I was at a seminar the other day, when somebody's cell phone rang. It wasn't the ring-ring, ring-ring type of ring. It was one of those song rings; the ones that sound like you have a live concert going on in your pocket. Anyway, I looked around, determined to lay eyes on the person guilty of disturbing the proceedings with a bad rendition of Dr. Sid's "Something about you."
There he was, the brother, two seats behind me reaching for his phone. Yanked out his Blackberry, looked at it and put it away. Wasn't him. Then across the hall, another brother, who looked like the first brother, grabs his blackberry and begins to yap it up with someone whom he obviously hadn't talked to in a while.
What struck me most wasn't the audacity of this brother to carry on a boisterous conversation in a quiet hall, but the fact that there were at least two brothers in the same hall who had the same hip-hop song as ringtones on their blackberry.
For two Dudes who undoubtedly thought they were unique, turns out that they were anything but that. In fact, they were just like the hoards of other brothers pursuing the same goal of distinction. Instead of being unique, they were uniquely the same. And they are not alone. Whether it’s a ringtone, a pimped out ride, the illest haircut or skinny jeans, the "it" slang or the latest high tops, more and more Brothers, in their quest to be unique, are, in fact, mirror images of one another. They look the same, act the same and talk the same. Some brothers fall so hard for the latest trends that they forget their own voice, their movements, their likes and dislikes.
Being an original, being unique, is all about being yourself. And it doesn't require a great deal of skill or money. It only requires a true commitment from a person to make his own path, chart his own course, and be an individual.
Try to learn things that most guys don't know, little details and facts that you can throw into a conversation ever so often. Place importance on educating yourself - not just on the highest goal scorer of the English Premier League - but on heavier issues. Learn about the things around you. Learn the political issue of the day, the ins and outs of the economy. Learn the difference between an Accrual and an overdraft, a stock and a bond.
Understand that what you own doesn't make you stand out. If you can't afford it, don’t buy it. Choose Freedom over an Expensive car. Choose peace of mind over a designer Wardrobe. When everyone around you is struggling to pay for their stuff, and you're not, that's when you really stand out.
Realize that sometimes, many times, the group is wrong. Mark Twain once said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Perhaps those words of wisdom are more appropriate now than ever.
There he was, the brother, two seats behind me reaching for his phone. Yanked out his Blackberry, looked at it and put it away. Wasn't him. Then across the hall, another brother, who looked like the first brother, grabs his blackberry and begins to yap it up with someone whom he obviously hadn't talked to in a while.
What struck me most wasn't the audacity of this brother to carry on a boisterous conversation in a quiet hall, but the fact that there were at least two brothers in the same hall who had the same hip-hop song as ringtones on their blackberry.
For two Dudes who undoubtedly thought they were unique, turns out that they were anything but that. In fact, they were just like the hoards of other brothers pursuing the same goal of distinction. Instead of being unique, they were uniquely the same. And they are not alone. Whether it’s a ringtone, a pimped out ride, the illest haircut or skinny jeans, the "it" slang or the latest high tops, more and more Brothers, in their quest to be unique, are, in fact, mirror images of one another. They look the same, act the same and talk the same. Some brothers fall so hard for the latest trends that they forget their own voice, their movements, their likes and dislikes.
Being an original, being unique, is all about being yourself. And it doesn't require a great deal of skill or money. It only requires a true commitment from a person to make his own path, chart his own course, and be an individual.
Try to learn things that most guys don't know, little details and facts that you can throw into a conversation ever so often. Place importance on educating yourself - not just on the highest goal scorer of the English Premier League - but on heavier issues. Learn about the things around you. Learn the political issue of the day, the ins and outs of the economy. Learn the difference between an Accrual and an overdraft, a stock and a bond.
Understand that what you own doesn't make you stand out. If you can't afford it, don’t buy it. Choose Freedom over an Expensive car. Choose peace of mind over a designer Wardrobe. When everyone around you is struggling to pay for their stuff, and you're not, that's when you really stand out.
Realize that sometimes, many times, the group is wrong. Mark Twain once said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Perhaps those words of wisdom are more appropriate now than ever.
True talk bro...Please let em knw ya!
ReplyDeleteOla Adewunmi
word!
ReplyDelete