The Mind of a Game Changer IV

A great philosopher once said, “The pen is mightier than the sword” An adage which has been known for so many decades and of which has been the weapon for almost all intellects from their arsenal of tools when called upon to mediate issues. A weapon which aides them to emancipate and inform the populace on the essence of having being educated. This I believe was part of the numerous reasons why  people like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, J. E Kwegyir-Aggrey, J. Mensah-Sarbah (all of blessed memory) just to name a few, advocated for such a course. This then led to the present system of education we have in the country although several adjustments have been made to suit changing times. But then I ask, have these changes really reflected the motive some nationalists back in the era of the Gold Coast dreamt of?
Education is said to have impacted someone when it moves them physically and mentally such that it leads to unexpected discoveries. Sitting on the fence and waiting to be told what to do after having acquired knowledge rather seems absurd due to the fact that the learner is expected to put to use what they have gotten a hold of.  It’s rather unfortunate that what I just stated seems to be the order of the day most often due to the kind of system we have now and its perspective it comes with.
For knowledge to be useful to both country and oneself, it ought to be assembled and obtained by the learner (actively) than received hook line and sinker from the tutor or lecturer. Hence it is given the name, “spoon feeding” way of teaching and learning. The error usually begins from the elementary through to secondary and still continues in the tertiary level because the aspect of education which is characterized by the stimulation and provision for exploration or discovery as well as importantly, action is absent. The system rather teaches us to be well guarded by the so called traditional education’s “correct answers”; not knowing that this weighs heavily against the use of creativity and innovation (the essential ingredient for unexpected discoveries).
True meaning is made out of acquired knowledge when we are able to connect what we learn by our thoughts and curiosities and not through the version of the marker or chalk wielded instructor. Ideally, it is the responsibility of the learner to make multiple meanings from their thinking through deliberate efforts by being a critical thinker and doer as knowledge is being imparted. This then allows the learner to extract multiple viewpoints on themes, texts and concepts. This skill allows clear reasoning which supports one’s interpretation of life itself by considering alternate and diverse views.
Humans are biologically creatures of habit and as such do not easily breakaway from a way of life. A learner who is literally raised to sit and prepare for exams only to discard the information stored will find it difficult to change as against the one puts into practice what they have been taught.  It is quite clear that useful knowledge comes from experience and experience is earned from working. Blatantly the one literally trained to sit for almost 16 years won’t be able to boast of doing “work” hence not having experience as against the other type of learner who’d have acquired some form of experience from the little work they do every now and then. Should these two class of learners graduate, one will always expect things to be in a certain pattern (like waiting on the government in getting them employed etc) whiles the other category of learner will go out there and create that pattern because they have that useful knowledge which they acquired from and experience they got from “working”. One can say, every graduate sure have something to offer to the nation. They just don’t know what. Like
a friend once said to me, “GPA and grades look good on paper; Translating those practically is what guarantees one a job”
What then can those caught up in this rat race of expecting things to be done in a certain pattern do? They can start of by updating their attitudes to leverage their talents with the time on hands since they can’t go back in time to reverse the errors done. It’s what you do now that counts and can amend your concept of life.
Secondly, a man without a goal or objective is like a blind man gallivanting on a land mine. One needn’t be a rocket scientist to know what is going to happen to such a person. This then throws more light on the reason why everyone ought to have a realistic objective(s) in life. Else our fate will be like that of the blind man walking on a land mine.
Thirdly, society since time immemorial has been bombarded with soaring unemployment percentage figures. What has anyone really done about this? Instead graduands rather add up to this menace than solving it. We ought to find a societal issue that is dear to our hearts and make conscious effort to solve them. Maybe not alone but with other people who share the same philosophy as we do.
Fourth, we should always keep an open mind to issues and suggestions and be ready to even change our initial viewpoint about something we may have spoken or thought otherwise of. It is through this that we’d always be ready to learn something every single day whiles applying on the go.
Fifth, the art of listening more than we speak should be learnt. This allows one to be more attentive than a loose mouth in any situation. The same goes for speaking up and doing less of the listening. One should be able to do this interchangeably.
Sixth, be prepared to go the extra mile in life or in anything one does as well as step out of one’s comfort zone to help others in need.
Seventh, we seem to be forgetting our health not bearing in mind that all this is surely going take a toll on us. Eating right, having enough rest and exercising just to mention a few so as to keep in shape is definitely the right way of living.
Eighth, as famously it has been observed by renowned physicist, Albert Einstein. Only the one who devotes himself to a cause with all his strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason one should be willing to give in their all.
Finally I wish everyone all the best in their quest to being game changers and be an ambassador living in the positive influence got from parents, teachers, friends etc.

Its Still In The Pipeline👌🏾

    We're often faced with challenges once we set off  pursuing a goal. Funny  enough, we face same  when there is no goal on the radar. Challenges of varying magnitude but with a common trajectory of derailing you off the tracks. At this point, the uniqueness of every living being is appreciated. Since individually, we'd employ assorted ways of stepping up to the gauntlet we've been drawn into.

