1

YOU
ARE

THE ARCHITECT
OF

YOUR OWN SUCCESS

by:

OLANREWAJU FAGBOHUN
Associate Professor
FACULTY OF LAW
LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY

2
 This inspirational booklet by Lanre Fagbohun, is published with the kind
permission of the author. It is the full content of the lecture he delivered at
the book launch/lecture of the 5 golden books written by Yemi Omogboyega
Held at Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Marina, Lagos
On Thursday, June, 29th, 2006

3
 First published in July 2007

©Lanre Fagbohun

Except for the purposes of research studies or review, no

part of this publication may be reproduced without the
author’s express permission.

ISBN 978-071-020-5

For further inquiries, contact the publishers

Treasure Vault Integrated Services Ltd.

P.O.B ox 71946, Victoria, Island Lagos
tel. No. 08035200090 (Yemi), 08035200122 (Mary)
website: www.treasurevault-ng.com
e-mail address: joent2002@yahoo.com;

4
 Books Published By
Treasure Vault Integrated Services Nigeria Limited

• Better Tomorrow
• This Thing Called Marriage
• Family Budgeting: A Must For Your Home
• A Gallery of Positive Thoughts
• Positive Flashes
• Treasure Post (A Monthly Magazine)
• Yemi Omogboyega’s 4-in-1 and 6-in-1 (For easy access,
these two books combine in one volume each, four
and six books (listed above) by the same author

Others

This Regime, Their Regime – By Chief Titus Oladunni

• You Are the Architect of Your Own Success
• Ten Commandments for Academic Excellence.

Visit: www.treasurevault-ng.com or e-mail us at

Joent2002@yahoo.com

5
 Acknowledgement

I remain grateful to my family, friends, acquaintances and

colleagues who have constantly and continually influenced
my life.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the glory of God, the giver of life

and knowledge and to all those faced with life’s challenges,
but, who have kept on keeping on.

6
 Table of Contents

Part I Understanding 11
the concept of success

Part II Identifying Key Characteristics 17

Of Achieving Success

Part III The Choice Is Yours 38

7
 Introduction
Every good success is preceded by a measure of pain, after
which pleasure follows. Many people waste away their lives
because they refuse to accept this fact or are ignorant of the
fact themselves. Either way, they are the losers because
refusal to accept the truth or ignorance is not tenable as
excuses for people to fail in life.
When I was invited to speak on the topic “You Are the
Architect of Your Own Success” by Yemi Omogboyega,
during the launching of his 5 books on June 29, 2006, it was
not difficult for me to quickly come up with what turns out
to become the small book in your hands. I say this because
the author himself is a practical evidence of a good success
that was achieved by the applications of virtually all the
time-tested success theories I am postulating in this book.
If the author, who had everything working against him
(as fully recorded in his autobiography titled “Better
Tomorrow”) could take on the challenge to mould himself
to achieve success in life (now taking up the challenge to
motivate others to follow suit), it then follows that every
reader of this book can succeed.
It is therefore my sincere hope that this book will be a
blessing to all its readers.

