by

Patrick Ogungbola
MD/ CEO, BLUEHEDGE REALTORS

We welcome you to this brand new beautiful month of March, 2020. It shall be for us a ‘dream-come-true’ month. May God grant the fulfillment of our heart’s desires.

This is the third month in the year 2020, and it seems that some are already getting tired. The excitement and drive that comes with the new year is already fading away. Well, this is normal, most especially when one considers the happenings around us. The talk of the town now is about Coronavirus (which is said to be very contagious, most especially COVID-19); this is the ‘wrongest’ time for anyone to have cough and catarrh, you’ll be a prime ‘suspect’ to have contracted coronavirus.  Apart from this, most depressing also, is the state of our economy; almost everyone is complaining as ends can no longer meet. Many people are out of employment, and those who have jobs are not certain about job security, neither are they fulfilled. These alone are enough to weaken one’s spirit. However, we must not be discouraged or depressed by anything; the interesting thing about most games (such as football) is that every moment in the game is very important. From the time the referee blows the first whistle till he blows the final, the players must continue to give their best throughout the game. A team that decides to relax or rest at any moment (such as when the weather is not conducive) will give the opponent the opportunity to score, and if this happens, the losing team may never recover from the loss till the end of the game. Let’s learn from this. We must not be discouraged; it is only those who can successfully sail through the depressed economy that will enjoy when the boom comes. Also, there will always be ‘bad news’ that will distract our attention. While going through the World Health Organization (WHO) website on disease outbreak in Nigeria from the year 2000 to date, I came across the following: Yellow fever, Cholera, Meningococcal, Acute fever and rash syndrome, Avian influenza, Acute hepatitis E, Monkeypox, Ebola virus, Lassa fever, and now Coronavirus. Just as we heard of the previous diseases and they passed away, even this one shall also pass away. We shall only be hearing about them; none shall come close to us by God’s grace (Amen).

Now to the subject of this month’s article titled, ‘Journey to Self Discovery’. This write up is not meant to be motivational, but a revelation of our ‘innate potentials’ as humans. The essence is to discover the immense potential embedded in each one of us by our creator irrespective of the situation or circumstances that surround us. It is sad and humiliating to see human being go through life without a sense of purpose; many people wander about aimlessly and settle for whatever is available just to survive. As a matter of fact, the instinct for survival, which should be basic, is the greatest around here. It is an abuse of human dignity to see people do despicable, inhuman and other illegitimate things all in the name of survival or ‘just to make it’. It’s high time we discovered ourselves, because we are more than this! Lack of self-discovery leads to self-delusion; we must discover the innate potentials in us.

Human beings are the most special and unique creature of all God’s creation. The ability for creativity and innovation is at the very heart of man’s ingenuity. The Almighty God in His infinite wisdom created all the basic things that man needed for existence, and left the remaining part of the creation for us. Apart from nature and other natural things, every other thing in existence in our world today are man’s creation. As a matter of fact, whatever is not yet in existence has simply not been imagined; all things are possible in today’s world.

Science has it that humans are indeed very unique, we are the most advanced species intellectually, technologically, and emotionally. We have been successful in extending human lifespans, creating artificial intelligence, traveling to outer space, showing great acts of heroism, altruism and compassion. We have the unique power of forethought; the ability to imagine the future in many possible iterations and then to actually create the future we imagine. Forethought also allows humans generative and creative abilities unlike those of any other species (https://bit.ly/2Tp2KJ8).

We are indeed powerful; we all have been endowed with special creative and innovative abilities. But with these kinds of endowment, ‘why is it that some people still live at the lowest ebb of creativity and civilization?’ In other words, why do some human beings still live below their potentials? Well, the answer is not far-fetched. Many factors contribute to this, some of which include education and exposure; background and orientation; belief, thought and ideology as well as environment. All men are equal, but the above factors make some superior or inferior to the others. Just as plants survive and thrive under a conducive environment, the best of man also comes out when the necessary factors (and conditions) are in place.  The interesting thing however, is that man has been equipped to create the kind of world he wants for himself, irrespective of the immediate environment he grew up or finds himself. He has the freedom of thought and of choice, and can only be limited by himself. As a man can never rise beyond the limit of his thought. You can imprison him (by way of confinement or incarceration), but it is impossible to imprison his thought, hence he has the power to think and accomplish whatever he wants, but whether he exercises this power is another question.

