For British-born Nigerian Dayo Olomu, June 25, 2020, will go down as the most unforgettable.
On that red-letter day, handsome Olomu had cause to count his blessings and thank God profusely for the grace to mark his 55th birthday, amidst an avalanche of congratulatory messages from loved ones across the globe. It is doubtful if he could have done otherwise considering his beginning that was littered with killing challenges.
At age eight, he had tasted the bitter side of life, after he lost his father. Faced with this challenge, he had to support his mother by hawking ‘ice water’.
Much later in life, when he relocated to the United Kingdom, his paths were still strewn with thorns, particularly as he was ridiculed when he started out as a speaker.
But Olomu, with unbent determination, has succeeded in spite of the odds against him.
As fate would have it, Olomu, who has 160 awards in his kitty, is today an iconic global brand, a renowned international motivational speaker, human capital development expert, business transformation strategist, leadership trainer, business mentor, executive coach, award-winning event host, best-selling author, a key person of influence, board member, HR leader, community champion and philanthropist.
No wonder, DO, as he is fondly called by friends and admirers, couldn’t hide his joy, that he penned a powerful note to capture the abundance of God’s mercies in his life on the occasion of his 55th birthday, saying, “I am grateful for the Lord’s grace upon my life because I am a product of grace. I am grateful for who I have become. I am happy the way my life has turned out. Most people did not believe that I would turn out like this. I know my mother would be very proud of me that her toil in me did not end up in vain.
“I feel great and fulfilled seeing the results in people and organisations that I have helped transform right in front of my eyes as they have choices and new strategies to help them live a more fulfilling and empowered life and become who they had always wanted to be.
“I am happy that I have been able to restore belief and confidence to many who have lost it, vision to those who can no longer see and cure many people of possibility blindness. I am enjoying the products of my dream and vision.”
He added, “Every day, I think of the many people that I meet through my writings, speaking engagements, workshops, and social medium forums and their stories of how I have impacted their leaves positively. I am very thankful for the many opportunities that I have to make a difference in people’s lives.”
He also wrote: “I am also thankful for the grace the Lord has given me to create awareness and raise funds for many charities since 2006 through running many marathons, skydiving, walking 100km from London to Brighton and feeding the homeless through Dayo Olomu Foundation.
“My story isn’t unique – many others have realised their dreams just as I have. But it does go to show that you can achieve whatever you want to if you have a strong desire to succeed and backed that desire with action and self-belief. My story is all about turning dreams into reality. A speaker once said, ‘You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.’
“Finally, I think it will be nice if we can all do our little bit to make a difference and to use the catchphrase of Steve Jobs, ‘put a dent in the universe’. ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.’ (Desmond Tutu). Hence I dedicated my 55th birthday by running the marathon in one week to raise funds and create awareness for that in need.
“I am thankful to God for making it possible for me to witness this day. And the Lord who has started a great thing in me will see it to completion. He will never leave me nor forsake me as I move from success to significance.’’
