By Ishaya Ibrahim
and Pascal Oparada
Vicky Omifolaji tells the story of ‘Claim the Land’ through the mirror of her life as a child with learning challenges, growing up with low-self esteem, being a perpetual job applicant to becoming a successful entrepreneur and respected psychotherapist in Melbourne, Australia.
She has helped many suicidal people to find meaning in living.
Claim the Land is about going for it. “If you don’t remain stagnant the bad times won’t last,” the author said at the presentation of the book in Lagos, Nigeria.
The author said that she struggled with low self-esteem in her formative years in Nigeria. “If I had been born abroad, I would probably have been diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disorder because, unless you show me in pictorial form, I would have problem grasping what you mean. My parents didn’t know I was struggling with that.”
She said that there would always be unhelpful thoughts, unhelpful stuff that people tell you when you were growing up. “If you hold on to those unhelpful belief, you wont go anywhere. But if you move on, though there will be storm, it will get better,” she said.
Being her 9th book, Vicky Omifolaji has helped people overcome crisis periods in their lives. She is a psychotherapist and founder of High Achivers’ Foundation.
She said that people need to find out what sparks their passion. She told the story of Legendary Boxer, Mohammed Ali, who at the age of 10, discovered that he had a passion for boxing. And at that age, he would tell all who cared to listen that “I am the greatest.”
Omifolaji recalled that Jay Jay Okocha, Nigeria’s iconic football star, did not begin his career as a star. She said that great people helped him to become great. “If you want to be exceptional in what you do, why don’t you get great people to put you through,” she said.
