Read more about Kola's publication and interviews in the various Media Pages
The spirit of achievement:
The Guardian - 24 March 2008 (Read From Source)
The spirit of achievement By Reuben Abati
Dream and Achieve; Kola Olutimehin; Spectrum Books Ltd; Ibadan; 2008.
"OUR deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others". - Marianne Williamson
The foregoing passage quoted at length on page 70 of Dream and Achieve, more or less summarises the main message of the author, Kola Olutimehin who through the writing of this particular book has made a notable and useful contribution to the growing bibliography of motivational and inspirational books written by Nigerian authors. These books focus on how to achieve and sustain success, how to stand out and fulfill one's destiny; how to live a life of meaning and purpose; they are modeled after similar books written by Western authors but they are recommended by the immediacy and familiarity of the examples that they offer.
Human beings generally desire success. They want to be recognized as achievers; the urge to make something meaningful out of life appears to be of general interest in the human community, especially in the context of an ncreasingly competitive and consumerist world. But not many actually achieve success. The majority of mankind is at the level of the ducks, waddling through the mud, immobile and mostly at the mercy of the elements, moaning about fate and admiring and envying the Eagles who soar in the sky of achievement.
This gap in status is partly responsible for the tension in social relationships and the instability in many of our communities. But it is not this politics of human relations that is addressed in this book. Rather, Olutimehin begins with the premise that there is in every human being the potential to succeed, the ability to soar with the Eagles in the sky, the capacity to dream and achieve, he is essentially an optimist who believes and argues that indeed every human can, and can be taught to, excel, and that the human community can be transformed with everyone adopting the spirit of achievement.
In seven chapters, Olutimehin defines this spirit of achievement; he challenges his readers to become "powerful beyond measure"and "manifest the glory of God". His central recommendation is that a life of purpose, driven by vision and goals, rewarded by achievement of fulfillment for self and the community is possible. But the starting point is for the individual to be prepared to dream. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, his disciple, had written at length about the power of dreams, the potency of the unconscious and the interpretation of dreams.But dream in Olutimehin's context in this book, his reference to the ever-active sub-conscious, is not about psycho-analysis, but about the ability of the individual to forge a correspondence between his spiritual, innermost being and his physical being, by translating the sub-conscious, the inner voice, the silent promptings within into reality. The ability to dream is natural to every man, but Olutimehin writes about translating dreams into action, nurturing one's dreams, and using them as a platform for positive thoughts and action. Dream, here refers to a certain illumination of the human spirit, an agreement between the self as a physical entity and the self as a thinking, ethereal body.
In chapter one, Olutimehin defines the exact meaning of this power and potency of dreams. It is not enough to dream about success, this must be backed up by vision, a sense of direction, and specific goals. To dream he suggests, is to live, to dream is to conquer the terror of death and failure. With this premise, the author then proceeds to offer an analysis of how every individual can live a life of purpose, and become a useful member of the communityHe describes himself as "an info-tycoon" and an "investor" who enjoys what he does, and in many instances, he illustrates his submissions with examples from his own life, and the writings and lives of others, in every respect, the book is inspirational and motivational, it contains memorable gems of wit and practical demonstrations of the truthfulness of the author's submissions. Olutimehin confronts his readers with the truth about much of what is taken for granted in their lives, and reconstructs how that which is impossible is possible. His own personal stories and experiences, the accidents that he survived, the triumphs and defeats that he has experienced in business, his collaboration in philanthropic efforts, the richness of his education and erudition, help to lend the book freshness and originality. Expectedly, the book is full of prescriptions about how to cultivate the habits of achievement and excellence. These take up the better part of chapters one to five. Olutimehin decries what he calls "the loser's limp" which is simply "an excuse not to
perform" (p. 1), an excuse that is, not to engage in the practical action that will translate one's dream into measurable outcomes.
