oluyemiadeosun

Career Seminar in Pictures

2012-02-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

Wale, Oluyemi and some participants at the last Career Seminar facilitated by Enviable Youth Leaders at WEBIC

Career Clinic for Teenagers

2012-01-24T00:46:00.000-08:00

Career Mentoring Session

2012-01-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

Career Empowerment Seminar

2012-01-04T23:36:00.000-08:00

Enviable Youth in Conjuction with Yaba Youth Corpers presents career seminar date sunday 8th of January 2012 at 1st floor Mr Biggs building by morocco round about, Shomolu, Yaba. Time is 2pm.

Wale Micaiah and Oluyemi Adeosun and a team of other seasoned professionals will be on ground to share knowledge.

Featuring:

Live job hunting
Mock Interviews
cv screening/Drafting
Volunteering/Intership tips
Networking/Mentoring

Invite someone to this event. They will be glad you did.

Admission is free.

2012 – Buckle Your Shoe

2011-12-23T00:54:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the most important word in the coming year will be adjustment. To access the opportunities ahead, you need a fresh perspective to issues and circumstances. Some of the areas you will need to adjust include, spending and consumption, mindset, relationships, habits etc.

Taking finance as a reference point; the following includes increased cost you will incure:

· Toll gate fees

· Taxes

· Speculated fuel subsidy removal

· Higher PHCN tariffs

· Transportation cost

· Generator fueling cost

· Higher prices for goods and services

For salary earners, this does not sound good. Many people will not be able to get a pay rise except they change jobs. The business men can transfer some of the cost to consumers albeit at the risk of reduced business.

Last week my dry-cleaner tried to warn me ahead that he will increase his charges come 2012. I have since adjusted mentally. I now know I will do more laundry myself than outsource. My wife is already contemplating buying a washing machine to assist with that.

Yet this will not let me lose sleep. Neither should you. In 2012, I am going to acquire knowledge like never before. In similar manner, I am going to implement the ideas that drop into my heart with military discipline. Ultimately, I am going to add unprecedented value to all stakeholders. The leader in me will rise up and take charge.

Greatness is birthed in harsh conditions. I foresee unprecedented results come 2012. See you there!

YEC 2011 Conference

2011-12-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

Join me with other distinguished personnels like Damola Giwa, Toyin Daniel, Wale Micaiah etc has we facilitate sessions that will unlock greatness.

WEBIC Youth Church- Leadership Seminar

2011-11-22T00:09:00.000-08:00

I was at WEBIC Youth Centre with my Partner Wale Maciaiah on the 20th of November 2011 where we spoke at their education sunday.

We will be speaking with the WEBIC Youths again coming saturday by 11am on Leadership and Problem solving.

Special thanks to the pastor Akintoye Morakinyo.

Am I Still Alive

2011-11-16T23:51:00.000-08:00

A few days to my birthday, i got this mail from a friend Micaiah Omowale and i had to feel my pulse to know if i am still alive or dead.Enjoy the piece.

Oluyemi Adeosun Stands Taller than Most

I have never done this before; few people that have seen did them posthumously. Early this year, Fola Adeola wrote a masterpiece about his friend and colleague Tayo Aderinokun (GTBank) of blessed memories. It was an expose that am sure if Tayo read while alive, death would pause for a while. Those words really don’t mean anything to the dead; they only inspire the living and remind others to live a good life that someday something might be written in the dailies about how they lived their lives. But what about if it is said to the dead while they were still alive, am sure they will live a better life than they did.

Today, I celebrate a special friend who stands 6ft 7 inches tall, at least head and shoulders taller than the average man. His name is Oluyemi Adeosun, but because of his height, I simply refer to him as Tallest. We met few years ago in ways events of our lives together cannot easily make me remember. You will easily notice Tallest because of his height but much more than that is his strength of character, integrity and selfless service to make the other person a better being.

Tallest is from a very humble background, but learnt to be independent very early in life. By my analysis, he is more of a choleric who sees and finds a way out of all situations. He could likened to the biblical Joshua and Caleb, who lives with the attitude that God has given us the land we only need to take. He is not easily discouraged by events for he believes the next action might lead to a breakthrough. While doing his M.Sc. in Economics, Tallest needed a job so he went searching. He got to a consulting firm and ask if he could volunteer to work for free, they were taken aback but said ok the problem is ‘you can come back later, we don’t have a PC in place that you can use’. My friend was about to give up, so he said, ‘I have a PC at home, can I bring it and start immediately’. Now tell me if you were the employer would you say no? Tallest doesn’t wait for the ship to come to the shore, he swims hastily but slowly to catch it. I have been infected with this can-do virus that all things now to me are possible.

In 2010, I was spurred by Tallest to take action towards helping Nigerian students seeking admission to tertiary institutions by authoring the book titled: “A Guide to Tertiary Institution Admissions and Careers.” Because he has similar passion to help young people, he did not only encourage me when I seem slow in progress, he became my first editor, criticizing constructively and contributing professionally from his personal experience. At a point he was as though Tallest has been paid to make sure the job is completed because he won’t allow another student to experience failure in securing admission. When I look back today, I am an author in part because I had an encourager who would not let me rest until the job was fully completed.

Often when people leave school, school leaves them too and they say bye-bye to education. Tallest is committed to continuously increasing his knowledge through books and training. I earlier said he volunteered to work for free with his own computer, due to his commitment, the employer thought it would be a great injustice to allow this enviable young man come here every day without an appreciation, so he gave what one would term transportation allowance. One day a bookseller came to his office and my dear friend used over 50% of his monthly transportation allowance to buy a book so voluminous but highly resourceful that I often can’t resist reading anytime it comes to my view on his book shelf.

Tallest is not only committed to developing himself, he is what I refer to as ‘self-sponsored people-equipper’. He is an author and a public speaker. He produces and presents a Personal/National development programme twice weekly on Gold FM 95.5 Ilesha Osun State (5:55am Mondays & Wednesdays) and once weekly in Yoruba language on Amuludun FM 99.1 in Ibadan (8:30am every Monday) for an NGO (Young and Excellent Club which he co-founded), this he sponsors personally and sometimes with assistance from like-minded individuals. He is of the opinion that when majority are educated and enlightened, government would have less burden to worry about, and if you are not ready to be enlightened don’t go near him. I have shared the podium speaking to youth on diverse topics – pro bono – with no other person than Tallest, we’ve traveled far and wide in order to make sure no one suffers from ignorance, this to me is the hallmark of people who not only desire a great country but also do something about making it great.

He is a family man – married to one of the most humble lady I have ever seen, a medical doctor, precisely a cardiothoracic surgeon in training, little wonder she has a large heart. If you are not married, you would love to if you find yourself in their company….lovebirds don’t stop before ‘I do’, to them it is a lifetime experience. I could go on and on, to tell of his passion and desire to see Nigeria take her place as a first-world nation and his effort in ensuring young men are guided rightly through several programmes under the initiative of Enviable Youth that we both host in schools, churches, NGO and youth centres. My quest is not to do an exhaustive on the influential life of Tallest, but to challenge you to pause and think about the people whom God has brought into your life – your friends. Celebrate them while you have the time, let them know they are valued and their effort & contribution in whatever good they have found themselves committed to is noticed and appreciated…. I am grateful for this and other friends I have because I am successful today in part because we are friends.

If you are in need of a friend, please find one that is tall, not only in height, but also in character, integrity, selflessness and great commitment to the development of his fellow man and service to his creator. Don’t let another day pass by without celebrating a friend that is one indeed, Tallest is and I’m thankful for his life. As you celebrate another year today, I know your dreams are Tall, but they are very reachable…with the way you are going, they might suddenly be achieved too soon and you would have to dream again….dream more brother, Happy birthday Tallest….keep growing!

Good to Great

2011-11-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

I will be speaking at this upcoming event with like minded people.

Pictures from Making an Impact as a Teen Seminar

2011-11-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

The above pictures were taken at the RCCG Strong Tower Parish 5/6 Olu-Aina Street,Ijoko road, Sango Ota, Ogun State at the seminar held on the 22nd of October 2011 facilitated by Oluyemi Adeosun and Wale Micaiah. The theme of the programme was "Making an impact as a Teen." We also had participants from other Churches and Ministries.

GEJ Steps down for Siasia ?

2011-11-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

Which is more important? The state of the national economy or the football status of a nation? That is a million dollar question.

Sia one failed to fulfill the terms of his contract so he must go. I wonder, does GEJ have any contract that his performance can be benchmarked with?

Every day, on many Radio/TV stations, we discuss sports/football with a passion. Yet I don’t get to hear agriculture or education (except on Wale Micaiahs blog taken the front burner). Let me confess, I love football but not more than the national economy or issues.

Football is now the opium of the people. If it is our birth right to go to the nations cup and get to the semi-final then it is also our birth right to have access to basic amenities and infrastructure.

Can the NFA lawyer draw a contract for the President, Governors and other political office holders? Can we have a yardstick to determine if a President, Governor, LGA Chairman and others deserve to be retained or fired after a given period of time?

I wish GEJ has 2 years to build 2 refineries, generate 10,000 megawatts, prosecute 100 corrupt politicians, fix the railway system or he losses his job. I wish the Minister of Education has a KPI to determine if he will remain after a year in office. While 10,000 megawatts is the semi-finals of the Nations cup, 3,000megawatts could be the equivalent of qualifying for the Nations cup.

I also wish qualification for the Nations cup, World cup, Olympic etc was not based on a qualifying round but on certain governance parameters……..hmmmmm.

If we miss 4 Nations cup due to poor governance then we will get the kind of uproar that greeted the dismal performance of the Eagles (please, Super is for Tunisia ‘94 set only) culminating in the missing of 2012 African Cup of Nations!

You know what will follow. They will sit up or be shaped out.

At least if Nigeria will not be there Niger will get our support.

Collapsed 6-Storey Building

2011-10-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

A 6-storey building The Don de Dieu Plaza collapsed recently at Maryland, Lagos. The building is located at 11, Aderibigbe Street, was occupied by over 10 companies as at the time it collapsed.

More than 350 people escaped death as they had been evacuated before the building collapsed.

The evacuation took place because prior to it's collapse, the building shook to its foundation and occupants and neighbours heard a very loud noise yesterday at about 3pm, giving signs that all was not well. Less than two hours after all the occupants had left the building, it collapsed. No casualty was recorded.

Usually before bad things happen, signs occur. What do you do with it? Do you take action or wait for the disaster to happen? Please be discerning.

Lessons from the Super Eagles

2011-10-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

• Numbers don’t count; (Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth did not qualify for the Nation’s cup. Many smaller black Nations made it.)
• Big names don’t count; (We have many players with big names. Niger republic don’t have one big name that I know of yet they made it)
• Income don’t count; (The Super Eagles winning bonus was far greater than their opponents)
• History don’t count; (The last time we failed to qualify was 25 years ago did not matter. Niger had never qualified before yet they made it)
• War, Disasters don’t count; (Libya and Sudan are testimonies, yet they made it)

What is your excuse for not achieving results or not even trying at all? People who have lesser resources and opportunities than you do are trying and surprisingly, they are making it too. Don’t let inadequate capital or dominant competitors scare you. Guinea did not let Nigeria scare her from picking up the Nation’s cup ticket. That you are small could be an advantage. That you are the underdog means you could spring surprises by working harder and not relying on past accomplishment.

What counts?
• Planning
• Preparation
• Organization
• Teamwork
• Dedication
• Discipline
• Huge desire or hunger to win
When you miss out on something big, do you waste precious time mourning the loss? I would rather you reach out to the next big thing by stepping up your planning and preparation.

In sports, there will always be more spectators than players. In the society there will be more complainers than people taking corrective/remedial actions. There is so much money in sports. The players, journalist, advertisers of products and services, sales of branded club merchandise, etc.

The spectators also “benefit”. They ease their tension and relax (What of when their clubs loses?). They also get high and excited when their clubs or teams record victory. However, the success of Barcelona will not/never substitute for victory in your personal life.

Don’t just continue to spectate, strive and excel so you can win others applaud.

Facilitators at the Oct 8 Foursquare Ilupeju Seminar

2011-10-10T02:20:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs :Commencement address delivered by, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005

2011-10-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Executive Excuse from Naija Officials

2011-10-04T00:57:00.000-07:00

It easy to know the Man who is going somewhere, he takes responsibility for his actions, and in-actions. So also is the country – the developed countries, they take responsibility for their action. When you see a man, woman, child, leader or follower point to the other man or situation as the reason for their failures, you have seen someone who may eventually amount to nothing. People who make excuses really don’t make progress, so also is a country that thrive of excuses.

When people are dirty, they blame others. When students fail, it is the teacher that failed them. When boys who have lost their sense of moral indulge in rape, they blame girls for dressing in provocative way….when people come late to work, meeting, etc, they blame it on traffic or one thing or the other. The truth is, there are limitless excuses around us every day. A philosopher said, “one excuse is as good as the other”.

People, countries, and individuals who want to make progress accept they may not always be right, hence the need to take personal responsibility for their failures when it does come. I love what John McCain said after he lost to Barack Obama, “this loss is mine not yours”, your guess is as good as mine if it was to be the average politician in Nigeria!

One of the benefits of taking responsibility for your actions is that it gives you the sense of ownership and the right to right the wrongs.

Lately we have been inundated with countless excuses from our political and institutional "leaders" or office holders. What do you do when you are faced with a dilemma, inevitable failures or a grave situation?

This are some of the famous cliché’s common in our country:

We are on top of the situation.
The incident was rather unfortunate and all hands are on deck to bring the perpetrators of this dastardly act to book.
We extend our heartfelt condolence to the victims of this incidence.
We checked the official log and the mentioned checkpoints were not there
The incident did not take place in our school, teritory, state.
The victim has not come out.
The case has not been reported
The problem is a global phenomenon
It is the turn of our country to experience this (or be bombed)
It will be achieved by 2015 (shift the goalpost or deadline)
This is the handiwork of our political detractors
The opposition must have orchestrated this
This is sabotage
It is not the responsibility of the Government alone
Government alone cannot do it (why then did you join the government)
The last administration failed in their duty
The project was handled by our predecessors
We are making wide consultations (when experiencing a delay in setting up a team)
This is a federal road
I do not have authority to make a comment
the boss will make a statement in due course
introduce a diversionary issue (i.e tenure extension)
The xxxx sector has been neglected for ages
The equipment cannot be gotten off the shelf
We do not have enough equipment or manpower
The matter is already in court
It is taking time because we are following due process
If anyone has any evidence, he should come out
The criminals are from neighboring countries or state (who cares)

What are your personal excuses?

Wonders of the 21ST CENTURY!!! !!!!!!

2011-09-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Our phones ~~ wireless!
Cooking ~~ fireless!
Cars ~~ keyless!
Food ~~ fatless!
Dress ~~ sleeveless !
Youth ~~ jobless!
Leaders ~~ shameless!
Relationships ~~meaningless!
Attitude ~~ careless!
Women ~~ fearless!
Feelings ~~ heartless!
Education ~~ valueless!
Children ~~ mannerless !
Everything is becoming LESS But still,
Our Hopes are ~~ Endless.
Infact, I am speechless...

I got this in my inbox and found it rather amusing. I wonder who authored it.

Benjamin Nethanyahu"s Speech (UN General Assembly)

2011-09-28T02:16:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, in Israel our hope for peace never wanes. Our scientists, doctors, innovators, apply their genius to improve the world of tomorrow. Our artists, our writers, enrich the heritage of humanity. Now, I know that this is not exactly the image of Israel that is often portrayed in this hall. After all, it was here in 1975 that the age-old yearning of my people to restore our national life in our ancient biblical homeland -- it was then that this was braided -- branded, rather -- shamefully, as racism. And it was here in 1980, right here, that the historic peace agreement between Israel and Egypt wasn't praised; it was denounced! And it's here year after year that Israel is unjustly singled out for condemnation. It's singled out for condemnation more often than all the nations of the world combined. Twenty-one out of the 27 General Assembly resolutions condemn Israel -- the one true democracy in the Middle East.

Well, this is an unfortunate part of the UN institution. It's the -- the theater of the absurd. It doesn't only cast Israel as the villain; it often casts real villains in leading roles: Gadhafi's Libya chaired the UN Commission on Human Rights; Saddam's Iraq headed the UN Committee on Disarmament.

You might say: That's the past. Well, here's what's happening now -- right now, today. Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the UN Security Council. This means, in effect, that a terror organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security.

You couldn't make this thing up.

So here in the UN, automatic majorities can decide anything. They can decide that the sun sets in the west or rises in the west. I think the first has already been pre-ordained. But they can also decide -- they have decided that the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest place, is occupied Palestinian territory.

And yet even here in the General Assembly, the truth can sometimes break through. In 1984 when I was appointed Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, I visited the great rabbi of Lubavich. He said to me -- and ladies and gentlemen, I don't want any of you to be offended because from personal experience of serving here, I know there are many honorable men and women, many capable and decent people serving their nations here. But here's what the rebbe said to me. He said to me, you'll be serving in a house of many lies. And then he said, remember that even in the darkest place, the light of a single candle can be seen far and wide.

Today I hope that the light of truth will shine, if only for a few minutes, in a hall that for too long has been a place of darkness for my country. So as Israel's prime minister, I didn't come here to win applause. I came here to speak the truth. (Cheers, applause.) The truth is -- the truth is that Israel wants peace. The truth is that I want peace. The truth is that in the Middle East at all times, but especially during these turbulent days, peace must be anchored in security. The truth is that we cannot achieve peace through UN resolutions, but only through direct negotiations between the parties. The truth is that so far the Palestinians have refused to negotiate. The truth is that Israel wants peace with a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians want a state without peace. And the truth is you shouldn't let that happen.

Ladies and gentlemen, when I first came here 27 years ago, the world was divided between East and West. Since then the Cold War ended, great civilizations have risen from centuries of slumber, hundreds of millions have been lifted out of poverty, countless more are poised to follow, and the remarkable thing is that so far this monumental historic shift has largely occurred peacefully. Yet a malignancy is now growing between East and West that threatens the peace of all. It seeks not to liberate, but to enslave, not to build, but to destroy.

That malignancy is militant Islam. It cloaks itself in the mantle of a great faith, yet it murders Jews, Christians and Muslims alike with unforgiving impartiality. On September 11th it killed thousands of Americans, and it left the twin towers in smoldering ruins. Last night I laid a wreath on the 9/11 memorial. It was deeply moving. But as I was going there, one thing echoed in my mind: the outrageous words of the president of Iran on this podium yesterday. He implied that 9/11 was an American conspiracy. Some of you left this hall. All of you should have. (Applause.)

Since 9/11, militant Islamists slaughtered countless other innocents -- in London and Madrid, in Baghdad and Mumbai, in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in every part of Israel. I believe that the greatest danger facing our world is that this fanaticism will arm itself with nuclear weapons. And this is precisely what Iran is trying to do.

Can you imagine that man who ranted here yesterday -- can you imagine him armed with nuclear weapons? The international community must stop Iran before it's too late. If Iran is not stopped, we will all face the specter of nuclear terrorism, and the Arab Spring could soon become an Iranian winter. That would be a tragedy. Millions of Arabs have taken to the streets to replace tyranny with liberty, and no one would benefit more than Israel if those committed to freedom and peace would prevail.

This is my fervent hope. But as the prime minister of Israel, I cannot risk the future of the Jewish state on wishful thinking. Leaders must see reality as it is, not as it ought to be. We must do our best to shape the future, but we cannot wish away the dangers of the present.

And the world around Israel is definitely becoming more dangerous. Militant Islam has already taken over Lebanon and Gaza. It's determined to tear apart the peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and between Israel and Jordan. It's poisoned many Arab minds against Jews and Israel, against America and the West. It opposes not the policies of Israel but the existence of Israel.

Now, some argue that the spread of militant Islam, especially in these turbulent times -- if you want to slow it down, they argue, Israel must hurry to make concessions, to make territorial compromises. And this theory sounds simple. Basically it goes like this: Leave the territory, and peace will be advanced. The moderates will be strengthened, the radicals will be kept at bay. And don't worry about the pesky details of how Israel will actually defend itself; international troops will do the job.

These people say to me constantly: Just make a sweeping offer, and everything will work out. You know, there's only one problem with that theory. We've tried it and it hasn't worked. In 2000 Israel made a sweeping peace offer that met virtually all of the Palestinian demands. Arafat rejected it. The Palestinians then launched a terror attack that claimed a thousand Israeli lives.

Prime Minister Olmert afterwards made an even more sweeping offer, in 2008. President Abbas didn't even respond to it.

But Israel did more than just make sweeping offers. We actually left territory. We withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 and from every square inch of Gaza in 2005. That didn't calm the Islamic storm, the militant Islamic storm that threatens us. It only brought the storm closer and make it stronger.

Hezbollah and Hamas fired thousands of rockets against our cities from the very territories we vacated. See, when Israel left Lebanon and Gaza, the moderates didn't defeat the radicals, the moderates were devoured by the radicals. And I regret to say that international troops like UNIFIL in Lebanon and UBAM (ph) in Gaza didn't stop the radicals from attacking Israel.

We left Gaza hoping for peace. We didn't freeze the settlements in Gaza, we uprooted them. We did exactly what the theory says: Get out, go back to the 1967 borders, dismantle the settlements.

And I don't think people remember how far we went to achieve this. We uprooted thousands of people from their homes. We pulled children out of -- out of their schools and their kindergartens. We bulldozed synagogues. We even -- we even moved loved ones from their graves. And then, having done all that, we gave the keys of Gaza to President Abbas.

Now the theory says it should all work out, and President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority now could build a peaceful state in Gaza. You can remember that the entire world applauded. They applauded our withdrawal as an act of great statesmanship. It was a bold act of peace.

But ladies and gentlemen, we didn't get peace. We got war. We got Iran, which through its proxy Hamas promptly kicked out the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority collapsed in a day -- in one day.

President Abbas just said on this podium that the Palestinians are armed only with their hopes and dreams. Yeah, hopes, dreams and 10,000 missiles and Grad rockets supplied by Iran, not to mention the river of lethal weapons now flowing into Gaza from the Sinai, from Libya, and from elsewhere.

Thousands of missiles have already rained down on our cities. So you might understand that, given all this, Israelis rightly ask: What's to prevent this from happening again in the West Bank? See, most of our major cities in the south of the country are within a few dozen kilometers from Gaza. But in the center of the country, opposite the West Bank, our cities are a few hundred meters or at most a few kilometers away from the edge of the West Bank.

So I want to ask you. Would any of you -- would any of you bring danger so close to your cities, to your families? Would you act so recklessly with the lives of your citizens? Israel is prepared to have a Palestinian state in the West Bank, but we're not prepared to have another Gaza there. And that's why we need to have real security arrangements, which the Palestinians simply refuse to negotiate with us.

