In Pursuit of Greatness...

About In Pursuit of Greatness...

The contemplations of a "Lazy" Nigerian Youth

Publisher

Awesome

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Jun 2026

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

20 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   #19- The "Filming Nigeria by Accident: A Rumination on Art" Episode with Joel The Chosen.

   In this unscripted evening conversation, Joel The Chosen a cinematographer and creative opens up about a creative process that barely feels like one: leaving the house to run an errand and ending up filming birds, flags, cows, and market scenes — only later realizing the clips form a portrait of Nigeria. Together we explore Fela Kuti’s seamless instrumentation, what Amazon’s logistics and Nike’s branding teach us about process and audience, and whether real art is less about deliberate creation and more about noticing what’s already there. A candid rumination on observation, incompleteness, and the quiet ways stories get made. Actionable Steps Listeners Can Take Start collecting raw footage or notes without a plan. Film or write whatever catches your attention in daily life (a flag, people in a market, birds, a random street moment). Store it. Revisit weeks or months later and look for the story that emerges. Study the “gaps” in work you admire. Listen to music, watch a product experience, or examine a brand and ask: Where does one element hand off seamlessly to the next? That’s often the real craft. Define a clear target audience or message for your work instead of trying to speak to everyone. Ask: Who is this actually for, and what feeling or identity does it reinforce? Treat ordinary observation as creative material. The incomplete or “everyday” parts of a place, culture, or life are often more honest than the polished tourist version. Record real conversations or thoughts when they feel alive. Sometimes the unscripted exchange itself becomes the piece of art. Impactful Quotes Joel The Chosen “I leave my house to buy a car… and then I see something worth shooting. And I shoot it. I see birds flying in the sky right now, I take out my phone, I film these birds. Next three weeks I see a flag, I film the flag… I see cows, I film the cows… I have a video talking about Nigeria.” “My creative process is subconscious.” “Art is bringing what is not there to life.” “Art is bringing what is not there to life… the ability to think about something and bring it into visualization.” Awesome “There is no gap. It’s like a gear… as the drum is stopping here, the bass is feeling it… that little detail for me is what catches my attention.” “Amazon did not make anything new. They didn’t make the books… they don’t make the product they sell. But the beauty is the process that is seamless… that is their unfair advantage.” “When people want to talk about Nigeria, they go to the markets… they show you Lagos and Abuja, and that’s Nigeria… the larger part of the story is brushed out.” “Perhaps what makes people artistic is not us, it’s God. We just have a piece of that original artist.” Connect with us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/inpursuitofgreatnesspodcast?rpxt=dndpeW41ZHRoNDNi View Joel the Chosen's Art (cinematography): https://www.tiktok.com/@joel_the_chosen?_r=1&_d=f6141kam2m0k2f&sec_uid=MS4wLjABAAAA7ODIgGmurEc2paIYjBI8lcJI6rnGRl6lmyJCCWek5f83yTLs4Wr1V4hcV4NeeNLQ&share_author_id=7087763692562187269&sharer_language=en&source=h5_m&u_code=dab4e88ijfkllj×tamp=1791838741&user_id=6782291435531322373&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAz2meGGmvU3A-9w-CGDm14baQL1cCSVC9Y0rVC28DhLqUAei15XpTVS_uFQvzZPxA&item_author_type=2&utm_source=copy&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=android&share_iid=7693155953391159061&share_link_id=08b0164e-88b0-40d7-8b34-1e922b5ec3d6&share_app_id=1233&ugbiz_name=ACCOUNT&ug_btm=b6880%2Cb5836&social_share_type=5&share_enter_from=others_homepage&item_author_type=2&enable_checksum=1

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   #18- "Free at Last": A Very Independent Episode with Nureni Olamilekan Christian

