“I Write About This

Because I Live It.”

I am a writer who believes that when we find ourselves stuck in life it is because we lack meaning and don’t feel challenged. In my books, essays and podcasts, I encourage making small changes to embrace self-discovery, simplify life, and focus on a sense of deep fulfillment.

I share the experiences, learnings & practices that have helped me overcome fears, become more self-aware and live life with authenticity and contentment.

While I haven’t found all the answers, I do feel alive again. 

This feeling of being alive transforms you, and whether you know it or not, you have started transforming the world.

-MO

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Seeking The Answers

I was running a successful business, but something was missing. I had a drawer of Rolex watches to choose from, but I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t satisfied.

I loved aspects of my life — my family, more work — but the markers of success that used to be enough began to feel hollow. More money, more possessions, more of anything wasn’t the answer.

The Journey

I embarked on a journey of self-discovery where I reconsidered my value and readjusted how I measure happiness and satisfaction.

In the process I have:

  • Written two books (I am working on the third now).

  • Reached over 500k people through essays I have shared on Daily Graphic(Ghana’s Foremost daily newspaper), Elephant Journal and Rebelle Society.

  • Decided to launch a podcast where we sit with business leaders, creatives and community influencers and have deep, meaningful conversations to understand how they are authentic in their actions and how they impact the community.

  • Spoken regularly at conferences and workshops, including TEDx Accra Conference, Africa Dialogues Conference, the Becoming More Conference by CHCL Africa, as well as Africa HR Leaders Conference organized by OML Africa.

  • Launched a new initiative in 2016, The Authenticity Project which celebrates people fearlessly pursuing their passion by assisting them with a cash prize and a mentorship program.

  • Read 50 books per year (for the past 10 years).

Daily Rituals

My morning rituals of reading, writing and exercising are the foundation of my daily, weekly, monthly and annual achievements. I truly believe in Annie Dillard’s quote “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

I rise early, meditate, read while having my coffee, and then finally journal my thoughts. These written thoughts germinate in my mind. I do all that without checking my phone or laptop. When I come back from work in the late afternoon, I find myself ready to write the first draft of a blog post or some words toward a book chapter.

Writing

The practice of writing has become central to my journey of self-discovery. It has become my way of making sense of myself. I don’t write for my loved ones. I don’t write to promote my business. I write for me. In the last few years, my interest has grown into a passion. Writing and I have become one. Writing is me, and I am writing.

This discipline of sharing myself—my soul—has not only changed me but has also inspired many others to dig deeper into their hearts and lives. My first published book—a small book of poetry, The Dense Mistiness of the Ordinary—came out in 2016.

In 2017, I published a self-help guide, The Shift: How to Awaken the Aliveness Within. After a devastating family tragedy, and near bankruptcy of my company, I was forced to reexamine my life. I asked myself whether it was how I really wanted to live my life. It wasn’t, and I realized I had to change.

I started working toward a more authentic, spiritual existence. Along the way, six surprising catalysts helped me rethink my whole life plan. These came from a wide range of sources—from Leo Tolstoy’s seminal classic The Death of Ivan Ilyich to Brené Brown’s TED Talk. I dug deep into my psyche and got to know myself, identifying the habits that helped me focus on my purpose. I’ve shared these habits and more in the book.

Reading

I’ve committed to reading a book a week for the past five years. I haven’t always been successful, but I’ve enjoyed having the self-control in turning away from social events or meaningless activities to pursue my goal. I now take my book/kindle everywhere I might have to wait; when I feel the weekly deadline looming, then I’ll spend four hours on a free afternoon to make up for the lost time.

Fewer people read these days, but I honestly feel that reading is one of the few gifts we can still enjoy. We can’t allow the fast pace of modern life to paralyse us, locking us into a robotic, linear lifestyle enslaved by technology and an instant gratification mindset.

Sometimes we read for information and think we forget everything, but we don’t. The “good stuff” always sticks. Our subconscious gets filled up with life’s most precious details without us realizing it.

I revel in the works of Khalil Gibran, Charles Bukowski, Ernest Hemmingway, Herman Hesse and Leo Tolstoy. Reading has opened up my mind, exposing me to everything the world has to offer. I hope that “one book a week” becomes my life’s slogan and that in turn can inspire people to read more.