WHO ARE YOU By OLUMADEWA ADEBUSUYI OLUTAYO

WHO ARE YOU

Who are you? Do you know who you really are? No one can know who you are except you. Do you know there is a You in you? Do you know there is a You that you have not seen? Are you aware of the great You waiting to be discovered?

Some years ago, great Jeff Gordon of NASCAR made up his mind to be a famous car race legend. He understood who he was and knew he could be the best of what he wanted to be. He conceived it, carried it and achieved it. The good book says “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. In this part of the world which was often described as ‘a nation orchestrated to administrate and not to produce’, it is important to help many find their voices so as to inspire others in finding theirs.

Some years ago, a group of teenagers were discussing about their future. A friend was listening and heard their conversation from afar. The conversation was on the course to study in the higher institution. The first two said they would study petroleum engineering, while the last said he preferred to study chemical engineering. The reasons given were to become rich and control other people through working in an oil company. The friend listening became afraid because he had never given a thought about the future. He decided to seek for knowledge on oil-related courses and realized that geology was inclusive. He never knew he could study chemical or petroleum engineering if he wanted to at that time and thought that the courses were solely meant for the three friends.

Years later, none of these three friends achieved what they fantasized about including him. He pursued Geology but couldn’t come out with anything from the course. He even went to two different institutions, but still had nothing to show for his efforts. He became depressed, all his hopes became dashed and he lost everything including his friends and family. After some years of toiling, he decided to seek higher power from the Creator of the universe. God’s response to him was that he should look inwards and dig out the diamond deposit in him. Only then was he able to realize the reason why none of his three friends were able to achieve the oil industry dream. He marveled and came to a conclusion that ‘true success is looking inwards to be a blessing to the world’.

Sometimes, this story may sound like our story. How many people made their destiny decisions based on what they heard? Many have made their destiny decisions based on what they saw. Some made theirs based on friendship, while some others’ destiny decisions were made by their parents. Some even made theirs based on current situations. That is why there are many unfulfilled people today. The quality of the decisions we make determines how impactful how lives will be. We are the offspring of the Creator of the universe. So we should realize that we exist for a purpose and our decision counts.

In an environment where values have been neglected, it is important that we stand our ground and take firm decisions that will help us fulfill our reason for living. Albert Einstein said in his book “The world as I see it” that “the true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self”. How valuable are you to the world? Are you just one of those balancing the ecosystem? He continued by saying that “our whole actions and desires are bound with the existence of other human beings. We eat food that others have grown, wear clothes that others have made; live in houses that others have built. The greater part of our knowledge and beliefs has been communicated to us by other people through the medium of a language which others have created. This tells us that our whole being is dependent on another”. The truth is that we cannot continue to live a life of mediocrity. We must chart a new course. There are still many things that do not exist yet but lies within you. If only you will make the decision to look inward and take up the responsibility of rising to a new dimension.