Motivation Today - Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II blog

Walk on water

2012-02-09T22:52:00.000+01:00

To step intohigher grounds, you need to confront a height you’ve never confronted.Attainment of new levels requires a newer level of effort, input,determination, courage, strength and knowledge. You cannot assume to be movingforward when your gaze is fixed on your rear mirror. Align your actions withyour thoughts, make achievable plans and follow through.

When lifeconfronts you with threatening realities and you are boxed between the deviland the deep blue sea, you may have no other choice but to walk on water; doingthe seemingly impossible. Life usually stretches people beyond their limits andthey soon realise that they are experiencing a circumstance that demands anextraordinary and an out-of-the-box decision.

For instance, afriend recently quit paid employment to start a small business of his dreams. Ipraised his courage and he stated that the urge had been beating him for a yearbut that the struggles over the perks of paid employment and how to sustain hisfamily thereafter pulled him back. “Whyshould I continue to postpone the ‘evil day’ ”, he concluded. The founderof Ford Motors, Henry Ford says: “Whetheryou think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” You hold both theyam and the knife.

How to do the unimaginable

1. Consider your options- What is the priceof your inaction? What is the prize of your action? Which of the two doyou prefer? Don’t run with your eyes shut, think through the pros and the consof either of your decision and follow a sustainable action whose result wouldtranscend time.

Think beforeyou leap.

2. Stand to fight- Face yourbattle and resist the pressure to despair. Don’t procrastinate the evil day, run to the battle and fight. Gathersufficient inner strength for the battle.

Don’t flee the battle you must face.

3. Do it- “Success hasonly 1 calculation formula: stop thinking in terms of limitations and startthinking in terms of possibilities.” (Anonymous). Go against the grain, just dothe impossible! Distraction is inimical to distinction and excellence. Persistenceis enough proof of desire; act till you get the desired results. Act with the availableresources at your disposal. Waiting for utopia may just be another attempt infutility. Waiting for an external push may be a pipe-dream as your inner beliefmay just be all you need to push out the brain child the world awaits.

Just do it, one step at a time. Afterall, great people don’t have 2heads!

4. Seek Support- Since no manis an island to himself, everyone needs help through relationships –vertical andhorizontal- the supernatural and the natural. You need God, family, mentors,contemporaries, competitors, friends, staff, neighbours and adversaries. You’llmiss your life’s purpose if you decide to live independent of God and you’llequally frustrate it if you live independent of people. You need sound counsel,a helping hand, a rod of correction and shoulders to cry on. Find people whomake you tick.

What a child does not see standing up, an adult sees sitting down.

There’s a friend that sticks closer thana brother.

Photography: Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II

Turn the tables

2011-10-03T00:16:00.002+01:00

Clutched in onehand, each parent hands over his boy to an Almajirimalami at a tender age of 4 or 5 for tutoring in Islamic education. Thispractice, which has existed for decades in northern Nigeria, has bred moredestitutes than scholars. The hungry, helpless and hopeless boys comb thestreets in groups, scouting for a meal; however indecent, even in garbage- asyou see in the picture below, which I shot on the streets of Kano.

Kano Almajiris scouting for a meal inside street garbage.

During the day,the Almajiri boys dot the landscape,roaming for just one reason: survival. They clutch their only item of trade- abowl; walk up to you by the street corner, beg alms, food or whatever you canoffer. They taste a daily dose of hunger, abuse and deprivation. At night,while we snore in the comfort of our homes, many sleep in the cold or heat ofthe open, which they share with ubiquitous flies and stray animals! They arenot deviant as their parents would have made the Almajiri malami tutor to believe. These masters even sometimesshare in their daily booty- as I was informed by Sadiq, my tour guide.

Almajiri boys combing the streets for survival.

"Can I get your help?"

"Which way to go?"

He noted quitefrankly that some of them however, strive through thick and thin to start somepetty business in their teens and by dint of hardwork, discipline andcommitment, become wealthy businessmen trading in FMCG, Fast Moving ConsumerGoods.

Life lesson:never end your life where it started. You may start by being a security man, acleaner or a jobless/under-employed graduate but ensure that you add a newskill or knowledge to re-invent your destiny. Pay the price to move from groundzero to the top. Rome was not built in a day but day by day and week by week.It was not even built sitting down and crying over spilled milk. Tables turnonly for people who make the effort to put more pressure on life. Do not die acelebrated potential; push your limits and evolve into the star you really are!Be responsible for your destiny.

The boys receive no education,no shelter and no care.

From Maidugurito Kano, Sokoto to Dutse, Gusau to Yola…the parents of the Almajiris fling them so far from home, never to set their eyes onthem again. How far do you go to abdicate your responsibility? This Almajirinchi phenomenon that broke myheart in Kano may just be like a stray bullet that wrecks havoc anonymously oranother time bomb waiting to explode over many generations unborn if we fail toshow love and get the stray kids out of the streets. The problem we watch and do nothing about will laterhaunt us and what we do not address will undress us. Love is the only way wewill be free!

"Where is hope?" Theboy standing on Dutse Dala (Dala Hill) overlooking Old Kano seems to ask.

Photo credit: Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II/Fish Eye Photography

Never Say Die 2

2011-07-09T13:12:00.002+01:00

Have you ever travelled on a motorcycle over a long distance, like from Lagos to Ibadan or even more? Two weeks ago I did an aggregate of 7 1/2 hour journey on a bike, and I must confess, it was an extraordinary experience.

6 of us traveling on 3 bikes.

I went to photograph a mountain where there was a volcanic eruption some months ago and to capture the impact of the catastrophe on life in the community. I wanted to bring this to the attention of the general public with a view to helping generate concern and tangible assistance for the people of the settlement. Situated in a dead-end village in Anwase, Benue State, which shares borders with Cameroon and Calabar, the mountain is surrounded by several settlements and villages of not more than 6 huts each. The roads leading to the mountain are creepily lonely. It occurred to me the possibility that even the last general elections may not have held there. Such is the almost endless and

Beautiful Anwase Mountain- photographed miles away (pix available for sale in 22x18”, 48x30” posters).

rigorous journey one has to go through – like a camel passing through the eye of a needle – to reach the village.

You must madly be in love – to visit a date in Anwase. Yet, the village, like all the others surrounding it is self-sufficient. Most of the settlers are farmers who grow yams, rice, groundnut, oil palm and pepper, while others tap palm wine. Some also breed livestock and poultry. What more do you need to have a decent meal? Unfortunately, with the contributions of this community to feeding this nation, it appears the government has turned a blind eye to the environmental plight of the people, the last volcanic eruption being the 2^nd in 2 years! Lives were lost, many houses and farmlands submerged in the disasters.

In this post, I’ll share with you some of the lessons I’ll never forget about the Anwase journey:

1. Set up a team of hungry people- Never execute an idea without the people with the requisite information. I had to source for the contact of the Punch journalist, Ozioma Ubabukoh, whose article I had read on the issue. He gave me all the scoops I needed about the community and the eruption. Next, I sought several Tiv friends who speak the language of the people. Most helpful was Mimi, an adventurer per excellence, who offered to escort me. I must also thank Nguher and Luper, her siblings who heard about the journey and showed interest. The Anyams are crazy about adventure: hiking and mountain-climbing, to say the least.

The displaced rocks are evidence of the volcano (Here, Luper and the 2 other bikers are in the lead, Nguher trudges at the back, while Mimi & I follow behind. I fell around here).

Honestly, I never planned to climb the mountain; I only wanted to photograph it and the community. But the hunger of my 5 team members made me climb. Hungry people feed your hunger. If you don’t want to give up on something, gather around you people of like passion. Who are your friends and mentors?

2. Release your passion- You achieve your dreams when you release your passion. Climbing the mountain gave me an aerial view I would have missed. Every direction I pointed my lens was beautiful enough for a shot. I clicked away on the shutter and got more than I bargained for. The tiring 5-hour bike journey was insufficient to stop me. Don’t be a spectator when you should be a player.

When you're passionate, you go the extra mile to get results.

3. Never say die- The journey from Katsina Ala to Anwase took as long as 5 hours due to some setbacks. First, 2 of the 3 bikes in our convoy had flat tyres at different times. On one of the occasions, we had to convey the bike on another bike to locate a vulcanizer in a nearby village! One of the bikes also broke down at Jato Aka.

Bike piggy-back!

Moreover, climbing the steep mountain was like crawling to hell. I lost my balance a couple of times and pleaded with God not to take me home yet. Despite weary nerves, we all climbed and conquered the mountain. It was a life metaphor: we all climb mountains in our lives daily. The farther we climb, the more we overcome life’s challenges. Success is for those who conquer, not those who chicken out in defeat.

4. Know your bounds- Alas, our mountain climbing was made easier when we met a hunter on the mountain. Apart from showing us a less tedious path, he confessed that reaching the top of the mountain to see the volcanic spot was another 3-hour journey and we may not make it back till 9pm! This was around 2pm and we had climbed for an hour. Having a little conference, considering the distance and the issues we had encountered previously, we decided to descend and return to K. Ala. We had no lamp, food and water were running out and time was terribly against us. Know your bounds and if you have the wherewithal, cross them. Know the rules before you break them.

5. Have enough rest- Interestingly; our return was unbelievably shorter- only 2.5 hours! The only stop-overs we had were to refuel our tummies and tanks. On returning to my hotel room, I took analgesic, previewed my shots and slept till the following day- a total of 12 hours! Celebrate each day’s victory with a good rest to sharpen your sword or your body will pay back.

6. Applaud your team- Appreciate each person’s contribution. Having all my team members able to communicate in Tiv language was invaluable. Several times during the journey, they helped us find our way and get back on track, they helped us negotiate and find security. Effective communication has no substitute. My expedition would have failed 100% without Mimi, Nguher, Luper and the 2 other bike riders.

L-R: Nguher, Mimi & Luper on the mountain after the stressful climb- thanks a million guys!

After the trip, I phoned each one to know how they fared. Some of them had broken down after the journey but recovered days after. Without God, any of us could have lost his/her life.

Looking back, I savour the adventure, fun, bonding and above all, the exposure it gave me and an understanding of the cultural significance the Anyams attribute to that mountain, being central to their history as Tivs.

Life is a mountain with steeps and contours laden with risks. The point you are at is the point at which you have decided to stop momentarily. Fix your gaze on the goal and stay in the climb. Diligent hands will rule.

Never Say Die

2011-07-09T12:49:00.000+01:00

Every life accomplishment is an aggregate of many things: time, effort, experience, opportunity, courage and determination- all working together to produce an enviable future. Always remember that nothing comes easy, every cake is a product of heat. If life were that cheap, hard life would not be an option for some.

Realise that in the horizon exists for you a beautiful landscape of great opportunities but the journey is punctuated by craters, stumbling blocks and hills. What do you do with a stumbling block? You either trip over it then fall by the way or you make it a stepping stone to having a clearer glance of the horizon. You make the difference by your attitude, perspective and determination.

If you successfully execute a plan without an encounter with a stumbling stone, you have not achieved anything because success is the overcoming of challenges. Success becomes elusive when you expect zero resistance.

What should happen when you face a resistance? Persevere. Develop staying power. Samuel Johnson says, “Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.” I have a friend who lost her pregnancy at an advanced stage 2 years ago. It was so devastating. Last year, she tried again and it was the same story. It could be so frightening, the thought of another pregnancy- all the uncertainties, the embarrassment and the side talks. She focused on her goal, defied all these and conceived again. Last month, she delivered a pretty girl. Achievement is like wrestling- you don’t quit when you’re tired, you quit when your opponent is tired.

Encourage yourself- Stonsifer says, “Don’t be discouraged; it may be the last key in the bunch that opens the door.” True. You may need to explore all your options to achieve your goals. You need to be strong to surmount every challenge you face. Slip out of depression and think clearly.
Use what you have- Focus, not on your weaknesses but on your strength. A well-developed strength has the capacity to compensate for a thousand weaknesses. My focus here is on talent, not on character flaws. If having applied for white-collar jobs and you have been unsuccessful, why don’t you consider developing your core competency? Do you show potential in photography, events decoration, baking, catering, hairdressing, interior decoration, IT etc? Identify what you have, develop it to a marketable skill and have the faith in your ability. Nigeria as an emerging market shows lots of promises for skilled people; the era of dependence on university certificate is fading out. Plug in and take your place.
Get back up- A wrestler may get knocked down many times in a fight but the outcome is determined by his resilience. Are you willing to try again? Are you willing to knock another door even if you’ll be spat at? Last week, I set out to take aerial photo-shots of Lagos Island. I met a brickwall at the 1^st skyscraper I approached as I was told point blank that it was a no-go area for such. I trekked further down Broad Street and I was given the same line at another skyscraper. I was even insulted at the 3^rd building I visited. Yet, I moved on till I met an accommodating officer who was generous with the roof-top of his skyscraper. I made away with 61 shutter clicks within 10 minutes of sheer photographic indulgence! You can have what you seek if you stand up to it. Persistence is proof of desire.

Limitations are not due to the lack of ability but the lack of faith in your ability. Assert your individuality and the crowd will make way for you. “Set yourself on fire and the world will watch you burn” (Unknown). Winston Churchill says, “Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” Take stock, think, change strategy, and knock again. Overcome the fear of rejection. Your next trial may just be the turning point.

The 7 Ingredients for Success

2011-04-02T16:22:00.001+01:00

It’s been quite a while since the last Motivation Today blogpost. Yours truly has been busy on some photography projects. I wish to appeal that we may have to limit these posts to 1ce monthly, watch out for new projects coming soon. Thanks for reading…

True enduring success is not a product of chance or luck, but a planned, consistent and deliberate effort. Success is a choice – you become what you choose, consciously or unconsciously, to become. Winning can become your habit as you constantly leverage the elements that make it predictable.

1. Vision- A sense of purpose & direction determines ALL your life’s choices. Your vision is an insight into a favourable future. You must not only develop insight but also “outsight”, “farsight” & “fatsight” as you journey into the world of your dreams. Insight and outsight are the products of a sound knowledge and understanding of the facts. Farsight is the capacity to see the future of bliss in a seeming bleak situation; it’s a run against myopia. Fatsight is the ability to dream big. A clear vision underguards the dream journey, which is a faith walk. See beyond your nose, keep the end in sight.

2. Passion- To succeed in any endeavour; believe in your vision, yourself and your environment. Passion provides the combustion for hardwork and the strength to surmount challenges. It sees the path through every barricade of distraction & problem and supplies you energy with self confidence. Don’t keep mute about what makes you cry. Cry out in passion and see you fly. Passion is a good disturbance that rattles you out of your comfort zone. Inertia and casualness will give way once you discover your passion: whatever makes you cry, laugh, complain, angry and catches your attention always is your passion.

3. Information- Information adds flesh to your vision and helps you design a roadmap that will lead to accomplishment. Insight and outsight cannot develop without appropriate information. Curiosity will help grow your knowledge base. Brian Tracy says, “Successful people are those who learned from others who have gone before them.” Learn why others failed or succeeded. There is also the need to be able to clearly and effectively communicate your ideas.

4. Money- The currency that translates vision to reality and the resource that provides other resources. In the actualisation of your dream, money must be a means to an end, never an end in itself because when it becomes an end, it only intensifies a sense of unfulfilment in life. Money can NEVER deliver 100% satisfaction to anyone, whereas loving and touching others’ lives positively will. The human desire for wealth is insatiable; otherwise, the rich would have quit striving to be richer. Get out of your inertia; quit complaining about ‘lack of capital’. Instead, go and learn how to use OPM (other people’s money). OPM comes through loans, bank overdrafts, mortgages etc. A good alternative is to use your social capital. Social capital is using your integrity or goodwill to get business favour. For instance, Mrs A may start a pastry business by getting 10 bags of flour on credit from Mrs. B based on long-standing goodwill. Money is not everything and not all the money you need to accomplish your vision will flow in from day 1.