A research report from Forbes stated that, ‘Humans have been the most successful species on the planet. Scientists credit our success to three traits: technology innovation, group collaboration, and communication. Humans not only have all three abilities, but we excel at all three’ (https://bit.ly/38coSM5)

Human mind is very powerful. Although, invisible, our mind acquires the ability to imagine, to reason, to choose among various motives, and to evaluate alternative plans to actions (Ted Chu, Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential (https://bit.ly/2vqKVBn).

The greatest discoveries in life is self-discovery (the process of learning more about yourself and who you are, as it relates to your potential and your capabilities), and this is summed up in the words of Napoleon Hill – ‘Whatever the mind of man can conceive (imagine) and believe (with faith), it can achieve (accomplish)’. This is powerful! We are who we think we are. If we think low, we end low (under); and if we think high, we end high (on top). We all have the choice to make. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Indeed, we are more than we think we are.

Every invention of man is a reflection of his ingenuity; human intelligence birthed artificial intelligence, and hence artificial can never supersede human. As good as science and technology are, they can never take the place of human element in the scheme of things. This means that we are unique, we are special and we are irreplaceable. If you are ready to stand out from the crowd, then you first need to embrace what makes you unique. You need to accept who you are without needing to fit into a label of who you should be. Just know that you will stand out once you embrace everything that makes you different, but you will also need to be in complete control of your life and your happiness. Just discover and rediscover yourself, and embrace your uniqueness. You are indeed more important and valuable than you think you are.

We wish you the very best in the month of March 2020.

As usual, we want to once again remind you that we care so much about you, and that when it comes to your real estate investment and advisory, we are always here to give you the very best service you can never get elsewhere. This is our promise, and will always be.

Meanwhile, please find below the powerpoint presentations of our current properties for sale in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Thank you.

Affordable Properties For Sale in LAGOS, Nigeria

Affordable Properties For Sale in ABUJA, FCT, Nigeria

Affordable Properties For Sale in PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NigeriaBluehedge Realtors article for March 2020, Journey to Self Discovery

by

Patrick Ogungbola
MD/ CEO, BLUEHEDGE REALTORS

Happy New Month!!! We welcome you to this beautiful month of February.

Of a truth, January 2020 has become history, and February 2020 is here, presenting us with a blank new chapter. The time will forever continue to tick and the year will continue to advance, but the question is, ‘are we also advancing with time?’. In life, we are either moving forward or going backward, because stagnancy (staying in the same position) is a sign of retrogression. The greatest resource God has given to everyone in equal proportion, irrespective of class, race, nationality, background, etc is time, and how we utilise it will determine who we eventually become. May God give us wisdom to use our time judiciously.

This month’s article is centred on the question ‘What is Life?’. Many people always seek an answer to this question, that is ‘what is really the essence of this life?’. We found ourselves in this ‘beautiful’ world by reason of birth, then we were enrolled in schools (for those that are privileged; education is still a privilege in this part of the world). After graduation, we seek for a good job or start a business, then we start a family, we strive for career advancement or business expansion, and finally, people will start leaving one after the other (just as we came) by reason of death. And mind you, all the things that has been acquired through struggle and labour will be left behind! Now, we ask again, ‘What is really the essence of life?’

Many of us are so much engrossed with ‘what to achieve’, ‘how to achieve them’, ‘how to attain the highest academic and professional titles’, ‘how to fulfill our life dreams and ambitions’, and other similar life achievements that we pay little or no attention to what really matters most – what happens after we are no more (our afterlife). Please don’t misunderstand me, it is very good to achieve greatly in this world, but it is much more important to ‘work on’ our afterlife.  This may not be a popular article, neither was it intended to be so. We all try as much as possible to dodge this kind of subject; we don’t even want to think about it because we feel ‘we’re still very young and full of life’. The truth is that this is a subject this writer found very difficult to write. It is easier and more relaxing to write about ‘how to make more money’, ‘the secrets of living longer and never grow old’, ‘how to live a successful life’, ‘the best investment that can guarantee you 250% return on investment’, we know these are what people want to read. But whether we like it or not, the only thing that is certain about life is death; every living thing must die! We can’t escape it, and what we can’t escape, we must adequately plan for.

