Those that come to great success will tell you they never always started out with a sure bet idea which brought in their great fortunes. In fact, you will hear stories of how they tried and tried again until they finally got the breakthrough idea.

On the other hand, those that don’t attain that kind of success always seem to have an apprehension and will refuse movement until they have a sure bet idea.

In the words of respected business model expert Alex Osterwalder, “You can’t pick a winner without investing in the losers” he reveals the mindset of the organisations or individuals that come up with the big winners. Their attitude is, once there is an idea, throw your best resources at it to bring it to life.

Without giving it your all, you don’t even get a chance to prove if it is good or terrible. Whatever your idea, invest in it. If it is good you will get signals egging it on. If it is bad, you will see the hand writing on the wall. If you do nothing, then nothing will happen and time will fritter away while you frantically achieve nothing.

Anything of value in life never comes for free as there is always the cost of picking a winner. Be constantly ready to pay that price and you will find that you have an attitude that makes whatever you touch to become a winner.

40+FAB Blog

Push backs

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 24, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

I am yet to meet anyone who loves being pushed back, resisted and criticised, constructively or otherwise. It is inherent in our nature to always want our own way and we do our best to get it as much as we can.

Our own way however does have limitations because it could be entirely made up of one view point, and if that view point is wrong, then we have set ourselves up to fail.

Push back happens when we come up against another opinion that is different to ours. It creates a resistance which could be healthy for us to build up a stronger argument or to tweak our position for a better outcome.

Think about the guy building his muscles. He does a lot of resistance training, he has to push back the weights repeatedly until over a period of time, he increases muscle mass and is able to handle comfortably the weights that had resisted him.

Push backs are to be welcomed as they have the potential to bring out the finest responses in us.

40+FAB Blog

Getting it out there

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 23, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

There are over 7 billion people on the planet. That makes it a very huge market for any idea, service or product to be sold.

So why is it that some people are great at reaching so many, and others find it hard to even capture the attention of another person apart from themselves?

The winners are those that are effective at getting whatever they have to the world out there. Never underestimate the power of a good distribution network.
I always say that “A bad product in distribution is better than a good product in isolation”.

First things first, whatever you are doing, you must get it out of yourself effectively. Are you able to communicate your ideas? are you able to clearly define your objectives for what you are doing and what you hope to get from it? Are you 100% sure about what it is you are offering to another?

If you fail at that first step, it becomes an up hill task to get what you have into any meaningful distribution. Getting it out there starts with getting it out of you.

40+FAB Blog

Work on it

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 22, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

Whatever you have in your life, animate or inanimate, in physical form or any other expression that we have come to acquaint ourselves with, there is what I call the maintenance debt that we have to pay for it.

That debt is paid for by money, time, knowledge, resolve, patience or whatever else it takes to keep it in good condition in your life.

The mistake we make most times is to get something new and never work on it to keep it operational for the duration of it’s useful life.

What is the duration of useful life for a marriage, friendship, business, property, investment, etc. How much is the maintenance debt for it? What is the correct payment type for it?

If you can figure these things out and are willing to put the work in, then you can be sure that you will enjoy the fullest benefits of those things you have.

40+FAB Blog

A tribute to Daddy

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 21, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

To be a father is more than just being a contributor to the birth of a life. In the Hebrew language, the word Father is made up of the first two letters of their alphabet and it means one who is the source or originator.

When I think of source, I think of a river that flows from a springing fountain. How far and fast that river will run depends on the strength and indeed continuity of its source. If the source decides it is too tired to show up, the river will not flow. If the source decides to up sticks and leave town, the river will not grow.

Every man that stands in a place of consistency, reliability, dependability, integrity, charity, commitment, knowledge and strength is standing in the place of the true definition of a father.

Be thankful for such a man that has been there for you, be grateful for the sacrifices and the lessons he has taught you. Let your father know that beyond a shadow of a doubt you have run fast, you have run far, you have run right, you have run with delight, you have run in kindly deeds, you have run and achieved.

Your success and how far you have come, can be attributed to the source that would not be overcome. So don’t hold back what he is due, a befitting tribute to Daddy, that’s what you must do.

40+FAB Blog

Ready or not…

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 20, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

When we play the game of hide and seek with children we usually say, ready or not, here I come. We say this after we have given them a countdown for them to properly hide themselves.

