Abiodun Mabadeje: The EBA Factor

It was the first Monday of January, 2016. Most organisations, both private and public resumed for work on that ‘day’.

For me work resumed on Wednesday the 6th of the month.

I thought for a while what I should eat for breakfast on this first Monday of year 2016. After my mind sojourned in search of the answer to the question, I concluded I would eat Eba.

Now, I know what’s going on in your ‘holy’ mind, “Eba on a Monday morning?”

Yea, I know it goes against doctors’ and nutritionists’ dietary advice to take such heavy food for breakfast.

Well, I broke that rule/law. I went against professional dietary ethic. May be it is because I am an Ijebu man and Eba is one of our staple foods (as it is in many other parts of Nigeria) or is it because I just felt since I wasn't going to work, so what’s the big deal if I take Eba in the morning?

So, I did and believe me, I enjoyed it; supported with Uwgu and Bitter leaf soup and some smoked fish to complete it (Please don’t salivate).

Now, I can imagine you are asking, “So what is the big deal about all of that?”

The big deal is not the fact that I ate Eba or that I ate it on a Monday morning – very first Monday of 2016.

The BIG DEAL is the instruction I received while I devoured the mountainous obstacle called Eba that was served in my plate.

‘EBA’ all of a sudden came alive and began to ‘minister’ to and inspire me.

It became apparent that I need to adopt the ‘EBA’ factor and (in my) approach this year, if I am to get more results out of this year than the previous years.

The letter ‘E’ in ‘EBA’ started ‘talking’ to me that I need to be more ENTERPRISING and ENTREPRENEURIAL in my thinking and approach to life and the things I do. Enough of doing things just to please people. Enough of doing things just for fun. Enough of doing things for FREE. Even for friends, there should be some ways that I receive value in return, if not in monetary terms.

So dear friend, do not be surprised if you ask me for some freebies and I say ‘NO’ or ask, 'What is in it for me?'

Then the letter ‘B’ in ‘E.B.A.’ also spoke up and said, “Hey, I'm here too. You need to take a look in my direction if you’re going to do better this year than you did last year. So in my mind I inquired of letter ‘B’, what do you want me to do? And it answered “You must be ‘B-old’”

“You have been playing the game called LIFE too easy.” Letter ‘B’ said to me. “You've been swimming in shallow waters for too long. You have stayed on this mountain and level long enough. It is time to break a leg. Approach life – your life with some gusto. Even if you have to go on a limp. Caring about what people will think or say is no longer an option. It is your life. Life does not favour the timid; it favours only the B-old.”

I sat in quietness for a while and before I could gather myself together, letter ‘A’ quickly jumped in to get my attention and began without wasting time to offer its own piece of counsel so I can squeeze out more juice from this fruit called 2016.

Letter ‘A’ said to me, “Look at you with so much innate ‘A-bility’ – divine endowments; heavenly deposits; godly resources.” Then I looked truly at myself and realized not many have as much talents (Ability) as I do. I am like the proverbial servant with five talents in the “Parable of Talents” as told by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible – Multi-talented.

Each one of these talent areas need attention and if given, each could stand wholly on its own and generate steams of income regularly.

Sure, I trade with these talents and truly I eat from doing so. But the time has come to do more ‘talent/Ability-trading’.

Dear friend, I strongly believe these instructions are not meant for me alone. They are also for you. You need to adopt the “E.B.A” factor this year 2016 and beyond.

You must become ENTERPRISING, carry out your tasks with BOLDness, while you use your ABILITIES.

Thank you for reading; I am your friend…

Abiodun Mabadeje (MSA, OAP),

Author/Publisher/Printer, Minister/Counsellor, Actor/Acting Instructor, Compere (MC)…