Israelis remember the bitter lessons of Gaza. Many of Israel's critics ignore them. They irresponsibly advise Israel to go down this same perilous path again. Your read what these people say and it's as if nothing happened -- just repeating the same advice, the same formulas as though none of this happened.

And these critics continue to press Israel to make far-reaching concessions without first assuring Israel's security. They praise those who unwittingly feed the insatiable crocodile of militant Islam as bold statesmen. They cast as enemies of peace those of us who insist that we must first erect a sturdy barrier to keep the crocodile out, or at the very least jam an iron bar between its gaping jaws.

So in the face of the labels and the libels, Israel must heed better advice. Better a bad press than a good eulogy, and better still would be a fair press whose sense of history extends beyond breakfast, and which recognizes Israel's legitimate security concerns.

I believe that in serious peace negotiations, these needs and concerns can be properly addressed, but they will not be addressed without negotiations. And the needs are many, because Israel is such a tiny country. Without Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, Israel is all of 9 miles wide.

I want to put it for you in perspective, because you're all in the city. That's about two-thirds the length of Manhattan. It's the distance between Battery Park and Columbia University. And don't forget that the people who live in Brooklyn and New Jersey are considerably nicer than some of Israel's neighbors.

So how do you -- how do you protect such a tiny country, surrounded by people sworn to its destruction and armed to the teeth by Iran? Obviously you can't defend it from within that narrow space alone. Israel needs greater strategic depth, and that's exactly why Security Council Resolution 242 didn't require Israel to leave all the territories it captured in the Six-Day War. It talked about withdrawal from territories, to secure and defensible boundaries. And to defend itself, Israel must therefore maintain a long-term Israeli military presence in critical strategic areas in the West Bank.

I explained this to President Abbas. He answered that if a Palestinian state was to be a sovereign country, it could never accept such arrangements. Why not? America has had troops in Japan, Germany and South Korea for more than a half a century. Britain has had an airspace in Cyprus or rather an air base in Cyprus. France has forces in three independent African nations. None of these states claim that they're not sovereign countries.

And there are many other vital security issues that also must be addressed. Take the issue of airspace. Again, Israel's small dimensions create huge security problems. America can be crossed by jet airplane in six hours. To fly across Israel, it takes three minutes. So is Israel's tiny airspace to be chopped in half and given to a Palestinian state not at peace with Israel?

Our major international airport is a few kilometers away from the West Bank. Without peace, will our planes become targets for antiaircraft missiles placed in the adjacent Palestinian state? And how will we stop the smuggling into the West Bank? It's not merely the West Bank, it's the West Bank mountains. It just dominates the coastal plain where most of Israel's population sits below. How could we prevent the smuggling into these mountains of those missiles that could be fired on our cities?

I bring up these problems because they're not theoretical problems. They're very real. And for Israelis, they're life-and- death matters. All these potential cracks in Israel's security have to be sealed in a peace agreement before a Palestinian state is declared, not afterwards, because if you leave it afterwards, they won't be sealed. And these problems will explode in our face and explode the peace.

The Palestinians should first make peace with Israel and then get their state. But I also want to tell you this. After such a peace agreement is signed, Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations. We will be the first. (Applause.)

And there's one more thing. Hamas has been violating international law by holding our soldier Gilad Shalit captive for five years.

They haven't given even one Red Cross visit. He's held in a dungeon, in darkness, against all international norms. Gilad Shalit is the son of Aviva and Noam Shalit. He is the grandson of Zvi Shalit, who escaped the Holocaust by coming to the -- in the 1930s as a boy to the land of Israel. Gilad Shalit is the son of every Israeli family. Every nation represented here should demand his immediate release. (Applause.) If you want to -- if you want to pass a resolution about the Middle East today, that's the resolution you should pass. (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, last year in Israel in Bar-Ilan University, this year in the Knesset and in the U.S. Congress, I laid out my vision for peace in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state. Yes, the Jewish state. After all, this is the body that recognized the Jewish state 64 years ago. Now, don't you think it's about time that Palestinians did the same?

The Jewish state of Israel will always protect the rights of all its minorities, including the more than 1 million Arab citizens of Israel. I wish I could say the same thing about a future Palestinian state, for as Palestinian officials made clear the other day -- in fact, I think they made it right here in New York -- they said the Palestinian state won't allow any Jews in it. They'll be Jew-free -- Judenrein. That's ethnic cleansing. There are laws today in Ramallah that make the selling of land to Jews punishable by death. That's racism. And you know which laws this evokes.

Israel has no intention whatsoever to change the democratic character of our state. We just don't want the Palestinians to try to change the Jewish character of our state. (Applause.) We want to give up -- we want them to give up the fantasy of flooding Israel with millions of Palestinians.

President Abbas just stood here, and he said that the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the settlements. Well, that's odd. Our conflict has been raging for -- was raging for nearly half a century before there was a single Israeli settlement in the West Bank. So if what President Abbas is saying was true, then the -- I guess that the settlements he's talking about are Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jaffa, Be'er Sheva. Maybe that's what he meant the other day when he said that Israel has been occupying Palestinian land for 63 years. He didn't say from 1967; he said from 1948. I hope somebody will bother to ask him this question because it illustrates a simple truth: The core of the conflict is not the settlements. The settlements are a result of the conflict. (Applause.)

The settlements have to be -- it's an issue that has to be addressed and resolved in the course of negotiations. But the core of the conflict has always been and unfortunately remains the refusal of the Palestinians to recognize a Jewish state in any border.

I think it's time that the Palestinian leadership recognizes what every serious international leader has recognized, from Lord Balfour and Lloyd George in 1917, to President Truman in 1948, to President Obama just two days ago right here: Israel is the Jewish state. (Applause.)

President Abbas, stop walking around this issue. Recognize the Jewish state, and make peace with us. In such a genuine peace, Israel is prepared to make painful compromises. We believe that the Palestinians should be neither the citizens of Israel nor its subjects. They should live in a free state of their own. But they should be ready, like us, for compromise. And we will know that they're ready for compromise and for peace when they start taking Israel's security requirements seriously and when they stop denying our historical connection to our ancient homeland.

I often hear them accuse Israel of Judaizing Jerusalem. That's like accusing America of Americanizing Washington, or the British of Anglicizing London. You know why we're called "Jews"? Because we come from Judea.

In my office in Jerusalem, there's a -- there's an ancient seal. It's a signet ring of a Jewish official from the time of the Bible. The seal was found right next to the Western Wall, and it dates back 2,700 years, to the time of King Hezekiah. Now, there's a name of the Jewish official inscribed on the ring in Hebrew. His name was Netanyahu. That's my last name. My first name, Benjamin, dates back a thousand years earlier to Benjamin -- Binyamin -- the son of Jacob, who was also known as Israel. Jacob and his 12 sons roamed these same hills of Judea and Sumeria 4,000 years ago, and there's been a continuous Jewish presence in the land ever since.

And for those Jews who were exiled from our land, they never stopped dreaming of coming back: Jews in Spain, on the eve of their expulsion; Jews in the Ukraine, fleeing the pogroms; Jews fighting the Warsaw Ghetto, as the Nazis were circling around it. They never stopped praying, they never stopped yearning. They whispered: Next year in Jerusalem. Next year in the promised land.

As the prime minister of Israel, I speak for a hundred generations of Jews who were dispersed throughout the lands, who suffered every evil under the Sun, but who never gave up hope of restoring their national life in the one and only Jewish state.

Ladies and gentlemen, I continue to hope that President Abbas will be my partner in peace. I've worked hard to advance that peace. The day I came into office, I called for direct negotiations without preconditions. President Abbas didn't respond. I outlined a vision of peace of two states for two peoples. He still didn't respond. I removed hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints, to ease freedom of movement in the Palestinian areas; this facilitated a fantastic growth in the Palestinian economy. But again -- no response. I took the unprecedented step of freezing new buildings in the settlements for 10 months. No prime minister did that before, ever. (Scattered applause.) Once again -- you applaud, but there was no response. No response.

In the last few weeks, American officials have put forward ideas to restart peace talks. There were things in those ideas about borders that I didn't like. There were things there about the Jewish state that I'm sure the Palestinians didn't like.

But with all my reservations, I was willing to move forward on these American ideas.

President Abbas, why don't you join me? We have to stop negotiating about the negotiations. Let's just get on with it. Let's negotiate peace.

I spent years defending Israel on the battlefield. I spent decades defending Israel in the court of public opinion. President Abbas, you've dedicated your life to advancing the Palestinian cause. Must this conflict continue for generations, or will we enable our children and our grandchildren to speak in years ahead of how we found a way to end it? That's what we should aim for, and that's what I believe we can achieve.

In two and a half years, we met in Jerusalem only once, even though my door has always been open to you. If you wish, I'll come to Ramallah. Actually, I have a better suggestion. We've both just flown thousands of miles to New York. Now we're in the same city. We're in the same building. So let's meet here today in the United Nations. Who's there to stop us? What is there to stop us? If we genuinely want peace, what is there to stop us from meeting today and beginning peace negotiations?

And I suggest we talk openly and honestly. Let's listen to one another. Let's do as we say in the Middle East: Let's talk "doogri". That means straightforward. I'll tell you my needs and concerns. You'll tell me yours. And with God's help, we'll find the common ground of peace.

There's an old Arab saying that you cannot applaud with one hand. Well, the same is true of peace. I cannot make peace alone. I cannot make peace without you. President Abbas, I extend my hand -- the hand of Israel -- in peace. I hope that you will grasp that hand. We are both the sons of Abraham. My people call him Avraham. Your people call him Ibrahim. We share the same patriarch. We dwell in the same land. Our destinies are intertwined. Let us realize the vision of Isaiah -- (speaks in Hebrew) -- "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light." Let that light be the light of peace.

RCCG /NCCF/Enviable Youth Presents Oct 3 Career & Employabilty Seminar

2011-09-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is another opportunity for growth and development. Make good use of the public holiday.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF UNDER ACHIEVEMENT

2011-09-23T02:46:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from Leke Alder's book MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

1 The shortest route to underachievement is called nothing. Just do nothing. This is the first rule of underachievement. Fold your arms and just sit down. Stare into the skies, twiddle your thumbs, tap your knees; and if those seem too strenuous, meditate on Nothingness. Let your mind wander and day-dream but by all means do nothing.

2 Make indefinite plans. And each time you miss an opportunity to prove your worth, remind yourself of your grander plans.

3 Put in half effort into every job you have knowing that the man who said “Whatsoever your principle of efficient allocation of energy resources.

4 Always wait for perfect conditions before you start anything. If the conditions aren’t right, don’t even think of starting.

5 Spend your time hanging out in your friend’s office during working hours, but if that seems a little extreme, spend evenings at your club or your friend’s house telling tall stories. The more effusive your stories and plans, the better. Do what Boys do: hang out and gist!

6 Wait for the perfect contract even if it takes 3 years. Why waste your time starting on small jobs when the real ones will soon come along?

7 Love process very much and don’t focus on productivity. Indeed, the preparation for the assignment should be more than the assignment. Gather data, prepare to start and shuffle papers. You should indeed be commended for how far you’ve pushed the file through the bureaucratic labyrinth of your desk.

8 Always take ‘No’ for an answer. There is no need to argue. You are a liberal and a gentleman. You don’t want to be crude.

9 Blame your past and if that doesn’t work blame your parents, your wife, your girlfriend, past governments and even Mr. Alder’s dogs. It really doesn’t matter who; just blame someone.

10 Wait for inspiration to do your work. Always wait to be inspired before you do anything.

11 Do just enough in anything. Don’t follow up.

Beware of 419 (1)

2011-09-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, i will be sharing with you telephone styles 419 guys use. This is to safeguard you from falling prey in the future.

Enjoy this: A call from a 419 guy with caller ID hidden:

Mr. 419: Hello, how are you?

Ayo: Fine. Please, who am I speaking with?

Mr. 419: Haba, don't you remember me? Who do you know in UK that
could be calling?

(Sensing a scam, I threw in a trap…)

Ayo: Johnson! Is that you? (meanwhile, I don't know any Johnson in UK .)

(Thinking it's a break, he swallows the bait)

Mr. 419 : Of course, this is Johnson! How come you didn't recognise
my voice initially?

(Certain it's a scam, I decided to punish him verbally and
financially. I had the time that morning so I was going to assist him
waste his call credit.)

Ayo: Jooooooohnson! Kai! Omo buruku gbaa ni o! (You are a specially
bad boy) Your father died, you didn't so much as show up or send a
note. Omo a se iru e fun e! (Your children will repay you with such).
Didn't you hear about his demise? He was so bitter and full of
original curses for you.

Mr. 419: (Obviously subdued) I didn't hear. I would have come.

Ayo: Too bad. You heard your mama is leprous too? You didn't hear
about that, abi?

Mr. 419: (Now uncomfortable) No, I didn’t hear.

Ayo: (Enjoying myself thoroughly). Too bad. Is your wife that
foolish too? Not even a word from her after you folks married without
our blessings? If the husband is not wise, is the wife lame-witted
too?

Mr. 419: She's fine. I'm certain she'll get across to you. There's an issue…

(, breaking in before he begins his story)

Ayo: Johnson, O se mi o: (you offended me). I sent you money to buy
me a car and you just disappeared. When am I having my money back?
You want me to curse you too like your father did? I don't have his
kind of patience I'm sure you know. I won't wait that long before I
give you what you deserve.

Mr. 419: (Grunted). This issue is important,

Ayo: Shut up!!! When are you sending money home? Haba! We sent you to
school, clothed you and sent you abroad, Are you now a 419?
Stealing from me your friend too. Your father was right to curse
you, And you can't escape it if you continue like this. It's not a
curse.

Mr. 419: I'll repay you.

After about 15 minutes of moves and countermoves…I owned up.

Ayo: See Mr. 419, I don't know any Johnson in UK . I just needed to
teach you a lesson. Go get a proper job.

Mr. 419: Were! Oloriburuku! Lo ti n sepe fun mi lat'aaro! (Madman, and
you've been cursing me since morning!)

Disconnected

Beware of 419 and greed.

Increasing Your Sales by 500%

2011-09-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

Marketing Products by offering it for Free to Potential Customers for Trail appears to be the new trend.

Last week Saturday I went shopping at a popular retail outlet on V-I; on my way out, I was given some sachets of Hypo detergents – for free. This gesture not only took me by surprise, it got me thinking about the “wisdom” in this marketing technique.

As if this was not enough; yesterday, I got another surprise during lunch hour when a team of Indomie Box Noodles came to my office on Awolowo road, they set up camp and started handing out cooked box of noodles to all staff in the high rise building – again, for free.

These are organizations that have spent a fortune on advertising campaign. Sometimes, desperate situations require desperate measures. It is one thing to see a product over and over again and yet another thing to test, taste, trade cash for the product.

If you test/taste/trade cash for a product, you get a chance to form an opinion and probably become addicted to it or know for sure that you don’t like or want the product. For the first, I eat Indomie box noodles and can confirm that it is as delicious as the traditional Indomie noodles. I have also been able to verify that Hypo is as effective as it claims.

Next time I feel like eating noodles, Indomie box noodles would easily come to mind; first that a company could act generous by giving out her items for free, second and most important, for the delicious taste I got from eating it. Same goes for Hypo detergents. Of a truth, I probably wouldn’t have bought either item, but making it free has given me a firsthand experience of the products. Now am telling you, then you will spread the news, I wouldn’t be surprised if you decide to buy either item also for trial – word of mouth marketing they call it!

What are the products, services, skills you have to offer? Can you volunteer them for free to select and relevant market?

Are you looking for job? Would you consider volunteering – for free? Don’t just wait for something to happen. Make it happen.

Happiness is not something that happens to us. Happiness is something you create. Hypo go wipe o

Weekend Joke: Ice Cream or Body Cream

2011-09-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

Source Vanguard Newspapers 16/09/11

I dey laugh o.

Attend Career & Entreprenureship Summit (7th to 9th Oct 2011)

2011-09-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Also Wale Micaiah will be making a special appearance

UBA Foundation - Scholarship Programme

2011-09-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

United Bank for Africa, UBA, Plc, through its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, UBA Foundation has concluded arrangements to invest in human capital development in Nigeria and other countries in Africa.

The new initiative — the Essay competition, is part of its corporate social responsibility and is designed to cater for the educational needs of bright young scholars.

Speaking during the launch of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, in Lagos, Managing Director, UBA, Mr. Philips Oduoza, represented by Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, Deputy Managing Director designate, explained that winners of the competition, which is opened to only students of secondary schools in Nigeria, will have UBA as their life guardian, with the bank providing for their educational needs throughout their stay in any Nigerian universities whenever they secure admission to further their studies.According to him, winners will be expected maintain a consistent and impressive academic performance if they are to remain beneficiaries, adding that it they drop below the required academic requirement, they will be cut off from the benefits.

The idea behind it, he said, is to ensure that the students do not become lackadaisical and distracted in their academic pursuit.

Also speaking, Miss Ijeoma Aso, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, said the bank plans to conduct the essay competition across the Africa continent, but is starting it in Nigeria due to the pivotal role played by Nigeria in the continent.

She explained that students who wish to participate in the competition are expected to submit at the head office of the bank, a 750-word long essay about themselves and their career, on or before October 31, 2011.
She said the essays will be vetted and judged by three renowned professors from three higher institutions in Nigeria, who will then pick the winners.

Problems, Problems Everywhere but non to Solve

2011-09-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

A wise man said “a problem is an opportunity in disguise”. One thing that is prevalent around us in "Naija" is different problems. Problems in themselves are resources or opportunity to leverage on.

Today, some organizations are feeding fat on our electricity shortage, inadequate supply of cement, a demand for wheat that is ever increasing. Waste disposal is now a money-spinner for some PSP operators. Insecurity in certain or all parts of the country has provided opportunities for security companies, body guards, Israeli security details to earn additional income.

Bad governance is an opportunity for outstanding leaders to emerge. Darkness is an opportunity for light to shine. Failures in National exams such as WAEC, NECO, JAMB, etc is an opportunity for outstanding schools, teachers to flourish. Low employability skills displayed by graduates in the labor market is an opportunity for training institutions to thrive.

Many people in the society are fraudulent and dishonest; another opportunity for the honest to get opportunities on the platform of integrity. Their is food shortage and famine in part of East and North Africa. Is this not a good time to venture into agriculture?

The National Cake (or Problem) is big enough for all forward-thinking people to bake and share. What sector are you going to play? This is the time to think, identify, research into the sector and take the plunge.

What do you have to offer?

The problem is not the mirage of problems. Your problem is to identify the problem you can proffer solutions to profitably.

I am resolute that i wont just be a public affairs analyst but continue to play an active role in the real sector.

The transfer window is still open!

MTN Football Scholar

2011-09-09T01:27:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, I believe this information may be useful to someone.

*Introducing MTN Football Scholar*

*MTN Football Scholar* which was officially launched on Monday, September 5, following a press conference with major stakeholders. This initiative will further
consolidate MTN's leadership position among the youth segment through
connecting with their passion for football and aspiration to acquire quality
education.

The MTN Football Scholar is a youth programme aimed at discovering talents
who can combine active football and education at the tertiary level within a
scholarship scheme. It is a unique platform for the discovery, training and
exposure of budding soccer talents, providing them with access to
scholarship opportunities in soccer oriented universities in the United
States as well as links to international soccer academies.

The MTN Football Scholar programme is open to students within the age
bracket of 16 and 20 and is designed to strike an equal balance between
soccer and academics. Students who make it into the scheme will progress
through a series of knock out soccer competitions and mock exams to gain
entry into the Academy, where they will undergo intensive football and
academic training for one month.

The month-long training will prepare students for SAT (Scholastic Assessment
Test) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examinations. Those
who succeed in crossing this stage will play a final football competition
under the watchful eyes of international soccer scouts who will select the
top winners.

The programme will kick-off with auditions in eight key cities. To
participate, interested contestants are required to send an sms costing N50
to the short code *4000*, stating their name, age and location. Online
application forms will also be available on the MTN website and at the
various auditioning venues.

Celebrity Status; an Asset or Liability?

2011-09-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

A celebrity is a person who has a prominent profile in the media and is easily recognized.

According to Wikipedia, Some careers are associated with celebrity status; such as the top tier of the modelling, acting and sports industries. While people may gain celebrity status as a result of a successful career, in other cases, people become celebrities due to media attention for their extravagant lifestyle or wealth (as in the case of a socialite).

People like Prof Wole Soyinka, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu are examples of celebrities not from the entertainment world. Some people actually aspire to become celebrity.

Imagine someone saying that my life ambition is to be a celebrity. Hmmm, One thing is sure, and that is, it takes a lot of hard work (a little luck too) to become a celebrity in any sphere of life. It also takes extreme hard work and character management to remain a celebrity for life. Some people have become celebrities by being the first in the nation or category to attain an accomplishment, rank or status. You can become a celebrity by doing something noble like returning 5,000,000 million dollars you found on the road or toilet to the police etc.

Benefits of Celebrity Status
Endorsement deals
Product ambassadors
Access to other great individuals
Creating your own product line i.e fashion, perfume etc
You can be an advocate for a cause, red cross, NGOs
Platform to be a role model
free products or services
special welcome and reception in gatherings etc

Challenges of Celebrity
Loss of privacy
Rumor
security risks
cost of providing security
kidnapping potential (especially in Naija) etc
Why am i writing about celebrities. i have a hunch you will end up a celebrity. So i decided to help prepare you for that phase of life ahead. Many people don’t set out to be become celebrities in life, and when they are as a result of a grand achievement, the euphoria gets the other side of them out, they end up worse than their little beginning.

Scripture says "Have you seen a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings and not mere men........"

Power of Persistence

2011-09-06T01:41:00.000-07:00

What do u do when it seems like all hope is lost - Give up or Stay focused on your vision?

Did u know:
That Soichiro Honda: was turned down at an Interview with Toyota? He was jobless for so many years. He began making scooters in his garage and today is the founder of Honda..yes! The Honda u know!

Akio Morita: many of u don't know him. His 1st product was a rice cooker. It failed to cook and burnt the rice instead. It sold only 100 pieces! Guess what? Today he's the owner of SONY...yeah, your TV and DVD maker..worth Billions!

Harland David Sanders: He invented a secret chicken recipe and tried to sell it cheap just to feed himself. It was turned down 1,009 times before a restaurant reluctantly accepted it..Well..Have u heard of Kentucky Fried Chicken? thats him!

Walt Disney: He was sacked by his boss at a newspaper because he "had no good ideas". He tried many other businesses and failed...He was bankrupt for many years. But you know the end don't you? Disney's 1 of the richest companies worldwide today...

Oprah Winfrey: she had to endure a rough and abusive childhood and suffered low self esteem. She was fired from her job because her boss said "you're not fit for TV"...well, she's now the richest and most influential woman alive and TV's greatest personality. I wonder how her boss feels now..

