Motivation. Inspiration. Business. Entrepreneurship. Ideas. Opportunities. Picture Talks. Biographies. Book Reviews. Mentoring, Interviews. Jokes.
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
THE IRONY OF EXPECTATIONS by Obinna E. C. Ebirim
Once upon a time, a well known painter was finishing his painting. It’s an incredibly beautiful painting. The painter was consumed by and excited with his own painting that he unconsciously started taking steps backward to admire it from different distances. He didn’t look back when he walked backward. He kept on walking backward until it was a step away from the edge of the tall building. Just one more step backward and he could get himself killed.
A man saw what the painter was doing and was about to shout at him to warn him but he then realized that his shout might have surprised the painter and thus make him take one step backward and fell down.
The man then took a brush and paint and began to paint on the beautiful painting until it was completely damaged.
As he started, the painter started running forward towards his painting. The painter got very angry and moved forward to hit the man. However, some other people who were also present at the vicinity held him and showed him his last position which almost made him fall.
Sometimes we have painted our future with such beauty and dreamed of beautiful days we will spend with our loved one. But then God seemed to destroy our beautiful painting when He sees what danger lies ahead of us. At such, we become angry and annoyed by what God has done to us. But one thing we have to keep in mind is this: God provides only the best for us, his children. Always expect the best.
We celebrate you!
Saturday, 27 October 2012
REBRAND FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Of what use is a well packaged product without a corresponding content? I've discovered that, It is possible to be well packaged but with a flabby character strength. Yes! Its rationally healthy and professionally sound to package your exterior but more important is your character strength; we've got Palace-living fools, Escalade-driving nonentities, broadchested and breath-taking-physique idiots and...you know more... True branding therefore begins from the inside-out. After the assuming accolade of the exterior is received, never allow your interior raise a hill of craps that will sabotage your identity. I don't mean to insult anyone but you and I know this is the truth. Rebrand from the inside-out!
We celebrate you!
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
BE MORE LIKE RICHARD BRANSON
BE
COURAGEOUS
Starting
a business requires taking risks and innovating where others haven't. Money,
reputation and personal relationships are often on the line, but entrepreneurs
have to know when to take chances -- and when not to.
When
Branson launched Virgin Atlantic airlines in 1984 and Virgin Australia in 2000,
his fellow board members were skeptical about the chances for success. But
Branson recognized an opportunity and stuck to it -- and it has paid off.
Virgin Atlantic now carries more than five million passengers a year, and
Virgin Australia has become the country's second largest airline.
BUILD
A SOLID NETWORK
What's
a great business idea worth if no one knows about it and you don't know any
influential people to help you get it off the ground? A successful entrepreneur
will begin networking early, and continue networking as he or she grows the
business
When
Branson began networking for Virgin Music in the 1970s, he was serious from
that start about meeting with agents, persuading musicians to sign on and
finding distributors. You can get started by attending industry events, joining
regional business associations and by being active on social networking sites
like Facebook, nairaland, twitter, blogspot and LinkedIn.
BE
OPEN TO CHANGE
With
economies shifting and technology evolving at lightning speed, change happens
whether you want it to or not
With
Virgin Records, Branson was a master at navigating change. From transitioning
from LPs to cassettes to CDs, and from small shops to mega stores, Branson
transformed the business model a number of times before selling the company to
EMI in 1992.
Diagnosed
with dyslexia, Branson left school at age 16 because he was unable to follow
the curriculum. But he turned the disadvantage into an advantage as an
entrepreneur.
In
reviewing Virgin's advertising and marketing, Branson's colleagues read
everything aloud, giving him a sense of the overall concept and allowing him to
weed out industry jargon in favor of ordinary language.
“Whenever
something goes wrong or you find yourself at a disadvantage, often the best way
to handle it is to turn a negative into a positive," Branson says
KNOW
WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP
No
matter what age, entrepreneurs can think they know everything and have enough
bandwidth to do it all. But entrepreneurs are human, with human limitations.
