What Is Your Name?

culled from:Seye joseph

Writing, often is an interesting thing for me to do but sometimes one could be feel stock doing it. There are times when ballpoint is not dancing on the writing pad as it should, or it could be that one has the relevant information on the piece one wants to write but don’t know the exact point where to pick the lead.
For instance, in writing this piece, I have the idea of what I want to write in my head; I know what I want to write but where to pick it from is the contention. I could have started from any angle but I think it will be interesting to start from a human angle point of view. Yet, my mind tells me I should start with a question I posed to my colleagues recently. “What exactly is my name?” They were stunned that they could not answer my question immediately. Some even not told me not to disturb them.
I could not get an appropriate answer to my question. Another friend threw the question back at me. “What exactly is your own name to you personally?” .Now I found myself confronted with the same quagmire my friends experienced what they were facing.
 Advanced Learner’s dictionary says “it is a word or words that a particular person, animal, place or thing is known by” Quite often, a name could be seen as just a normal everyday thing that both the living and the non living objects must have for proper identification. All objects in this world have a name.
In my findings, I observed that having an identifiable name is not more important to having a good name in character and attitude. There are names and there are names. There are names that clings to your mind because of the impact and value the names have created in your mind.
When you hear “David Beckham” what comes to your mind is free kicks, when you hear Bill Gates what comes to your mind is Computers, you think tennis when you hear Venus and Serena Williams, you think Nobel Laureate in Literature when you hear Prof. Wole Soyinka; Nelson Mandela is a name that connotes statemanliness. So when people call your name what does it evokes
You probably will agree with me that there names one hears that do not give one inspiration. It does not hold a grip for your attention. Yes! They are wealthy with magnificent edifices in the best location across the world.  They may even have all the right connections in high places but their names just do not command attention and respect.. There are mammoth of them as ex-governors, senators, ministers, big time corporate players honorable even presidents in our country, Nigeria,  today. They made so much noise when they were in power but their names could not ring a bell today even in their own community. Most of them have lost their pedigree due to inability to the manage their names.
It is saddening to observe that many think that it is in title. They expend so much money on things that are inconsequential all just to be addressed with one or two appellation.  Imagine someone whose primary function is simply to preach the gospel of Christ but expends so much energy into the title that goes into his or her name. He could call himself or herself as (Prophet Dr Eminence so and so (JP), FCAA, and CON) They claim all these titles so much  that their major names get lost in the sea of title and appellation.
The generational impart of Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Mathin Luther King Jnr, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Park, Billy Graham will never go unnoticed. These are the people that never carry a simple appellation to their names though some of them have died but their names are still making positive and trans-generational impart. In Nigeria, eminent people like Gamaliel Onosode, Felix Ohiwere, Christopher Kolade, Ambassador Segun Olusola, Pascal Dozie, Emeka Anyaoku are prominent people that you don’t need to write their home address at the back of an envelope if you want to write them. For example, if you want to a write a correspondence to anyone of these people just write Gamaliel Onosode, Nigeria from any part of the world or Enoch Adeboye, Nigeria. There are no two Dangotes in Nigeria.
The question to ask is that what make these names to be prominent as their personality. Could it have been the school they went to? Could it have been their family name? There levels of connections or paying the media heavily to run an advertorial on them for personal publicity? None of these has done this. These people have earned themselves this apogee they gotten today.
I have found  that these people and others like them exhibit certain communalities, some of which I want to share with us today.
Vision
Out of every person listed above, everyone of them carries an identity; they all had a vision if not for their life it will be for the society. What is vision? Vision is what you want to create out life and to create means to bring into existence what has been created before. The vision of Mathin Luther King Jnr was to create equality between the black and the white and in the due cause the vision came to fulfillment. Vision develops and refines personal brand manifesto which makes one name to be distinctive, relevant, and consistent to the world.

Purpose
If the purpose of a thing is not known abuse they say is inevitable. The clearer a man is about his purpose in life, the greater chance for him to achieving his objectives in life and makes his name significant to the society. People basically connect with a well defined purpose because it creates a competent, standard and a style. Bill Gates is not a white man that has all the wealth of the world. Bill Gates can be defined as the Microsoft that is in every computer system of the world. He may not have been to my village before but his purpose is in every nation of the world. Mahatma Ghandi lived a purposeful life not because of his popularity but because of the purpose to gain liberation the Indians History has it that Ghandi did not have home of himself, he had no money but generations unborn around the world can never forget what his positive impart.

Value
Our beliefs in life are being driven by our value, and our value defines who we are our total man concept. Our Values often ask us the question of what we hold to believed and true. If people like Michael Jordan, it is not his personality that they like but his values and virtues which are his competencies, flexibility, sincerity of purpose, sense of humour, positive attitude and character. Thomas Edison only had three months of formal education, yet he was the greatest inventor that ever lived. Helen Keller was without sight, hearing or speech, yet she inspired millions. These people are been driven by their values.
In conclusion, I want to suggest that you pay close attention to the meaning you name represents in the mind and hearts of people- your family members, friends colleagues at work, business associates, friends, colleagues at work, business associates, social community, or the society at large.
Your name is more than a word; it connotes definite meanings in people’s minds. It occupies a definite space in people’s minds. It evokes definite thoughts and feelings in which people’s mind. Thoughts and feelings which, in turn provoked definite reactions.
Thus, do not ever be casual about your representations in the mind and hearts of people because that is your name.