What qualifies a person or a team to be described as the best in a competition among others with whom they are evenly matched? The question seems simplistic and the answer even simpler, however, there are many things to consider on how events eventually play out.

The one who wins is said to be the best, but in any competition worth its salt, the winner usually has to go through a number of battles with various opponents, and those who win consistently make it to the final where they face off with another who has a similar number of wins under their belt.

As the best of the best face each other, what gives one the advantage over the other? Is it the discipline and skills they have developed? Is it the hard work and determination? Is it the organisation and team work? Is it the strategy they have employed? Is it the faith they have to win? Is it the stamina they have developed over many seasons of practice? Is it the will to keep going and not give in to the weariness that sets in as the play time extends?

Maybe it is all of this and more, so that whatever happens they remain standing with more points than the opponent had managed. Someone might say, maybe it was a bit of luck that played a part to make them come out on top. Then again, if indeed they put in all that was required to win and displayed the tenacity of a victor, maybe they did deserve that luck.

40+FAB Blog

No! It’s not new.

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 19, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

Have you ever learnt a ‘new’ skill? That skill could be wine making for instance, but for all it’s worth, people have been making wine for thousands of years, so it is not a new skill, it is only new to you.

How often do we label things based on our own perspective and view of the world? The man that was said to discover America found people living there. It was certainly new to him and the nation he came from, but it was not new.

There is a difference between what is new to you and what is really new to the world. There have been inventions, like the wheel, which revolutionised the way we live. People have been able to come up with such new concepts which have changed the world. When you can spot the difference between something that is truly new, and another which is new to you, you are mastering the art of creativity. That is a critical point for the sure development of any society.

When next you come across something new, go a bit deeper to understand the history behind it, this will actually deepen your knowledge of the subject. When you become good at researching like this, you are more likely to uncover the truly new things that open the door to great opportunities for you.

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Look left, look right

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 18, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

“When you are crossing the road, make sure you look left, look right and look left again.” My parents drummed this into my ears time and time again as I was now old enough to go out on my own, without their supervision, and especially because there were not many pedestrian crossing points on the roads around where we lived.

This was one of the secrets to staying safe on the many dual carriage ways that we had to navigate to get to friends houses and playing fields.
If a car was coming on the left, it didn’t matter how free the right was, you had to wait for the left to be clear and then consider what was happening on the right. It took some practice and getting used to before one could traverse the road as if they controlled oncoming traffic.

There are many roads in life with many variables moving left and right. Sometimes we get knocked down, not because our prediction of a particular course of action was wrong, but because we did not consider other variables that we had to get out of the way before pursuing the opportunity we saw.

It is great to invest in property, but are you buying in the right place and at the right time? Relocating to another country might be a good idea, but have you considered the time, cost, and effort required to be literate in another language? I don’t need to go on any further as you do get the point on the importance of looking left, looking right, and then looking left again.

40+FAB Blog

The statue of David

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 17, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

There is a famous sculpture by the artist Michelangelo of the biblical character David, who killed Goliath. The statue which stands at over 17 feet tall was sculpted from a large marble rock which was discarded by two previous artists before Michelangelo finally found it and created the masterpiece. Over the last 500 years, millions of visitors have gazed upon the sheer magnificence of this piece of work.

When lauded for his talent to create the sculpture, Michelangelo said the statue was already in there, locked behind the slab of marble rock, and he had only released it through years of hard work chipping away at the rough edges. It took Michelangelo a while to discover that stone which became the statue, it took great insight on his part to see the form in the formless, and it took great perseverance to work at it until it became what he had seen. That stone on the other hand waited for years, decades, centuries and possibly even millennia for someone to discover it and release the potential that was always in it.

Our life could be described as a mass of potential, just like that stone, but the one difference is that most times, we are blessed with a vision of what our future could be, so we don’t have to wait for years for someone else to spot the potential in us. We can begin to chip away at our own rough edges as we look out for great artists, I mean mentors, who we can place our potential with and together unravel the greatest of forms that would make the world around us marvel at what we have become.

40+FAB Blog

We cannot reverse time

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 16, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

There are certain events that happen that only the reversal of time can actually resolve. I am sure you have watched those movies where the hero is able to reverse time after a building has collapsed, and everything comes back to what it was before it fell. The time bender is able to do this, whether with a building or with a vase.

If you drop an expensive vase, it can be repaired by gluing the pieces together, however it will never be restored like it was before unless time is reversed. Unfortunately, we cannot reverse time so we have two options, one is to repair the situation as best as we can, and the other is to look back at events and understand extensively why they happened, then build the future in a way to prevent that calamity from happening again.

