“Life’s delays are not denials,” so goes the saying. But, to an ambitious young man, whose path to greatness was paved with stumbling blocks, it almost turned out to be ‘denial’. However, by his mastery of 3P’s, he was eventually ‘inducted’ into the Hall of Greatness. But how did he start?
As a teenager, he was always fascinated when he listened to presenter son radio. Hence he began to nurture the dream of becoming an irresistible on-air personality. This dream continued to steam inside him like steam engine until it became an obsession –the obsession needed expression. However, his conservative and overprotective parents wouldn’t allow him exposed to the public. The way out? He had to improvise!
As Abraham Lincoln declared, “I will prepare and someday my chance will come,” this boy started to PREPARE for his opportunity in the future – at night, he’d listen to radio presenters he admired via his phone. He created an imaginary radio station in his room – a torchlight served as his microphone, his earpiece as the studio headphone, his laptop as the console/monitor. He practised by imitating his hero presenters – talking to inspire, reading news, interviewing his imaginary guests, and introducing programs to his ghost listeners.
When he got admitted into the university, he was then free to experiment his presentation practices. He went to his university’s campus radio station but wasn’t given opportunity. However, he believed “it’s better to try something and fail than not to try at all.” He went to three radio stations around his university’s environs, but was rejected because he lacked experience. So, he gave up? Not at all! He PERSEVERED. He remembered Robert Collier’s assertion: “No tyranny of circumstances [rejection] can permanently imprison a determined mind.”
After he graduated from the university (with a BSc Microbiology), he went for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Lagos. He continued with his practice of presentation as well as searching for opportunities at different radio stations –only one auditioned him but said he didn’t meet their standards. He was about to quit but Thomas Edison’s quote popped up: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” This rekindled his hope and he continued to persevere with PATIENCE.
One fateful night, while musing about his ambition, a voice within him whispered: “Leverage your status as a Corp Member –create a program's Hour’, and sell your idea to a not-too-popular radio station.” This got him excited and unconsciously shouted, “EUREKA!” He convinced two of his friends –Kevwe and Timi, on the idea. The next day, the three friends met with the station manager of a radio station.
Guess what? The manager accepted their Program Proposal! She assigned a producer and a presenter to the program –to guide them for three weeks. Thereafter, one of them would be the anchor –who else than the ‘Dream Carrier’? The program was to be aired on Saturdays. The three friends started to publicize their new-born program on their NYSC WhatsApp group and other social media platforms.
The D-day came –the maiden edition of the program hit the airwaves with the topic ‘The Beauty of the NYSC’. Expectedly, ‘he’ stole the show –He mesmerized both the listeners and the staff of the radio station! After the program, the manager invited them to her office and congratulated them. However, she was curious to know if this ‘boy’ had been on radio before. “I’ve been practicing radio presentation on my own since I was 13,” he replied with a wide smile.
This was the Launchpad for ASEY ABEL’S path to greatness. Over time, ‘NYSC Hour’ became a household program not only to Corp Members, but also to the general public because of Asey’s creative and inspirational style of presentation. He was gradually becoming a popular On-Air Personality, nicknamed ‘A-SQUARE’. This little achievement was largely attributed to his mastery of 3P’s –Preparation, Perseverance, and Patience.
After Asey completed his Service, the radio station retained him as a freelance presenter with a monthly stipend. For the next fifteen years, Asey constantly improved –he gained valuable experience from other bigger radio stations, obtained a Diploma in Broadcasting, and attended seminars to refine his presentation skills. He also expanded into emceeing events and public speaking –becoming a celebrity with large social media followership.
Someone said, “When you make a decision [with passion], the Universe conspires to make it happen.” Finally, after nearly 20 years of ‘labour’, FAVOUR visited A-Square –a multinational company contacted him to emcee its 3-day event that earned him FIVE MILLION NAIRA! He later became its BRAND AMBASSADOR for three years. This opened the floodgate for his Brand Ambassadorship deals with bigger brands.
For the next three years, invitations for either emceeing or speaking engagements poured in like Niagara Falls that he had to decline some of them. Every week, A-Square travelled to different cities in Nigeria and abroad to emcee events and/or inspire audiences. (Meanwhile, he quit his radio job to host his own talk show).
Yes, from that humble beginning, Asey Abel rose from being an 'unrefined’ ‘NYSC Hour’ Presenter to an irresistible Radio/TV Personality; from Corporate Emcee to Brand Ambassador, International Speaker, and CEO of A-Square Media Consult. Yes, indeed, one moment of favour will quench twenty years of labour!
Dear Friend, if your life seems stagnant, and looks as though you’re 'not working hard enough’ –and you’re now feeling demoralized and discouraged, Asey‘s story should be an inspiration and encouragement to you. If he could progress from Good to Greatness within twenty years, you, too, can Elevate Your Life by mastering the 3P’s! Abraham Lincoln aptly observed, “That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.”
To move from Good to Greatness, first, learn to depend on God. PREPARE for opportunities before they become obvious. Remember, “Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are not prepared.” Put on the boot of PERSEVERANCE to smash stumbling blocks on your path. “The miracle power that ELEVATES the few,” said Mark Twain, “is to be found in their…Perseverance, under the promptings of a brave determined spirit.”
While Preparation positions you for opportunities, and Perseverance sustains you on the way, PATIENCE calmly WAITS for your TIME of Breakthrough. Benjamin Franklin expressed it best this way: “He that can have PATIENCE can have everything he will.”
By Shadrach Boussa
Shadrach Boussa is an Inspirational Writer, Speaker, Teacher (Academic), a Youth Development Advocate, and a Health Enthusiast (certified in Occupational Safety & Health, OSHA).
