One major reason why most people do not achieve success is failure or refusal to put their dreams into action. This book entitled “Stop Wishing, Start Acting” co-written by Olushola Alabi and Olanike Alabi could not have come at a better time to assist such people. Olushola, a teacher, preacher, counsellor and motivational speaker is the chief executive officer of Roll the Gold Konsult. Olanike holds a first degree in Forest Resources Management and a master’s degree in Information Science from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
According to Olushola and Olanike, many people only have dreams but never leave their thought realm to take action and become successful. These authors say this book is full of nuggets that will motivate, inspire, teach, challenge and encourage people to discard their wishing and embrace action to be able to achieve their life goal(s).
Olushola and Olanike say you are welcome to the world of celebrities, stressing that you are the next celebrity the world is waiting for. They assert that this book has come to announce that your time has come to shine. You are not inferior to anybody on earth and your due season will definitely come, expatiate Olushola and Olanike.
These authors advise you to exploit your latent potential for this is the pathway to your being celebrated by people. They say you should be less concerned about what happens around you. Olushola and Olanike stress that the world has no positive message to offer anyone, so anybody that wants succeed needs to offer him- or herself positive messages that will declare his or her enthronement.
This text is segmented into six chapters. Chapter one is entitled “If wishes were horses”. These authors ask the number of business ideas that one has lost this year. Olushola and Olanike add that most people’s business ideas have not gone past the realm of dreaming and wishing. In their words, “How many financial plans have you drawn this year? They never left your planning table. What of the creativity strategies you read in the newspapers or the ones that a friend sold to you?”
They ask if one could fathom where one would have been today if one had followed that intuition telling him or her to meet that need in the neighbourhood. According to these authors, wishing is a strong desire to do something but not reinforced with action.
Many people have great business ideas which will be beneficial to mankind and the youth of this jet age are blessed with outstanding talents that can transform their generations and the generations unborn, submit Olushola and Olanike.
They educate that the richest place on earth is the cemetery as many people die and are buried there without achieving their purpose in life. In their words, “Great medical practitioners, outstanding politicians, intelligent legal luminaries, wise businessmen, experienced scholars, professionals, talented celebrities… die without acting on their God-given vision and talent. Every true potential from God has a future. It needs to be pursued spiritually, physically, financially and with everything at one’s disposal.”
Olushola and Olanike expatiate that action is a positive step taken to bring a vision or dream to pass. They go by way of literary allusion by quoting Mike Murdock thus: “The secret of success is to start from the scratch and keep scratching.”
The authors say nobody succeeds in the school of success without pursuing his or her dream passionately, vigorously and spiritually. Your acting on that vision, dream and talent is evidence that you have belief in them, stress Olushola and Olanike. They reveal that your helpers of destiny may be around you waiting patiently to see you pursue your dreams and they will rise to support you.
These authors educate that this is not the season of wishing or daydreaming. They say rather, it is the season of acting on your dreams, working on one’s dreams and facing one’s dreams with courage. You will be surprised how you will be celebrated and honoured, Olushola and Olanike submit.
Chapter two is based on the subject matter of the mysterious mind. Here, the authors educate that your mind will always act on whatever you feed it with. They say the mind is mysterious because it is the centre of creativity. The authors assert that the mind is the gift God has given mankind to trade with. Positive mind attracts positive result and negative mind attracts negative result, they expatiate.
According to Olushola and Olanike, the dominant picture in one’s mind yesterday is the raw material through which one’s destiny is constructed today. They add that nobody will change your mind for you as it is the choice you make. Change your mind for your destiny to be changed, advise these authors.
Olushola and Olanike say once one’s mind is dominated by thoughts of failure, fear, stagnation, backwardness and hopelessness, the end result will be failure. They say when one’s mind is controlled by thought of hope, joy, prosperity, increase, enlargement and promotion, the end result will be prosperity. The authors add that the dominant thought of greatness produces great people while that of failure produces frustrated people. These authors reveal that the mind can travel far and near, breaking barriers, bringing appointments from disappointments.
Olushola and Olanike educate that it is not one’s degree or qualification that determines one’s success. They stress that they have seen illiterates rise to stardom because of their positive mindset, while men of riches and affluence fail woefully. Olushola and Olanike say it is a battle of the mind, thus advising one to engage one’s mind positively as the sky is not the limit for one.
In chapters three to five, these authors X-ray concepts of a problem as a necessity; believing you can start; and the present moment being the right time.
Chapter six, the last chapter is christened “Take a bold step”. Olushola and Olanike say many great talents are wasting away today just as a lot of potential is seriously under-utilised. They add that great dreams are thrown into the thrash can.
As regards style, this text is okay. The language is simple while the presentation is brilliant. The layout of the text is unique in that it is a mixture of both prose and poetic structures. The outer front cover design is non-verbally communicative as it reinforces the overall subject matter. Even textual visual distinction of “Stop” and “Start” on the cover amplifies the subject matter. There is the use of graphics to achieve visual reinforcement of readers’ understanding, e.g., the use of the image of the horse in chapter one entitled “If wishes were horses”.
There is use of biblical and literary/classical allusions to achieve conceptual amplification and lend credibility to the text.
However, some errors are noticed in the book that need to be corrected. One of these is “Acknowledgment” (pages iv and vii), instead of “Acknowledgments”. Another one is “Potentials” (page vi) instead of “Potential”. On a page 10, we have “I wish I can….” instead of “I wish I could….”
In spite of these errors, the book is intellectually and conceptually valuable. It is a must-read for anybody that is prepared to take action and achieve his or her life goal(s).
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