Sometimes it's best to turn to people who know you and people you can trust for
advice or assistance.
At
age 19, Branson started a mail-order record business but never asked anyone for
advice on how to carry out a business plan. Then he made a poor decision:
smuggling records through customs to avoid paying taxes. Caught by British
customs officials, he was bailed out of jail by his mother, who later became
one of his most trusted business mentors.
“Thinking
back to 1969, my mother's common-sense advice would have been just the thing I
needed to hear," Branson says
LISTEN
TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
From
tapping into social networks to using old-school methods like phone calls, it's
critical to connect with customers, let them know you're listening and that you
care about satisfying their needs. Learn to add innovation to your customer
connect, add empathy, get their phone data and learn to send happy birth day sms
messages to your customers.
Branson
for instance, uses social media to give him a real-time view of how his
companies can improve. "Through customers' comments, we started learning
about issues with our products and services more quickly than ever
before," he says. "In response, we set up systems so that a customer
who has a question or a problem can get a quick answer from our team. I try to
answer a few questions every day from followers”.
STAY
FOCUSED WHEN FOLLOWING YOUR BUSINESS
Even
when an entrepreneur starts out with a great idea, passion and a laser focus, he
or she can become distracted. It can be tempting to make changes that don't
always make sense for your overall goals. Some people go following after the
business they think that is paying well. Branson recommends knowing your
mission, making sure you get the basic structure right, installing the right
team at the top and paying attention to details.
At
Virgin America, for instance, Branson's CEO attends an annual training program
to help "keep the enthusiasm that marked our early development. The point
is to keep our teams up to date and connected, which prevents them from becoming
complacent or settling for the status quo," Branson says.
REMEMBER
TO BE POSITIVE
It
takes a strong personality to be an entrepreneur. But sometimes, business
owners can feel tempted to be aggressive or even angry with customers,
competitors and their own teams.
No
one wants to work with a dictator or a bully. Successful entrepreneurs find a
balance between being aggressive in business and treating those who work with
or for them with respect and gratitude. If companies or individuals you deal
with don't respond to a positive approach, they might not be the right people
to do business with.
“I
hope we are successful at Virgin because we engage with everyone in a positive,
inclusive manner rather than in an aggressive, combative or negative way,"
Branson says
ENCOURAGE
TEAMWORK AND FUN
As
the founder of your company, you may be the one telling the world about your
incredible new product and showing it off at industry events. But this wouldn't
be possible without your partners and teammates working hard behind the scenes.
Teams that are happy and work well together can accomplish great things. You
have to make them see the vision you see. They shouldn’t only see it, make them
key into it and develop as much passion as you have for the goal.
Take
the Virgin Group, for instance. It celebrated the Olympics this summer by
taking part in fun races. "Events like these can help to break down
departmental barriers and foster better teamwork as employees get to know each
other in an informal setting," Branson says. "This can go a long way
toward showing your staff that it is OK to have fun.
DON’T
FEAR TO EXIT
Learn
when to sell your business. It can be difficult to know when to sell because,
as a founder and entrepreneur, you can become attached to your business and
team. It can help to seek input from trusted advisors about whether selling
will be good for the overall health of your company.
Branson
sold a number of Virgin companies over the years. Probably the most notable was
the sale of Virgin Records to EMI. "It was a very emotional day for me --
at one point, I broke down in tears," he says. "Looking back, it's
clear that we sold at the right time, and the decision made sense for Virgin as
a whole. That secured our group's future and gave us a war chest for investing
in new businesses.” At work
Starting
a business requires taking risks and innovating where others haven't. Money,
reputation and personal relationships are often on the line, but entrepreneurs
have to know when to take chances -- and when not to.
When
Branson launched Virgin Atlantic airlines in 1984 and Virgin Australia in 2000,
his fellow board members were skeptical about the chances for success. But
Branson recognized an opportunity and stuck to it -- and it has paid off.
