Musings Archives | Page 16 of 20

Just Do It.

August 9, 2023 In Musings 9 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

“Just Do It” is the aspirational and inspirational slogan of the American show company Nike. The tagline was coined by Dan Wieden, one of the founders of the Wieden+Kennedy ad agency. In 1977, he followed the murder case of Gary Gilmore, who was executed by firing squad. Wieden was brainstorming for a tagline for a new series of Nike commercials, and he remembered Gilmore’s last word, “Let’s do it.” He changed it to “Just Do It,” and the rest, they say, is history.

You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.

It is never too late to be who you might have become.

August 8, 2023 In Musings 6 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

“Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life is: could have, might have, and should have.” ― Louis E. Boone

English Novelist George Elliot said: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall median age of American workers is 42.3 years. ¹ The Average Age of a Successful Startup Founder Is 45. ² We all start life with wild dreams and aspiration but along the way, we forget our greatness hence we settle for less than we can become. As American Essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson quipped “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” It is never too late to be who you might have become, fear is at the root of most of our inaction. The graveyard is said to be the richest place on earth, as we leave our music unsung, books unwritten, hopes and dreams unexplored just because we never dared to follow through with our wildest dreams.

The Power of Association.

August 6, 2023 In Musings 7 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

My mum constantly told me, “Birds of a feather flock together.”, “If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.” I did not understand what the saying meant growing up, but the older I get, the more meaningful that statement becomes. As the famous saying goes, “You are the average of the five people you associate with the most and the books you read.” Your net worth is the average of the people you associate it, and to a large extent, how far you go in life is determined by your association, good and bad.

Define your Life Stance.

August 5, 2023 In Musings 4 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. – Jim Rohn

American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson once quipped: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you is the greatest accomplishment.” If you don’t stand for something, you fall for everything. Most of us live on autopilot, people-pleasing, without healthy boundaries and invariably do not stand for anything. A life stance is your position on life, a frame of reference in which you are known.

Experience is not the best Teacher.

August 4, 2023 In Musings 9 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

experience (n.) ¹ late 14c., “observation as the source of knowledge; actual observation; an event which has affected one,” from Old French esperience “experiment, proof, experience” (13c.), from Latin experientia “a trial, proof, experiment; knowledge gained by repeated trials,” from experientem (nominative experiens) “experienced, enterprising, active, industrious,” present participle of experiri “to try, test,” from ex “out of” (see ex-) + peritus “experienced, tested,” from PIE *per-yo-, suffixed form of root *per- (3) “to try, risk.” Meaning “state of having done something and gotten handy at it” is from late 15c.

The Enemy called Average

August 3, 2023 In Musings 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

The word “average” comes from the Old French word “avarie” which means “damage to ship or cargo,” and is derived from the Arabic word “awar” which means “damaged merchandise.” In the Middle Ages, “avarie” came to refer to the distribution of the cost of such damage among the ship’s owners and cargo owners. By the 16th century, “average” had taken on the meaning of a division of a loss or expense among several parties. Today, “average” is used to describe a number or quantity that represents a typical or ordinary value within a larger group or population.

Measure Everything.

August 2, 2023 In Musings 6 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Greek Philosopher Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I add that an unlived life is not worth examining. I have been obsessed with measuring almost everything I have done in the past eighteen months, from my exercise regimen to goal-setting activities. Here are some ways I have experimented with measuring my daily activities.

Go the Extra Mile.

August 1, 2023 In Musings 6 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T. S. Eliot

Going the extra mile means doing more than is expected, required or anticipated. In the business world, it means under-promising and over-delivering, paying attention to details, obsessing about customer satisfaction and getting things done. Going the extra mile is a great analogy, especially when you run a lot like I do; it means pushing yourself to go one extra mile while running, do one more rep in the gym, one more lap in the swimming pool, one more practice session before that all important presentation.

Everything is going to be alright.

July 31, 2023 In Musings 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

It’s not that optimism solves all of life’s problems; it is just that it can sometimes make the difference between coping and collapsing. – Lucy MacDonald

The ability to hope for the best when things are not going right is essential in navigating life’s ever-changing nature. Life is a roller coaster of challenges, trials, tribulations, vicissitudes and constant changes. It is extremely tough to stay optimistic when we are faced with the enormous strains of life, such as losing a loved one, losing a job, divorce, health & financial issues, and career not going as you want it to; it seems you are going from one storm to the other, you want to smile but a sigh is all you could muster, worry and anxiety is all around you; I know that feeling. We’ve all been there, no one lives a problem-free life; whatever would go wrong would eventually be wrong, but when things go wrong as they sometimes would, don’t go wrong with the present challenge you are dealing with. Don’t let success get to your head and don’t let failure get to your heart.

