Don’t Ever Look Down On Yourself

REEKADO BANKS: A TALE OF SMALL BOY TURNS BIG BOY!

“But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.” — Jeremiah 1:7

“Nobody can make you inferior without your own consent” —Eleanor Roosevelt

YOUR value does not decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth and never let someone else’s opinion of you become your reality. When you learn how much you are worth, you will stop giving people discounts! Queen Victoria once said something mind-touching about two former British Prime Ministers. She said of William Gladstone: “When I am with him, I feel I am with one of the most important leaders in the world.” But concerning Benjamin Disraeli she said: “He makes me feel as if I am one of the most important leaders in the world.” Endeavour to surround yourself with people that affirm your worth.

In order to maintain a healthy self-image, there are three things that must be vehemently resisted in life: “Don’t ever look down on yourself”, “Don’t ever allow anyone to look down on you”, and “Don’t ever look down on anyone”. I will be doing some concise write-ups on the issue of having a healthy self-image on these three facts for the next three editions in this column.

We must believe totally that we carry within us a special form of “currency” that cannot be devalued. A man starts living the day he stops living to impress others and until you lived a life that is truly yours, you have not lived. The greatest asset to have in life is a healthy self-image (the image of God). A healthy self-image is seeing yourself as God sees you. The most secured people are those that derive their sense of worth and security from within. It is a fundamental truth of life that no man will value you more than you value yourself.
“Not one single ounce of my self-worth and confidence depends on anyone’s acceptance of me.”-Anonymous

The evolution of Stanford University came from a couple that refused to look down on themselves despite a despiteful comment from the President of one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Over a hundred years ago, a woman wearing a faded gingham dress, and her husband, dressed in a threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly into the outer office of the Harvard University President. The secretary made them sit and ignored them for hours but they wouldn’t go away and waited until she had no choice but to allow them see the President. They were ushered into his office and the President made them realize he was in a hurry, all in a bid to get rid of them as fast as possible.

The woman spoke first, she told the president that they once had a son who attended Harvard and loved the school very much. She said he was accidentally killed a year ago and they would like to build a memorial to him somewhere on campus. The President refused, thinking they wanted to build a statue but she replied that they wanted to give Harvard a building.

The President, regarding the gingham dress and threadbare suit, tried to make them realize how much a building costs and that Harvard had over seven and a half million dollars in the buildings, he couldn’t believe they could even afford a cabin. On hearing this, the woman turned and said to her husband, “Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don’t we start our own?”

The husband nodded and they left. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford returned to their home in Palo Alto in California where they established the university, in 1885, as a memorial to their son, Leland Stanford Junior, the one Harvard no longer cared about. Harvard’s contempt eventually became Stanford’s beginning; the university opened in 1891.
“Knowing your identity is the first step to overcoming defeat and failure in life.”-Rev. Olusola Areogun

One of the defining truths of life is that no man will value you more than you value yourself. The story of one of Nigeria’s rising stars and a stark supporter of Arsenal FC, Reekado Banks, is both inspirational and reflective. Born on December 6, 1993, Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon, famously known by his stage name Reekado Banks, is a multi-talented Nigerian recording artist, songwriter and rapper, signed to Marvin Records.

The Ondo state-born Reekado Banks, once known as ‘Spice,’ started singing professionally in 2008 with all his songs recorded at home in a studio built by his father. Reekado and his brother literally turned their room into a studio and started sleeping in the parlour. His stage name, Reekado Banks, was derived from the Portuguese, Spanish cognate of the name Richard which means a great leader while the ‘Banks’ literally stands for affluence and wealth, summing it up to mean a wealthy leader.

His magical rise to limelight came as a result of his brother submitting some of his songs to the Mavin Record label in an online talent search. His turning point came with the Mavin Records audition where he was picked out of over 5000 hopefuls who sent in their demo songs. Marvin Records unveiled him when he was in his first Semester in 400 Level and eventually graduated from the University of Lagos in 2014.

The graduate of History and Strategic Studies from UNILAG has this special advise to the youths on their need to have a healthy blend between their passion and their education: “It was not very hard for me to remain focused, because as much as I love to do music, I was also concentrating on my studies in school. I was always thinking music, but there was another part of me that would not want to dump the books totally, all in the name of music. I love music but I was also in love with my studies. But along the line, I remain thankful to God for the grace to have handled the two together.”

His debut album and official track, Turn it up, earned him his place in the entertainment industry. He featured Mavin’s first lady Tiwa Savage and the song was released in February 2014. He is regarded as the brain behind the smash hit Dorobucci. Reekado Banks won the Rookie of the Year Award at The Headies 2014 and won the controversial Next Rated award at The Headies 2015. A man who has metamorphosed to become Lil Kesh’s acclaimed nightmare, his song Katapot also won the video of the year at the Headies.
“The search for self-worth begins by finding what is indestructible inside, then letting it be.” -Prudence Kohl

The rising star, whose strange hairstyle is a result of his irredeemable love for noodles, went through tough times. His rise to stardom has been consistent but rugged, he relayed that his rise from obscurity to stardom was paved with rejections and disappointments.

He said: “It was just a miracle, before now I had tried getting on other labels but was turned down severally. In fact, it was not just with labels, no one even wanted to give me an opportunity to perform in shows. It got to a point where my stage name then (Spice) was even stolen by a friend! That happened in July 2013 and after that incident I had told myself that by October 2013, I was going to drop music. But right before October, precisely in August, the Mavin deal came through.”

During his university days, a lecturer had told him he would never achieve his dreams after preventing him from retaking a test he missed. It is pathetic to know that he once hawked domestic appliances in traffic and worked as a bricklayer at a construction site in a bid to earn some money to use for his record.

His father is a pastor in Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and a staunch supporter of his son’s passion for music. I really want to reach out to parents on the need to give their wards the platform to pursue their passion. Reekado Banks believes strongly that his parents’ support for his passion helped him surmount daunting challenges. The rising star said: “They never doubted the fact that I could do it, but all they were concerned about was that their son wouldn’t go wayward.” He gave a quick summary of his rise to stardom in the lyrics of his recent song “Oluwa Ni”:
Don Jazzy sign a small boy
Small boy turn a biggie man
Small boy buy him mama house
Small boy drive a big car
Blessing follow the small boy heh

It is amazing how the rising star once referred to as Don Jazzy’s small boy has finally metamorphosed to become a big name in the entertainment industry. He is currently basking in the endorsement deal with Globacom as a glo ambassador. I want the youths to get their priorities right in life and never look down on their potentials. For you Reekado Banks, I want to advise you to get a clean and decent hairstyle for 2016, so that you can fully become a complete inspiration to the youths.