Lanre Fagbohun

8
 Preface

By all standards, I must admit, I am not qualified to

write the preface to any book written by Prof. Lanre
Fagbohun. Rather, it should work the other way round.
However, to every rule there’s an exception. It is that
exception that, with his own kind permission, grants me the
privilege to write this piece and I particularly thank him for
the unique opportunity.
My greatest motivation towards taking the challenge to
write this preface was the overall encomiums, accolades, and
general acceptability and appreciation showered on the
author of the book by more than 250 participants, cutting
across the high, the middle and the lower (including young
children) members of the society during the event.
The lecture proved to be one of the greatest
inspirational lectures I ever received in my 50 years of
sojourn in this world and the reactions of those present
tended to support my view!
After the lecture was delivered on that day, I kept on
receiving requests for a copy of the lecture material. Not
only this, I also made a public promise that the material will
be made available to the generality of those present.
However, during the preparation of the book, I realised that
circulation of this valuable document should not be limited
to the privileged few. Rather, it should become a gospel to
be spread far and wide – even to the yet unborn. I also
resolve to use it a resource material cum gift item wherever I
deliver inspirational lectures thenceforth and to market them
9
in the open market being a publisher and marketer of books
myself.
The initial challenge I had was whether Prof would
allow me to go this far but that fear was with allayed with his
timeous and express permission to proceed with actualizing
my dreams. I wasn’t surprised at this kind gesture because
that has been and remains the Nature of Prof. Fagbohun
who would not hesitate to give whatever he has for the
betterment of other people for I have been a beneficiary of
such gestures in many ways during and after my University
education. I am indeed very grateful to him for this gesture.
This book is just too precious to confine to the
archives. Though small in size, it is a life-changing book and
so rich in content to achieve that purpose. I therefore
commend it to all who have made up their minds to succeed
in life.

Yemi Omogboyega

10
 THE GOLDEN ADVICE
By Bill Clinton

“When I was a young man, just out of Law School and eager to
get on with my life, …I briefly put aside my ready preference for fiction
and history and bought one of those ‘how to books’ “How To Gain
Control of Your Life and Time” by Alan Lakein. The books
main point was the necessity of listing short, medium and long-term life
goals and categorizing them in their order of importance with the ‘A’
group being the most important and the ‘B’ group, next and THE
“C” group the last then listing under each goal, specific actions designed
to achieve them. I still have that book now almost 30 years old. And
I am sure I have the whole list beneath my papers though I can’t find it.
However, I do remember the 8 (items in the list). I wanted to be a
good man … I wanted to be a good man, have a good marriage and
children, make good friends, make a successful political career and write
a great book….” My Life by Bill Clinton Disk 11):

Above statement is a confirmation of how powerful

good inspiration or ‘how to’ books can be in igniting or
inspiring their readers towards attaining great heights in life.
To attain the height he attained in life, all that Bill did was
simply to obey the golden rules that were contained in
Alan’s book!
No matter your present status in life, this book is
relevant to your life as Alan’s book was to Bill Clinton’s life.
I therefore strongly advise you to read it meditatively and/or
prayerfully; do whatever you are asked to do and avoid
whatever you are advised to avoid and see your life
transformed beyond your own imagination!

©
2004 by William Jefferson Clinton (P) 2004 by Random House, Inc.

11
 Part I
Understanding
The Concept of Success
The first question to resolve is to understand what
“Success” is in order to appreciate why anyone would want
it. It is only then that one would readily recognize the need
to work on the essential qualities that can guarantee success.

Success Can Be Positive or Negative

The word “Success” is fluid in content. It has been defined

as the accomplishment of what is desired or aimed at. To
be successful and have success is to attain a desired
end. It is the accomplishment of what the seeker
desires. A military man can desire military success; a
student can desire academic success; a businessman can
desire attainment of wealth and prosperity; a politician can
desire political success; likewise, a criminal, vagabond or
rascal can desire success of his unworthy ideal.
Consequently, while on one hand, you can identify Professor
Wole Soyinka; Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr.; Late Chief Rotimi
12
Williams; Late Nnamdi Azikwe; Late Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa; Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo; King Sunny Ade;
Onyeka Owenu; Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie;
Professor (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili; Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo –
Iweala; Honourable Mr. Justice Chukuwudifu Oputa;
Honourable Mr. Justice Kayode Eso; to name but a few as
successful personalities in their respective fields, we can on
the other hand equally refer to “Dr.” Ishola Oyenusi;
Lawrence Anini and Monday Osunbor as having succeeded
in several exploits which gave them dreaded fame and
notoriety before they eventually met their waterloo.
Oyenusi’s Ph.d I guess must have been in armed robbery
and allied matters.

