Category Archives: Personal development

Career Development, Personal development

Difference Between Vision and Ambition.

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If we follow English language semantics we’ll not get the juice out of this.

Ask a child about his dream. And most will tell you what they want to get, where they want to go to and money they want to acquire and all these so called personal acquisitions.

Are they wrong?

I go for them. You go for them too.

But have you seen that no man gets bigger by fighting for himself. No man.

Find a course you want to dedicate your life to. Get a job in that sphere. Then keep moving.

Will it be smooth? No. Will it be worth it? Sure, if you persist and learn on the way.

Most employees don’t start with why. We don’t start with a vision. We start with our tummy. Our hunger. Our needs and end there.

The problem is not where we start but where do we go from there.

Finally, I like the words of an African Bishop on this:

Ambition is not an absolutely wrong word. Ambition is a strong and necessary companion of vision.

It takes ambition to drive vision. Why? Because ambition is a strong desire to achieve results or attain a height.

Without ambition vision will go to sleep. It is the fire place of vision. It takes ambition to fire vision to action.

If you like, call it zeal. Do not discard ambition. Life is dormant without it. It is described as a cherished desire.

It is backup to vision. Genuine ambition never competes with vision. It doesn’t run parallel to vision.

Bishop David Abioye:

Thus, use ambition to pursue the vision. I’ll recommend Simon Sinek’s Start With Why.

I think I can do a summary on his two books tomorrow during my Friday book review.

Career Development, Personal development

Surviving Post-Corona: Should I quit my job or not?

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A tough question indeed.

I am a football fan. I’ve been locked outside the house for going to see matches 😀. What a life!

Can you remember the match between AC Milan and Liverpool? In 2005? UEFA Champions League Final match?

What a terrible match.

Wikipedia puts it this way:

Milan were regarded as favourites before the match and took the lead within the first minute through captain Paolo Maldini. Milan striker Hernán Crespo added two more goals before half-time to make it 3–0. In the second half Liverpool launched a comeback and scored three goals in a dramatic six-minute spell to level the scores at 3–3, with goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimír Šmicer and Xabi Alonso.

The scores remained the same during extra time, and a penalty shoot-out was required to decide the champions. The score was 3–2 to Liverpool when Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty was saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. Thus Liverpool won their fifth European Cup, were awarded the trophy permanently, and claimed a multiple-winner badge.

Liverpool’s comeback gave rise to the final being known as the Miracle of Istanbul, and is regarded as one of the greatest finals in the history of the tournament.”

That night was hot for me. I learnt something about life.

To quit is a choice.

Now, you’re not playing against AC Milan. In fact, football has been shut down for a while now.

You’re playing against the economy and your job. You’re an employee and you can see work going in no direction. Covid-19 has startled everyone.

Are you thinking of quitting? Do you think it’s time? Is there something you always wanted to do and you’ve not been able to?

Can I ask you this even before you decide to quit or not: what is your vision?

I feel this is even the most important question to ask.

Where are you going to?

The persons who will be scared the most in this period are those who don’t have a vision for their lives. (Remember, a vision is different from ambition.)

I’ll write about the difference between vision and ambition tomorrow.

As an employee, don’t just quit your job. And don’t just stay. Have a why for quitting or staying.

Career Development, Personal development

Surviving Post-Covid-19: Start learning about your customer

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Have you heard it that the customer pays the bills, not your company or your boss?

If you don’t understand my view of this you’ll think I’m suggesting you be disloyal to your organization. But that’s far from the truth.

The reason I write is to help employees, who love their field or industry to create a personal brand in that industry.

If you love it, then you’ll give your best to it. Right? Including your organization.

Let’s see Anita’s life.

She works with a bank. She’s a cashier. She’s been doing this for about five years. After a while, she had a particular problem that her customers kept on complaining about. Being a loyal staff, she explained to her superior after each encounter with another customer.

However, it seemed as though no one was listening. Suddenly, she surfs the internet and sees that there is a service that can be built to help solve this problem. (This happened after she asked to find a solution to this problem.)

Anita gets home that night. Carries her research and decides to quit her job in four months. In those four months, 50% of her salary was dedicated to registering a business and creating a website to run the business.

What do you think about this?

Well, not all employers will like this. But I tell you the truth, a wise one will allow Anita do her thing and even consult her to teach her colleagues the same thing.

Or in another situation… The covid-19 situation. Some persons have been sacked. Now that’s not my pain. My pain is that most employees don’t know their customer. So as they leave the company, they go looking for jobs again.

What happened to the five years you spent there?

What is wrong with your reasoning?

You get the gist?

We have fully entered the customer economy. Help your organization serve the customers, also open your eyes and brain to know them.

Career Development, Personal development

SmartPhone Blogging 101 Course.