On Sunday, January 26, 2020 (just few days ago), we got a shocking news on the sudden death of one of the most prominent basketball players the world had ever known – Kobe Bean Bryant, who died during a helicopter crash at the age of 41, along with his 13-year old daughter, Gianna and seven others. Bryant was reported to have been a star at the Lakers for about two decades before he retired. LeBron James, one of the living legends in basketball who just broke Bryant’s record wrote the below tribute:

“I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA. Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have.”

It’s really so sad, Bryant died that same day, after congratulating LeBron on the record-breaking achievement. Hmmm! Death does not announce when it will comes, hence, the need to be ready-prepared, it is inevitable.

In the same vein, the memory of the great Bahama preacher, Myles Munroe who also died at the age of 60 in a plane crash in 2014 comes to mind. Announcing his death, Independent News said:

“Munroe and his entourage were travelling to Grand Bahama to attend the 2014 Global Leadership Forum that he organised. He had planned to have dinner in Freeport about 90 minutes after his plane’s scheduled arrival with the US’s former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young. Munroe’s wife, Ruth, was also on the plane, along with his daughter and his second-in-command at Bahamas Faith Ministries, Richard Pinder, as well as the group’s youth ministers, Lavard and Rudel Parks, and their young son Johannan (https://bit.ly/38V0YW3).

Hmmmm! Munroe had planned a Leadership programme and also a dinner with a dignitary, but he couldn’t make it. Indeed, death is no respecter of persons.

We know other prominent world figures who have died, such as the former South African President, Nelson Mandela who died at the age of 95 after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. The news of Nelson Mandela’s death and burial was widely televised by CNN and other news media for close to a week, and what happened thereafter? Life continues!

As people, we must realize that we are ‘mere’ mortal, only God is immortal. This should make us to be humble and also set our priorities right to what really matters. It should also make those of us who are still alive to value life and appreciate each passing day.

The wisdom here is to plan and prepare for anything that is not within our control. A wise man once said that we must begin to set the right priorities from the moment we know when we’re to die. We know that we will all die someday but the irony is that we don’t know when. We all wish to grow to a very old age before we exit, but we know that people ‘escape’ at different periods. Great personalities (people of timber and calibre) have died, and the world has not ended, let’s be careful! People may sing our praise, give us various awards and titles; do you deserve an accolade? Don’t worry, they will give you plenty of it, but what happens when one is gone? The person suddenly becomes insignificant and irrelevant to the praise singers and awarders, and their attention will be directed towards other ‘living’ people. We must not get carried away by what people are saying about us, we should be much more concerned about what God is saying.

Almost every religion believes about life after death, and our relationship with God, our creator is of utmost importance in this regard. What happens when we die depends on what happens before we die, in other words, our after-life is dependent on our before-life. God should be involved in all we do; we should acknowledge Him in all we do and He shall direct our paths.

In conclusion, someone advised that we should take a moment to calculate the number of days you have lived so far, and then take a guess as to how many more days you expect to live. Then ask, ‘what is the most eternally profitable way you can spend your remaining days? Then, start living such life now!

Let’s remember the greatest question ever asked by the greatest man that has ever lived:

“For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul” – Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36).

Indeed, death is not final; there is Life after death! I believe this and I hope you too. May we all be witnesses and partakers of God’s heavenly kingdom (Amen).

We wish you the very best of the month of February 2020.

As usual, we want to once again remind you that we care so much about you, and that when it comes to your real estate investment and advisory, we are always here to give you the very best service you can never get elsewhere. This is our promise, and will always be.

Meanwhile, please find below the powerpoint presentations of our current properties for sale in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Thank you.

Affordable Properties For Sale in LAGOS, Nigeria

Affordable Properties For Sale in ABUJA, FCT, Nigeria

Affordable Properties For Sale in PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NigeriaBluehedge Realtors February 2020 Article, What is Life?

by

Patrick Ogungbola
MD/ CEO, BLUEHEDGE REALTORS

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! We made it to the year 2020. Happy, Happy, Happy New Year!!! It is with utmost joy and great excitement that we welcome you to this brand new year. It shall be a year of prosperity and all-round advancement for every one of us (Amen).