Sir Alex Ferguson: he was sacked as manager in 1978 cos they said he was a "managerial failure"... Guess I don't need to say more..Google him

Richard Branson: was called a dummy in school, is a dyslexic and never succeeded in his studies. Today he's worth $4.4 Billion and owns 360 companies.

Please don't write yourself off. Continue trying because the Lord is not giving up on you. The Lord is waiting on you too. Get up and make that bold move. The host of heaven is waiting to celebrate you.

Culled from the internet

Audition for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

2011-09-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

As part of its Globe 2 Globe Project, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre presents a once-in-a-lifetime celebration for the London 2012 Festival.

37 International companies will present all Shakespeare’s plays in a different language over six weeks. The Nigerian entry is “The Winter’s Tale” produced by Renegade Theatre and directed by Wole Oguntokun. Presentation to be on 24th & 25th May 2012 at Shakespeare’s Globe, London.

Auditions @1, Akinwunmi Street (Top Floor), off Herbert Macaulay Way, by Casino Cinema/Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.
Date – Saturday 10th September.
Time – 10am prompt.

Actors MUST be fluent in English and Yoruba.

For lucid enquiries, call Anike Alli-Hakeem on 0808 123 9477.

Profile of Speakers @ Yabatech Taking Advantage of Change Summit

2011-08-25T00:57:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, Just to show the profile of two of our speakers at the Seminar Taking Place this Saturday in Yabatech.

OLUTOYIN DANIEL OGUNMOLA
Olutoyin Daniel studied Computer Science and Economics in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has a Masters Degree in IT Management and Organisation Change from Lancaster University Management School, UK where he finished with Distinction and has an award of the most collegiate student in a class of 58 students from 18 countries. His work was also awarded the best Masters Dissertation in the course for his set.

Olutoyin had worked as Software Developer, System Integration Analyst and Technical Business Developer for telecoms and aviation industry. As a seasoned IS Strategist, he presently work as the Group Technical Officer for MTECH a technology firm with branches in West and East Africa. Raised from a humble background, he has intense passion for supporting the less privileged youths in an all-rounded way through inspiration, motivation and knowledge.

DAMOLA GIWA
Giwa Adedamola studied Economics in University of Ilorin . He has an MBA from Obafemi Awolowo University , Ile-Ife. He is a Chartered accountant, a Chartered banker and is in the process of becoming a Certified Information Systems Auditor, haven passed the required CISA examination administered by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association of the USA .

He is currently the head of business operations of Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited which is the leading stock broking firm in Nigeria . As the business operations head, he provides leadership for the client services and operations teams of the company responsible for the delivery of excellent service to the company’s clients. He is passionate about people development, nation building and believes he is called to be a channel of blessing to the less privileged.

Note: This is a great opportunity. Please invite your friends to this epic event. Wont you rather be in the gathering of the great?

Yabatech Hosts- Enviable Youth in Taking Advantage of Change Seminar

2011-08-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

Yabatech Hosts- Enviable Youth in Taking Advantage of Change Seminar

Come August 27, Yabatech will be the home of the capacity building programme.

Venue is Engineering Block (MELB 3-10). Time is 10am prompt

Yours trully. Wale Micaiah, Oluyemi Adeosun, Damola Giwa and Toyin Daniel will be there.

You need to take advantage of this.

Democracy or Enlarged Monarchy? - Your father, Your future

2011-08-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

Governor Jonah Jang of Pleateau state appoints son as special assistant on special duties! Osun state Governor appoints Bola Ige’s son, Bisi Akande’s Daughter as commissioner. These are just recent examples of families been perpetuated in government. I want to look at this from an objective point of view and not in any way judgmental.

Are these people constitutionally eligible to be appointed into offices? The answer is yes! Are they qualified in terms of education, work experience and the ability to deliver the dividends of democracy to the citizens? Most likely yes. However are their not other families in those states who are also equally qualified to fill those offices? Most likely yes.

While I congratulate these people on their appointments, I also sincerely wish them well as they attempt to add value to governance.

If our parent’s accomplishment and attainment determines how far we will go, what is your hope and the hopes of the commoners? My father was a proud civil servant. Would I also end up as one ? He gave me education which I am eternally grateful for, but would I one day be selected and honoured as a special assistant on xyz? Not likely!

Do capacities to function in certain offices run exclusively in certain families? I doubt this assumption. At a time, Kanu Nwankwo and Ogbonna Nwankwo were both playing in the National Teams, Sunday Oliseh and Azubuike Oliseh also, if not the cold hand of death that snatched away Iginiwari George, the younger brother of Finidi de ‘ Finito’ George, he would have also played for the Eagles. Altlanta 1996 had Celestine Babayaro and his elder brother Emmanuel Babyaro on the same team. Yes, the Uche brothers are playing for the Super Eagles so why can’t 2 sibblings be in government? Perhaps the best reason why family members excel in certain endeavors of life is that they are exposed to the internal working system from a tender age. Today 2 or 3 of Abedi Pele’s children have featured for various national teams in Ghana, and in all sincerity, those boys are stars.

The bottom line is, if family members have the ability and well withal to deliver result in whatever endeavour they represent the State or Country in, they have my vote. In fact, wouldn’t you rather prefer GEJ with his brother as V.P but with 24hours power supply and good road?

So folks don’t envy the Sarakis, or the Yarduas, or the Tinubus. Envy is pure waste of time. What advantage will you confer on your children? I think that is what we should ponder about.

Asiwaju said “power is not served alacate” i.e. “nobody will give you power, you take it”.

Who do We Report the Police to?

2011-08-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

The strength of the institutions in a country ultimately determines the growth and development of the country. If the current image and attitude of the police in Nigeria is in anyway a mirror of our future; perhaps it is high time we began to think of relocating.

Yesterday, I took a bike from Iyana Oworo (in Lagos) through Bariga to Fola Agoro a distance of less than 4 km and met 4 police check points. Ordinarily; one should be happy that security in his area has been tightened, however, I realized that the objective of the check points was not to nip crime in the bud. All the policemen were doing was extorting money from commercial bus drivers and motorcyclists.

Not once did they attempt to search the bag I was carrying. My motorcyclist ended up paying 50naira per checkpoint making 200naira even though he had charged me 130naira for the trip. If such case was reported or an incident occurred as a result of this ignoble exercise by the Police, my favorite Police PRO Mr. Frank Mba would have said something like this: “in the police log book only one or at most two of the check points exit”.

Who do we report the police to? One thing was apparent, a few of the officers were also “high in spirits”. They were far from courteous in their extortion business. I also noticed little resistance from the bike men and bus operators. That something has gone on for so long does not make it right. Longevity does not equal legality.

I challenge my police brothers to pick up okada business if they feel it is that lucrative. It is not an excuse to say they are poorly paid. After all nothing stops them from resigning and become a bus operator.

The government and the police management may perhaps not have the political will and moral conscience to fight this anomaly. I challenge the transport union to rise up and fight this menace. Enough is enough.

@ Adeosun Oluyemi Theophilus

Foursquare Host Enviable Youth Training

2011-08-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Enivable Youth in Collaboration with Foursquare presents a capacity training programme.

Featuring seminars on:

Career Development
Leadership Development
Budgeting
Leveraging on Social Networking
Escaping the poverty trap
Documentaries
Role plays etc
Date: Saturday 13th of August 2011.

Venue is Ilupeju Foursquare Gospel Church @ 33, Iseyin Street, Palmgrove, Lagos.

Time: 9am Prompt

Admission is free to participants.

Facilitating:

Wale Micaiah
Oluyemi Adeosun

Equivalent of Strike in Non Unionized Private Sector

2011-08-08T00:33:00.000-07:00

Many organizations today are without a union, most especially firms in the Banking and the Telecoms sectors. Unions are usually taken for granted in the manufacturing sector of the nation. Even though the Nigerian Constitution allows for freedom of association many employees in the service sector are scared of unionizing so they won’t loose their jobs. Where there are unions, it is easy to embark on a strike as a last resort to get management to accede to the demands of the workers. However workers in non unionized organizations also have demands, grievances and opinions.

In addition to better welfare, employees may be asking that you let them contribute, suggest and make intellectual input. People like to be treated as if they count and truly matter. Organisations that deprive their employees of such opportunities usually end up with dissatisfied personnel.

How do they channel this to management? Murmurings, complaints, withdrawal of enthusiasm, good will, “demarketing” etc. Sometimes you see a group of employees chatting at the dinning and they suddenly keep quite when a senior official or someone close to Ownership/Management enters. You begin to see people reading and sharing Tuesday Guardian at work.

When some employees exit the organization, others rejoice with them and wish they were the one, some even chant “ours will come soon”. To the business owner, he may feel at least these employees cannot and have not downed tools. Yet the organization is losing out big time.

Yes, creativity is been stifled. Employees will begin to leak company trade secrets without a second thought. New and prospective employees who go the extra mile to consult with existing ones will be discouraged from joining the work force, and if they have, they are advised to keep their doors open to new and better opportunities as soon as possible.

Passionate workers radiate enthusiasm, you can feel it in their vocal pitch, and you can see the twinkle in their eyes. In a survey carried out to determine employees work engagement status: 29% were found to be actively engaged, 54% non engaged and 17% actively disengaged. I know whatever an organization does it is impossible to please all employees! However, when 70% or more of the company staff are just marking time; something drastic has to be done. The opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. Indifferent employees are not productive. Indifference creates a disenabling environment.

Do your employees see themselves as stakeholders or partners in your business? Or are they just another factor of production, holding a stick that can break at any time? Google for instance does not have a union. Yet the employees are extremely happy to work there. Former Google staff a few of whom I have met still speak of their experience while there with nostalgia.

Having satisfied employees is not a function of the business ownership structure i.e. sole proprietorship, partnership or even public liability company. Also it is not a function of the income of the organization. It is largely as a result of how management values and treat people. Yes that is what makes an organisation to be an Employer of Choice. It is all about Social responsibility to all stakeholders including employees.

I believe that Human Capital is the most critical resource in an organization especially in this knowledge age.

Are your workers on a form of “strike” and you are not aware?

@ Adeosun Oluyemi Theophilus

Tenure Extension; a diversionary technique?

2011-08-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Mr. Wazobia got home late one Friday night tired and hungry. He was met by his wife with a warm embrace. He quickly settled down, took a shower and his seat at the dinning. His wife joined him at the table and started chatting away about what food she will prepare for Saturday night dinner.

Wazobia managed to keep pace with his wife thinking food was on fire and almost ready. After an hour of gist, he asked his wife about dinner. She responded that she would set a committee up comprising the 3 children to decide what to eat so that they can go ahead to buy the food stuff and commence cooking preparation to cook it. Haba!

If Mrs Wazobia is your wife what will your reaction be?. Disgusted? Awed? Sad or bitter?Well permit me to liken “Gudluk Jona” to Mrs Wazobia. He has as abandoned pressing issues of poor infrastructure, electricity and energy crisis for a problem or solution that may not be required until 2015.

Who told him we are complaining about duration of tenure? I would rather prefer a life president who provides all basic amenities than a single-tenured president without tangible achievement. Those who voted him to power most likely wanted him to face the pressing issues on ground. I make bold to say that it does not matter how long tenure is but how well it was spent.

Something tells me that tenure extension is a gimmick to get “Naija” citizens to shift attention from Boko Haram issues and poor infrastructure.

What a mighty mindset he has.

Creating Your Own Future

2011-08-01T03:43:00.000-07:00

Just decided to share some pictures from a seminar i facilitated at RCCG Igando Lagos on July 17, 2011. The event was a success to the glory of God. Special thanks to Pastor Farounbi and his amiable wife. Bro Wale Micaiah was extremely crucial to the success of the meeting.

A Moment of Happiness

2011-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I am generally a very happy fellow. However been with Family and friends makes me super happy. The picture above represents a cross section of my friends. I call them Connected Family. You never have a dull moment when you are in there company.

Talking about hapiness. lets learn from the dictum of the great golfer, Babe Zacharias (June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956). Her husband wanted to be strong for her when she was on her death bed and dying of cancer but he could not control his emotions and began to cry. Babe said to him gently with as much strength as she could muster - "now honey, don't take on so. While I have been in the hospital, I have learnt one thing. A moment of happiness is a life time, and I have had a lot of happiness".

Now i need to mention someone else who makes me happy daily. My best friend. Perhaps i wont even mention her but display her. After all a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

I am Nigeria

2011-07-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

by Adeosun Oluyemi Theophilus

I am 6ft 7 inches tall. At least head and shoulders taller than the average man. Everywhere I go; people cannot resist the temptation of staring at me. Some even go the extra mile of making comments about me. How tall are? Do you play basket ball? Are your parents tall etc. Children ask. Uncle why are you this tall. Some are negative or taken aback. They say you are too tall. Others say how tall is your wife? Comments and questions never cease about my height.

I have received many favors because of it. It opens doors of relationship and business development. Yes my height is outstanding. It also has much cost. Yea, imagine tailors charging extra cost, not been able to sit in a commercial bus, haven to bend down when entering rooms or hit your head against the panel. So many associated inconveniences attached to my great height.

Yet, in spite of it all, I love me. I am proud to be me. I won’t like to be nobody else.

I recall when I was ashamed of my height. I dare not enter a lecture room from the front out of shame that I will be geared at. That was a long time ago. I encountered some literature that told me I was great, I was special, if I like myself other people will like me, if I am proud of myself, other people will respect me. Then I embraced self development, things turned around for me.

I am Nigeria. Love me, hate me, and embrace me. I am not what you think I am. No not at all. I am not a 419 or fraud (97% of my inhabitants are honest). I am neither poor nor despondent. I am not at the mercy of other nations. I am free and adding value to the world. I provide the largest troupe in Africa to peace keeping. I send relief materials to countries in distress. I was there for Haiti. I was there for South Africa back then. I have potentials. In 15 years to come I will have produced 10 Nobel Laurels.

I am great. I produced the MD of World Bank; I have produced men who worked at the highest echelon of multinational corporations like Meril Lynch etc. I will yet do more. I am not asking you for a chance. I am creating it. I am here to stay.
I am capable not only of solving my problems but also to solve for the rest of the world. Do you need manpower, come here for it. Do your brainpower, come here for it. Do you need integrity, this is its domicile.

I am a giant, Nigeria is the giant of Africa, I am Nigeria.

Yesterday is Gone

2011-07-15T01:21:00.000-07:00

"If what you did yesterday seems big today, then you have not done anything today".

Lou Holtz: Retired Football Coach, Author, Motivational Speaker

Sometimes i am tempted to give myself a pat on the back for accomplishment and achievement of yesterday. It happens to many of us from time to time. I however discover that i enter this mode when i have nothing new to pursue.

I ask you what major undertaken is ahead of you. Are you still talking about the revival of 1930 or you are experiencing a revival in your today. Gospel truth, old things have passed away. It does not matter how glorious the old thing is. Bygone is bygone. Your best days are and will always be ahead of you.

Continue to value people, make yourself more valuable and value what God and Godly people value.

Freedom or Power?

2011-07-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

"Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash." Harriet Rubin

We may not all have power but we all have freedom. Yes we have the capacity to unleash something. Thank God we can at least think. what are you doing with that capacity?

How Is South West Represented?

2011-06-07T03:07:00.000-07:00

I got this data from a friend:

What do you guys think?President - SSVice president - NWSenate president - NCNow speaker - NEDeputy speaker - SEWhere is SW?Are we now matured as a country not to follow zoning?Are we going to feel among as a region?Please let's discuss.

Below was my response.

When i enter a Bus from Lagos to Abuja. I do not ask where the bus driver hails from. All i am intereted in is a safe journey to Abuja. Before i chose a sit in the bus, it does not matter where my neigbours came from provided they are friendly i am cool.

Why do we not use federal character when fielding players in the super eagles or in the 4 by 100 relay race in the olympics?

Folks, i have personally gotten to a situation where i am in diffirent if all the ministers or principal officers are from Kebbi. all i want is sustainable result. if it takes someone from somalia to give us light please let them come on board.

I look forward to the day when we will have statistics like this

South west- Mike Adenuga
North.......Aliko Dangote
South East- Jim Ovia
South south-
North west-

Can someone please help me fill the blanks.

We need to agitate that people from our geo political zones should productive and not lobby that they be appointed into ofices. Let us compete to create and not to share what we have not laboured for.

The only questions we should be asking now is will the elected people deliver?

We will be proud of them in the days to come.

High Cost of Governance

2011-05-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

PAC members, had during a visit to the President on January 20, advised him to reduce the cost of governance by either merging or cutting down the number of MDAs.
The Danjuma group stated that this would enable the government to direct more spending on infrastructural development.

Danjuma, after the visit, told journalists that one of the suggestions made to Jonathan was “reducing the number of ministries and where there are functions they should be rationalised.
“We made a number of far- reaching recommendations to government to take remedial actions to correct all these problems. We realised that we are on the eve of elections and that there is going to be a transition, however we think also this is the right time we raise these issues.”

The President had welcomed the suggestions of the group and promised to continue working with the PAC members, whom he described as people of good character.

He had also said that a robust economy was crucial to the survival, growth and well-being of any nation, adding, “Issues of the economy are critical, since you can’t provide education, health or security without resources generated from a robust economy.”

Apart from PAC, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, had last December raised the alarm over the high cost of maintaining public officials.

He lamented that such a high cost made it difficult for government to invest in the critical sectors of the economy. Culled from the Punch 17/05/11
..........................................................................................................................................................................

If you pay a man 100,000naira and delivers value of 500,000naira will there be a need to request for a reduction in Salary? The answer is NO. If all the ministers whether 43 or 37 are creative, resourceful and innovative perhaps we will not be requesting for a reduction in ministers but asking for more.

We want a Minister of ideas, creativity and innovation. We want a Minister for project follow through. We want a Minister for waste management. We want a minister for accountability.

Yes this are the ministers and ministries we need right now. We need people who can bake cake. we have had enough of people who come to cut and share the national cake.

Note: where they come from do not matter.

ISSUE ORIENTED CAMPAIGN

2010-11-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

Paul Summerville, a visiting Associate Professor of History from the United States who has been in the country for six months said it is appalling and ahistorical to see a bunch of politicians who want to rule a complex and dynamic nation like Nigeria not having a clue on how they intend to address fundamental issues that are at the core of the unity of the country.

“I am yet to see the aspirant that has told Nigerians how much the country makes from crude oil sale daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly; how he intend to move Nigeria forward when close to 70 percent of the annual budget is spent on recurrent expenditure and how he hope to use the remaining 30 percent or less to ‘make Nigeria great’ again.

These are the fundamental issues that Nigerians should impress on their leaders to explain.” Summerville added.

Rauf Aregbesola

2010-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Court of Appeal in Ibadan has finally decided the case between Action Congress candidate and former Lagos State commissioner, Rauf Aregbesola as the legitimate winner of the last bgubernational elections 3 years after the elections held. It will be remembered that the Federal High Court had dimissed his case.

Mr. Aregbesola is now the governor of the state and People’s Democractic Party candidate Olagunsonye Oyinlola has been removed

Governance Metrics

2010-11-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

Super Falcons....Shabby Reception

2010-11-25T03:28:00.000-08:00

Investment Club: Vehicle for Wealth Creation

2010-11-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

Investment Club: Vehicle for Wealth Creation

We all aspire to be rich and retire comfortably someday. What are you doing about this?
In addition to having personal savings and investment or registering with an Asset manager or Pension Funds Administrator, I will suggest that you form an investment club with likeminded people. The beauty of an investment club is that it helps you to be disciplined enough to save and invest consistently.

An investment club is a group of people( 5 or more) who pool resources together on a regular basis ; preferably monthly to save and invest. It is similar to a Cooperative society but here you save to invest for the long term i.e. 10 years and above. The club may allow members contribute an equal amount of money monthly (e.g. N5,000) or different amount in multiples of the minimum monthly contribution permissible for ease of valuation.

Experience shows that if 20 people begin an investment club, by 2 years later only 50% or 10 of them will be left. So you may need to get on board more people than you need to make room for dropouts. However, you must be very careful and selective in your choice of members to ensure only people of like mind are invited. You must also ensure you have some members with useful skills and or experience. E.g If possible, it is advisable to have a lawyer as a member to provide legal advice and guidance. It is also advisable to have someone with accounting or book keeping skills to ensure all the financial records of the club are properly kept.

I advise that for the first year the club should just focus on savings, registration, exploring different business ideas/proposals and working out the blueprint.

An investment club should have executives i.e. chairman, vice chairman, treasurer, fin sec, investment director etc. members of the executive must meet at least once in a month hence the need to have sacrificial and passionate people on board. To help members remit payment faithfully, it is advisable post dated cheques are collected on an annual basis. This enforces discipline and reduces the chance of default in contribution.

The investment club should have an investment plan and stick to it.

An example of an Investment Plan

Total Contribution = 100%
Capital Market (Preferably via a well managed mutual fund ) =20%
Money Market (Savings for opportunities) =20%
Investment in real business (Education; Agriculture; Commerce etc) = 50%
Soft loans to members = 10%

The club should have a bye law or constitution guiding members conduct, signing up of new members, exit procedure e.t.c. Members must be fully involved and engaged. Beyond prompt contribution of money, members must be willing to contribute their ideas and time to the club for her to be able to realize its objective. Knowledge sharing is critical. Fines might be introduced to compel members to attend meetings.

An investment club could serve as a safety net for members in times of dire emergencies, a loss of job etc. it also provides a platform for horning entrepreneurial skills. It is good to allow members who bring up ideas to champion its implementation. Members who offer to manage a business idea should be given an incentive E.g 10% of the profit to serve as a compensation for productivity and motivation for success.

Business set up by an investment club has a high rate of survival. It is not easy for a group to give up. The club also serves as a board of director for businesses set up which encourages good governance; accountability and best practices. This is something that most SMES lack and is partly responsible for their high rate of failure. Two good heads are always better than one.

Oluyemi Adeosun is an executive member in 2 investment clubs. He has 6 years cumulative experience in Investment Club Management. He is an Investment Club Consultant.
08025320606 http://www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com/ oluyemiadeosun@gmail.com

Kind Or Clever by Jeff Bezos founder of AMAZON (Princeton Commencement Address 2010)

2010-10-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I spent my summers with my grandparents on their ranch in Texas. I helped fix windmills, vaccinate cattle, and do other chores. We also watched soap operas every afternoon, especially “Days of our Lives.” My grandparents belonged to a Caravan Club, a group of Airstream trailer owners who travel together around the U.S. and Canada. And every few summers, we’d join the caravan. We’d hitch up the Airstream trailer to my grandfather’s car, and off we’d go, in a line with 300 other Airstream adventurers. I loved and worshipped my grandparents and I really looked forward to these trips. On one particular trip, I was about 10 years old. I was rolling around in the big bench seat in the back of the car. My grandfather was driving. And my grandmother had the passenger seat. She smoked throughout these trips, and I hated the smell.