Olutimehin's dreamer is the practical dreamer, he is not bogged down by procrastination, fatigue, myths of age, inability to manage time, vision killers, lack of education, or the most menacing obstacle of all: the fear of success. Olutimehin recommends hardwork, courage, belief in one's ability, the desire to excel, faith and optimism. He describes fear as "False Evidence Appearing Real" (FEAR), (p. 25), an obstacle to "initiative, imagination, creativity, and individuality". But in reality, fear is no more than a "cardboard wall", which can be pulled down. Olutimehin encourages his readers to destroy that wall.Doing this however will require a change of habits and attitudes. Success is a habit; it is a journey, not a destination. Olutimehin's Dream and Achieve contains a number of interesting concepts that the reader may find useful. He writes for example about "the concept of enlightened wealth psychology": it is possible he says to become wealthy, but the individual must also learn to give back to the community. "Abundance comes" says Andrew Carnegie, who is quoted on page 23, "from making others better off." The author adds that it is important to set clear objectives, be self-disciplined, delay gratification, be determined and see obstacles as opportunities and challenges. He talks about "loverage" : which is loving one's endeavour. He says: "be convinced that you can do and derive a living from what you love" (p. 43). He recommends the idea of master-minding, working with others to achieve seemingly impossible dreams. He describes this team-work by defining the word team as an acronym as follows: Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM), (p. 58).
Olutimehin's concept of achievement is not simply about the individual working alone and striving alone, but the individual in the context of community obligations and responsibilities, the individual in the context of relationships, filial and social. Olutimehin further writes about the power of prayers and meditation and what he calls "the power of association" (p.52).In chapter six under the title "My Dream", he describes his dream of seeing his home town, Ondo, "lifted out of insignificance into prominence" (p. 77). He adds: "I strive to challenge human capability to creative and dynamic achievement" (p. 81). For the author, the ladder of achievement can be climbed by anyone who is ready to dream, plan and act with a "positive mental attitude".
Readers of Dream and Achieve will find the book memorable in many respects: in lucid prose, the author offers not just motivational advice, he tells stories that uplift the spirit, and examples that are truly edifying including how the comma punctuation mark was invented, the extra-ordinariness of Hellen Keller, Muhammed Ali and the power of positive thinking and an endearing personality, the story of Gudrum, the dreams of Henry Ford, Martin Luther King Jnr., and Bill Gates and the greed of Ali Hafed.
Engaging as this book is, it is also an invitation to other projects in which the author is involved, in more than one instance, he invites us to visit his website: www.getkola.com or send an email to info@getkola.org, and he does not forget to drop a hint about a future book, already titled Discover Your Yellow Brick Road! Obviously, Kola Olutimehin practises what he preaches. A Christian, he quotes freely from the Holy Bible, and even his name Olutimehin, as the reader would discover is an expression of his personal vision; originally Oguntimehin, he has changed his surname to Olutimehin. His sincerity makes the reading of Dream and Achieve all the more a worthwhile exercise. The book ends on an interactive and participatory note with the reader being asked to undertake what is called the "Practical Dreamer Declaration". But even for those readers who may not feel obliged to take part in this exercise, Olutimehin's Dream and Achieve will be useful as a guide and companion.
Back to the Top>>
Kola Olutimehin: Dreaming to achieve:
Business Day - 14 March 2008b (Read from Source)
The poise he strikes when you meet him for the first time tells of the air of confidence usually associated with motivational speakers.His kind is different, though, because of the nature of the message he carries, one of hope for the teeming Nigerian masses. That is Kola Olutimehin, author of Dream and Achieve.
Olutimehin's message in his call for Nigeria Dream project is one that is meant to awaken the giant within the Nigerian people who are hitherto asleep, to do great things. As a man with absolute belief in the personality of the individual irrespective of his background, he says it's when people are in the process to begin to discover their capabilities that they can go towards achieving it.
The new book, Dream and Achieve, which is being launched today at the Muson Centre, is based on a lot of personal testimonies, practicable and usable principles, which have been tried and tested by the author himself.
"It's not just me but a lot of people who have done great things and have been able to apply it to their lives. And they were pleased with it. I will take for example, if you want to understand what your dreams are in life, one of the ways you can achieve that is to assume that you are actually a 90-year-old person. And then write your own autobiography. That will kind of give you an idea of what you think you are made for. Then, you can walk back from that to be able to walk towards achieving it so that peoplewill be able to benefit from those kinds of thoughts."
Olutimehin describes his first writing experience as easy as it took him just seven months to write the book. "I did the writing at night because I'm usually very busy in day time. Writing was very natural for me. I have done a lot of work on self developmentwhich inspired me to read books. I did not just read them but I have actually listened to a lot of audio books."