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Do you have a smartphone? Can you access data? Do you want to start a blog?

Then this course is for you.

What Will You Learn?

  • Learn how to use the WordPress phone app.
  • Learn how to get a free domain name and paid domain name.
  • Learn various means to earn money with the blog.
  • A free eBook and lots more.

Just click on this link to register: SmartPhone Blogging 101.

Personal development

Why employees don’t earn extra money.

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They don’t believe…

… they can earn money apart from their salary.

I am an employee and so I understand this so well. We only see our bosses as our source of income and that is wrong. Really wrong.

Now that you’re at home and maybe your work is not remote, what do you do?

… they don’t need extra time to make extra money.

Last month was the first time I got an extra source of income that is more stable.

Did it take more time?Not really significant. I had to adjust by maximizing my breaks and making my time more useful. It’s actually an advantage.

… their next source of money is in their current source of money.

Do you believe it?

Well, I do. And I’ve experienced it.

If you put aside 20% of your current income into an investment, that is a good start.

What about consciously building a system online, just like I’ve been doing for the past six months with this blog?

The extra income I got last month was as a result of buying more data to build this blog and then using it as an extra source of income.

You can put aside a part of your current income for investment and stop waiting for a big bang money theory to hit you.

… the number of extra sources of money their current source of money can create is limitless.

Just like the point above. I’m sure you can’t quantify how far I will get to with this blog.

Do you have limits to ideas?

I don’t think so.

If you can work one or two of those ideas you’ll see yourself creating miracles.

Scared Still Waiting GIF by Looney Tunes - Find & Share on GIPHY

… they can live without their salary.

Let me confess: I’ve not tried this yet, but I’ll try it soon. I know I need it and you too. A friend recommended it to me at the beginning of the year.

How do I know this is possible?

After our meeting with my boss, it was so clear that there will be no April salary.

What does that mean?

I’d have to live without that same salary for the month of April. And sure, my head is working so fast on that now.

How to survive without a salary.

You can try it this way:

Use three months salary to prepare for it. Plan and buy the things you need. And then tell your boss to keep the salary for the fourth and fifth months send the salary to a controlled bank account. See what will happen next...

Suddenly, your mind will reset. It’s a promise and you’ll begin to think of other sources of income.

And that’s why I like the next point:

… that one of the fastest ways to increase their productivity is to begin to think of how to earn more money outside their current jobs.

Very true.

When a friend suggested I postpone the payment of my salary for a month or two, instantly, my head started thinking of extra source of income.

Why?

Crises bumps us out of our comfort zone into our creative zone.

John Maxwell

In this case you’re creating the crises yourself. And if it makes you better it’s not a crises.

… they don’t have to leave their job to earn more money.

For some, they might want to. However, I’m telling you that you don’t have to.

So what do you do?

Go online. Get online jobs. That’s why the internet is very important at this point and creating your online presence too.

8 Ways to Make Money Online Without Quitting Your Day Job.

7 Steps to Earning More now Without Leaving Your Job.

This might take extra time from you at first but with time you will adjust. See the next point…

… they can build a system or invest in a system to earn more money.

With this, you don’t have to work extra time. Initially, when you’re building a system, it takes time, but once it’s done, it runs on its own with little adjustments per time in form of maintenance.

For the aspect of investment, your money goes into a system and then you allow it yield by understanding the dynamics and learning about the system on the go.

… their ability to earn now is enough evidence that they can earn more.

This is to encourage you that you can actually earn more. It’s no big deal. If you can earn now then you can earn more now.

Don’t limit yourself on what you can earn. All you need to earn more is within your reach and the greatest asset you need to earn more is a change of mindset.

Book Review, Personal development

FRIDAY BOOK REVIEW WITH CHUKS | Advancing Your Career: How to Protect Your Job in a Recession (HBR).

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  • Learn to act like a survivor.
  • Your boss needs encouragement. Show concern.
  • Be a corporate citizen.

(I have three gifts for you at the end of this post. But read through so that you can enjoy it.)

I know you have a lot in your mind – from CNN to BBC to Al-jazeera news. Admittedly, if permitted, you have something to say to CNN, BBC, Al-jazeera and the world about your experience so far.

Part of the experience might be panic over potential job loss. Lots of employees are being laid off as organizations can’t carry their burden in this crisis.

So, you might want to ask, “How do I protect my job? What can I do to avoid being a victim of job loss?”That’s exactly what Janet Banks and Diane Coutu have given in this chapter of the book: Advancing Your Career. The chapter starts with this:

IN A TROUBLED ECONOMY, job eliminations and hiring freezes seem almost routine, but when your own company’s woes start to make headlines, it all hits home. Intellectually, you understand that downsizing isn’t personal; it’s a law of commerce, but your heart sinks at the prospect of losing your position.