    Ever heard of the saying and I quote, "Opportunities come but once in a life time."? Mm.. Its probably one of the most heard catchphrases as one grows. But here is the fun fact ladies and gentlemen, the game never changed unlike its players. Hence the saying "Don't hate the player, hate the game." There is always a choice in life no matter how or what the circumstances may be. Its all up to you to decide. But the million dollar question is -  What do you want?

"If opportunities don't knock at your door, its because your struggle with challenges broke them off; Build a new door!"

     I guess you could render so many answers to that question. But what have you done in your capacity to achieve it? This is due to the fact there are certain things in life we can't have by just thinking about it in the shower or wishing for it to come. I know the most difficult thing to do is act; the rest is merely tenacity. But like I said, its a decision you'd have to make if you still have the answer to the million dollar question I asked. Its hard, I know. Nobody promised it was going to be easy either. All you've got is your guts and wits to make things turn around. This is it people! Sink in it or swim through😌

     Sometimes not getting what you want could be a wonderful stroke of luck but that doesn't mean you shouldn't Redesign📏✏, Rebuild🔧🔨 and Reclaim👊🏾✌🏾. Its what you make outta it that counts. Make a choice today and act upon it.

An Illusion II💭

   

      It appeared that the Queen👸 was far from her King👑 and undoubtedly, the long run of their empire was bound to come to an abrupt end. Lingering on his next move, he couldn’t muse, but conjectured the safety of his Queen👸. She is worth being sacrificed for but that’d mean the kingdom will fall. It was a chess game invented in hell. The kings and pawns irrevocably at odds, unable to eliminate one another without a breakthrough that could destroy them both.

   I was stuck and knowing blatantly that her next move could be a checkmate; it wasn’t hard to tell that she is a maestro in the game of chess😏. “Wishful thinking will take you nowhere AJ, Start acting😌”she uttered softly as she sipped on an exotic orange juice. Had it been on actual battlegrounds, it would have been an “embarrassment” to surrender to a foe and much worse to the ego of a man to a female😖😑. From the way I saw it, a cunning diversion😜 could be my salvation. Except, she was too smart to fall for that.

“Checkmate👌!.. And the crowd goes wild🎆😄😋”, she mimicked the voice of a stadium announcer. Technically she had to wait for me to make my move or throw in the towel; she knew the drill.

  The enemy literally had declared victory; another game lost.  At this point, an ambiguous intensity of locked gazes ensued. It was invasive and vulnerable yet these sentiments were simultaneously felt. A 3 year old could even tell that. The atmosphere could be described with one word, AWKWARD😂!  

                                                                   

                                          *rewinds tape📼*

“Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning”

Hold it! The answer to your question is, don’t even think about it😂😂. In my mind’s eye, that’d have been plausible. Nonetheless, I’m either to go with it or snap out of it. After the brief encounter that day and with no name whatsoever, Operation Gather Intel still remains entirely hypothetical.

Where do I start?

What queries do I enter to search for??

There are lots of questions but fewer or no answers.  Wherever you are, I’d definitely find you 😊😊

In The Void 🍃

     If it had a location, then I'd have made it my haven. Due to the fact that it is a realm in which time and reality are rendered meaningless. I could perhaps gain full control of it all because nothing can be quantified there. But nonetheless if the old adage is still as true as the God that I serve, then what doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Stepping back and forth like a boxer ready to launch a ferocious punch, I don't see any other way out but a knockout punch to end this torture.

                       
          "Enter into the void, drop everything and become wind 🌾"

  

     In this place, it’s just you and your mind; leading the remaining elements of your body against our thoughts which we're prisoners of.  It'd have been worth it being in that jail if it were the Jail County of Light but it’s the dark side most often. It’s in this place that I found who I am because I forgot who they told me to be. Giving more meaning to Oscar Wilde’s “Circumstances don’t make you who you are but reveal who you are”. Most importantly, you’d know the uncharted benefit of this place after you realize one imperative fact of life. There’d be moments which marks our lives, moments when we realize that nothing will ever be the same no matter how often it is replicated and time is divided into two parts; before this and after this.

An Illusion 💭💮

It was only a matter of seconds for me to realize that the blades of the fan were waning from the original speed I regulated it to before sleeping. The popular ‘Dumsor’ phenomenon was at its usual but it picked the wrong time to pay me a visit. This will mean I have to put up with the music being made by the saxophone playing mosquitoes that always wait for golden opportunities like this. How annoying again could a long day get?

I made my way out of the room and onto the balcony so as to catch some fresh air – the new environment, much better.  “What a way to crown a long tiring day” I thought to myself as I took my shirt off.  The night’s sky was clear, revealing the luminous bodies that now provided me with light to enable vision through the compound.  Intrigued by the numerous figures I could make out of the position of the stars, I found something to keep me occupied for a while before sleep came knocking at my door. Memories unfolded as if I had issued a command to the brain to play me a slideshow. First, the water splash, then of course my wallet not being in my pocket; found it in my other trouser. Likewise having to deal with this lady who kept talking aloud into a phone, boy! I have to see an ear specialist. But then there was one, perhaps the one moment that complimented the ordeal I went through.