For every negative thing that has happened, we cannot reverse the time, but we can study what happened so that as much as lies within our power those same thing are mitigated from happening again.

40+FAB Blog

Light and memory

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 15, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

If you walked into a place you had never been before, what you see of it is what you will remember. If however there was total darkness when you got there, you would not see anything in the absence of light, thus you will not remember anything about that place.

Physical light will aid memory of what the eye can see. But light transcends the physical and we can describe it as that which brings understanding. I remember back in school there were certain subjects I never understood and so could never remember an answer when asked about it. Those who understood it on the other hand never forgot how to answer questions on it.

If you want to improve your memory on anything, then you need to get an understanding of it. You need the light to shine on that subject so you can clearly see all that pertains to it. There is nothing wrong with your ability to remember, it may just be that you do not have enough light to see what you need to know.

40+FAB Blog

Don’t kill the routine

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 14, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

The road to success is one paved with routine of activities that cause you to learn, grow and operate in a way that brings in the results. At first it feels like one is going through the motions and nothing is happening, but as you continue through the daily routines, the results begin to come slowly, and then as a deluge.

When success comes, there is usually that temptation to say, “things are working now, I can put my feet up and relax or do something else”. At that point, it is easy to kill the routine forgetting that we carved out the moments of productivity through our routine.

Once we wind down the consistency with which we used to develop a productive life, we initiate another process which leads us back to an unproductive life. Routines are powerful, so whatever you do, don’t kill the routines that have helped you progress.

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When you get off track

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 13, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

Every one who plans a journey knows that they need to chart the course from where they are, to where they want to go. They also need to take into account the time, cost and means to get there. As important as those three things are to completing a journey, the determination to get there probably overrides everything else.

As we journey through life, it is no different, we must have a plan and live according to that plan. From time to time, we get inundated with the busyness of life and the unpredictability of events which could have the effect of knocking us off course. Sometimes it feels like we have lost time, or the cost to continue is too great, or the means to get there are out of our hands. Whatever it is, the one thing that brings us back on track is our determination to get there.

Determination is not bound by time, it is not purchased with money, and it is not manufactured by any external means. If you have determination, you have arguably the most important ingredient for you to keep going. Do not let what you don’t have discourage you, rather use what you do have to push your way through.

40+FAB Blog

The round about

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 12, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

In most countries where they have round about’s, and do observe the driving conventions, any car on the round about has the right of way and all other cars should give it priority to proceed without disturbance until it comes off the round about. This gives the driver time to navigate and make a decision on which turn to take.

Just like at a round about, when we seem to be going around in circles in life, trying to navigate which path to take, people generally tend to leave us alone. I remember a sales man trying to get me to buy a special holiday offer, he laboured for some time giving me all the benefits and costs of the package, then trying to convince me to make a purchase. When it was time to make the decision he said, I will give you some time to think about it, and he left me alone to ponder my response.

Your time to choose is like being on the round about, so never let anyone try to pressure you out of your right to choose. At this point you have the right of way. If however you linger in making a choice, you could be in a position where you are holding others up and they will not wait for you forever.

When it comes to making your choice remember the rules of the round about, and be ready to act, not too hastily and not too reluctantly. You are in the drivers seat, and you have been given leeway, so get on with it as best as you can.

40+FAB Blog

Stir yourself up

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 11, 2021

- 40+FAB Blog

Have you ever watched a peacock spread out its lovely tail? The male peacock carries behind it a bunch of feathers neatly folded behind it like any other bird. But just like a folded paper fan, the peacock is able to spread out its feathers into a glorious display.

You will notice that the bird needs to shake itself to get those feathers erect from their normally dormant state. It takes effort on the part of the peacock to complete its transformation and become the centre of attention.

Just like the peacock, we all carry special gifts, but they are mostly in a dormant state. We must stir ourselves up to allow those gifts come out and show up, transforming us from the ordinary into a masterpiece worth admiration.

Stir yourself up today and shake off discouragement, despondency, negative thinking, reticence and all reluctance to show up. Bring out a smile with your skills, innovation, optimism, enthusiasm, hard work and the desire to succeed. Remember what makes you look as impressive as the peacock is all in you, shake it out!

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May the best team win

No! It’s not new.

Look left, look right

The statue of David

We cannot reverse time

Light and memory

Don’t kill the routine

When you get off track

The round about

Stir yourself up