At that age, I’d take any excuse to make estimates and do minor arithmetic. I’d calculate our gas mileage — figure out useless statistics on things like grocery spending. I’d been hearing an ad campaign about smoking. I can’t remember the details, but basically the ad said, every puff of a cigarette takes some number of minutes off of your life: I think it might have been two minutes per puff. At any rate, I decided to do the math for my grandmother. I estimated the number of cigarettes per days, estimated the number of puffs per cigarette and so on. When I was satisfied that I’d come up with a reasonable number, I poked my head into the front of the car, tapped my grandmother on the shoulder, and proudly proclaimed, “At two minutes per puff, you’ve taken nine years off your life!”

I have a vivid memory of what happened, and it was not what I expected. I expected to be applauded for my cleverness and arithmetic skills. “Jeff, you’re so smart. You had to have made some tricky estimates, figure out the number of minutes in a year and do some division.” That’s not what happened. Instead, my grandmother burst into tears. I sat in the backseat and did not know what to do. While my grandmother sat crying, my grandfather, who had been driving in silence, pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway. He got out of the car and came around and opened my door and waited for me to follow. Was I in trouble? My grandfather was a highly intelligent, quiet man. He had never said a harsh word to me, and maybe this was to be the first time? Or maybe he would ask that I get back in the car and apologize to my grandmother. I had no experience in this realm with my grandparents and no way to gauge what the consequences might be. We stopped beside the trailer. My grandfather looked at me, and after a bit of silence, he gently and calmly said, “Jeff, one day you’ll understand that it’s harder to be kind than clever.”

What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy — they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.
This is a group with many gifts. I’m sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable brain. I’m confident that’s the case because admission is competitive and if there weren’t some signs that you’re clever, the dean of admission wouldn’t have let you in.

Your smarts will come in handy because you will travel in a land of marvels. We humans — plodding as we are — will astonish ourselves. We’ll invent ways to generate clean energy and a lot of it. Atom by atom, we’ll assemble tiny machines that will enter cell walls and make repairs. This month comes the extraordinary but also inevitable news that we’ve synthesized life. In the coming years, we’ll not only synthesize it, but we’ll engineer it to specifications. I believe you’ll even see us understand the human brain. Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Galileo, Newton — all the curious from the ages would have wanted to be alive most of all right now. As a civilization, we will have so many gifts, just as you as individuals have so many individual gifts as you sit before me.

How will you use these gifts? And will you take pride in your gifts or pride in your choices?
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that Web usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles — something that simply couldn’t exist in the physical world — was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I’d been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most startups don’t, and I wasn’t sure what would happen after that. MacKenzie (also a Princeton grad and sitting here in the second row) told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I’d invented an automatic gate closer out of cement-filled tires, a solar cooker that didn’t work very well out of an umbrella and tinfoil, baking-pan alarms to entrap my siblings. I’d always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.

I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but ultimately, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all. After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice.
Tomorrow, in a very real sense, your life — the life you author from scratch on your own — begins.
How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make?
Will inertia be your guide, or will you follow your passions?
Will you follow dogma, or will you be original?
Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure?
Will you wilt under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?
Will you bluff it out when you’re wrong, or will you apologize?
Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?
Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?
When it’s tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless?
Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder?
Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?

I will hazard a prediction. When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story. Thank you and good luck!

Interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Budgeting

2010-09-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

1 Can we meet you?

Oluyemi Adeosun, a native of Ilesa, Osun State is a graduate of Economics from the University of Ilorin. I have a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Lagos and recently concluded my MBA programme from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I am a member of of the Project Management Institute,USA and Toastmasters International. My work experience cuts across telecommunications, Consulting and, broadcasting. I am an author, broadcaster and public speaker and I blog on www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com. Presently, i produce and present motivational programme twice weekly on Gold FM 95.5 Ilesha Osun State (5:55am Mondays & Wednesdays) and once weekly in Yoruba language on Amuludun FM 99.1 in Ibadan (8:30am every Monday) for an NGO (Young and Excellent Club) as part of my contribution to adding sustainable value to the society. I am very passionate about People management, Project management, Organizational development, Social entrepreneurship, Youth development and Good Governance

2. In your recent write-up, you talked about budgeting, what prompted this idea?

The recent global economic meltdown with its lingering effects which included loss of jobs, salary cuts amongst other things shook a lot of individuals; a lot are yet to recover from it. In the wake of the recession, it became obvious that people especially salary earners /workers survival depended a lot on how much savings they had. You can’t save if you do not make financial arrangements to do so.
Economies flow in a cycle from prosperity to recession (or poverty) and vice versa. Budgeting helps you to navigate through the changing season smoothly. Budgeting isn’t a gift rather it is an art that has to be learnt that is why it is referred to as “the art of spending wisely”. A money plan is called a budget and it is crucial to get us to our desired financial goals. It is a time tested and trusted method of enhancing the ability to live within ones means. Without a plan we will drift without direction and end up marooned on a distant financial reef.
A good budgeting plan helps to guide ones financial path as it helps to set up guidelines for reaching our goals. The import of this is that you will be able to control your money and not your money controlling you. This mindset prompted the need to encourage people in that very important aspect of life which a lot of people neglect-art of budgeting.

3 Why do you think Nigerians have problems with budgeting and savings?

There is an African Proverb that “Those who don’t have to watch their spending got theirs by watching it” How much you make is not as important has how you spend it. I have been opportuned to come across people who earn approximately the same income but have different standard of living five years down the line. I know we live in a consumer-driven economy and broad array of products and services are available in the market. I am also aware that it is sometimes difficult to resist the temptation (“of buy me now”) of spending money through Impulse buying and spending. You have to be an educated consumer i.e. someone who knows how, why, and when to spend money. A budget should never be a financial starvation diet. That won’t work for the long haul. Make reasonable allocations for food, clothing, shelter, utilities and insurance and set aside a reasonable amount for entertainment and the occasional luxury item. Savings should always come first before any spending. A lot of people have found themselves in debt and deep financial mess today because they fail to budget and also do not live within their means. Most often than not, the cause of Nigerians having problems in budgeting and savings is impulse spending and engaging in mundane things of this world. We want to attend every party, we want to buy every aso-ebi, every jewelries brought to us without factoring which is really important. There is a need to prioritize and save for the rainy day.
Managing money through budgeting is a proven method of becoming a prudent consumer. There are a whole lot of techniques out there that could be utilized to make the best (use) of your money; they range from the mundane to the sophisticated – it all boils down to how we apply how heart to what is needful.

4 What do you think are the basic steps or simple tips to having good budgeting?

BUDGETING TIPS:
Draw up a budget, stick to it, be prepared to make adjustments in your lifestyle or spending habits and pay yourself first by saving regularly.
Save through payroll deduction and take advantage of any employer-sponsored savings plan – deferred compensation, retirement accounts, etc. Use a piggy bank to keep your loose change.
Keep an emergency fund and save any bonus income you earn. Consider whether it is worthwhile to have one or two incomes, if you have childcare expenses.
Protect your vital assets adequately; home, cars, personal belongings, business, life health etc. – “a stitch in time saves nine”. Carry only one health insurance plan for your family and save on premium payments.
Car pool when and if possible and use public transportation.
Learn to do basic repairs or fix simple things in your home, such as decorating, painting, changing light bulbs, etc. the savings would amaze you – check out major home improvement outlets for class schedules.
Keep lights off when you are not in a room, buy long-lasting energy saving bulbs and appliances – don’t be “fuelish”.
Conserve and re-circle every material that you can. Use glass instead of paper cups.
Pack your own lunch as often as possible and cut down on meals away from home. Buy in bulk if discounts are offered. Minimize on snacks or "junk food”.
To stay healthy, develop good health habits and consider the cost of addictions. Learn to take temperature, pulse and respiration. Learn about symptoms of common diseases to determine whether to see a doctor or not.
Learn to give sensibly - give of your time and assets or merchandise when possible instead of always giving cash. It’s not compulsory you buy the ‘aso ebi’ of every dick, tom and harry. Learn to say no to what you can’t afford and don’t need. Set reasonable amounts for children's allowances and encourage them to save – let prudence be a family habit early enough. Watch your credit limit.

Prudent Man-Prototype Budget
Total Income – (100%)
Savings- (10%)
CHARITY/Giving – (10%)
Transportation- (10%)
Housing- (10%)
Sustenance- (30%)
Investment - (20%)
Continuous education- (10%)

5 How can somebody earning, for example, N20,000 budget and save in the present Nigerian environment?

First and foremost (the act of saving) savings is a mindset. If you believe you can save, then you will. 20,000 naira is not a lot of money; however, it is not too small either to save out of to save out of. That is why I recommend that people should use percentage to allocate their income whatever the figure.
It is best to save first and spend what you have left and not the other way round. Proper Planning will give one financial rest. It takes a lot of creativity and self-denial or delayed gratification to live within ones income. I know quite a number of people who earn less than 20,000 naira and yet drink many bottles of alcohol on a daily basis. People do things that are priority to them. Once any demand is more than the budgeted amount for that sector my advice is that the demand should be delayed till when it can be met or out rightly forfeited. There's a saying that "you can't help but think about the future because you are going to spend the rest of your life there".

Paradox of the Overaged Underage

2010-07-29T00:11:00.000-07:00

I wrote this piece while watching the Falconets of Nigeria play against the USA team.

In spite of how interesting the match was, my mind kept wandering back to the last world cup and the dismal performance of the Green Eagles (super????).

At the senior world cup where there are no age restrictions; teams like Germany, Ghana etc came with teams with an average age ranging between 22-24. Nigeria came with a team with an average age of 27-29 years. Recent developments tend to show that it takes more than old age / experience to win or perform well in international tournaments. It also requires youthfulness and strength

At age-grade competitions, some countries are world famous for using “overage” players. These countries usually perform excellently at such competitions using “experienced players”. The irony of it is that when these players are supposed to blossom and mature with time in subsequent senior tournaments, the players become tired-legs, “expired” and no longer effective.

The irony is that these same countries bring tired-legs to tournaments with no age restrictions and perform woefully. Perhaps the football leadership of these countries have forgotten that the purpose the age group competition is to identify talents early and encourage football development. The objective of the tournament to member countries should not be primarily to win but ensure that talents are discovered and nurtured to maturity over some periods of time. While it is desirable to win under 17 and under 21 competitions, the method should not be through the use of overage players but through proper preparation and having under 13, 15 clinics and competitions to discover talents which abound in the Nation.

In 1989, the great Pele predicted that “Uncle Godwin Okpara” would become one of the best players in the world by virtue of what he displayed on the pitch. Luis Figo played in that same competition but nothing was said of him, but you and I know Figo became a shining star before he retired from active football. One commentator said regarding Mikel Obi in 2005, “this ‘boy’ plays with a charisma of an experienced and exposed player. He holds the ball and makes excellent passes”. Mikel and Taiwo eventually became 2nd and 3rd best players of the tournament behind Lionel Merci. Today, five (5) years after, Merci is world best. Our dear brothers are probably African or Nigerian best (sorry if I hurt you).

All major towns and cities should by now have a secondary school that focuses on football and athletics generally. Regular competitions should be organized between them at State and National levels under the watchful eyes of the national team coaches. I sincerely hope that a “good” coach will be hired for the national team with a 4-year term contract. Quality friendly matches should also be organized for eagles i.e. against Germany, Holland, Argentina, Spain etc as against poorly rated teams to expose the real weakness and strength of our teams.

I look forward to seeing the green eagles “super” again.

Written by Oluyemi Adeosun

Focusing on the Fundamentals

2010-07-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Written by TM Oluyemi Adeosun

We need a leader who we can identify with not on the basis of tribe, tongue, political party and religious affiliation but on his the capacity to understand the fundamental challenges we are facing as a people/nation, identify the strengths and numerous potentials within the nation as a result generate and implement ideas that could harness these potentials to deliver our nation from the doldrums of poverty and ineptness/ineptitude.

I am bored with newspaper report about zoning, northern, eastern or minority agenda. My challenge is not and will never be where the president comes from but lack of electricity, infrastructural decay, monolithic economy, educational decadence, the beast called corruption etc

Earlier in this administration, we had a manifesto built on 7-point Agenda covering all basic and essential aspects of the Nigerian lives – according to the ruling party. (you could mention the 7 points). But one thing that was lost amidst the propaganda and braggadocio was the absence accountability and a measuring scale what has been done from day one the campaign started. Now, 7-point agenda seems dead or out rightly dead. Imagine if each point were taken as a project with milestones and deadlines! Imagine if Minister of Power had a mandate to deliver 1000Mega Watt as his KPI! Imagine if Minister of Education need to ensure less failure in National exams before he gets his next project approved. Imagine if the Minister of Labour was appraised on the number of jobs created in three (3) months! Imagine what I am imagining!

It has been recommended that we perhaps should focus on one agenda and see it to a logical conclusion i.e. electricity. If an administration can make uninterrupted electricity available to all Nigerians, we can name all transformers after the president as a memorial. Providing this critical resource will have a multiplier effect on all aspect of the socio-economic milieu. SMEs will thrive and more jobs will be created. In our individual lives, I believe this is one step we can take now and likewise have an overwhelming impact on our entire lives.

Our multifaceted developmental problems may appear to require multi-dimensional strategy to face it headlong. In each sector, we can identify one project that will provide succor on multiple fronts to the citizenry of this great nation.

I wish the government or minister of transport can select the railway sub sector and connect the hinterland with the cities. I.e. connect Lagos to all the major towns in the southwest i.e. Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu-ode,Sagamu with high speed train systems. This will mean you don’t have to live in Lagos to work in Lagos (population distribution). This will result to the over hiked price of rents in Lagos to fall to realistic levels (reduced housing problem). Jobs will be created for train drivers and officers (employment generation). Income will be generated by the train operators. What interest me the most is that our roads will last longer since their will be less traffic on the road (traffic decongestion and cost savings). Heavy duty goods will be moved more through the rails than the roads.

The above illustration is simple and anybody can think about it. The big question is will someone implement it?

We need a leader with the capacity to think and deploy solutions using native intelligence and indigenous personnel. To some extent Lagos has shown us what a strong will can do. We need a thinking President, 36 thinking Governors and 774 thinking Local government Chairmen. (108 Senators, 3XX Reps, XYZ Commissioners, XYZ Councilors) We must embrace the process of beneficiation i.e. Add value to the raw materials before exporting them. We are well endowed we just need to put on our thinking cap, implement and start prospering.

WELCOME TO LIMELIGHT

2010-07-20T02:38:00.000-07:00

by Oluyemi Adeosun

A Spanish proverb says “take what you want” Said God, “and pay for it. Andrew Jackson added that “you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. There is a price (sacrifice, money) to be paid for the prize (reward, fulfillment).

When you see a successful man you see someone who has gone through a lot. The university professor has burnt the midnight candle. He has written many academic journals. He has come out a lot of research. The four star army general has many stars yet he has many scars, some of my colleagues have died, he has lost dear ones, he has been through hell and high waters. A Yoruba adage says that the person who will drink the water in the coconut will not look at the mouth of the axe”.

That you are going through some challenges and hard times right now is an indication that you are still on track, you are making progress. People may pity you right now. I am sure that in the days ahead they will envy you. You may be in obscurity right now but I see you coming into limelight.

When I see people with outstanding results and accomplishment, I don’t attribute it to luck or good fortune. I ask them what they have gone through prior this success. In men’s stories I see the principles birthed the glory. I don’t ask successful people for money rather I ask them for insights and wisdom.

Ask yourself what do you need to do right now to move to the next level? Do you need to further your education? Do a certification? Learn a trade or craft? Drop a habit that is affecting your health or progress? Do you need to relocate? Read more in your field endeavour.

If you have peace about it, the go ahead with your personal development plan. Contact the trade training centre school for the admission requirements. Do your research, Google it on the internet make enquiries from the right sources.

Charles Dubois said “the important thing is this! To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become”. Perhaps you are enjoying some measure of success right now…….. don’t rest on your oars. What you have right now is child’s play compared to what you have ahead.

Reach out to your dream.

HAPPINESS BY CHOICE

2010-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happiness is a choice you need to make on a daily basis. “You need to learn to be happy by nature, because you will seldom have the chance to be happy by circumstance” lavetta Wegman. Be honest with yourself………..what does happiness mean to you……..for me am happy when I make life more meaningful to others, when I provide sustainable help to people’s need. You have to be specific. Jane Wagner said”All my life I always wanted to be somebody, now I see that I should have been more specific”. Don’t be vague or generic. Those who succeed in life know what they want and go for it.
Yes go for what you want the race is not to the swift but to those who keep on running. Sometimes what you want may seem impossible Doug Larson said “some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not swift enough to know they were impossible”.
You can have what you want. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is how they developed their minds and applied knowledge in their day to day activities. Somebody said “there are no third world countries we only have third world minds.
Make what you want your focus keep your priorities right. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said “the greatest thing in this world is not to much where we are, but in which direction we are moving”.
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams, think not about your frustration but about your unfulfilled potential” Pope John Paul III Apostle Paul said “I press towards the mark”. Reach out to your dreams with unwavering commitment. John Collidge said “persistence and determination alone are omnipotent; the slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”.
No matter what disappointment you have experienced in the recent past…. I charge you to move on. Why wait here and die? Move on to the next level.

10 Ways to Wow Your Boss

2010-06-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

1. Decisions: If you do not want a 'no' or procrastination, give him/her a hand
Your boss has other subordinates, other decisions to make. Thus, her (for simplicity, we use 'her' from now on in this article) best bet, if she is pressed for a decision, will be to say no. No, it is too risky; no, we do not have enough evidence; no, it is the wrong timing; no, it is off strategy, et cetera.
• To avoid the 'no' that will ruin your and your team's enthusiasm, give her a hand.

Remind her of where you left it last time you met;
• Remind her of the objective rather than rushing to the 'what' and 'how';
• Remind her of past problems encountered because a deci not made;
• Quickly summarize the options considered, your criteria for selecting one option -- the one you are presenting;
• Tell her what you expect from her: simply to inform, to decide jointly, to share the risk, to add one criterion, to re-examine the option;
• Focus on the points where you need her help;
• Be prepared with facts/data for potential disagreements. Help her out with graphics and visuals so that the situation is grasped faster;
• After your meeting, summarize for her the decision in writing to make sure of the understanding;
• And finally, once a decision has been made, your way, her way or no way, do not criticize it externally. You have become the best defender; the best ambassador of what was decided.

2. Manage her time: You may represent only 1% of her problems, don't make it as if it is 100%.
Yes, you have preoccupations, problems to solve and issues to tackle. However, while your time is entirely devoted to them, do not expect your boss's time to be also.
• The more simple the problem or issue at hand is, the less time you should have her spend on it: prepare, summarize, and synthesize information and options. Do not confuse your more frequent problems with the most important ones.
• Book her for several meetings in advance. Nothing is more frustrating than to have to wait days, weeks or months for that extra new meeting needed in order to finalize a decision or a project.

3. An opinion: If you ask for her opinion, she will always have one.
Rare are the bosses who, when asked for their advice or their decision, will use the psychological ping-pong approach of retuning the question to the person who asked.
And their opinion may not always be that of a genius or a visionary. However, once given, the opinion becomes a constraint: was it an order? So, if you don't want your boss's opinion to thwart your achievements, to slow the speed of decision-making, or cloud the viewpoint, then don't ask for it. Best of all, don't ask if you don't need her opinion.
• Choose the right moment to avoid procrastination: not only save her time by focusing on big issues, but choose the right moment to do so. If you present an issue at the wrong moment, the chances are she will procrastinate.
• Prepare for your meeting: first because the advantage is to the one who is prepared, second because the preparation helps you reduce the time taken to come to the central issue.
• Show the forest before the trees in a discussion: if you want to avoid spending a lot of time on going back to basics before she is at full speed with you, start with the basics yourself. Remind her of the objective, where you stand today, and what you want her opinion on.

4. Information: It is not data.
Turn grapes into wine: you are supposed to analyze the results of a market survey, and not be the mailman who passes the thick document full of statistics to your boss. So be selective; be visual; group the data; bring out what is essential. Data overload creates stress, which in turn can create denial, rejection, and numbness. As a manager, you are paid to collect the grapes (data), and turn them into wine, i.e. useful information.
• Don't give her only the bad news: give her also the good news. If you keep bringing only bad news, little by little you become the bad news yourself. Don't minimize good news, because you want to focus on the problems. By doing that you contribute to creating a bad atmosphere.
• Make sure she does not get the information from others too often: sometimes by being shy about what we should give or because we think it is not relevant, we don't feed our boss with key elements. However, other people could do it before you. And then the hassle starts. "I heard that…", "Why didn't you tell me that…"
• And then you need to justify yourself; you may need to modify incorrect information. The trade off is between too little information leading to starvation, frustration, and/or restlessness vs too much information leading to overload.
• Round off: what helps more to give sense to an amount or a size: 886,262.11 or 890K? What makes the decision-making process faster: 79.27% vs 21.73% or simply 80% vs 20%. Look back at all the tables you sent to your boss in the last twelve months.
• Participate in and contribute to her informal network: every manager, hopefully, does not rely solely for managing on formal information given in internal documents and reports. Some people use internal informal networks. Some others also have an informal outside network of experts, friends, business connections that help them shape their vision of the world and how to act. You have yours; your boss has too. Why not volunteer part of yours, so that you do not always have to react and be defensive about information fed by people you do not necessarily think are the best sources?

5. Problems: Don't just come with problems, come also with solutions.
Good bosses hate two kinds of behavior. The courtesan who always comes to tell you how great you are and the pyromaniac/fireman who comes to tell you "There is a huge problem" and then says "but don't worry, I will solve it!"
There is also a third kind, the monkey transferor. She has a problem and she puts it on your shoulders, rather than bringing a solution or at least some options.
Problems usually have several aspects. It is usually a gap between an objective and the result; there are options to close the gap; there is a choice of one option to be made; key tasks, dates, people and resources needed must be defined.
On which of those steps in problem solving do you want your boss's input? Just be clear on what input you want rather than come with the stressful -- "I have a problem…" and throw the monkey.

6. Assumptions: Do not assume she knows as much as you do, but assume she can understand; so educate her. Please help, you are the expert. You spend all of your time and that of your team on the issue. You live with data, pressure points and levers; your boss does not. She does not know more than you do.
Most senior executives are even dangerous when they get involved in making micro-decisions, as their point of reference is often not the current one but rather the situation they knew when they were junior managers.
If you need her perspective, it is because it is broader; she has a better sense for inter-relationships with other parts of the organisation. You have two options.
• You inundate her with technical stuff she does not understand, hoping that the amount of technical jargon will knock her down and force her to agree with you. It may work, but it may become a barrier in communication leading to lack of trust.
• You educate him by simplifying, using easy to understand language, feeding him with articles, examples, best practices, summaries that help him see a perspective. By creating understanding, you relieve tensions; create trust that can lead to better decision-making.