“The Encounter” as I tagged it was the last on the slides. Somehow my subconscious mind reserved the best for the last. Setting, breeze and thinking pattern was just right for the reminiscence. It happened out of the blue and at a pace which assimilating it would have caused a computer to deploy countless reboot sequences.  First impressions they say count and I’d have concluded on her attitude as being unreceptive or she perhaps had zero tolerance for first time convos. Nonetheless the shortly built profile I created of her in my mind had made an infiltration into my system.

“First impression they, say always count”

“I think one needn’t be an artist to know that matte black is your favorite colour” I uttered as I turned to face her but she had her earpiece plugged in.  Agile as her eyes were, she realized that I said something so she took out the earpiece to clear her doubts. “Did you say something?” she asked with complete innocence and in the pressure room of my mind, it was an opportunity to rephrase my unheard statement to get a conversation going. “Was just asking if matte black is your fav colour” I reiterated in a much a simpler form.

“Well uh yeah.. Why do you ask?”

“Out of observation”

“Intriguing.. What else have you observed so far?”

“Urm until now, nothing else.. But I hope to do more the next time I see you”

She smiled it off and that was pretty much of a “conversation”.  One thing was for sure, I’m now on a mission.

Front Row

I always had an inexplicable phobia to be at the front row of any gathering. It was something which had existed since time immemorial. Where it was from? – I just can’t tell.  The front row is a place I’d not really want to sit at yet aspire to be number one. How then can I literally grasp an opportunity if I had an irrational fear pertinent to front rows? Nevertheless it didn’t wane the urge to stand out so that when someone asked of me, they’d be told I’m outstanding.

Exactly, the front row where many just like will not want to sit at unless there existed an extraordinary force..*sips coffee from the saucer plated cup*. But then of course all will depend on the motive with which the individual comes with towards the “extraordinary force”.

There was a time during a seminar where a sensational speaker, after rendering to the congregation a remarkable speech decided to give out a book. It was written by one of his all time favorite author; Robert Ludlum. Coincidentally Shaun's sister happened to be a big fan of the author’s books but that particular book was the last masterpiece she needed to complete her collection of Ludlum’s books. It was unfortunate for Shaun who was seated in the midsection of the listeners but fortunate for the lucky girl who managed to whisk it out of the speaker’s hand before he could finish his question. Blatantly, she wouldn’t have gotten that book if she allowed her phobia of sitting at the front row take a hold of her. The good news is that, Shaun has the choice of changing his perception about sitting at the front row but will that be the same in the situation of those of who have made it a  life philosophy?

 Life may not offer you as many opportunities as the real world will to be at seminars where you can choose to be at the midsection of the audience at one point and after learning a lesson like Shaun, move to the front row the next time. Giving more meaning to the catchphrase, “Opportunities comes but once in a life time”. Seize every opportunity to be odd so that you can be number one. 

"Get Goaling"

 It all starts when we begin to ask if it really matters. One question which we do not ask at the initial stage but when asked, heightens neural activity within the human body. It is only until then that our brain will begin to segregate our needs from wants. We’ve been left to be obliterated by what we want now forgetting that it’d only be a matter of time before that strong urge wanes.

 At some point, many will conclude that time will tell. How is it literally going to tell when it is not read properly? Or will one have to wait till he realizes that the time, he has been waiting for to “tell” has been wasted? Time they say waits for no man; a continuous measuring quantity which everyone, by default, is given the same magnitude each day. 

"Time doesn't tell, you must read it properly"

Making judicious use of this treasure coupled with requisite factors like hardwork and resilience will certainly elevate you to a point where you’d rub shoulders with the successful in society. I guess one needn’t be a rocket scientist to know the dire repercussions if we do otherwise.

 Before the whole time management philosophy, set a clear line between your needs and wants. It is only through this that the destination becomes definite. It is also imperative to write out ideas whenever they flash across the inner screen of your mind. Who knows, it could be the solution to a problem many out-of-the-world intellects have adjudged to be impossible to get to the bottom of. Once these ideas are written down, it becomes a goal; a purpose or aim everyone seeks to accomplish within a certain time frame. A goal coming into the scene means there’d have to be a plan. Don’t do the planning alone, involve God in it. Following this plan to realize a goal as a result of an idea written down will soon become an accomplishment. Looks easy huh? It won’t be any more when the wants you set aside draws you into a gauntlet. The battle will be set, wars will be waged and like in the game of baseball, you’d have to fix your gaze onto the pitcher whom with his gesticulations, will try to beat your intelligence. Bearing in mind that each strike will bring you close to a home run, the rest is left to the full precise swing of the bat.

All you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.