Category Archives: Personal branding

Career Development, Personal branding, Personal development

7 Lessons every employee should learn from Covid-19: You are responsible for yourself.

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For certain reasons, I want to call these lessons, courses. Tutor? Covid-19. And they are free courses. But not everyone might attend the classes.

I have given more thoughts to work recently than other times.

I’ve also worked more – outside the office than any other time.

I read a story of how an employee was told that at 5pm of the day she was called that she will be off employment.

The person in question got the call from the director and these are few lines from the conversation:

“She said we are actually – have to d away with your position altogether because, you know, we do – we want to make sure that if something like this ever happens again that we will be prepared and being able to just work with the people that we have to…”

The truth is that even when it happens again, there will still be lay offs.

In the same line, another employee, who was laid off, was asked the question, “… how are you getting by right now?”

Her response?

“You know, fortunately – and I got to say I’m thankful that I’ve – you know, I was able to have a little bit of savings – not a ton. But that’s mostly what I’ve been living off of here in I guess what’s been a couple of months.”

Can you see that?

Government too can’t help you fully. They are like you and I in so many ways. We know of corruption and all of that but they are like us in many ways.

What’s the the writing on the wall?

Covid-19 says, take responsibility for your life.

Don’t rely on jobs any more even after this lockdown. Get your feet up and your brains open.

Do something apart from having a job.

Period!

(Stories from https://npr.org/)

Career Development, Personal branding, Personal development

Being an entrepreneurial employee.

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Most employees are scared of the word entrepreneurship. And I understand. But the truth is that you can be entrepreneurial without having a business-business.

Each time I talk with fellow employees, there’s a view they have for the word, entrepreneurship.

It feels like it’s for the great and might. Strong and gallant. Fearless and limitless.

They don’t think they can. They don’t even try.

While I understand that thrill, because I use to be there, can I tell you that you don’t have to own businesses to show that you are entrepreneurial. You don’t have to.

If you have a job, enjoy it.

But you can also try out things. Try out your ideas. Stop thinking you’ll fail even before trying.

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Summarizing this, whether you have a job or you’re fired or whatever, try something.

Read yesterday’s post so you can understand this better.

Career Development, Personal branding

Five Stages of Pursuing Passion

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I find it hard using SEO to make all my writings. Humans are not machines. We have emotions. So sometimes I prefer to write from my heart.

If Google wants to list it, fine. If not, I just know this will help someone.

When you begin to pursue your passion, you’ll go through crazy processes that will make you feel like a fool.

Yes, like a fool.

I’ve been there and that’s why I want to share the five stages I’ve started but still going through all again and again.

AWARENESS

This is when it dawns on you that this is what you love to do… that this is what you are called to do. It’s so lovely but with mixed feelings too. Sometimes you cry.

If you’re a person of faith like me, you’d have cried during your prayer time. I have and still do.

That awareness is the aha moment. Incomparable.

But after this, comes the stage of… 😀

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MADNESS

Didn’t find any better word to use. I’m sorry. Do you know how a pregnant woman feels sometimes?

At madness, you’re restless. Nothing makes sense.

I can remember several times, I sleep so early and wake up very early. My mind saturated by this thing. When will I have time to spend with teenagers?

When? 😰

CALMNESS (POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE)

Calmness occurs either ways – positive or negative.

Negative occurs when you get tired and you just feel like this is not possible again. You give up. You just feel stupid and as though it’s not worthwhile.

No one understands what you’re saying. No one supports you.

Maybe, hunger on you 😀! No job and you’re pursuing passion? It’s terrible.

The positive happens when you calm down. Meditate on the journey. Begin to see what it will cost you if you keep on this journey.

The positive side is for the patient guy.

ASSIGNMENT OR PRUDENCE

Work begins here.

And the first is…

  • Personal Development

Buy books. Read. Listen to tapes. Download and watch videos. Seminars. Webinars. Follow the pros on twitter. Listen to them.

