Archive for April 2010

ON YOUR MARKS!!!

44 Comments »

...I had all eyes on me. I could feel the pressure in my joints and marrow. The heat in my tendons. It felt like I was going to pee. My nerves were all over me. Nothing else matter at that moment but the prize - the gold. I had screams of my name in ones and twos. As soon as the announcer began calling out names, the sound of mine received the shallowest of cheers. Apparently, no one knew anything about me or what I could do. I was not discouraged though. I looked to my right, I saw the gold medal on the steel table. I looked at my counterparts, they too had their eyes on it. The environment looked perfect. It was the State's Finals. Winner of which would represent the country at the World Youth Olympics. I could not look down. The heat was about to begin. No space for thoughts... it was down to who wanted it the most. We all came to our knees when we heard... "ON YOUR MARKS!"

While I am not too much of a fan when it comes to track and field events, I particularly take interest in 100m heat finals. It's perhaps the most exciting of heats at such events. Everyone is interested to know the latest world's fastest. What I often notice is the pressure on the runners; the intense feeling of uneasiness in the mind of the athletes. The question is, do all the athletes feel this way? I came to the understanding that champions are always confident. They know what they are in for. Their sights for the goal is like that of the eagle on its prey - fixed & unwavering. 

Have you started taking your sights off your dream? Are you beginning to lose confidence in yourself because your competitors looked like they are better than you? Have you already given up hope on that application because the statistics of intake last year excluded people of your pedigree or background? Maybe you have started to waver since you don't have so many people backing you or believing in your ability to make it? Peradventure you have decided to sit still because no one even knew you could brace up to the challenge?

Have your eyes set on the goal. Stick your neck out! Get your head up! Set your eyes on the prize! The RACE for your Dream is on! ON YOUR MARKS! The fact is many do not even know the race is on so, they are not on their marks yet. Take a look at the picture up there. What do you see? The Athlete on her mark, with her head up and her eyes fixed on the finish line. Verily verily I say unto you, except you have your eyes on the goal, it'd be too far to attain. Until you began seeing your dream is achievable, it's soon gone. Unless you begin to believe in your potentials, abilities and capability, impossibilities would hold the same label in your life. Take a look at quote that came through my mind while preparing for this post through the week:

"Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out" ~ James Bryant Conant
Stick your neck out. Always look for opportunities to keep moving. Stopping or waiting on the sidelines should not be an option. You were made for the winning team not for the reserve bench.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow" ~ Helen Keller
Set your eyes on your goal; on your dreams; on the prize. Don't you even think you can't do it because it's then you'd lose what you've got in you to do it. Just do it!

"To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself" ~ Francis Marion Crawford
Absolutely, it's what you expect that you'd get. As you think in your heart, so are you. If you think you are a loser, you are sure one of the fold. If you are think you are the best, you sure have it coming for you.

The RACE for your dream job is on. The RACE for your dream home is here. The RACE for your dream career is set. The heat for your highly esteemed goal is on - ON YOUR MARKS!

Thanks for reading once again. I hope you have been inspired.

- Le Dynamique Professeur

HEAR THE SOUND...

21 Comments »

I was fast asleep as if nothing was happening. It was a clear, brisk and sunny morning. My phone had just woken me up. It was Dr. Maestro, my football coach. With anxiety, he said, "Samuel, where are you?" I cleared my throat, looking for a reply, "I am still at home sir. I don't think I can make it". He shouted at me, "would you get yourself here now; by any means!" I stood up, had my shower. It was the last game of the season. We were playing with another title contender. The first half had just finished when I got to the pitch. Everyone stared at me like, "if we lose today, you are in trouble". I put on my gears and immediately Dr. M had a talk with me and I got on the field. Within my 10mins of play, I netted the only goal of the match and that got us through as champions of the league. I was lifted up, caressed and celebrated as if I did all the work. The shout of victory was sweet. One of my best football memoirs.

One distinction that baffles me in life is the difference between the sound you hear on the winning side and that of their losing counterpart. Its always shout of Joy and ecstasy in the winning side whereas on the losing end, its wailing, weeping and mourning. The difference is huge and clear. If asked which side you desire, I sure have your answers. No one wants to be on the losing side. The shout of victory is sweet. The Sound of Triumph is awesome. Join me on my first ever motivational poem.

Hear The Sound

On my wings
The sky is calling
I'm on the rise
Hear the sound

Its my turn
Back out; never!
I'm up and ready
Its my time
I'll arise and soar
The top's got space
Feel me fly

Pack up, not my call
Won't give up,
Even if i fall
For am on an upward surge
I'm on a mission
Hear me roar

Can u see me run
The wind's right behind me
Can u see me fly
The destination's so near
The shout of triumph so sweet
Hear the Sound... 

