How I move from slow learner to a problem solver.
This day over two decades ago I was birth to this world. The
world was filled with overwhelming joy, Family and friends celebrated with joy that
has no bounds at the unique arrival of His Royal Majesty, the Royal bell rang
at the arrival of a noble King...surprised at this? Don't get too confused. I
was born a king into Giesi Royal Family of Ile-Ife Osun state, Nigeria.
At my birth, it was all rosy and life was pretty good for my
parents. However, just like the saying that no condition is permanent, after
sometime, the tide turned for my parents in the negative direction,
consequently subjected my childhood to a period of suffering. I became a victim
of circumstance.....an event i could not control. As a child I was feed many
times with Garri water instead of baby food, packaged with used pieces of cloth
instead of baby napkin or pampers. I suffered every hardship that you could
ever think of. To the glory of God, I never suffered from any form of diseases
associated with malnutrition....instead; I was growing like a normal child.
However, it was clear that i was heading for a journey of becoming a nobody. It
was so obvious!
Years later, a glimpse of luck shun on my parents, things
became a bit comfortable for my parents...we were happy....and at least i got a
feel of proper meal after a long time. At this time my parents made a decision
to relocate to Ibadan as things have changed for good this period.
We moved to Ibadan when i was 6 years..I was enrolled into
one of the best schools in Ibadan at the time ( Ise Oluwa Montessori Nur/Pry
School). Life in Ibadan was heaven on earth, I would go to school in AC school
bus, and my parents gave double for all that I lost for almost 5 years of my
life.
Hmmm, there's a saying that today is a product of yesterday,
despite this my "new life " my past came starring me on the face...so
sad my previous experience had left in me a terrible stigma- a very low IQ.
This made everybody including my teachers tagged me “a slow learner” everybody in school name tagged me a slow learner all because
I couldn’t understand things at the speed of other pupils in class. I lived
with this stigma for many years. I got used to the nickname, it became a part
of my life...I was growing with it. At a point, this bad stigma became an
excuse for my failure as i stopped making efforts to improve and I would dodge
hard works in school under the guise of "a slow learner" I accepted
failure as fortunes..What a shame!
Some years later my Dad became a pastor and we relocated to Lagos.
Prior to this period, series of events had unfolded leading to a slight drop in
our family finances. However, we got to Lagos and my Parents became full time
pastors. God in faithfulness to His words stood by us and helped us when we
needed him for help. Nevertheless, I was still poor and unsound academically.
At this point my parents stood in gap spiritually...They cried to the God of
heaven....and he heard their cry. I want to appreciate my mum and my dad for their
prayers, encouragement and all round support unleashed on me.
My parents believed so much in me...and because of that they
would not stop praying until something happened. However, some people believed
I could never be better.. (It never matter anyways.....what mattered at the
time was that my parents believed in me. Shield.
Upon our relocation to Lagos I was enrolled into about three
different schools largely due to my inability to perform brilliantly....what a
bad experience for a growing child!! My parent were only trying their best to
locate and enroll me in a school where the magic would be done, this was to
fulfill the scriptures that says faith without works is death.
Finally, I was enrolled in Yetkem international school
Ajasa. As usual, I was the most horrible student in my class, i was
academically backward. Always filled with shame and encountered lots of distain
treatment from my co-students. Many of my class mates refused to be my friend,
I was a lone ranger...I was indeed lonely...despair and depression was the
other of the day for me.
In all of these, God in His mercy positioned an Angel on my
path- Miss Egunleti. I will never forget
my good teacher Miss Egunleti , she would
call me several times to encourage me. She told me "Ayo dele. ...you
have the seed of greatness in you, just believe...you can be great" she
further said “Ayo rethink and begin” I did as she said and to the glory of God, her words yielded
tremendous change, I made a “one day
decision” that changed my nickname and story
forever!
My decision marked the beginning of a new life, beautiful experience.
Focusing on making it, my eagerness for success turned me into a competitor for
the first and second positions in class. I began and continued to top my class
with colorful flight, this was with my good friend Ifeoluwa Arishoyin who
happened to be the only student that could compete successfully with me..And so
it was till I graduated from primary school.
My new God given brain made me jump from primary five to
JSS2 in Tomia community secondary School Agbado Lagos. In my junior waec I was
part of the best five results in the school.
God was so faithful that I made my O'level result once and
gained admission without delay to study Accounting Education at Olabisi
Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun state.
I graduated with a Bsc(edu) in Accounting even, the devil
tried to destroy my GP but God proved Himself by divine intervention and I went
for service in the year 2010.
After service, I've been gainfully employed and have moved
from one establishment to the other.
In the year 2015, while worshiping the God of heaven in a
service at Winners chapel, i heard God clearly spoke to my spirit, He said to
me in clear terms...."Son, it’s time to create your own business" in
that service he delivered into my hands the name "ARAA GROUP" an
umbrella for "Araa Educational Consulting Firm", "Araa Foundation”
and”Araa Voice”
Araa Foundation is a platform to give back to the society,
while Araa Voice is an online information center which provides current
educational information to students, parents, teachers, school owners and many
other educational information users around the world.
God gave me a new life, a new name, a new brain, a new
focus, a new glory, changing my story from "a slow learner" to
"a solution provider". Ayodele that was a nobody is now a force to be
reckoned with in all ramifications of life.
Dear readers, if you think it’s over for you, i make bold to
tell you today that " it is not over for you yet" All you need is to “Rethink and BEGIN”, put your
faith in God, listen when He speaks and make a move at His instruction. He gave
me a business and I took steps to building the business at His leading, thus,
today an establishment less than a year has spread to about 10 countries (
still counting) providing working solutions to problems with the right keys.
Today am glad to be a year older with series of great
testimonies, I am a mentor that lots of people( young and old) are looking up
to, I am a leader with positive impact on my followers and above all, I am a
big brain wrapped with working solution to problems. I am a Child of God whose
overall aim in life is to populate the Kingdom of God and at the end gain Christ the crucified.
Finally, unto Him who's able to keep me from falling...be
Glory ever more.
Happy birthday to me.