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The Minus Plus


This is one of my most reflective pieces, please, glean through these few words, I pray they bless you.

The Question

To live short but well, or to live long with many regrets or to live neither short nor long yet with no sense of purpose?

Clocking 30

So I clocked the Big 30 yesterday as people fondly call it, and today I begin the journey of a new chapter in my life. Honestly, I felt overwhelmed and excited that I had spent above ten thousand days on earth. I felt the love from all directions, seeing people celebrating me in many different yet equally important ways, and above all, I felt fulfilled.  

This was different, it was unlike other birthdays for me. Others came with excitement and exuberance; however, this one came with a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to the people looking up to me and above all the urgency and intensity of purpose upon my life – first to God, and then to humanity. 

Sometimes I ask myself some weird questions such as who invented the celebration of birthdays?  What is the essence of celebrating birthdays? Well, forgive me for being this crazy and for asking such needless and obvious questions. Isn’t it rather weird that every birthday we celebrate is an oxymoron? For every addition, there is a subtraction. Hence I was 30 yesterday, but then a year was taken from the years allocated to me. Thought of this alone is all overwhelming. 

What Next?

To celebrate my birthday, I had a small hang out with the kids of an orphanage yesterday with a few of my friends. While they were excited that I added another year to my years and was having a great time with the kids, I was lost in thought, asking myself what next for my life? It wasn’t a question of purpose for me anymore, but the question of time and the strategy to fulfil my purpose.  It wasn’t the question of how far anymore but how well. Truth is, when it's all been said and done, no one cares how long we have lived but how well we have lived and how much lives we have touched. I strongly believe that if we all can live with these thoughts ever before us, our lives will not be shrewd in the vagueness of purpose.


The Reality of the Minus Plus  

Permit me to say that every day is a birthday, and every day is a new year. Lately, this has helped me to be intentional and deliberate with my life. For every second, minute, hour, day, week, month and year added to your life, same has been subtracted from your life. The thought of this is scary yet motivating. What matters in between this minus plus is discovering your purpose, fulfilling it and what you have done for God and humanity. At my church band rehearsal yesterday, while appreciating them for celebrating me, I told them what would be next if this is to be my last birthday? In essence, what would be next for us all if today is to be our last?

Forgive me, I am not saying you are next to die, but I just want you to awake to the reality of time, the transient nature of life and above all, purpose fulfilment. Regardless of the age and stage you are now in life, permit me to ask you these questions: what have you done with your life so far? What are you doing with your life now? What will you do with your life before the curtain of your life is drawn?


Be deliberate and intentional with your life from today henceforth. Think big, start small and stay focus. Think globally and act locally. Be eternity minded and earthly relevant. Give credence to time, make it your best ally and get the most out of it.

It is true that you only live once. But if you live well, you will not need a second shot at living. Give it your best shot. Always remember the minus plus.

Thank you for reading

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