What are you reading?

Sep 21,2016 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

I have had the privilege to go through many books: old/classics, new/contemporary, even soon to be published. I love all ‘’good” books. I judge books by the cover (being a designer), from the synopsis and certain recommendations from devourers of prints and e-copies. I must say this, the last time I read something that held me through the night was a candid retrospection of a friend, brother and egbon / elder – Victor Adeyemi‘s IF YOU CAN’T BUY IT, STEAL IT! I don’t like books written to impress or such in circulation not addressing or in the pattern of the doctrine of a strenuous life [a speech by Theodore Roosevelt] . In the last couple of weeks, I have read two of Ryan Holiday’s books: Ego is the enemy and Obstacle is the way. It is good to see / reflect your life through the writings of noble writers / thinkers. I had the opportunity of reviewing my goals in life to see if it was driven by the desire for recognition or the desire to the higher calling – actualization / self-transcendence. Our society is full of men riding on their ego and cannot eschew the spotlight for the higher goals. A thought provoking question from ‘Ego is the enemy’ – “How are we supposed to reach, motivate, or lead other people if we can’t relate to their needs—because we’ve lost touch with our own?” The society is full of egoistic people, people that can’t see beyond the trifles of their mundane works as the only best thing that had happened to this generation. “When we remove ego, we’re left with what is real”. You will also find his book, “Obstacle is the way” interesting.

I am also going through ‘Ideas, a history of thought and invention, from fire to freud’ a good ride of reading across the scrolls of our development, beliefs & inventions. I saw a copy of it in a friend’s room [Aji Baba], started reading. I didn’t ask him to borrow me – I ordered a copy! Man has developed and evolved. Time to revolt. But against what?

Inspiration Others

Truth must be spoken

Sep 21,2016 / By Sola Olododo / 1 Comment

Of what good is life if truth cannot not be spoken? of what worth is gold if it can not be exchanged for a bread? of what use is the star if it can not give it’s brightest in the dark? of what use is governance if not for the interest(s) of the people, fairness, justice & salvation ?

Inspiration Others

ORDER OF THE ZOMBIES

Sep 20,2016 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

The world wants to make zombie of you, – to drop your brain and follow; God wants you to use your brain, create, dominate, subdue the earth…else, He wouldn’t have given you one.

Inspiration Others

Point man

Sep 20,2016 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

I am just like a man pointing you to the sun – Dr Tisser , Cryptogamic Botanist

It took me a decade plus to thoroughly understood what the quote above meant, a rhetorical statement of a lecturer of mine. Simply put, when you have a man pointing you to the sun, he’s showing you the source of light, that you walk out of darkness and embrace your path to destiny. The man pointing you cannot fulfil your dreams, you make it happen!. Light conquers all (lux omnia vincit) so does knowledge. When you embrace the Light, you gain revelational insight and unravel things hidden or unknown.

Creativity Inspiration Others

Seek continuous education

May 24,2016 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

I once told a ‘pastor’ that he needs knowledge of project management, he looked at me and said, “but I am not into construction business”. It took another 10 minutes to outline how project management could make his ministry better and effective.

You walk into a hospital and you see the nonchalant attitude of the registering officer, I say, “you need a customer service development training”. You walk into an establishment and you see the disarray and disorganization of things, “I say you need training on project management”. When a delivery or courier service fails regularly to deliver on due period, then the need for time management course. When a fashion designer doesn’t not adhere to the work defined by his clients or has added materials or pattern beyond documented design (gold plating) I say, “he or she has no understanding of scope management”. Ineffectiveness of a system is a pointer to an area for adjustment, remedy, modification and development. No knowledge loss as long as it makes your profession, product(s) or service(s) better. The exposure to industry standard/process gives the edge sooner or later.

There are courses I recommend for everybody e.g. design thinking, project management, customer care, strategic management, leadership management regardless of the office you are occupying or your designation.

We are always lacking in one area or the other, the remedy is to seek knowledge and improve our effectiveness and services to others daily.

Inspiration Others Perspectives

The systems we design

Nov 12,2015 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old – Peter Drucker

“My mum will not knit at night”

“My Boss said the files must be kept at 45 degree angle”

“Our tribe doesn’t dance when the fire goes off ”

“When I was your age, we weren’t allowed to voice our opinions ”

From the tribal display of an antiquated society to running a company in the 21st century, there is the disputation over our cultural system(s), the acceptance of status quo, the upholding of ‘the way we are,’ the revolt and defiance to the existing institutions. The question is, who designed those systems? How effective are the systems? What is the cost of such system? Why was the system institutionalized with these evident parameters?