7. Delegations: Constantly test the waters.
It is not always easy to define ex ante what is delegated to a person. Some companies prefer to use the principle of subsidiary rather than the principle of delegation: the principle of subsidiary stipulates that you can do everything except the following list, whereas in the principle of delegation you stipulate, "you cannot do anything except…"
Whichever is used, there will always be some doubt whether you have or do not have the delegation. You have two options: either you play it safe by always asking your boss's opinion. This can lead to paralysis, bottlenecks and your own demise, as your boss will think you are unable to take responsibility.
Or you assume too much, take decisions and learn after the fact that it was not yours to decide. In between, there is the 'test the waters' strategy especially for things or areas, domains or steps that are unprecedented.

8. Promises: Do not promise what you cannot deliver, and avoid surprises, trust is at stake.
Trust does not develop overnight and depends a lot on the predictability of the other person: what she says and does, how often she is living up to or not living up to her statements. In the same way, you will not fully trust your boss if she changes her mind too often or says things contrary to what you were told the last time.
You also want to avoid being seen as unreliable by not delivering on what you promise or surprising her with bad news without forewarning.
Do not promise dates for finishing projects you cannot handle. If you see that too much is asked of you, sit down and re-discuss priorities before proceeding, rather than becoming yourself a bottleneck. Involve your boss in the process, so it becomes a common priority.
Avoid bad surprises. If your job is to be in charge of a particular area, then it is also to be in charge of bad results and improving them.
Involve your boss in discussing and evaluating the risks, agreeing on key lead indicators that you will both share, so that neither you nor he will be surprised. For instance, whereas sales are not a good lead indicator, future orders or bookings can be. Cash in the bank is not, whereas good cash flow three months in advance is.

9. Differences: Manage differences in culture.
Sometimes at IMD we use a questionnaire called the Power Map to help participants identify their own culture (i.e. values they cherish, leading to certain behaviors), to identify other executives' profiles and discuss consequences on communication and leadership in a team.
To simplify, the four main types of profiles that our survey identified are:
• People who like to 'control things' and introduce processes, develop more the 'now';
• People who are more concerned with people, develop more the impact on people;
• People who are more concerned with getting things done, start with key actions;
• People who are more concerned with ideas, frame proposals in concepts.
Of course, in managing your boss you should know her personal inclination, as well as your personal bias. If you are process oriented, you will tend to present issues in a systematic and orderly fashion, with pros and cons, chronology of tasks, etc.
If your boss is the action type, she could be bored. So in that case an executive summary, emphasizing the key actions and results would be a handy starting point.

10. Trust: Don't be sloppy in your documentation. It undermines trust.
By making the assumption that she will check what we write or say anyway, and that she will make changes, we sometimes tend to be sloppy in our writing. Tables are not finished, text is not re-read, places we are going to are not visited beforehand, spelling is not checked, and information is missing...
By not finalizing your facts, arguments, memos, spelling, supporting documents, etc., you can be sure some things will get changed, mistakes corrected. And soon you will be asked to show more facts and figures, and you will see more changes, more amendments. Soon all the delegation you had will be gone.
Conclusion
Better work between a boss and his subordinate is not just a matter of leadership. It also has to do with boss 'management', which can stimulate better performance, faster decision making and accomplishment of more … by both parties.

Massive Implementation- keys to Achievement in 2010

2009-12-31T23:23:00.000-08:00

Massive Implementation by Oluyemi Adeosun

You shall know the truth and it shall set you free. There was a time I thought I knew some truths concerning certain areas in my life and yet I was not obtaining freedom, victory or my expected results. Are you in a similar situation too? Can you identify with this kind of scenario?

Critical self examination revealed to me that even though I am aware of the truth, I was not implementing or practicing it. It suddenly dawned on me that “Knowledge without action has zero or no value”. Evidence that you know something is that you take steps to implement it.

While we were in school, after a series of teaching or receiving lecture we are usually administered a test, exam or knowledge check. This forces us to display, utilize or workout what we have learnt over the past period. The results we obtain thereafter is a near true reflection of how much knowledge we have been able to absorb.

Permit me to tell you that the results you have seen in your business, endeavors, life is just a scorecard or assessment of how much knowledge you have truly absorbed and retained from various facet of life. It recently dawned on me that if the average adult learns nothing new but implements massively what he already knows, he or she will experience radical changes in results and outcomes.

Practitioners usually excel more than those who learn and do little or nothing with the information or education acquired. What are you doing with what you know? What are you doing with what you have learnt? Start something don’t criticize others with your knowledge. Do something with that information.

Next to knowing what to do is actually doing it. It is important we do what we have to do so that we can do what we want to do. Don’t just read this blog; ensure you note down action points, steps, and plans and implement it. I have received testimonies from people who have followed through on thoughts and ideas that dropped into their heart while doing so.

You are next in line for a breakthrough. Just play your part. Plant your seeds, water it, nurture it and you will reap in due season if you do not quit.

“Men expect too much, do too little.” ~Allen Tate

I CAN

2009-10-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

The way God hides and builds His people in whom He has planted the seed of a great future makes one wonder a great deal.
Why would God have to keep the strongest man or probably the second strongest man of the world in the slave yard of Potiphar?

He called him the man after His heart, ruled over Israel and he’s still one of the world’s most celebrated rulers that ever lived and while his contemporaries were ‘privileged’ to have the ‘homely’ pleasures, he was being made in the wilderness.
Would you believe the guy that was abandoned by the parent at the river bank would eventually become a great leader of the land championing the reclamation of the promised land after salvaging his nation from slavery. These appear like fiction right?

What of our brother? You sure have had a lot of him. I will always prefer being a Nigerian to any other African country. His journey to the white house appears so much like a possibility to you. Can you imagine a white man becoming the king of your village? Impossible right? How come you view it as a simple achievement? He drew for himself a great picture, believed in himself, overcame all discouragement and pursued with all his might.

The Nigerian press, government and people marveled so much that a young girl of Best Legacy Secondary School, Awe could compete with over two thousand (2,000) high school ‘bests’ from the world over and emerge third in not just any subject but the much dreaded Mathematics.
Friends, there’s so much to mention. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Gani Fawehinmi etc. they all had beginnings that would have made them wish they were members of your family. Despite all, they succeeded.

A few things are common to all these people:
They were excited with themselves and believed in their abilities
They kept doing the small things they were engaged in and did them with all their might.
They did not stay back wishing they had the lot they didn’t have but, they made a good use of the little they had.
They discovered that success wasn’t by chance but a choice they had to make.
They took decisions at every point which involved making sacrifices today thus investing in their tomorrow.
They never sold their destiny.

It began to dawn on me that God hides His potentials in situations and environments that don’t look like where he has planned for them probably, to preserve them from predators. I imagine how much pain we give God when we don’t believe in ourselves but wished we had things prominent in others. Are we by any means different from the man with a talent? Won’t we be fooling ourselves expecting an outcome in life different from his’?
I will assume only men that desire a great future would endeavor to go through this piece. However,
Can you achieve your dreams despite your type of home and family background?
Sure you know in the nearest future your age group will control this nation, will you be in that team?

Your life should not be as a wheelbarrow that moves only as far as it is pushed.
Don’t join the long list of those who refused to decide but only act on other’s decisions.
It is a sad reality that if you don’t control your life, it will control you while it waits for you to make your decision(s). I have realized that we have to put an end to imagining greatness but envisioning the emerging greatness. I have come to the realization that God does not make mistakes, hence, making me a Nigerian, member of my state, locality, family and even the way I am is a scene in my script towards greatness.

Commitment towards my decision is the energizer. I need to be a little more careful about it. Probably denying myself of some temporary satisfaction for the “longer” lasting satisfactions. Otherwise, I’ll be more foolish than Esau. I will never settle for less.
I KNOW IT, I BELIEVE IT, I’LL PURSUE IT, I’LL ATTAIN IT, OF COURSE, I CAN, YEAH! YES YES YES I CAN !!!

GIWA A. B. (ACA)

Emerging Greatness 2

2009-09-29T00:48:00.000-07:00

By Oluyemi Adeosun & Yetunde Olatoye

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? [ John 1 vs. 46.]

-This statement was made by Nathaniel when Philip told him about Jesus Christ. And Philip said to him “Come and See!”. When the world doubts the veracity of your greatness, do not look down on yourself. If anybody attempts to put you down simply tell them to watch out for you. Tell them to “Come and See!”.

There is a cross to carry on the path to greatness. You will need some help along the way. A Yoruba adage says “it is from a black pot that a white pap comes out”. Your background does not determine your destiny. Carl Jung said, “I am not what happen to me, I am what I chose to become”. There may be giants in the land but if we align with God, we shall overcome them. It is not what you have that matters rather how you handle and optimize what you have.

…Servant of All?

I am thinking upon the man or woman who prays in desperation for the lost souls of those they love and even those they don’t know. This takes a call to action, dedication, fervency and a need to be humble. “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit.” They are often shunned and disrespected by those they give up their time to help. This is the true understanding to love others more than yourself.

Hint... great men are doing things great men do!

They are expanding their minds, helping others, giving service to those in need, enjoying healthy hobbies, supporting family and loved ones, volunteering, working honestly, living with integrity, connecting with nature, challenging their skills, making a difference in the world... Instances of such greatness come to mind in the persons of Mother Theresa, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and of course Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: people who for the sake of the all, make personal sacrifices and give unselfishly for the good of all; yet this is done in all humility and love. True greatness is about service. Scripture says it well: Whosoever must be the greatest must be the servant of all…

Count it all joy…

To have “greatness emerge” sometimes does take adversity, challenges, war or calamity, and we are in a very real battle. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does…For our struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. These struggles do not necessarily occur in grandiose, spectacular fashions, but are often encountered in the seemingly mundane issues of life encountered everyday.

There are certainly moments of great distress that bring out courage and bravery but then, there are other situations occurring every day which are given absolutely no attention and yet they draw upon “emerging greatness” to display rare bravery and courage. Of course these stories may never be headline news or even become footnotes in history books but humility isn’t looking for a pat on the back. The important thing is that, when the service is needed, despite it all, greatness must not be found lacking.

“greatness only emerges when needed most”

We are living in a time where this greatness must emerge now because it’s most needed!

In conclusion, have a positive attitude. Be rest assured that whatever you are facing right now is working together for your good. Don’t become bitter or angry. Be grateful to God for your present resources and do your best with them. Count your blessings. The future harvest is a function of the seeds you sow today. The seeds of greatness are within you. Sow them and reap your great harvest!

Emerging Greatness (1)

2009-09-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

By Oluyemi Adeosun & Yetunde Olatoye

No doubt many readers are well acquainted with the popular Guinness advert “My friend, Udeme”. The advert appeals to the desire in man to be more than their present circumstance; to be identified with power and influence. Indeed, the closing line says “ My friend is a great man, but then, there is a drop of greatness in every man”. Though the focus of the advert itself is questionable, yet one cannot help but agree with this sentence. There is indeed, a seed of greatness in every man, waiting to be nourished and nurtured into a force to be reckoned with. To an extent or the other everyone is on the ladder of emerging greatness.

A run-of-the-mill glance through a regular dictionary gives the following quick definitions:

Emerging means “up-and-coming, rising, budding, promising, talented, starting to appear, occur or develop” It also indicates something that is newly formed or just coming into prominence (nascent); a coming to maturity or into existence.

An individual in the process of rapid growth and development is often called an emerging person.

Greatness means “Prominence, Importance, large & impressive, more than usual, very significant, exceptional talents or achievements, powerful and influential, expert, good or pleasing, useful, long-lasting influence.

The question now becomes: “ How then, can a promising, talented, up and coming individual attaint such powerful, influential, long lasting impact? Simply put, how do we identify and nurture emerging greatness into a full-fledged reality?

The first thing to be done is to make yourself available to Gods purpose and will for your life. He is the Chief Architect of your life, and He it was Who planted the seed of greatness into you. Therefore, it is imperative that we walk in close proximity with him, and that we allow Him to work out His will in our lives.

Attempt great things!

All things are possible to them that believe. Saul told David “you will attempt great things and yet succeed”. Coming from a self proclaimed enemy of David, this was a recognition and acknowledgement of emerging greatness. I charge you to attempt great things. We serve a very big God and therefore we don’t have any limitation. Don’t accept limitations, break barriers. We should not settle for less than the best. Observe the lives of men like Daniel and Joseph, whom, in their youth, attempted and achieved great things. Indeed, it is as the English adage that says “ Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. We cannot know how far we can go until we set out on the road to great accomplishments.

to be continued.....

Emerging Greatness – the Making of a Butterfly

2009-09-03T01:29:00.000-07:00

Educational Inspiration in Biology

Jesus often speak to people and his disciples in parables, not to confuse them but to engrave the lessons of the message deeply in their heart by relating it to what they are used to. So when he was with the farmers, He used the parable of the sower and when He was with a scribe of the law, who knew what definition of ‘right of neighbor’ is, He used the parable of the Good Samaritan . But wait, have you seen a butterfly before? Get ready as you see a tape of your life unfold in stages . Please, pause along and reflect, you will see why you are going through what you are going through now, and the prophecy of where you are heading for, if you are aligned with God’s will . The beauty of a butterfly emerges from an egg. Let’s examine the emerging glory of a dirty egg.

The Egg Stage – The days of little beginning

Tiny eggs are laid by the female butterfly on a leaf. The egg has an outer shell called chorion. The shell protects the larvae inside. The egg has an inner lining of wax, which maintains moisture. Eggs are often laid on the outer side of the leaves of the host plant. They are attached to the plant with a chemical produced by the female butterfly. This chemical looks like gum. Different species lay different number of eggs at a time.

The egg has been laid, because you have been born. You are greatness wrapped and laid, just on that leave of where you were born . Yes, some leaves are green and succulent while some are dry, but the leave has little to do with the egg, the egg has an inner lining of wax. You may be born with silver spoon in your mouth or a plastic spoon in sack , the Maker has a provision for your destiny – the inner lining of wax. Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, lived his childhood in a village.

This inner lining of wax is that something in you, that instinct you have, that is meant to protect the content of your dream from drying up. He is the Holy Spirit of God or that gentle voice of your conscience. There is something like gum that holds the egg in place. Just as the egg that is gummed to a leave, your destiny needs a place to anchor; a school, a church, an association, a training etc. Different species of butterfly lay different number of eggs at a time. There is no reason to be jealous of the dreams of your brother. Stars differ in glory. You may need to stay on that leave till this stage is over but never forget that you are created to fly. This stage is passing. It is very important to note that this stage has nothing to do with age. At every time of one’s life, there is something (an idea, a project etc) in the egg stage. Dear, you can start that thing today, it is never too late. Until it is born, it can never grow . That is the mystery of the egg stage.

The Larvae Stage – Time to Grow

Larvae are also known as caterpillars. The caterpillar is the primary eating and growth stage of the insect. After hatching out, the caterpillar interestingly eats its egg case. Larva has a head, thorax, an abdomen, a set of real legs and a set of five false legs. They have six eyes but do not have well-developed eyesight. They breathe through the holes on the sides of their bodies. Newly hatched caterpillars are small but they eat a lot and grow bigger in size. Caterpillars can have dull color or bright colors. In this stage, tiny wing appear on their thorax segments. They may be hairy or may have bristles. As it grows, a caterpillar continues shedding its skin. Immediately upon shedding its old skin the larva fills itself with air. This allows the new skin to take on bigger size so the caterpillar can grow into this new size.

After each of these transformations, it is possible that the caterpillar can be a different colour or appearance from the time before.
The egg of butterfly does not remain an egg forever. It is time to eat up this egg case and feed your dreams. This beautiful glory cannot be caged for life. This is the stage of motion. The dream is yet to materialize but the carrier of the dream can now walk and feed itself. This is a stage to break that shyness, deal with that habit (laziness, procrastination etc), ask for the help you need, ask that question and identify those opportunities. It is the time to travail to prevail .

Maybe you need to pause and evaluate your life at this point. List the dreams God once gave you, or your aspirations your passion runs for, or that idea you wanted to pursue, that book you wanted to read, that examination you wanted to write, that project you wanted to pursue. The inner lining of wax is gone, but the provision of God exists in other forms. You just need to reach out for it and get all you need for your dreams to grow. But wait, caterpillars have six eyes but do not have well-developed eyesight at this stage. Yes, the dreamers also wander sometimes [Gen. 37:15 A man met him (Joseph – the dreamer) as he was wandering through the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"]. It might not be too clear how you will get there, clear the road a stage at a time, just as the caterpillar walks.

A student might find it hard at SS2 to really know what course to study in the University (despite all motivational talks and career guidance in previous editions of HighFliers). Please, pass WAEC at a sitting first. When you safely pass through a bend, you’ll see the road ahead. Your Maker has made all you need to survive this stage. The hole is on your side, so breathe. Oh, no! Stop comparing your caterpillar with that of others at this stage. Caterpillars can have dull or bright colors, they may be hairy or may have bristles; the pattern of your glory is unique to you. And it sheds its skin as it grows. So as you ACT, you will break some walls, so you can have room to accommodate your expansion. Friends, breaking of boundaries cause tears. But that is part of the process toward the shining emerging greatness.

The Pupa Stage – Building the Internal Strength
Throughout the larval stage a caterpillar has to shed its skin several times in order to accommodate further growth. After the final skin, a pupa emerges. The pupa or chrysalis or cocoon is the resting or transformation stage, and within it the marvelous transformation from caterpillar to adult takes place. Pupa may appear to rest but they undergo a major reform during this stage. Pupa usually resembles part of the plant they are on.

I wonder how many of these things I had tapped away from stalks when I was growing up. I even tried to open some and see what was inside. God forgive me for ‘destinies aborted’. There is a time when it seems all is slow. All seeds are sown and all energy spent. It is a time when the choice is made, the investment is done. The prayers are said and the exams are written, the questions are asked and all calls are made. But all you can see is a hard shell, that doesn’t resemble the flying glories of friends around. But that is why the glory, though known to God your Creator, will take its course to emerge for the world to see.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (Hab 2:3). Read carefully, dear. The caterpillar was eating and was growing physically, but the transformation of this waiting pupa is internal . I have found that the measure of a man is not how tall he stands, how wealthy or intelligent he is, but what’s in the heart defines the measure of a man. And in this transformation to glory, this internal strength of a man is built in the crucible of pupa’s waiting time . This is the time when the heart tends to grow weary; when the short-sighted thinks that all hope is lost. Unfortunately, most Pupa drop off at this point and get trodden by the foot of men. Look at the pupa it is attached to the stalk of the leave with a tiny silk. What sustains a destiny in times like this is his attachment to the Almighty God. Pupa takes the color of what they are attached to, your association determines your destiny, so watch the friends you keep, the mouth you listen to and the feet you wash. This greatness is emerging, just a stage to go. Never Ever Give Up, the night will pass.

The Adult Stage
A butterfly emerging now, the chrysalis becomes transparent, revealing colors beneath. The pupa skin splits, the damp butterfly crawls out-now with compound eyes, a proboscis for feeding and six legs. Initially, its wings are very small and shriveled, but as the butterfly pumps blood into its veins they unfurl. A little warming from the sun and it is now ready to fly off to feed and then lay its eggs.
When the moment of hibernation is over, your glory will shine and all shall begin to see. The cocoon will become transparent, and all will see what has taken the Master this long to make. Remember that all it needs to fly is made, though maybe wet, soft and tender and needs the sun to dry. So, when your success comes to you, don’t forget you still need the counsel of God through men and the Sun of Righteousness himself in your life. I see your glory emerging now. Shallom.

Toyin Daniel Ogunmola © 02/09/2009 12:01:43

Let there be light

2009-08-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning"

In the morning, we are presented with a blank cheque and fresh opportunity to follow a new path. Wake up! Even though morning starts when darkness fades away according to geography, i personally believe that morning starts when you wake up. "Arise and Shine for thy light as come and the Glory of lord as risen upon you ". Wake up and then stand up. Take action in pursuit of your God given dreams. Shake off the disappointment of yesterday.

What is so special about the morning? Light......Yes Light comes and turns night into day. Let there be light! That is the evidence of a new beginning. Light brings things into full view. It provides insight, understanding. Light could mean new information, fresh knowledge, unique insight, revelation, new method etc. Any of this can signal the end of an era. It can herald the dawning of a new disposition.

"While men slept, the enemy came and sowed bad seeds". The night is a time men usually sleep. It’s a period of low or non activity. It’s a period of helplessness and ignorance. Scripture says my people perish for lack of knowledge. Don’t stay in the dark. Shed light into those dark regions of your life. Get informed. Are you poor? Then read diverse books and magazines on wealth creation. Attend seminars. Talk with people who are on the path of financial freedom.

Anytime you want to move to the next level, you must do the needful. Get information and take appropriate steps. “A little sleep and a little folding of the arms shall poverty come to you”. Stay alert and workout your salvation with fear and trembling. Conduct due diligence on any and every opportunity you want to embrace. Avoid the temptation to get rich quick. If it is too good to be true then it is. Verify, talk to other professionals about it. Things done in secret have a tendency to be fraudulent or wrong. Be transparent and engage in transparent business and transactions. Avoid any form of shady dealing.

I see light at the end of the tunnel.

Greener Pastures

2009-08-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be so wonderful if there were not dark valleys to traverse” Hellen Keller

Sometimes as humans we are tempted to envy people around us who appear to be succeeding. Our times and seasons are different. Scripture says we should not be like fools who compare themselves with themselves. Rejoice with people making progress around you. If the grass appears to be greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher too.

Don’t let what you lack put a lid to your progress. Look at what you have and make use of it. The greatest capital is the willingness to start with what you have and where you are. All you need is to think creatively, look afresh at what you normally take for granted.

You don’t need any special talent. Just be passionate about what you do or look for something you are passionate about and do it excellently. Put your mind to it and in a short while you will blow peoples mind with your performance.

It is important you are productive. You can’t afford to be in the market place and be idle. An English adage says idleness is the beginning of all vices. Do not bite at the bait of idleness beneath it is a hook. Keep on walking. Don’t spend all the time thinking or talking about the dream or vision. Take steps. A Chinese proverb says “he who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg”.

Yes there will be limitations to overcome. Don’t let that scare you. Success is like wrestling a gorilla, you don’t quit when you are tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired says Robert Strauss. There will be temptations to quit. Please don’t yield. Dr Maxwell said “quitting is not running from our problems, it is running from the opportunity to solve our problems”.

As I close, I will like to remind you that though we aren’t what we ought to be and we aren’t where we ought to be but thank God, we aren’t what we used to be.

A Call to Success

2009-08-03T01:17:00.000-07:00

"Success is a little like wrestling a gorrila. You dont quit when you are tired-You quit when the gorrila is tired" Robert Strauss.

I cant stress this enough....do not quit or give in. Their is profit in all labour if you sustain your efforts. dont backout just now. This is the eve of your coronation. It is usually darkest just before dawn.

