Welcome to Thriving
You love stories don't you?
You do right?
I knew you would😁
I also love stories but not boring ones though...
My love for stories is one the many reasons why I'm not trying to change from history and Diplomatic studies department to another department. I don't think if I was studying a different course I would still be able to hear stories everyday the way I do now.
Anyways, in today's letter I will be sharing one of those inspiring stories I hear and read about everyday whilst discarding it's relevance to history
And of course this is not one of those boring or scary historical stories
Nope!
Its a short inspiring story, you and I can learn valuable lessons from
Demosthenes
Demosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman, a leading political figure, orator and lawyer in ancient Athens.
He was born with a speech impediment and this made speaking difficult for him. He always spoke with a stammer and as a result he was constantly ridiculed.
His father died when he was young leaving him with a huge inheritance but of course he's guardians stole all of it. He then decided that he would be a lawyer so that he would be able to take his guardians to court by himself and justice would be served.
But he knew that a lawyer needed to be an eloquent speaker and he was a total failure at that so he decided to give up on law and somehow master his speech impediment.
To do this, he retired from the world and built an underground study where he could practice on his own. He shaved half of his hair so he would be too embarrassed to go out in public.
To overcome he's speech impediment, he walked along a deserted beach with his mouth full of pebbles forcing himself to speak without stopping, louder and more forcefully than the waves.
He wrote speeches that he then recited while running up steep slopes to develop better breathing techniques. He put a mirror in his room so that he could closely observe his facial features as he spoke.
He would engage in conversations with visitors to his house and guage how each word he spoke or intonation affected them. Within one year of dedicated consistent practice, he completely eliminated his speech impediment and transformed himself into an adequate orator.
He returned to law and with each new case that he won, his confidence rose to new heights. He continually practiced and improved the delivery of his speeches and that was how he became the supreme orator of ancient Athens.
He was widely known for his fearlessness in the face of any foe
....and that is a short biography of Demosthenes
I know you've picked one or two while reading this but if you didn't then you should read again
In the next letter, I will be sharing the lessons I picked from this story but in the meantime I want you to write back to me and tell me what lesson you picked. Also, I would love for you to share this with others. I would be glad if you can do this.
Thank you ❤️
You can write to me here; Dear Oluwaninyo,
Till I appear in your inbox again
Keep Thriving 🥂
And do not forget; to your greatness there is no end!
Media I've been consuming;
(the links are attached to the words, so just click on them)
I've been listening to God's servant; Apostle Michael Orokpo and I have to say I love, love He's teachings. He has so much indepth insight and knowledge of the word of God. I recently joined he's telegram channel where I would have access to all of he's teachings and sermons. You might as well want to join here; Encounter Jesus Ministries
Y'all my fave is coming!🥺💃💃 I sat down and I discovered that I've actually been following these series since SS 1! I'm feeling so emotional rn😂😂. Anyways Abattoir season 5 will arrive tomorrow 💃🎉. A good movie to relax with after service tomorrow right? You should subscribe here; Abattoir season 5 so you won't miss any episode.
There's an event coming up for freelancers to learn about client acquisition. This is absolutely free and it will be starting on Monday. 2 days of teaching and 5 days of implementation and accountability. And this is for everyone who has an high income skill. You should register here; Freelancers Client Surge
I will forever be grateful to God for the day I was aimlessly scrolling through YouTube and I found Ezinne Zara's YouTube channel. Ezinne Zara is a huge blessing not just to me but to several other persons and the entire body of Christ. You should check out her YouTube channel here; Ezinne Zara
Also you should watch the interview she had on The shinning light YouTube channel here; A beautiful salvation story
I watched Salem King's Ted talk at Covenant university about how community can save lives and I was so touched. Every young person needs to watch it. You should watch here; How community can save lives by Salem King
I love Ali Abdaal so much because he creates great content that revolves around productivity, self development and education generally. You should check out his video which is a review of the book “Unlock your greatness ” by Lewis Howes. You should watch here; 6 steps to unlock your full potential
A while ago, I got access to a folder where I found lots and lots of novels so if you're a fiction lover like me, you might want to check out one or two story books here; Novels for everyone
Dan Koe is one of the Digital creators I follow and listen to on value creation and i believe you should be doing the same. He has so much knowledge about the internet and entrepreneurship, he is gladly sharing he's knowledge for free through he's letters. You should subscribe here; The Dan Koe Letters
If you're committed to life long learning like I am or you want to add to your digital skills, you might want to check out this document that contains about 80+ links to free E-learning platforms. Check it out here; Sabigraduate
Ajulu is a Digital creator and writer, he has been an internet nomad for about a decade! Ajulu writes on creativity, process, habits, skills, Tech etc I always enjoy reading his letters. He has so much wisdom and knowledge about various aspect of life and he has been graciously sharing his knowledge on substack since 2020! If you're not reading Ajulu's letters you're missing out on alot of information. You should subscribe here; Ajulu from Day One
I've been vibing to these two songs; Worthy of my Praise by Dunsin Oyekan ft Lawrence Oyor and Ji by Anendlessocean