I was interviewed by ‘Rule Your World’ magazine a while back in their maiden edition and the answers I proffered to their questions are still relevant today and want to share them with you. I hope you will be re-energised to keep moving forward even if you feel like given up. And if you have a casual approach to life, I trust to ignite fire in your belly for your journey in life.
- Question: What must be the thought pattern and thinking process of the youth?
Answer: It is said that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. The average Ghanaian/African youth’s mind is untrained, under resourced and grossly abused. Observe the mannerism of majority of the youth and you will have a fair idea of their mental character and form. It is an unhealthy mindset incapable of effectively manning the future and its challenges. The mindset of the average youth is extremely casual with a heavy slant towards amusement-based entertainment. My question is do you need entertainment if you are yet to make any significant attainment?
This mental attitude is shaping a society where the youth want something for nothing, satisfaction before accomplishment, sex before marriage etc. The youth must think production and think work.
Production
Whatever there is, with exception of God, was produced. If you don’t think production you will be poor. Show me a significant person and I will show you one who has product or service of value to humanity. Tell yourself every day ‘I am a producer’ and refuse to be a loafer.
Work
Work is not a curse. Work is not a punishment. The youth must cultivate a positive work attitude. There are two main types of work. I recommend the first type for every youth.
a. Work before the fall of Adam:
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 2:15
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
God instituted work before Adam fell. The purpose of work for Adam was to be fruitful, to multiply and to replenish the earth and to subdue it: and have dominion. The above scriptures show that you can get more from work than salary. You rule through work. I recommend the first type for every youth out there.
b. Work after the fall of Adam:
This is the corrupted form of original work. Majority of the youth are only familiar with this kind of work. Working to survive. Working to get food.
Genesis 3:17
And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life
2. Question: Are there any peculiar steps that can be taken to make the youth better than they are today?
Answer: Better is relative. If you have a low standard, better could still be mediocrity and this is why God’s Word becomes the standard of all standards.
- Get back to God’s original plan for you
The first thing is for any youth to get back to God’s original plan for dominion for man through Faith in Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
According to God’s original standard, dominion over the earth is the reason for man. Your dominion over the earth through the deployment of your unique divine ability is God’s plan for you. This is serious business. You are both needed and wanted in the earth.
Genesis 1:26 reveals as the model for man. Spend time imbibing the Word of God. When you immerse and saturate your spirit with God’s Word, it will impact and compel your mind to embrace the straight and narrow path to success and abundance. There are too many bad examples of so-called success. This is why God stepped down in person of Jesus to model God’s will for you. Let Jesus mentor you in the Word of God.
- Solution oriented mindset
The youth must embrace rigorous studies not just for academic laurels but to build mental capacity to solve problems. This is how Albert Einstein put it: “The significant problems we face today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”
- Be responsible
Take responsibility; the world doesn’t owe you a dime. The people who think the world owes them something usually end up as thieves. Contribute more than you consume. Be productive. Let your life count. Don’t live an ordinary life. Continuously improve on your game.
- Your library must be more valuable than your wardrobe.
Value knowledge. Get understanding. Have a personal library and read books, don’t turn your library into a museum. You must be intense, if you will amount to anything. A casual approach to life will make you a beggar. Feed your brain and it will feed your belly. Spend more time deliberately developing your mind than on makeups. A healthy and trained mind makes the face shine but there are not enough face powder and clothing that can hide a shallow mind.
3. Question: What is the one thing that you think the youth of today lack?
Answer: Understanding! Every rational youth wants to be successful, and yet not all will be successful, simply because the youth are failing to understand that true and sustainable success is who you are, before it becomes what you have. One needs to be processed to be prosperous. It doesn’t just happen. Understanding that whatever you want in life has a price tag will free you from comparing yourself to others, settle down with your purpose and become a champion. The collateral damage of failure is far more than the price tag of your success. Take responsibility for your success and take action today.
Rule and subdue the earth.