At the beginning of a new year like this, we are usually filled with so much joy, hope, aspiration, expectation and belief for a bright future and that all our wishes will come true; we feel very optimistic and have the assurance of a better tomorrow. However, few days or months into the year, the hope and excitement begin to wane and fade away, and sooner than we realize, we pray the year ends quickly so that ‘another good year’ can begin. The bitter truth is that every year is neutral, it is basically what we make it to be. In other words, what we reap at the end of every year is a function of what we have sown, a farmer who sows nothing reaps nothing. We must let go of mediocrity mentality and vain belief; ‘you cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant (Galatians 6:7, Contemporary English Version).

We thank God we’ve crossed over to a New Year. Every year is an extension of previous ones, no year is in isolation. Another interesting fact is that this is not just the beginning of a new year, it also marks the beginning of a new decade. Most people are accustomed to think and plan for one year, we call them ‘January – December’ people, whereas to make meaningful impact in life, we must learn to think and plan for several years ahead, at least 5 years ahead. Thinking and planning for only 12 months when you have over 50 to 70 years to live is myopic and shortsightedness.

We must ask, ‘why is it that most people only think short term, in other words, why is it that most people can’t see beyond the present? Well, the answer is not farfetched. The first reason why most people think short term, especially in this clime is due to the level of uncertainties and the hopeless state of things. We live in a very uncertain and unorganized society. Insecurities, bad economy and uncaring government are part and parcel of our system. Most people around here are hopeless, as no one is certain of tomorrow; a big man’s pet is more certain of tomorrow than some human beings. Little or no value is placed on human life. Life here is indeed a survival of the fittest. This is why some don’t see the hope or reason for living; only those that are hopeful for a better tomorrow will plan for it.

The other reason people think short term boils down to our orientation and belief; what do you expect of a culture or religion that believes that everything that happens in life, whether good or bad, has been ordained by God. As a form of illustration, if someone drinks alcohol to stupor and immediately gets into his car to drive himself, and five minutes later, he’s involved in a fatal accident which claimed his life, who can we say killed him? Is God to be blamed for his sudden death? Obviously, most deaths and other ill-fortune that happen to us as people are self-inflicted. As a matter of fact, God, being a loving Father does not want anyone of us to die before our time, just like any sane human father will not wish his children untimely death.

Lastly, most other people plan short term because of fear of sudden death which is also partly due to the uncertainties in our system, amongst other reasons. Few years ago, a gentle man had a heart-to-heart conversation with my grand mother on why he has made up his mind to take life easy and not stress himself all in the name of making it, as somebody can die at any time. My grand mother who is a stark illiterate gave him a wise response, she said, ‘You only live this life once, I’ll advise you to live and give your very best. What if you think you won’t live long and you end up living to a very old age, how will you cope and fend for yourself and family?’. That’s the advice from my illiterate granny to a graduate, this shows that real education is not what we are taught in the classroom, but what you discover by yourself outside of school.

The popular saying, ‘Live as if you will die tomorrow’ is meant to prepare us ahead and for us not to be caught unawares. James Dean said it in a better way, ‘Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you’ll die today’. The essence is to enable us plan ahead, prepare and think beyond the present – long term thinking.

With the above understanding, our hope should come alive even if the current situations around us seem hopeless (we are living not just for the present, but the future). Let’s endeavour to live right so as to live long. Take excellent care of your health. What I wrote in our August 2018 article titled – ‘Keep Hope Alive’ is still relevant here. Please find below the excerpt:

“Sometime ago, I read something very instructive and enlightening in a book titled, ‘Be a Sales Superstar’ by Brian Tracy; he said in Page 137 that, ‘Make a decision that you are going to live to be eighty years old or more, and begin today to do whatever you have to do to achieve that goal’. The day I read that statement, my eyes lightened up because I have had the premonition that to live up to that age is not within anyone’s control but 100% God, but what Brian Tracy is saying here is that although the God’s factor is very important in this, you have many roles to play to live longer, it is your decision; by watching what you eat, as well as your lifestyle, as many people have died due to careless living and preventable ailments which could have been avoided”