From the above exposition, what comes out clearly is that

success and failure are not opposites, rather, they are
products of the same process. It is now left to each
individual to choose which category or classification of
success we desire and that is where we become the architect
of our choice. I will come to the importance of word
“choice” later in my presentation. If indeed we acknowledge
that a good plan can succeed badly, it then stands to reason
that one can acquit oneself satisfactorily or do well in an
13
accomplishment that is negative in intent. It is for this
reason that James M. Meston noted as follows:

“Success has a price tag on it, and the tag reads courage,
determination, discipline, risk taking, perseverance and
consistency – doing the RIGHT THINGS for the
RIGHT REASONS and not just when we feel like it”

To my mind therefore, `. At the risk of repeating part of

what I have just stated, a persons success only becomes real
when it has incorporated the value of others.

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Success and Happiness

In defining “Success” , therefore, we must ensure that we

do not equate it with happiness. To be happy is to be
successful, but being successful does not guarantee
happiness. Louis Binstock began his book “The Road to
Successful Living” with the following words:

“The most conspicuous failure in our time is success. No

age in man’s history has been so feverishly occupied with
success; no age has been so noisily boastful of it. The reality
or the promise of “good things” pervades our view of the
world; almost everywhere plenty has replaced or has begun to
replace poverty. This age has beheld one of humanity’s
recurrent disillusionments, one of the great unlearned lessons
of history. Success does not create happiness… For half a
century it has been taught by both precept and example that
material success – distinction in the acquisition of fame and
money, position, and power – is the most important goal in
life… Material success is what a man has; spiritual success
is what he is and we had tended to lump them together to

15
 assume that happiness was the product of wealth. We had
been proved wrong.”

Several examples abound of those who lacked happiness in

spite of the “Success” of their chosen enterprise. Such
people achieved the kind of success that ended up
devastating and destroying them. A classic example is John
D. Rockefeller who by the time he was fifty-three his life
was a wreck. Throughout his business career he said, “I
never placed my head upon the pillow at night without
reminding myself that my success might be only temporary”.
He was the richest man in the world and yet he was
miserable in every sense of the word. He was sick
physically, mentally and emotionally. There was no humor,
balance or joy in his life. Then, a transformation occurred.
He determined to become a giver rather than an
accumulator. He began to give his millions away. He
founded the Rockefeller Foundation, dedicated to fighting
disease and ignorance around the world. He lived to be
ninety-eight years old and was a happy man. We can
conclude here that the above is dynamite advice, but,
experience has shown that there is significant difference
between recording the meaning of success and becoming a
16
success. Thinking, writing or talking about success does not
make a successful person. This takes me to the next
segment of my discourse which is identifying key
characteristics for achieving true and real success.

I am an Awori man, and the little I

know of our Lagos, it has never been
a place for the lily-livered, yet, that
was where young Omogboyega took
up the gauntlet of carving a niche for
himself.

When it comes to perseverance, the

energy of Yemi Omogboyega knows
no bound, his spirit is unquenchable,
his commitment undying.

17
 Part II

Identifying Key
Characteristics of
Achieving Success
In the book, “Getting the Best Out of Yourself and Others”
(Harper & Row 1988), Buck Rogers offered this bit of
advice:

“To be successful, you have to believe you can change the

conditions in your life. You have to get out of the back seat
of someone else’s car get behind your own steering wheel.
You can’t wish away the things in your life that make you
unhappy and you can’t day dream your hopes into reality.
You have to consider options, reach decisions, take steps,
and make moves. Make things happen.”

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In the case of Aristotle, the Greek Philosopher, he also
devised a formula for success and happiness. Firstly, he
wrote, “Have a definite, clear, practical idea – a goal, an
objective”. Secondly, he recommended attaining it by
whatever means available, whether “wisdom, money,
materials, or methods.” Third, adjust all you means to that
end.