5. People- People are the machinery that translates vision to reality. By now should have realized you’re neither omnipresent nor omnipotent. People within your circle of influence act as your 3rd hand as they assist with what you are unable to achieve on your own. They contribute physical, moral and intellectual skills. Avoid the temptation to see people as tools that can be used and over-labour and dumped. Assemble a balanced team, understand the personalities and skills of your team members, and then leverage them for success.

6. Character- The sustenance of a man with a vision. A character flaw does to a man what toothache does to a beautiful face. An unfixed character flaw is a silent plot of one’s downfall. A leader’s personal values always transmit to an organisation’s core values. Enron and Cadbury are unfortunate recent instances. Work daily at self discipline, making quality choices and delaying gratification and you’ll build a lasting reputation.

7. God- The invisible Persona that makes things fall in place and the supernatural Authority whose final word makes all the difference. Human effort without divine leverage is futile. Pray to God to align you with His perfect will, which is a guarantee for winning. Trust Him to make your plans come through. Show charity to God, orphans and widows, and it will come back to you in multiples. Caveat: don’t depend on God if you’ve chosen the path of indolence, lethargy or indifference.

Dream, make achievable plans, run a feasibility test on your dream, and boldly step out and execute your plans. Water your dream constantly. Develop the necessary passion, get the capital (intellectual, financial & human), build your character and trust God to bless your effort. Today is the future you made reference to yesterday; the future is today!

Step into your dreams

2011-02-15T20:54:00.007+01:00

I chose to drop out of a MSc. programme sometime ago because I figured that the exercise was not adding any value to my life. My lecturers were so disorganised that they hardly attended classes and if they did, it was to sell their handouts, which of course added to students’ bottom line at the end of the course!

They quoted the same books they studied as undergraduates and imparted no current knowledge or skill! Out of discontent, I opted out to follow my passion for photography. I bought my 1^st D-SLR equipment, got trained, and today I’m happy, having added a veritable money-making skill to my life. I’m assured that I won’t have to live from job to job, seeking to make a living with an unjustifiable certificate.

Life is a decision. It is the way you dream and work towards it. Live a fulfilling life.

Money follows people wherever they go and in an overly populated nation like Nigeria, money flows along people’s path. Money-making opportunities abound and one must plug-in to discover how to trap this flow of currency. Your skills and ideas are necessary to create avenues of generating wealth.

The workplace is changing in such a rapid manner that graduates are now garnering skills and taking up vocations hitherto reputed to be practiced by illiterates and artisans. Professions like hairdressing, tailoring, photography, event catering and decoration are examples. In a few years, in fact, graduates who do not add an extra skill to their lives will be outdone by their skilled counterparts. It would make no sense not to get a degree but its only relevance would be just that and basic knowledge. Vocational skills would generate the currency you require to provide your needs. Spending decades on a white-collar job is definitely fading out as upwardly mobile executives are now looking inwards and creating the businesses of their dreams.

Usually, people find it Herculean taking the step of faith out of their comfort zones and zones in sync with public opinion. Below are tips to staying ahead:

Document your dreams: A dream is a stream of water; it flows away, never returning to its initial spot. A dream is a bird; it escapes on its wings so soon. The shortest pen is longer than the longest memory. Never underestimate the power of a dream, it has the capacity to bestow on you renown. Trap your hunches & visions down in written form as it helps you to crystallize your ideas.

Chart your course: Fill in the gaps between your current reality and your dream. What goals/steps would take you into the future you crave? Design an action plan and be disciplined enough to follow the path.

Get a mentor: Find an accessible & experienced person from whose wealth of knowledge and experience you can glean. You must be teachable, willing to serve and ready to pay the price.

Get informed: Go to school. Read books/journals. Attend seminars/conferences/workshops. Google it! We’re in an information age, you know? Information increases exponentially by the second. What you need is as close to you as the next click. Appropriately interpret what you read, hear, see and perceive.

Pay the price: Every prize has a price tag. The national anthem says: “The labour of our heroes past…” People become heroes as a result of their work. Work hard and smart at your dream. Subject yourself to physical, spiritual, financial, mental and social discipline in congruence with your dream. Be consistent, strategic and deliberate in your approach.

Keep the end in focus: Discouragement is bound to try your belief in yourself. Courage is the antidote to fear and doubt. Fix your eyes on the distant image in your telescope. Superimpose your future in your mind’s eye, never giving it up to momentary challenges. Your difficulties have a shelf life, if you’ll hang on; you’ll have what you desire. Hope is the medicine of despair so, be patient, consistent and you’ll climb to the top of your dream.

Never seek significance, rather seek destiny. In seeking your purpose in destiny, you’ll find significance. Those who seek significance find it only to lose it so soon.

Pix: Microsoft images

Why giants fall 3

2011-01-15T22:59:00.002+01:00

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control.” (The Book of Proverbs)

You are not a saint but you can strive to improve character. The vulnerability of the human nature provides us the capacity to falter but this must never be the excuse to indulge in self destructive thoughts, habits, attitudes or addictions. Seek help to overcome crippling traits that may short-change your destiny.

Many people suffer in silence as a result of their Achilles heels; some others short-change themselves in the belief that change is impossible. Thomas Monson says, “Our very business in life is not to get ahead of others…but to get ahead of ourselves.” Take precaution before your weak point subdues you. No life grows truly great till it is disciplined. What is the way forward?

1. Accept responsibility– Change becomes elusive when the responsibility for it is transferred to another party. Accept your weakness as such and refrain from passing the buck, take responsibility for your life. Realise that other people like you have successfully managed this trait that has caused you nightmares. Everyone carries the burden of one Achilles heels or the other but with a sincerity of heart and the singleness of purpose, one can gradually and inevitably prevail over it.

Accept that you can change or improve your life. I was counseling a lady recently who believed that change was not possible from a particular age range in one’s life. This is untrue. You will move the boulders in your life once you decide to confront them: never complain about what you permit. Never blame your sexual laxity on your family weakness or your itchy fingers on bad economy.

2. Personal discipline – “You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one” opines James A. Froude. Set exit strategy goals for yourself. If you have power problem, learn to see others better than yourself. If it’s sexual, discipline your thoughts – avoid fantasies, avoid living alone, avoid pornography like AIDS, shun the promotion of nudity in the media and don’t nurture a relationship for which you don’t have sincere intentions. To overcome addiction, avoid the object of control. John Maxwell suggests that self discipline is “the ability to do what is right even when you don’t feel like doing it.”

3. Build character- A strong character would protect your potential, sustain you in trying times and make you consistent in excellence. Until you master yourself, you may never master your game. Push the limits of your success by investing in your character- your ability to do what is right, your values and your self image. John Maxwell asserts, “The lives of people who are long on talent but short on character always get out of balance.”

4. Seek help– Confide in someone who can help. Seek counseling from social workers, church counselors or professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, health workers etc.). The media can also be helpful. Try a programme like Sharing Life Issues with Chaz B on Inspiration 92.3 FM or online fora with positive objectives, Question and Answer newspaper columns (Billionaires’ Capsules with Ayo Arowolo, Sex & Sexuality with Funmi Akingbode, Dear Kemi –all in Punch newspapers) also seek divine intervention.

Your thoughts, attitudes, habits and addictions are the 4 steps of character formation. When you sow a thought, you reap an action (attitude). The fruit of an action is a habit. A habit is the seed of a character (addiction). When you sow a character, you reap a life. To un-form a bad character trait, reverse this simple linear process of character formation.

Why giants fall 2

2010-12-24T23:44:00.004+01:00

It has been established that your Achilles’ heels has the potential to act as your stumbling stone in future, if un-checked and nipped in the bud. Usually, people don’t trip over large rocks but little stones which are almost invisible. Negligible bad habits and attitudes, little foxes that spoil the vine reduce great men to rubble.

We all possess thoughts, attitudes, habits or addictions that we hold dear. Some are not negative but, either way, thay all have the capacity to shape our lives positively or otherwise.

Imagine someone who loves to read books on any subject from literature or romance to accounting. If he stumbles on metaphysics and it distorts his mental orientation, this would be a good habit (reading) gone bad. This happened to my cousin some years ago. She read a book that deranged her mentally, making her a psychiatric patient for the next 3 to 4 years. You must be cautious to prevent your good habits from going overboard.

Let’s examine the 4 steps of character formation.

1. Thoughts- Every man’s life is only as great as the quality of his thoughts. Your thoughts influence your self esteem, which in turn determines your life results. “Sow a thought, reap an action…” says an ancient proverb. Your progress is limited by the length and breadth of your foresight and hindsight. The Japanese say, “Good thinking, good product.” I have since discovered that almost every lingering life issue is a wisdom problem- the inability to connect to the right solution.

The celebrated footballer who scored Nigeria’s 1^st goal at the world cup, Rashidi Yekini, is reported to now be a shadow of his former self. He now lives as a recluse, having separated from his wife and friends. It is also being publised that he’s mentally depressed. When interviewed by a journalist about his dwindling career many years ago, he attributed this to his wife’s diabolical powers. A great star of his calibre limited his progress to diabolism- every man is a slave to his beliefs.

Many Africans still short-change themselves, believing that someone is responsible for their woes. Believe instead in God’s liberating power to break barriers and fight for your victory. Think through; pray through and set yourself free from mental, spiritual and physical hindrances. You’re your greatest enemy and your greatest barrier is your mind.

2. Attitudes- In 1996, Nigerians were excited about a new revelation- Dosu Joseph, the goalkeeper of the Dream Team to the Atlanta Olympics. His accurate saves were partly instrumental to the winning of the gold medal and his fans were already looking forward to his bright future in the game. But one bad night a year later, his promising career ground to a halt! He was reported to have partied and drank alcohol so bad that he had a ghastly auto accident. He had a severe spinal-cord injury that abruptly red-carded him out of the game at age 23. Youthful exuberance has destroyed the potential of many promising talents.

Recently, I heard the story of a young promising lady who was withdrawn from a music reality show. She had posed nude (perhaps for her boyfriend) and the pictures had found their way into the wrong hands, which were ready to blackmail her and the organisers of the show. It’s sad how we allow moments of vain fun to cut short our promising future.

3. Habits- “Sow an action, reap a habit…” says an ancient proverb.

Three years ago, the image of nollywood actress, Yetunde Taiwo Akinwande (aka Wunmi) was tarnished when she was convicted for drug trafficking. She had been arrested at the Lagos airport, having swallowed 12kg of cocaine concealed in 92 wraps. 6 months later, another nollywood star, James Oduputa was arrested for a similar crime. Subsequently another actor almost died of complications arising from cocaine, which had burst in his stomach while trafficking the drug. Live above the bad habits of your profession.

4. Addictions- Tiger Woods lost millions of dollars, his reputation and influence to an adultery scandal. He had been world’s best golfer for about a decade, making $23m from golf and $105m in brand endorsements for Accenture, Gillette & Nike. In his 13 year career, he earned $900m alone in prize money. All these have diminished as Tiger has been weighed down by emotional setbacks and has since struggled to return to top form.

An Achilles’ heel not only hurts your pocket or reputation, it hurts those who feed at your table and the whole world. Your potent

ials get you up the ladder of success but strength of character keeps you on top. Character influences your choices, builds your potentials and makes you different; it helps you outlive your time. Good character is really not a choice.

Why giants fall

2010-12-05T22:48:00.001+01:00

Do you agree that it is ungratifying; working so hard, earning fame and wealth only to lose everything to a character flaw? In every kid is a king and a kid in every king. News reports are rife with the stories of many great achievers who have lost track with progress and slipped as a result of their Achilles’ heel.

An Achilles’ heel is a vulnerable point, most especially a weak part of someone’s character in spite of overall strength, which may actually or potentially lead to the person’s downfall.

Having its source from Greek mythology, this expression originated from the downfall of Achilles, one of the greatest warriors who ever lived. As a baby, it had been foretold that he would die in war from an arrow in the foot. To avoid this, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, dipped his body in River Styx, which gives the power of invincibility. His heel was not washed over by the magical river as his mum held him by the heel. Achilles was later killed by Paris’ arrow shot into his right heel, the only vulnerable spot on his body. Big men die from little things.

Everybody has at least a character blight that works like a time bomb. If unchecked and allowed to fester like an infested wound, it has the potential to blow up one’s reputation, integrity, self esteem, goodwill, growth, opportunities and valued relationships. Your value system must never be compromised in your quest for significance.

Achilles’ heel can take any form: power, fear, anger, sex, crime, vanity, addictions, money, greed, impatience, indifference, music, speech, food, clothes, strange opinions, pride, manipulation… the list is as diverse as human faces.

From the foregoing, these traits can be summarised as thoughts, attitudes, habits and addictions - what I call the 4 steps of character formation. An ancient proverb says, “Sow a thought, reap an action (attitude). Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap a character (addiction). Sow a character; reap a life (Emphasis and parenthesis mine). This is the simple linear process of character formation. Reverse the process to un-form a bad character trait in your life.

• In the next blog post, we’ll be examining these 4 steps with some case studies.

Why people fail 6

2010-11-26T21:54:00.003+01:00

I wish to thank everyone who has sent in sms, emails or blog comments to acknowledge

how this series has been of immense impact on their lives. Thanks a million for your

kind words. Keep them coming. Next post, I’ll be starting a new series entitled,

“Why Giants Fall”, where we’ll be discussing reasons people who once tasted success,

fame and wealth found themselves slipping from grace to grass. It promises to

be informative and inspiring.

To every man is assigned a life assignment. Life is a purpose and each day that makes up your entire life must be lived on purpose for fulfilment (success) to happen. Your responsibility is to find your voice- what makes you unique from every other individual? People fail for non-discovery of self, going through life striving to be like others.

Ask the following questions:

· What are my talents/natural endowments (sports, food, music, craft, the arts, sciences..?)

· What are my complimentary skills (football, cooking, singing, painting, writing, scientific research..?)

· What are my strengths (loving, compassionate, being organised, sensitivity, meticulousness, quizzical, extroverted..?)

· What do I do so effortlessly?

Marcel Prous says, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Meditate and make an inventory of your strengths.

Every effort spent on developing your talent, skills or passion is a positive one. Never give up on developing your innate abilities. It’s like casting your bread upon the waters; you’ll find it after many days. Derive joy in building yourself up. Never invest more on your outward appearance than you do to your inward man because the latter always outlasts the former as the former diminishes with age. But many people die while still living because as their outward man fades away, the inward man deteriorates as well; due to non-development. What self development resources have you invested in lately? Talented people fail for non-development of talent. Develop your gifts through constant use.

People also fail as a result of discouragement. Most job seekers allow themselves to be intimidated by the evasiveness of “good” jobs in the land to the extent that they unfortunately conclude that to get such jobs one needs a “connection”. This is not 100% correct. People still get jobs on merit without knowing anybody. Work hard, know your onions, be clear about what you really want, design your map, join the queue and stay on the line.

Life rewards consistency, stay on the line till it’s your turn. Endure the initial rejection till you become a brand. Stay on the line, develop roots and produce branches like a tree. Have you ever seen a tree change location? Quit jumping from industry to industry, job to job or relationship to relationship. Funke Akindele waited for 10 years till she became a household name and brand icon. What would have become of her if she had quit acting just before she produced the film, Jenifa?

