1. You are alive

A dead man is dead. That is what it is. Dead.

But you are alive. And this alone shows you are not doing badly.

The popular word is: While there’s life, there’s hope

And this is true.

I Googled “how many people died this week”. It leads me to a statistics website called wordometers

I could only get the estimates of people who have died this year and today. See below:

That’s a lot of deaths. I tried to filter by country to get Nigeria’s estimates but the feature was unavailable.

Friend, you get the point. You are not one of the over 22,000,000 deaths this year alone. You are alive.

The dead don’t read. Congrats on being alive. Be grateful for it.

I thank God for you.

2. You are Sane

I bet you were not expecting this.

But sanity is a gift. And insanity does not mean only those who stroll on the streets naked?—?although that too is sad.

But I’m saying that your brain works. Your mind is sound, rational, and healthy.

The beauty of a sane mind is that you can learn. That means you can become anything you want to be.

And the ability to learn is a blessing.

The greatest wealth in Life is the ability to learn. 

The issue with insanity is that it grounds you. It puts you on the same level forever?—?until you get your sanity back.

That we have hope for a better job, marriage, children, increased salary, making an impact?—?or whatever? the nice thing we are hoping for —?all rides on the fact that we are sane.

Sorry this might make you moody?—?but the point is?—?be grateful.

And do say a prayer for those you know who need their minds back.

3. You have a bed to sleep

People who are familiar with life in Lagos will appreciate this point.

Sometimes last year, I had an appointment very early in the morning so I left the house earlier than normal (around 5:00 am) and on getting to the streets leading to my destination (Ikeja, Lagos) – I saw people sleeping on side steps, front porch of shops & buildings in the area.

I saw people sleeping on mats and hard cardboards.

Some just woke up, while some were still at it. My heart tanked. That was the first time I will see such.

The parked tricycles homed some people and also parked trucks.

It was sad.

I don’t think you are in this position. I think and know you have a nice bed and a roof over your head.

I need not remind you of those transversing borders in Europe looking for new homes due to war.

But you are not.

Be grateful.

And say a prayer for the families in distress in North-East Nigeria and in Europe. 

4. You have got Peace

Writing this point made me somewhat sad.

During war or chaos?—?everything is grounded.

No one is operating any business or posting new jobs. What job? To do what? Maybe to become a soldier but definitely not a customer care officer at a Multinational in Lagos.

Nobody is promoting you or increasing your salary. The mind shifts from convenience to survival.

But you have peace. You are not worried about your safety.

No one is chasing you out of your home.

You should be grateful.

And pray for peace in Nigeria. 

5. You have faith

This point will not sit well with most in other countries, but that’s their loss. We are Nigerians and we have faith here, people.

Any part of the divide you find yourself tells you that you have something higher than you. That you have a God who Has got your back.

I Googled for the part of the Quran that says this and I saw:

“Verily We created man from a product of wet earth; then placed him as a drop (of seed) in a safe lodging; then We fashioned the drop into a clot, then We fashioned the clot into a little lump, then We fashioned the little lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators!” [23:12-14]

And I know the bible says:

“For I know the plans I have towards you are plans of good and not of evil, to give you hope and an expected end”. Jeremiah 29:11

So, hold on to your faith. It is your best bet.

You only have to play your own part and the author of your faith will play His.

In conclusion; discovery is all about showing you the wisdom that will help you succeed in your career and business—but whatever we teach will not work if your mind is not set right.

1. Yes, there are things you are not happy with—but hey, there is a lot more for you to be grateful for.
2. It’s always tempting to focus on the things not going well—know that this will not help. It never does.
3. Yes, it is good not to accept the status quo. But let that feeling drive you to find out how to change it.
4. Failure often implies some things were done wrong. Don’t be sad—just go find out how to do it right and apply what you learn. And you’ll be good.

Always remember that a lot of people will be glad to have the things you and I take for granted.

Think about these things.

The summary of it all is that no matter the position you find yourself in today, always be grateful to God. Your case is still better than several others.