   A reflective Independence bonus episode. Awesome (Host) and Christian sit down on the eve of Nigeria’s Independence Day to treat the occasion as more than a public holiday. They explore why history still matters, how systems and citizens shape each other, the cost of living without a shared national vision, and what a better Nigeria might actually look like. Honest, faith-inflected, and forward-looking — a conversation about remembrance, responsibility, and the work still left to do. Actionable Steps Drawn from the Episode - Treat Independence Day as a deliberate ritual of remembrance, not just a day off. Take time to look back at how far the country has come and what the founding generation endured. - Actively study Nigerian and African history (including the difficult early post-independence years and the Civil War era) instead of relying on surface-level comparisons with other nations. - Examine your own role in the “people problem.” Recognize that leaders emerge from the citizenry and that systems both shape and are shaped by ordinary behavior. - Prioritize capacity and competence in leadership over likability, popularity, or career politics. - Move from complaint and online commentary to concrete action — build, create value, and contribute where you are rather than only criticizing. - Cultivate a clearer personal (and ideally shared) vision of the Nigeria you want, so daily choices and resource use align with something larger than short-term gain. - Practice greater sensitivity in speech and online posts; words shape culture and can either build or further numb collective empathy. - Support or participate in efforts that preserve historical memory (eyewitness accounts, proper documentation, education modules) so younger generations are not left without context. Impactful Quotes On Independence as ritual, not holiday “I'm really going to praise the Lord above Nigeria, and apart from that, I'm definitely going to celebrate it as if I'm celebrating my death day.” — Christian On growth and perspective “No matter how bad the country is, you can't compare it to where we came from. We have grown... you can't compare Nigeria up to date to where? So we, no matter what we say, we have grown.” — Christian On systems, people, and responsibility “It is the system that, that once a system is faulty, the people becomes faulty... People make system, but system shapes people... Currently an institutional problem is still at the same time from the top and at the same time from the bottom... Everybody is a problem.” — Christian “The people we vote in are the direct expression of our own self... the people we choose to lead us are the direct expression of who we are... we are all the problem.” — Christian On historical memory “Every year, these people go to that particular place that that bomb was dropped, and they pray every year... They put the pictures that they were able to capture after the destruction of that bomb... This was what we went through...” — Christian (on Hiroshima/Nagasaki remembrance) “Nigerians don't even know their stories. Nigerians don't even know where they came from.” — Christian On “stolen lives” and short-termism “All of you have lived stolen lives.” (referencing the Doctor Doom trailer line, then applying it) —Awesome (Host) “We've mortgaged Nigeria's growth for short-term satisfaction.” — Awesome (Host) On vision and direction “When you don't have a vision you are working towards, it's hard to get there ... most people don't have an idea of what a better Nigeria would look like.” — Awesome (Host) “I believe we should just walk in such a way that our means should justify our end.” — Christian On action over talk “Action, action step... Don't just stay and be... work things out.” — Christian “Leadership is capacity. Leadership is not niceness... Someone feeds you doesn't mean he can lead you.” — Christian

3. 

   28 Sept 2026

   #17- The “Self-Employment Is Not Entrepreneurship" Episode with Makepeace Ekene (Bonus Episode)

   In this raw, unscripted conversation, the host sits down with Makepeace for an honest deep-dive into the real mindset required for success in Nigeria. They unpack the critical difference between self-employment and true entrepreneurship, what kind of partner actually supports ambitious goals, the hidden costs of raising children with intention, and how the environment you grew up in quietly shapes your views on money, work, and possibility. The discussion gets practical on living costs, quality education, and the uncomfortable gap between waiting on “God’s will” and taking full ownership of your outcomes. No scripts, no performance—just two people thinking out loud about building a life that actually works. Actionable Steps 1. Audit your current work— Ask: Can this business or role survive and grow without me? If not, you are self-employed. Start setting non-negotiable standards yourself so you can later hand them off. 2. Choose (or evaluate) a partner deliberately — Prioritize compatibility with your vision and work style. 3. Treat time as your highest asset — Freedom is not spare time; it is higher productivity. Design systems, hire carefully, and batch low-value tasks so you can buy back hours. 4. Plan family and finances together — Do not wait until “the money arrives” to build other readiness. Calculate real living, education, and lifestyle costs in your target city before marriage or children. Decide intentionally whether and when to have kids. 5. Invest in environments, not just credentials— For children (and yourself), prioritize schools, neighborhoods, and peer groups that shape mindset, vocabulary, and networks—even when they cost more. 6. Replace passive faith with responsible action — Stop attributing every outcome (postings, promotions, breakthroughs) solely to “God’s will.” Take ownership of decisions, skill-building, and execution while still holding faith. 7. Commit to continuous learning and the price of growth— Read, skill-up, and accept that comfort is often the real barrier. Wealth and freedom require paying a higher personal price than most people are willing to pay. Impactful Quotes - “If your business cannot survive without you, you are self-employed.” ~ Makepeace - “A lot of people are self-employed and they call themselves entrepreneurs.” ~ Awesome - “The only way you become more free is to become more productive.” ~ Makepeace - “Not everybody knows and wants to be able to pay the sacrifice that it takes to be wealthy. People are comfortable… It’s not the desire, it’s the price.” ~Makepeace - “Anybody can be wealthy, but… people to pay the price is the problem.” Makepeace - “Living Christianity that lives everything 100% to God is irresponsible Christianity.” ~ Awesome - “Jesus rarely ever performed a financial or political miracle.” ~ Awesome - “We don’t like having to take hundred percent credibility for our actions. So if we can blame God, we blame God. If we can blame devil, we blame devil. Or the government.” ~ Makepeace - “The kind of people your children mingle with is one of the things that will form their mindset at those age.” ~ Makepeace - “There are some kind of access that only money brings.” ~ Makepeace This show is hosted, edited and produced by Awesome Nwokolo.

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.