Be consistent till you generate momentum to overcome inertia. That’s the secret of cars and aeroplanes. Momentum gives them increased motion till they reach their destination. It creates a critical mass. You’ll never develop roots by being inconsistent. Wait till it’s your turn.

Other reasons people fail that have not been discussed in this series include: laziness, complacency, timidity, rigidity etc.

Why people fail 5

2010-11-12T20:45:00.001+01:00

Only a fool describes success as material acquisition. There’s never a goal without a goal post, therefore, success is the accomplishment of set goals.

If you meet your monthly sales target for instance, then you’ve succeeded for that period. If you set a goal of shedding 10kg over a period of time or you overcome a bad habit like philandering or dishonesty or you break an addiction like smoking- you’ve succeeded. Success is reality meeting vision.

Success has rewards, which may differ in form- fulfillment, money, cars, real estate, treasures, friends, promotion, merriment, power or happiness. Never confuse the reward for success with the definition of success. Success is creating a path where none ever existed. It is leveraging on one’s faith, courage and action to create a better experience. It’s the fight for control.

People fail doing the wrong things- Which is better: to dig a borehole in a desert or on fertile ground? Don’t be an expert in damage control. The sun dominates the day as the moon controls the night. Redirect your energy towards your strengths, not your weaknesses. What do you do so well like a hobby that you won’t mind not being paid to do? What do people hail you for? What are your talents, skills or passion?

Leverage on these strengths, your ingenuity will manifest and you’ll flourish.

Can you picture David Beckham doing your refuse bin or Tu Face as a university lecturer or Mike Adenuga as a soccer star? Dagrin struck fame rapping his hilarious lyrics in his mother tongue, having identified English language as his deficiency.

Relocate to your natural habitat and make an eternal difference. Pitch your tent where you’ll be appreciated and not tolerated. Fishes survive in water only; they have no destiny in the jungle.

Stress, frustration, disappointment, regrets, unhappiness and of course, failure- are usually the indicators that one is operating in a wrong environment, doing the wrong things to make ends meet. Are you experiencing any of these? Frankly re-assess yourself or seek honest counsel from achievers who have been able to break free from this web of confusion and oblivion. There is more to you than meets the eye.

Sound fulfillment and joy are benefited from doing the things that you love to do- regardless of the value of the reward derivable from them. Many people are wasting away in banks, telecom & oil firms merely pushing the buttons and waiting for the next pay cheque because they are unready to assert their individuality, develop their potentials & stretch their faith.

Set a terminal date for a job that will take you nowhere into your dreams, plot your tracks into your utopia and become the king/queen that you really are.

Why people fail 4

2010-10-30T00:21:00.004+01:00

Success has many children. If you succeed, you succeed for all; if you fail, you fail for yourself. No one wants to associate with a stigma like failure for failure is no man’s business.

Time has a way of stratifying ex-classmates depending on how they’ve utilized their talents, potentials, energy, environment and time itself. Have you never been puzzled seeing failures who boast that certain famous people were once their classmates or childhood friends? If life were to bestow success on everyone, no one would ever have bothered to work or to have dreams.

Life does not give desire, but it rewards smart work. Beneath the edifice of success is always work. If you tag it hard work, smart work, or action, you won’t be wrong. This suggests that the actions that you invest in every 24hours will determine if you’ll be regarded as a success or a failure. Is TIME a friend or an enemy? Is time a productive resource for you? Are you getting sufficient mileage and leverage with time? If you’ll ever become the success that you are, you’ll always wish each day were 30hours.

People fail for their disrespect of TIME. Interestingly it is the ONLY capital God has given everyone equally: young or old, rich or poor, man or woman, Negroid or Caucasian. With this resource, you can choose to write, rewrite or obliterate your history. Each tick of the clock is a step into an opportunity to make a decision, chart a new course, sign a cheque, apply for a job, make a proposal, say no, say yes, start a business, help someone, push a button, trigger the domino effect or sit aloof in inertia. Whether or not you ride on the wings of time, time passes by- like a river.

We must push back the misuse of time by reducing man-hours wasted in mindless traffic, useless gossips, baseless cyber perambulations and in wasteful parties. Educate yourself in your spare time- read a book/newspaper, acquire/develop a skill, travel to a new place, develop relationships, know God, study nature or learn something new. Time is cash, time is who you’ll become.

People also fail for wishful thinking. Manna has only fallen from heaven for a season, don’t expect that your life’s desires will manifest without a kick-start. Don’t wish that Mr. Right will knock on your door on a bright Saturday morning. Quit dreaming that $1m will drop into your account without any effort. Perish fairy tale imaginations.

Every moving object is empowered by a force. Translate your vision to action by moving mountains. “Success” comes before “work” only in dictionaries. Only a well is built from the top. Get your hands dirty and build from the ground up. Get started, keep your focus, endure the heat, endure till your light dawns, celebrate and repeat the success.

N1m is N1 in one million units. N1m minus N1 is less than a million naira. Every effort or trial counts. Never give up at the 1^st trial, not even the 2^nd or 3^rd. Failing at the 1^st trial is an indication that you’re getting it wrong, learn your lessons. Each effort gives you an idea about what makes for failure and invariably, success. You increase your success rate by your failure rate. The joy of one success story kills two failure stories. Why are you afraid to fall? Get back on your feet when you fall. The man who has fallen while trying is far more experienced than the fellow who has folded his hands to fate. Get past the crippling emotion that comes with failure. You have the capacity to succeed as big as you desire because God designed you to be the success that you are. Succeed!

Pix credit: Microsoft images

Why people fail 3

2010-10-20T21:51:00.001+01:00

Failure happens when people fail to do what successful people do, do them for the wrong reasons, use a wrong method, or at the wrong time. They may not necessarily fail because of their inaction but wrong action. All your decisions are products of your thoughts, which are conditioned by your beliefs. Your beliefs stem from your environment, personality, interests, knowledge and culture. Why are beliefs so important? Because they control all your actions and positive belief is the root of success. You’re the product of your thoughts.

Why do people fail?

• The Plan to Fail- This must be an error! Do people actually plan to fail? Certainly, when they fail to plan. Failure progresses when you have a bright dream but you fail to create an action plan- steps to execute that will create the dream. The success of any project is as good as the plan. If you must make N50, 000 a month as a fashion designer, how many clothes will you make & sell that will deliver that turnover? How do you intend to sell? That’s a plan in the making. If you desire to become a famous musician, how often do you need to pen lyrics, rehearse and watch your competitors’ performances? What daily discipline regime do you need to subject yourself to? What are you willing to give up to get up?

Success is a mirage where there’s no plan. Don’t create vague goals; they must be achievable, believable and concrete. Your dream is not flying because you’ve not given it wings. Set exciting, time-bound goals and strictly adhere to them. Give them a shot and steadily but surely, you’ll fly with eagles.

• Lack of initiative- People who lack initiative wait for the perfect moment before they act. They over-magnify fear, obstacles, disappointments and lack. If life were to be taken as it is, no one will lift a finger, no development will happen; the 33 trapped Chile miners will all be dead. Our planet is advancing because some people are taking the initiative to fill in the gaps. Success doesn’t just happen, it is initiated. Work at what you believe in, damn the consequences. New creations were all initially despised and condemned by people who were myopic. Take steps into your long-range vision. Take steps to right the wrongs that make your heart bleed. Take steps in spite of your fear. The fear and the problems will take care of themselves as you take steps and cripple inertia. If you’re waiting for someone’s prodding, you lack initiative. Step to the top.

• Indiscipline- This is the reason successful people fail. Tu Face is a victim of sex scandals. Cecilia Ibru is jailed for financial recklessness. Idris Abdulkareem is reputed for public brawls. Majek Fashek does drugs. Need I say more? You know their stories. Private victory precedes public victory and the greatest victory you will win is victory over yourself. Lack of self control will, in a day; destroy the success it cost you hardworking years to build. Power is a sugar-coated poison. Be careful not to get bloated, pride always comes before a fall. He that is down needs fear no fall. The higher you climb the ladder of success, the more precaution is necessary because the more devastating your fall will be; if you fall. Childish people do everything their minds suggest, mature people exercise restraint. Are you a child in adult’s clothing? British novelist, Iris Murdoch says, “Freedom...is not an inconsequential chucking of one's weight about, it is the disciplined overcoming of self.”

The race for success is lifelong. There is no permanent success; you must keep replicating the event to stay on top. If you fail, learn your lessons, get back up, refuel and refire. It takes a little more insight, strategy and passion (guts) to do much work.

To be continued…

Why people fail 2

2010-10-09T23:45:00.005+01:00

Last week, we discussed despair and fear as being 2 of the reasons why people fail. In this edition, we shall be looking at some other reasons:

Myopia- Myopic people see only the present, oblivious of the future. They see only the surface, ignorant of unseen depths. Short-sightedness will lead you to making hasty generalisations, shoddy decisions and shallow thinking. It’s the source of character flaws, social vices, leadership quagmire, failure and loss of opportunities. “Opportunities are regularly knocking on your door, sometimes so slowly you attribute it to something else, sometimes so silently the noise of your fears and worries clutters it.” (Deolu Akinyemi) Martha Stewart is convinced that, “Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.” See beyond your own limited comfort zone. Enlarge your circumference of experience by reading the interviews, articles and books written on your role models. Get the keys into successful people’s world and soon you’ll be celebrated.
Hesitancy- The failure to decide what to do, when to do it, where to do it or how to get it done is a major setback for success. Indecision is like a tossed coin, which keeps spinning, not choosing whether to stay head or tail. Opportunities have a lifespan. Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly leads not only to poverty, but to failure. One common trait with all failure stories is indecision or the inability to stick to a decision. Weight your options, make a choice and be passionate enough to hold firmly to your decision. Don’t become a victim of hesitancy, standing at the crossroads of life wondering what to make out of it.
Ignorance- I’d always waited for the wow moment when my 10-month old daughter, Rike, would shout “Daddy” for the 1^st time. Unknown to me, she had said it many times before that I failed to realise it because I didn’t get it in the form that I’d expected it. A few days ago, to my amazement, she muttered, “Tatty” that it took my wife’s observation to realise it. Many times, the ignorance of the opportunities in your environment shuts you out from the doors of utopia. When you look but you don’t see and you hear but you don’t listen, information is not transferred, knowledge is not gained and opportunities are not seized. Develop the skill to critically interpret the information at your disposal. Technology has aided the increase of information, leading to information clutter. Emails, BB, FB, Twitter, TV, radio, CD, iPod, pocket PC seem to be slipping us further into ignorance. We have access to more and more information that we interpret only on surface level. I think we should have less and less of these but meditate more and more on the little we choose to focus on. See more, listen more and achieve more.

Also, be ready to learn from anybody. Descend from your lofty height; learn from those who are ahead of your game- even if they are younger than you. Age, self esteem, education, achievements and culture are limiting people from their next level of success. Will you be next?

To be continued…

Pix: Microsoft images

Why people fail

2010-10-01T22:25:00.006+01:00

Failure is not just an event but a process initiated long before it happens. Mediocrity limits one’s efforts at attaining progress in any endeavour because it is rooted in one’s belief system. Be robust in your quality of thoughts.

• Despair- Perseverance is one of the keys to unlock the doors of success. Decide never to chicken out in the quest to find your treasure. Value is scarce. If you must find diamonds, keep digging, keep sweating, and keep making progress till you unearth them. Many people, in their quest to make progress; meet brick walls, make a detour and change their goals. They encounter problems on the way again and change their dreams once more. Quit changing your dreams, draw wisdom to overcome your problems, overcome and achieve your goals. Create a dream wall, displaying the pictures of your objects of desire. Post pictures of your dream future, home, career, car and look at them daily. Inflame your desire.

• Fear- Have faith in your ability to achieve your goals. Every action begins from your mind- success and failure inclusive. Fear is potent enough to cripple your desires, abilities and initiative to win. It has the ability to frustrate the greatest of strategies. The fear of failure cripples bright potentials. Louis Boone says, “Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains 3 descriptions: could have, might have and should have.”

Admit your fear, look it in the face and act in spite of it. Find reasons to believe in the image in your mirror and the infinite power of God. No one who has achieved anything significant did so, limited by fear. Let fear be your friend, knowing full well that it makes false evidence appear real. It’s a fluke.

To be continued...

Overcome the moment

2010-09-10T12:42:00.006+01:00

Recently, I was at a petrol station to have my car wheel alignment done. As I waited at the restaurant of the fuel station, this statement by Tiger Woods jolted me out of my reverie:

“It’s not what you achieve in life that matters, it’s what you overcome.”

Coming from Woods during the period of his marital and career turmoil, this quote, I must assert, is phenomenal. You’re most likely aware about the exposure of his philandering and subsequent divorce. It seems the world’s richest athlete has discovered that in the final analysis, wealth, fame or influence matters far less than character.

Are you pushing the limits in your life? Are you re-inventing your character? Improve you and live in the light of eternity. Strength of character is now in short supply worldwide, accept you need help.

Getting to the top is no child’s play, remaining at the top of your game is even more Herculean. That Bill Gates was consistently unblemished as world’s richest man for over a decade is phenomenal. You’ve got to pay the price for the top. It comes in the little things you have to overcome daily. Problems are opportunities in disguise.

Why the big boys earn big, and the small boys do not

2010-09-02T21:42:00.001+01:00

Do you know why low cadre workers get meagre pay but top management earn all the money?

I'll tell you why.

Low cadre workers and fresh recruits are equipped with technical skills that enable them to be involved in the day-to-day running of an organisation. They do "most" of the job. Top management execs are empowered with conceptual skills, which provide them with cutting edge decision-making ability.

Low cadre workers have a tendency to wallow in the thought that top execs do nothing than to lock themselves up in air-conditioned conference rooms, sip coffee and sign cheques!

Top execs are paid to make sound decisions that will transform the destinies of their organisations. This is because every major decision or policy shift is like a trigger that sets off a chain of reactions aimed at accomplishing specific goals.

Sound decision-making is a crucial skill. You get it right or wrong by the quality of your decisions. Your life tomorrow will be determined by today's decisions. Think again, are you thinking right? Invest in the quality of your mind to discern right.

Pix: Microsoft images

The price of action 2

2010-08-22T22:34:00.000+01:00

Always remember, you have to give up something to get anything you want of life.

Realise this fact: Sacrifice what you are for what you could become. Getting out of bed could be a difficult task but you really must get out of bed to sow your seed and reap the forest of greatness you desire to achieve.

What you eventually become in life has a direct bearing on the actions, steps and decisions you’ve been taking daily. And I mean it- daily. Greatness is not a one-shot dash; it’s a daily series of actions that create the domino effect.

Give up the desire to quit trying, give up the thought of failure, give up laziness, give up complaining about what is not right and focus on your opportunities and possibilities, give up the past and reap the future, give up your weaknesses and leverage on your strengths.

“No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.” -Harry Fosdick.

The price of action

2010-08-15T14:19:00.001+01:00

It is far easier to wish for greatness than to work for it.

Funny enough, we prefer the easier route: wishing, rather than working the talk. You have to give up something to get anything you want of life. Retrogressive habits will someday catch up with you and give you a bad name. Maybe you ask Tiger Woods, Tafa Balogun or Cecilia Ibru what this means. Life responds to action.

Thomas Monson says, “Our very business in life is not to get ahead of others…but to get ahead of ourselves.”

One of the best deals you could strike for yourself is to break free from the shackles of your character. Get ahead of every malignant behavior that finds expression through you. You’re responsible for all your actions, remember, your name is a brand.

When life is over, will your name be over?