  • Service

You must serve the persons you are sent to and the person who is already doing what you want to do. I had to do this. It was fun and tough.

Let me share this story:

I was living with my aunt and then her son, my cousin, told me one day that his school was in need of a tutor – ICT tutor. I was excited.

Why?

I’d finally get to be with teens always.

So I went to the school. I met with the principal. He looked at me and was like, “I can’t pay you. We don’t have the money”.

I still went ahead to teach.

I can’t describe to you what that moment was like for me. Almost every night, I cried. I couldn’t wait to resume school. I couldn’t wait to see these kids.

The second is that I had to attend the graduation ceremony of a school in order to meet with my current boss. And I’ve been with him for about four years now learning how to coach teens.

The experience?

Immeasurable!

  • Personal Trial and Error

You begin to take personal projects too that will expand your capacity. You can write books. Organize events. Do something beyond you.

Take risk.

No going back.

Just forward and upward.

GREATNESS

It is given. You don’t take it.

Now there is greatness on the inside and that on the outside. I’m talking about the one on the outside.

It’s given, not taken.

Your work will speak for you. Your service will speak for you.

At this point, people begin to know you as a master in that sphere of life.

SIGNIFICANCE

After greatness, if you don’t stop, you enter the realm of significance.

Here, you’re not just a leader in your industry, other industries recognize your wisdom and capacity.

And most importantly, you begin to give back. That is one major sign of this stage.

It is for givers, not receivers.

A lot has happened so you want to share your journey with others.

At what level are you at in your pursuit of your passion?

If you don’t relent, you’ll receive the crown. Trust me, you will. For the stages, remember, it’s cyclic. It goes round and comes round.

Stay true to your passion. No matter what.

Africa and the Future of Work, Career Development, Personal branding

Africa and the Future of Work | Covid-19: Why your Career Plan Needs to Change.

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From Nigeria, on 31 March, 2020, I sat in the conference room with my colleagues as our boss spoke to us about the next move relation to covid-19. As he spoke, I saw sincerity and wisdom from his words.

To me, I valued that last conversation more than a salary. He kept mentioning post-corona several times. Amongst the many things I got from him, one of the most pressing is the need to recreate my career plan.

Trained as an architect, combined with teens coaching, I’m thinking about my career plan again. Although I know what I want, the disruption from the pandemic is going to change the route to get it. Yes, it will.

Why?

I’ve been at home from April 1, 2020… No office work for the next one month… The office is going to be locked… We can’t effectively service our clients online due to certain reasons.

Do I place my career plan on my organization or carry that responsibility to re-strategize for post-corona – like my boss called it?

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WHAT CAN WE DO THEN?

One of the major steps we need to take to adjust in our career plan is to understand the tech in our career and begin to embrace it fully.

Technology is not going to be an option anymore. It has replaced our environment. That’s where we live. That’s why things like AI and IoT is being integrated as a matter of necessity. If you’re not integrating tech into your career, you’ll miss a lot.

I got several freelancing jobs to work on last month, and I’m almost like a late comer in that field. However, I’m taking my time to make sure my online presence is stronger daily. And taking more assignments online too…

Note: These tasks I’m taking to earn is also in line with my career goal. There are jobs I won’t take. I will not. Despite the change, I’ll stick to my career goal but my career plan is changing.

Another step is to have multiple career paths in view. No better post explains this more than Why you should craft multiple plans for your future career.

Remember to stay safe and keep praying too. Covid-19 is a teacher for those who want to learn.

Personal branding, Personal development

7 Mindsets that Differentiate Amateurs From Professionals.

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Last week, I had to listen to Jeff Goins. He’s the one drilling me in the art of writing. As I listened, he was dissecting the differences between an amateur and a pro.

Why do I think you need this?

If you want to build a niche for yourself in a career, my dear, you can’t afford to be an amateur. You can start from there. Everyone does. But remain there? Mba (no in Igbo language).