At this point, it’s gone beyond commerce. The virus is proving stronger, and that’s why commerce is bowing while the loss of jobs are increasing.

Here are the steps you can take to stand against job loss:

“ACT LIKE A SURVIVOR”How do you act like a survivor?

  • “Demonstrate confidence and cheerfulness” 😀

Whether at home or still working, don’t allow fear to grip you. It’s a mind game first before it shows up.

Does it mean you ignore the heat? No. Do you allow it overload you? No either.

  • “Keep your eyes on the future”

It’s hard to do this now with all newsrooms telling you the negatives non-stop but as the authors gave an illustration, thus, “Studies of concentration camp victims show that people made it through by imagining a future for themselves.”In another line, they said, “We’ve seen that luck plays an important role, survival is most often the result of staring reality in the face and making concrete plans to shape the future.”

The authors also gave a profound thought on how to think about your customers relation to the future:

“In your job, there’s no better way to look forward than to stay focused on customers for without them no one will have a job in the future. Anticipating the needs of your customers both external and internal, should be your top priority. Prove your value to the firm by showing your relevance to the work at hand, which may have shifted since the economy softened. Your job is less likely to be eliminated if customers find that your contribution is indispensable.”

  • “Wear multiple hats”

Take a look at Anne’s story to illustrate this:

Take the case of Anne, a manager at a large New England insurance company. During a reorganization, Anne found herself vying for a position with a colleague who had far less industry experience than she did.

When she learned that she and her department would be folded under this colleague’s department, Anne realized that she had one choice if she wanted to keep her job – use her significant influence to support her new manager. So she publicly threw herself behind the colleague.

In turn, he gave her the loyalty she felt she deserved. Anne’s attitude demonstrated commitment to the company – something that was noticed by the management. A year later, Anne got new responsibilities that led to a prestigious board appointment.

What roles would you want to take to see that your organization makes progress?

“GIVE YOUR BOSS HOPE”How?

  • “Empathize”

“Your ability to empathize can demonstrate a maturity that is invaluable to the company, ” they said.

It can be as little as trying to know how the organization is doing… You can send a mail or a text to encourage your boss in this turbulence season.

This alone can be the eraser that cleans your name from the potential “job loss” list.

  • “Unite and inspire your colleagues”

The Isaac story.

At an international financial services company that had endured a 20% staff reduction, morale had plummeted. Isaac, a learning and development VP, assembled a team of volunteers who created a live radio show that engaged even cynical employees. It included a soap opera that kept staff laughing and waiting for the next episode.

And it gave executives a platform to share key information, such as the company’s performance and structural changes. Morale improved, and Isaac eventually became head of management and leadership development.

What action can you take to unite your colleagues together?Maybe a Whatsapp group can do something or if it exist already, try something uplifting on the group with caution though.

You might be saving yourself from job loss.“BECOME A CORPORATE CITIZEN”Let’s see how Linda exhibited this…

Linda, a VP in operations, who worked in a large company that needed to cut costs. Management came up with the idea of shared service centers to avoid duplication of effort in staff functions in areas such as compensation, management training, and strategic planning.

The decision was universally unpopular. Service center jobs had one of the catcher of working in small business units, where customized solutions could be developed. Headquarters objected to losing the elite status they’d enjoyed as corporate experts. When service center jobs were hosted, many high-profile people refused to put their names forward, misjudging their own importance and hoping management would relent. But Linda saw the opportunity and applied for a service center job.

The new position gave her immense visibility and was an immediate promotion. Meanwhile, many of the resisters found themselves standing without a chair when the music stopped… Six years later she reported directly to the president of the company.

If you’re convinced and believe in the vision of the company, then go all the way to make it stand and not fall.

On the tail, the authors advised that if you can’t do again, then decide to neatly exit.

I’ll end with the words of Jim Collins from his well-researched book, HOW THE MIGHTY FALL:

We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, our setbacks, our history, our mistakes, or even staggering defeats along the way. We are freed by our choices.

Just for fun…

Get Down Reaction GIF by reactionseditor - Find & Share on GIPHY

You won’t fall like this…

Dunk Fail GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

You’ll win after this crisis…

https://giphy.com/gifs/dunk-awesome-75ueLvSt2vqNO

Remember to wash your hands and your mind. Stay safe!

Africa and the Future of Work, Personal development, Personal finance

Africa and the Future of Work: How we Work and Earn is Changing. Are You Ready for this Disruption?

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  • And this shows how work has changed – how production and exchange of goods & services have changed over time. It is the future of work versus the future of earning.
  • There are few persons that have the privilege of earning sufficiently from just a job.
  • Even in the midst of coronavirus, there are persons whose earnings are not going to be affected so much.

