Based on the famous FBM (Fogg Behavior Model), change proceeds from making basically emotionally-motivated decisions like: a flight-from-pain decision and a flight-to-desire decision give the sufficient ease to act on them. However, flight from pain without a desired destination is temporary relief at best while desire without sufficient pain is dreaming. Thus, change occurs only to the “twice ready” i.e. those who can make and act on both decisions.
Now, pause for a moment to reflect on this: on a 3-tier low-medium-high scale for fear-courage-togetherness respectively, where will you honestly rate Nigeria the country and a typical Nigerian (hypothetically, not stereotypically)? Continue when done.
For change to occur on a national scale, a necessary condition for the ease or simplicity of action would be togetherness by a critical mass for one purpose, as without togetherness, pain-flight outcomes would be scatterings (e.g. brain drain) rather than movements. Likewise, without critical mass, outcome impact would be insignificant or transient rather than transformational or permanent. A good illustration of successful united critical mass is the cooperative movement as a society-transforming type of enterprise exemplified by Mondragon. In Nigeria, LAPO is growing at a gathering pace. Also, Ethiopia’s agro-industry movement has gathered momentum, making it the world’s 2nd fastest growing economy.
So, here’s your part in this: based on where you honestly rated Nigeria or Nigerians, do you think the two decisions for change can be successfully made and acted upon today by a critical mass? If sufficient pain exists today to make the first choice easy, is there sufficient unanimity of desire to make the second? Can you help to unify a critical mass around a single desired (and hopefully positive) outcome? Doing that alone may light the change bush fire.