Live life

2010-08-08T22:47:00.003+01:00

He who looks to the wind will never sow. We waste

too much time waiting for opportunities and utopia- a state of perfection.

Initiate thought, implement action.

Trust your intuition to take you through this mess. You

may not see the big picture at the beginning but a trial will convince you.

Each step will lead you to the next step.

When God gives you a destination, He doesn’t usually give a map.

Each day you live, you gather a missing piece of your life’s jig-saw puzzle. Life is

a coin you can spend only once.

Don’t run from the opportunity to solve your problem because “It is only when

it is dark enough that you can see the star.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

“I’ll do it later...I’ll think about it...I’ll cross the bridge when I get there….”

When you say any of these, you miss the opportunity to live life today.

Change your levels

2010-07-29T21:16:00.003+01:00

To be where you’ve never been, you’ve got to travel on a road you’ve never toured.

To achieve what you’ve never achieved, you must become who you’ve never been-

success is who you are: you reproduce your being, not your wish.

To be great, it begins with a mindset; a lofty self image.

Become the change you wish to see – that’s the starting point.

All other things will align once you begin to see yourself through the mirror of your dreams.

Act and behave these dreams. Give them the pursuit they deserve.

Cease talking and acting like a pauper. Act rich.

Carry the briefcase first in your imagination, work smart at it,

then you’ll become the corporate executive you desire.

Imagine the life partner you wish to have. Envision the change you intend to bring to our world.

Attitude is key to success.

Your life will undergo a change of appearance when you undergo a change of attitude.

Photo: Microsoft office images

Act Now 2

2010-07-24T14:12:00.005+01:00

If you inundate your mind too much about the future,

you’ll never get anything done today.

Focus on an area where you have a great deal of control today.

“Naija go beta… Naija go beta…” has brought us to this jungle of misgovernance.

Each generation has conceded the responsibility of change to an elusive “unborn generation”.

What is your priority in this season of your life?

What you commit yourself to doing today will determine what you become in future.

Have you any plan to develop your core competence?

If today is the road to the future, you must make each day’s step count.

The result of action - or inaction – is usually lifelong.

Warren Buffet, the 2^nd richest man in the world says,

“What the wise man does at the beginning, fools do at the end.”

Pix: Microsoft images

Act Now

2010-07-14T20:22:00.003+01:00

There’s no such thing as indecision.

Indecision is a solemn decision to put up with the status quo, accept fate and refuse to change anything.

It’s the by-product of ignorance and lethargy.

It’s an abdication of responsibility.

Stop giving fluent excuses. You’ll never get anything done today if you procrastinate.

Achieve what you’ve always wanted to accomplish; now. Get past your fears, self-doubt and mental disability.

“It is only those who dare to fail greatly that can achieve greatly, you are not likely to go further than you dare” says a highly successful entrepreneur, Deolu Akinyemi. Enrol for that professional exam. Seek out new customers. Write that proposal.

Rewrite history without a pen, act on your dreams now.

Photo: Microsoft Office images

Where lasting change begins

2010-06-26T18:18:00.006+01:00

This blog post breaks my silence on our nation’s political crisis.

I guess I’m disappointing some of you; it’s a topic most Nigerians have given up on. But for how long are we going to continue to run miles on a treadmill? The politicians are not just the problem. We all have a role in building the new Nigeria of our dreams (what is the Nigerian Dream? I guess you’re as clueless as I am).

Building with gemstones of character, integrity, justice, love for all, hardwork and peace in our daily activities won’t be a bad idea. Don’t you think so? The lyrics of the song by Beautiful Nubia below say it all:

Ohun oju nri [What the eyes have seen] by Beautiful Nubia

www.beautifulnubia.com

Ohun oju nri enu o ma ni le so o
Ohun oju ri omo o ma ni le so bo de’le o

[What the eyes have seen, the mouth cannot say in entirety]
They say we’re free and colonisation is a thing of the past
But look around you people
Time is going by and we still can’t get it right
They say our land is the home of poverty and disease
and we’re treated like second-class citizens of the world
Our leaders run around begging for help
When the solutions are right here at home with us
The future of this land is in the hands
Of every man and woman, young and old
Everyone of us has a share in the blame for the failure of this society
See, we‘re still slaves economically,
We‘re still slaves politically,
We‘re still slaves ideologically
But I’ve got a song to sing
Je a gbe’ra kuro o ninu ogbun aye, [Let’s come out of this conundrum]
Ore e so’ra, e dakun o, a ma njin si koto [Friends, we’re descending into a pit]
Je a gbe’ra kuro o ninu ogbun aye [Let’s come out of this conundrum]
A ni e mu’ra, e so’ra o, a ma njin si koto lo o [I say be careful, we’re continually falling into a pit]

We’re trying to fix things from the top to the ground
But the way to solve it is from the ground upwards
Lasting change begins at the individual level
Everyone dips in the pot but no one replenishes
Have you forgotten the rules?
Without love there can be no truth, justice and peace
We must turn our backs on selfishness and greed
Go back to our culture of community - all for one and one for all
Not just every man to his own
We must go back to the land
A nation that cannot feed itself
Will always remain subservient to others
We’re still slaves to material wealth,
We‘re still slaves to religion,
We‘re still slaves to foreign ideals
But I’ve got a song to sing

This land will be a great place one day
A place where dreams come true
Our hope is in the children
Teach them to love their fellow man
And never to judge anyone by the colour of their skin, religion or language
Teach them to be proud of our culture
And the values of hardwork and perseverance, honest and humility
Treat every child like your own
For every child, no matter the circumstances of his birth,
Is a beacon to this glorious future
Teach them to be strong in love
And never look down on themselves
Teach them to be strong
And learn to hold their heads up wherever they may go
Teach the children to sing this song of pride
And let them sing it loud and clear:
I’m not ashamed to be who I am
I’m not ashamed - I’m a proud African
I’m not afraid - I’m a child of The Most High
I’m not ashamed and I’ve got a song to sing

Coming out stronger

2010-06-14T21:04:00.008+01:00

Why do medicines have to be bitter to cure ailments? Must pangs of childbirth always precede delivery? Max Lucado suggests an answer:

“Light always hurts before it helps.”

Quit gulping temporary pain-killers for an ailment that requires surgery. Don’t paper over the cracks, own up to the truth. Plastering a burst pipe only postpones judgment day.

Delayed gratification in money, sex, food, some luxury or position is a painful endurance test, producing in you a robust harvest of discipline and character, which your mind and body require to generate the successful lifestyle God destined for you. When you deprive yourself of any pleasurable craving, you exhibit delayed gratification.

No big thing comes close to cheap, a price tag sticks to every prize. Each time you overcome a bad habit, you cross the threshold of self-imposed limitation. Are your habits pushing you forward or otherwise?

Uproot the weeds to save the life of your seed. The weeds are sapping your strengths. It takes a lifetime to build the reputation of a good character but a slight error of judgment to crumble it in a day. History and the Tiger Woods’ scandal have proven this. Endure the pain and get the gain.

Photo: Microsoft Office images

Motivation Today presentation @God's Chamber.

2010-05-29T21:32:00.004+01:00

A big thank you to you all for listening to me during this presentation @your breakfast meeting!

Pls click the title/link to download the Powerpoint slides. Feel free to share with friends and enemies. Lol.

Pls drop a comment on my blog.

The imagination revolution

2010-05-26T21:57:00.006+01:00

Imagine a world without people. Imagine people are without imagination. That’s absolute blackness, don’t you think?

Every technological, political or social breakthrough is a product of someone’s fantasy and action. A fantasy can change a million realities. That Walt Disney fiddled with the idea of a huge amusement park with colourful displays based on his films- created Disneyland in America, Europe and Asia. Each centre hosts millions of tourists annually. The massive transformation of the hitherto filthy Lagos environment through the Mega City Project by the Governor, Babatunde Fasola, is another product of imagination.

Albert Einstein says, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Knowledge is the seed of imagination. Imagination causes revolution. Let it develop the wings of the eagle in your mind. Dream. Do. Achieve.

Brands that create stories that spark customers’ imagination will always win. The Information Age will not last as long as the previous. The next wave- the Imagination Age, is already upon us. Brands’ pay-offs now convey messages like Rule your World (Glo), It’s in you (Peak Milk), One day, cars will drive themselves (Bank PhB) and There’s a drop of greatness in every man (Guinness).

Consumer brands are now moving us into the Imagination Age, developing brand concepts that introduce us to who we are or who we can be. This adds emotional and psychological value to us through the power of imagination- and it works! We buy the products because we want to get that emotional or psychological value.

Your idea doesn’t have to be as big as Disney’s or Fashola’s, do it your way. Big things were once small. Start small.

Pix: Microsoft office images

Changing with the changing times 2

2010-05-13T21:09:00.007+01:00

The world is drifting from the tangible to the intangible, from heavy-weight equipment to light-weight palm tops.

The transition from the Industrial and Jet Ages to the Information Age was a journey from over-dependence on objects to dependence on ideas and intellectual capital. Ideas rule the world, remember.

The world has moved from large stacks of cash to slim credit/debit cards, from heavy telephone boxes to portable, multi-functional mobile phones, from time-wasting postal services to instant messaging, from large heavy-duty industrial machines to softwares, from far-flung paper offices to paperless offices interlinked across space & time.

The world is getting lighter. You can practically ctrl+c and ctrl+v your world into an iPad or blackberry and life moves on unhindered. This, and the automation of virtually every job function has occasioned corporate downsizing, which has in turn rendered many hitherto gainfully employed executives jobless.

Find your place in the emerging jigsaw puzzle. Business execs who don’t re-invent their minds to think in ways that match the pace of development will become casualties of change. Get an idea. Keep increasing and updating your knowledge bank and don’t quit improving your globally-competitive skills.

Pix: office2010.microsoft.com

Changing with the changing times

2010-05-04T22:58:00.005+01:00

“Changing times require change in people”, says Sam Adeyemi

The jobs of the 1980s have been transformed, or automated out of existence, same with those of the 1990s. Technological advancement and the recession are killing certain jobs and changing others. This is a call to recognize our days as changing times, which require dynamic attitudes, out-of-the-box thinking and the ability to see the big picture.

The new businesses created today will save the future. New businesses are emerging to save our world from carbon emission, global warming, terrorism, diseases etc.

Paradigms are changing fast. Old 20th century lines of thought are giving way to new ones. The ways we work, play, talk and exist are changing. We live in the push-button age where windows are opened by the click of a mouse, webs are surfed without spiders and chips are eaten by mobile phones. You can’t afford to think or act like it’s yesterday.

At job interviews, there is going to be a shift in focus from educational qualifications to requisite skills and experience. Focus will be on talent/ability rather than course of study. Eligibility will focus on skills and not on paper qualification.

Don’t merely study to earn a certificate and gain employment, study to increase knowledge. Develop globally competitive skills. Add value to yourself. Add value to society through a product or service and you won’t go broke.

Paul Pilzer says “Prosperity belongs to those who learn new things the fastest.” Understand the times. Upgrade your thinking. Improve your world-view. Be bold, attempt something novel. Approach your dreams. Fly with the eagles.

Through thick and thin

2010-04-21T22:01:00.004+01:00

Things are not easy, that’s true. Though times don’t last but though people do. Quit going through life with your head bowed- look up, stare adversity in the face and say, “You are a set-up for my advancement!”

That’s the winning attitude. Viewing problems and life’s challenges as stepping stones and not as thorns should be your lifestyle. And that’s true. Mike Murdock says, “The size of your enemy is proof of what you have the ability to conquer.”

Roses have thorns, clouds carry storms. You’ll do best to keep your gaze on the colours of the roses, not on the thorns. Think of the freshness that diffuses after the storm cloud. Be positive.

“There’s hope for he that is joined to the living, a living dog is better than a dead lion” (King Solomon). Repeated failure is no reason to commit suicide or claim that success is others’ exclusive right.

“Never rewrite your theology to accommodate a tragedy.” (Mike Murdock)

Success is for the strong at heart, the man with guts, the woman with faith and the people whose eyes are fixated on their goals. You’ll overcome your unemployment/under-employment, sickness, inertia, confusion and unfulfilled dreams.

To focus on what you’re going through is failure, to focus on what you’re going to is success. What’s your choice?

Struggle is the evidence that you’re still in the fight; wrestling and unconquered. Contractions come before birth, warfare before miracles and seed before fruit: thin before thick!

Photo: Google images

Becoming You.

2010-04-08T06:50:00.003+01:00

Be the person that God destined you to be. Look beyond your nose and see the big picture. Don’t die like a chicken- scratching the soil for every tiny morsel of bread. Your life is much more than your job, big car, tastefully furnished apartment or even your current adversity. To focus on these things is to limit the essence of your existence; you’re more than meets the eye.

Possession begins with being. Robert Kiyosaki submits: Be. Do. Have. You must become the person you envision, act it, before you possess your dreams.

Living inside you is mass potential; you’re a plantation buried in a seed. You’re blessed with talent(s) that can positively change destinies and transform society. You’re a potential definition of positive influence. While you live, that which dies inside you must be awakened! You’ve never realised your potential because you’ve been defining yourself according to your past, your present and your environment.

Critics have despised you and your talent. Bolt out of that limitation and become the next success story. You are the architect of your life – you can’t afford to wait for “things” to happen to you, make them happen by planting the seeds that will generate the equivalent harvest! To get a job, apply; to become a business owner, get a winning idea; to find happiness, make others happy.

You were not programmed for regret or setbacks, they’re wedges to stop you from the greatness that lies within and waits ahead. For how long will you allow yesterday’s memories to hold you back? Wake up, believe in yourself and trust God to make your dreams come true. Live supernaturally.

There’s hope for you. Choose to believe. Search till you find your way through life’s maze and find your utopia, your destiny. One of life’s tragedies is to come, to see but not to conquer. Conquer you, conquer the world!

Rule your world

2010-03-28T13:50:00.004+01:00

I have discovered a new and exciting way to attract the things you desire.

Instead of hunger, think food. In place of war, think peace. For sickness, think health. Don’t think lack, think prosperity- see abundance all around you. You produce the equivalent of your thoughts in the things you produce because your life is a physical manifestation of your thoughts. Is it not true?

To a large extent, what happens in the mind is what determines the outcome. Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it proceeds the issues of life (Proverbs).

You give your time and energy to the things you don’t want if you inundate your mind with them. So, think right, right? You don’t live on what you eat, but only what you digest. Thoughts have a voice. Thoughts have life. When full-grown, thoughts manifest.

Keep the end in sight. See the stars and visualise how bright your future is. Don’t remain stuck to your past or present. Bolt out of your lethargy and casualness. Overcome inertia by doing something about what you don’t feel like doing.

What’s your personal crusade? Find your voice, find your feet. Think right. Rule your world.

Pix: Via Google images.

The furnace of affliction

2010-03-15T21:43:00.003+01:00

I visited a steel mill recently. Top executives sat in large air-conditioned offices and labourers worked at the furnace, sweating heavily in the long overalls they wore.

In life you must choose which divide you want to belong. This is influenced by your daily choices (how do you spend your time?), your risk appetite (how willing are you to take risks?), your knowledge quotient (how well do you know your field?), your passion (how intoxicated are you to want what you claim to want?) and the supernatural (how sound is your relationship with God?).

Success and failure are not given, they’re achieved. You’re not a product of chance, but of choice. You choose to live, to die, to dream and to have faith in God. Your life is a summation of your daily choices.

d1 + d2 + d3 + … d1m = YL
(Where d is decision, m is million, YL is your life).