Time, handlers of information & experiences are the weavers of behavioral exhibitions, the very liability of our passivity; with systems, life is either regimented or adventurous, consequential or disconnected, frivolous or realistic, profitable or obligatory.

The optimal solution is to ‘root out’ unfavorable ideologies and embrace the disruptive approach. The disruptive approach gives rise to new innovation, better ways, modernity, new perspectives, shift in paradigms; we should bear the consequences to find our aspirations. Even when a system is tested, tried and trusted, there is always room for improvement.

Others Perspectives

It is happening

Oct 6,2015 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

It is happening. It is happening now, the loss of vital information needed to connect the dots of time and space.

It was a hare-brained beast that ordered another madcap to set the scrolls in the library of Alexander on fire and tons of works became a mound of ashes. It is happening now. How can Gilgamesh’s fame survive his death if it was not a devotee of knowledge that etched it for posterity? Was it not the guard Yinxi, the famous sentry who appealed to the old master to record his wisdom for the good of the country hence Tao Te Ching? The Bhagavad Gita? Marcus Aurelius gave meaning to his life through his stoical writings and meditation, someone published it. ‘The Sayings of Epictetus’ his teachings written down and published by his pupil Arrian. Lucretius’ Book ‘on the nature of Things’ was discovered in the Monastery. It is happening.

It made headline news, “A Marabout strangled by a group of bandits…because he knew too much”. “Timbuktu attack, a revenge for an unaccepted, unacceptable ideology”. It is happening now. One person preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls, another found it. Atlantis became a myth because of no traceable manuscript.

Piece by piece time can be documented to understand and solve the riddle of our existence. But how can we when we are losing our heritage, our stories, our origin, the cord between man and divinity? How can we when a madcap is destroying our evidences, our relic, our facts, and our antique? Someone somewhere is documenting life, another planning to destroy it (sighs).

It is happening now, “ISIS blew up monuments in Syria”. Someone somewhere in Nigeria is fighting against the advancement in Technology, not because a phone-making company is exploiting “planned obsolescence” but because the better part of his mind is ignorance.

Shhhhh…an arsonist lurks around ‘Gutenberg’s Press’ because Jesus Said, “I am the Truth” and Peter quoted…it is happening.

Inspiration Others

A good Site

Oct 2,2015 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

I woke up this morning to realize that I haven’t/never checked (on) certain people’s blog/site and not ever bothered to take a peep at Bill Gates’ very own, I decided to hunt the link down.

You will find a beautiful timeline of his life and achievements on his biography link (http://www.gatesnotes.com/globalpages/bio). Check on his “improving education” link as well and read his reflection on ‘what teachers mean to me’. Can you recall the names of the great and good teachers that had had influence on your life? Gates did.

I love this page most, an overview of what he had read and what he is currently reading. See how many of these books you have fed your eyes and mind with.(http://www.gatesnotes.com/Education/TEACH). Be cognizant of the fact that he mentioned Steve Jobs’ biography written by the wry and quintessential biographer Walter Isaacson. (We all have something to learn from one anoother 🙂 . Abundance (by Peter Diamandis) is a great book. If you have never read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell rush to the store, don’t ask for the price, get one and start readin’.

Did you find Mills and Boon on gates’ reading collection? Best of luck on that.

This title is already a great advice, you don’t have to read it (work hard, be nice by Jay Matthews).

I will recommend you flip through his book too ” Business at the speed of thought”. You will find patterns helpful in the thinking mechanism of this great man. The book for me many years ago was futuristic and prompting. Oh, he didn’t pay me to do this, just thought it might be helpful to you or for someone.

Even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while.

Anonymous

Inspiration Others Perspectives

The shoe tale

Sep 21,2015 / By Sola Olododo / No Comment

I saw a man this morning, his shoes half-worn-out, the base eaten up by the earth; he wore a garment stricken by the sun, bleached to fade while his face thirsts for the dew of mercy and grace. So I asked, where is he coming from? Where is he going? Does he know where he is?

What tale is your shoe telling?
Our shoes have tales to tell. It might be partly damaged but it should tell the tale of a man marching to his utopia. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, “Not all who wander are lost”. Our shoes should connect the dots of the past, the present and the future. The past might have been hard but that doesn’t mean we should lose sight of where we are going. Now is pertinent. The clarity of now vanquishes the mystical haze of the future.

Tie the lace of your shoes on whatever path you have chosen. Worry not about the past; the past only must be told and serve as a reference of correction.

Category : Others