Have you ever had a thought cross your mind, that made you stop and think “I can’t do that; people will think I’m crazy!” If YES (as long as it’s nothing negative/bad) know that some of the world’s most celebrated people had similar experiences. And they became great because they refused to let that concern stop them from doing what their inner voice told them.

We Are All Spiritual Beings

Never mind all the religious “noise” that dominates society today. The bottom line is that every single human being is spiritually endowed. Most times however, especially in these modern times, when technology has provided so much comfort that dulls our senses, many of us “forget”.

This is why today, the few people who manage to uncover their own spiritual abilities a bit, become the “men and women of God” the rest of us follow. We make ourselves believe they have a more reliable direct line to the creator, and that we have to pass through them.

Nothing could however be further from the truth. What I say here is based on over 20 years of trial and error testing, done with my personal life.

Time and time again, from when I was nineteen, in my third year in the university, I have put everything I’ve been told about religion – any religion – to the test.

Everyone Hears from the Creator – Most Just Don’t Know It’s Him!

What I have found out is that 99.95% of what we get told everyday about God, and what he wants, was made up by those who said it, or those they heard it from.

In reality, every one of us hears directly from the creator. The problem is we have been told it’s not normal to hear things – especially voices on the inside of us. We have been warned about mental sicknesses that show up via symptoms of voices in one’s head.

As a result, many of us would rather have someone else tell us what the creator is saying – by listening to the voices in his/her own head! Unfortunately, putting people in such positions of power and influence over others can get intoxicating.

This is why even when they hear no voices; those we depend on in this manner sometimes decide to “manufacture” messages from voices they make up by themselves!

And eventually, the daring ones start a religious movement of some sort, and recruit gullible followers.

Be Your Own Oracle, and Make The World A Better Place

Don’t be afraid to be ahead of your time. Today, history acknowledges those who, in the past chose not to be afraid, as having made the world a better place by doing so.

A voice in your head may be telling you to follow a passion you know you have, wherever it may take you. Like any normal human being, you may worry that you’ll look bad to others, especially when if it takes a while for you to succeed at it.

But guess what?

So did Marconi, the father of wireless communication.

From the age of twenty he endured ridicule, criticism and even opposition (from others – including his own father, who destroyed his contraptions, believing they were wasteful) – until he was proved right.

Many called him crazy. As they did Robert Goddard, who today has the American Space Centre named after him, following pioneering work in rocket science that made today’s space travel possible.

So many examples exist in history that you can read up online, to inspire yourself.

I urge you to do that, if you still lack the confidence to follow your heart…and the quiet voice that’s telling you what to do, where to go, and even how.

That’s What I Did to Build and Maintain My Self-Belief Till I Matured

In 2005, I wrote an article titled “When I Quit My Job, They Called Me "Mad" – And I Felt So, So Sorry, For Them”. It was based on the true story about when I left Guinness Nigeria to start my own business.

I took that decision despite being at a point in my career, where great senior management career advancement opportunities were beckoning.

A former senior colleague who I met told me some others said I’d lost my senses to give up such a promising career, for the uncertainties of starting a business.

I, on the other hand, told him that each passing day convinced me I’d taken the smartest decision of my life.

It’s been years since I wrote that piece, and my achievements prove I was right.

Today I’m making useful impact in my chosen areas of focus and interest – both online and offline – in the lives of my target audiences.

And I get great fulfillment from doing what I now do every single day.

This is why I never seem to tire or get weary. It is also why people marvel that I am able to do so many different things competently, that they can (or will?) not..

That’s proof that I have connected successfully to a source of higher knowledge about myself. And it guided (still guides!) me to discover my passion, and strengths, towards excelling as a human being.

I Succeed By Listening to My Inner Voice – Continually

Yes, you cannot listen once, and hear everything.

The voice tells you what to do in phases. As you mature enough, it tells you what next to do, and sets you up to take action.

Coincidences of all sorts happen.

Sometimes you’ll find yourself repeatedly running into resistance when pushing in a particular direction.

The unitiated typically accuse the "devil" (poor guy!} – when in reality, it’s the creator trying to SAVE them from going the WRONG way!