I saw the labourers pour molten steel as red hot liquid fire. Endure your furnace of affliction. This is where you’re melted, cut to size, made to shape, moulded into destiny. This is where you’re transformed to a candidate for cosy offices. Every problem is designed with an expiry date, it won’t last, friend.

Your light and momentary troubles are achieving for you an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Endure hardship.

Reversing a wrong decision

2010-03-07T15:30:00.000+01:00

Let’s face it: we all make bad decisions once in a while. It takes a dose of courage, meekness and maturity to own up to having committed an error of judgment and undoing it. Every life, great or small, is a product of decisions.

My cousin who was studying architecture in the university suddenly discovered that his passion really was for law practice. His response? He took another exam, went back to the university and got a law degree. Today he runs his own chambers and he is fulfilled.

On a more serious level, a friend, Bola, called off her wedding one month to the event because of her fiancé’s overly selfish and over-possessiveness. She figured that signing the dotted lines with him might just translate to signing up for a lifetime of misery.

How do I fix myself when I find myself in a fix?

• Accept your error: Find out where, when and how you bungled it. Own up to your errors, never pass the buck. Blaming parents, the past, the economy or supernatural forces for your setback is irresponsible.

• Retrace your steps: If you find yourself in a pit, stop digging. That’s maturity. Get back on track if you discover you’ve missed the road. It does not matter how long you’ve stayed in the wrong, turn back and do what’s right. Shut your ears to side talks by critics. Right or wrong, they’d talk anyway.

• Shun sentiments: Last September a policeman deployed to the bank opposite my office was involved in an accident and has since been in coma. He was on vacation when his boss recalled him, saying no other officer could fill in for him. This dutiful policeman was knocked down by an okada the same day he was forced to resume work. But hasn’t anyone replaced him for the last 6 months that he has been in coma?

Quit living to please others. Be bold enough to assert yourself and yield to your intuition and the voice of wisdom within.

Pix source: investmentreality.blogspot.com

Go M.A.D!

2010-02-22T21:25:00.000+01:00

Go M.A.D!

Making life decisions could be as tough as being at a crossroads, hemmed in by a cacophony of voices and not knowing where to turn. These are times when your sense of judgment is put to question and putting things in the proper perspective really becomes arduous.
This is when you need to really go Make A Decision, go M.A.D. Indecision is not an option

1. Overcome your web of confusion- usually you find it difficult making a decision because you’re confused about the options before you. You’re at a crossroads on if to get married, get a 2nd degree or travel abroad. Right? Simply prioritize. Choose the important option over the urgent.

2. Keep your goal in view- what do you really set to achieve by the decision? Self development? Then, go for 2nd degree. Adventure? Fly away. Decide your goal and make your choice. Success is immeasurable without a goal. Imagine your soccer team playing without a goalpost. Insanity!

3. Treat each factor of option individually- if your goal is to buy a shirt, don’t confuse colour options with designer options. Do you really want just any shirt or you want a red shirt or you desire a red shirt tailored by a notable designer or you just want a designer? These factors are means to an end.

4. Don’t rush, don’t fret, keep your composure- don’t make a decision when you’re hungry or desperate. Hungry people eat anything. Desperate people make desperate decisions. Be objective, sentiments produce frustrating results.

5. Make informed decision- listen to your strong voice of intuition. Perception. Seek expert advice. Or discuss with someone who has a high sense of judgment.

Bad decisions and failure are Siamese twins. The effect of a wrong attitude or a wrong career may stick on you forever.
Running on the right track could be Herculean. Receive faith and not failure, conviction and not confusion. With the insight to choose to walk to the right. Don’t get confused, go M.A.D!

Photo: http://www.baqmar.be/?cat=28

Dealing with rejection

2010-02-14T20:47:00.000+01:00

Dealing with rejection

Perhaps it’s a job loss, a failed interview, a failed exam or an unapproved contract; you’ve certainly faced rejection before: a point in time when you couldn’t get beyond the threshold. Right. That’s rejection.

Never allow the sting of rejection to stop you from trying again.

Not even a debased self esteem.

Quit thinking that life’s best is only for a select few.

Depression is not an alternative either. It makes you unable to think your way out of your ashes. Yes. You’ve got to map your way out of your hairy problems. Alan M. Webber notes, “The cost of the status quo is greater than the risk of change.” Don’t even have beef for those who have rejected you.

Slow and steady wins the race, you’ve also got to be consistent and not chicken out!

Accept rejection as a path to success. Act on your dreams now, rewrite history without a pen. Without money as a factor, what would you love to die doing? Get another strategy. Do it better.

Photo: gamespot.com

Dealing with a loss

2010-02-02T22:29:00.000+01:00

You may have lost anything to the recession- a job, an opportunity, an investment, a loved one or all hope.

Dealing with a loss is difficult, but it is important to bounce back stronger. Be like the elastic band that keeps stretching beyond its limits; resilient in the storm. You have in you what it takes to overcome every difficulty. Discover new ways to solve your problems by pushing the walls of your mind. Insanity is trying to solve a problem the same way, expecting different results. See through the fog of confusion in you.

You may have been fired but get fired up! Don’t lose your dignity to a past event. Take the front seat and stage a comeback. Rise from your ashes. Pray to GOD. Fight depression.

“What looks like a loss may be the very event which is subsequently responsible
for helping to produce the major achievement of your life." – Srully D. Blotnick.

Unearth the diamonds within you. You may never have realized them as such because you’ve been so familiar with them, little wonder you trample over them. A tragedy of life is being ignorant of one’s most precious treasures.

There’s hope for a tree that’s cut down, it’ll sprout again at the scent of water. Make hay while the sun shines. Strike while the iron is hot.

Photo: Google images

What advice would you give a sacked banker 3?

2010-01-24T21:05:00.000+01:00

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. God allows this so that He can show that there are higher grounds attainable. You may never overcome your fears until you experience a crisis.

It happened to Bisi Olatilo.

The Bisi Olatilo Show (BOS) we know today was borne out of a push, frustration about a cruel system and a resilient fight for survival. BOS is a colossus, a social diary of the crème-de-la-crème and a TV show for those who want to see the latest social fad.

For Olatilo, it didn’t happen overnight. He looked inwards, identified his skills- he could speak and write Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba & pidgin fluently, he could do master of ceremony. So he chose the latter and set up a company, leveraging on his network of contacts. Just like that? But it took time, patience, passion and perseverance plus guts!

Then, from the events he covered, he created a 15-minute Social Diary, which later became the 1 hour show currently syndicated on many local and international TV stations. He also has a 24-hr channel on HiTV. That’s innovation.

He advises that ‘You cannot eat with all the 10 fingers. You must have a residual thing you can fall back on in times of trouble. I was asked to leave [FRCN] and I felt bad about it, but I had a few things to fall back on.’ Hmm.

I believe that the Fortune 500 companies of the future are being built today. What is in your heart to build? Build. “Where is the capital?” you complain. Normal Vincent Peale says, “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”

Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II

Please read ‘Mind Your Business’ series again.

What advice would you give a sacked banker 2?

2010-01-18T21:17:00.000+01:00

He’s a broadcaster extraordinaire, a polyglot and an exceptional master of ceremony, MC. That he’s a world-class media personality is no doubt. His name- Bisi Olatilo. You have certainly seen his show.

Saturday Sun says “his story is an inspiring story of audacity, persistence, passion and hard work.” His broadcasting career has taken him through Radio OYO, Radio Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, later Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN.

What you may not know about Bisi Olatilo is that he was sacked from FRCN! Sacked? Yes, you read that right. He was laid off for engaging in private practice (PP) or freelance business deals. That included legitimate jobs like script writing in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo & Pidgin, MC-ing and jingle production.

He says, “I didn’t bargain for it. But today, I am thanking God that it happened the way it did.” That’s because 10 years after, he’s a multi-millionaire doing the business he established after his dismissal. More importantly is the brand, fame and the goodwill he’s been able to build for himself. I doubt if this would have been possible as an everyday newscaster in FRCN. Do you agree?

To be continued…

Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II

What advice would you give a sacked banker?

2010-01-10T17:50:00.000+01:00

Let’s have a discussion on the current issue in our labour market.

What would you advise a friend who just lost his job to the current wave of massive job loss? 5,000 bank jobs were lost last December alone, that’s over 15,000 Nigerians deprived of their daily bread as a result of organisational restructuring and global recession, or what do you feel?

I have a few thoughts…and I guess you’ve got yours too.

 Develop latent talents- I’d advise my friend to look inwards. Inside every individual are resources that have the potential of creating wealth. He needs to list his talents and develop 1 or 2 into marketable skills. Creativity for fashion, humour for stand-up comedy, organising for events management… talents abound that can be developed into money-making ventures.

 Make network work- he should leverage on his wealth of contacts garnered through years of experience in the banking industry. Goodwill is the intangible currency money can’t buy.

 Above all, I’d tell him to see his job loss as an opportunity in disguise. People never know how high they can jump until a lion chases them. Creativity is birthed when one’s mental faculties are effectively engaged. This crisis should create an avenue for new ideas/opportunities.

Okay now, have I given some sound advice? Oh, you feel he should scout for another job? That’s if you’d give him one. If you still have your job, this is also for you.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

2009-12-30T23:47:00.000+01:00

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for
those who fear, too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”
–Henry Van Dyke

Life is incomplete without its ups and downs, lows and highs and you must not lose sight of the benefits in every storm that you experience. Understand that life’s tribulations are not common to you alone. Giants always look around you, waiting to wreck havoc on things you cherish such as your health, money, jobs, career, family or academics.

In this recession, if you have lost anything, God is the reason you didn’t lose everything. Look around you for the friendly winds that have been pushing you towards destiny’s path.

A wounded lion has its life to be grateful for. Focus on what you have and not on what you have lost. The outgoing year may have been dotted by job losses, uncertainty, fear and economic turbulence but be thankful to God and be hopeful about the future. See a better day ahead.

NB
In view of the massive job loss in the banking sector last week, I’ll request that you re-read my previous blog posts:
• Of Recession & Redemption
• This Recession is for You
• Bail Out or Bail Options
• The Anatomy of Change
• Mind Your Business 1-5
Next blog post, I’ll attempt to proffer solutions to those affected by the storm.

SHOW GRATITUDE

2009-12-15T21:46:00.000+01:00

“One must not call the forest that sheltered one a jungle."
- Unknown.

Recently, I read the story of a dog. The dog walks into a supermarket to buy some groceries. As it walks in, the shoppers are awestruck as they watch the dog bark to draw the salesman’s attention to the shopping bag hung around its neck. Inside the bag are a shopping list and some money. The salesman swiftly takes the dog’s order, fills the bag with the items and the dog runs out of the mart.

Out of curiosity, the salesman follows the dog out of the supermarket. The dog walks to a train station, boards a train and alights at another station. The salesman trails the dog behind till it gets to its destination. It throws itself at the door of the house several times. At last, its owner opens up. The salesman approaches the man behind the door and recounts with amusement all he has seen of the dog.

Angrily, the dog owner alludes that his pet is a ‘stupid dog’. Stunned, the salesman disagrees and reiterates that the opposite is the case. The dog owner replies that he had warned his dog several times to stop forgetting to take the house key when going out.

The moral of the story: we usually magnify the weaknesses of the things we possess over their real value.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of condemning the outgoing year because of the losses, disappointments and the failed dreams one might have experienced. Pause for a moment, are you sure it was all losses for you in 2009? Think back – you had food, clothing, shelter, eyes, ears, feet, hands, friends, memory, love, and other things, including life itself. You definitely have things to be grateful to God for.

What have you been seeing? Have you been seeing a half full glass of water or a half empty glass? You may be a pessimist if you have been seeing the latter. How do you perceive your experiences? Your willingness to see possibilities in your past experiences will give you hope for the future. Be optimistic.

Be upbeat about the coming year. Stop discouragement from preventing you from setting new goals for 2010. As you sail into a new decade, garner strength for renewed vigour, courage and hope. It is definitely not over until it is over. Pull the ropes harder, life is a tug of war.

Never call your dog stupid, never colour your allies bad. “The optimist sees the rose and not the thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose”, says Kahlil Gibran.

• To register a friend or to unsubscribe, e-mail motivation.today@tundehundeyin.com

RUN YOUR RACE

2009-12-01T21:46:00.000+01:00

“We live in a world where fictions are realities
and realities become fiction.” - Tinsel.

I know a lady who dumped a thriving career in a telecommunications firm for the high pay in the banking industry. The credit crunch storm currently blowing has however proven to her that this was a step in the wrong direction.

It saddens me that we sometimes trade our uniqueness and ingenuity for public opinion. We look at the “other side”, see an illusion of green grass, and jump over the fence only to discover the grass was all brown. Know your onions and find your market. Stay on your tracks, give your best and win the race.

John D. Rockefeller, an extraordinarily wealthy man says, “Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one’s aim.” Napoleon Hill puts it thus, “There’s one quality that one must possess to win, and that’s definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” Run with a mission for your life. Stand for what you believe in, shun mediocrity. Speak for yourself.

How?
1. Run with a Vision- What is your race? Mention Oprah Winfrey, you remember talk show. The name Mike Adenuga is synonymous with business. A vision is a picture of a preferable future. Albert Einstein says, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” What do you see about the days yonder?

2. Run with Passion- Passion is the fire that ignites and empowers your soul for success. It is the unquenchable zeal that drives you towards your goals. You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing. Do you have the passion to drive your dreams? If not, get a vision that energises you.

3. Run Consistently- Tiger Woods is a golfer because he has been consistent at his game. Bill Gates, Wole Soyinka and Kanu Nwankwo are world-famous because they have consistently honed their skills and created an identity for themselves through their callings. Funke Akindele was a relatively unknown actress in Nigeria’s nollywood until she broke-through with her chartburster film, Jenifa. You cannot create an identity for yourself by what you do occasionally, but consistently.

Are you ready to run your own race, distinguish yourself by discovering your own uniqueness? Find peace within yourself and be true to your calling. You would be rewarded only for your own race. Run to the battle.

MIND YOUR BUSINESS 5

2009-11-04T21:45:00.000+01:00

Your inner strength is a key to the discovery of your purpose. A strength is an activity that generates consistent near-perfect performance. Many parents have in the past shut up the potentials of their kids because they trivialised their talents. Several potential Leonardo da Vincis had their instincts silenced by their parents’ whips.

Toyin Ibitoye is today an award-winning sports presenter on Channels TV. When he was young, he fantasised a lot about his passion and ran football commentaries while in the bathroom. Your future is hidden in your daily activities.

What gives you the kick? What would you have done rather than what you are doing now?
In Mind Your Business 3, I asked for what your strength statements were. These are statements that describe the activities that unlock your passion and potential. Here are a few responses from my readers:

 I feel strong when I’m planning/packaging an event or developing a TV script.
My comment: This person will succeed as an events planner, TV scriptwriter or TV producer.

 I feel strong when I add value to the lives of people around me.
 I feel strong when I’m doing something that will stand the test of time
 I feel strong when I pursue self empowering initiatives.
My comment: teaching, consultancy, social entrepreneuring, broadcasting, publishing, infopreneuring, writing, public speaking and so on would do for this fella.

 I feel strong when I help young people solve life issues.
 I feel strong when I listen to young people speak.
 I feel strong when older people listen to me advise them.
My comment: This respondent could build a career as a youth counsellor, youth consultant/researcher, educationist, youth performance coach, newspaper columnist or TV/radio presenter (on youth/adult issues), care giver e.t.c.

Creating your strength statement will assist you in discovering and maximising your potentials. What thought, event, action, people, situation or environment energises you? Sit down and think, what makes you tick?

