How the Spectacular Brooklyn Bridge Was Built: A Story of Dogged Determination

Below is the story of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built.

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before. Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge. The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or walk.

“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild visions.” Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task.

As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal. Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Source: http://academictips.org/blogs/determination-and-persistence/

I do not want to undermine the impact this story may have on you, so I refuse to make comments. I strongly believe you have learned some lessons from the story.

Have You Written Your Bucket List?

“Every man dies – Not every man really lives.” ~ William Ross

Do you have a bucket list? Or maybe I should ask, “Have you heard of the term ‘bucket list’?’’ I first came across the term ‘bucket list’ from the 2007 film, The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. If you don’t have an idea of what the term means, below is an example of a bucket list.

1. Write a book
2. Take singing lessons.
3. Take my grandmother on a vacation to the destination of her choice.
4. Build or buy a home.
5. Take my children to the White House
6. Travel around the country
7. Travel the World.
8. Fly first class on an international trip.
9.     Write your memoir
10. Publish a book
11. Learn to play a new musical instrument.
12. Learn painting.
13. Learn photography.
14. Learn how to start a business.
15. Start a blog.
16. Public speaking.
17. Own your dream home.
18. Own your dream car.
19. Start a company
20. Donate blood

Does it look like goal setting? For me, it doesn’t necessarily have to be about goals but wishes. A bucket list is list of all the things you desire to experience during your lifetime. Your bucket list contains all the wishes and desires that you have always wanted to fulfill. Having a bucket list reminds you of what’s really important so you can act on them. Your bucket list is your wish list. The reason I said bucket lists don’t have to be about goals is because the activities or experiences listed don’t have to be time-bound. 

Your bucket list is just a way of writing down all the memorable and exciting experiences you want for your life. And it serves as constant reminder of all those things you want to do. It is all about fun and excitement and our fulfillment in life should not depend on whether we have checked off the items on our bucket list. I believe a bucket list will help us to quickly make up our mind or give us focus when we are thinking of memorable activities to do.

Some people prefer to call their list life list instead of bucket list because of the negative connotation they feel bucket list has. The phrase ‘bucket list,’ is believed to have derived from "kick the bucket", which is a euphemism for death. So whether you want to call it bucket list, wish list or life list, what is your list going to look like? You can come up with as many items as you can. Thus, your list can be as long as you want it. So are you ready to write your bucket list now? I can assure you that it’s going to be fun. There is really no harm in trying, you know?

Here is a peep into my bucket list:

 To attend Joseph Prince’s church – New Creation Church – in Singapore and listen to him preach, and 

         also interact with him.

 To watch Arsenal play at the Emirates.

 To visit World Changers Church in Chicago, USA and hear Creflo Dollar preach.

 To visit Kenneth Copeland’s church in Forth Worth, Texas, USA and hear him preach.

 To visit Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas and hear Joel Osteen preach.

Now that you have taken a peep into my bucket list, I want you to take your pen and book, or your tablet, or create a file on your PC or even create a note on your mobile phone and draw up your bucket list. You may think your bucket list is just a list of mere wishes. But I want you to understand that your bucket can be likened to a summary of your dreams. And whatever your mind can conceive, you are likely to achieve. So don’t be afraid. Dream big. Write your bucket list and expect your wishes to come to pass.

Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Others Who Obeyed the 10000-Hour Principle

“Champions do not become champions when they win an event, but in the hours, weeks, and months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely a demonstration of their championship character.”

The statement above is credited to Michael Jordan who is arguably the best basket ball player ever. Jordan’s long time coach, Phil Jackson reveals that it was hard work that made him a legend. When Jordan first entered the league, his jump shot wasn't good enough. He spent his off season taking hundreds of jumpers a day until it was perfect. He says Jordan's defining characteristic wasn't his talent but the humility to know he had to work constantly to be the best.

From childhood, Serena and Venus Williams would go to the tennis court at 6 o’clock in the morning before going to school and when they returned from school, go back for tennis practice. Any wonder then the two of them have dominated women’s tennis.

Kobe Bryant spends his free time endlessly practicing jump shots. Workers at his club, the Los Angeles Lakers say he is always doing the same thing at their practice facility at all hours of the day and night.

It is reported that Demosthenes, a great orator of Ancient Greece, stammered and was inarticulate as a youth yet became a great orator through dedicated practice which included placing pebbles in his mouth.

I read that Tiger Woods’ father started teaching him golf at eighteen months. So it should not be too surprising that he took the world of golf by storm at age eighteen.

The Beatles performed live in Germany over 1,200 times between 1960 and 1964 and by the time they went back to England they had become inimitable. Those hours spent performing paid off.