Virgin Atlantic now carries more than five million passengers a year, and
Virgin Australia has become the country's second largest airline.
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We celebrate you.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Be Positive
Think positive |
If you have a positive attitude, you will find it much easier to manifest your desires, as you will be naturally giving out positive emotional thought vibrations which will attract positive things to you. Even if you are not consciously trying to manifest something, your positive attitude will naturally attract more things to be positive about and you will be one of those people who seem to attract endless good fortune.
Try to remain positive at all times. This doesn’t mean you can never feel down or can never again have a good old moan, but you have to make your natural state as positive and as upbeat as possible. Get out of the habit of complaining about certain situations in your life. Stop any negative self talk, such as Oh I’ll never be able to do that’. Expect that good things will happen to you and that every outcome will be positive.
If something unwanted happens, try to see a positive side to it if you can. For example, if you moan that every time you have a little extra money, your car needs repairs or you receive an unexpected bill, try turning it around and start being thankful that you have the extra money to allow you to pay for these unexpected expenses.
I heard about someone whose car required so many repairs it was not economically worth repairing. He couldn’t afford to replace it, so decided he would have to go without a car until he had saved the money for a new one. He started cycling to work, and after a few months realized that he had lost two stones in weight and was enjoying cycling so much he decided to take it up competitively. So from not being able to afford a new car, he became fit and healthy and found a new hobby!
Always get into the habit of looking for the positive side to your problems.
Unfortunately our natural state is to feel either negative or at best in a state of what I call flat- neither unhappy but not particularly great either. It is very difficult to attract positive things into your life by feeling flat, as you are shutting yourself off from vibrating at a higher level; these vibrations flow best when you are feeling happy, positive and good about yourself.
Do more of the things that bring you joy, for whenever you feel joy, happiness and love you are connected most strongly to your higher self. Chat to your partner, laugh with your children, stroke or play with your pet. Meet up with a friend for lunch and have a laugh. Listen to your favorite music, or music that calms, relaxes or inspires you, or watch a television show that motivates you or makes you laugh.
Place pictures of your family, your pets or of you enjoying a favorite hobby around your home and place of work. Looking at them should help you to feel instantly more positive and full of love. Remember those good times.
Exercise can be a great mood lifter. Even a gentle walk can raise your spirits and boost your energy levels.
Nobody can feel happy all of the time, although feeling upbeat becomes easier the more you practice it, but start by finding things to feel great about in your life; laugh more, moan less, hang around with positive, upbeat people and try to avoid negative folk. Expect that things will turn out well and that if you experience a problem you will find a solution. Expect good things to come your way!
Not only will you start to attract many more good things than bad into your life, but you will be much more open to receiving your intentions.
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Thursday, 18 October 2012
NIGERIA, THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES
I LOVE THIS COUNTRY NIGERIA
THIS COUNTRY NIGERIA |
The secret to gaining financial freedom is by
finding a need and providing solution to it. People say Nigeria got problems
and that Nigeria is a hard place to live. If Nigeria got problems it means that
Nigeria is highly in demand of solutions for these problems...or should I list
them, transportation needs, market needs, food needs, education needs,
communication needs, technology needs etc for more than 160million people. You
could just be that need solver. However the truth is that Nigeria is the only
Land of all opportunities. A country not so regulated that you could almost do
anything you want. You could start any kind of business you want, make any kind
of noise you want, and in fact party any way you want (including, road block
party, the Lagos people can tell more). It’s a land you can start with the
little you have without having to go through much of government regulations as
found in most other nations (like in the US, to open a barbershop or hair salon
you have to attend a six months training program, write an exam and be issued a
certificate for practice) who dares try that in Nigeria? That just makes
Nigeria the home for all ...Dongote is rich because he is providing much of
these needs, noodles, sugar, drinks, cement, cargo, etc Millions of Nigerians
are living and eating “Dangote”. Think About this, imagine how many million Nigerians
you could provide their need...imagine how much financial returns this would
be. You guessed right, it runs in hundreds of millions. Start from what you
need, then what your neighbor needs, then what your community needs, your state
and maybe the whole federation... Think about this; Imagine that 10 million
Nigerians wake up each morning depending on you for, say their tooth paste
needs...You are made!