As reported in the Little Gazette, a former president of

General Motors Corporation first started out as a stock boy.
At the time of his retirement he was asked whether it was
still possible for a young man nowadays to start at the
bottom and get to the top and if so, how? He answered in
the affirmative but noted the sad fact that so few young
people realize it. Thereupon, he outlined his formula for
success:

“Keep thinking ahead of your job! Do it better than it needs

to be done. Next time, doing it well will be child’s play.
Let no one, or anything, stand between you and a difficult
task. Let nothing deny you the reach opportunity to gain
strength in adversity, confidence in mastery. Do each task
better each time. Do it better than anyone else can do it.
19
 Do these things and nothing can keep the job ahead from
reaching out after you!”

Strikingly consistent to all of the above is that to achieve

success that is progressive and capable of earning respect
and dignity, one must have a clear goal; be forward looking;
be ready to persevere and seek to make yourself the master
of what you are doing. We can consider these in turn.

(i) Clearly Defined Goal

The primary purpose of goal-setting is to pull change in
the direction you have chosen – one which fits your
expertise and overall plan. You goals are what will give
you the specific direction to take to make your dreams
come true. The purpose of goals is to focus our
attention. The mind will not reach toward achievement
until it has clear objectives. The magic begins when we
set goals. It is then the switch is turned on, the current
begins to flow and the power to accomplish becomes
reality. In Do Right With Lou Holts, coach Holtz
proclaims:

20
 “I’m a firm believer in goals. Take a good look at
me. You’ll notice I stand five feet ten, weigh 152
pounds, wear glasses, speak with a lisp, have a
physique that appears like I’ve been afflicted with
beriberi or scurvy most of my life. The only reasons
why I can stand up as head football coach at the
University of Notre Dame are: I have a great wife
and I am very goal oriented.”

Being chosen to coach the Notre Dame Football Team

was one of the 107 lifetime ambitions that Holtz listed
on a piece of paper in 1966. Unemployed at the time,
Holtz dreamed of dinner at the White House, an
appearance on the “Tonight Show” jumping out of a
plane, and other aspirations befitting this over-achiever.

Perhaps, I should also avail us of an incident that

involved Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes when he
misplaced his ticket while traveling on a train one day.
Watching him fumble through his belongings and
pockets in growing frustration, the conductor tried to
ease his mind “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Holmes. I’m
sure you have your ticket somewhere. If you don’t find
21
it during the trip, just mail it in to the railroad when you
reach your destination. His Lordship though
appreciative of the conductor’s empathy was dismayed
by his predicament. He looked the conductor in the eye
and responded, “Young man, my problem is not
finding my ticket. Its to find out where in the world I’m
going”.

The response of Justice Holmes may not properly sink

until you imagine yourself in an aircraft and then you
hear the voice of the pilot over the intercom,
announcing thus: “I have some good news and some
bad news. The bad news is we have lost one engine and
our direction finder. The good news is we have a tail
wind and wherever we are going we are getting there at
a rate of 600 miles an hour”. While I do not know
about you, I would be greatly disconcerted by the news.
A number of people often fly along like this plane,
lacking in direction, lacking in energy, but being
propelled and pushed swiftly along by the winds of
circumstances.

22
Let me emphatically state here that the fact that you
have a clearly defined goal will not in itself insulate you
from life’s struggles. The challenges and vicissitudes of
life will continue to daunt and torment you, but it is
your goal that will keep you focused. The truth of the
matter is that almost all who have achieved greatness
and success have suffered one set-back or the other. Let
me recall few of the miseries that late Chief Obafemi
Awolowo went through as recorded in his
autobiography “AWO” (1960).

