I was part of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2006, Batch A to be precise. The middle belt state of Benue, popularly called “Food Basket of the Nation” was where I served.
My place of Primary Assignment was
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, where I was in the Revenue collection
unit of the Commerce Department.
My one year of serving Nigeria in
the NYSC programme was worth all the time. I was never lacking in things to do,
whether at NYSC level: was in at least three CDS groups – Drama CDS (where I
eventually became President), Editorial CDS where I was a radio presenter,
presenting Inspiration.Com as part of Corpers Voice, an half hour radio
programme for corpers on the state’s owned radio station and contributed
articles to the magazine Benue Copa. Also served with the NYSC official in
charge of the then newly created Millennium Development Goal CDS group where I
had the very rare opportunity to visit three local governments apart from
Makurdi (which was my base) to give addresses to fellow Corp members on the
importance and need for self-development and entrepreneurial mentality.
Or at NCCF (Nigerian Christian
Corpers Fellowship) level; I was part of several committees, the drama group
and participated in almost all the Rural Rugged Evangelism Outreaches. And on a personal level too;
carried out several Personal CDS projects, one in particular was the donation
of water tanker and water to an Orphanage located in a remote part of
North-Bank area of Benue State. Held seminars and son…
At the end of the service year, I
got several awards and certificates of awards and State recognition with Letter
of Recommendation… Story!
But the journey that culminated
into all of these started at the Orientation Camp which held in Gboko, one of
the popular local governments in Benue State after Makurdi, which is the state
capital.
There were several seminars at the
camp for corpers. During one of such seminars, I was a corpers rep on stage
with other NYSC officials and the State’s NYSC Director. As the event went on,
it came to time for contributions/questions. And many of my fellow corpers were
complaining about the fact that the government was (and is still) not doing enough to address the problem of lack of
jobs and many other issues in such light.
As the discussion went on, I got up
to address everyone and gave the illustration of a vehicle being pushed before
it starts. I told them that when that happens, then something fundamental is wrong
with the vehicle, because vehicles are not originally meant to be pushed before they start working. I went
on to tell them that it works the same way for us as humans, we should be
self-starters, that in fact some of us already understood the concept, we went
to school without any support, we had to combine working and schooling and we
did it (this was actually my own case).
Now I want to use the same concept
of THE PUSH to teach you something I believe will be of immense benefit to you
for many years to come.
When a vehicle has to be pushed
before it starts working, something fundamental is wrong. That was not how
vehicles are meant to work. Get into your car, put the key in the ignition,
turn it and the car starts, ready to zoom off to fulfill its purpose.
In the same vein, we like ‘cars/vehicles’ are supposed to be
self-starters. The forces – will, strength, determination and what have you, to
get started and move on in life and be all we were meant to be are in us. We
must dig deep within in order to travel without the deeper you can dig, the
faster and farther you can travel. I have always said that if you take control
of your internal environment, you will eventually gain control over your
external environment. The external is not supposed to control the internal; it
is the other way round. Someone rightly posited, “Your environment is not meant to change you, you are meant to change
your own environment.” And that change must start from within – the way you
think; your disposition to life, “As a man
thinks in his heart, so is he.”
While the aforementioned is true,
we all know that there are several factors that could affect the way a vehicle
is naturally meant to function – factors like change in whether condition, lack
of fuel in the fuel tank and such other conditions.
Likewise, there are many factors
that could hinder a person from functioning at his optimal capacity as the
Creator designed him to. Factors that could either be self imposed or society
imposed (internal and external). When this is the case, what should you do in
order to get started and zoom off into the beautiful future that awaits you.
The same way a vehicle owner or
driver asks for help, you should also do same, ask for a push. Don’t hesitate
to do so. Sometimes it is to push the vehicle forward or sometimes backward.
Talk to someone who can render assistance to you; assistance in form of advice
–moral/business/financial and so on, introduce you to someone you need to meet,
or just take you by the hand and lead you in the way you should go.
Some people are too ashamed to ask
for help, hence remain in their state of helplessness. But you also must be
careful who you talk to for help. “Iron
sharpens iron,” the holy Writ says, but two blunt irons cannot sharpen each
other we must bear in mind.
One other thing I want you to know
is that life is just, “Because God is not
mocked, for as a man sows, so shall he also reap.” As you want people to
give you a push, you also must be willing to give pushes to others as they
require it of you, (in fact, you should not wait for people to ask you, be
proactive about looking for people that need positive pushes and then help to
push them into fulfilling their destiny) because what goes around comes around.
Jesus puts it in this light, “Give and it
shall be giving to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running
over…”
Your time for change has come, ask
for the push you need; someone out there is looking for whom to help. I have
experienced different kinds of pushes in different aspects of my life. I have
had people give me advise, support me with money to finance worthy projects,
introduced me to others and so on. Most of the things I know and enjoy today
have come via THE PUSH from others.
Thank you for reading; I am your
friend and LIFE COACH, Abiodun Mabadeje (MSA) – Speaker/Trainer, Author/Publisher,
Actor/Acting Instructor, Counselor/Minister, and MC.
08023771690,
abiodun.mabadeje@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abiodun-MSA/211052825580
https://twitter.com/AbiodunMabadeje