MIND YOUR BUSINESS 4

2009-10-18T14:08:00.000+01:00

What is a weed? It is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

One of the greatest problems people face is ignorance. It is even more deadly when one is oblivious of the strengths that one possesses. Myles Monroe comments that the graveyard, and not the oilfields of Iraq or Kuwait, is the richest deposit on earth because there lays potentials that were never discovered, books never written, songs never sung and hopes never realised. It is sad that many people wake up daily, fulfilling assignments they were never born to fulfil, burn out in stress and endure miserable lives.

Many people meander through life’s maze, tossing aside what were their big dreams while in school. They become mere playthings of fate and victims of social circumstances. Never conform to the prevailing social rot through drugs, sex, alcohol, corruption, bitterness, desperation or cybercrime. Fulfilment in life is more than meets the eye. You need to continually discover your potential and what to do with it in order not to contribute to the “riches” of the graveyard. Constantly ask yourself these questions:

• Who am I?
• Why am I living?
• What is my potential?
• How can I maximise my potential and live a fulfilled life?
• What are my values and standards?
• How can I overcome my limitations?
• When do I want to start achieving my life’s goals?

Stay in your area of core competency. Stop overlapping into someone else’s lane because the fellow’s activity is the fad. Stick to what you are great at. Imagine how laughable it would be for Ali Baba to release a music album or to become a footballer. Would it be interesting to learn that Kanu Nwankwo is now a goalie or an assistant referee?

Stop postponing the actualisation of your dreams. “He who observes the wind will not sow” (King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 11:4). There is no better time than today.
There’s hope for you if you would be true to yourself. The 1st key to finding true fulfilment in life is being honest with yourself, regardless of whether or not you are currently walking towards your dreams. Look up to God for change and be the change that you have for long desired.

GREAT QUOTES
• Quitting is not running from our problems, it is running from the opportunity to solve our problems. -Dr Ubah Maxwell

• Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustration, but about your unfulfilled potential. -Pope John XXIII

• Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, ´press on’ has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race. -John Coolidge

MIND YOUR BUSINESS 3

2009-10-18T13:34:00.000+01:00

Let us begin this blog post with a testimony from an architect reader of this blog:

“Exactly three and a half tears ago, my (former) boss gave me a deadline, asking me to submit a design within a tight time-constrain. While getting the job done, he sent me an sms, threatening to sack me if I missed the deadline! From that moment, I resigned and started my business, VIRTUREAL NIGERIA LTD. It was not easy starting up but I have experienced tremendous growth, designing and building over 40 houses for my clients ever since.” -Taiwo Okunjolu, Lagos.

Do not go from job to job for satisfaction’s sake. Things may look brighter on the other side but you may soon discover it is an illusion. What is your life purpose? Plan yourself out of employment into your own business. Have a 2, 3 or 10 year out-of employment plan. True satisfaction and fulfilment come from doing what you were created by God to do effortlessly. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. You lose nothing by being true to your life’s calling.

D’banj is a superstar because he found his passion. Now, he dines with kings and world-famous superstars. Ali Baba is the father of stand-up comedy in Nigeria because he drew from his own talent. A decade or two ago, if anyone knew that music, comedy, fashion, make-up artistry or dance would become money-spinning industries today, one could have built a vocation around any of them. Seasons change and reigning industries change but passion outlives seasons. Create a business out of your own passion.

Stop over-analysing yourself out of success. Stop criticising and gossiping about other people’s weaknesses and scandals. Leave that to the gossip magazines. Plan your own success strategy. What is your plan? When would you leave paid employment to do your own thing? What is your own thing? What’s your calling, your purpose, what do you do naturally?

There are some things which give you strength when you think or talk about them. What are they?

I want you to write 10 strength statements that draw on your passion and your interests. Begin each statement with, “I feel strong when I….” Kindly mail me the top 3 and we would discuss a few here (you may choose to be anonymous). It would clear someone’s fog of confusion and help such a person’s passion to be discovered and harnessed. Remember, your candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

GREAT QUOTES

• Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. –Harriet Tubman

• Being stubborn is part of being a winner. -Donald Trump

• The mission is the most important part of the business. It is the spirit of the business. Without spirit and heart, most entrepreneurs will not make it, simply because the road ahead is a hard one. - Robert Kiyosaki

MIND YOUR BUSINESS 2

2009-09-30T15:36:00.000+01:00

“I see entrepreneurship, planted on the rich soil of sound vision- becoming
the next move.”

“These new companies, most of which will initially operate from the homes
of their CEOs, will drive the future and they will become the Fortune
500 corporations of the decades ahead.”

Last blog post, we discussed the fact that the world economy has transited from Stone Age to agrarian society, to industrial economy and to information society. And that the introduction of machinery and softwares were catalysts to this development.

It was also pointed out that the face of the world economy is changing again with the current wave of economic meltdown. As some large firms are sinking, new ones that will become beacons in the future should emerge with you. Now, my question is, what organisation have you/will you plant?

Below is a response from one of the readers of the last edition:

“Tunde, thanks a million. You just shared…the burdens on my heart. My little company will be officially one year next month. Destiny Fillers Centre primarily aims at moulding destinies and interpreting dreams…. I have earned a little from it financially, but I have touched lives beyond even my imaginations…I won’t lie to you, I am a lot fulfilled doing this…I am glad for it. Thank you….”
-Eben Alonge, Ibadan.

How to Mind Your Business
1. Your thoughts/ideas- as you journey into the future, realise that the solution to your aspirations and the lifestyle you desire is hidden in your thoughts. What are the undying thoughts and ideas that have lingered on your mind for as long as you can remember? Begin to pay attention to those bright thoughts that have consistently played in your imagination. Life’s fulfilment is a product of response to inner positive nudges. Stop suppressing it by your current comfort or even travails. Halt for a moment, listen to your dreams. The solution you seek resides with the giant within you.

2. Your strengths & passions- too many times, you complain about what you lack, like you have nothing to cheer about. Celebrate and leverage on your strengths. Let your passion work for you. Can you plan, sing, visualise, design things, care for others, teach, sell, do sports, talk, write, make people laugh, create ideas or research? This suggests that you have some potential. There is no one living who has nothing to exchange for money. Locate your passion. Every man called great is someone who has been doing what he loves to do. What cause will you want to live for? Walk the walk.

3. Act Now- do something everyday that will lead to your dreams. Today is the tomorrow you talked about yesterday. You will not achieve much in life procrastinating. It is time to stop talking, start acting on your dreams. Plan your way up the greatness ladder and act on your plan. Pursuit is proof of desire.

Do not put up with your 2nd best. Pick up your pieces where you left them and return to your 1st love. Ignite your own fire, run your own race, play your own music. Cross the threshold of limitation, mediocrity, inertia and fear. Move ahead and burn the bridge behind you.

MIND YOUR BUSINESS

2009-09-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

The world economy is changing; and it is as a result of technological advancement and innovative ideas. As people are losing jobs due to the invention of new softwares and machines, new jobs are being created, opportunities are increasing and so is wealth.

When computers were introduced to business in the 1990s, many typists thought they would lose their jobs but it only enhanced their performance and created more jobs. The introduction of the internet has reduced postage volume and created jobs and opportunities for cybercafé owners, computer engineers, technicians, hardware & software merchants. What would be your first reaction if new marketplace demands require an absolutely paperless workplace, where pen and paper are old fashioned? People must learn to change with marketplace innovations and explore the opportunities available. If your job disappears, explore fresh opportunities. The jobs of the past, such as farming and hunting are no longer being practiced by the majority of the population, like we had in the hunting and in the agrarian societies of the Stone Age. Most farmers’ and hunters’ great grandchildren are now in air-conditioned offices in the oil & gas, banking and telecoms industries. This may soon change too. Be ready to change with change. Move with the tides of time.

Technological revolution, which began in Britain in the 18th century, moved the world from agrarian economy to industrial economy. Goods that were traditionally made in homes and small workshops were now manufactured in large factories. It led to massive economic, social, infrastructural growth and development. This empowered Europe and America to become the most powerful in the world in the century ahead, as Africa (Egypt), which had depended on agrarian economy, was unable to keep in step with the change. So, it had to be left behind.

Again, technology was responsible for the advancement from industrial economy to information economy, with the development of computer softwares and the increase of information. So, the world has transited from Stone Age to agrarian society, from agrarian society to industrial revolution, and from industrial revolution to information society.

The next wave is gradually upon us by this economic meltdown. Wealth is changing hands. Global paradigms are shifting. I see entrepreneurship, planted on the rich soil of sound vision- becoming the next move. Many new but small companies will be formed by young, inexperienced executives while some old, large organisations will be submerged in the economic hurricane. Inexperience will be one of the strengths that will help these new companies to grow because these new CEOs will not govern their companies like the CEOs of the past. In critical times that demand change, experience may become a hindrance as it may stifle the desired evolution. Myles Monroe defines experience as “being an expert in the past.” Not in all cases, but sometimes, the past could be an enemy of the future.

These new companies, most of which will initially operate from the homes of their CEOs, will drive the future and they will become the Fortune 500 corporations of the decades ahead. In fact, I see a new workplace scenario where employees will work remotely from the comfort of their homes nationwide and via the internet. They will conduct their business meetings online and still achieve their corporate goals. With doses of sound vision, strong leadership, steady cash flow, growing sales figures, a great product/service and determination, these cottage industries would evolve into multinationals.

We are standing at the threshold of history. We are in a transition period in the history of the world economy. The world is changing, things are changing and people need to re-configure their mental framework to embrace these changes. During transitions such as this, money changes hands, jobs change, social status change, paradigms change, leadership changes…change just happens everywhere. Do you see the evolution?

How To Embrace The Change

1. Register your dream company- get a lawyer to register it with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC. Because it is centrally done in Abuja, it may take between 2-3 weeks before the process is completed. You may wish to 1st register it as an enterprises or go ahead to register it as a limited liability company (Ltd.). Either of them can be owned by one or more persons. The former is for small businesses (supplies, printing jobs etc) and has no share capital while the latter is for big businesses and has a share capital. Ensure that the “objects” of the company stated in the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) cover as many areas of trade you wish to practice. It costs up to N20, 000 to register an enterprise, while an Ltd is about N70, 000 (all negotiable). Suggest many names to the lawyer as the name may already be in use by another company.

2. Open a bank account, design a logo/business card for the company- opportunities can come knocking anytime. Owning a business while in paid employment helps to trap opportunities and prepare for unforeseen circumstances.

3. Watch out for opportunities- opportunities for supplies or logistics may come knocking in your workplace or that of your contacts.

Plant today the company of the future. Work each day closer to your dreams. Mind your business.

LITTLE THINGS, GREAT IMPACT

2009-08-28T16:31:00.000+01:00

Trees are great for multifarious reasons. They provide food, shelter, furniture, paper and medicine. Think for a moment. Have you ever observed how small the seeds that produce these big trees are? Usually, we overlook the great impact that little things make. Giving is one of such things.

Giving may be in form of a little effort or a short prayer offered in the cacophony of a busy schedule. It could be as trivial as a visit to the less privileged. It could be in form of money, time, skills, knowledge, ideas or advice given to those in need of it. Give what you have.

Donating a part of what we have helps to preserve the rest. This principle is evident in everything we do- science, spirituality, economics etc. For instance, Adam and Eve were instructed not to consume fruit from a certain tree, consequent upon which they would lose access to every other tree in The Garden. In insurance, payment of a premium on a house for instance, preserves the asset in case of fire or burglary. In bakery, a little yeast boosts the whole dough.

Save yourself from meltdown by giving. Giving is the road to growth. Many of us complain that we lack. Give a little of your “little”. Because of momentary insecurity, I once denied a friend who had more pressing needs than I did. “What if what I have is not enough for me?” “What if I go broke?” I thought to myself. But I soon made a u-turn when I realised my error. I have discovered that having one good finger is better than having five leprous fingers. You may not have all you need but you have enough that provokes someone’s envy. Give out of your scarcity. Your “little” gift will be an answer to someone’s prayer.

Proverbs says “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.” Deolu Akinyemi suggests that, “Life should be measured by donation, not duration.”

Money is a security, including every tangible and intangible thing you possess. You are a custodian of everything you have. Everything is given by heaven. You will best understand a gift from the perspective of the giver, understand that what you possess is not wholly yours; you are only a keeper- enjoy some and distribute some.

God keeps well those who do good to others- paying schools fees, hospital bills, clothing the naked, fighting for the oppressed, speaking for the voiceless and listening to those in obscurity. Whether or not you give, what you hoard will ultimately diminish. So, why hoard?

GREAT QUOTES

· He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. Proverbs 19 v. 17

· Have love enough to give to those who deserve it the least but need it the most. - - Testimonies Magazine.

· Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, only with what you are
expecting to give…which is everything. -Katherine Hepburn

· It is difficult to give away kindness. It keeps coming back to you. -Cort Flint

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: mot.today@gmail.com

· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog- www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com . You may also post
your reactions on the website.

· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to mot.today@gmail.com

· To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to mot.today@gmail.com

ENDURE THE HEAT!

2009-07-14T11:54:00.000+01:00

You are sometimes locked up in life’s oven. Your life is immersed in challenges, conflicts, demands and disappointments that seem overwhelming. Streams of problems flow ceaselessly and solutions to them elude you. You see no light but gross darkness, bleak hopes and pipe dreams. You desire to see the dark clouds pass away. But it persists for as long as it wills- for as long as it requires to fulfil its purpose. Problems are for a reason and a season.

In a world of dashed hopes and dreams, fraud, sabotage and economic meltdown; renewed courage, determination and hope must be your companion. You need staying power to survive the heat. Dough endures the oven heat before it becomes bread. Clay endures the kiln before it transforms into an adorable ceramic. Gold endures the smith’s fire to become a champion’s medal. On your way to “becoming”, you must endure the heat. Great treasures are fashioned in hot, dark and secluded places. Time is a factor that must not be compromised. Impurities need to be burned out, pure particles need to be melted and moulded into a masterpiece.

Everyone wants to “become” great. Renown comes with its challenges. Patience is the master of all values. Nothing done haphazardly lasts long. An unripe mango will do much harm to your body. Stop trying to jump the gun, endure the process- it will be part of your story. Behind every great man is a story. What is going to be your story?

You must also be in control of your mind, will and emotions. Opportunities to take rash decisions will always present themselves in the heat. Tomorrow is always a victim of today’s decisions. Try not to make decisions that will jeopardize future chances and opportunities. During decision-making, keep sustainable change in view. It is no point cutting corners today to regret tomorrow.

Your life’s course can be cheaply navigated by smartly controlling your emotions. Most human actions are emotionally induced. Censor your thoughts; any thought that becomes dominating has the capacity to induce a corresponding action from you. In other words, your body acts on thoughts that pervade your mind. Think positively. Replace negative thoughts with opposites.

Empower your will to do what is right, despite debilitating situations. Approach issues from an offensive, not from a reactive standpoint. Do not fret in response to bad news.

While you are getting cooked in the heat, realise that the process will bring out a new improved you. Your will, emotions, personality, values and character are becoming transformed. Walk the walk, talk the talk, and endure adversity while it lasts. Before the sun comes darkness, before healing comes pain. Receive a resurgence of hope.

