Friday, August 2, 2013

You’ve Got to Be Mad to Make A Difference

Gabriel Olatunji Legend

Denrele

BEFORE YOU GET MAD at me for asking you to get mad I dare to say again that for you to get to the peak of any successful endeavor, for you to achieve enviable feats and for you to do that thing which will place your name on the world map you’ve got to be mad.

When you see Denrele Edun of Soundcity (now with Channel O Television) one of the first things that come to mind is madness. Every single time I come across him at events and on television I can’t help but to wonder what level of madness got this guy to this point. Today we all appreciate Denrele Edun, we are eager to get his autograph, take pictures with him or even an opportunity to be interviewed by him on a red carpet but we were all the first set of people that castigated, criticized, abused and insulted him when he was beginning to create his identity.



When Denrele Edun started creating this identity he was humiliated everywhere even by his classmates, lecturers, student colleagues, bus conductors, passengers and the common street people who just felt he needed to visit Yaba (left side), you know what I mean. If Denrele entered the class, ofcourse with his crazy looks everyone will shout and he would have to leave the class, if he knocks on the door of his supervisor or lecturer to submit his assignment as soon as the door is opened and the supervisor sees him he will shout “Get Out”, he was walked out of class by lecturers many times.



Can you imagine yourself going on the road on your campus and students driving past slowed down just to tell you that you are mad and stupid for doing what you are doing? He has been asked to come down many times from commercial buses; passengers have had to come down from the bus just because of him. Even though his story has always inspired me I decided to write this piece when he said he made his hair look that way simply because it helped him stand out of the crowd in his modeling days. He said when he showed up at the modeling station the judges were able to quickly pick him out because of his looks and I call that STAND OUT.
M-A-D is not an insult, it is an acronym meaning;

M – Make
A – A
D – Difference

I can authoritatively tell you that it takes madness to taste success. Those we refer to as success today made a difference in life and that entitled them to become men and women of history.
Go on with your plans, make hay while the sun shines, read all the self-help materials available, seek the help of a mentor and associate properly but don’t forget all of these might be a waste of time if you don’t get MAD.

If you are not satisfied with your present level (state of things) please get mad because you’ve got to be mad to make a mark.



NB: This article was written and published online some years ago when Denrele Edun rose to limelight. We just decided to inspire someone with it again.

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