"I Think I Just Lost My Dad"

So sorry it's been a while.

My Dad just passed and I don’t know what to write to you. The last one week is an unbelievable sequence of events that ran too fast. In one breath, I’m in Lagos, bent over my PC at work and my phone rang. It was my mom. When I excused myself to talk to her, she advised that I visit home to see my Dad. It was a suggestion. She hid her worries but heard it.

“Your Dad’s health is not improving, I think you should find time to visit”

Her tone was concerning. But that tone wasn’t new to me. Dad had survived numerous health deterioration. He would survive this too. The day was Thursday. I told myself that the weekend would be a great time to visit. I had a campaign to plan and execute at work. I told her I would. We ended the conversation. After the call, I looked at the mirror in front of me. The guy in the mirror looked worried. The guy in the mirror said, “Abiola, this can’t wait till the weekend” I agreed instantly. I called my wife and we started planning for my trip to Ibadan.

At 10:30PM, I arrived home. I walked straight into my Dad’s room after prostrating to greet my mom. We had our moment and I left for my room by 2:00AM. 8:00 AM on Friday, I was in his room to serve him breakfast and his body wouldn’t respond to my touch. My Dad has passed.

In seven days I’ve been worried, confused, buried my dear father, and I’ve accepted tons of condolences. Don’t worry. I’m in a better place.

But this experience brought a truck load of lessons I must share with you. The first is,

We are Racing Against Time.

Your contemplation is taking time. Your deliberation and indecision is mopping up a lifetime. Do what you want to do on time. Your inactions are actions. You are not going to be here forever. Most of us do not have all the time we think we have. Even if we do, it would still not be enough. Doubt is eating up your years. Inaction is sucking on your youthfulness. Lack of faith in your God giving ability to excel at what you lay your hands on is messing up your chronological years and your gifts. The unwillingness to start small and progress is tying you to a spot. Lethargy is turning you into a monument of excuses. You are racing against time.

Shortly before I left my father’s grave. I wrote in my note, “All that could be done has been done, all that could be said has been said. This is the time to rest”

I hear you. Your limitations are real. Your disadvantage is not a trick. Your limitations are impenetrable like a solid wall of Jericho but this is the time to fight. It's time to work. It's time to read. It's the time to pray. It's the time to build. It's the time to cultivate. This is the time to learn new skills, to sharpen your advantage, manage your disadvantage and build resilience. We are racing against time. Challenges are a constant. Achieving greatness is demanding. Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration according to Thomas Edition. Everything good have considerable resistance. The only thing without resistance is freefall. We are racing against time.

Don't oversimplify the demands of success but build a sturdy mindset. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. It's a long term game and you must win.

A quick one: You have 7 days to join my writing newsletter if you haven't.

Build In The Bush

During my address at my Father's burial. I spoke about the resilience that bought the land, laid the foundation and built the house my father lived in before his passing. It was a fight. He recognized his financial limitation and bought a cheap land deep in the bush many miles from his residence at the time. He laid the foundation and started laying the bricks one after the other as resources came. We moved into that house in 1998 uncompleted. The building hasn't stopped till now but we had a house. We never stop building. That is why perfection is a myth.

Some of us want to build at once. We want to have all the money at once. We want to be able to figure it out now. Not having everything we need is our excuse.

Build in the bush(literally). Lay your bricks one after the other. Build your business with what you have. Start with the people around. Start writing your book. This is the time to build. Build your relationship, build your career, build your family, build your body. Build your relationship with people and with God. I've written to you about the law of compound interest. Start your learning process. Join my writing community. Build your voice. Learning new skills is part of building. Stop romancing your seeds, put it in the soil. Ditch perfection, It is better for it to be imperfect than not to be done at all. The courses, startup investment, publishing costs, building budget you think is expensive and unaffordable now is a joke to how expensive in the years to come. The suggestions in your mind are not mere coincidences. Stop looking for a still voice. Fulfill the promise you made to yourself. Imperfect execution is better than perfect fantasies. Reach me via email if you need coaching, or have questions in any area of life.

Have a great weekend and breakthrough from within.

©Abiola Iyiola, 2025

Principal, AI Leadership Consult