As a graduate of Accountancy from the University of Lagos, Olutimehin was inspired by the all time classic, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, to write this compendium which he believes will help shape the future of Nigeria.
Think and Grow Rich helped me see beyond what I was doing before. I have attended some seminars, read other books. And inside of me was a person who was growing. By the time I sat down to write, it flowed from me. It was natural for me as I came alive with writing."
For someone who has always known that accounting will not be his final story, Olutimehin started looking and working on his dreams irrespective of the several mistakes he made along the way. "The accolades I got from people about the book encouraged me to work towards my dream and passion. For me, I am destined to write and speak," he enthuses.
For the author, it's not the writing but the person which comes first before the publication. Like other renowned motivational speakers, inspiration and motivation gave birth to Dream and Achieve for Olutimehin.
In spite of the success of his first book, fictional writing is something he hopes to do someday. "I will not say that I won't go into writing fiction someday because I could partner with some people to do a fictional story and I will direct it."
Inside this gentle accountant turned author cum motivational speaker, lies a deep- seated belief in biblical principles rather than Christian principles which he regards as the blue prints of success.
"If you were to really research into secular success, you will find that they are not based on Christianity principles but biblical principles. Christianity is sometimes not in accordance with biblical principles, the way it's being practiced. And so, you will find that Jesus never called believers Christians. It was in Antioch that the unbelievers called the believers Christians. Jesus called them disciples. That's why one cannot define congruence in the life of a Christian but you can in that ofa disciple."
The launch of Dream and Achieve takes place today under the chairmanship of Pat Utomi of Lagos Business School with a review by
Reuben Abati, chairman, editorial board, The Guardian Newspapers.
Back to the top>>
Kola Olutimehin: Secrets to Dream and achieve:
The Punch- 26 March 2008 (Read from Source )
For some years now, Kola Olutimehin, an acclaimed motivational speaker, has been inspiring those he comes across through his conversations and speeches in both private and public gatherings.Buoyed by the desire to reach out extensively and help others achieve their dreams, Olutimehin has turned out an inspirational book titled Dream and Achieve.On what triggered his desire to write the book, Olutimehin said his involvement with wealth creation partners and the attitude of some people he came across contributed to the motivation to commence and complete writing the book.
According to him, “Dream and Achieve included practical illustrations of my life and those of others around the world. Prior to writing the book, I had asked myself the following questions, which I also pose to my readers. Do you know what you really want to become in life? Have you ever wondered why some people tend to be happy in what they do and contribute immensely to the welfare of humanity and enjoy personal rewards as a result of this, whilst others wonder why they exist at all?“If you are yet to find fulfilment in life, you will need to step away from the crowd and read and reread this book a few times to get you on the track of your life’s purpose.”
The 111-page inspirational work proffers answers to such mind-boggling questions that people ask about fulfilling their dreams. From the first chapter to the last, Olutimehin successfully deployed the ingredients of positive aspiration to deliver his message. The first chapter deals with subject matters such as, ‘What is a dream? Where do dreams come from? What is a goal? How can you achieve your life’s purpose and destiny? All these come under the heading, You can and This is How. The author said he answered the above questions from his experience in such a way that readers would discover practical and tested guidance that would aid their connection to their own dream and accomplishment.” He said the book had been written as a journey towards destiny, in which the reader is encouraged to participate as a fellow traveller who determined his own course.“You will discover the world of abundance where everyone can have plenty without a need to fight for gain, from a mindset of scarcity,” he added.The author believes that every ambitious person must create yardsticks that will help him measure the progress of his championship habits, such as formulating life goals.To him, “Amateurs compare themselves with others, while champions measure their performance against their preset goals.”
Reviewing the book, the Chairman, Editorial Board, Guardian Newspapers, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the author, through the writing of the book, had made a notable and useful contribution to the growing bibliography of motivational and inspirational books written by Nigerian authors.He said the author started the book with the premise that there was in every human being the potential to succeed, the ability to soar with the eagles in the sky, the capacity to dream and to achieve.
