DIY: Message from the Morning Man

So, 2015 is finally here. The 21st century is 15 years old (that's right, Y2K was a decade and a half ago)! Are we a decade and a half ahead of where we were in the year 2000? Individually? As a nation? Has your business actually experienced 15 years worth of growth in the past 15 years? What job did you have fifteen years ago? What qualifications did you hold at the turn of the century? Are they still the same today?

Every New Year for fifteen years, you have made promises to yourself, your family, your staff, your congregation, your constituents, your supporters, your nation. You have promised that each year will be the game-changer. The year of growth, the year of transformation, the year of change, the year of "double double". And then you have spent the following twelve months doing exactly the same things you did last year, all the while, expecting a different result. My friends, there is a name for that sort of thing o. I won't say it, but I know you know it.

My people, this year HAS to be different! The President may have promised to stop promising, but here's a different idea. How about we DELIVER on our promises for as change? Every year, we have meant to do just that and failed. This year, let's ACTUALLY do something different. It's not as scary as you think, you know.

We don't need any kind of major upheaval or overhaul in our lives - we only need to change one thing. We just need to take responsibility and do things ourselves. That's it. We want a better year? Let's just understand that it's up to us to make it happen. Us. That's you and me.

This weekend, I read about new plans by the Ghana Prisons Service to grow their own food. What a simple, but elegant solution to a long-standing, seemingly insurmountable problem! Sixteen thousand inmates, living on GHC1.80, a day from the government.

Three square meals from less than 2 cedis. Well, now, these sixteen thousand inmates are transforming themselves into an agricultural enterprise that will not only feed themselves, but has the potential to feed the communities around them, and make some money while they're at it. Instead of sitting around and crying over GHC1.80, instead of begging the government to feed them, they decided to Do It Themselves and save Ghana about 10.5 million in the process. Impressive, right? Now, can you do the same?

Your pastor said it's going to be a year of "Double double", but you can't just sit at home waiting for him to come deliver your double portion to you. It's up to you to make it happen, with God's help. You want a double portion? Then work doubly hard. Be doubly generous, be doubly obedient, read your scriptures twice as often, forgive twice as fast, be twice as honest, and share your testimony with twice as many people.

See if you don't get double of every blessing due you. It's all there for the taking, but only if you Do It Yourself. D.I.Y! So the Presicdent promised you a "year of transformation". I think it would be wise not to expect him to come round to your house and personally transform your life.

You're going to have to Do It Yourself. You'll have to write your own CV, find your own job, increase your own savings, cut down on your own spending, study your own coursework, pass your own exams, buy your own cement, pay your own child's school fees, come up with your own new products, attract your own customers, set your own goals and apply your own self to smashing those targets. You can do it in 2015. You can. But you've got to Do It Yourself. D.I Y!

This year, we take back our destiny from those who promised to do it for us. After all it's OUR destiny, isn't it? Why leave it to someone else?

This is 2015. Two-zero-one-five! A landmark year for many people and organisations. Ghana turns 58 this year ECG turns 48, the National Service Scheme celebrates its 42nd anniversary this year, the Ghana Police Service will have been in existence for 121 years by the end of this year. 2015 is also an important year for an important institution: Multimedia and your Super Station, Joy 99.7 FM celebrate their 20th anniversary, and you have no idea how excited we are about this. Twenty years in the business, leading the pack and setting the gold standard across the nation. God has indeed been good to us.

It's going to be a year-long celebration. We've come this far, and the future is ours for the taking. 2015 is the Year of DIY, so we are going to be the change we desire in the media landscape. We're going to give you our best year yet, and it starts this morning. My name is Kojo Yankson, and you're welcome to 2015: the Year of DIY!