Be Distinct Or Be Extinct

‘’Be yourself, everybody is already taken.’’ –Wilde Oscar

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘’to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment’’. The greatest journey in the pursuit of excellence is to be distinct because you will never influence the world by trying to be like it. It is a basic truth that people who are different are usually the ones who end up making a difference in the world. What stands you out is your uniqueness. In fact, your destiny lies in your real difference from others and by being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.
‘’Your significance is not in your similarity to another, but in your point of difference from another.’’ –Mike Murdock

Why try hard to fit in, when you were born to stand out! You have the right to be different. Life is not about being who everyone else wants you to be; it’s about being yourself and finding someone who loves every bit of it. The greatest calling in life is a call to be peculiar in whatever we do. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one”. The easiest way to go into extinction is to do what every other person is doing. Animals become extinct when they lack survival instincts, but for man, extinction is not tied to survival, man becomes extinct easily by just being like every other person. We must learn to do things differently, do common things in an uncommon way. Being yourself is ‘excitation’, being like others is ‘exhaustion’. Be yourself, be unique, be uncommon, and extend the same privilege to others by giving them the platform to be themselves. You are not a mere breed, you are a rare breed!
‘’Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are.’’ –Kurt Cobain

One of the most fantastic story about the ultimate benefit of living a distinct life is that of Hollywood star and one of Hong Kong’s greatest actor, Jackie Chan. When Jackie Chan was a baby, his parents could not afford to feed him. They decided to sell him to the English obstetrician who delivered him for $26 because they couldn’t afford the surgery bills, so they offered to give the infant to the doctor as payment for the caesarean section but the saving grace came when his father’s friend said confidently to his parents that he might end up being their only son. Jackie Chan later revealed the struggle his father went through in one of his interviews. Jackie Chan said, ‘’so they borrowed the money, paid the hospital bill, and my father promised within two years he’d pay it back. He ate dog food for two years to raise the money.’’

At the tender age of seven, Jackie was apprenticed at the infamous Academy of Chinese Opera where he endured a brutal programme of music dance and traditional martial arts training. The rigorous training took everything away from him but not his deep sense of humor, a ‘virtue’ that will later distinguish him from the rest. When Bruce Lee died in 1973, Jackie along with many others was picked to fill the vacuum. Jackie failed miserably. “Very hard, very hard,” he said, “so instead of trying to be Bruce Lee I decided to be myself.” His first big break came in 1978 with the movie ‘Snake in Eagle’s shadow’. Jackie Chan has climbed to the second spot in Forbes’ Highest Paid Actors List for a third year running with an annual income of $80 million and Forbes estimates his net worth at $350 million.

Some people wanted to be Bruce Lee, but today they are no were to be found, he alone decided to be Jackie Chan and it has brought him fame and glory. There is only one pursuit in life that is destined to fail and that is when we strive hard to be like others. When you are like everyone else your existence does not matter; whether you are present or absent, no one bothers because there are so many others just like you to cover up for you. There is always a temptation to be someone else; great people resist it!
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” –Bruce Lee

One of Nigeria’s finest soul singers and First Lady of soul music, Asa has tremendously revolutionized the music industry by igniting and inspiring a unique brand of music. Asa has metamorphosed over the years to become an icon and enigma, born Bukola Elemide. Asa was born in Paris, France on the 17th of September 1982 to her Nigerian parents but the family later relocated to Nigeria to live in Alagbole, a border town in Ogun State near Lagos. Her music prowess was horned at the Peter King’s Musical school in Badagry where she majored in guitar studies for a year. Her passion for a unique and distinct brand of music was ignited by her father’s collections of old school music. When she was very young, she drew her inspiration from musical legends like Eryka Badu, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Angelique Kidjo, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Lagbaja, King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey and would later ‘distil’ her unique brand from a mixture of their genres.