Let’s see what I got.

1. Amateurs wait for clarity while pros take action.

His words:

Now I’ve learned that clarity comes with action. We must perform our way into professionalism. We must first call ourselves what we want to become and then get to the work of mastery.

My Thoughts:

Hmmm… My tongue almost went dry when I got this. One of my quotes illustrates it as this: Purpose is never clear. It only gets clearer.

This does not mean wake up and just move in blindness. Have you noticed that we tend to take more time waiting, in the name of clarity, that we don’t act for years?

I’ve applied this especially with this blog. I didn’t become a blogger by becoming a blogger “first” before starting this platform. I knew I wanted to share something. Then, Chuks started…

(Personal Message: If you want to start a blog, stop waiting to save $10. Start with the free plan like me while you write and plan your way to a paid plan. If you have the cash, go ahead.)

See his line again“… We must perform ourselves to professionalism.”

2. Amateurs want to arrive while pros get better.

His words:

For the longest time, I just wanted to be recognized for my genius. It wasn’t until I started putting myself around teachers and around the teaching of true masters that I realized how little I knew and how much I still had to grow as a writer.

My thoughts:

One major reason this is so is the amateur most times is not vision-driven. He wants to make money. The pro is vision-driven. Yes, he wants money but it’s beyond money.

Where I work now is a result of a passion to be better. Sure, we observe milestones but we don’t settle for it. Pros have growth mindset.

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3. Amateurs practise as much as they have to while pros never stop.

His words:

I used to write a few hours on a random Saturday every third week of the month. I never got better, and I couldn’t understand why. Then I started writing 500 words a day for as little as twenty to thirty minutes per day. Within a year, I had found my voice.

My thoughts:

I’ve always wanted to spend time with teens. It’s been a dream. But, I just hung there.

Howbeit, when I started having trainings, every Thursdays for an hour, apart from daily one-on-one coaching sessions with them, I saw the difference it made. Talking with adults and talking with teens are not the same. I didn’t get it until I practised it for at least two years and I still do it today and more.

Since this year began, I’ve started lists of online training packages for teens like Teens Career Chat with Chuks amongst others. Why? Continuous practice.

4. Amateurs leap for their dreams while pros build a bridge.

His words:

You have to put the time in, but it’s more of a marathon than a sprint. I took a leap every time I started a new blog. I did this eight times, every time I had a new idea. But none of those blogs stuck until I decided to stick with one, which is the blog I write today.

My thoughts?

Why do amateurs leap? What happens when they leap?

Most times it’s because it’s not a long-term vision. They want to learn to run before learning to walk. After the leaps, if they fail, they quit. It’s meant to be a step at a time.

Don’t confuse this with Grant Cardone’s 10X. 10X is possible, and it takes time. Even if you want to start the 10X journey, you’ll discover that you have to do 1X, 4X, 5.8X…

You build the bridge and up you go.

5. Amateurs fear failure while pros crave it.

His words:

What professionals know that the rest of us don’t appreciate is that failure can teach you more than success ever will. Failure is feedback, and truly successful people use it to move forward in their careers.

My thoughts:

This is why they take actions and not wait for the perfect day. They know it doesn’t exist.

Most times the thought of amateurs is that failure shouldn’t be part of the journey. John Maxwell, one of my most treasured, got it so well that he wrote two books on it: Failing Foward and Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn.

You’ll make mistakes along the way, and that’s fine. How do you feel when you post on your blog and a reader reads it, chats you up, and tells you there is an error in your post?

I received that either last week or last two weeks, and I was so grateful.

Sometimes, I remain inactive because of fear.

6. Amateurs build a skill while pros build a portfolio.

His words:

This doesn’t mean you have to be Jack of all trades, but you must become a master or some. For example, all the professional writers I know are good at more than one thing. One is a great publicist. Another is really smart at leadership. Another is a fantastic speaker.