GREAT QUOTES
You don’t live on what you eat, but only what you digest. This is true for your mind as well as for your body. -Anonymous
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or walk around it, but never give up. –Michael Jordan
Don’t be pushed by your problems; be led by your dream. -Anonymous

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog-
www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com . You may also post your reactions on the website.
· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
· To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

WAITING FOR DAYBREAK

2009-07-09T12:13:00.000+01:00

Lukan sits up on the bed, obviously exhausted, his eyes sore from sleepless nights pregnant with expectations of a better tomorrow. He rises and paces back and forth the small lonely room. The small window above his head lets in an ambience of light from the full moon peeping from miles away. His mind is a conflux of imaginations of the court ruling which will ultimately set him free by 10.00 am, just a few hours away. Already he can see Justice Kuti’s gavel smashing open his prison doors. All he is waiting for is daybreak.

Daybreak is a moment in history. It is the triumph of light over obscurity, the revelation of hope and the herald of newness. It is the point when silence gives way to the cock crow and the chirping of the early birds.

I am glad to inform you that your silent efforts in darkness are giving way to fame and cheerful announcements around you. Things are going to take a new turn for you, you will sing a new song and it will seem like things have always been rosy for you. The beauty of your roses will outshine the pain of your thorns.

Patience is a proof of your strength of character, a proof that you merit the trophy. Every enduring value passes the endurance test. Wait, trust God. Our world has sold out patience for lives on the fast lane- 2 minute noodles, fast foods and microwave ovens. We want it sharp sharp. This breeds shallow visions, shallow lives and shallow productivity. We need a new orientation to time. Many embrace get-rich-quick gimmicks and end up beaten. Others move from job to job only to regret their actions so soon. Wait a minute, think again. The grass always seems greener on the other side but you may need to climb the fence to see how dry and brown it is.

Stop feeling hopeless, jobless, wifeless/husbandless, carless and homeless. It is all about the state of your mind. Psyche yourself; feel hopeful, feel alive, feel successful and step out to achieve your feelings. Today’s actions were yesterday’s thoughts. Tomorrow’s actions are today’s thoughts. Change your mind, choose to think differently.

Many times, the position we occupy at a point in time gets us puffed up and we feel like there is no greater future than where we are.

Remember how as a youth corper, you always felt high whenever those village schools girls and boys addressed you as “Corper XYZ”. You probably dressed in your khaki back to your school to ‘oppress’ those undergrads, like I did when I was serving. Lol.

Now that you are a corporate executive, you feel like a ‘big boy/girl’. You look down on corpers and you tell them stories about “in my days when I was serving…” Life is a staircase; it is a step at a time. The experience enjoyed at each step always seems like tomorrow does not exist. You may proceed up, fall down or remain stagnant on a step- it depends on your attitude to life and success.

When at the threshold of breakthrough, the pressure to give up usually becomes more compelling. Find reasons to stand your ground and you will find greatness in the process of time.
You are a person of influence. You are greatness in the making. You are a power-broker. You are wealthy. You are intelligent. The distance between here and there is t. T is time. Do not stifle your potential by a reckless act of impatience. Wait for daybreak.

GREAT QUOTES

· Anxiety can be described as unresolved fear. -Lewis Wolpert
· Quitting is not running from our problems, it is running from the opportunity to solve
our problems. -Dr Ubah Maxwell
· Quitting means we believe that our problems are greater than our faith, abilities, and our
God. -Dr Ubah Maxwell

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog-
www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com . You may also post your reactions on the website.
· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to
motivation.today@yahoo.com
· To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?

2009-07-02T08:29:00.000+01:00

Recently, there was a young man who wanted to test a wise man’s wisdom. So he caught a butterfly and held it tightly in his fist. He questions the old man:

“Wise one, please tell me, is the butterfly buried in my hand dead or alive?”

The young man paused, waiting for an answer. The wise man smiled, revealing only one or two front teeth. Yet he remained silent, perhaps consulting the universe for the correct answer. Then he looked intently at the young man’s clenched fist. He again smiled.

In his reverie, he said to himself, “If I tell him that the butterfly is alive, he’ll crush it dead. And if I tell him that it’s dead, he’ll open his palm and allow the poor insect to fly away!”

In a moment, the wise man’s face brightened up, “Boy, it’s in your hand”, he answered. “Whether it’s dead or alive, it’s in your hand.” He continued.

Such is life. Your destiny is in your hands. Your future, your hope, your happiness, your career, your home…everything is in your hands.

Life is what you make of it. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade and enjoy. Life owes you nothing; it was here before you, so stop blaming it for your inadequacies. Learn to convert the negatives that life has given you to positives. Successful people are those who have learnt to surmount their challenges and are not overcome by them. See the opportunities in your adversity and use them as a springboard to success.

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the man who invented the light bulb was undeterred by his 999 trials at developing his invention. He kept failing until he got it right the 1000th time. Helen Keller (1880-1968) was deaf and blind but with her good attitude and determination, she motivated people via her books and newspaper articles. Some evergreen Christian hymns are also attributed to her. Donald Trump, one of America’s greatest real estate investors once fell from grace to grass, dipping from billions to bankruptcy. With a dint of motivation, courage, resilience and ingenuity, he later paid-off his $9b debt and bounced back to wealth.

Pause for a moment. What are you making of your negatives? You have no excuse not to succeed. Do not throw in the towel, push further for the best. History will tomorrow capture your great deeds if you make the best of today. It’s in your hand.

GREAT QUOTES

Human beings, by changing the good attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. - William James
The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire and how you handle disappointments along the way. -Robert Kiyosaki
When it rains, all birds fly for shelter, but the eagle alone avoids the rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are common to all but attitude makes the difference. -Unknown
There’s one quality that one must possess to win, and that’s definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it. -Napoleon Hill

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog- www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com . You may also post your reactions on the website.
· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
· To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

2009-06-21T17:13:00.000+01:00

Have you been consistently facing disappointments on a task? Decide whether to keep at it, change strategic approach or choose a new idea entirely. Plans fail sometimes due to wrong motives, wrong approaches, low drive/passion, inability to source for resources, poor management of resources, uncertainty, poor planning and fear. These may bother on educational, career/business, marriage or money plans.

This is the time to take an inventory of your life as lived in recent times. Have you consistently misused the resources and opportunities around you? Time, people, ideas, places and events are raw materials for the bright future you desire.

Outline your strengths and weaknesses. Magnify your strengths to make up for your weaknesses. Find out the opportunities and threats around you. Pursue those opportunities and silence the threats. Do not complain about your elusive desirable future if you are not ready to ditch your comfort zone. Quit singing the old song when new melody is available. The old wine was good for the past, not for today or tomorrow. Find your voice.

Your fear has kept you from taking territories. Someone else acted against his fear and smiled to the banks. The difference between you two is in the use of the mind. What would you have done if you were not afraid? Deolu Akinyemi says, “Never let your actions be determined by the feelings of fear. Rise above them, confront them, and live the lives of your dreams.”

The greater your risk appetite, the greater your propensity to achieve big success. Risks are walls of separation from big opportunities, scale over them and you are on your way to the future you desire. All achievers have stories of failure and success to tell. They however became success stories because they stuck to their guns, continued to take risks and repeated their success rate. Do not sacrifice your bright future on the altar of fear and insecurity.

To survive this global economic crunch, you must be ready to do things differently from others. Change your approach and outshine your competitors. Change is the key to unlocking doors in a recession. Anticipate change, control change and be the change you wish to see.

GREAT QUOTES
-To double your success rate, double your failure rate. - Deolu Akinyemi

-Failing is not the same thing as becoming a failure. Failing becomes failure if failing is a destination rather than a bus stop. - Deolu Akinyemi

-Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com

GRAB YOUR LEVER!

2009-06-16T12:52:00.000+01:00

People readily give very fluent and well-thought-through answers to celebrate their weaknesses. They overly emphasise on what they are incapable of doing, or what they had been unable to achieve in the past. Friendship with an inglorious past is a threat to a bright future. You cannot possess the future, driving on the reverse gear.

So, make up your mind.

Decide to focus on your strength areas and not on your weaknesses. Focus on the bog possibilities around you and not on the despondent environment. Reflect on the big breaks that can come your way if you decide to develop the latent talents in you. Think about your network of friends, your knowledge base and your experiences; you surely have something like a lever, something to lift you up to the next level you desire. So, why should you continue to subsist and grope in darkness? Light up your world and shine the light.

Living life on a subsistence level of just sleeping, waking, working, eating and then sleeping would not endure for long, most especially in an economic recession. It is either change meets you lying low or you create a change around you before it beckons. In a hurricane-prone country like China, civil engineers have learnt to construct weather-friendly buildings that withstand hurricane turbulence. Is your building weather-friendly?

How?

What do people say you do so well? Or what do you do so well that make other people grin with envy? Or what do you do so instinctively that make others cheer you? You really need to ask personal questions.

Leverage on your strengths, not on your weaknesses. You will excel by maximising your strengths, not by emphasising on your weaknesses; though weaknesses must be effectively managed. Stop going about complaining about what the government, your parents or your boss has not given you, rather leverage on the little stuff you already have. Marcus Buckingham says strength is “a consistent, near-perfect performance in an activity.” You need to grow your strengths with practice or training and find a role that draws on these strengths daily.

Push yourself to a higher level of existence by leveraging on what you know, the people you know, your talents, your personality (introvert or extrovert) , your character, your skills or training or knowledge or experience. You may also leverage on your culture, ethnicity or nationality, religious inclination, your looks, the places you have been to, worked or schooled (alumni/trade associations) or your power of imagination… The list is endless.

Now, the question is: what do you have that can legitimately get you to where you desire? There is certainly a lever around you with the potential to lift you up the ladder of success. It sits dormant, unused, dusty, rusty, neglected and weather-beaten. Its rusted, lacklustre fulcrum cries for lubrication. Around you and in you lie loads of untapped potentials and opportunities that are tossed to the wind because of your comfort zone. What happens to you if your nest is ruffled by a turbulent wind? You will excel by maximising your strengths, not by emphasising your weaknesses; though weaknesses must be well managed.

Rise up and light up the fire around you. Drive away the chill of mediocrity, slumber, casualness, lethargy, ignorance and fear. Grab your lever, ascend to a new level.

GREAT QUOTES

Leverage is the ability to do more with less. - Robert Kiyosaki
If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke. -Brendan Francis
Men take only their needs into consideration, never their abilities. -Napoleon Bonaparte
We’re limited, not by our abilities, but by our faith in our abilities. -Dr Ubah Maxwell

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog-
www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com . You may also post your reactions on the website.
· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
· To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

THE ANATOMY OF CHANGE

2009-06-14T14:00:00.000+01:00

Metamorphosis. I know you have seen this word before. It is a change in form, structure or function due to development. Often times, this process is unpleasant but it is inevitable because it brings growth and fun to life. No one goes through the continuum of life without change.

Picture a beautiful butterfly. It goes through seasons of mutation from egg to larva, larva to pupa, pupa to imago, and then to a colourful insect. Change is life; life does not exist without change. You do not progress by fighting change but by partnering with it. Spencer Johnson suggests, “Don’t over analyse and over complicate things. When the situation changes, change and move on.”

While commenting on why Microsoft upgrades the Windows software every two to three years, Bill Gates said, “The secret to winning in our business is change. I believe a company can stay on top by making the changes at the right time.” No wonder he was the richest man in the world for over a decade!

The Great Recession is an outcome of change. Change in stocks prices, crude oil price and other economic indices. This change has led to other changes like job loss, pay cut, fear, confusion etc. The key to managing a situation such as this is to effectively manage the change- as change may create a positive or negative impact. Change leads to growth. A promotion from Deputy Manager to Manager for example, is an indication of growth. Nothing makes you grow faster than change.

Change is the most constant life factor; nothing is as permanent as change. The Great Recession would not last forever. Times and seasons do not last, tough people do. Not getting used to change causes distress and frustration.

The greatest restriction to change is you. Change your thoughts and the old traditions that no longer hold water. Understand the times. It is not morning when the day breaks. It is morning when you wake up to change, to a reality or to a discovery. Until then, your success has not begun.

How To Relate To Change.
§ Expect change always. Do not wait until it happens.
§ Do not waste time complaining about the change. Why cry over spilled milk?
§ Do not panic, plan. Think; see the silver lining in the change.
§ Move with the change, positively.
§ Be dynamic. Innovate.
§ Enjoy your new level of growth.
§ Watch out for the next change. Do not get used to anything, everything changes.
This recession season requires constant personal adjustments. Change the thoughts, habits and actions that do not align with the times. This however, does not call for warped thinking and actions. Around every problem lies a sound solution.

We see them all around us- organisations, hospitals, trade associations and people who have refused to change and innovate. They become relics of an old generation. You have a great future ahead of you. Your seasons of growth and promotion are hidden in seasons when you will be required to make slight or major adjustments in your opinions, relationships, environment, thought process, vision, values or strategy. You may need to make a detour or become persistent. You may need to network new people or have a new inspiration for living. Each time you see a butterfly, remember change. Make that change now!

GREAT QUOTES

· Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. -Carl Bard
· Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. -John Wooden
· Human beings, by changing the good attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. - William James

· You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
· Current and past editions of this e-newsletter are available on my blog- http://www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com/ . You may also post your reactions on the website.
· To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
· To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

BAIL OUT OR BAIL OPTIONS?

2009-06-02T12:24:00.000+01:00

Motivation Today E-zine, Issue 03, June 2009

Right on time, the yellow cab pulled over by my office gate. I hopped in, exchanged pleasantries with the cabbie and off I was driven along Ahmadu Bello way. There was a traffic snarl as usual, due to a police checkpoint after Bonny Camp.
“All these police people, dem go allow person burn all im fuel for inside traffic. Dem no know say petrol no dey?” The cabbie, who gave his name as Taiye finally breaks the silence, and my reverie.

“That place is an illegal checkpoint.” I blurted. “I don’t know why the police authorities should condone this act?” I continued.

“Ah, those ones, dem dey chop for the money too!” Taiye replied, revealing his strong Ibadan accent. “Everybody, na chop make I chop we dey do. If to say dem take me for Police College, I for don chop up now.”

I laughed heartily. I talked to him about how absurd it was for us to promote greed above national development and patriotism. He told me how despondent he felt about the nation. And he had good reasons: a few years ago, his father was laid off from the Railway Corporation without any severance pay after 27 years of service. He had to work as a cobbler while in the polytechnic in order to send his siblings to school. His university graduate twin brother managed to secure a blue-collar job in a manufacturing firm after 3 years of unemployment. According to him, he has had to work as a cabbie for 5 years, since it seemed white collar jobs were not available for polytechnic products. His was a sad story.

He drove along Adeniji Adele and we headed towards the 3rd Mainland Bridge. He said in mixed English and pidgin:

“With this economic meltdown, Kehinde, my twin, is not even sure if he’ll still have his job. You know, the manufacturing industry no even do well from before before. They say his company is folding up, some are saying it is only moving to Ghana. Person no even know whether dem go carry dem go Ghana.”

I shook my head in pity and groped for words. “I…I…I would like to advise that…” He cuts in:

“Uncle, our government wicked. They should give them bail out or what do they call it, like Obama do in America. If they do that, everybody will happy. They should even increase their salary sef because pepper don cost for market. Yes, everything don cost!”

“Taiye, you see, the government itself is confused. Economists and policy makers are not finding it funny. Nobody has ever encountered what we’re currently facing, so the best advice that I can give anybody now is to look inwards. Examine the different options at your disposal. Be your own economist, write your own script.” I suggested. “Don’t wait for any bail out from anywhere. Be busy strategising your way out of the mess. If it comes, fine. If it doesn’t, don’t blame anybody. You can’t really blame the government. The price of crude oil, I mean the petrol wey we dey sell to dem oyinbo, the price don fall. Even sef, we no fit produce am again becos of the oil war, the gbingin wey dey sele for Niger Delta now. So, government is making less and less money than before. With this Niger Delta oil war, maybe no revenue will be derived from crude oil anymore. Who knows?”

