Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

‘My vision is to help people think positively about themselves’

By Benjamin Olisah
16 June 2018   |   3:57 am
What makes people behave the way they do, act the way they act, think the way they think? These are some existential questions confronting modern man, especially when he lives an average life that is far less than his God-given potential.

Babatunde George

What makes people behave the way they do, act the way they act, think the way they think? These are some existential questions confronting modern man, especially when he lives an average life that is far less than his God-given potential. But where does he find answers to these questions. That is where the expertise of renowned inspirational speaker and psychologist, Babatunde George, comes into play.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, George spoke about his passion for his chosen career, the impact it has had on himself and others and his lifestyle as a whole. Also known as Sri George, he stated that the idea of becoming an inspirational speaker was as a result of his inquisitiveness and the need to understand human mysteries.

“My love for transformational speaking came unto me as a child and I wanted to know why people do what they do and what causes them do what they do, which led me to study Psychology for over 15 years. I know a lot about human beings in terms of how they think, the decisions they take and more. I wanted to have the basic understanding of humans and see how we can help them change their habits. From my research, I observed that the major thing that makes man do what he does is the paradigm that is already in his subconscious mind.”

He said, “I have worked as a trailer conductor or motor-boy at some point in my life. I have worked as a sales person, factory worker; that knowledge about myself was what I used to get to where I am today. I have done several radio programmes in Nigeria; I have gone to various schools in the country to impact on the students the knowledge that they can become whatever they want to be in life if they work hard at it.

“One of the important things missing in this part of the world is that we care less about mental health. The psychological aspect of our lives is overlooked. As individuals while growing up, how many things did your parents tell you that you could do and have anything? There is nothing that you cannot achieve. Most times, nobody told you that but you have to discover it yourself. One of our greatest problems is our childhood, how we were raised. Some African parents do not care about their children’s mental and emotional health; they are some of our biggest problems. If we want to change a lot of things, we have to start at home just like charity begins at home.”

George is of the belief that the change Nigeria needs should come from within and not without, noting, “For so long, we have been externally driven. We think that the solutions to Nigeria’s problems are outside, but they are not. They are inside and everything comes from within. Transformation has to come from within. Even the change we talk about has to come from within and all of these things have to do with little external activities. I run a programme called Self Development Programme (SDP) and it is easy for people to judge others but very difficult to judge themselves. Transformational speaking, personal development are things that are important to us and that is why you see that leading countries in the world understand these principles, which has made them progressive.”

He also spoke on Nigeria’s creative industry as one ingenuous, phenomenal response to the country’s many challenges, which he said should be replicated in every aspect of national life.

“The industry is doing great,” George said. “One of the things I admire about Nigerians is that they do things for themselves and by themselves without really getting the support from government. Look at the entertainment industry, for example, with little or no support. Everybody is almost self-made with little or no support. Nigerians are beginning to appreciate all these things done by notable names like Bolaji Rosiji, Charles Oputa among others, who did their best to make positive impact in the entertainment industry. My vision in life is to help people think correctly and positively about themselves so that they can be, do and have the good things they desire in life.”

In this article

0 Comments