“I was present, in January 1920, when father

discussed my future educational career with a
townsman who worked in Lagos as a teacher … But
the January 1921 of my dream never arrived. With
the death of my father in April, there was an abrupt
cessation to my schooling, and all the hopes and
aspirations which father had systematically and
relentlessly instilled in me were remorselessly dashed.
At the time of his death, my father had more than
enough property to cater for my schooling at least up to
Standard V, and for our sustenance and maintenance
for some two to three years thereafter. There was a large
23
quantity of unsold planks and joists. There were
outstanding debts due to father which were later
collected. There were at least five parcels of farmlands
planted with yams and other crops which were doing
well. There was some money too. Notwithstanding all
these, mother and we her children were left destitute
immediately after father’s death. We were the victims
of a native law and custom which gives precedence to
the deceased’s younger brother and sisters, and to the
children of his elder brother and sisters in the disposal
of inheritance. The unwritten maxim of this unwritten
Law may be stated in English thus: ‘Brothers and
sisters of the deceased had been before his children ever
were’. A few days after father’s death some of his
friends together with some elderly members of his
relations on the maternal and paternal sides
congregated to administer his estate. Nothing came to
me, except a big gown. This was given to me by the
administrators, not because I was entitled to it, but as
a token of the profound affection which my father was
known to have had for me. I sold it in 1929 to swell
my meagre saving in order to pay for the correspondence

24
courses which I took in that year in English,
commercial knowledge, shorthand, etc.

In the course of the administration of father’s estate,

mother was assigned to one of father’s brother. But she
did not favour the arrangement. So she moved to her
parent’s house and took us with her. It was an uphill
task for her to maintain us and herself unaided. She
was unable to pay my school fees, and in fact, for a
time, I felt as free as a lark and did not think of going
back to school. Then two of my father’s brothers made
representation to mother and her parent, and as a
result I was taken back to my father’s house to live
with them. Instead of sending me to school, they took
me to the farm to assist them. This arrangement did
not at all appeal to me, and father’s repeated
remonstration came constantly rushing into my mind:
‘Femi is not cut out for farming, I want him to be an
outstanding clerk in Lagos’. I endured the situation,
and did what I considered to be my best on the farm.
But my uncles thought I was a failure as a young
farmer. One day, I felt so maltreated that I left them
in the farm, and came to stay with my mother. For the
25
 first time since I learnt of my father’s death, the
irreparableness of the loss overwhelmed me. I wept and
be-moaned my fate. Why did father die so early? If he
had lived, I would not have suffered so. From this
moment on, I made up my mind to resume schooling
and told mother so’.

Defining Your Goal

The place to begin defining your goal is with the

exploration of your inner territory that is, your mind,
your being. Where do you want to get? What do you
most want to accomplish? What do you want your
academic, business or professional life to be in three
years? How about your personal life? Your answers will
determine whether you want to be a spectator or an
active participant in the game of life. Once you are clear
about these, translate them into a set of guiding ethos.
It is to the implementation of these that you now apply
all power available to you. At this moment, you are
WHO you are and WHERE you are because of what
you have allowed to inhabit your goal-box.

26
(ii) Forward Looking

Having defined your goal, you must encourage yourself

to keep to your goal and follow your vision, you must
have a clear sense of direction and a concern for the
future. When you are forward looking you will be able
to see across the horizon of time and imagine what
might be. As noted by Henry Luce, “Business more
than any other occupation is a continual dealing with
the future; it is continual calculation, an instinctive
exercise in foresight”.

While our past is important, it is not nearly as

important to our present as the way we see our
future. It is for this reason that our own Platinum-
Habib Bank Plc (Bank PHB) will tell you that
“One day cars will drive themselves” while the
“Green Eagles of Nigeria will play in the finals of
the World Cup Soccer Fiesta”. The future belongs to
those who believe in the beauty of their goals and see
possibilities before they become obvious. If you do not
think about the future, you cannot have one.
27
 I have always enjoyed the different names that Victor
Hugo gave to the future – for the weak “Future “ is
impossible; for the faint hearted, it is the unknown; but
for the thoughtful and valiant, it is ideal. Back your
goals up by being forward looking.