My thoughts:

Do you just want to be a salesman? Or a programmer? Or photographer?

I see this the same way we talk about the 4Cs in education. The 4Cs are core skills every student is expected to have to be effective in the 21st century world.

One major skill I’m trying to build is leadership skill apart from speaking, writing and mentoring skills. Why? It will distinguish me wherever I work. And sure, I know I’ll work with people along the way.

Pros build more than a skill.

Just one more…

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7. Amateurs want to be noticed while pros want to be remembered.

His words:

You have to care about legacy more than ego… The professionals I know whose work reaches a lot of people and truly matters aren’t just thinking about the quick win – the big book deal, the next speaking gig, the new product launch. They’re thinking about the long game, about what they want to work on that might endure for the next 100 years.

My thoughts:

I remember when I was learning to play the drums and piano and bass guitar. It was so funny how we “fought” to play.

Our motivation?

To show ourselves in church. Maybe for the Pastor to see us or the girl we’re crushing on to notice us. So we play for hours without asking the next guy to help. In fact, asking the next guy to help is like allowing him steal your show 😁.

Although I’m no real pro on the piano, I don’t focus on impressing.

To end this, I’d add mine too:

8. Amateurs are ego driven while pros are vision-driven.

Where do you stand? Where do you want to stand in 10 years time? A pro or an amature?

Africa and the Future of Work, Personal branding

Africa and the Future of Work: 6 Reasons Why You Need a Good Online Presence.

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Few days ago I was making an application online that’s connected to Young Leaders on the Global Goals. Now the Global Goals have to do with SDGs and how to profer solutions to achieve each.

And as a inserted my normal details – name, date of birth, nationality, why do you want to apply – I got to a point where I had to give them my profile on these platforms:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

As, I did that – before I forget, I also gave them this website you’re reading from – I realized how important these little things have become in our world.

And I believe it’s because of one thing – Globalization. Surprisingly, it’s come to stay. It has no respect for you. That’s the wave of humanity.

Related

See what Kofi Annan would tell you if you had a meeting with him:

It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity.

So what’s the safety nest? What should we do?

Well, before I suggest what we should do, I’ll like to let you into why you need a good online presence.

It Increases Your Personal Brand Awareness

That’s a picture of the demographics of visitors to this site. I’m in Nigeria trying to serve African employees who want to build personal brands in their chosen field yet I can reach more people outside the continent.

100 years ago, for me to do that would have required at least a visa or a DHL service at a cost that will be enough to buy few more laptops to boost my productivity today.

If you have an online presence you have this as an advantage.

Better Customer Satisfaction

How and why?

The market does not exist where the product is. It does where the consumers are. And they are online. So, with a Facebook page, you are able to satisfy them because now you can attend to them where they are.

And somehow this is what they want – selfies, pictures… videos, chats and many many.

Why do you think big companies invest so much to transform their online presence? In fact, there’s even budgeting for online marketing.

Global & Local Market Insight

Thanks to google analytics and all the analytics present. With my personal Facebook page, I can know what the market wants. I can determine when they are most active and why they are most active.

I did a post for African Highschool Students at the end of January that was a summary of the discussions during the World Economic Forum, 2020. If anyone of them sees it online, he or she can take advantage of it.

I am online and so I can see the trends. I can know the direction the world is headed for.

Another example here is this: I started sharing the links to this blog via my Facebook account and I’ve received more visitors from that medium. Why? I took advantage of the trends and insight of how the online space works.

You are Leveraged to Build Trust

How do you feel when you can see the live video or picture of Beyonce or Cristiano Ronaldo?

I saw this on the website of beamlocal.com

The 21st century consumer is a skeptic; in fact, 56% of people stated that they won’t trust a business without a website.

If this is true for businesses then it is similar for your brand. In our age, being online gives you credibility within minutes. How can you explain to so many people, who need your value, in so little time, that you’re real?