Taiye breathed a heavy sigh, kept quiet for a minute or two and questioned, “Uncle, but aren’t civil servants are asking for more salary?”

“Yes, you see, the government will dribble them. They have promised to pay the N52,000 minimum wage they are demanding but the agreement will not be implemented. If it is implemented, then Yar’adua will increase our tax. So, the point is, you entrepreneurs have an upper hand. If government increases tax, it won’t affect you much because your income tax is not deducted before you’re paid. Infact, it’s the other way round.”

“Hmmh, oga. Hmmh, I dey feel you well, well.”

“So tell your twin to keep his job, find small, small business to do by the side- from where he can earn some passive income. He’ll make more money, make his untaxable income high and still keep his tax liabilities affordable. Even if he loses his job, he can fall back on his business.”

The cabbie was very grateful. He dropped me at my destination, we exchanged phone numbers and I wished his family well.

Every man is an architect of his decisions. Do not wait for others to determine your fate. Liberate yourself from the shackles of indecision, lethargy and inertia. The angel of your dreams is the image you see in the mirror.

GREAT QUOTES
Ø Solve the problem yourself or accept a fate you may not like...from this perspective, the ethic of personal responsibility gains appeal. - Noel M. Tichy
Ø There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation has a rendezvous with destiny. - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Ø Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. -Mark Twain

You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
Current and past editions of this e-zine are available on my blog- http://www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com/ . You may also post your reactions on the website.
To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

THIS RECESSION IS FOR YOU!

2009-05-25T11:31:00.000+01:00

Motivation Today E-zine, Issue 02, May 2009

“When written in Chinese, the word, ‘crisis’ is composed of
two
characters. One represents danger and the other represents
opportunity.”
- John F. Kennedy

There are two sides to every coin. What you see becomes your reality: head or tail. Your mind is going to play a major role during this economic crisis. Like the rudder that controls a ship, it is going to determine the course of your life. How do you perceive the concept of ‘crisis’? Do you see it as a danger or as an opportunity?

Crisis means unexpected change. Meaning that, if you organise a party for 20 people, then 50 people turn up; it will result in a food crisis. But the reverse would be the case if less than 20 people show up. A crisis introduces new problems. Problems are not walls of limitation but pedestals to new opportunities. What do you see? It is wise to keep your mind on things you want and off the things you do not want.

Why Is This Recession For You?
1. Redistribution of Wealth
Many wealthy people have held on to wealth for too long that they are so greedy not to establish businesses that will create jobs and opportunities for the poor. They stash it away on Wall Street and in Swiss accounts. Some of it is already changing hands. People with vision who harness their potentials by selling products or providing services are inevitably provided with the opportunities to trap some of this wealth. This recession is providing opportunities for those who can see the movement of money. Salaried jobs would not provide this opportunity though. Have you realised that Mike Adenuga, Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola- the wealthiest men in this nation fall within the same age group? This is because they seized the opportunities that showed up at a certain season of their lives; sometime in the 90s. They chose to stand out of the crowd. The new millionaires and billionaires of the next decade are emerging during this recession. Same goes for the new have-nots. The world is in a very delicate season.

2. The Law of Recognition
Many times, you do not realise an opportunity until you lose one. Sharpen your inner sight; your insight. This is the time to process correctly, the information you glean from the mass media, seminars, fora and via word-of-mouth. Success is said to be 10% information and 90% perception. Interpret what you hear, see and read, and convert same to income.

3. Risks
Increase your risk appetite, with every opportunity comes risks. Do not be afraid to take calculated risks in trying new things/ideas. Do not sit on the fence or get stuck to your rut. The fear of death should discourage people from air travel but the aviation industry is still thriving. The fear of stillbirth should have stopped your mother from having you, but she still tried anyway. Close your eyes, confront your fears and act. It is better to die trying than not even making an effort to try.

4. Creativity and Innovation
New products and services are usually products of problems. Every problem-solver requires creative and innovative solutions in combating challenges. Leke Alder opines that, “when you mix your dreams with your skills and your problems and the problems of others you’re concerned about, you have a business idea cooking.” Develop your problem-solving skills. Do not chicken-out at the sight of walls, face them head-long. If they do not fall, try another solution. You cannot solve new problems with old methods.

5. The Law of Attraction
You attract to yourself whatever you think about. You will always attract to yourself your most dominating thoughts and obsessions. If you think wealth in recession, you will attract opportunities that will create it. If you think scarcity, then you will attract it. So, what do you think?

6. World Advancement
Because of new problems that are being created during this economic downturn, new products and services will emerge that will move the world further. This is the time for young professionals to embrace responsibility. Many rigid-thinking companies will fold up and there will emerge companies of the future. Are you thinking glocally?

7. Giving
“Don’t get all you can, can all you get and sit on the can”, goes an old saying. One of the causes of the meltdown is greed, so avoid the path. Give to those less privileged than you are. Give opportunities, give hope, give information, give money, give jobs, give service and give what you have free. There would never be a better yesterday for givers.

This recession is for you. If you believe and break free from your comfort zone, from fear, distrust, greed, rigidity, despair, ignorance, trauma and retrogressive mindsets, you will indeed reap the benefits hidden in it. Register your dream company, market a product or service, find opportunities, be ready to change, network and collaborate with stronger people. Finding nothing to do is not an option. Take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime moment in history.

Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin II

GREAT QUOTES
Ø “The optimist sees the rose and not the thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose” - Kahlil Gibran
Ø “You can never solve a problem at the level it was created.” - Myles Monroe

You may email your reactions, questions via this email link: motivation.today@yahoo.com
Current and past editions of this e-zine are available on my blog- http://www.tundehundeyin.blogspot.com/ . You may also post your reactions on the website.
To register a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com
To be removed from this e-mail list, send “Unsubscribe” to motivation.today@yahoo.com

OF RECESSION AND REDEMPTION

2009-05-18T13:41:00.001+01:00

MOTIVATION TODAY E-zine Issue 01, May 2009

Your employer, using an anonymous company name, is already advertising your job for half your salary. Are you aware?

The global economic meltdown has forced many governmental organisations, corporations, small businesses and individuals to take absolute measures in reducing spending. Many companies have had to slash their event sponsorship budgets; others have had to reduce their marketing communication expenses. It is no longer news to see firms giving up minor projects, specifically corporate social responsibility (CSR) tasks. The workforce is not spared- many people have lost their jobs to this gargantuan monster. In the United States alone, job losses have been climbing up from 598,000 in January 2009 to 651,000 in February, and 663,000 by the end of the 1st quarter. Given an average household size of 5, that is about 3.3m people deprived of their sources of living! For a moment, imagine a scenario where a couple both lose their jobs, temper is bound to rise. Little wonder a couple in Arkansas killed each other and their four kids last December. Job loss data are however unavailable in Nigeria- so one is unable to accurately ascertain the extent of the negative impact on our labour market.

Do not be quick to forget the drastic plummeting of the prices of equities in our stock market. Also, the rise of the value of the dollar in exchange for the naira and its attendant effects on household expenditure, small and medium scale organisations- SMEs, and prices of goods and services; Nigeria being principally an import-dependent country. The cost per barrel of crude oil, which is our major income source, has fallen drastically from over $110 per barrel below $50pb in the wake of this economic crisis. This means that our government’s income has fallen and investment in the maintenance and building of new infrastructure is likely to decrease. Development in a nation like ours is also threatened because the flow of foreign aid is dipping and the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, by 2015 has been undercut by the recession.

Friends, things are happening fast. This is said to be the worst global economic downturn, after The Great Depression of the 1930s. Please understand that this is not to scare you, you need to understand what is upon us- in order to effectively manage it.

There is so much fear and uncertainty in the air. But you need not allow these cripple your mind. This is the time to think fast and act as occasion demands. This is not the time to stay fixed on plans that are not, or no longer working. You need to change with change. Situations that will require sound decisions will constantly confront you during this recession. No one knows how long it would last- 2, 3, 5, 7 or 10 years? But within this continuum of time there would be seasons to sow, seasons of harvest, seasons of hunger, seasons to save, seasons to invest, seasons of marketplace combats, seasons of tough decisions etc.

There are so many untruths in the land. Government has been feeding us lies about the nature and impact of this meltdown. Late 2008, Central Bank Governor, Charles Soludo told the nation that Nigeria was insulated against its impact and that only developed nations were at risk. But we are seeing the impact already- while some banks are reducing staff strength, others are cutting salaries by as much as 50%. Other corporations are affected too. The truth is that top government officials and policy makers are confused and clueless themselves. The issue at hand is new to everybody in this generation. Everyone would have to discover pragmatic solutions to his/her own problems.

Survival Strategies
1. Expect unexpected change: in any and every area. While you pray that evil should not be your lot, you need to anticipate changes to things you have been used to. Anticipation here is hinged on “probability” (i.e. maybe or maybe not). This will help you in preparing for changes before they hit you. Make change control plans. You may have to relocate your family to a more affordable environment, you may have to start a business, you may have to buy some real estate, foreign currency (dollars in particular), gem stones (or other assets) with the loose funds you currently have. You may have to shed some liabilities and commitments as well; these include luxury, credit, expensive vacations etc. Think: less expenses and more income.

2. The key to succeeding under this economic climate is personal change or self development. This meltdown will bring a lot of changes from what you have always known. Therefore, you need to constantly alter your false preconceived notions, attitudes, desires and thoughts. Old beliefs will not lead to new possibilities. Spencer Johnson says, “The greatest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, nothing gets better until you change.” People who engage in stereotypic, one-way-traffic thinking will be drowned in the flood of the recession. The thirst for knowledge and pragmatic solutions will see you through this period. Research the internet, read books, journals and magazines, learn more about your industry, hone your skills, learn new things/vocations etc.

3. Do not stand alone. Our people say “chop alone, die alone”. Let others know what you know. Belong to a community of problem solvers. Two (good) heads are better than one. Promote cohesion. Financial expert, Robert Kiyosaki says, “The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.” You surely know somebody that knows somebody that knows the person who has your solution. Connect. Find a mentor. Form a discussion/investment group with like-minds. Share it on blogspot.com, facebook.com and other channels. Synergy is strong.

4. Put your mind to work. This is the time to increase your net worth. Net worth is what you are worth after the deduction of your expenses. You will need to increase the cash flow into your income column and reduce your expenses. Cut off frivolous spending. Buy more needs than wants. Needs are necessary for survival, wants are leisure-related. Think about how to increase the zeros on your income sheet. Recession promotes wealth transfer. The rich will lose some wealth, the poor but wise will tap some wealth. Think and grow rich.

5. Take one day at time. There is so much uncertainty around. Many long-term plans will fail; take each day as it comes. Apply wisdom to tackle each day’s challenges. Grab current opportunities, though they may first look deceptive. Tomorrow’s opportunities will spring from today’s.

6. Avoid consumer credit, except to start or grow your business/investment. Invest only in things that go up in value. Sacrifice, choose delayed gratification.
Now, back to your employer. He knows that you desire a pay raise but he is unprepared for that, for obvious reasons. He is therefore poaching for cheap labour in your stead. This is the time to watch your back, work harder, put your ears to the ground, watch out for the handwriting on the wall, be calculated, be loyal and be strong. The deep calls to the deep.

You may send your reactions, questions via the comment link below the article.
To register for MOTIVATION TODAY E-zine for yourself or a friend, send “Subscribe” with the e-mail address to motivation.today@yahoo.com

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

2009-04-29T16:35:00.000+01:00

Raw rice is of no use to the stomach if it’s not boiled. Bricks are useless until they’re cemented together and arranged to form a definite structure. Much is the same for a man who doesn’t transform himself from the state into which formal education might have moulded him. You are like gold extracted from the earth, conditioned by the soil composition and other elements. Formal education is like the soil composition. If you fail to improve upon your formal education, you will be of little use to yourself, your family and the society.

Self-development matters
Personal development is achieved through a deliberate effort, commitment and determination to improve one’s intellect, personality and drive for success. It’s an exercise geared towards improving human capital, self worth and employability. As gold in its raw state is refined to bring out its worth, so does everyone need to constantly engage in self development. Formal education cannot wholly transform a man; it only provides a platform for equipping him with basic knowledge in language, arts, science or whatever field of endeavour he might choose. Beyond these basics, however, personal development brings self refinement for success, excellence and personal worth. Personal development can be summarised as capacity building measures taken to improve one’s knowledge, skills and attitude.

Information as intellectual capital
Knowledge is a resource. It is an asset used to create money. Gone are the days agriculture and industry were the mainstay of the global economy. The contemporary world thrives on information – intellectual capital. Teams, groups, small and medium-scale organisations and corporations succeed through the collective working of the minds of their people. That’s the substance which employers search for during job interviews. They want to know what you know – which every other person on the street doesn’t know. Knowledge is, however, progressive. You therefore need to constantly empty your purse into your head in an effort to update your information bank. Keep gathering current information suitable for your need, put some value on them and get pecuniary values in return. Buy and read books, journals, newspapers and magazines. Enrol for courses, browse the internet for relevant information, ask questions, for questions are keys to knowledge. Besides, engage like minds in your area(s) of interest. Find information wherever it may be.

The skilful edge
Develop your skills too. Knowledge is not enough. Skill is the difference between an expert and a novice. Distinguish yourself from the crowd through deploying excellent skills. But you must first develop those talents into skills. Talent is in-born, skill is developed talent. Talent is the raw material for skill; skill is the raw material for wealth. Some skills are polished by education, others are developed by practice. Usually, practice, practice, practice is the key to skill development. The world number one golfer, Tiger Woods, is said to have begun practising with his dad at age 4! Practice is the secret of the best entertainers, sportsmen/women, writers and so on.

From self-discovery to self-development
The truth is that jobs are available (though limited) in Nigeria, but skilled people are scarce. The majority of the skilled people escape to developed nations for better opportunities, thereby contributing to the brain drain in the country. No one is ready to contribute in the arduous task of personal and national development. Without personal development, however, national development will continue to be a mirage. This therefore puts the responsibility of development on all of us. Charles Schwab captures this truth when he said, ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world but no one thinks about changing himself.’ National development is the culmination of personal development. Skill development is impossible without self discovery – the discovery of one’s core competencies. What do you enjoy doing most of the time? What would you like to do without being paid? What captures your interest? What do people usually commend you for doing? These questions will show you the way to your in-born talent/passion/skill.

Attitude is it!
Improve your attitude. An attitude is like a car tyre. Having a tyre burst in motion can change a car’s direction, cause damage and even terminate the driver’s life. Attitudes are personality enhancers. They’re the substance of your behaviour and determine how you respond to the issues which confront you. Lou Holtz said, ‘Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.’ Attitude determines whether people call you good or bad. Develop an attitude of integrity, excellence, resilience, morality, godliness, gratitude, positivism and so on. You can better yourself and be the person people would like to do business with when you improve your attitude.

More than spare time
So what do you do in your spare time? Do you gist, watch TV, visit friends, browse the net, read, build relationships, hone your skills, think or study? What you do in your spare time determines whether you’re engaging in personal development or not. The point here is not that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Rather, the point is that opportunities for personal development will come regularly during your spare time. Your passion will never leave you (except you let it) even in your spare time and you’ll usually find yourself gravitating towards developing it better at such times, especially if you are a student or you have a job which takes a chunk of your time. Self development is an hourly, daily and a lifetime adventure. It should never stop because the paradigms of the world keep advancing. Keep in step. Find time to develop yourself; find your voice and be the best!