Your uniqueness is your selling point and it must never be negotiated; Asa grew up feeling out of place in childhood, she didn’t fit into the usual clichés, her nature was weird, thereby making her follow a lonely path to greatness. Asa would sometimes visit car parks with her brothers to sing and dance to an imaginary audience! She paid dearly for her distinct style, because of her uniqueness, she suffered great rejection and snubbing from churches and choir groups but she remained resolute and undaunted about her unique style. Like the Biblical rejected stone that eventually became the head of a corner; that rejected low-pitched voice that was once despised has finally reached foreign lands! Asa’s music has undoubtedly cross all frontiers, not just geographical, but also those of the heart and soul. Her songs are one of the most accepted and loved Nigerian songs abroad.

‘’Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ‘’ –Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is amazing how a brand of music could be so classical and traditional at the same time. No one has successfully blended POP, R&B, Funk, Soul and Reggae in one dose! Her magical and unique mix of music is legendary; her style of blending indigenous Yoruba lyrics with sophisticated English language is enigmatic. She took the old-school soul and garnished it with so much life, enthusiasm and finesse. One of the unique things that stand her out is the level of precision and purity in her brand of music; not like other ‘dirty’ Nigerian musicians whose lyrics pollute and defile the human mind. In the age of great perversion and pollution in the Nigerian music industry, where crap of songs rend the air, she brought both sanctity and sanity into the music industry. She expresses her individuality in a unique way and formed her own musical style when everyone else was trying to blend in. Leonardo Da Vinci once said, ‘’simplicity is the utmost sophistication.’’, Asa’s brand is so simple, so inspiring and so impactful. She was once referred to as the ‘’21st Century Bob Marley.’’ Her first single, ‘’Eye’ Adaba’’, then followed by ‘’Jailer’’ penetrated the already star studded music industry and it was very obvious that a unique form of musical genre had come to stay! Her music style does not only enliven souls but also carries divine messages. In her song, ‘’Satan be gone’’, she unleashed the lyrics against the horned one, alcohol and hate. Her music also blends the prevailing culture with the relics of the past, with the release of ‘’Eyo’’, she popularised the culture of masks parade in Lagos. Her songs also carry philosophical contents, especially her philosophy on the common prisoner in ‘jailer’ where she dynamically denounces modern slavery in all forms.

Asa has so many awards and endorsements to her credit: Recording of the year (Bibanke by Asa Headies 2008), Headies Next Rated Award (Asa 2006) and her first album, ‘’ Asa’’, saw her win the prestigious French Constantin Award in 2008. She also made remarkable impact in 2011, with the French Music Awards, Victoires de la Musique nomination for ’Female Artist of the year’. Recently in October (2015), Asa was crowned as ‘Akan Queen’ of Ivory Coast, as a mark of honour to appreciate her efforts in helping the country fight HIV. She performed at a concert in Ivory Coast as her own contribution to helping the country fight AIDS, all proceeds from the concert will be donated to hospitals in Ivory Coast. Asa is a great inspiration to the youths of today; a clear and distinct departure from immoral and meaningless lyrics that pervades the Nigerian music industry today.

‘’Be yourself. The world worships an original’’. –Ingrid Bergman

I salute an icon of dynamism, a lady of great substance, a pioneer of ‘unadulterated’ music. Your style of singing has evolved over time to impact, motivate and transform the Nigerian youths and beyond. The originality and the persuasiveness of your song is enough to model a life from a distance. You are unique, you are rare, you are a treasure to this generation and I just want you to know that you don’t make music; you are music indeed! Kudos to your legendary and pioneering feat in the music industry, you are a worthy ambassador of the Nigerian youths.

Gbenga Adebambo is the dean of schools at the Educational Advancement Centre (EAC), an author, youth specialist, international coach and the Editor-In-Chief of MAXIMUM IMPACT MAGAZINE. He is also the founder of the youth ministry called STOP ‘T’(Seeing Tomorrow’s Opportunities and Potentials Today), a ministry that is involved in discovering and nurturing hidden potentials in youths in order to equip them for tomorrow’s challenges, opportunities and responsibilities.