Although, this does not replace your offline participation, it’s relevance is undisputed.

An Opportunity to Express Yourself

I’m aware that my generation is taking this for granted at certain times as we now say a whole lot without caution from twitter hasgtags to Instagram short clips…

Howbeit, if you have an online presence, you can share your ideas. And like myself, if an organization needs to know you more, they can get to meet you and discover you through a post.

Just one post can make you the right person for the job.

Free to No Advertising Cost

This is the best reason why you should have a strong online presence.

Have you discovered that those who use social media to make profit are not really consuming more data than those coming in to just feel the groove?

The difference between the two groups is intentionality.

With as little as $10, you can touch more than 10 thousand persons within 24hrs. What about your Whatsapp?

Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.

Jay Baer

Now wait… Before you begin to think big or take your mind off it, you’re online already. You can’t go offline and I mean it. Your bank has placed you online. Or that registration you did in school…

The question now is not, Should I be online or not? Rather it should be, How do I want to be online so that I can maximize the opportunity?

Even our fathers are not exempted from this. My dad joined Facebook few years ago and he’s getting to learn it more. We’ve had reasons to create a Whatsapp group for the family where we discussed family issues in depth.

If my dad is there and using it, I don’t think you have a stronger reason not to. Although, you can still decide to. Your choice.

Career Development, Personal branding, Personal development

5 Reasons Nigerian Graduates Don’t Practice What they Study in School.

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Don’t get it twisted. One of the most hard working youngsters in the world are Nigerians. Check out how widespread we are. I know the average human on earth sees Nigerians as negative. Yet, we rule.

See these examples yourself: banking guru, Jim Ovia (founder of Zenith Bank), media master, Jason Njoku (founder of Iroko TV),

So, you’ll be missing out of the thrill when you think there’s no benefit the average Nigerian youth (graduate) has for the nation or the continent to the world.

Yet, the other side of the coin that I see and don’t think it’s good is the fact that more than half of Nigeria graduates don’t practise what they studied in school. This might be a global phenomenon but let’s see the flavor in our national context.

Why do we not practice what we study?

  • No Personal Vision for the Career Path.

(We just want to make a living.) I spend time with secondary school students and I have a feel of what is being taught in terms of career. In fact, from my own experience, we were groomed to just move from class to class (although thanks to my teachers and lecturers) until it’s time to choose career.

The idea is that we will figure it out. And most don’t. We just conform to any of theses: medicine, law or engineering. Anything else is stupidity. Thus, from highschool, there’s little effort placed on finding a vision in life.

I’ve had students ask me, Is it bad that I don’t know what I want to study in college? With a sense of understanding for where they are, I say yes but instantly I start that journey for the student.

Recently, I posted my first video on a YouTube channel (dedicated to giving highschool kids insights on how to choose a career).

What do we see today?

We wake up one day. Discover we’re in SS3. Register for JAMB and WAEC Exam. Kpam kpam kpam, we gain admission. During holidays, we spend time doing something else. School starts, we feel a huge load. All we see is the glamor in the career so before graduation we’re seeing ourselves with an official car.

Is it bad? Not really.

After graduation, we go for service. If there’s money, we go for MSc. No money, we look for jobs and hustling start.

Very few get to follow a path with a vision. A vision that transcends the economic situation of the country. All we hear is there’s no job.

While I know the government is meant to provide jobs, I also know that if there are no jobs, it’s our responsibility to create one.

A personal vision for the field of Agriculture is what will make a graduate of Agriculture start a poultry farm or any business that’s connected to agriculture.

My Suggestion: While we make our government responsible for their roles, let’s begin to choose careers with a mindset of bringing changes and not stop at making a living.

  • No Easy Opportunity.

I would blame the government (from previous administrations inclusive) more for this mishap. I was thrown off balance the day I heard that there’s a federal job but for you to get it, you’ll need to pay several thousands. I was pained.