According to him, “He is essentially an optimist who believes and argues that indeed every human can, and can be taught to, excel, and that the human community can be transformed with everyone adopting the spirit of achievement. Abati noted that the author’s central recommendation was that of life of purpose, driven by vision and goals, rewarded by achievement of fulfilment for self and the community.“But the starting point is for the individual to be prepared to dream,” he added.In his remarks, Professor Pat Utomi described Dream and Achieve as a book to help rediscover and express one’s passion in his lifetime.“For us, morality wraps around values and other important things of life. We need to anchor our lives on values, on positive values that make young people good leaders of tomorrow. Dreams form part of our knowledge and if you do not dream, you cannot get to that destination which is good for you”.
Bact to the top>>
Kola Olutimehin: In a dreamers world
The Nation- 23 March 2008 (Read from Source)
The title of the book is not just engrossing, but also captivating. And that was what set the minds of the gathering racing. Kola Olutimehin’s Dream and Achieve is a unique book anchored purposely to help people realize their dreams in life. Kola is a gifted motivational speaker who has not only helped to inspire many people in the past, but someone who feels that every individual has one or two potentials in life that have to be stirred into action. And that is exactly what the book ‘Dream and Achieve’ is all about – to inspire and fire your imagination.
Last week at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, dignitaries from all walks of life gathered for the public presentation of the book published by Spectrum Books based in Ibadan but with offices in different parts of the country. The idea of the presentation was to let a lot of people into the secret of wealth creation as espoused by the author. As he opined, "I was involved in wealth creation seminars with the group of partners. As part of the package offered to our delegates, we had a free service, which allowed our delegates to have follow-on access to us via teleconference calls on a weekly basis for six months after the data of their paid course with us."
"Interestingly," he went on, "this gave them access to five expert trainers. Although this was free, I realized that people were not consistent with the attendance on these calls which was costing no extra money other than the cost of their phone calls. We expected to receive endless questions from our delegates. As I pondered the reasons for this behaviour, I concluded that the people were only interested in these courses because of the potential money they would make from it and this was not enough to motivate them to profitable action. This thought contributed to the motivation to commence and complete my writing of Dream and Achieve", the author asserted, pointing out that his vast experiences in the world has been of immense assistance in his career as a motivator.Chaired by Professor Patrick Utomi of Lagos Business School, Lagos, the occasion was essentially used to draw people’s attention to the need to always focus on the positive side of life. As it is, Dream and Achieve which contains practical illustrations of the author’s life also touches on the issue of man’s lifestyle and what he can do to lift the spirit of others.
"Do you really know what you want to become in life"? the author asks as a way of response to numerous posers presented by some curious observers. He went on further to ask: "Have you ever wondered why some people tend to be happy in what they do and contribute immensely to the welfare of humanity and enjoy personal rewards as a result of this, whilst others wonder why they exist at all? Is this difference due to the opportunities that life provides – education, intelligence, skills, contacts, or, as some will say, luck? The book says that man is made to dream and achieve, for he has all the will and endowments to do so. The book therefore was written as a journey towards destiny in which the reader is encouraged to participate as a fellow traveler in order to determine his own courses in life. "You will discover the life of abundance where everyone will have plenty without a need to fight for gain, from a mindset of scarcity. Therefore, if you are yet to find fulfillment in life, you will need to step away from the crowd and read and re-read this book a few times to get you on the track of your life’s purpose" the author promised.
In his remarks, Utomi advised Nigerians to always look forward to a better tomorrow by working tirelessly today. "This is a book to help you rediscover and express your passion in your lifetime… For us, morality wraps around values and other important things of life. We need to anchor our lives on values, on positive values that make young people good leaders of tomorrow. Dreams form part of our knowledge and if you do not dream, you cannot get to that destination which is good for you".
Dr. Reuben Abati, chairman of editorial board of The Guardian newspapers, who reviewed the book, pointed out that to acquire greatness in life, one needs to be aware of his immediate environment and explore it to the end. "This is one of such books that can help you to open your eyes to the realities of your dreams. Therefore, you really need to dream and achieve. Dreaming alone does not help, but working on the dream you have is a good approach to achieving your life’s purpose" he said "In all, Chief Joop Berkhout, publisher of Spectrum Books, advised Nigerians to continue to write. "Writing is life" he said. "But try to write what others can appreciate when they read… In fact, I am here to publish you" he promised amidst hilarious acclaim and uproar from the audience.
