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Opinions of Monday, 19 January 2015

Auteur: Kojo Yankson

Say no to Abortion

This week is a big week. For many reasons. First, this is the week in which the Sugar Project activities really kick off in earnest. You'll soon be seeing and hearing lots and lots of information on TV, radio and social media about diabetes, how it affects you, and how you and your family can control and prevent the condition by seizing the opportunity to Live Right.

This week, we also remember the Boss Player. Komla Dumor. The man who changed the face of Breakfast Radio in Ghana, and then went on to put our continent firmly on the world map. The gentle giant, who was the best example of what we can be. The broadcasting powerhouse who inspired so many - including myself - to follow in his footsteps.

It's been a year since KD was called up to the Big Studio in the Sky, but still, his influence lives on. Every time you tune in to your Super Station, your ears are filled with quality programming, which bears the hallmark of his influence. This week, we celebrate the life of our Big Brother, Komla.

This week will also see the launch of my first book, Messages from the Morning Man; a compilation of the Inspirational Stories I write and present on the show. Like this one. I'm particularly excited about this book, because it's not been easy to write.

Coming up with something relevant, relatable and readable every single day has not been easy, but the finished product, not to mention the feedback from so many of you whose lives have been impacted positively by these messages, more than makes up for all the sleepless nights.

I'm excited about my first book. I know what a difference it will make to those of you who buy a copy. In these challenging times, we all need inspiration, and in the DIY year of 2015, when we are all trying to effect positive change in our personal circumstances, we need all the help we can get. And what can be more helpful than a self-help book?

Did you know, the first recognised author of a self-help book was Napoleon Hill? As far back as 1928, he started writing instructional books on how to get rich. His most popular title was Think and Grow Rich, a book that many people still borrow from the library today. In that book, Napoleon Hill travelled the whole country, interviewing financially successful people, from Gerald Ford to Andrew Carnegie.

His theory was that there is a simple formula which anyone can follow to become rich. In testing this theory, he made several observations, arrived at many conclusions, and offered many profound nuggets of wisdom, including this one: "Cherish your visions and you dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."

My friends, how many days old is the year 2015? 19 days. 19 days since you went for crossover night, and swore to God that 2015 would be different. You promised to kick all your bad habits, and pledged to be a better person. You made a covenant to pursue your dreams and make 2015 a year of transformation. And you sealed your vow with the blood sacrificed to all those mosquitoes that were plying their trade amongst the chair legs on Watch Night. And I'm sure you started living up to your word the very next day.

Now, 19 days have passed. How many days did you hold on for before you gave up and started smoking, eating chocolate, missing gym sessions, and forgetting to read a verse a day? How many days before you lost your temper again, gave up on that free online course you started, had yourself a beer on a weeknight, stopped pursuing that promotion, and gave up on that business plan you were spending an hour on every night?

"Cherish your visions and you dreams," Last week, Uncle Ebo Whyte gave us some useful food for thought about New Year Resolutions. He pointed out that it's best not to make New Year Resolutions and opt for "New Day" Resolutions instead. It does make much more sense to refresh your resolutions daily, rather than try to keep up some year-long commitment to a massive change in your lifestyle. Napoleon Hill's advice teaches us something very important in support of Uncle Ebo's suggestion: You need to treat your dreams as your children.

Children must be protected, nurtured, encouraged, guided, cherished and valued above all else. But most importantly, children must be fed. Your dreams must be fed until they become a reality, and the only thing that feeds a dream is action.

Daily action Every day, take one action that will move your dream towards reality. Just one action. Say no to one unhealthy snack. Do one set of sit-ups. Read one chapter of that self-help book. Share one bible verse with your Whatsapp group. Miss one cigarette break. Let one annoying driver pass by without insulting them. Smile at one stranger. Spend one hour in a quiet spot, thinking about your dream, and what you will do tomorrow to move it one step closer towards reality. Your dreams are precious. You either feed them, or you abort them.

"As they are the children of your soul;" Your dream is beautiful, and it IS achievable. All it takes is a little action every day. These actions may seem small to you today, like grains of sand. But grains of sand make bricks, bricks make walls, and walls make mansions.

It may not seem like it to you, but day by day, you are putting together the building blocks of your future. Like the man said: "Cherish your visions and you dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."