Bill Gates gained access to a computer in 1968 at the age of 13 and spent thousands of hours programming on it. His efforts have been hugely rewarded.

In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell is said to have posited that to become a world-class expert in any field, an individual needs to practice for ten thousand (10,000) hours. It is known as the 10,000-hour rule or principle. His argument is that it takes about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to truly master a skill. 10,000 hours of dedicated practice in a particular area of interest will make a person an expert. The 10000-hour principle was not propounded by Gladwell though; he only popularised it.

I read in another place that scientific research has concluded that it takes eight to twelve years of training for a talented player/athlete to reach elite levels and that this is called the ten-year or 10,000-hour rule, which translates to slightly more than three hours of practice daily for ten years. I also read that research now shows that the lack of natural talent is irrelevant to great success. Through practice, you can become what you desire to become.

Hope you are getting the drift of this write-up. This is it: the key to attaining phenomenal success in any endeavour is, to a great extent, a matter of practicing or doing a specific task over and over. I am not asking you to start striving towards meeting the 10000-hour mark. All I am saying is that for us to be hugely successful in whatever we have chosen to do, we must do it over and over again. We should not be waiting for lady luck to smile on us.

Before you jump out to begin your practice, listen to what Michael Jordan has to say: “You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

Did you get that? Through practice or repeated performance is very essential, it should be done the right way. It is important to practice the right way. And I want to add that if you must commit hours to a particular task or activity, such activity must be what you really enjoy or else you will be sentencing yourself to a life of dissatisfaction, disappointment and frustration.

I couldn’t resist the urge to end this piece with another inspiring quote from Michael Jordan: “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. . . . I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.”

Barack Obama, David Beckham and the Halo Effect

Barack Obama, president of the United States of America is a man of the people. His popularity extends beyond the shores of the U.S. He is loved all over the world. I believe he is loved on the African continent mainly because of his colour. He is seen as the hero of the black race and many Africans prayed that he would win the election that brought him into power in 2009. One of the things that Obama is admired for and which helped his presidential bid in no small measure is his oratorical power. In fact, Obama rose to national prominence as a result of an electrifying keynote speech he delivered at the Democratic National Convention on July, 27, 2004 in Boston Massachusetts.

The name, David Beckham, is a name the average soccer buff is familiar with. One of the things that have made Beckham famous is the way he takes free kicks. His free kicks are simply beautiful and breathtaking. Actually, his free kicks gave rise to the slogan, Bend it like Beckham. In fact, in 2002, a movie was produced bearing the title Bend it like Beckham. And there is more to David Beckham. He is a brand, a global brand. Beckham is actually a fans’ favourite; he is loved all over the globe. Thus, it is not surprising that he has endorsement deals with many huge companies like Coca-Cola, IBM, etc.

So what makes Obama, Beckham and many other famous personalities likable? It is called the halo effect. And what is the halo effect?

The halo effect is a mental predisposition that makes us to perceive someone in a good light because of one good trait we have observed in the person. One good quality spills it appeal to other elements of a person’s character. Thus one good quality of a person overshadows the other qualities of the person. The opposite of this is called the horn effect. This is when one bad trait overshadows the other traits of an individual. 

It is believed that halo or horn effects happen all the time. Our decisions, judgments, opinions or estimations of people are usually influenced by the halo or horn effect. One positive characteristic that we like in a person can affect our perception in a way that increases the attraction of the person’s other attributes or blind us to any negative one. We tend to ignore negative comments about such person because they don’t fit with the positive qualities we associate with them. This means the halo effect can cloud our judgment; it influences our judgment. The following false assumptions are examples of how the halo or horn effect influences our judgment: attractive people are usually more intelligent than unattractive people; overweight people are usually lazy.

Barak Obama is an acknowledged orator able to move people with his words. This probably made people to think he would be able be a good leader, hence the overwhelming support he received when he declared his intention to run for the presidency of the United States of America.  Americans’ expectations were high when he got to power but people soon realised that oratory is different from administration. (I must add that I am not passing any judgment on Obama’s performance in office so far. In fact, I am not in a good position to do that). The truth is that oratory does not make one a good leader but my own observation is that the most persuasive speaker is usually the one likely to win an election.

While David Beckham may get a lot of admiration because of his good looks, I believe people’s positive perception of him was shaped by the free kick exploits he is renowned for. His ability to produce such feats on a consistent basis apparently enhanced his popularity and people are apparently willing to overlook whatever vice(s) he may have.