To succeed in life, you need to continuously learn from nature, organisations, and individuals. Emerson said "every man i meet is my superior in some way, in that, i learn from him". The wise teach us on what we should do to attain prominence. The foolish teaches us what we should avoid in order not to end up like them.

You cannot afford to be indifferent. Show interest, participate....Seek ways to improve yourself and the society. Showing up is part reason why some people have succeeded. Love people, Love your Community. By so doing, you will be inspired to help and make life better for them. You will identify needs you can meet and also be rewarded for it.

To succeed in this season, you need to leverage on other peoples resources. Woodrow Wilson said "we should not only use the brains we have, but also all that we can borrow". Filter the gist you hear in public places and you will be left with golden ideas that will impact positively on your financial fortunes. Every time someone complains about something, that is an opportunity announcing it self.

I have gotten to a level in my life that all i see is opportunities. Even when i watch a movie i see business ideas. Do something with the ideas. Break it down into stages and activities and then implement it. The greatest Capital is the willingness to start small and where you are.

Success is also a function of making mistakes. Mistakes helps us to improve and become better. it also ensure we remain humble and makes us conscious that we dont know it all. Tallulah Bankhead said "if i had my life to live over again, I 'd make the same mistakes only sooner". Are you cut out for business? Please dont wait till you are retired....start it alongside your present employement. Start to make your own mistakes early.

I see you redefining succeess in your generation.

@ Oluyemi Adeosun

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

2009-07-27T00:55:00.000-07:00

You need to learn to be happy by nature, because you will seldom have the chance to be happy by circumstance. Great and fulfilled people draw their strength from God. Greatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it but sail we must and not drift nor lie at anchor.

You may never know how big of an impact you are on the world. On behalf of the rest of us, I appreciate your person and personality. Thank you for your contributions so far. However, I still know that this is not your best so far. However, I still know that this is not your best. The best is yet but sure to come. T.S Eliot said “Only those who risk going so far can possibly find out how one can go.

What do you want to achieve? Which legacy do you want to leave behind? I have good news for you God said “take what you want, then pay for it”. Jane Wagner also adds “I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific. Don’t let a lack of focus or direction limit your potential.

Reach out to your dreams. Try again…don’t allow the failure of others or your past prevent you from trying. Launch out to the deep. Don’t just say the race is not to the swift because the race is to those who keep on running. A great man was asked to prescribe the secret to success he said “Keep at it”.

Don’t be like a coward who thinks with his legs in times of trouble. Use your brain….exert your mind. If you can think through, there is a way through. Don’t just satisfy the stake holders; astonish them with your performance.

Fight for your dreams. Once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don’t want will automatically show up. Don’t be indifferent. Do something with your life. Greatness is a choice you must embrace. Upgrade your skill sets and mindsets. Add value to every hour and day.

@ Oluyemi Adeosun

Excellence a Way of Life

2009-07-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

I will like to encourage you to be thorough in your job, assignment or whatever endeavor you lay your hands on. Someone is watching you right now who is capable of rewarding you tomorrow. Quality is always remembered even long after price has been forgotten. Your quality has a person must not be in doubt.

Make up your mind to put in quality efforts into your project. Life is largely an input-output thing. You get what you invest back in multifold. Somebody said there are no third world countries only third world minds. Excellence and quality is a direction in which we are heading.

Oliver Holmes said “the greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in which direction we are moving. You should not start to manage well when the organization or project grows big. You need to start to manage well from now. The greatest capital is the willingness to start small. When you excel on a small scale, you will ultimately excel at a bigger capacity.

A key factor in excellence is doing what we know or believe in. we need to move into the season of massive implementation. Peter Drucker said “the problem in my life and other people’s lives is not the absence of knowing what to do, but the absence of doing it”.

Life is a sum of so many things. Adversity is part of it. Without adversity, life will just be one smooth and boring road. With adversity, one appreciates victory, realizes ones true friends and foes, and ones strength and weaknesses.

Never allow the weight of your challenges or situation make you compromise on quality. I close with the words of Andrew Jackson “You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing”.

Making Room for Yourself

2009-07-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late” Ralph Emerson. Do not hesitate to assist other people. If it crosses your heart to be a blessing, just do it. Your words of encouragement can prevent someone from committing suicide. Gratitude is an essential attitude of great people. Be appreciative of peoples input into your life.

Don’t take people or opportunities for granted. A Yoruba proverb says “If you say thank you for the gift of yesterday you will be positioned to receive another one”. I have also come to realize that people who are grateful soon start giving gifts to other people. Do you remember the person God used to give you a career, business, or educational breakthrough? If they are still alive, create time to visit them. Send them a token of appreciation.

It will not only gladden the recipient’s heart but also open greater windows of opportunities to you. Gifts need not cost a fortune. Go to a departmental store and you will get items at bargain prices. I encourage you today; make a list of those who you are going to give gifts too. Start appreciating the people who feature on the list as resources permit.
It might also interest you to note that some people will appreciate you visiting them and they will receive you like a gift. Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day” Sally Kock. The truth is “it is difficult to give away kindness. It keeps coming back to you” Cort Flint.

The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become” Charles Dubois. Giving is first an attitude before it is a function of the resources at your disposal. Seneca Said “After a bad harvest, there must be sowing” Strive to be the first: first to nod, first to compliment, and first to forgive”

The hand of the giver is always on top. Gift open doors. Scripture says the gift of a man will make room for him. Do you desire an expansion? Then start sowing the right seeds. Give time, affection, attention, information, money etc. You are going to feel the peace of God permeate your heart.

Do you have stuff that you no longer use and is in good condition? Go ahead and donate it to people who are in need. God bless you.
Oluyemi Adeosun

ACTOR NO DEY DIE

2009-06-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

You may be in a fix right now……
Yet am sure there is a way out of this phase……
Simply because you don’t know when or how….
Does not justify that re-occurring decision to quit.

In spite of the despondency
I choose to embrace hope
In spite of the seeming lack of incentive
I choose to make great attempts.
When the chips are down
Be the actor!
Its your opportunity to be a superstar
Lift up your head

You are greater
Than that obstacle
You can aspire farther
The limits don’t matter
Its in you the capacity
To cross that hurdle
That’s is why you are saddled
With responsibility
That appears overwhelming

I made it through
The last phase, mishap, tragedy, success
I will make it through this trial
My name will feature
In the Hebrew hall of fame

@ Oluyemi Adeosun

Retreat takes you to the next level

2009-05-18T02:14:00.000-07:00

By Ayo Arowolo

I was at my usual place for a personal retreat, somewhere in Otta, Ogun State, last week. One of my daily routines is that I jog round the expansive compound four times. That should be close to six kilometers. Something happened while I was on the last lap. The lane I was led directly to the residence of the presiding Bishop of the place. While I was tailing off to the end of that lane, he was driving out of his house in a metallic Jeep. He stopped when he got to my point and wound down the glass of the window on his side. I walked up to him and the following conversation ensued.

Bishop: ”You are blessed. How are you?” Me:” I am fine sir”. Bishop: ”I am seeing you in your most relaxed state ever. Are you doing a retreat or something?” Me: ”Yes sir. I come here often”. Bishop : ”You must be having a nice time then because retreats are one of the best secrets of those who are going somewhere”. Me: ”I can confirm that sir”.

The chat lasted for about seven minutes. We talked about a few other things and I bade him farewell as I jogged back to my room. It was not the fact that I met him that I want to bring out. Something had happened while I was working things out in my room. I wanted to test a principle: That when you mix emotion with anything you desire, you would see result. I said to myself that day that I would like to see the Bishop the following day. Not for anything but just for a chat. It is always a pleasure listening to him. I thought for a long time on that desire and I slept off. The result manifested the following day!

That is one of the benefits of going regularly on personal retreats. A well planned retreat affords you the opportunity to think and experiment with a lot of things you cannot sort out while you are being consumed with the affairs of life.

What is a retreat? A retreat is a period when an individual separates himself or herself from the hustle and bustle of life and go to a quiet place for prolonged meditation (deep thinking) over pressing issues. The essence is to gain perspective on issues at hand. This is how my first financial mentor explained it to me during one of our meetings. He said: ”All the successful people I have either met or read about take this aspect (retreat) very seriously. Bill Gates, one of the world‘s richest men, goes to one of the Oriental countries once in a year for a separation session, to receive fresh instructions and flow of ideas. The Lord Jesus Christ had to go into the wilderness for forty days to receive instructions for his earthly mission. Without the inspiration that flowed into Him during this period, it would have been difficult to make much impact”.

He added: ”So, a separation session (retreat) is vital if you want to accomplish outstanding things while you are on this earth. The main goal of a planned, prolonged quiet time or a separation session, if you like, is to enable you to recharge your system for better performance thereafter. This is the rationale. When you truly work, you continuously give out of yourself. A separation session is a way of drawing back into yourself life‘s spiritual force. Working continuously without regular separation sessions is an open invitation to multiple crises. But unfortunately for most of us, our days are full of activities without quality progress. We wake up very early in the morning, jump on the road, chat idly with friends, bury ourselves in activities and eventually retire in the night, too tired to plan for the next day, for the next week, for the next month and for the next year. No time for relaxation. No time to play with family. This is where the seed of crisis is usually sown”.

He advised further: ”A separation session has to be planned. It doesn‘t have to be more than two days initially. As you get used to the habit of regularly staying away from the crowd to solve difficult challenges, you would discover that your life takes new meaning and you would be able to implement things faster. A separation session allows you to move away from being a participant to being an observer in the game of life. That affords you the opportunity to broaden your perspective on many issues that had been of concern to you.

To be effective, a personal retreat has to be planned. There are few things to make a personal retreat effective and successful.
First, before you embark on a separation session, determine very clearly what issue or challenge you want to tackle. Don‘t take along with you so many issues; otherwise you may not achieve much. Since this is your first time, I suggest you use the separation session to develop a personal plan for yourself. Use the period to work out how you will achieve all the dreams and goals for your life. I also suggest you use the time to set goals in these areas: finance, spiritual, health, career and family.

Use such occasions to reflect on your personal purpose and mission on this planet earth. The issue at stake is beyond money to do. You may need to change career quickly after such sessions.

In developing your personal mission, you may consider using the following theme questions: What are my dreams? What is my area of assignment? What would I like to achieve if money is not going to be a problem? What resources do I have to achieve my dreams? Who do I know that can work with me to achieve my dreams? What skills do I need to develop to achieve my dreams? What are the likely obstacles that may stand in the way? What are the milestones that would remind me if I am moving towards achieving my dreams? What are the motivations for striving to achieve my dreams? What are my strategies for achieving the goals I have set for myself? Ask other probing questions. Answers to these questions may lead you to develop a good draft that can be worked eventually into a plan.

Eat very moderately throughout the separation session. You don‘t have to fast. And if you have to fast, I suggest you do that a few days before you go for the separation session. In my own case, I eat once a day and drink freshly squeezed juice for the rest of the day. Furthermore, for best results, a minimum of three days and a maximum of one week is recommended. Use the first day to read, listen to tapes and reflect generally. You may not write anything down in the first day. Use the first day also to structure your schedule for the following day. Between the second and the third days, you should be able to come up with a document that you can perfect over the next few months. By extension, if you are married, I suggest you may go along with your spouse or go it alone first before accommodating your spouse.

After the first session, cultivate the habit of going on a separation session without fail once a month. Use this period to draw up strategy to achieve your plans

Powerful Seeds

2009-05-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

A successful business man was growing old andknew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children,he decided to do something different. He called all the youngexecutives in his company together.

He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.I have decided to choose one of you. 'The young executives wereshocked, but the boss continued. 'I am going to give each oneof you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plantthe seed, water it, and come back here one year from today withwhat you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will bethe next CEO.

'One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others,received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife thestory. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he plantedthe seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it hadgrown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives beganto talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't havea plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew hehad killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, buthe had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however.He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted theseed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the companybrought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sickto his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing momentof his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty potto the board room.

When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the varietyof plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful --in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor andmany of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his youngexecutives.Jim just tried to hide in the back. 'My, what great plants, trees,and flowers you have grown,' said the CEO. 'Today one of you willbe appointed the next CEO!

'All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room withhis empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him tothe front. Jim was terrified. He thought, 'The CEO knows I'm afailure! Maybe he will have me fired!' When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happenedto his seed - Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim.

He looked at Jim,and then announced to the young executives, 'Behold your nextChief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!' Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even growhis seed.'How could he be the new CEO?' the others said.Then the CEO said, 'One year ago today, I gave everyone in thisroom a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it,and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds;they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants andflowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, yousubstituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was theonly one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot withmy seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the newChief Executive Officer!'
* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now;it will determine what you will reap later..
SOURCE UNKNOWN

SOMETIMES:a paradox

2009-04-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it takes rain

To make the flowers grow

Sometimes it takes real pain

Before real joy one knows

Sometimes it takes tomorrows

To understand days gone by

Sometimes before the laughter

There comes heavy sigh

Sometimes it takes the midnight hour

To value morning light

Sometimes it takes the longest mile

Before things come insight

Sometimes you often wonder

Why your heart can get so sore

But its the rocky paths in life

That makes you cherish the smooth roads more!

Author- Trini

The Determining Factor

2009-02-17T23:28:00.000-08:00

Mathematics
I look back at my secondary school days with nostalgia. The prominent subject mathematics and the phobia it carries still amazes me. We had math’s lessons every day. Students generally preferred to receive the lectures in the early part of the day. They claim their brain was more receptive then.

Students usually proceeded to the senior category based on their perception of mathematics. The student may opt for arts, sciences commerce or social science. If you are good in mathematics then you may be a good engineering material…if you are not good in mathematics then law may be your consideration. People with math skills are termed to be analytical.

In retrospect, I think mathematics is a very cheap course. We follow steps and procedure to arrive at the answer. I am of the opinion that courses like history, languages, government etc are more mentally challenging! The difference between students and their performance in mathematics is largely a function of their interest and practice. Individual perspective creates the divide.

In the larger society, what then is the determining factor?

The combination of multiple variables produces an output. Factors like, interest, hard work, motivation, opportunities, relationships, governance, location etc manipulated accordingly can birth success. Manipulation is switching between an unwanted position to your desired position. All this variables are available to all and sundry. Somebody said “we cannot all be a celebrity but we can all be great”. Greatness is from inside out. What do you have on the inside that you can draw out? My police friend will say wetin you carry?

What you carry may not be unique to you but your manner of presentation and delivery is peculiar to you. You may call it personal style or flavor. People will remember you if you are the first, best or different. Your beats has to be unique….personal…innovative. It should reflect your individuality. Something new has a way of attracting attention of the great and mighty. You need to stand out, stand tall. If your cv is in a pack of 100 will it be the one to be taken. If you go for an interview with 500hundred other candidates, will you be shortlisted.
Watch out for opportunities the crowd (masses) is rushing into. In fact that the masses are moving into a particular opportunity may suggest it’s time to opt out.

Music World
Any Artist who creates a niche in the music industry themselves ends up as super stars. Check out DBang, Nice, Lagabaja, Sunny Ade, Obey, Sunny Nneji etc. They all sing with unique style. Do not be afraid to innovate, improvise and do things slightly different from the norm. A new style is first strange before it becomes the fad.

Initiate the next fad.

TRUE LOVE

2009-02-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesnt want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head.
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first",
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trust God always,Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Contentment: STATE OF THE MIND

2009-02-11T03:54:00.000-08:00

I interact with people in different organizations/departments on a daily basis. I can confidently say that there is no greater difference between men than between grateful and ungrateful people. Happiness is not a function of the department or unit you are in. it’s a state of the mind.

I know a couple of individuals who used to complain when they were in department x and 6 months after changing to department y they are still complaining. You cannot be better by becoming bitter. You need to shift away from the complaining mode.

Can you remember how excited and grateful you were when you secured the opportunity you now take for granted? Happy people are upwardly mobile. Opportunities identify them and court them always. You can’t afford to be disgruntled on the job. Be grateful.

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get. There are individuals who work in major oil companies and yet not happy and complain daily.

This season of your life is making certain privileges accessible to you…take advantage of it. Focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t. Gratitude will see us through this great economic meltdown.
I will like you to ponder on the following quotes to increase your gratitude quotient

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

If you have lived, take thankfully the past. ~John Dryden

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher

Praise the bridge that carried you over. ~George Colman

If you count all your assets, you always show a profit. ~Robert Quillen

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus

Gratitude is the best attitude. ~Author Unknown

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. ~Gerald Good

Gratitude is the least of the virtues, but ingratitude is the worst of vices. ~Thomas Fuller

There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude. It is accompanied with such an inward satisfaction that the duty is sufficiently rewarded by the performance. ~Joseph Addison

Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart. ~Henry Clay

Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. ~Estonian Proverb

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. ~Eric Hoffer, Reflections On The Human Condition

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. ~Aldous Huxley

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. ~Chinese Proverb

FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE

2009-02-09T00:58:00.000-08:00

“Those who don’t have to watch their spending got their by watching it” - AFRICAN PROVERB
How much you make is not as important has how you spend it. I have come across people who earn approximately the same income but have different standard of living five years down the line. I know we live in a consumer spending driven economy and broad array of products and services are available in the market. I am also aware that it is sometimes difficult to resist the temptation of spending money. You have to be an educated consumer i.e. someone who knows how and when to spend money.
Managing money through budgeting is a proven method of becoming a prudent consumer. There are a whole lot of techniques out there that could be utilized to make the best of your money; they range from the mundane to the sophisticated – it all boils down to common sense. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here are a few basic techniques for living within your means and curtailing multiple stream of expenditure: BUDGETING TIPS:
 Draw up a budget, stick to it, be prepared to make adjustments in your lifestyle or spending habits and pay yourself first by saving regularly.
 Save through payroll deduction and take advantage of any employer-sponsored savings plan – deferred compensation, retirement accounts, commuter savings program etc. Use a piggy bank to keep your loose change.
 Keep an emergency fund and save any bonus income you earn. Consider whether it is worthwhile to have one or two incomes, if you have childcare expenses.
 Protect your vital assets adequately; home, cars, personal belongings, business, life health etc. – “a stitch in time saves nine”. Carry only one health insurance plan for your family and save on premium payments.
 Car pool when and if possible and use public transportation.
 Learn to do basic repairs or fix simple things in your home, such as decorating, painting, changing light bulbs, etc. the savings would amaze you – check out major home improvement outlets for class schedules.
 Keep lights off when you are not in a room, buy long-lasting energy saving bulbs and appliances – don’t be “fuelish”.
 Conserve and re-circle every material that you can. Use glass instead of paper cups.
 Pack your own lunch as often as possible and cut down on meals away from home. Buy in bulk if discounts are offered. Minimize on snacks or "junk food”.
 To stay healthy, develop good health habits and consider the cost of addictions. Learn to take temperature, pulse and respiration. Learn about symptoms of common diseases to determine whether to see a doctor or not.
 Learn to gift sensibly - give of your time and assets or merchandise when possible instead of always giving cash. It’s not compulsory you buy the aso ebi of every dick, tom and harry. Learn to say no to what you can’t afford.
 Set reasonable amounts for children's allowances and encourage them to save – let prudence be a family habit early enough. Watch your credit limit.

Prudent Man-Prototype Budget
Total Income – 100k (100%)
Savings- 10k (10%)
CHARITY/Giving – 10k (10%)
Transportation- 10K (10%)
Housing- 10k (10%)
Sustenance- 30 (30%)
Investment - 20 (20%)
Continuous education- 10k
Above is the budget of a certain individual. This is what guides his consumption pattern per time. Once any demand is more than the budget for that sector in his life, he either delays it or forfeits it. There's a saying that "you can't help but think about the future because you are going to spend the rest of your life there".
The best time to identify a real investor is during economic meltdown or recession. Investors are consistently buying shares and acquiring real estate. Every month consistently invest without looking at the short term returns. In two decades your financial genius will be evident to all.

ADEOSUN OLUYEMI

EARLY GOAL!

2009-01-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

EARLY GOAL!
“According to statistical research conducted on the National Football League (NFL), what percentage of teams who score first win the game? My guess was 50%. We’ve all read about quarterbacks who have led their teams from behind to win the game. We’ve heard sportscasters discuss how many points are scored in the last two minutes of the half or at the end of the game.
So, I thought about 50% was accurate. Wrong! The statistics claim that 75% of the time a team scores first, they win the game! (No, of course I can’t verify this. I heard it while driving to Zig’s office one morning. But, the guys at ESPN Radio wouldn’t lie to me…) I’m thinking, if teams score early in the game, like say in the first quarter, then they are more likely to achieve their objectives”. zig ziglar newsletter

One way to fast track your progress this season is to score an early goal. Achieve some results in the first quarter. Set some “easy” goals that assist you in accomplishing your long term goals and achieve them. Success breeds success. Nothing succeeds like success. It is important in 2009 that you set the momentum to drive success in the major areas of your life. I am sure you have set goals for the year but I insist that you accomplish something meaningful or significant to you in the first quarter.

This will keep you motivated to pursue other lined up endeavors. For instance, you may have an academic goal i.e. a desire to commence a postgraduate programe this year. Get down to action. Visit or call the school directly. Talk to the head of department and make concrete findings. Don’t secure information from people who are not stake holders. Ask for a brochure or pick the form if it is available. Buy relevant text books etc. what I am emphasizing is the need to commit yourself to the cause such that retreat will be impossible.

An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied. ~Arnold H. Glasgow

Another step you need to take is to check your BEHAVIOR against your GOALS. What a great way to give yourself a “check-up from the neck up!” Each and every day, check your behavior against the goals you have set. If your behavior is not contributing to your succeeding in reaching your goals, then you need to adjust your behavior. You don’t adjust the goal, you adjust your behavior. If you are spending too long at lunch, then adjust that behavior.

I will like to round up by saying that if you courageously pursue your dreams, the best of your 2008 will be the worst of your 2009!!!

Oluyemi Adeosun

DOUBLE TROUBLE

2009-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

It beats me when I hear people praying for a problem free year. I wonder why people seem not to understand that the major key to progress is problem solving. We all probably desire a promotion and yet we do not like to mount the platform which may include; challenges, stress, problems, additional responsibility, change of location, demotion etc. These are some of the catalyst that assist in climbing to the next level.

Responsibility is the mother of greatness. Look at the Chinese bamboo tree after it’s planted, it grows root for about five years and then starts to grow out afterwards. You need to deepen your roots. Whatever issues that are coming your way now are gym-ing materials to fortify you to be able to fight in the heavy weigh category. Don’t run from work and expect reward.

It occurred to me recently that my present strength or capacity is largely a function of the opposition I have encountered in the past. This season, when people are giving excuses why they cannot get something done look for the reason why you can do it. Volunteer for the task that needs to be done and every other fellow seems to be avoiding.

