Gamel SanKarl

Grit. Grace. Gravitas. Someone once asked me; "what is the stuff that makes genius and greatness?" The above qualities in my view are the things that makes one great and genius.  Someday, I will write an article elaborating on these.  But in the meantime, what do you think makes genius and greatness?

Destiny is forged on the anvil of daily decisions and deliberate actions.  The big picture of your future will become increasingly clearer through your daily actions.  Be consistent in the actions that take you forward and upward towards your dream.  Greatness is often revealed through daily routines and rituals.  What is your biggest dream in life? And what are the actions you take towards that dream daily?  What do you do consistently on the daily?  What is your daily routine/ritual?  Something worth thinking about.

You may not be where you planned to be at this point in time of your life.  But truth is, you are also not where you used to be. The urge to feel left behind is only human. But don't let that compel you to give up.  You're not left behind in life. You're probably a late bloomer waiting for your time.  Keep moving at your own pace. We all do things and move at different paces.  You're not behind. And no one has left you behind. You're moving at your own pace. And that's fine. Learn to celebrate with your mates when they attain new milestone and wait for your turn. Time and chance happens to us all and it will soon be your time and turn. Give time some time.  You will be fine!

I am at my best when I stay calm and calculate my moves in life.  I get easily inundated when there is too much noise around me.  But in the presence of quite and peace, the best version of me keeps emerging. Being mindful of this, I have learnt to master peace through conscious meditation. And in so doing, I have come to learn that; when you learn to master peace, you also learn to make your life a masterpiece.  And this is because, in peace, you are able to work towards mastery.  In peace, you prepare in solitude and make a difference to a multitude.  Learn to master peace and make your life a masterpiece.

The 8th edition of the Blooming Minds Young Achievers Awards was held on May 4th, 2024 at the British Council, Accra.  I was there as usual to support Thelma Egwuenu and the BMCCN team to make a success of the awards ceremony and the runway fashion show. As the previous years, it was exciting to see parents and teachers come all out to support the creative pursuits of their youngsters.  The vision is a big one and we are committed to contributing our quota to raising the next generation of creative talents for Africa and the world at large. And so help us, God!

One of the exciting things I did last year as part of my professional growth and progression was to partake in a Dementia research project at the Neurology unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.   The project led by my friend Michael Quansah and supervised by Professor Adjei of University of Ghana Medical School and Prof. Tayebi of Western Sydney University Medical School had thus far really exposed me to the prevalence of Dementia across the world.  I also got to learn about how Dementia is becoming one of the leading causes of death in most aged people around the world and the need to create awareness about it. Dementia is a syndrome, usually chronic or progressive in nature and is often characterised by decline in cognitive abilities.  It therefore affects cognitive functions such as thinking, memory, comprehension and judgement.  It is an impairment that is often accompanied by a decline in emotional control, motivation or social behaviour.  Globally, it is reported th

I had the pleasure of speaking to the students and staff of Right To Dream Academy early last month.  I shared thoughts on Being Your Best Self.  The session focused on Self-discovery and Self-discipline and the place of these in becoming a better version of one's self. I also touched on how as budding athletes, they can use Self-comparison and Self-confidence to their advantage.  My assignment was to help them look within and find expression for their gifts through self-motivation.  The feedback was great and I am hopeful our time together was worth it.  Thanks to Lydia Ansah Opoku, Head of Purpose Dept. and her team for having me.  Photo Credit: Right To Dream Media Team.

In Abu Dhabi, I visited the Ferrari World on Yas Island.  It is such a beautiful place curated purposely for leisure and pleasure.

On my visit to Abu Dhabi, I had the privilege of touring the Grand Mosque. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the attractions of the capital city of the UAE.  It was named after Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a way of highlighting his achievements and noble deeds of religious, cultural and humanitarian nature.  This Mosque is the biggest I have seen yet. It is a a beautiful building made of white marble stones from Columbia, Greece, Mexico and other parts of the world.  This Mosque has three of the most magnificent chandeliers from Germany.  The path that leads to the main compound of the Mosque is called the tolerance path. And this indeed showcases photos of the Sheikh and world leaders such as the Pope, the King of England and a Hindu Leader.  Also on the premises of the grand Mosque is a mall with several shops. The unqiue thing about the mall is that it is an underground structure. One would need escalators to

As part of my tour of the United Arab Emirates, I visited the capital city of Abu Dhabi. This city is also the seat of government of the UAE.  The ruler of Abu Dhabi is Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is also the third president of the UAE. By conventional agreement, the ruler of Abu Dhabi will always be the president of the UAE. In the UAE, succession is patrilineal. A son always inherits the estate of the father. The same applies to rulership of each city and even the presidency.  By extension, this means, the son of the president will be the one that succeeds after him as president and ruler of the state. Also, in the event that a ruler or president passes on without a son to take over from him, one of his brothers takes over. Inheritance is always patrilineal per their laws. As indicated earlier, the presidency always goes to the ruler of Abu Dhabi whilst the positions of vice president and prime minister go to the royal family of Dhubai.  All states in the UAE