The halo effect is probably influencing your decisions concerning who and who to associate with; what products to buy, even who to vote for. This probably is why multinational companies cancel their endorsement contract with celebrities involved in scandals because they believe people’s opinion of their brand ambassador may affect patronage of their products. You can also enhance your rating with people by taking advantage of the halo effect. How? Identify what you are very good at, spend a lot of energy and time developing yourself in this area and soon people will come to admire you. They are most likely not going to focus on areas where you don’t possess much strength. In fact, they will take it for granted that you can do a lot of things that you may not be able to do.

You can also take advantage of the halo effect by ensuring you display enthusiasm, positivity, optimism, confidence, etc. in your relationship with people because these characteristics make one attractive. Please note that I am not asking you to be phony or pretend to be what you are not. The aim of this piece is to write my observations on the way some things affect our perception of people or people’s perception of us.

Lessons from Nick D'Aloisio, the 17-Year-Old Millionaire

Nick D'Aloisio is the 17 year old British-Australian boy who has just made his first millions by selling his app Summly to Yahoo for $30 million. Nick came up with his invention when he was trying to find a faster way to condense all the content he was reading while he was studying for his General Certificate of Secondary Education exam. His app can turn entire pages into a few important points.

Nick, who had to take a break from his school, King’s College School, Wimbledon in order to concentrate on his invention, still plans to return to school though he has been given a job at Yahoo’s London office.

Below are other facts about this prodigious young man:

• Nick was born in 1995 in London to Australian ex-pats.

• He got his first computer at age 9, and used that to make movies with programs like Final Cut Pro.

• A self-taught programmer, Nick learned how to code using “C for Dummies” and online videos. He created his first app in 2008 at age 12, and had to submit it under his father’s name, since he was four years too young to meet the App Store’s minimum age of 16. After that, he developed a new app every summer break until 2011, when the then-15-year-old developed Trimit, the forerunner to Summly. 

• Nick is the youngest entrepreneur who has ever scored VC funding, taking the title away from Kiip founder Brian Wong, who had nabbed it at age 21. He has struck deals for hundreds of thousands of dollars with the likes of Stephen Fry, Ashton Kutcher, Yoko Ono, Zynga founder Mark Pincus, billionaire Li Ka-Shing, and media magnate Rupert Murdoch.

• Trimit was renamed and relaunched in the Apple App Store in December 2011 as Summly. Just two years later, Yahoo! would pay $30 million dollars for it.

• He calls this whole endeavor “a hobby that’s gone crazy.” (Now that’s an understatement.)

• Many parents would have been proud of the teen, even before he reached tech superstardom. He’s an industrious student with an academic scholarship who’s finishing up his final year and a half at the prestigious King’s College School in Wimbledon.

• He is as much a modern design nerd as a tech geek. Just check out Summly’s page for proof: It features Arne Jacobsen’s landmark midcentury modern chair, The Egg. 

• Fun fact: Nick is actually only one year younger than Yahoo! itself, which was incorporated in 1995, making it 18. 

• Nick knows that his Yahoo!-Summly deal is one part of the company’s larger push for mobile, and stated as much in a letter to Summly users. The teen is a rather eloquent communicator, whose thoughtfully considered style suggests a wisdom and maturity that exceeds his years. (Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/03/27/nick-daloisio-teen-yahoo-staffer-app-developer-and-millionaire/)

What I took away from reading Nick’s story: He discovered his passion and has been working at it without stopping and it has paid off for him.

What is your passion? Are you working at it consistently? Or have you abandoned it out of frustration or due to difficulties? Unless you stick to it, it will never pay off.

Gaddafi as a Personification of Innovation

Last week, I opened one of our national dailies here in Nigeria and was shocked to see an advertorial on the first year remembrance of the Late Isaac Durojaiye, popularly known as Otunba Gaddafi. Two things were responsible for the shock. First, that Otunba Gaddafi was dead at a young age. Second and more shocking was the fact that he had been dead for over a year and I did not know. I pride myself as someone who is aware of what is going on around me, so I was utterly astonished to discover that one of Nigeria’s finest died and I did not know about it for one year. I tried to think about what might have been responsible for my unawareness and I came to the conclusion that my penchant for reading newspapers has reduced.

Today, I am dedicating this write up to the memory of a trailblazer, an innovator, a risk taker, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist; a man who changed the face of business in Nigeria; a man who brought dignity to the otherwise demeaning sanitary business in Nigeria.

