The divinely dedicated Daniel Cole

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Geography matters to your rise in life. I have always believed that we don’t rise to the level of our gifts and potentials; we rise to the level of our systems, be it political or socio-economic. It takes more effort to thrive in certain places.”

When Daniel Cole speaks of his life narrative, it is synonymous to the phoenix rising from the ashes. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Daniel Cole has first hand experience of being raised in a polygamous home. When I first read his bio, it was the detail that caught my interest. I was curious as to how this had shaped him as a man. He started by giving me his thoughts on polygamy.

“African fathers pride themselves on how may children they can father.  My mom was the second wife, and that was the beginning of my struggle. I have never seen a peaceful polygamous home. There was a lot of drama. With all the drama, one thing that my mother ensured was that I was disciplined. She also ensured that I had a strong sense of spirituality.”

To this day, Daniel displays a discipline and diligence that is unicorn in fashion. His pursuit for higher education, and continuous personal development has their genesis in his childhood.

“I remember days when my mom would make me stay home, and read. I was not out playing. I was home reading a book I didn’t want to read. As a child, you need to grow holistically. I did not have a social life. I truly believe that part of my life has positively, and negatively affected me.”

“You have mentioned that word discipline a few times during our dialogue. What did discipline look like for you Daniel,” I prompted.

“Discipline looks like spending a lot of time by myself, working on my education. It also shows in my religion. Every Friday, Monday, and Tuesday, the whole family would fast. I would be like ‘Mom, your killing us!’

In our day and age this type of forced fasting would be seen as abuse. I would sometimes sneak into the kitchen, and get some food the day before the fast. I knew I wouldn’t be eating. It was quite extreme. I don’t blame them; this was just how I was raised. This is what they knew and they taught us.”

His discipline played out tremendously in his working life. From a young age, his upbringing set a tone for inevitable success.

“I started out my career in Sales and Marketing, working for a Telecommunication company called Vodafone while pursuing a Diploma in Computer Science at the time. To be working and studying at the same time is one thing, but to work in sales, study, and live in Lagos is a different ball game. I often joke with some of my friends now, telling them, “If you can survive in Lagos, you can survive and thrive anywhere else in the world.”

After completing his Diploma in Computer Science, he immigrated to South Africa. He has strong opinions on relocation. I know that it is not easy to leave your home, and venture to another country, so I was curious as to what prompted him to make that decision.

“Geography matters to your rise in life. I have always believed that we don’t rise to the level of our gifts and potentials; we rise to the level of our systems, be it political or socio-economic. It takes more effort to thrive in certain places.

 I went to God to empower me to help people back home. Some of my friends back home are struggling; and it is not because they are not brilliant, the socio-economic situations do not allow them to thrive. The country is not giving them the opportunity they need to become a success. There are people filled with potential, but they are finding it difficult to rise.

I don’t know if I would have achieved what I have if I stayed in Lagos

I came here six years ago. It was not comfortable the first two years, but it was way better than back home.”

Daniel has always been an avid reader. He told me of a time when he spent his whole salary buying books. He has even taken it to the next level, and has taken courses from prestigious universities across the world. Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, Case Western Reserve University to name a few.  He is currently pursuing a degree with the University of South Africa. “I love education. I love studying. If I have nothing to do, I look for what university is having what, and I apply. I take one course from a prestigious university every year.”

In his first two years living in South Africa, he started writing a column on Success and Personal Development for a Community Newspaper that now has over 35,000 copies in print. He also currently writes a success column for the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper.

He founded a training company (The International Institute of Personal Development, South Africa), an organization positioned to deliver training on different personal development courses such as: negotiation dynamics, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution.

​​A few years ago, he co-authored a book with Stewart Andrew Alexander alongside other authors across the world. He followed this up with a small e-book “The Science of Success” which is available on Amazon. He continues to add to his resume, hosting on show on Radio station, 89.1 (Alex FM) with a listenership of over 130,000. To stamp his seal of success, he recently signed a content partnership with the YouVersion Bible App, which licensed him to write and publish a Devotional plan on the platform. With over 340 million people using the App, his devotional content is now accessible to a global audience.

Daniel Cole’s story, journey and short life experience is that of hope, faith and resilience.

“I believe no one should go through life as a spectator. We all have gifts, talents, abilities, and my life mission is to ensure I use what I have and know to help people rise and become the best version of themselves.”