- Le Dynamique Professeur

Setting the Stage for your come back

34 Comments »














  • At the 2004 Athens Olympics he was hampered by a leg injury, and was eliminated in the first round of the 200 metres with a disappointing 21.05 seconds.
  • At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, he qualified with runs under 21 seconds, but he suffered an injury in the final, finishing last with a time of 26.27 seconds.
  • At the 2006 Grand Prix in Lausanne, Switzerland, he ran 19.88 seconds, a new personal best, finishing behind Xavier Carter and Tyson Gay to earn a bronze medal
  • He claimed his first major world medal two months later at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany. He passed the finishing post with a time of 20.10 seconds, gaining a bronze medal in the process.
    The man described is the world acclaimed fastest man in the world - the lightning Bolt - Usain Bolt.

    It's amazing the number of setbacks that could have sunk this man's potentials. Isn't it amazing how these road blocks could have hindered his come back for the history making experience he had at the just concluded olympics? Despite all the adversity he faced in previous years, Usain Bolt never gave up. He was actually setting the stage for his come back. I love the words of William A. Ward, what has come to be my favourite quote...

    "Adversity causes some men to break, others to break record"
    You will agree with me that adversity did not break Usain Bolt, rather it made him break RECORDS! You don't believe me, read this...

    "Bolt's personal best of 9.69 seconds is the fastest ever legal time. Tyson Gay had a run of 9.68 seconds at the 2008 US Olympic Trials but a tail wind of 4.1 m/s exceeded the legal limit of 2.0 m/s set by the IAAF, nullifying its inclusion as a world record. Obadele Thompson also made a run with 9.69 seconds in 1996, not recognised as it was in a tail wind of 5.0 m/s. Bolt has now followed with a world record in the 200m sprint with a record time of 19.31s in a headwind of -0.9m/s making his official time 19.30s, beating Michael Johnson's previous world record of 19.32s." Source

    As a christian, I love the words of the bible when it said, "if you fail in the days of adversity, your strength is small" - Proverb 24:10. Successful men were not born with extraordinary strength than we all. Rather, they are men who after every experience of adversity, continuously set the stage for a comeback. They looked forward to when they will return to that stage again for their best ever, record breaking performance. It is very easy to get discouraged when you are faced with adversity. But that’s no reason to give in. Yes you heard me! It is no reason enough to listen to the voice of discouragement. That voice that says you should quit, that no one will know or care; that voice that says, "you have a good excuse to not give it all it takes, people will understand."

    Have you been defeated by an O-level/School/professional examination? Maybe you have been knocked out of a relationship that left you deeply hurt, piercing through your heart and soul. Peradventure you have been relegated to bankruptcy by the financial measures of the country you live in because your business just failed. Perhaps you have been conquered by seemingly long-lived infirmity that has lasted for so long in your family and life has become so hard to live. Listen to me, I have heard of cases like these and many more. I have heard of those who lie low in their defeat and never saw the joy of victory. I have also heard of men and women who at the face of defeat were setting a stage for their comeback. When they came back, when they arose, the whole world knew someone had just stood up. The whole world had no choice but to welcome their come back. They shook the whole world and their names became great. Which side would you want to belong of these two?

    Are you ready for a come back? Then give these nuggets a try...

    1. Keep your goal in sight. You are the only one that can call it quit.
    2. Continue strategizing for a comeback. This means, start exploiting options available to you.
    3. Don't settle for anything less. If you are gunning for level 8 and you failed, don't settle for level 5.
    4. Plan, Prepare and Pursue. it's surely your for grabs. It your comeback. The whole world await you!
    5. Don't lose the first four.

    Thanks for reading once again. If you have been inspired, i'd like to hear from  you.

    - Le Dynamique Professeur

    Don't Waste While You Wait

    33 Comments »

    Lost in deep thoughts recently, I started to think about how all through my life, I've had to wait for some events to happen at one time or the other. These could be in the form of waiting for people to come into my life; money to show up from somewhere; letters of admission into schools to pour in; job offers for applications made; saving up for a particular thing that would turn my fun world around, and so on and so forth. In a thorough reflection, I discovered that, at every point in time in a man’s life, he is awaiting something. Times like these are part of life, often unplanned, that are either wasted doing nothing or made very good use of; hence, this post.

    Many in life have wasted their entire lives doing nothing while waiting for something to happen in their life. While they wait, they lay waste. Some resolve to sleeping and waking up daily while they wait on a letter of offer from the school they had applied to. Some spend most of their times playing games, while they wait for a call up letter for their Youth Service Corps. Some even pick up bad habits in the process of waiting for a decision on their visa application such that by the time the decision came, it met them in jail. Such people obviously wasted their lives while they wait. Precious waste of time! In essence, what I am saying is, we have to be conscious of the phase our lives are in, so we don’t waste.

    Dear reader, what do you often do while you wait? Ask yourself that question. Have you heard the saying, “an idle hand is the devil's workshop”? Well, not necessarily an idle hand; a wasting hand may as well be a tool in the hands of the devil. Waiting, for the wise, is not wasting; rather it’s a time to be useful: to the family; to the society; to the religious organization he belongs; to his/her future spouse or employer; to his/her neighbourhood; to even that which you are waiting for. Time is life. Time is money. It’s a currency with no rebate. You don’t get it back after you've spent it.