Isaac Durojaiye a.k.a. Otunba Gadaffi attended Accra Polytechnic in Ghana briefly before proceeding to United Kingdom where he graduated in Graphic Design and Business Administration from Eastern College of Technology. After his education, he was involved in providing security for private individuals and government in the UK. He later worked for American Express Cards, UK Security Division as a credit card fraud investigator. At a point, he decided to come back to Nigeria but survival was difficult for him. He had to sell his personal effects like his car stereo to be able to feed. His situation led him to think of relocating to the UK but he was persuaded by his friends to stay back.

He later got a job as Chief Security Officer to the Late Chief M.K.O. Abiola. His defining moment came in 1991 during the planning of Kola Abiola’s (Chief Abiola’s son) wedding. Being in charge of security, he discovered that there were only two toilets available for the expected 10,000 guests. He brought this to the attention of the planning committee and was mandated to look for a mobile toilet company but there was none in existence at the time. He decided to solve the problem by constructing some units. So with three containers, he constructed 18 toilets, 6 toilets in each container. This led him to start the business of mobile toilets but for four years not a single order came for his mobile toilet. 

His break came in 1996 and since then it has been a different story. In 1999, on a trip abroad for an Interpol conference, he saw some plastic mobile toilets, took interest and later imported 40 of them. He later decided to start manufacturing the toilets. Dignified Mobile Toilet (DMT) – Otunba Gaddafi’s corporate outfit- has manufactured over 3000 mobile toilets of international standard and many of the toilets were purchased by users from outside Nigeria. Today DMT Toilets are being used as official toilets in some states. The company now has over 19 branches in Nigeria and 7 branches in the West African sub-region.

During the 8th All African Games, held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003, DMT was contracted to provide toilet facilities during the 8th All African Games, COJA, in Abuja. The company supplied and managed over 300 mobile toilets. Also during the commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM, hosted by Nigeria in 2003, DMT provided and managed over 100 toilets. DMT has now become synonymous with public toilets in Nigeria. A state in Nigeria has provided ten acres of land for DMT to locate a plant where human waste will be processed into fertiliser and to generate biogas. (Source: Financial Freedom Inspiration).

Otunba Gaddafi’s life taught many Nigerians to see opportunity in challenges instead of complaining about them. His life demonstrated what we can achieve great things if we refuse to give up in the face of disappointment. His experiences have shown us that we must make our demand from life or else we will be forced to take from life anything life offers us. His story never fails to inspire me and other young Nigerians. His short earthly sojourn was packed with so many glorious achievements. Otunba Gaddafi also proved that there is indeed dignity in honest labour. I have learnt that I am the one that will bring respect and honour to whatever it is I am doing.

Thank you, Otunba Gaddafi for living a life of impact.

Cassidy Hooper: The girl who was born without eyes and nose

Some weeks ago I wrote about Jessica Cox, the first licensed armless pilot and first armless black belt. Very recently I came across the story of Cassidy Hooper, a girl born without eyes and nose and I felt compelled to share it through this medium because she is an inspiration to me. As often as I come across inspirational stories, I will endeavour to share them via this medium. This is the story of Cassidy Hooper:

Cassidy Hooper, 16, of North Carolina was born with a rare and unexplained birth defect. Doctors can’t explain why Cassidy was born without eyes or a nose. Apart from this defect, she is otherwise healthy. Hers is a rare birth defect that likely occurred during the first two weeks of gestation. As a child, Cassidy was fitted with prosthetic eyes but the family has not been able to afford to replace the $5000-a-piece eyes as she outgrew them. She currently attends The Governor Morehead School in Raleigh, North Carolina, a residential K-12 school for the blind. There is no challenge that is too big for her: She runs on the track team and recently qualified for a scholarship to the Charlotte Curling Club. Despite her physical challenges, she hopes to pursue a career in radio broadcasting. Nothing has been able to withstand Cassidy's optimism and ambition. "Things always may be hard," Cassidy says, "but here's what I think: I don't need easy, I just need possible." 

Cassidy has been undergoing facial reconstruction surgeries since she was 11 years old and she is preparing to have reconstructive surgery that will allow her to smell and breathe through nostrils for the first time. The high school student is set to have three final surgeries in the next few weeks to give her her own nose. She is anxious and excited to get a nose. "I'll have a real nose like everyone else's," she says. She is the kind of person who lets you understand that your problems are nothing compared to the challenges you could be facing. Despite not having eyes and a nose like everyone else, she is determined to live her dream. Her mom says she is outgoing, affable, loves to talk and self-confident.

I don’t know what else to add to this story because if you are not inspired by it, I don’t think I will be able to do a very good of inspiring you. If a girl without a nose and eyes is not undaunted in the pursuit of her dream, then what about you? If a girl with such physical challenges has chosen to be upbeat about life, then what excuse do you have to be discouraged, frustrated or negative about life?