There is always a reward for service. The lot of those who always pursue the easy path is to envy the guys who volunteer to serve. David got national recognition by solving national issues. What type of challenges are you doing something about? It’s one thing to complain and it’s another thing to take appropriate action that can bring about massive improvement.

“The lot of those who always pursue the easy path is to envy the guys who volunteer to serve”

Never let the thought that your effort may yield a little impact prevent you from contributing your own quota. I am personally convinced that small changes can generate massive results. I have seen this happen over and over again. Do your best! Don’t follow the rest. You are a change champion. Justify the investment nature has endowed you with. Excel in your present posting.

If you are in trouble but you are aware of it and doing something to resolve it, then do not despair. The disadvantaged person is the fellow who is not aware of his challenges and as a result not doing anything about it. When you see obstacles this season rejoice because your promotion is been set in motion.

Always remember that we will succeed if we faint not.

@ Oluyemi Adeosun

DON’T FOLLOW THE CROWD

2009-01-05T03:15:00.000-08:00

Do not fear what they fear or dread what others dread. You need to take a proactive stand!

You cannot afford to go down with this economic meltdown. In spite of the present scenario, some people are still making profit largely because they are meeting needs. What is your focus? What do you see? I read in a magazine recently that the eyes gets thousands of signals per time and what comes to our awareness are:
1- What is entirely new
2- What we consider as a threat and
3- What opportunities/ things we are on the lookout for.

We have to renew our minds so we can see opportunities before they become obvious to many.

Some people will be selling because they are panicky but you buy wisely .This is a great season to rise to economic stardom. Do not go to sleep now that others are in a slumber. Re-strategize and fashion your recovery programme. You may need to reduce your consumption. Weed out non essential items from your purchases. In fact you may reduce your travels. Make any temporary adjustment to keep your head up.

You have to trust your guts and instinct. Do not seek the mobs approval to take an action.

Albert Einstein said "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it"

You need to be ahead of the crowd. Identify opportunities before the masses and take position.

All I am trying to convey to you is that: This is the worst time in history to stay idle in the market place

OLUYEMI adeosun

BEGGARLY ATTITUDE

2008-12-28T22:53:00.001-08:00

I was sitted in a bus one day and some guys were having an interesting conversation beside me. The were talking about a certain rich individual in their neigbourhood who they alleged was "very stingy". How can you know if someone is stingy except you go cap in hand to beg or extort money from someone. Can an individual be prudent and not termed stingy by others?

I challeged my fellow passengers on why they were castigating the rich man. I asked them if they were aware of the mans responsibilities and commitments. They all responded they were not aware. The fact is that if you think someone else is stingy...i guess you are the one with a problem. Begging is a choice. Irrespective of my position i do not beg for any thing. Have you not noticed that beggars always return to the same spot daily seeking for handout.

I am yet to meet someone who became financially liberated by begging. You need to move out of poverty mentality into abundance. Have you ever seen a grown up goat depending on another goat for sustenance? I remember when i was a casual labourer i ensured i lived within my means. I never enganged in the habit of asking my ogas(senior colleagues) for handout.

That you are a security personel or cleaner does not make you a beggar. Hold you head up. Do not bury your self esteem or pride. Go for solution not handout. When i meet a very successful individual I seek from them information, wisdom and knowledge. My focus is what they know and not what they have. Remember the beggars hand is always below. For a change this season do not ask your Oga for a gift. Buy something for him instead.

Do you need money? Then look for a problem you can slove. Ask your neigbour if you can wash his car for him or wash his clothes for a token. Thats a better way to get money and have your needs meet. When someone buys a new car. Dont ask him to buy drinks for you to celebrate it. Rather go ahead buy drinks and celebrate with the person. Work on your personal development and elevate your staus. Earn the money you get. Their is dignity in labour.

work: AN EXTENTION OF WORSHIP

2008-12-22T01:58:00.000-08:00

I really thank God for a beautifull year. God has really been faithful. I am greatful
for his mercies. I look back with gratitude. If i did not accomplish all my goals for
this year guess who messed up......me

work: AN EXTENTION OF WORSHIP

As a human resource and productivity analyst i am always fascinated by new approaches
to ensure that individuals give their best and get the best out of their labour.

what motivates people to work? Money appears to be a short term measure. Increase employees salary
and you may only get an insignificant improvement in productivity. Initially the increase
in pay may motivate people to work harder but after a while they get used to the new pay and
are no longer motivated by it.

what then can keep an individual motivated perpetually?

I read a comment on a site www.dipotepede.com and i see a lot of sense in it.

"People in India consider 'Work as Worship' and this feeling has led to our success
in various spheres of life". Nitesh Gupta – a 22-year old entrepreneur based in India

when you realise that you work is an act of worship to God you will always put in your best effort.

you will even require little or no supervision since you will always be conscious of the presence of God.

Even if what you are doing now does not look like where you are going...do you best.

"someone is always watching you who is capable of promoting you or reccomending you for a promotion".

oluyemi adeosun

Faith with works

2008-11-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

“The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step” Chinese Proverb

Don’t sit down and take what comes. Go after what you want. Mediocre men wait for opportunities to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunities. Mike Murdock says pursuit is the proof of desire. In this life we only get the things for which we hunt, for which we strive and for which we are willing to sacrifice. Faith is too believe what we do not see and the reward for this faith is to see what we believe. There is strength in faith. He who believes is strong and he who doubts is weak. Strong actions precede great actions. The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubt of today. You need to write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. When you have this consciousness, you put in your best effort daily. This is important because someone is watching you who is capable of greatly rewarding you.

Moving with the right people will also encourage you to take the right action at the right time. When you are with the right people, the best comes out of you and the worst part of you dies. You need to find your place….where your talents meets the needs of the market. A great sage says that “no man will be ideally successful until he has found his place, like a train, he is strong on the rail line but weak anywhere else. You cannot continue to waste a part of your life in attempts to display qualities you do not posses.

Pursue your dreams….what you have a deep interest in. more men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent. I challenge you today; it is never too late to be what you might have been. Have you failed in a venture before? Never mind failure is a delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street. Since it does not cost money to dream, you will only do yourself good to stretch your imagination. Don’t put a limit on what you will do thereby placing a limit on what you can do. If you are afraid of mistakes, you cannot arrive at mastery. I will close with the words of Mike Murdock “You will never possess that you are unwilling to pursue”. Reach out to your dreams.

Push the Faith button

2008-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

“Your seeds are a reflection of your faith” anon

There are two ways to respond to any circumstance in life. You either respond with faith or in fear. The response you select is often the difference between failure and success in life. I will like you to note that your greatest mountain will succumb to smallest seed of faith. Greatness is the child of crisis. I see you emerging strong from this situation. You won’t go down with the stock market. I see you walking over the waters separating you from your destiny. Your attitude really matters when the going gets tough.

God is on the side of faith. Situations succumb to faith. I challenge you to exercise your faith. If there is ever a time to be a believer ……this is the time. Pursue your goals, dreams and aspirations. The severity of your storms reveals the size of the miracles enroute to you. The truth is nothing is as bad as it first appear. Ask Daniel in the lion’s den. Do not be overwhelmed by the seeming size of the obstacles.

Your miracle is not as far as it first appears. As a result, you need to forge ahead. You need to make your priorities habitual. Put efforts into your dreams daily. This is the only way you can unlock your full potentials. Concentrate on the success of every one you meet. Give someone a gift they cannot get anywhere else.

Sow your seed of kindness, love, time and talent. Your seed is anything that you have that can benefit someone else. Your seed can multiply. Do you have issues with your present harvest then examine your seeds. Your seeds are a reflection of your faith.

Faith does not give in to circumstances neither does it blame it. If you don’t like the circumstances that surround you right now then create the circumstances that you desire. Great things don’t start great. Persistency and consistency in small things is the greatness therein.

Road Map to National Development

2008-10-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

“Anybody saying it can’t be done is liable to be interrupted by somebody doing it. Nothing is impossible to the human spirit. Just dare” Anon

How are we going to get to the promise land? This is the question people of faith ask. Yes the skeptics simply say it can’t be done. People of faith want to know their role. The part they have to play….their contribution. What is the roadmap to our economic breakthrough?

We have looked outward to long. By now we should have realized that our help is not from abroad. We need to look upward and inward. Real help is in our midst. What we can get at best from abroad are mere shadows and not substances. Temporary and short-lived reliefs are not permanent solutions. Charity they say begins at home. We need not fight globalization. All we need to do is to make our products and services global in usefulness and relevance.

Can you conceive a tomorrow where your shirt will not be regarded as modern or standard if it is not made from Adire or Aso-oke. I know someone is saying this guy has gone bananas. Believe it we need to adjust our mindset to change our lot. When GSM was introduced into the country they said it was not possible. An indigenous company made it a reality!

Do we need more respect then we need to accord it to ourselves. We need to stop going to international meetings with cap in hand begging for alms. We have got to help ourselves. We have to live within our means. The starting point is by appreciating what we have gotten at our disposal right now. All we need to do is to repackage and rebrand our products.

We have to break from this vicious cycle of poverty. Vicious by the way means self sustaining. It is self sustaining because it is powered by habit i.e. the things we do daily. We need to make a conscious effort to break into the cycle of wealth. This too is sustained by habits.

We need to change our consumption, investment and saving patterns. It is not really about how much money enters how hands but how much we are able to save and invest. Poor People or nations usually claim that they don’t save and invest because they are unable to earn good income. The rich people and nations save and invest a fixed proportion of their income no matter how meager or fat.

Another area where we need urgent change is in our housing and rent structure. In developed world, you do not pay 2 years rent in advance like we do here. Rent should be paid on a monthly or quarterly basis. Imagine how much money you will free up for investment if we follow a similar pattern. I hope the house of assembly or representative will address the issue.

What customer want: Ten rules for building loyal relation

2008-10-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

One size fits one by Gary Heil/Tom Parker

What customer want: Ten rules for building loyal relation

Take us personal make it personal

The average customer does not exist-

Get to know usThe details are important to us….they should be to you

Make everyone a relationship builder

Make our experience special: Give us something to talk about

Our time is important as your time

If something goes wrong, fix it quicklyGuarantee our satisfaction

Don’t take us for granted

We care whether you are a responsible corporate citizen.

Never Envy Others

2008-09-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Never Envy Others
Written by Adeosun Oluyemi www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com 08055575654

We all have the ability to succeed in life. It is our time that differs. Never envy others because your time will come. Our assignment differs so our preparation requirements are different. In the real sense of it, there are no mates. Each individual is in a class of his own. That you are age mates or colleagues do not matter or count. An African proverb says “age is regret’. What counts is your assignment, vision, purpose and what you do with it.

‘Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” African proverb

Envy robs you of your creativity. It takes your focus off the real thing. You may not realize how close to a breakthrough you are right now. In spite of your present situation please endeavor to move forward. Against all odds do forge ahead. Solomon said “life goes on….sometimes flowing in stream line, at other times in sure turbulences. We don’t design our situations but we certainly have the privilege to determine to swim or sink. The power to do either lies in our decision. It could sometimes be in the condemnation of ourselves and at other times in our sincerity and determination.

We may fall several times. It could be spiritually, emotionally, financially and even physically or health wise. But I feel we should still accept ourselves not in self deception, but in sincerity and determination. I think we can start again, I think our spirit can be renewed again”. General Eric Shin Seki said”If you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less”. This is the season of change and you have a role to play. You will certainly need to make some adjustment in your habits and life style.
Friend you too will accomplish your goals. You will soon share the good news. Meanwhile, obey that scriptural injunction .Rejoice with those that rejoice. Never envy others because your time will come.

Little Things and Big Consequences

2008-09-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

Little Things and Big Consequences
WRITTEN BY ADEOSUN OLUYEMI

“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things…..i am tempted to think…..there are no little things” Bruce Barton
Majeck Fashek in his song entitled little patience says “a little faith will move a big mountain”. The greatest teacher of all times adds that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can literarily order a mountain to relocate”. Sir Edmund Hilary the first man to climb Mount Everest the tallest mountain in the world said.” It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”.

Friends the enemy surrounding you cannot surmount the power within you if you align with your creator. Remember the mountain cannot get bigger but your faith can. King Louis said “There is little that can with stand a man who can conquer himself”. When you think the obstacle to overcome is external then you will be chasing shadows. The enemy within empowers the external opposition. An African proverb says” if the wall does not open its mouth, the lizard cannot enter it”.

You have to be courageous and strong. Do not give in to procrastination, doubt or unbelief. These are internal enemies to watch out for. I close with the words of Jennifer Unity “Life is not waiting for the storm to be over, but life is about learning to dance in the rain”.

Creative Thoughts

2008-07-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

What you see in your reality right now has been the most dominant thoughts you have been carrying in your mind for long. Your realities today are a reflection of your thoughts yesterday. James Allen said “you are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. It’s a law in life that your life will always move in the direction of your current dominant thought. Your dominant thoughts control your body, schedule, habit and every other thing you do in life.Your dominant thoughts determine your desire and ultimately what you pursue.

Desire is the mother of invention and not just necessity. The Wright brothers thought about flying all day and they succeeded in inventing the aero plane. Your thoughts are so powerful they need to be channeled right.Nelson Mandela thought about freedom…he got it. Martin Luther king thought about equal right and justice…he got it. What are your dominant thoughts? Is it others downfall? Getting rich at others expense? Great men become great because they change their habits, thoughts and action. Men subconsciously strive to become the self portrait of how they see themselves. Men plan around their view of life.

Dear friend I can’t emphasize this enough, until you change your perspective, you can’t change your outcome. If you can’t see a different picture you can’t get a different result. Men develop their habits around their strongest photograph of themselves. Don’t speak words that will diminish you. You are a champion. Talk like one.Olympic champions declare victory in advance. Listen to Samuel Peters…..Mohammed Ali. Who do you think you are? The oldest book in the world says as a man thinks in heart so his he. I see myself as a leader, change agent, statesman and nation builder. Remember everything you see today and will see tomorrow is powered by thoughts.

The paradox of our time

2008-07-23T01:23:00.000-07:00

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your sideRemember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mindAND

ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares? George Carlin

Don’t Skip the Process

2008-05-28T03:39:00.000-07:00

“There are no short cuts to anywhere worth going” Beverly Sills
The harder I worked, the luckier I get” Gary Player

‘Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake” Georgette Mosbaccher
Saul was looking for his fathers lost sheep, he meet the prophet and he was selected to be the first king of Israel. He did not have successful career and he was not able to hand over the throne to his offspring. David was anointed or chosen to be king at age 17 but he did not ascend the throne until he was 30. He succeeded beyond measure. Joseph had a dream of greatness of ascending the throne at age 17. The dream became a reality at age 30. He ended up saving the world from famine.

Saul became a king immediately he was informed. He was not prepared for the role little wonder he was a disappointment. David had 13 years of preparation, likewise Joseph. I am too sure a great future awaits you but are you preparing. Enduring success is not a by product of luck or chance. It is product of investment. It starts with handling small projects and doing them well. It starts from serving from where you are. Are you a servant? Serve to the best of your ability. Are you a prisoner, serve well. Are you tending sheep then do it well. Whatever your hands finds to do, do it with all your might.

Please don’t despise the days of little beginning. Job said after my trial I will come forth as gold. Enjoy the days of training, the days of apprentice under a master, are u a join man serve with joy. Take every task with seriousness. Are u a student right now study diligently. Your present undertaken is preparing you for a prepared future. It’s important you put in your best into what you are doing now. Someone is watching you right now who can recommend you for a better job or opportunity. What impression are you creating at the moment? Are you sending the right signal? Don’t just excel with the task excel with a right attitude. Don’t complain, grumble or murmur. Enjoy your way up.

The pain of the moment will prevent a future pain. It’s a learning process. It’s making you a better person. It’s making you a tougher person. You can handle bigger responsible. Greater opportunities are coming your way because of what you have gone through. Believe me you will be grateful to God for the hardship you may be going through now. When you skip the process you will skip the result. Do you want a complete result? Complete your lessons. Greatness is not a product of half heartedness or mediocre efforts.

Beware of shortcuts. They only shortchange you. If the building will be tall, the foundations must be deep. The only thing you start from the top is a grave. Are you a career person, move up the ranks, learn, grow, and develop. Ensure you pay your dues. Earn your honor. At the end when you are at the top. You will be a grand master.

The First Miracle

2008-05-26T01:49:00.000-07:00

Whatever you make happen for others God will make happen for you. The first miracle – be the miracle in someone’s life. I know we all need a miracle in our life. We want a stranger we don’t know to see us and bless us. Have you ever thought that you can be an angel to someone? You too can bless someone. No matter your estate at the moment you are endowed with something that if you release to your neighbor he will see it as a miracle. Check your wardrobe you will see clothes shoes you have not worn in 1 year. I request you pull them down and look for someone in your community to give.

If you are a distributor you will never lack supplies. A flowing river that empties itself into another river body is always fresh. Don’t be like a lake that is stinking because all it does is to receive and not release. Do not say I have nothing to give. If you can’t think of how to be a blessing to someone else right now then I do not think God will be able to release his blessing into your life. Are you looking for a child? At the moment start taking care of other people children. Visit the orphanage on a weekly basis and show love to unloved children. Start paying the tuition of children who cannot afford it. You will be surprised at how such good works will open your womb.

Some people are in the habit of hoarding information. This attitude will not take anybody far. Are you searching for job? When you hear about an opening, share it with everyone that you know can take advantage of it. Do you have an idea that can benefit someone else? then do not withhold it. Proverbs say do not withhold good from whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do it. One of my hobbies right now is looking for people I can assist. UACs motto is doing good. You have to realize you carry within you value. You are endowed. At every interaction with other people leave them better off.

Rob on positively on others. Simply complimenting someone’s dressing is part of doing well. Put a smile on someone’s face. Help a new neighbor settle down. Interact with that new employee in your office. Someone comes late to work, show some concern. Say thank you to the bus conductor, security guard or cleaner. Don’t take people for granted. Show respect to everyone irrespective of their status. These are little seeds that will open a great door for you. These are seeds that will save you from imminent danger. These are seeds that will set you up for an encounter with destiny. You will get information just when you need it. Help will always be near you….just because you are a helping hand yourself.

In the process of doing good, never let it enter your mind that the people you assist will be the one to help you. God will reward you. Ok! When doing good becomes your obsession then you will be more grateful for your present situation, you will be more positive about your future, you will begin to see what others cannot see, you will begin to act in a certain way, coincidences will begin to happen in your life bringing finances towards you, your efficiency will increase, you will understand how to go from where you are to where you desire to be. Do you need a lifting? Then lift others up. God bless your day!

FAMILY CYCLE

2008-04-07T02:51:00.000-07:00

The life- span of a building is pre-determined by the strength of its foundation. A single fault with the foundation of a house might lead to its collapse. Likewise, a cancerous cell in the body system would eventually affect other parts of the body, if the cancerous cell is not detected early enough.

The same way science tells us that , a cell is the smallest unit of life, sociologists say that the family is the smallest unit of a society. Ultimately ,the family institution determines the sanity level of any society .An ideal family should live in a home where values are imbibed into a child .Every family’s role is to mould or shapen a child in the home and the child grows into an adult and give back to their society.

Whatever kind of input an adult contributes to their environment shows what kind of value that has been stuffed into them. Did I hear you say, really? Yes.Dysfunctional homes have been proven by family counselors and psychologists to be majorly responsible for the cases of juvenile crime and all sort of vices in different parts of the world.

If I guessed right ,you are probably thinking, no wonder we have leaders , teachers, officials who are corrupt ,they have no respect for the law and break rules to gratify themselves.
However, I assure you that there is a sure solution and it is quite simple .If only individuals would place high value and make the family institution the highest priority in their lives ,getting rid of self-centeredness or negative attitude in order to satisfy our spouse ,our children , neighbours ,what a peaceful world we will live in.

Imagine a society that is well structured ,where parents live with their children and nurture them in love ,care and support. The children grow as adults valuing other people ,putting others first and with excellent leadership abilities because they have seen their fathers lead their homes successfully.

Probably you are thinking ,is this possible?

First ,take a bold step. Decide that you are going to have a great marriage ,you will not cave in when there are challenges in your home.Once you have made that decision,remember that,”Petit a petit,l’ouseau fait son nid”. This sentence is a french word which means “little by little the bird constructs its nest.

written by Elizabeth Uwazota

Expectation: The big difference

2008-03-03T11:24:00.001-08:00

What do you anticipate? I expect to be a victor and not a victim. I expect help, assistance, favour and joy. Expectation is the difference between great life’s and ordinary lives. Great economies and mediocre ones. Miracles respond to positive expectation. Disaster responds to negative expectation

I believe thing will work out positively for me. I will have a productive day, career, impact on the live of others. I expect things to get better, our economy to a willing person. A willing person becomes a lucky individual.

If you expect opportunities, you will be well positioned to take advantage of it. Look around, take a cue from the life of successful people and you will realize they anticipated it. I challenge you today to change your expectation. Your personal expectation is superior to the expectation of others about you.

I expect that very soon from now this stae will be the best in the nation. We will have the best road network, infrastructure, development, constant power supply, and lowest crime rate and infant mortality in the country. I expect that Nigeria will be the best county in the world. That we will be rated number one in terms of development. In fact very soon from now, Nigeria will be the definition of quality standard of living, law and order good governance and economic success power. A reference point for economic turn around.

Blessed are you that believes because that their will be a performance of your
expection. Performance is a function of believe. Remember david defeated goliath not because he fought well but because he believed well. As you embrace a positive outlook to life. I see things working in you favour.

Dare To Be Rare

2008-02-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Would you like to command or attract a high value? Do you want to be sought after? Would you like to attract a high premium? Then dare to be different. Express the uniqueness within you. Scarcity is one of the determinants of price. Little wonder gold is more expensive than gravel. I hope you are aware that they are both stones. Gold is just a more precious stone. You have got to develop abilities to such a high level of excellence that you will become rare.

Another factor that determines the price of a product or premium an individual will command in the processing and pressure you have gone through. It will interest you to note that diamonds and charcoals have basically the same constituents. The major difference is that diamond went through more pressure. Little wonder diamond can cut through any kind of mental and command a higher price.

Do you want to attract more resources into your life? Then I challenge you to go the extra mile in training and development. Put in excellence into your work. Put in excellence into packaging of your product. Be punctual and timely. Let your word count. Be trustworthy. Be renowned for integrity and forthrightness.
Are you a cook? Be the best cook in town. Are you a father? Be the best dad ever. Be courteous to your customer. Smile at them. listen to them. Treat them like the king that they truly are. You will witness repeated sales and get free publicity and referrals. Excellence will distinguish you.
Be the very best by putting in your best. One first class result is superior to 4 second class lower degrees. Do your best every time. Remember you are only as good as your last impression.

