Fear is the single greatest obstacle to success —Dayo Olomu

Dayo Olomu is one of Nigeria’s topmost celebrities. He’s a successful motivational speaker who’s known worldwide. He told OSEYIZA OOGBODO how he became the success he is and what people must do to succeed.

You are a successful motivational speaker. What would you say hinders people from achieving their desired goals?

Fear is the very natural and normal response to the challenges we face in life. Fear tells us that there is something we must be cautious about. It puts us on alert and tells us there is something we must be prepared for. We face so many fears in life: fear of change, fear of the unknown and fear of rejection, amongst others.

But the single greatest obstacle to success in adult life is fear of failure. One of the best ways to conquer fear is to face it. If we face fears and worries, we ‘step up.’ But when we run away from it, we ‘step off ’ from the race of life. Action cures fear. You have to feel the fear and do it anyway. To conquer the fear of poverty I went into multiple disciplines to have multiple streams of income. To conquer fear of public speaking I joined Toastmasters. The things we want most are often the things we most fear to approach. Still often we have to feel the fear and do it anyway.

What do you want to actually achieve yourself in life? I want to use my creativity and enthusiasm to make a positive difference in the world, to serve God, to transform lives and connect people to their destiny. I will also like to run a profitable business that would become a global brand in the personal development and business building industry.

When I get to the end of my life, I want to know that my life counted for something, that long after I have left this world, somehow my impact lived on. I want to know that I have done all that I could to make this world a better place by positively enhancing the lives of those around me and helping thousands, if not millions, to become who they desire to be and achieve what they thought was impossible. I want to know that I gave everything my best shot.

I want it to be on record that I maximised my potential and stretched myself to the limit. Most importantly I want to know that I served God and that I was a good husband and father.

Do you have any regrets whatsoever, maybe something you once did that you regret now?

Based on the knowledge, skills, and information I have at my disposal now, there are some things that I would have done differently, but I do not have any regret in life. I believe that whatever happens to man in this world happens to him for his own good and my past does not equal my future.

How do you intend to contribute to Nigeria’s growth?

I intend to contribute through mentoring, coaching and training to help increase the level of human capital in the country, increase the number of business leaders and entrepreneurs, develop effective communicators and public speakers, help people to conquer fear, to stop procrastination, to believe in themselves and to take action so that they can become the person they are destined to be.

What are your plans for the future?

My long-term goal is to impact one billion people’s lives in a positive way by 2020. My vision is to become a leading global brand in the personal development and business building industry. My legacy is when I get to the end of my life I want to know that my life counted for something, that long after I have left this world, somehow my impact lived on. I want to know that I have done all that I could to make this world a better place.

You run in marathons. How easy is it?

It is not easy but when you are determined to achieve a goal you do not see anything except your target. I participate in the London Marathon. I enjoy running because it is a stress reliever. It is a time to myself when I can get away, be on my own, solve problems and deal with anything and everything.

I also enjoy mountain climbing, fire walking, board breaking, bar-bending, and other challenging stuff that have an element of fear in them. To use the words of Susan Jeffers, I like to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway.’ Is it true you and your wife support two of the greatest rivals in English football? If so, how does it affect your marriage? It does not affect our marriage because we are not football fanatics. The only difference is that her club has won more championships than mine. She supports Manchester United while I support Arsenal.

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