Nothing great happens on its own. There is no rise without a price. Without a reaction, there is no motion, and without motion there cannot be a change of position.

Life is not a biological accident; it is a deliberate creation of a great Creator. This is why those who undertake deliberate acts make the most of it. No one succeeds by accident.

Most of the developing world has been waiting in futility for a change for the better for centuries, without any result. I believe it is time to accept full responsibility for the change we desire, lest we perish as liabilities.

The biblical story of the ant is a graphic illustration of the situation of men and women in the developing world today.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?” Proverbs 6:6-9

Ants have no overseer or ruler, yet they are able to secure their future. In my view, every blame on bad governance is rooted in a bad citizenry, after all, the leaders are chosen from among the people. It is only a responsible citizenry that can produce a responsible leadership.

There is therefore, an urgent need to begin to re-orientate and re-engineer the mentality of the people, in order to change their perspectives to life.

Teaching the people “how to fish,” is the only way to get them out of begging for fish all their lifetime. It is time to begin to empower always require an applied force (upthrust). Things fall on their own; but a force is required to enforce a rise. Whereas gravity is all it takes for a fall, upthrust is required for a rise.

I agree that some things do change with time, but I also know that time itself changes nothing. It’s important to note hat things will only change for the worse, left only with time. Imagine someone who failed an examination 20 years ago. How long will it take for the result to change for the better, if he does nothing about it? It will take more than eternity, which no one has!

The most reasonable approach for changing that result for a better one, is to re-register for the exam, review his preparatory approach, seek help through books and people, and resit the exam. These changes can be effected within a year, why therefore wait for all eternity as a failure?

Therefore, waiting for a change without doing anything makes no sense; it is the application of relevant forces that guarantees a change for the better. That is, knowing what to do and doing it committedly and correctly. Remember, there will never be a rise without a price.

THE CAPITAL PRICE

I believe discipline is the capital price you pay for every desired change. Discipline in my view, can be defined as doing what is required to get at what is desired. It is doing what is demanded, not what is convenient. 

George Washington said, “Discipline is the soul of an army; it makes small number formidable, it procure success to the weak and esteem to all.

I believe discipline is the key to success. It is the gateway to distinction, the guarantee for dignity, and the key to relevance.

Discipline, I believe, is all about accepting full responsibility for every outcome in one’s pursuit. Someone has said you are not a failure, until you look for who to blame for it. How true!

Have you realised that every time you point an accusing finger at someone, you are pointing three fingers back at yourself, while the fifth one is pointing to God as witness! This implies that every man is the cause of 75% of his problems. If someone else has a share, he can only be responsible for a maximum 25% of the blame. This implies that a failure would have still failed with or without anyone’s help! No wonder K. C. Price once said, “If you fail, it is your fault; if you succeed, it is your fault.”

Only those who believe in the need for change remain in charge. Someone has said, “If you are through changing, you are through.” It is also said that,

“stubbornness and an unwillingness to change is the energy of fools.” Also, “You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs? “He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils”, another man said.

But change always carries a cost. If change is about added value, and value we understand is a function of cost, it is, therefore, obvious that there cannot be a change for the better without a cost.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must strive to become the change we want to see.” Someone else also said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others; it is the only thing.”

Do you really desire a change for the better as an individual? Do we really desire a change as a people? Then, it is time we stopped wishing for a change. Let’s start working at it.

This is the purpose of this book in your hand. It is packaged to motivate you towards the change you have always desired. It’s a wake up call…

This text is an extract from the book “RULING YOUR WORLD” written by David O. Oyedepo
We invite you to read the following article “DISPOSITION TO SERVE“.

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