(iii) Perseverance
It was Edmund Burke who stated that “You should
never despair, but if you do, work on in despair”. We
all know the stories of woodpecker and likewise the ant
– their success is largely due to the fact that they keep at
it until the job they start is finished.

Many men fail because they quit too soon. They lose
faith when the signs are against them. They do not
have the courage to hold on, to keep fighting in spite of
that which seems insurmountable. John Rockefeller
appreciated this much, thus, his famous statement that
“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to
success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It
overcomes almost everything, even nature.

28
Permit me to bring you back to the Author of the five
(5) Golden Books Yemi whom I have from this
moment and with your kind permission renamed
“Honour” Omogboyega. After his primary education
at Iyin School “A” Iyin Ekiti in 1972, he came to Lagos
in search of the golden fleece. He came in the company
of his brother who enrolled him in a Secretarial Institute
in February of 1972. The gesture lasted only four (4)
months because his brother could not continue to
sponsor him. He could have given up at that moment
but he refused to. He took up the challenge of
sponsoring himself to survive in no other place than
“Eko Akete Ile Ogbon”. I am an Awori man, and the
little I know of our Lagos, it has never been a place for
the lily-livered, yet, that was where young Omogboyega
took up the gauntlet of carving a niche for himself.

When it comes to perseverance, the energy of Yemi

Omogboyega knows no bound, his spirit is
unquenchable, his commitment undying. I can
truthfully claim that I have been a beneficiary of this
embodiment of perseverance. It was in 1997 and I was
the Co-ordinator of the Law Centre of the Faculty of
29
Law, Lagos State University. The Law Centre wanted
to organize an International Conference on
Environmental Law and Policy. Prior to that year, the
Centre had always organized National Conferences. I
was however determined to make a difference and I was
convinced that an International Conference was what
we needed. I have come to conclusion that since I did
not have a heart attack in the course of raising money
for that event, I am never likely to be a victim.

Back to the Conference, I presented the Budget for the

event which was about N3million to my Vice-
Chancellor then, Professor Peter Okebukola now the
Executive Secretary National Universities Commission.
He sympathized with me, saw the good that the
Conference would achieve, but quietly, he told me that
the University has never given more than N150,000 –
N200,000 for that kind of event. In my case, he was
ready to assist in appealing to the University
Management to increase the grant to N250,000. At this
point, we had invited speakers from the United
Kingdom, Canada and Australia with promise of air
ticket, feeding and accommodation and all of them had
30
accepted the invitation. At the very critical point when
it appeared that all our efforts had come to nought, only
two men remained standing – Yemi Omogboyega and
myself. Yemi was the arrow-head of our campaign
while yours truly followed, praying to Almighty God;
Almighty Allah (SWT); Prophet Mohammed (SAS);
Jesus Christ and “if I remember too well” some
uncountable deities.

Around 9.30pm of the night preceding the day of the

opening ceremony, Yemi excitedly called me to inform
that his employers have agreed to sponsor the seminar.
Those who know his employers well are in a better
position to will attest to it that if “Obi Ezekwesile” is
the mother of “Due Process”, Shell is the grandmother
of “Due Process”. At the end of the 3 day event, I got
formal letters of commendation from my Vice-
Chancellor; the then Chief Justice of Nigeria,
Honourable Justice Muhammadu Uwais, C.O.N; and
Professor Neil Gunningham, Director Australian
Centre for Environmental Law. No doubt, Yemi who
believed in our goal was also at the same time the
backbone of our perseverance.
31
.
Permit me further to provide you a catalogue of those
who persevered for their goals and what they were able
to achieve:

- The well known author of Children’s book, Dr. Seuss

had his manuscript rejected by twenty-three
publishers. The twenty-fourth publisher sold six
million copies;

- In their first year of business, the Coca-Cola

Company sold only 400 bottles of Coke;

- In his first three years of business, Henry Ford the

progenitor of Ford Motors went bankrupt twice;

- Inventor Chester Carlson pounded the streets for

years before he could find backers for Xerox
photocopying process;

- Albert Einstein’s Ph.D dissertation was rejected as

irrelevant and fanciful by the University of Bern in

32
 1905. He persevered, and the result is what we know
of him today.

