as I finished, his brother called to check on his flight plans and his estimated time of arrival.  He hemmed and hawed and got off the phone then rounded on me.  “Look! I have four kids under ten years at home and I don’t want my wife to suffer taking care of them alone!  I mean, everyday, I hear news of people being kidnapped and held for ransom.  We don’t have the kind of money these mad men demand.  Besides, even if friends are able to raise a ransom, there’s no guarantee the person will walk out of their clutches alive!” 

Of course, his concerns over being kidnapped if he travelled to his village in Eastern Nigeria to celebrate 50 years of his parents’ union, is well grounded in reality.  The latest kidnapping saga involving the mother of the finance minister underscores his concerns – kidnappers respect no one – rich or poor, local or expatriate, young or old, father of four or son of devoted parents.  As a social scientist, I was irked by the fact that I couldn’t offer him any certainties about his travel other than, “God forbid you get kidnapped; we will pray that everything goes well on your trip.”  I wanted to be able to say something professorial like, “frankly, your concerns are ungrounded because research findings suggest that kidnapping activities have a higher frequency in areas of the lower east and not close to your hometown.  Further, kidnapping peaks between January and March and the demography often targeted are older women with six or more children living outside the country.”  But I couldn’t offer any of these “findings” with any veracity.  So, I am appealing to social scientists out there is the field to offer data to help Brian go home.  Data needed include:

1. What variables determine when and where kidnappers would strike?  Is it an equal opportunity crime or are the rich or expatriates disproportionately targeted?  What income threshold defines a potential victim?
2. Are there peak seasons to kidnapping?  If so, when are these peak seasons?  What precipitates such peaks?  What are the chances of a person being kidnapped twice?
3. What is the demography of kidnap victims – age, gender, wealth bracket, connections to expats, popularity, etc?
4. What is the typical length of a kidnapping?  What besides the payment of a ransom, impacts length of kidnap?
5. What is the price range for ransoms?  What are the determinants of such prices?
6. What determines where kidnap victims are taken?  Do clustered houses, abandoned buildings, or rural settings facilitate kidnapping operations?
7. What influences the likelihood of safe release versus killing?  How can one increase the odds of a positive outcome?
8. Above all, how can Brian decrease his chances of being kidnapped if he changed his mind and went to join his siblings to celebrate their parents?

There’s plenty of work for all manner of researchers – psychologists can provide us with a profile of a kidnapper so family members may spot them and turn them in; sociologists can generate data on the environment where kidnappers thrive and recommendations on how to change such environment.  Criminal justice researchers could tell us how to better police our streets and how to effectively apply punitive measures to reduce the crime.  Political Scientists can determine which policies would effectively deter such activities and to promote security.

Ogbon ju agbara lo; brains surpass power – Yoruba proverb.

 One could look at the campaign of 2012 as the triumph of brains over brawn, strategy over power, tactics over wealth.  Indeed, pundits discuss Obama’s strategy as one which early on aligned him with the middle class but discredited his opponent as a friend of the wealthy.  As noted in Wanna B Prez?, Obama’s game plan in 2008 included a physical and virtual campaign, 50-state door to door grassroots organization, and effective use of social networks.  Likewise, 2012 revealed a repeat of this strategy alongside a harder-edged message engineered to give him an edge over his opponent.  On the long run, his strategy paid off and helped him to triumph over his better funded and perhaps, more powerful, opponent.

Systems work.  Strategies are effective.  Planning matters.  Planning is the difference between a rousing success and utter failure.  Without a game plan, your dreams become mere hallucinations of an addled mind. As Benjamin Franklin noted, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”  Nobody gets up and decides to rule a nation in one day; the task requires vision, focus, and strategic planning.  Make plans today to attain your goals.

To outline your game plan, create a table with the following columns: goals (what you want to achieve), objectives (sub-goals or actual actionable steps that you will take to accomplish your goal), action steps (each step needed to fulfill each objective), timeline (when you will take the outlined step), and check (a column for a pass mark when you finish your action steps, objectives, and goal).  Go ahead; create your game plan today.