I am of the opinion that if we are a little observant, we would recognise the count down of most things coming our way. We have been on lock down for a few months now, but there has been enough speculation on when we will be let back into the wide world. Are you ready? If you are not, it still would not prevent the change from coming.

What else have you been warned of in your life? Can you see it coming? Have you done what you can to be ready for when it arrives? Be aware because whether you are ready or not, it is sure to come.

40+FAB Blog

Pressing forward

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 19, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

Our every moment in life is marked by time, and time is the one thing that never stands still. Everything around us also moves to the tune played by the passing of time.

When you are born, time keeps moving, when you become a teen, time still keeps moving. When you fall, time keeps moving, or when you win, time keeps moving. When you are ill, time keeps moving and unfortunately when you die, time will still keep moving, and so will everyone around you who is subject to time.

There is therefore little time, if at all any, to spend trying to preserve the state you are in. Did you just fail? Don’t sweat it, keep moving and you will eventually turn it around. Did you just experience your greatest victory? Don’t rest on it for there is more to accomplish and today’s victory will become tomorrow’s lesson telling others that this was a mark set so they could surpass it by miles.

As you hear the time tick, every beat is a reminder to move forward. Don’t sit around to stop things from changing but embrace the inevitability of change and make it translate for you as growth and progress, and not decay and regression.

40+FAB Blog

Where passion lies

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 18, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

Most people that do not connect with their passion trudge through life not making an impact that could have rippling effects across the number of their days.

Parents, teachers, counsellors and people that have been in a position to guide young minds have been guilty of snuffing out the embers of passion from the child, forcing them to roll with the status quo, promising that it is the pathway to sure success in life. This has made many miss out on the great because they settled for the good.

True passion for a particular thing will produce a quest for knowledge to become great at that thing. The knowledge applied will produce results. The results will attract people. With people will come influence and access. At this point one is able to generate abundant resources to achieve even greater feats.

Where does your passion lie? If it is asleep, wake it up. If it is lost, find it. If it is cooling off, reignite it. If it seems dead, resurrect it.
Whatever you do, connect with your passion and watch as life unfolds to you the paths to greatness.

40+FAB Blog

Thank you list

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 17, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

One of the things I remember being reprimanded for as a child – especially when I was given something – was for not saying thank you. It was good manners to say please when you asked for something and thank you after you received it. Some call it the attitude of gratitude, others call it being appreciative but we all seem to agree it is an important code of conduct for the sane individual.

There is the story of the man who had no shoes and he was very sad until he came across the man who had no feet. This made him change his mind and he was thankful for the feet that he had. It is a sad reality of the human condition that we hardly take stock of the benefits we have until we come across the misfortune of another. Is this the only way we should be prompted to be thankful?

I like the meaning of the word ‘appreciation’ – the act of estimating the qualities of things and giving them their proper value. To me this is the real purpose of being thankful. So rather than wait to see the misfortunes of others or hear about them before being thankful, I daily take stock of what I have and ensure that I ascribe to them the proper value they deserve. To be thankful is to constantly be aware of the purpose and value of the things that I have.

In that case, I am thankful for being alive and well!
I am thankful for my family.
I am thank full for …

Let’s see how long you can make this list.

40+FAB Blog

These four walls

By Olaolu Faj Opebiyi on

June 16, 2020

- 40+FAB Blog

The thought of being locked up in a confined space with limited access to the outside world and all it’s freedom can be a bit daunting. That situation is reserved for prisoners we may say, however, we have been forced to live through it over the last few months.

One thing about the human mind though is it’s resilience and ability to adapt, especially when it focusses on what is essential. I thought the pace of life would slow down during this time, and it seemed to for a while, but just like the calm before the storm it was just the precursor to an unusually busy season.

We have found ways to meet, work, and even party from the confines of our homes, this has led to working and socialising for possibly longer hours than we usually would when we were able to get out and about.

Writer Doris Betts said, “All one needs to write a story is one feeling and four walls.” When it comes down to it, we create our own story, our reality, our coping strategies while we are confined within these four walls. This is not a time to despair, but rather to let your creativity run wild as you dream up new ways to live and be fulfilled.

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Cost of picking a winner

Push backs

Getting it out there

Work on it

A tribute to Daddy

Ready or not…

Pressing forward

Where passion lies

Thank you list

These four walls