So, a father pays N500,000 or more for a 4 year course of his daughter and when she’s done, he’s asked to pay for her to get a job. Are we moving forward or what?

And some of our parents accept it. It’s horrible.

The second blame on this for me is the mindset we build in school that says: after graduation, look for a job. So

  • Lack of Patience to Follow and Build Mastery.

If the message on the hood is that I can’t wait to learn from anyone, then it’s a dangerous one.

I can attest to the fact that the entrepreneurship vibe is becoming a flu. While there are fields that don’t need much time for practising, mastery is needed to deliver good value.

I heard Mr_Brainbox, Cofounder Blueprint Afric said something like that if he knew what he knows now, he’d have gone to work for someone for a while before moving to run his business.

My generation does not want to follow. We want to start without serving.

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  • Insufficient Presence of ACCESSIBLE Models in those Fields.

I respect all professionals who have built pedigree over time in their fields. I salute. Yet, I’m thrown off balance when I see a Professor who wants to make life difficult for another student coming in to study for his Masters.

I’ve heard stories of how the big lions in several industries don’t want to allow the younger ones come up. I don’t know why. Although, I’m aware of the mindset of my generation. It can be discouraging for a master to teach a student who is impatient, lacks respect and does not want to work.

What is the need of knowing so much without transferring the knowledge to the next generation? Why have some of us made it look like no one will advance without you?

Even in the work environment, you see where employers find it hard to even train employees. I’ve heard complains about this severally. What I say sometimes is this: if some employers were privilege to hoard the information on the internet from some employees, they will.

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  • Urgency to Make Money.

Victor AD (an indigenous artist) sang a song and said if we no make money wetin we gain o (if we can’t make the money, then there’s no need). Thoughts like this, without a balance, makes our best brains waste. They are entangled in online frauds. Everyone wants to hammer. (I like money. It is important for life on earth. But where should that priority be placed?)

Career Development, Personal branding, Personal development

This is my Most Important Goal for 2020.

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It occurred to me that if you focus on goals, you may hit goals – but that doesn’t guarantee growth. If you focus on growth, you’ll grow and always hit goals.

John Maxwell

I’ve studied so many of his books and I’ll recommend it for anyone who wants to master leadership especially in the work place.

Going through The 15 Laws of Growth, I saw where John Maxwell mentioned the differences between goal oriented individuals and growth oriented individuals. How did this happen?

He had a meeting with one of his mentors who asked him about his personal development plan. Instead, he started telling him how he’s planning to do this and do that and do this like we all do… I will get four more customers, I’ll get four more schools, I’ll hit my marketing target… bla bla bla…

In the course of the conversation it was so clear to John Maxwell that he just had goals but no personal development plan. He’s been a goal oriented person instead of a growth oriented person.

John Maxwell had to save money over a period of time, with his wife (this is a virtuous one really), to buy their first personal development program.

More than 45 years down the line, the difference is clear. He has sold more than 25 million copies of his books, a major with fortune 500 companies, a global leadership guru, trained millions of leaders round the world. You can visit his website here

This story alone gave me a new perspective of what my most important goal should be for every year including 2020.

But then, what are the DIFFERENCES between a goal oriented person and a growth oriented person?

  1. Destination VS Journey. With this, the growth oriented employee enjoys the entire moment and does not wait for someday like the goal oriented employee. For him, everyday counts.
  2. Motivation VS Maturation. If you want to mature, you’ll start living beyond mere motivations – whether you feel like or not, you’ll read that book, attend that training, do the PMP program…
  3. Seasonal VS Lifelong. This is why it’s important to have a defined career path. When you know where you’re going in your career, you take a lifelong decision and step. The growth oriented employee, sees longterm.
  4. Challenges VS Changes. Goals at it’s best challenges you. Although, for each goal you achieve, there’s an element of growth you attain. Yet, the mindset is different. Focusing on growth brings about changes. The last point explains this more…
  5. Stops after goal is attained VS Continues after goal is attained. This is the icing. There’s this death of drive or vibe that comes once we attain a goal. These footballers – Ronaldo and Messi – have exhibited this over and over again hat they are committed to growing than anything.