Back to the top>>
The spirit of achievement:
Tribune - March 2008 ( Read from source)
Kola Olutimehin is a Motivational Speaker, author and a chartered certified accountant of international repute. In this interview with Jackson Udom, he speaks on his book, Impact of motivational speaking, and why it is important for one to speak and think positively among numerous others. Excerpts:
Your book titled Dream and Achieve would soon be ready for launch, why did you decide to write the book?
Dream and Achieve was written in order to introduce human beings to the idea that they can take control of their personal destiny and achieve their dreams. I do not believe that God has given us dreams to tease our desires, but that we should acknowledge,
develop and harness them for His glory and the benefit of fellow human beings. The book will be formally launched in Nigeria next year
What does Dream and Achieve entail ?
Dream and Achieve is a motivational book which calls for people to ‘discover and express their passions in their lifetime’. It is about the importance of dreams, and how for example, the fact that one has a dream with plans to fulfil them will actually elongate your life. The book also shows how you can discover your innermost dreams and raison d’etre, and provides guidance and instruction as to how these dreams can be achieved.
Why did you choose to become a motivational speaker and not something else?
I actually studied and qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant. I graduated from the University of Lagos and went on to obtain my professional qualification with the Association of Chartered Certified of Accountants in the United Kingdom. However, I never felt that the sole pursuit of accounting will fully satisfy my innermost desires for life. As a result, after a deep search for the truth about who I really wanted to become, which entailed asking myself a series of questions, I knew it had to do with how I could introduce people to the idea that they can become masters of their own destinies and become who they were born to be for the benefit of human kind. My search resulted in me writing down a few things about what my mission was in life. I found that the questions that I had asked myself were also the yearnings of other people, and as a result I began to speak. With the impact that my speeches have had on my various audiences, I decided that this was definitely one of the ways to achieve my aim of helping people get better of in any chosen moral endeavour in life. More so, I enjoyed it and felt that it was something I would happily do even if I wasn’t paid for it – this is one of the ways to know your true dreams. As a result, I became a Motivational Speaker, and now a writer in order to continue helping people in every way that I can. In addition, with the education and experience I have gained as a Chartered Certified Accountant I offer business consulting services to entrepreneurs and corporations and I use my motivational skills to support them through the process.
You talked about having seminars, workshops and enlightened psychology; can you tell us what that really entails?
Like I said, having decided where I wanted to be, I knew that enlightened psychology was one of the things I wanted to impact on the people. If I were to define it, it is simply the combination and the sum of the thought processes and experiences one has been through in the acquisition and distribution of wealth.In line with the principles enumerated in the book, workshops and seminars are being arranged.We’ve been doing some seminars abroad and we are actually prepared to start organising seminars which will help people in the stock market and that’s one complimentary aspect of the motivational speaking that I do. I will be introducing investment ideas not just, in terms of stock market trading and investing, but how you can buy real estate with no penny of your own, and not actually owe a 100 per cent of the value of the property. We should have a mentality that God has provided abundance within the universe and there is more than enough to go around, so that we don’t have to keep fighting for the little that we can see Several Nigerians were recently duped by forex traders, but we learnt that forex trading is a legal and profitable venture.
Why did the business crumble?
To be honest with you, a lot of trainers who teach on stock trading or investments do not actually focus on trading or investing in the stock market because they can make a lot of money on training. So,I will advise that people ought to go into it but not without adequate knowledge. There is a lot of money in the stock market and I can tell you some people win very well while others actually donate to the winnings of this people because they have no knowledge, they don’t understand the technical analysis that is required. They always like going into it like gambling and that’s where money can easily be lost and like I said to you, I have lost money in the market, and I know the pain of this loss.
Owning a house in Nigeria without a penny, how is it possible?
These are some of the things that I have done and do teach. I know how to buy property without necessarily putting your own money into it and at the end of the day, you don’t necessarily owe a hundred per cent of the amount that is put down on the property. These are the things that we know how to do, and it can work anywhere in the world. It can only work within certain parameters
When do you hope to start them?
At some point we want to start getting into more of the real estate market in Nigeria.
Back to the top>>
|
