What I Am: The Driving Force, The Very Essence Of Life’s Purpose And Fulfillment

By Adebukola Adebusuyi. Adebukola is an Educational Consultant. She lives in Ibadan, Nigeria. Please read her article and leave your thoughts and comments below.

It is believed that most things achieved in life are through the rewiring of the mind’s perception. Success is mindset but how truly committed are you to that goal? What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve it? How curious and ready are you to use positive energy through your thoughts to become someone else that you were not in the beginning?

I was the last person standing, applauding my boss, one of the great politicians of our time. He has carved a niche for himself and he is trying to leave enduring legacies that would actually and truly stand the test of time. My Boss is the son of a tailor. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He attended a public junior school and got admitted into a public university on scholarship. He narrated all the odd jobs he had to do to as a student to support himself. Today, he heads a conglomerate. There are several various examples of people who rose from rags to riches, billionaires who grew up poor, who endured hardship and struggles, survived by sleeping in homeless shelters or under bridges but they strived and made their lives worthwhile. Amongst them are Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Jessica Parker and Omotola Jalaade Ekeinde. Although, not many people are that lucky to have great insight for life and such opportunities that they had. Growing up poor didn’t stop these icons from reaching the peak of success and it shouldn’t stop anyone either. In every success story, you will find someone who has made a courageous decision. Life is good and so sweet when you’re happy and successful. In between your birth and the person that you turned out to be, there are a series of hurdles and struggles to overcome. Growing from nothing to something takes a lot of determination, courage, overcoming failures and learning from them. It includes creating trust, growing your mindset, your value system, reaching out to your aspirations to succeed against all odds. You need to be creative, innovative, more constructive, seeing opportunities in challenges, being optimistic and having a strong belief in a prosperous future.

With great determination, many people actually end up not being who they started out to be. They started from humble beginnings, taking their lives and their destinies in their own hands. They eventually turned out perfectly well and some of them even made it to Forbes list of richest people in the world. Likewise, there are many successful CEOs who rose to financial success only to lose everything just as abruptly. Some are born with affluence. They are so wealthy that they need not work all their lives but it is still a fact that many of these people still go bankrupt. They deteriorate, finding themselves at the bottom of the ladder of success. This could be due to the fact that they were raised differently, have ego issues, lack discipline as well as financial intelligence. No wonder MC Hammer said, “life in the fast lane is not without its speed and bumps”.

This is why we all need to be focused in life. To plan our future with imagination and wisdom. To have visions and strategies to actualize these visions. Life can be exactly what you want it to be if you stay on your lane and don’t compare yourself with other people. Focus on your potentials, abilities as well as your skills and not on your limitations. Look for opportunities and try to build on whatever resources you have. It is about creating yourself. The one thing that you have that no one else has is ‘you’. It is therefore important to invest in yourself, your voice, your mind, your vision in order to change your story and your future. Acquire fresh insight that would move you to great relevance in life. Reach for your goal and don’t give up because quitters never win and winners never quit. Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. The only impossible journey is the one you never embark upon. Like the saying goes,” just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly”. It always seems impossible at first but you will always get it done. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Life is a crazy ride and nothing is guaranteed. The more you expect things to be in a certain way, the more disappointed you become. The journey of life and several experiences gathered have a way of influencing your story. Considering Michel Foucault’s submission that “the main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning”. This is very true for those who actually had a humble beginning, those who have strived or are still striving to add value to their lives. Those who are wealthy or have wealth bestowed on them actually do not want to become someone else. Becoming ‘someone else’ could either be a better and successful person who has come from ‘grass to grace’ or a dull and bankrupt person, who has fallen from ‘grace to grass’. These depend on the person’s background and life experiences. It would rather suffice to say that “the main interest in life and work is to become someone successful and accomplished no matter where you started from.” “Becoming someone else that you were not in the beginning” is expected to be value added, to be a better, more accomplished person. This transformation does not just happen without preparation. You would have started by developing a winning goal that is SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-oriented. A lot of other activities would also have taken place to improve your self-worth. This value addition includes your determination to excel, building trust, developing your skills, investing and acquiring financial intelligence to reach this pedestal. While striving for this height, the main goal is to raise your standard, to be successful at what you do and, in your subconsciousness, not losing sight that you might fall if you don’t tread carefully. Caution is the word. Life is a story and you need to make every effort for yours to be a best seller.

Life is a question and how we live it is our answer. Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forward. The “beginning” in that statement takes you back to your antecedent. You ask enquiry questions: what is your antecedent? where are you now? where do you hope to be? Examine your life experiences and lessons learnt, visualize everything good and worthy and strategies to achieve them. Everyone has an enquiry subconsciousness and a superior consciousness, which go far beyond religion and spiritualism. It is relying on the power of the mind to chat a path for your life and work out ways to excel. It is within you. When you shift on the inside, life shifts on the outside. The mind is what you think you will become. It is highly important to know exactly “what you are” to be able to make objective assessment on your life and make decisions whether to improve on it or not. According to William Shakespeare, “we know what we are but know not what we may be”. ‘Knowing what you are’ helps you to live a life of purpose. A man’s deepest need is to know himself. It is important to know that you are unique and you were created for a purpose. That purpose includes your relationship with a higher superior being, your relationships on earth, your life experiences, your connections, opportunities and your endowments. How you juggle all these to make your life worthwhile depends on you. Your life begins and ends with you. Knowing what you are is the ‘driving force’ of that ‘life purpose’ to make you someone else, that better person that you were not in the beginning.