From reports yesterday and few days ago, Norwegian Airline said it would lay off up to 50% of its employees across all department, British Airways boss tells staff members that jobs will go and Employees in China visa service leave.

The figures are staggering. Nations are shutting down. The school system is not left out. Just few days ago, it was reported that secondary schools in certain states of Nigeria will shut down.

Coming back from work (a secondary school, where I work as a Life coach) yesterday, I went to get few things in a grocery store and I heard customers talking about how one of the most popular online betting website in Africa, bet9ja, has not been yielding much for bettors.

Why?

Football leagues around the world are on corona-break for safety. No one is playing. No one is watching. Therefore, few to none are betting.

However, I don’t think that the virtual version of the bet is totally down as virtual bets can be done with or without live matches.

And this shows how work has changed – how production and exchange of goods & services have changed over time. It is the future of work versus the future of earning.

My question is: Are you ready for that future? Are you building the structures needed for that future? How are you going to utilize this time of disruption as you work remotely?

Amongst other ways, these three can kick start your thinking in that direction.

1. Build an online business.

Despite the effects of the virus on the betting websites, it dawned on me there’s virtual betting. If the real Cristiano Ronaldo is not playing, PS4 CR7 can never contact coronavirus. Never!

For those who have such platforms, more cashflow is the case while they wait for the real players to come on live.

So, do you have any plans for building value online? See this post: 12 Ways you can absolutely make money online.

2. Have multiple streams of income.

One of the best advice I’ve received on creating multiple streams of income is this:

(Thanks to Shay K on Pinterest for sharing).

There are few persons that have the privilege of earning sufficiently from just a job. Follow this advice and I think you’ll be better for it. You can also read this too: How to build multiple streams of income.

3. Lifelong learning.

Devashish Chakravarty, on the Economic Times, calls it Renew and Grow. He said,

Tough times are ideal for investing in yourself and growing rapidly as a professional… your employer will be glad if you can deliver more value.”

And if she’s glad, wouldn’t she keep you?

Jim Rohn will tell you that

Even in the midst of coronavirus, there are persons whose earnings are not going to be affected so much. There are others who are also not afraid of being asked to stop work by their employer.

Why?

They have systems that can sustain them for as long as possible.

Show love to those around you by staying safe first and helping them stay safe. Visit who.int for more on coronavirus.

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.

Related Posts

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…

https://giphy.com/gifs/crazy-drummer-peVimMgG69Omc

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?

Personal development

Self Criticism: A Hidden Strategy to Self Improvement.

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This picture above is one of my latest designs with Adobe Spark Post mobile app. (I’ve received compliments for it. It’s not the best as I know that improvement is elastic. Thanks to highschool physics.)

I started using the app last year. Some of my designs are very funny, so funny you can’t imagine I did them. I look at them today and I laugh.

Take a look at this too:

I did this for a program I host every Saturday for teenagers. On and on and on, I’ve seen serious improvement.

I don’t want to load you with many pictures yet I’ll just let you know how being able to criticize myself has helped me and the elements that have made it possible.

So, what can make one use self-criticism to improve?

1). Possess a strong and positive self concept

If you don’t have this, it’ll be difficult to handle. What do you do when people criticise you? How do you feel? What about when you genuinely criticize yourself?

From my design journey with Adobe Spark Post, each time I do a design, I look at it first. I know that the design is not me. I know I am better than it. So, I can confidently say emmmm, this is fine but can be better.

My self concept is strong. It’s not on anyone. It’s not on certificates either. It’s not on what people say about me. It’s personal. It’s first anchored on my inner life. I’m a believer and what My Father says about me is where my self concept is anchored on. You want to find them? Check the Holy Bible. Go to Ephesians chapter 1 through chapter 3. That’s what holds my self concept.

2). Have an open mind

Yeah… Someone asked me how do I do this? I told her that most times I visit Harvard Business Review website and when I see designs there, I just copy them.

I don’t bottle myself up. I read a lot. I get deigns and inspiration from lots of places. It’s in abundance. So, my open mind makes me see my error and then check what the best guys are doing and copy. Just copy.

3). Set a standard for yourself

Hmmmm… One or three of my projections for myself are these: become the number voice for the future of work in Africa, the future of education in Africa and #1 Teens Career Branding Coach in Africa.

These views make me begin to ask myself: What will people feel like when they see these designs? What will it tell of me? Does it represent who I want to be?

4). Practice! Practice!! Practice!!!

The first three will not produce any result if this is not in place. We use to hear this:

Practise makes perfect.

But I heard something different.

Practise makes improvement.

And that’s it for me.

So, you can also apply the same thing to yourself or more. Criticize yourself by yourself. There is more to you than what you’re doing now.

If you can bruise yourself first, trust me you’ll see that improvement coming in steadily.

Enjoy your day! One more thing, what about your goals for 2020? Any progress so far?