Pennsylvanian David W. Hartman went blind at age

eight. His dream to become a medical doctor was
thwarted by Temple University Medical School, when
he was told that no one without eyesight has ever
completed medical school. He courageously faced the
challenge of “Reading” medical books by having
twenty-five complete textbooks audio recorded for him.
At twenty-seven, David W. Hartman became the first
blind student to complete medical school.

On and on we can go and everyone of them is like the

story of “The Pebble of Success”, an event which took
place in 1942. According to the account, Rafeal Solano
was physically exhausted and defeated. As he sat on a
boulder in the dry river bed he announced to his
companions, “I’m through. There’s no going on any
longer. See this pebble. It makes 999,999 I’ve picked
up without finding one diamond. One more pebble
makes a million, but what’s the use? I quit!”

33
The exploration crew had spent months prospecting for
diamonds in a Venezuela watercourse. Their efforts
focused on finding signs of valuable diamonds.
Mentally, physically and emotionally they were
exhausted. Their cloths were tattered and their spirits
weak.

“Pick up one more and make it a million,” one man

said, Solano consented and pulled forth a stone the size
of a hen’s egg. It was different than the others, and the
crew soon realized they had discovered a diamond. It is
reported that Harry Winston a New York jewel dealer,
paid Rafael Solano $200,000 for that millionth pebble.
The stone was named the Liberator and to date is the
largest and purest diamond found.

Keep going and the chances are you will stumble on

something perhaps when you are least expecting it. I
never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting
down. Whatever our dreams are, the willingness to
“Keep on Keeping on” is what will determine our
measure of success. Perseverance is self-discipline in
action. Perseverance does not always mean sticking to
34
 the same thing forever. It means giving full
concentration and effort to achieving your goals. Fire
your goals up with passion and perseverance will come
naturally.

(iv) Competence
The last but not the least important of the key
characteristics of achieving success is competence.
Given the increasing complexity of our environment, it
is doubtful that a person would be able to navigate the
waters of today’s competition without clear,
competence. Close your eyes and imagine a surgeon
who has clear goals, is forward – looking, and is ready
to persevere – he is not likely to achieve much unless he
has the requisite competence. I do not know about
you, but I will not want to lie on the operating bed of
any hospital theatre even where I know that our
surgeon (more like a butcher) will only pop in to say
hello.

Not everyone is equipped with the same talents, gifts or

abilities. Each of us is created in a unique way. Our
personalities are as diverse as the universe itself. Yet,
35
there is one constant: we can, by developing and using
what we have to the fullest, stand out from the crowd.
I cannot help but reflect on the biblical story of the
talents.

Now, a talent was an ancient unit of money, but it

serves as a parallel to individual ability. The story opens
with the master of a wealthy estate preparing for a
journey into a far country. Prior to his departure, he
entrusted a portion of his wealth to three of his
servants. To one he gave five talents. To the second
servant he gave two talents. The third servant received
one talent. Each was instructed to use what they had
been given.

About a year later, the master returned and called

together his servants to see how they had done. The
servant given five talents had invested wisely and now
possessed ten talents. “Well done, thou good and
faithful servant. Because you have been faithful with
what you have, I will give you more”.

36
The second servant had also used what had been given
him and the master was likewise pleased with his
efforts.

Can you imagine the feelings of the third servant? The

master inquired how he had done. “You only gave me
one talent,” responded the servant, “and I was very
careful not to misuse it. In fact, I put it in a safe place
during your absence. Here it is as good as new.”
To put it lightly, the master was furious. “Thou wicked
and slothful servant! How dare you not wisely use what I
gave you.” He then took the talent and gave it to the
servant who had ten.

