The Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya on Sunday told participants at the 2021 Discovery for Men Rally not to give up on themselves, explaining that there is no age limit to reinvention in life.

Pastor Taiwo who cited Abraham as an example of someone who reinvented himself even when many people had written him off, reminded the congregants that only death can end a man’s quest for change.

“At this age, the fortunate thing is that there is no age limit to reinvention, you’ll still make it,” the preacher said during the programme which was held on May 13 at the church’s headquarters in Ilupeju, Lagos State, and also streamed online.

“Abraham was 100 years old. Google men who got reinvented at age 60 and you will see a catalogue. We have a lot of them. Google men who came back at age 80 and you’ll be shocked.  It is not too late. You’ll make it and you can still make it.”

While urging them to take a step of faith and make a move in the area God is leading them, Pastor Taiwo asked them to always put in their best as they embark on their life missions.

“Put your best foot forward!” he said, reminding them not to listen to those who put the fear of failure in their minds.

“It is a matter of conviction and perception. Don’t be afraid of failing,” the cleric added.

“In the same place where the world said you will fail, they’d celebrate you,” he urged them.

He listed having a desire, leaning on God’s strength, and avoiding procrastination as some of the key steps a man needs to take for reinvention to happen.

Reinvention – Panelists Provide More Insights

The programme – tagged The Reinvented Man – also had an array of seasoned panelists who shared their experiences and dished out professional advice on how people can reinvent themselves.

One of Africa’s foremost life coaches and cognitive-behavioral psychologist, Lanre Olusola, was among the panel of speakers. The Catalyst as he is known in the coaching circles also spoke on transitioning from one career to another among other things. He admitted that God’s direction aided his journey.

He explained that when he wanted to delve into his present field, he asked God for direction. According to him, that decision led him to build competencies in areas he wasn’t versed in. Reinvention, he said, requires a man to take a pause and strip himself of what people think about them.

The Co-founder and CEO of Metro Africa Xpress, Tayo Bamiduro noted that a closed-door can help a man see other opportunities he had hitherto been blind to, calling on youths to leverage technology to solve problems in society.

Swimming Against The Tide

For internal medicine specialist, Dr Emmanuel Okenye, the journey to reinvention is not complete without a man understanding his capacity.

Dr Emmanuel recalled that he leveraged what he had in “his hand” – by volunteering to use his knowledge and teaching skills to impact others – to kick start his dream of becoming a medical practitioner.

He noted that when people know their capabilities, it aids the fulfillment of their visions irrespective of the odds stacked against them.

The Founder of Child Scholars in Nigeria and Kenya said life becomes easier when people align themselves to God’s plans for them, explaining that this will help them stay focused in the face of the storm.

Although he admitted that God did not speak directly to him before starting off his venture, the CEO of  Precise Financial Systems Yele Okeremi, on his part, reiterated the popular saying that money flows in the direction of values.

Mr Yele, an Associate Professor at Nobel International Business School also admonished the participants not to be afraid of taking ‘baby steps’ when starting out any business or endeavour. He told the participants to always have a mindset of adding value to society.

Reported By Emmanuel Egobiambu