The same with you and me – if you focus on growth, you’ll become So Good They Can’t Ignore You. (By the way, that’s a book we’ll do in January, 2020.)

The growth focused employee has her eyes on the future. She wants to mature and not just get things. She wants to become.

And the truth is this, when you become, you possess the ability to produce anything you want at that level. You can also compare it collecting fish and knowing how to fish.

So, what’s my most important goal? My personal development. And that’s why I have a Personal Development Plan.

I’ll do a post on how to create a personal development plan by next month. I don’t just want to achieve goals, I want to grow in 2020.

Personal branding, Personal development

Does Motivational Books and Stories Really Work? – Pt. 2

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Motivational books: Are they relevant? Or are they lies?

Let’s see the other questions. You can read the first of this post here.

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6). ARE THERE THINGS THE AUTHOR DIDN’T MENTION?

Hmmm… Should I talk about this?

The day I heard my first book mentor, John Maxwell, talk about his challenges with his wife and then few things he failed at, I was speechless.

I use to think he’s so perfect, he makes no error until he wrote two books on lessons from failure – Failing Forward and Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn.

These books have made me love him more. See this:

No author’s life is as clean as the books they write.

Asking this question, “What did the author not say?” will help you think for yourself. Remember, you can’t say everything if you were the author.

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7). HOW LONG DID THE AUTHOR TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?

My generation is the instant generation – Instant Noodles, Instant Milk, Live stream and many other quick fix. Yet, life is not like that.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest… shall not seize.

Genesis 8:22 (AMP)

There’s a space between planting and reaping. If you’ve read Think and Grow Rich, you’ll see the story of Edwin C. Barnes who wanted to be an associate of Thomas Edison.

And he did. But it took time. Chapter 8 of the same book is titled Persistence.

This is another side most authors don’t mention. The success is so sweet and hot they feel like spilling it out for us. And sure I’m grateful they do.

On this, I’ll recommend you follow the author for a while and you’ll learn the journey of their success like I’ve been doing with John Maxwell.

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8). AM I READY TO APPLY THESE PRINCIPLES?

I think this is where the real work is. Napolean Hill did not write a book and title it: I WILL THINK FOR YOU WHILE YOU GROW RICH… No!

Who is thinking? You. Who is growing? You. Who is suppose to persevere? You.

It is the principles you practise that work. I don’t care how long THINK AND GROW RICH has been in your shelf, until you begin to think it and apply it, you’ll not grow rich.

The best, today’s authors can do for you is coach you online or offline. Get your sleeve up and go to work. The result is in the doing.

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9). WHERE IS MY MOTIVATION COMING FROM?

There are basically two main kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Most folks who complain about motivational books actually take these books as drugs.

So they think the motivation should be from the books. They pursue extrinsic motivation instead of intrinsic motivation. Guy, it does not work. African Queen 👸, it doesn’t. That’s why you throw it away after one week.

It’s OK to start with external or use it once in a while. I do. So does Mohamed Salah. Yet, my motivation for teens career niche coaching is inside not outside.

Jim Taylor PhD. explains this well in a post he titled Personal Growth: Why Inspirational Talks Don’t Work.

Lastly, any motivational book you read that does not paint the picture of perseverance in the story or experience of the author, in any way, is not a good one.

That’s why I’ll strongly recommend Think and Grow Rich as one of the best circular motivational books on success.

And then, begin to listen to local 🎑 successful men and women as their stories will relate more with yours.

Some other time, we’ll see why it’s also important to read foreign books. I do and it’s given me huge mileage.

When next you try to read any motivational book, consider these questions.

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