Yesterday, I was at the Smoothies Bar recently set up in the neighbourhood.

I had asked the guy for a blend of Water melon and Banana, but as he got to work, he won’t let me be – kept asking if he should add one fruit or the other. I laughed it off.

Then, he brought out this jar – ‘Tiger nuts’, he said. It was a favourite for many, he was quick to tell me. In high demand from the customers, he said. I got the gist – Tiger nut is said to have many health benefits, but the rush here is because it is believed to be an ‘enhancer’ of sorts.

Once it has to do with sex, Naija no dey carry last.

Who knows with many of these things? Who knows if they really work or it’s just a play on the mind, as I believe.

Today, I got to know about the 40% rule, reading Fortune. It is said to be a concept used by Navy SEALs to increase mental toughness.

The point of the 40% rule is that human beings are capable of so much more than we ordinarily think we are.

It has been found that 99% of people who start a marathon finish it, even though most hit a wall at mile 16 during the race, but somehow they are still able to finish the marathon.

So, the 40% rule submits that “when your mind is telling you you’re done, you’re really only 40 percent done.” With a bit of more push, you get to hit the 100%.

We are told there is some scientific support for this. “In a 2008 study, researchers found that subjects who were given a placebo but told it was caffeine were able to lift significantly more weight than those who were really given caffeine.”

So, obviously, it is all about the mind. We limit ourselves in our minds. “Like running a marathon every day of the week or memorizing a deck of cards in 20 seconds—turns out that what we often think is impossible is really just the 40% rule in place.”

I would think that even for sex, it is largely in the mind. I would think that all the bitters and aphrosidiacs out there only help to take those who patronise them just beyond the 40% they have already conditioned themselves at.

All the ‘babejes’, ‘buratanchis’ and the bitters sold them are mere placebos to help engineer their minds into achieving what they are ordinarily capable of.

But then, what is it really with Nigerians and sex? Our politicians no dey carry last when it comes to this business. Some day, someone should be able to unbundle the connection between sex, politics, leadership, followership and the challenges pulling us back.

What is it really with Nigerians and sex? Nothing seems to excite us more.

Everywhere you go – Campuses, IDP Camps, same thing.

We are busy procreating when we should be innovating.

You would think we will be more interested in setting up innovation boot camps, but we are too busy littering the space with betting shops.

Young men spend their days sniffing all sorts, moving from betting shops to drinking joints. It ends at night in one dingy room around the corner.

Well, I possibly only got your attention because of the ‘sex’ in the headline.

But now that you are here, remember the 40% rule. You are only limited by your mind. “When your mind is telling you you’re done, you’re really only 40 percent done.”

– Olorunfemi is a respected writer and author