[adapted from Wanna B Prez? 10 Life Strategies from President Barack Obama’s Journey to the White House].

You face the biggest challenge of all: to have the courage to seek your big dream regardless of what anyone says...

                                                                                                          -          Oprah Winfrey

 You cannot stroll to your goal.  And heck no, your record does not speak for itself.  There is no better illustration than this past presidential race.  When we look at President Obama’s record, we could argue that he has accomplished more than many presidents did in their first term in office.  He got Bin Laden, wound down two wars and won two more without committing more troops into combat, saved the middle class from sure extinction, yet he had to fight to retain his seat as president.

In the 2004 race, we recorded that then Senator Obama faced many obstacles to his candidacy including being a black male with Islamic sounding names in a post-9/11 America.  He was relatively unknown, lacked major funding, and of questionable nationality.  Yet, he showed up.  In this past campaign, we saw him campaigning vigorously particularly in key states reassuring his base while striving to garner support from outsiders.  He worked the campaign trail tirelessly.  He showed out!

So many people these days simply want to ‘stroll to their goal’ thinking life owes them a living.  I hope you are not one of these people.  Life owes no one a living; you must roll up your sleeves and do what you need to do to bring your dreams into reality.  So take an inventory, what would it take to achieve your dreams and goals?  How smart and hard do you need to work?  When and where do you need to work?  Then hit the ground running.

 [adapted from Wanna B Prez? 10 Life Strategies from President Barack Obama’s Journey to the White House].

Flailing economy…

Stiff Republican opposition…

Highly Liberal agenda…

Heavy funding of opponent…

Racism…

WIN!

Even as the pundits are spinning President Obama’s win as a fluke resulting from narrow wins in key states, we must pause to acknowledge the enormity of the feat.  This is a president who has been unable to deliver on major 2008 campaign promises due in large part, to a Republican Congress.  Indeed, his lack of delivery caused many 2008 supporters to turn away from him in this election.  Coupled with a flailing economy, he was guaranteed failure.  A poor economy has sunk the reelection aspirations of many an incumbent regardless of whether or not they caused it.  To further jeopardize his position, Obama ran on a highly liberal agenda with the promise to tax the rich and fund social programs.  Hence the rich responded by overfunding super PACs and stiffling the airwaves with negative ads.  And the virulent, rabid racism?  Towards the end of the race, it seemed everywhere you turned, some redneck was swearing to “get the n** out of office!”

Yet, unwavering in his dream, President Obama requested four more years.

Arguably, the president had a recipe for failure, and for a while, some believed he was a one-termer.  But he dared to dream of a second term and to infect enough people with his impossible dream so that they rose up and campaigned tirelessly for him, going door-to-door, calling voters, cajoling those undecided, and raising funds in bits and pieces until his dream was realized.

Do you have an impossible dream?  Or perhaps your first question should be, “do you DARE TO DREAM?  Are you brimming with talent but no vision?  Borrow a leaf from the President and Dream Big!  Dream of using your talents and gifts to impact our world in a positive and meaningful way.  Dream of creating a legacy that stands the test of time.  Face challenges and obstacles boldly but hold on tight to your dream.  Infect others with your dream that you may not crusade alone.  And above all, dream till you win!

[adapted from Wanna B Prez? 10 Life Strategies from President Barack Obama’s Journey to the White House].

It is Aso Ebi season in Georgia – summer weather, kids on holidays, and parties aplenty.  Every weekend features a variety of weddings, birthday parties, association meetings, and funerals; each an opportunity to participate in the buying and selling of aso ebi or ‘Aso-ebinomics.’  Defined, it is the art or perhaps craft of financing the purchase of aso ebis.  It should not to be confused with ‘Ebinomics’ or the hemorrhaging of one’s finances by relatives both real and imagined.  Aso-ebinomics encompasses both the tangible and intangible profits and accruals from the purchasing and trafficking of Aso-Ebi.  Now, when we say ‘trafficking,’ we don’t mean those who sell yards of cloth for a living but those who make a side hustle from selling said yards of cloth or head attire to raise petty cash for their parties.