    How do you stay conscious while you wait?
    • Think of what to do to bless lives.
    • Think of what you can do to be an inspiration to those around you
    • Think of how you can add value to yourself
    • Think of what you can do to maximize your time not to while it away.
    • Whatever good your hands find to do at such times, do it with all your might.
    You can choose to waste while you wait or choose to wax strong. The decision is yours. Just remember, the time you've spent, you can no longer regain. Don't waste it. Spend it wisely.

    Hope you've enjoyed reading?

     -Le Dynamique Professeur

    10 Honest Things About Me (Not my regular kind of post)

    18 Comments »

    I got tagged by a fellow blogger, Lily Johnson, and I thought I do it now. I am supposed to tell you 10 honest things about me. So, here we go...

    1. I have a sweetheart; my Mrs-to-be. A lady I cannot compare to any other. She is the best thing about me. Absolutely lovely, she is. She is a complete beauty both inward and outward [Yes, I am taken - no longer available - lol]. I would have loved to put a picture here but I am not sure she'd permit. My friends on facebook, can take a look at her pictures on my profile.

    2. I rarely get angry. In fact, I can be the funniest person on earth, if I am not mad at anyone. However, if I'm angered, I may turn out to be very different from the one you used to know. Not that I would be violent or anything, I often make decisions when I am angry. Such decisions are always to start behaving in opposite manner as I used to behave with the person/thing in question. Meaning, if we used to spend ages talking, it could thereafter turn to 1minute a year. [LOL]

    3. As much as it looked like I love academics, I am actually getting to that point where I feel I need rest. [That surely would sound very surprising to those who know me]. Yes, I mean it. After this phase of studying for me, I would perhaps like to take a month off academics completely. Perhaps go on a holiday cruise to the Caribbean, doing nothing for a whole month.

    4. I cherish friendship. They make me laugh, cry, hope, talk endlessly, behave like a child or even act stupidly atimes. Friendship excites. I have friends of different ages - age 10 to 50 [LOL]. I love the words of one of my mentors, "make friends with those higher than you so you can learn from them and with those lower than you, so you can impart them." I have few friends but lots of acquaintance. My friends are few because I love when people are genuine. I love being 'Me' around my friends and I love it when they are like that too. Open, not shy, not pretending... that's just me. I even have close friends I have never seen before in my life. [Yes, online friends] - Male and Female. [LOL]

    5. Teaching makes me bubbly! Anything that has to do with me standing in front of a class, is just me. I love trying to explain things with my funny gestures. If I am sick and there is an opportunity to teach, I am certain my healing is just around the corner. That's why I often say I am born to teach. Teaching excites me.

    6. I once wrote a book and I lost the manuscript. Or shall I say it this way, someone lost the manuscript. I wrote it around the age 15-17. The title of the book was "Consider it". I promise myself to re-write it. I am sure it'd be more lovely and mature this time.

    7. I am VERY passionate about soccer [yes, call it football]. Arsenal is my favorite club in the world; followed by Real Madrid in Spain, AC Milan in Italy and Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand. I often joke about that, till I am 70, I'd still be playing football with my grandchildren. I'd still be fit with my 6 pacs, kicking the ball. Can I hear Amen? [My babe and my close friends will surely have a go at me on this one. haha]

    8. There hasn't been a time someone came to depressed and went back depressed. Somehow, by my many words, flowrations and gestures, the person will surely find motivation. I believe that's my purpose for life. Most especially people around my age and below. Let me confess, most things I say to motivate people, I sometimes wondered where they came from. In fact, after such meetings, I try writing some of the things I have said down to encourage myself. The reason is because, it just flows. I don't struggle for the words. The well, I guess, is within.. To God be the glory for His gifts.

    9. MUSIC! Argh! Another of my passion. I can sing from now till tomorrow. I can dance from now till Mummy calls. Many wonder where my energy from dancing comes from. I don't know too, to be honest. Even when I am playing the keyboard in church, I cant help dancing on it. Imagine, playing the keyboard, singing and dancing - all at the same time, I do that sometimes. Ask me how, I don't know too. [LOL]

    10. Writing comes to me like hunger to the belly. You don't have to ask for it. It just comes. My babe asked me this morning, "Dear, where do you always get titles of your blogposts from?" The answer, "I don't know" lol. From books, inspiration from quotes I read. I have sites I bookmarked as favorites that are just basically quotes. The only form of writing I need inspiration for is academic writing. It's not cause I don't know what to write but the style of writing is not free-flowing. It has to be persuasive and defensible. So, it requires more than any mere writing. Guess what though, I am getting there - two journal publications and a few conference ones. You see?

    What do you think? I won't tag any of you here ok? HAHAH
    Your comments are welcome. Now you know 10 more things about me.

    - Le Dynamique Professeur

    « Previous Entries
    Next Entries »
    © Samuel Ekundayo | Le Dynamique Professeur 2012. Powered by Blogger.