Two days ago, for the second time since its inception, I was a guest lecturer at the 21-day orientation exercise for Batch 6 of the National Youth Service coppers. 
The coppers are camped at the Peace Mission Training Centre (PMTC), where they undergo various exercises to instil in them the discipline and mind-set that will put them in a better place to compete for ever-shrinking job opportunities and even create their own opportunities. At the end of their orientation, these young people will be placed in various institutions for eleven months of voluntary national service in various regions of the country.
Events such as this pull a strong tug to my heartstrings primarily for two reasons: The first is that it brilliantly unites the vigour of youth with the spirit of service, two concepts that have long been at the cornerstone of my mission and passion. The second is the fact that it nostalgically takes me down memory lane to the time when I was around their age, and how I discovered and embraced the principles that have so significantly shaped my life.
Building a life that shapes generations was the theme I explored in my lecture. As one Copper after another shared testimonies of how my story and work had positively inspired and transformed the lives of many Sierra Leoneans, I got them to try and reconcile these testimonies with the very difficult start I had in life: How did someone with poor illiterate parents and disastrous academic performance, wallowing in poverty and its attendant hardships, turn all of this around and become a trail blazer and generational influencer?
I narrated the well-worn story of how through fortuitous mentorship from my Pastor, I discovered I was ultimately the product of my choices, not my circumstances or my environment. And that the power to shape my future rested in my daily choices. I then went on to fully deploy the power of my daily choices to:
Reversing my academic fortunes: I retook and aced my O levels after my third attempt and secured my Accounting Technicians certificate. This paved the way for employment with the international accounting firm, KPMG and eventually, qualification as a Chartered Certified Accountant. Developing my career as a serial entrepreneur: helping to establish and grow at least eight successful and well-known brands in the country.
And, with the power of choices, I have gone on to shape every aspect of my life; spiritual growth, health and fitness, key relationships etc. Reminding the coppers that they too can build a life that shapes generations, I ended the talk with an adaptation of quotes by Ben Carson and John Maxwell:
“Successful people do not have fewer challenges than unsuccessful people; they just have better strategies to deal with their challenges.” Congratulations and good luck to NYS coppers batch 6, well done NYS and the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