Your journey in life is going to get tough at some point; giving up might seem like an option but Don’t give up yet. The sun will rise tomorrow, this too shall pass, everything will be alright, and what you learn from the ordeal will make you a stronger person with character. When you are going through trials and tribulations, self-doubt and constant anxiety, it does not feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel but there is.

The Regret-Free Life.

July 30, 2023 In Musings 6 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

“A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.“. – John Barrymore

Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past because the consequences of the decision were unfavorable. Regret is a negative emotion predicated on an upward, self-focus, counterfactual inference. (Gilovich and Medec 1995). Regret feels bad because it implies a fault in personal action: You should have done it differently, hence self-blame is a component of regret (Connolly & Zeelenberg, 2002).

Take Action.

July 29, 2023 In Musings 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Nothing moves until you move; if you want a different result in life, you would have to take a different approach. Doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Most of us wish to achieve our goals, but we hardly do anything about it. The difference between high achievers and non-achievers is that high-achievers decide, commit, and relentlessly execute their goals consistently.

There is a riddle I recently heard that perfectly describes the difference between deciding and taking action. There are five frogs sitting on a log, and one decides to jump off the log, how many frogs are left? The answer is not four frogs but five. Why? There is a huge difference between deciding and taking action. Most of us decide to go on a fitness regimen, read more books, save more money, listen more, and achieve our set goals. We do not follow through because we lack the commitment and self-discipline to take action consistently in executing our goals.

Without commitment, you’ll never start, but more importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish

Victimhood No More.

July 28, 2023 In Musings 5 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

We all have a choice in life whenever something unexpected happens to us: you can become bitter or get better, get the message or stay stuck with the mess, let it lessen you or learn the lesson, become a victim of your situation or take agency for your life. Life is a roller coaster of challenges, trials, tribulations, upheavals and crises which, if not handled well, would create further chaos. Motivational speaker Les Brown often says: “If you don’t handle it with grace, it will stay in your face.” You are not a victim, you are not helpless, you are not a tree, and ultimately, you can handle any situation you find yourself in. Life can be extremely tough at times, and you want to call a pity party, you focus on the windows instead of the mirror, and blame everyone but yourself for what you are going through.

Slow Down.

July 27, 2023 In Musings 8 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Desire hath no rest, is infinite in itself, endless, and as one calls it, a perpetual rack, or horse-mill.

I started learning how to swim in late 2021, and like most new activities, the learning curve was steep. I started in a YMCA swimming pool nearby, and the life guides kept telling me, “To go fast, you need to go slow.” It did not make sense to me then, but it makes total sense in hindsight. Just like in swimming, as in life, sometimes you might need to go slow, reassess the situation, pace yourself and relentlessly execute afterwards. Getting a time out is necessary in most situations, rest if you have to, go on vacation, take a nap, sleep and re-assess the situation afterwards.

We live in a high-paced world with everything at our fingertips; we are constantly rushing to fill our to-do lists, busy for busy sake, and we hardly have time to introspect, think or slow down to smell the roses. As leading American Transcendentalism, Henry David Thoreau once quipped, “It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”

Love Your Self.

July 26, 2023 In Musings 4 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

Self-love involves prioritizing your needs and caring for your body, mind and soul. By nourishing yourself first, you have enough to give to others. It is often said, “You cannot give what you do not have. ” Self-love is about acknowledging the need to take care of our needs, not our wants, and to work towards self-betterment instead of sacrificing our needs to prioritize the happiness of others.

The Joy of Reading.

July 25, 2023 In Musings 7 Mins Read By Lanre Dahunsi

He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger. – Confucius

Reading is a high-level way of sourcing ideas, and ideas are the currency that makes the world go round. Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Reading is a pastime that is generally on the decline due to many factors, such as our collective inclination for screen time and low attention span. We would rather Netflix and chill than read a good biography, we read more Facebook timelines than a good book, and we would instead read a tweet than get wit through curiosity.

“One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”– Earl Nightingale