In conclusion, success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. Challenges, failures, defeat and ultimate success are what makes life worthwhile. Life is ten percent what happens to us and ninety percent how we respond to it. The good life is a process and the joy of it lies in the inevitable, continual triumph of new values. The purpose of life is to believe, to hope and to strive for the best. Whatever your background, whatever you are, do not let the noise of others drown your inner voice. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, imbibe values both in life and at work to be that ‘someone’ you were not in the beginning.

39 comments on “What I Am: The Driving Force, The Very Essence Of Life’s Purpose And Fulfillment

  1. Lanre Bakare on

    A very strong insight into the individuals reason for being which the Japanese called ‘inkigai’. At any given time, an individual needs to do self evaluation and make value adding moves to create himself or herself. Nobody knows you better than you. You are here because of you and you must perpetually do self appraisal.

    Reply
  2. Kolawole Tayo on

    Excellent coverage of life conditions. Dr.Adebukola has presented these facts in simple yet credible language making the points easy to understand.
    Excellent work.

    Reply
  3. Dr Bola Olaosebikan on

    Great piece, highly inspiring,full of lessons on life and encouragement to push on. Life is truly living to conquer challenges, twists and turns, and to be courafeous.
    Diasppointment can come where you expect appoinrment and appointment can come where you are expecting disappointment. There is a superpower in charge everytime.

    Reply
    • Bolanle Ogbodu on

      Interesting article ! Thoughts provoking! More understanding and insight to different aspect :issues of life taken for granted. Good job.

      Reply
  4. Olamide Ogunkoya on

    Its our mindset & attitudes that matters in issues of life not our circumstances & happenings around us. Thanks for this great piece

    Reply
    • Ibrahim A. Kwajafa on

      A great discuss on the strength of the mind over matter. very inspiring and heartwarming but encouraging for those who desire to change their course of progress.
      thanks

      Reply
  5. OLUSADE FATIMILEHIN-OSHINOWO on

    Nice Article, Very thought provoking, free flowing and quite easy to understand and digest. A fantastic Massage for strengthening Minds in daily strives towards achieving Good and Great Goals by dedications and Sacrifices. Bravo Dr Bukola Adebusuyi

    Reply
    • Akano Nathaniel idowu on

      A beautiful Pierce from a naturally beautiful soul meant for a placement at the peak . The summary is RESILIENCE and not settling for an average but the peak where the eagles fly , a lifting to the mountains high where great minds perch. QUITE INSPIRATIONAL!!!

      Reply
  6. Bisola Ariyibi on

    A,candid piece on the subject of life and the quest for accomplishment. True, we do not get to choose what life deals us however with some deliberateness we can can decide how we respond to the issues of life. I love your allusion to the higher being – He gives meaning to the very purpose of life itself.

    Reply
  7. Omowumi Folorunso on

    A brilliant write up that inspire,encourages,insightful and has a dynamic force that restores hope to the hopeless..i think life is worth living ! My energy to keep on moving has been rekindle indeed.God bless you.

    Reply
  8. Omotola on

    This is a very inspiring article. This is infact encouraging. Thank you so much for this thoughtful piece. Even you are one of those who has encouraged me to keep moving against all odds. God bless you richly.

    Reply
    • Princess Pamela Toyin Ogunwusi on

      I thank my childhood friend Dr Adebukola for this insightful and thought provoking piece. It’s a pointer to the fact that putting a structure in place is essential in life… a reflection of people, places and circumstances are life’s lessons we all should tap from… rigidity erects barriers against progress therefore flexibility is one of the essential tools required to weigh all the vital points reflected in this article.

      Reply
  9. Remilekun Adesunloye on

    An excellent piece i must say, using simple diction to drive such strong points of life, YOU are the architect of your own destiny, YOU are what you make of yourself, you can achieve success

    Reply
  10. Adebusuyi olalekan on

    A very impactful and intriguing point of view. Especially on how its important to own your journey no matter where u start from and understanding your life begins and ends with you. Great article.

    Reply
  11. Adefolajuwon Ijaiya on

    A very nice piece on finding one’s self and navigating yourself through the world to fulfill your purpose. Truly insightful on the dynamics of life’s ups and downs, especially what may come from interacting in either ways. I love the fact certain quotes truly flesh out the article deeply as a whole. I’m sincerely impressed with the write-up and the thoughts of the writer altogether.

    Reply
  12. Adebola Olasimbo on

    Great Job.
    Very Explicit with great emphasis on what we do with our minds and body, which results in who we are or become.
    Well done ma

    Reply
  13. Adebusuyi T.O on

    A wonderful insight on the Journey of life. How our past struggles shouldn’t define who we turn out to be . A very lovely read indeed!!!

    Reply
    • Remi Folarin on

      Yes, a piece of highly intelligent exposure of what life entails, greatly inspiring, motivating and exposing a drive towards achieving a better ideal to life. Living life itself is a great task and achieving a useful end result is really encouraging. Ride on coz, you’ll make up great minds.

      Reply
  14. Adekunle Ijaiya on

    There is truth here. The kind that rung true with every word. It calls unto one’s inner desires to do better. This is truly a thought provoking piece and could have not been written better. Thank you for the enlightenment ma.

    Reply
  15. Abimbola N. Olaiya on

    Very insightful and inspiring article, obviously conceived from deep thoughts on the purpose of life and how to successfully effect it. Like a life -coach, the writer gives educative and encouraging advice to ensure accomplishment of a better person and fortune. The article resonates with the following DAYSTAR T.V.( USA) reflections :-
    “The journey (of life) is a process and a discovery. It shows us not only the world but our purpose, tainted by our passions, our struggles and beliefs. The journey brings us face to face with ourselves, our relationships and our God”.

    Reply

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