When such a situation persists, just STOP and take some minutes, hours, days or even months to LISTEN to your inner voice.

If you do so carefully and patiently, the instructions will come, in form of deep insights, on what you need to do.

And when you take action based on those insights, you’ll find that progress becomes easy.

Here’s A True Story to Illustrate the Above Point

For years (before 2013) I fought myself about relocating from Nigeria, to another country where I could make better progress with my work.

The thought kept coming to me, that I needed to make the move.

When I leaned towards moving towards Ghana, the voice said something like "You speak French – go to Benin, it will be better there."

At a point, I told Burt Dubin about this dilemma. He wisely told me to follow my instincts…and that whatever I did he would be in my corner..:-)

Yet I procrastinated…

Until I discovered my work circumstances in Nigeria began to get worse.

Power supply grew more erratic. Clients became naughty regarding payments. And so on.

The voice came back again …quietly but persistently. I tried telling those close to me – but not ONE person agreed with the idea.

They all basically said "You know no one in that country. At least you’ve been in Ghana before. But Benin …where most people are animists? The economy is nothing compared to ours. Most people there cannot even afford to hire you!".

I replied that I did not need citizens of that country to hire me, as my work was mostly online. That made it possible for me to continue delivering products and services from any location to interested clients.

Instead, what I needed, I clarified, was a more conducive, less disruptive, and less expensive working evironment.

Still they disagreed.

At this point, I knew I had to take my own decision. So I got my passport/other papers, and traveled across the border.

Since 1st April 2013, when I moved here in Benin Republic, my productivity has gone through the roof.

It was not easy at the start, but I persisted (with support from loved ones who stayed in touch).

Today, less than 6 months on, I’m winning buyers for my products and services, at a faster rate than I ever did in Nigeria.

In fact, I even have clients who are based here, but have businesses they’ve hired me to help them with back home!

One recently had his driver transport me to his farm in Ekiti state to do a situation analysis, towards building a farm management software for him.

Looks like "someone up there" knew something I did not

Those Who Call You Crazy Will Rarely Understand – But Do It All The Same!

Yes, don’t let their mockery or criticism stop you from doing what your inner voice tells you – which you know is truth.

Follow the prompting of your inner voice, and people around you will notice your increasingly rapid rate of success achievement.

By then those who doubt you will be forced to acknowledge – even celebrate you!

This will happen because what you accomplish is bound to benefit not just you, but also them…and possibly the world at large.

Like I said earlier, you (or your ideas) may be ahead of your time. That will not matter.

Think about most people who were called crazy, before their works proved to be invaluable contributions to mankind, and you’ll see this is true.

Therefore follow the example of those who came ahead of you…

Do the world a favor by following your inner voice, and sharing future possibilities with us today!

Does it feel like nothing is working the way you want? Can’t find (or keep) a job or client? Bungling important assignments at work? Or having problems with your partner?

This post offers ideas you can use to succeed, in spite of negative situations in your life.

Those Who Seek Success, Must Embrace Hard Times Along The Way

The only way you can avoid experiencing difficulties in life will be if you choose to give up ambition. In other words, you would adopt a “do-nothing-noteworthy” attitude to life.

People who do this often go through life making sure they rock no boats. They take what they are given, do what they are told, and generally stay out of the way of everyone else.

Here’s a quote I coined for them some time ago:

“Some people join the crowd in order to become hidden or protected from criticism or scrutiny. Since they also take care never to voice contrary (and at times ANY) opinion, they are rewarded with the anonymity they seek – and the insignificance that results from it.” – Tayo K. Solagbade

The above implies that making progress means you’ll have to confront challenges, difficulties, adversity and negatives in different forms. That process will mould you into the person you need to be, to achieve the progress or success you desire.

That’s why if you pursue progress, each time think you’ve seen the last, another “difficulty” forces its way into your life. It does not matter how hard you try to avert it. Some adversity is needed to help you prepare for success.

Hard Times Make People Fail, But Why Do Some People Seem Immune To Them?

It’s true. And it’s being that way since the beginning of mankind, and will always be so.

Even as you struggle to deal with your challenge, you probably know some people who rarely seem to let anything set them back.