OPPORTUNITIES

2008-02-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

Recently, I came across a definition of the word poor. And it really intrigued me. POOR means passing over opportunities repeatedly. When people want to explain away the success of others, they simply say that that man is lucky or has great opportunities. Al Capone was quoted to have said that all men have opportunities to be successful via legitimate means.

Opportunities are either coming your way or passing you by. Opportunity is available to all and sundry. However you must be able to identify it to be able to capitalize on it. Opportunity is no good if you do not seize it. The law of recognition or identification is critical when it comes to opportunity. In essence every situation, location or occurrence is potentially an opportunity depending on your perspective. You do not need many opportunities. One opportunity well utilized is enough to propel you to greater heights.

A well-trained and developed mind sees more opportunity than the average mind. Opportunities exist everywhere. Opportunities are oblivious to some people because they are dressed in work uniforms. People who shy from responsibilities usually miss out on opportunities. Opportunities also present themselves when others have challenges that we can utilize our skills to solve. When you excel at your present undertaken, you make yourself attraction to other opportunities.

Opportunities themselves as:

People- treat everyone you meet with dignity and respect.
Places- pick up an idea, body of knowledge or mentality.
Problems- you discover your talents and capacity to solve problems
Powerful opposition- you know how valuable your goals are.
Preparation- it increases your capacity to contribute
Pain- it helps you help others who will face similar challenges
Period or time- that you are alive now is an opportunity to act.

Dig your well before you are thirsty. Develop yourself to the extent that people will count meeting you an opportunity. Go and succeed.

Want to relocate to Naija

2008-02-15T01:04:00.000-08:00

U, anyone who wnts to relocate to Naija?I think u have to read this funny piece.
First , the down side of Nigeria . Its economy has predominant characteristics of a third world's. It is No. 35th on Transparency International' s rating on the list of the world's most corrupt nations. It used to be No. 1. Thanks to the EFCC and ICPC. NITEL has now completely collapsed. Where NITEL failed, mediocre local independent telephone operators dominated by Indians are carting billions to the banks and their banks in India . NEPA is tottering.
The road networks are in a very, very dilapidated condition. The transportation system in Nigeria is in a big mess. Travel by road in Nigeria has seized to be a thing of joy. By air is expensive and froth with danger of air crash due to the preponderance of molue aircraft in the air. Still, it is expensive. A forty-five-minute flight to Abuja from Lagos costs between twelve and fifteen thousand Naira, ($90-$130) depending on the airline. Crime is climbing because of joblessness, particularly among young school leavers. Politically motivated pen robbery is still with us. Economically induced robberies are on the rise too. Banks are now robbed in broad day light. You cannot open your favorite daily any morning without reading about a robbery incident here and there. Because it is not an election season, assassinations are on the wane - it looks like.
In spite of all, this is the best time to start thinking of relocating to Nigeria . Nigeria is changing. This is very fast. You begin to notice this at the airports - your first points of entry. The air cooling systems now work most of the time. The conveyor belts work too, most of the times that I have seen. Power systems at the airports fail intermittently but not as they used to do.
The people you meet either at departure lounges or on arrival halls are beginning to imbibe the culture of courtesy. Trolleys, though for hire are now available for the jaded traveler to cart away his luggage. Even the toilets are manned by professionals who say hi to you before use and after. (Some times they hide the tissue papers and make you pay for service.) Inside the airports, touting has been kept at bay. There are banks with ATM machines competing for the business of the Nigerian traveler, at most Nigerian airports now. Modern communications gadgets are on display at every nook and cranny displaying wares, arrival and departure times.
Before you relocate, make sure you have the wherewithal to get back to where you are relocating from - just in case. The reasons are too many. But the first you would notice is how far high on the economic ladder your mates have climbed. And as you know, economic progress has a twin brother climbing the same ladder - social mobility. Your contemporaries have moved and they did so slowly but sure-footedly while you were gone. Your mates dine at the most expensive restaurants and drive the latest model cars - not on credit.
Your mates have bought up properties in the choicest areas of the land. Your mates are to be found in, Wuse II, Asokoro and Maitama areas of Abuja . Your mates have occupied the choicest areas of Lagos , particularly the picturesque sites of Lekki , Victoria Garden City - fancifully called the VGC. Of course, your mates now use their Ikoyi and VI previous homes as offices. It is no more fanciful to say I live in Ikoyi or VI. There are new places of abode in the land - from Kaduna to Port Harcourt and from Enugu to Maiduguri , and your mates have taken them up while you were gone.
If you left over ten to twenty years ago and you are planning to be back, know that you have become unemployable. You have to be self-employed for a long while. Be sure you have enough resources to keep you going through the period it would take you to re-acquaint yourself with your "former" home. Things have really changed - changed for good for those who did not jet out and somehow changed for bad for those of us who took the next plane and left the country.
In Nigeria , your mates in the public and private sectors of the economy, particularly the banking and oil industry, have become highly placed. Most earn the equivalent of between 200,000 and 300,000 dollars a year plus other incentives to wit. There was an advert recently placed in one of the papers for a job opening which warned those not earning twenty million Naira and above, per annum, in their present job not to apply. Most have built their own houses in Nigeria . Most have more than two cars in their drive way. Most live in homes that smack of opulence, with every modern gadget ranging from large sized Plasma TVs to Microwaves.
Most have genuinely saved enough to send their children to some of the best educational institutions over seas, including to the Ivy Leagues. Most are share holders in most of the emerging markets that have been liberalized during the eight boom years (and counting) which we that left, have missed. Most of them have savings in liquid cash that run into tens of millions. Most have invested in the now, very lucrative Nigeria stock market. You would marvel when you have a snippet of what amount of shares your mates now hold. You would shiver in self pity.
If your mates joined politics, they have occupied the choicest of political positions in the land and made new friends that will be hard to dislodge. If you happen to have showed off to them in your hey days of "returning" from America , be rest assured they have not forgotten. They call us mercenaries in politics. It is now their turn to show you, that you can't have it both ways. They have built a barricade and insulated themselves from out side interests - you the returnee being an outside interest that must be dreaded. If you have real or passing interest in politics, you must show it with extreme caution. They would like to invite you to political meetings and discussion only to put you to size.
While not accepting everything they say, when making your presentations, or contributions avoid using phonetics. Avoid such phrases as "if it were in America or Europe ." They do not like to hear that. One of them surely will remind you "this is Nigeria " to the embarrassing applause of others, there present. They see Nigeria now as a trophy. They labored for Nigeria while you were gone. They suffered the June 12 crises together while you were gone. They suffered the Abacha era while you were gone. While you were gone, you probably had returned on one or two occasions only to scurry out soon after complaining of incessant heat, erratic power supply and mosquito bites. At the airport, you must have been caught criticizing everything in sight. They have not forgotten your new borrowed accent and the phonetics that do not rhyme.
That you need a shelter to live in Nigeria if you planned relocating to Nigeria is an understatement. There are many ways to do this. It's either that you have managed to build something for yourself in the city you would want to relocate or you could find an affordable apartment. With the kind of money we make overseas from genuine everyday livelihood, it is almost next to impossibility that you could build yourself an abode commensurate to what you are used to. If you find yourself in this position, don't worry, if you endured the pains and worked hard and kept a low profile in order not antagonize your former friends, within five years your will build your self, your dream home.
You need to feed well. This too is an understatement. Avoid going to the supermarkets to get your food - raw, processed or cooked. Buy from the local sellers at the nearest mammy market. Go to the supermarkets and shops to buy the essentials. At the malls, you will find that while you spend a miserable amount to buy your essential needs, Nigerians who are not been tos, buy up anything in site both the ones they need and those they do not need.
This people have so much money. How they make it, you will find out if you endured. Closely related to this is your phone habit. It is very expensive to use the telephones in Nigeria . As you know, telephone calls in the western world are taken for granted. Here, while it's beginning to happen as if it is for granted, it is very, very expensive. To Nigerians who are not used to such freedom of expression, they are spending millions everyday to make phone calls -to satisfy their newly found phone freedom. If you are not mindful, telephone bills may cut into your feeding pattern. If this happens, before long, you will become an object of gossip. You will lose your complexion and weight and they will notice.
You need clothing to cover the body you have labored to nurture while you lived abroad. This also, is an understatement. Nigerians pay too much attention to dressing. Your dress mode can shut the door at you or open the door for you. Avoid casual dressing, particularly when you are going to meet with the Nigerian big man. He knows the stuff you're wearing and could place you based on that. Be simple but neat if need be occasionally be flamboyant. Express yourself. Speak good English, where there is a need, do not use slang such as I wana or I gonna….
Do not lend money. Give out only that which you could afford to lose. Beware of relatives and the extended family system. If you manage to set up a small business, never employ those closely related to you. They will ruin you.
You would need to dry clean. Dry cleaning here is too expensive. You pay as much 300 naira (about $2) to dry clean an inner vest. Think then of what it would cost to do a bunch of laundry. Think seriously of having a washer and a drier installed - wherever you may decide to live.
You must have at least two good cars. That car of yours, which you price so much, is not fashionable in Nigeria . Here some people drive the next year's model before they become common in Europe or the Americas . How they make such money to pay upfront is still the mystery I am struggling to unravel. The roads are so bad and the drivers so ill-trained that if you drove yourself, and not being used to their adversarial/ confrontational pattern of driving, your car and you would, in a very short while be a sorry sight. They hit you and beg you. They hit you because you are conscious of driving rules and apply it. They, who do not apply simple driving rules, rule the highway in Nigeria . In a society not used to insurance, and where vehicular laws are not implemented, begging has replaced insurance coverage. Even passer bys would chip in to ask the offending reckless driver to beg you and get on with his life. If they beg you, you must accept. That's your only recourse.
To this end, you must have a good mechanic as a friend. He will introduce to you, a good panel beater (your used car will always need to be panel beaten back to form after constantly being bashed by ill-trained Nigerian road users. Most Nigeria drivers, I hear, buy their drivers license) who will in turn introduce you to a vulcanizer and an auto electrician, here, fancifully called a rewire. You need a vulcanizer because the roads are bad. Flat tires occur very often here than usual. Of all the auto-related experts you will work with, the rewire should be the one you must dread. He is not well trained in the operation of modern day computer induced auto cars. His method of rewiring has set many late model computerized cars ablaze.
Make a difference.. .Stand out of the crowd and touch a life...u are a miracle to someone today cos God has made you one and given you the capacity to blossom in someones life...God bless you

My Only Regret....20007

2007-12-31T02:23:00.000-08:00

Let everything that have breath praise the lord says the psalmist. 2007 was a very outstanding year for me. infact i can say its the best year so far. i changed jobs like 3 times! i made financial progress! relationships were consolidated and goals were achieved.

My Only Regret however is that i did not set bigger goals.......

In 2008 i will be more consistent with my blogging at least once a week.

I will be on air twice a week on radio. Gold Fm 5:55am Mondays and Wednesdays

I will be in touch with the people that matter in my life.

I will cultivate deeper relationships with people. I will be proactive about helping others.

I will also develop stronger spiritual values

and practice my faith

Lastly i will be more understanding of others....so help me God

Nigeria - Prophecy Vs Invention

2007-12-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

I have always believed that there is nothing so bad about 3rd world. The world hasn’t stopped, so the fact that we are third world, simply implies that when the positions were scored, we were third. There is nothing wrong with that. He who is third today has the benefit of learning from the 1st and the 2nd. If the 1st runs into a ditch, the second will avoid the ditch and so will the 3rd. If the second runs into a ditch, the 3rd still has a 3rd chance. It means also that the opportunities we have to get back up after we have screwed up is more. Can someone say to someone - “there is nothing bad with being ranked as 3rd world”.
However, there is something wrong with staying 3rd world, and heading in the wrong direction. It means for as long as life exists, we would never be anything better than 3rd world. The question that ought to bother us as a nation and as individuals, is where is our nation heading. I will not worry about the details of the speed, or the stretch of our movement if direction is uncertain. It is only a fanatic that doubles speed when direction is unsure. I am a student of prophecy and by extension a son of the tribe of Issachar, I am also a student of creativity, and believe that where the future prophesied future seems bleak, another can b
e invented.
Here are some key indexes for determining the future of our nation and easy fixes for ensuring we invent the one we desire.
1. Individual Vs National Development: When the MD of General Motors became a Minister in America, he was asked an integrity question. He was asked if he could endorse good policies that would adversely affect General Motors in any way. He responded, that while he would seek to uphold the good of the American people above that of his company, he doubts seriously that there will ever be any good policy that will affect GM negatively. He said that all the while he was MD, he had always ensured that whatever he was doing was not only good for GM but good for America. Hear this loud and clear. Until the decisions of individuals in Nigeria both in public, private and in no office starts to consider the good of the Nation, Nigeria will never be great. Until individual progress can be connected with National progress, there will be no National progress. Where are we facing in these regards? The wrong direction. Today, people can rise to the top of the economic food chain without having a thought about National development. Where does that kind of direction lead to? Extremely rich and extremely poor, no middle class, dying nation.
2. Dependence Vs Interdependence: One of the key elements sinking America today, is that America has developed itself into a nation of dependents. There are too many people depending on the government for social security and retirement settlement. America has developed an entitlement generation, people who believe that they are entitled to what does not exist. The entire social security and retirement benefit system is a huge ponzi scheme, and the populace does not even understand what lies head or what a ponzi scheme is. The Nigerian is fast brining itself out of a situation where all federal government workers believe that the government will take care of them till they die, the structures of pensions and gratuities is quickly being repositioned to what makes sense even in the private sector. While this is happening gradually, many still do not understand fully, that their lives now lie in their hand, not only in pension allocation, but generally. The government is not responsible for Nigeria - Old Nigeria or New Nigeria. We are not entitled to what we had in the 1960s and 70s where we were running systems that have begun to fail globally. If Nigeria will ever be better or change, it’s going to be by the effort of the individuals. No matter how good the government is, no matter how leader the leader, we will never be entitled to what we don’t take conscious ownership of. Just like your personal financial intelligence guarantees your future, so does you personal national input guarantee your future in the New Nigeria. We need to be a nation of volunteers, of people who ask not what their country can do for them, but ask what they can do for their country.
3. Producer Vs Consumer: The Jones’ make a monthly salary of N100,000 but have a monthly budget of N250,000! What do you think will happen to the Jones’? If you said, go bankrupt, get into slave trade, become beggars or become extinct you are not far from the truth. They will end up somewhere within that matrix, depending on how many years after. As a nation, we are no different from the Jones’. We are consuming more than we are producing. Or rather, we are consuming… because I struggle to remember what we are producing. What type of encouragement do we need to patronize our own local businesses? What encouragement do we need to wear made in Nigeria clothes? What motivation do we need to buy our products? Do we first need to run aground and be back down before we look up? The direction that consumes more than it produces ends up extinct.
4. Money Making Vs Value Creation: Who are the richest people in Nigeria? That might be a difficult one, I think a better question is who are the billionaires in Nigeria? What work are they doing, and what value can the average poor man boldly claim to derive from them? Are they into Financial Services? What value are they adding to the economy? Are they funding SME’s or are they collaborating to fund non Nigerian companies? Are they financing the real sector, or are they trading stocks… or monkeys? Are they oil barons or are they in the oil and gas sector? Are they drilling oil and adding value to it and to the populace, or are they selling raw materials, buying finished products and selling us more of what we should need less of? Are our rich men creating value? But I thought money making was a function of value creation, how wrong was I. It is possible to make money without creating value, it’s called bad money. I understand from history as well, that when bad money shows up, good money goes into hiding. If we promote and encourage money making without addition of visible value, the voice of value adding initiatives will be suppressed.
The direction we face as a nation is clear. It’s the direction different from the one we should be facing. We should stop blaming the government, it’s not the government’s fault. It is all our fault. The government has too long been the destination of bastard blames, leave the government alone. We are overrating the importance and power of politicians, they are vital, but can’t do it alone. If you have anything to offer Nigeria, make it known. In the days of God’s power, there shall be volunteers.

written by deolu akinyemi
www.deoluakinyemi.com

A Different Picture.....A Different Result

2007-11-30T07:46:00.001-08:00

Occasionally do you have the reason to pause and ponder over life is all about? Personally I do. I am also persuaded that this is a legitimate question. It’s interesting to note that how you see life is the basis by which you will base your judgments, actions and decisions. This is what determines whether you are materialistic or not. What you have attachment to and to what extent.
For instance, what is your view on money? What can you do to acquire it? How are you willing to share or distribute it? To what purpose are you willing to put it to use. Do you want to spend it now or later? You need to appreciate how influential your perspective on life can be. It is not just limited to your relationship with money, but also with people, positions, opportunities etc. This is also referred to has your value system.

Values are what we stand for. They are grounds on which you cannot compromise. Values do not change no matter how you vary the quantity of money. People with values are the ones that will make a difference in the new Nigeria. A people who know what they stand for. A people who don’t have a price. A people who cannot be purchased. Values are the DNA, the fabrics of which the society is made. As a people we have great values like, integrity, uprightness, honesty, hard work, diligence. Our word is our bond. This is our honor.

It may shock you to know that perpetuators of wickedness and corruption are in the minority. They are few but noisy and loud. They have painted us red abroad but their time is up. How do I know? You represent the truth and you will stand up for it. At your place of work you will follow due process. You will not take bribes or shortcuts. No more examination malpractices. Yes that’s the new you and new Nigeria. Nigeria will change when you make your own little contributions. Nigeria will be different when you are different. By the year 2025 I see a brand new Nigeria. I see people of different nationalities queuing up at our different embassies trying to get visa to enter Nigeria. I see Europeans participating in a Nigerian visa lottery.

I am not crazy, neither am I daydreaming or having a nightmare. Things have started changing already. The only way you can perceive the change is by changing yourself. In case you are contemplating leaving the shores of our country for good. Please change your mind, don’t pack your bags yet. Don’t go to where opportunities have been. Stay in Nigeria where we are creating opportunities. Stay and help build this country to that level. Those who till the land will reap the harvest. The tide is changing and I can feel it

Most of us will do anything to become good except change our way of living.- anonymous

Starting strong; beginning with God

2007-11-22T03:08:00.002-08:00

NAFECS FISRT SYMESTER INAUGURAL SEMINAR

November 23 2007 BY Oluyemi Adeosun

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. John 1 vs. 1-5

And God said let there be light and there was light. Genesis 1 vs. 1- 4

Characteristics of the beginning

Things may be without form, and void
Darkness may be prevalent
The most important thing is light
Then other activities can follow
Light is information, knowledge, vision or revelation

Lessons

The most important thing is the word
Words comes from thoughts
Thoughts comes from what we chose to listen to, read, watch, hear and believe
What you say is either God or devil inspired
The devil is word perverted
What you say is what you believe, act on, and get
You will not get what you say if you believe in what others say and not what you say
Words are superior to situations, circumstances and environmental factors.
Words determine your attitude, behavior and character
A set of attitude is superior to a set of circumstances
You are not what happens to you, you are what you chose to become
Words determine your opinions and expectation
Gods word is different from status quo (darkness, mediocrity)
God’s word works and brings about a performance. Put your words to work.
Gods word sets a new vision, dream, path, course, direction, focus, result
If you don’t change your focus you cant change your result
A set of attitude will produce a set of results consistent to it
What do you want to become tomorrow. Knowing it will help you endure and pay the price now.
Have a spiritual goal, academic goal, leadership goal, personal development goal
Get a mentor
Set a goal- 5 points
Greater ambition than others
Take more risk than others
More demand, more Grace, more result
You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it
Don’t blow your first chance
Build a skill set
Says law of market
If you don’t define your goals poor results will define you
What people know and do and their staying power differentiates people

WHY YOU ARE IN SCHOOL

Discover your gifts, talents and potentials
TO acquire a discipline
Sharpen your skills
Develop life long relationship with God and with people- each individual you see represents a door to a sector or industry in the economy. Build deep and positive friendship

Ultimately you are here to develop capacity

Sin puts you in the dark and weakens your capacity. Righteousness exalts or develops a nation.

Action points

Set an impossible goal
Endure an impossible schedule
Serve an unlimited God
Achieve an outstanding result

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill." -- Muhammad Ali

QUESTIONS, CONTRIBUTIONS OR ENQUIRES CONTACT

Oluyemiadeosun@yahoo.com, www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com, 08025320606

Seven Differences between Wealth and Riches

2007-11-22T02:59:00.001-08:00

Wealth and riches are not the same. Now let’s consider the differences.

Riches are a function of the amount of money you make; wealth is of that which you retain. Riches are what pass through your hands; wealth is what stays in your life. For example, earning a million naira per month makes you rich but not necessarily wealthy. Mike Tyson is said to have made over four hundred million dollars in his boxing career but is now bankrupt, owing over twenty million dollars. He is a classic example of someone who was rich but not wealthy. Spending money shouldn’t be your focus. It should be making and retaining it.
You can become rich overnight but not wealthy overnight. Winning the lottery or star prize in a reality TV show may make you an instant millionaire but not a wealthy person. It takes years to build wealth because wealth is a function of your financial intelligence as expressed in the kinds of decision you make over time. Check out the guy who wins an instant million today in two years time. That’s when you will know if he his wealthy or not. To build wealth you have to be more long term oriented in your thinking and actions.
A rich man depends on his talents to make money. A wealthy man recruits the talents the talent of others to build wealth. How many people have you engaged to help you make money? If your answer is none then it will be difficult for you to build wealth.
A rich man has to keep working to make money; a wealthy man keeps making money even if he stops working. Take a landlord as an example collecting rent as long as people keep using his facility. But even the man earning a million per month will lose his job if he fails to show up for work! That is why it is difficult to become wealthy if you are not making money passively.
Rich people usually depend on a single source of income, especially salary. Wealthy people usually have multiple streams of income. How many streams of income do you have? If it is only salary I think you need to sit up!
Riches can be lost overnight but it is difficult to lose wealth overnight because wealthy people keep their wealth in more than one reservoir and it is difficult for a single turn of events to affect all the reservoirs at the same time. It is unlikely that the stock market, real estate and the businesses will all crash at the same time.
If a wealthy man loses the business, investment or property he almost always bounces back. All he does his to repeat the process of building those assets all over again. He may even build an entirely different business. But if a rich man loses his high paying job he most likely remains permanently broke unless he finds another high paying job. This is the reason many salary earners go broke if they lose their jobs. They don’t know how to build an asset.

A rich man is not so different from a poor man! You have to migrate from poor to rich to wealthy.

Multiple source of income

1 Engage in farming- people must eat

2 Start trading shares

3 Engage in real estate- people must live in houses

4 Start a transport services- people must move

5 Provide power supply. Kerosene, diesel, petrol. People use it daily

6 Open a canteen- people must eat

7 Open a dry cleaning service

8 Start an extra mural lesson. If you are a teacher organize private lessons.

9 Make you’re your hobby commercial. What you are doing for free, some people are making money by doing it.

The man who has done his best has done everything. The man who has done less than his best has done nothing.