The Aggregation of Marginal Gains and John Obidi: A Case Study

Disclaimer: I have never met John Obidi in person. Like you, all I know about him has been through the stories about himself that he shared on his personal development group on Facebook. In addition, he did not ask me to write this.

One superpower that would put you head-and-shoulders above the lot is the ability to see patterns and recognize connections that are not obvious to everyone else. While I am still developing my mastery with this superpower, I can confidently say that earning my master’s degree has played no small part in making me better at seeing patterns. For all the slack that traditional education system has received in recent times, earning a graduate degree in any field equips you with the invaluable ability to quickly go through a glut of information and separate the gold from the dross with remarkable predictability.

Interesting stuff, right? Well, here’s why I am telling you this back story.

Sometimes ago, I wrote a post titled, “The Aggregation of Marginal Gains and a 23-Year-Old Me”. In it, I shared how I foolishly quit a job that paid me ₦30,000 (less than $100) a month without any safety nets to stop my freefall towards lack. My ignorance was pretty costly, as I spent months surviving on ₦500 (less than $2) a week! Among other things, I shared some of the lessons that experience taught me about the Principle of the Aggregation of Marginal Gains. For the uninitiated, the principle simply states that if you decide to improve on a particular skill by as little as 1% every single day, you would be better than at least 90% of other people who have that skill. You can read the post here to learn more. That said, if there is anybody I think has turned the Aggregation of Marginal Gains into an art form, you do not need to look further than John Obidi!

John Obidi’s Paradigm of Success

Anytime I interact with John Obidi’s content on social media, it is easy to see how he views success. Many people think that success is one mind-blowing event that will just happen suddenly. John Obidi is not part of that group. On the contrary, he understands and appreciates the fact that success is a product of process.

Consider this quote he wrote in his post titled “Focus on Your Plate”,

“Focus on your plate and learn to combine contentment with ambition. Keep watering and tending to your garden, your harvest will come. The laws of nature cannot just stop working when it’s your turn to chop. Just keep at it.”

Do you see it?

John Obidi understands that the same way a seed you plant today will not become a tree tomorrow, success is not going to happen overnight. Anyone who tells you that is simply selling you snake oil! That’s why John Obidi implores you to keep on watering and tending to your garden.

Keep showing up every day.

Keep improving every day – gradually and consistently.

Keep doing that 1% extra that the others are ignoring and it would only be a matter of time before your consistency brings you to your place among the great men of valor.

That is how success would overtake you with all its benefits!

Unfortunately, a lot of the self-proclaimed gurus out there peddle magic pill after magic pill – promising to give their gullible followers results only process can bring. However, I do not think it is the fault of these gurus. Usually they suffer from what I like to call the “Mandela Effect Syndrome”

How John Obidi’s Destroys the Mandela Effect Syndrome

As I mentioned here, the Mandela effect is a phenomenon where people have a vivid false memory of a real-world event. It could be a historical event or something that happened in their lives. It is a problem that has plagued every human since time immemorial and sadly there would never be a cure until we leave this side of eternity.

If you stay aware, you would find out that there is a kind of ‘selective amnesia’ happens when people are finally able to break through the stranglehold of poverty and lack. When you sit these nouveau-rich people down to ask them to share the exact strategies they did to achieve their goals, they tend to misremember the events. It seems like they totally forget the sacrifices, hard work and sleepless nights that they put in to get the results they had. They forget the systems they had to learn to set up. Instead, they prefer to share platitudes and spiritual advice on how God gave them everything on a platter of gold.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a firm belief in God, as well as the spiritual realities that govern the events in the physical realm. However, there are certain practical steps that God expects us to pass on to others that may find it beneficial. Little wonder Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever… . Centuries later, Paul of Tarsus would say, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Understand: Until we learn to transfer knowledge in Africa, the continent’s development will continue to move at a snail’s pace when compared to other parts of the world.

For his part, John Obidi is very deliberate in the transfer of knowledge. He does not mince words. I think this is because he has seen both sides of the divide. He has learned how to suffer and he has learned how to enjoy abundance. As a result, John Obidi is even more determined to play his part in the liberation of the destinies of countless people. Yes, John Obidi’s faith in God is the foundation of everything he has achieved till date. However, you are not going to see him tell you that your answer is going to come if you keep on fasting every Thursday.

Consider this John Obidi quote from “NO LOOSE ENDS”,

“You just met somebody really attractive. Keep your pants on my child. Know their roots first. Ask all the questions that they consider to be beyond your years. Where is their village? Who are their friends? Who are their enemies? Who have they previously made a pact with? Have they ever made a blood covenant? What price are they paying for juvenile foolishness? For where you’re going you might be forced to choose. Them? Or Destiny? If you’re afraid to choose, still you’ve made a choice. NO LOOSE ENDS, my child. Some exes are like your shadow. They will never go away. NO LOOSE ENDS!…Discipline can be confusingly painful and sometimes saddening, but it is the only path to a life of freedom and unlimited options. You don’t know it yet, but that’s what you really want.“

Here’s another one from “Dig Deep”,

“A large part of my brand value and the demand it generates globally is attributed to what I do when the world is asleep. At this hour, there are less social media notifications, SMSs, phone calls, etc. Less demands on my attention. So I take maximum advantage of the serenity to research, study and carry out experiments on the best ways to solve tomorrow’s problems. Sometimes, I’m at it for 5 hours nonstop. To many, it’s not an attractive activity because it cannot be immediately transmuted into MONEY.”

And that’s how John Obidi crushes the Mandela Effect. He does not suffer from selective amnesia – conveniently blotting out the lessons and memories that could give you that added advantage. Rather, John Obidi chooses to bare it all. And as you guessed, his blessings are doubled even as God is happy to continue conspiring with the universe in John Obidi’s favor.

How John Obidi Keeps Showing Up for Marginal Gains

In a previous post titled, “The Commonly Overlooked Secret To Success That No One Is Talking About, I shared a story of how Emeka Nobis shut down one of his vibrant Facebook groups in order to focus his creative energies on one group. Emeka Nobis’ choice to focus gave him a marginal advantage in the thought leadership space. You see, success is predictable and it leaves clues. Naturally, since John Obidi is successful in his own right, you can bet your arms and legs that he is prudent with his focus.

Consider this quote from John Obidi’s post titled “PRESCIENCE” to see a glimpse on the mentality that powers the marginal gains he has over his peers,

“…you should learn to: [1] HEAR what isn’t said [2] SEE beyond that which is shown [3] OBSERVE the pulse of time. Heighten your powers of FOCUS, observation and perception…A distracted Nigerian is a defeated Nigerian.”

With a mentality like that your spirit man stays sensitive and your mind is constantly primed for opportunities to advance the mandate that God has placed in your heart. Not only is this the responsible way to live as an adult, it is also going to save you from unnecessary bouts of stress and burnout. And when all is said and done, the principle of the aggregation of marginal gains would work in your favor – not against you.