It’s almost as if they are incapable of failing.

I do not refer here to people who stay in their comfort zone, and never venture out to do something new, different or daring. Nor do I mean those who achieve a level of material comfort, and then decide to live the rest of their lives playing it safe.

No.

Instead I am talking about courageous individuals who boldly set new and challenging goals, and fearlessly pursue them till they succeed.

These persons would often be seen to encounter great obstacles, which they ultimately surmount. Sometimes emerge victorious, despite being bruised and bloodied (figuratively/literally speaking) making others conclude they cannot fail.

The truth is however often that people who excel as above rarely attain that level of competence overnight. They would have invested time and effort, learning to endure and overcome adversity, to succeed. And that’s how their demonstrated mastery often results.

What You Can Do

The above process cannot happen via shortcut for anyone. Every person who desires authentic success must be prepared to pay the price to get it.

That price is EXPERIENCE i.e. firsthand experience that cannot be bought with money…or obtained by proxy.

You must undergo it in person – or as the French would say “Toi-même” i.e. yourself.

When you do, you’ll gradually develop the capacity to defeat adversity. If you persist long enough, you’ll arrive at a point where others conclude YOU are incapable of failing.

Why would they think that of you?

Because you would have discovered that relentless persistence is the key to achieving progress, even when (it seems) nothing’s working.

And you would act based on that knowledge every time you encounter difficulty, hardship, adversity, negativity etc.

In other words, you would have become unstoppable!

Do you really want to gain full mastery of any area of your personal or work life? If YES, then GET INVOLVED IN PROBLEM-SOLVING. Even if others avoid it, do it – and do it without holding back. Do it every day, and as often as the opportunity presents itself within each day.

Problem Solving Is a Shortcut to Useful Learning

Troubleshooting or Problem-Solving offers the quickest and easiest way to gain very useful knowledge about anything.

And I mean ANYTHING!!

Why? Well it’s because in the process of trying to solve a problem, one tends to become focused and critical – unwilling to accept irrelevancies or "convenient explanations" etc.

You find that so long as the problem remains, you feel pressured to keep challenging everything you are told. This of course will only happen if you choose to be an active player in the problem-solving process.

For instance, I once had the unfortunate experience in which my car packed up midway along Lagos-Benin expressway one evening due to a problem with the engine.

The mechanics that worked on the car that evening till late into the night would, I’m sure, not forget me too quickly. And that’s because I stayed with them all through asking questions at every step, demanding to know what they were doing and why.

I came away that day knowing much more about my car engine and how it functions. Incidentally, many people I know would actually have gone off to take a rest with instructions for the mechanic to call them when done.

After all, they would argue, "it’s not my area".

Problem Solving Challenges You to Apply Your Theoretical Learning to Real-Life Situations

So, when you engage in problem solving, you actually combine the learning of certain essential theoretical aspects with the practical application of acquired knowledge.

That’s a very efficient learning process!

Subsequently, you would be able to talk about that particular problem you were involved in rectifying, with more confidence than if you had not experienced it.

This is why it has been said that we should be grateful when things go wrong, because those are disguised opportunities to pick up valuable learning.

Final Words: Accelerate your learning – get involved in Problem-Solving!

Most people let fear of work – and of failure – blind them to potential benefits to be had from engaging in problem solving.

Through active participation in investigation of the cause of a problem, you’re likely to learn – by elimination – what is NOT responsible for it (over time).

And as you stay involved, the more likely causes, and contributing factors will become apparent to you.

That increased familiarity with the problem will boost your ability to intelligently continue exploring possible solutions to the problem.

This is the reason why we always want to find people who have had “experience” in a certain field or vocation. We expect such persons to bring with them some amount o know-how that will facilitate getting the job done – unlike someone who is new on the job, who may still be learning the ropes.

The implication of the above is that if you form the habit of engaging in problem solving, you’ll transform yourself over time into a useful resource person that others will love to have around. That applies to friends, associates, employers and even clients.

In other words it will make you better off in life!

This article was written based on excerpts from my Self-Development Bible™ titled “Ten Ways You Can Use Self-Development to Create the Future You Want”.