Without losing focus, the essence of this article is to encourage us to start thinking long term – having a dream and goal of 5, 10, 20 years or more and having the drive and commitment to pursue it. Funny enough, during my research on this article, I learnt that the real long term thinking are for 100 years, 1,000 years or even 10,000 years and that this was part of what informed Amazon’s Jeff Bezos decision to build the $42 million dollar clock that will run for 10,000 years. Part of the reason why he built this clock is to remind himself, and others, about what it means to think in the long term (https://bit.ly/2ZHxOWY). Quite amazing, right! Most things worthy of endeavour takes more than 12 months to complete, so why do we think mostly ‘January – December’ projects. Mega projects always last more than one year to complete, except by miracle. For instance, Dangote refinery project started in 2017 and operation is estimated to begin early 2021, despite the fact that work goes on there day and night, and billions of naira has gone into the project. Most courses in the Tertiary Institutions takes between 4 to 6 years to study. Of a truth, everything meaningful in life takes time. If you want to go far, think long; the higher a building is meant to go, the deeper must be the foundation. The foundation for a bungalow is not the same as that of a sky scraper.

Henceforth, let’s start thinking concrete and specific long-term thoughts as often as possible. How do we do this? By thinking of what we want our life to realistically look like in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years? Sit down and sketch it out, with much detail as possible, be realistic and positive about this. Then examine through each sphere of life: Physical, Intellectual, Spiritual/ Philosophical, Marital, Parental, Social, Professional, Financial, Avocational and Other areas. In other words, let’s start living our life with future in mind. Thinking long term will make us see reasons to stay alive and also appreciate life better.

In closing, I want to share with you ‘12 things everybody should do in 2020’ as written by Din Shariff. I feel they are good advice; please find them below:

1. Pursue something. Don’t work in the entire 365 days without having something particular in mind to achieve. Start a building project, buy a car, pay some school fees, start some job. Just do something!
2. Walk with people wiser or stronger than you. In 2020, surround yourself with people who will inspire you, who will make you feel you can do better, who will challenge you.
3. Check your dressing or appearance. Don’t put on ‘anything’ just because it covers your nakedness. Your appearance tells a lot about you. Iron your dress neatly. Don’t wear dresses in the name of fashion or trend. Wear more decent but fitting dresses. This is the slogan: Simple but Classy.
4. Check how you talk. Before you open your mouth, be mindful of who you are talking to, where you are talking, when you are talking and also know that your integrity is at stake. In every situation, choose silence over speech unless you don’t have any option.
5. Visit old people’s home to appreciate them, also orphanage and children in need of special care.  Don’t let them feel unwanted or neglected in the scheme of things.
   
6. In 2020, be more prayerful. You can’t live your life thinking things occur merely logically. There’s a Supreme Being (God) who makes things happen, pray to Him.
7. In 2020, start thinking or planning towards doing more for humanity.
8. In 2020, always think Positive while being Realistic. When you see tigers praying to God, don’t join them. You can be positive that they won’t ‘chop’ you since they are praying but be realistic too that after the prayers, they’ll remain tigers and God will feed them with flesh.
9. Buy gifts for your loved ones. In 2020, try and do something ‘small’ for parents. You have no idea what goes on in their minds. Let them feel you are not far off.
10. In 2020, Invest more, save less, spend less. Put your money into investment ventures. Buy T-bills, buy shares, buy fixed deposits, import some goods and sell, be a stock broker, etc. In fact, get more than one stream of income! (My thought: Recently, I wrote an article where I advised on ‘save more, invest less’. This point look contradictory, right? This is where wisdom comes in. Times and seasons differ, there are times you need to ‘invest more and save less’, and there are times you need to ‘save more and invest less’. Wisdom is profitable to direct).
11. Many known names have gone and life goes on. The point is, don’t work your life out. You won’t take your work with you when you die. You are not as important as you think, calm down. Take time off work, go and do medical check-up, visit your family, visit gardens or the beach and appreciate nature, etc.
12. After reading, send this message to all your contacts, it may be of help to someone.

We wish you the very best of the New Year and the New Decade!

As usual, we want to once again remind you that we care so much about you, and that when it comes to your real estate investment and advisory, we are always here to give you the very best service you can never get elsewhere. This is our promise, and will always be.

Meanwhile, please find below the powerpoint presentations of our current properties for sale in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Thank you.

Affordable Properties For Sale in LAGOS, Nigeria

Affordable Properties For Sale in ABUJA, FCT, Nigeria

Affordable Properties For Sale in PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NigeriaBluehedge Realtors 2020 New Year Article, Looking Beyond 2020