The third servant was first in the chain of people in

human history who cry out: “Somebody else gets all the
breaks,” or “the rich get richer and the poor get
poorer.” You’ve heard those rationalizations and
probably several others.

Listen now to the unwritten message of the master.

“Take what you have and use it. What you initially
possessed will be multiplied”. Storing our talents in a
37
safe place or keeping them buried inside results in the
loss of the very thing we tried to protect.

No matter what abilities you have, use them to their

fullest. Invest them wisely in activities, projects, people
and life and you will find them multiplying. It’s an
irrevocable law. “What you sow, that will you also
reap”.

38
 Part III
The Choice
Is Yours
Let me conclude on this note: The Architect is a person
qualified to design buildings and to supervise their erection.
He is a planner, creator and director of works. You are
qualified to design, build, supervise and direct your life.
Adopting the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer, your life is a sum
total of the choices you make. You are free to choose, but
remember that the choices you make today will determine
what you will have, be, and do in the tomorrow of your life.

Chose carefully who, where and what experience you want

your life exposed to. We are who we are today because of
the choices we made yesterday. Likewise, tomorrow will
become the result of today’s choices. We are free up to the
point of choice, then the choice controls the chooser.
Choose carefully the path your life takes. Once you choose,
your choices will control you. Do not ever forget that “You
are the Architect of Your Own Success”.
39
 Media Comments on other books Published
Treasure Vault Integrated Services Limited

“This Thing Called Marriage”

By Yemi Omogboyega

“…is an eye opener for those contemplating marriage…”

- The Guardian's Art page 13th November 2004

“… came at the right time. A time that the rate of divorce in Nigeria in particular and
the world in general is on the increase.

This Thing Called Marriage will be specifically useful to spinsters and bachelors
who are contemplating marriage. It will also serve as a guide for those who are already
married to know how to make their marriages work.
- Maureen Chigbo, Newswatch Magazine.

“A Gallery of Positive Thoughts”

By Yemi Omogboyega

“ … is indeed inspiring and capable of changing most thoughts negative to human…”

- The Guardian Arts Page 27th November 2004/B27

“From the human foetus to the human corpse, and the soul, either in heaven or in
hell, the author gives some thoughts to help the individual shape his life to achieve his
set goal here and hereafter.”
- Azubuike Ishekwene – Editor, The Punch

Also reviewed by Networth Magazine - December, 2005 Edition

40
 “Family Budgeting”
By Yemi Omogboyega
“… the content is vast and of inestimable value.”
- The Guardian Newspaper Arts Page January 15, 2005

“ It is recommended that every family, man or woman, married or single, should have
a copy of this compendium to help them in planning their lives.”
- Maureen Chigbo, Newswatch Magazine. June 29th 2006
Also reviewed by Networth Magazine - November, 2005 Edition p.38.

“Better Tomorrow”
By Yemi Omogboyega

“…(Yemi) has produced, a thoroughly engaging, entertaining and

instructive book that is bound to provoke interest and arguments.”
- Reuben Abati (The Chairman, Editorial Board,
- The Guardian Newspapers

“Positive Flashes”
By Yemi Omogboyega
“ The author, a lawyer, is able to capture activities in recent past and relate them to the
current socio-economic and political events, leaving a message that nothing has really
changed in Nigeria…”
.
“My Life Is In My Hands”
By Yemi Omogboyega

“… the writer cannot resist the ambition to touch on the issues that are fundamental
to the life of each mortal. In other words, from a parent to the child and back to the
parent, the book has something revealing for everyone”

“…what Omogboyega does in My Life Is In My Hands, is to offer practical guides that

see the individual through from the cradle to the grave.”
- Akeem Lasisi, Personal Finance Editor,
- The Punch (Personal Finance page)

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