Every word spoken and every action taken is driven by self-interest.

That self-interest may be enlightened (serving the common good) or dark (serving personal gain).

Everything everyone does is for self-interest. Stay with me on this.

If that holds true, it means everything everyone does holds value to them. And whatever holds value has reason for being.

Understanding the reason for being is called wisdom.

Aggregating people around that reason is called leadership.

Suspend judgment of self-interest. Instead, let your self-interest be finding utility for everyone’s self-interest. That is what success is.

– Osasu Oviawe

Leverage is an accelerator.

Like all accelerators, skill determines whether it moves you forward or backward.

You build skill by first achieving traction without leverage. 

Then, when you apply leverage, you can accurately measure whether you are still moving in the desired direction or not.

– Osasu Oviawe

Pain is like a root; it confronts all of life’s difficulties with one goal—keep going.

Joy is like a shoot; it embraces life’s possibilities with one goal—keep reaching.

You reach as far as you go.

—Osasu Oviawe

That people complain about something does not necessarily mean they see it as a real problem. Complaining often serves a different purpose—it fuels conversation, strengthens social bonds, and provides an outlet for emotions. But not all complaints are calls for change.

Gratitude, while essential for well-being, rarely makes for engaging conversation. “Everything is great” is a conversation killer, while “Can you believe what happened?” can spark endless discussion. This is why complaints often take center stage in social interactions—they invite sympathy, debate, and shared frustration.

However, if a complaint is not followed by any effort to find a solution, it should be treated as gossip: engaging but ultimately unproductive. Gossip has its place—it fills idle time, entertains, and fosters connection—but it should not be mistaken for meaningful discourse or a reason to invest mental energy.

A useful filter is to ask: “Does this person want change, or do they just want to talk?” If there is no search for solutions, no attempt to improve the situation, then the complaint is merely a shared indulgence, not a call to action. Understanding this distinction frees up mental space for what truly matters—solving real problems, making informed decisions, and focusing on productive conversations.

– Osasu Oviawe

Trading teaches only two things: don’t be greedy, and cut your losses.

Until you learn both, your only gain will be losses.

– Osasu Oviawe

Contentment is the realization that “more” will never be enough.

— Osasu Oviawe

This month, I am working on three new projects.

As always, I am finding the time—despite once believing I had none.

There is time for all you want to do, but to find it, you must first constrain it.

– Osasu Oviawe

Listen to their jokes. Laugh, but listen to what they are telling you about themselves. 

Ignore their bragging. Listen, but ignore words that add colour to grey periods.

Run away from their flattery. Acknowledge, but flee from the trap of past successes.

– Osasu Oviawe

Social media is an echo chamber of the ego.

– Osasu Oviawe

No matter how great yesterday was, it is no longer yours.

No matter how beautiful tomorrow is, it is not yet yours.

No matter how uncertain today is, it is yours.

You can only create greatness and shape beauty from the uncertain. Dance with it.

— Osasu Oviawe