Osagie Alex is a creative writer, counsellor and motivational speaker. In this interview with TOYIN KOMOLAFE, the Edo State- born writer who holds a B.Sc in Microbiology and M.Sc in Environmental and Public Health Microbiology says his mission is to proffer wise counsel to daily life challenges and change lives positively .
As a career coach, a motivational speaker and counsellor, how would you convince a person to listen to your advice and use the same to attain success?
Well, I really don’t try to convince, I just proffer wise counsel and show all the available alternatives and let the person make the final decision after considering the options. You know when medical doctors give a prescription after diagnosis, it is left for the patient to follow the prescription or take it for granted. As counsellors, we are just like doctors. they treat with drugs, we treat with words. If they eventually follow our counsel they always come back to say it worked like magic. We have attained remarkable success over the past three years of counselling.
Would you like to share your story with us and tell us how you got to where you are now?
Well, some 55 months ago, I had a conversation with a teenager and it dawned on me that one could hardly find a place where young people and teenagers could go to get the right counsel that will help challenge and inspire them for the future, irrespective of their pasts. So the thought came to me that it won’t be wrong for us to make that place happen. So Wisdom Counselling Centre (WCC) began on facebook, we to counsel only from God’s word and nothing else. It has been three years now on this journey which began on April 2, 2010. We hold strictly to our vision, which is building lives through the wisdom of God’s word. Our mission is to proffer wise counsel to daily life challenges and our core purpose is changing lives positively. We may not have attained all our goals yet, but in three years, we have made impact. We have partnered with several organisations like BIU Connex Organisation, Green Ambassadors Nigeria, Total Girl International, Niyi Adesanya’s Meeting Point, Chunu Teajay’s Project StepUp, and so on. We have also spoken at different events. We mentor and act as life coach to others. Our new product recipe for healthy living R4HL is a blessing to lives and our teaching series are awesome. We have had the “wisdom series”, the “grace series” and “this gospel series” which ran for a month each. The WCC journey continues, we know where we are heading. So far, we have a group on facebook with over twelve thousand members. Our services include Ladies Let’s Talk(LLT), Guys Time Out(GTO), Wisdom Pills Podcast, Elm-E designs, WCC Prayer Session, and daily R4HL.
What would you identify as your three most successful habits?
Focus, discipline and continuous development
What is the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I ever received was, believe in yourself and never let setback end your dream.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated?
I keep myself motivated when I remember my dream is not for me. I look at people around me and say to myself, whenever they will need my help, I should be ready to deliver.
Who is your mentor and how important is the mentee-mentor relationship?
I have plenty mentors but Bishop FEB Idahosa II stands out from them all, he practically transformed my life when I met him in 2004. I owe my success to him. One word he told me years ago was never to “take something for nothing”. The relationship with him has been very impactful till date and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
What necessary ingredients do you think people must acquire in order to become successful?
Success is relative. But for me success is measured by impact and influence. So my key ingredients are: God, determination, vision and passion, focus and goals.
What is the best piece of advice you can offer to those trying to significantly improve their lives?
Simple, desire the change like one who is drowning and needs air, then watch your life metamorphose. Hate mediocrity and love excellence. My most recent quote is “the new year has nothing in itself to make anything new, if things are to become new, it is entirely up to you and what you do”.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is simply impact and influence. With impact you create value, with influence you create positive change. That someone can look at me and say it was because of you I didn’t give up.
What 3 books had the most significant impact on you and why would you recommend it to others?
The Bible, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey and My Vision.
What advice would you like to share with readers?
Never give up, you have so much in you and I believe in you. Remember, the New Year doesn’t have the ability to make anything new in itself, it is entirely up to you to make things new.