The right Information is a ‘moat’
There’s a lot of noise disguised as information. It is easy to get carried away by trivial stuff. Damilola Olupona, co-founder of Pull a Chair, argues that It is important to attract the kind of information that’ll make us the best version of ourselves.

Have you ever pondered on the popular saying ‘’if you want to hide something from a black man put it in a book’’? Well, I have pondered on it many times and found it true. Even when the information stares at them on the internet, many ignore.
Sometime ago, I was approached by a friend who wanted a change of job and asked that I help him find one. I asked if he was on LinkedIn and he said ‘No’, I was shocked because this person is popularly known as the ‘king of Instagram’, how did he not know the most popular professional network on earth? Mind you, he works with a corporate firm.
Information is power if well used. It is not enough to be book smart; you have to be street smart also. To be street smart, you must be able to deploy different pieces of information to your advantage. In this competitive world, the only way to stay ahead is by knowing enough of what’s important. People fail not because they do not know anything, but because they do not know enough of what’s important. I have seen people ride on the wings of knowledge into fortune, and people deprived of fortune for lack of information.
Back then in school, the people who got the scholarships and internship offers were not necessarily the most intelligent people in class, but the people with the right information. Many youths roam the streets with big ambitions, career goals, plans and dreams, yet lack the drive, hunger and appetite to acquire necessary information needed to bring their aspirations to life.
It is not bad to spend all your day on gossip blogs if your goal is to become an entertainment blogger, but there is a problem if you want to be something else. You are what you consume. Therefore, if you want to be an investment banker, lawyer, fashion designer, DJ etc consume materials and expose yourself to events that will shape you into your dreams.
The first big step I took to bring myself closer to my dream in school was to associate myself with senior colleagues and friends who shared similar dreams with me; they served as a good supply of information. Secondly, I made good use of the internet. I subscribed to newsletters and blogs like Jarushub that shaped and informed me about the workings of the corporate world, since I knew that was where I was heading. I also attended events on campus that further prepared me for the challenge ahead.
I have a friend who made up his mind to bring down his big belly. He exercised every day of the week for several weeks, in addition to following other steps in a strict regimen, and guess what, his protruded belly disappeared. I learnt a lesson from his act, that success is deliberate. It is a choice.
God has blessed us with materials and resources sufficient for our success in life. What we make out of life is a product of our daily choices and habits. Most times, what we consume informs our choice in life and our choice in life defines whom we are and what we are known for. Information is power. Be informed.
Damilola Olupona