Say, your friend wants to throw herself a 40^th birthday bash but does not have the requisite cash, she may creatively finance her party by buying lace or the fabric du jour and accompanying headgear at cost and selling them to you and others at inflated prices.  This way, she will raise enough capital to finance her bash. 

So you participate in your friend’s asoebinomics because you love your friend, want to garner goodwill towards your own future celebration, or simply don’t know what to do with your money (as in money miss road).  What does it actually cost you?  And what do you gain?  One, you will certainly stand out at the party, receive preferential treatment, and definitely receive invitations from others to continue participation in asoebinomics.  On the other hand, if you choose to invest same amount in a carefully selected mutual fund, even in this dire economic times, you may experience a different outcome.  Below is a rough sketch of both scenarios:

If your idea of a good party is staying home and watching movies or if you want your guests to have something to do while waiting for your party to start, kick back and enjoy Yoruba theatre and movies.There's a plethora of movies to choose from depending on your taste – old or new school.Hubert Ogunde (1916-1990) is considered the father of modern Yoruba/Nigerian theatre, launching his theatre group in 1946 following the pattern of traditional Alárìnjó dramas which accompanied the Egúngúns.

Since Ogunde, there have been other theatre groups and more recently, movies which artistically combine drama, music, and dance celebrating Yoruba culture. The movies usually present jùjú prowess, family relations within polygamy, societal issues, and Yoruba cultural values.

Behind the scenes making on-screen magic are playwrights, directors, and group managers. This truly remarkable bunch include: Wole Soyinka, Ola Balogun, Ola Rotimi, Dapo Adelugba, Kola Ogunmola, Art Alade, Ben Tomoloju, Wale Ogunyemi, Adebayo Faleti, Gbenga Adewusi, Femi Osofisan, Femi Lasode, Wale Adenuga, Jimoh Aliyu, Fred Agbeyegbe, Muyideen Alade Aromire, Tunde Kelani, Tade Ogidan, and Kareem Adepoju (Baba Wande).

Stars of Yoruba Theatre

1950 - 1960s

Drama: Hubert Ogunde

Kola Ogunmola

Ayo Ogungbe

Comedy: Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala)

Movies: Yoruba Ronu,Otito Koro

1970s

Drama: Duro Ladipo (Oba k'oso)

Ojo Ladipo

Comedy: Funso Adeolu (Chief Eleyinmi)

Ibidun Allison (Amebo)

Movies: Oba k'oso, Ajani Ogun, Ogbori Elemoso

1980s

Drama: Oyin Adejobi

Lere Paimo (Eda Onileola)

Adeyemi Afolayan (Adelove)

Ishola Ogunsola (I show pepper)

Comedy: Tajudeen Gbadamosi and Ayo Ogunsina (Jacob and Papalolo)

Ola Omonitan (Ajimajasan)

Sunday Omobolanle (Aluwe)

Tunji Oyelana (Sura the Tailor)

Movies: Aiye, J'aiye simi, Aropin n'tenia, Ayanmo, Arelu

1990s

Drama: Toyin Adegbola (Asewo to re Mecca)

Comedy: Babatunde Omidina (Baba Suwe)

Lola Idije (Iya Rainbow)

Modupe Johnson (Fali Werepe)

Kayode Olaseinde (Pa Ajasco)

Movies: Saworo Ide,Owuro l'Ojo, Agbara Nla,

Ti Oluwa ni Ile, Maradona, Sango

2000s

Drama: Femi Branch

Funke Akindele

Muka Ray

Saheed Balogun

Ronke Oshodi-Oke

Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo)

Comedy: (Baba Latin)

Movies: Eta'nu, Owo Ale, Jenifa, Arugba

(Culled from Owanbe! Yoruba Celebrations of Life by Abi Adegboye & Ibiyemi Dare)