THESE WORDS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
NIGERIAN BORN CELEBRITIES ROCKING THE WORLD...
THESE ARE ORDINARY NIGERIANS DOING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THESE MEN AND WOMEN BEAT CULTURE AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS TO MEET THEIR DREAMS. IF THEY CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT!
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Actor, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
|
Annie Ilonzeh |
Carmen Ejogo
Actress, Away We Go
|
Caroline Chikezie |
Chamillionaire
RAPPER: Soundtrack, Never Back Down
|
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Actor, Children of Men
|
Christopher Obi
Actor, Snow White and the Huntsman
|
David Oyelowo
Actor, The Last King of Scotland
|
Dayo Okeniyi
Actor, The Hunger Games
|
Ebbe Bassey
Actress, A Spoonful of Sugar
|
Esosa Edosomwan
Actress, 50 Bucks in Argentina
|
Enuka Okuma
Actress, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
|
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Actor, The Savages
|
Grace Ayorinde
Actress, Almost Broadway
|
Hope Olaide Wilson
Actress, I Can Do Bad All by Myself
|
Judith Shekoni
Actress, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
|
Megalyn Echikunwoke
Actress, Fix
|
Nonso Anozie
Actor, The Grey
|
Vera Ephraim
Actress, Blood Tokoloshe
|
Tinie Tempah
Self, Episode #19.160
|
Taio Cruz
Soundtrack, Rio
|
Sophie Okonedo
Actress, Hotel Rwanda
|
Shirley Bassey
Soundtrack, There's Something About Mary
|
SEAL Singer & 4 times Grammy Winner |
FOLASADE International Singer |
Rakie Ayola
Actress, Dredd 3D
|
Osas Ighodaro
Actress, Cadillac Records
|
...this list goes on and on
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Monday, 15 October 2012
...SO, WHAT WILL YOU DO?
THINK ABOUT THIS |
IMAGINE YOU HAVE $100,000,000 WHAT WILL YOU DO?
IMAGINE YOU HAVE $10,000,000 WHAT WILL YOU DO?
WHAT IF YOU HAVE $1,000,000 WHAT WILL YOU DO?
THINK WITHIN YOUR HEAD...WHAT INVESTMENTS, WHAT SOLUTIONS WILL YOU PROFFER?
THAT'S THE MONEY GAME:
YOUR ABILITY TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, WILL TELL...
Sunday, 14 October 2012
RUN WITH THESE SKILLS!
SKILLS YOU NEED TO
SUCCEED
Self-awareness
Empathy
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Decision making
Problem Solving
Effective
communication
Interpersonal
relationship
Coping with stress
Coping with emotion
I read, I forget, I
discuss, I remember, I do, I inculcate.
1.
Self-awareness includes recognition of ‘self’,
our character, our strengths and weaknesses,
desires and dislikes. As Socrates rightly stated “Man know thyself”. It is
therefore very imperative that before we can understand our world, we must
first of all discover ‘ourself’. Self awareness/discovery is therefore the
first skill you must seek to acquire.
2.
Empathy - To have a successful relationship with
our loved ones and society at large, we need to understand and care about other
peoples’ needs, desires and feelings. Empathy is the ability to imagine what
life is like for another person. Without empathy, our communication with others
will amount to one-way traffic. Empathy helps us to accept people even in their
differences and inadequacies, thereby helping us improve on our social interaction.
Empathy will help us understand the principle of win-win which is crucial in
business deals.
3.
Critical thinking is an ability to analyze
information and experiences in an objective manner. Critical thinking can
contribute to health by helping us to recognize and assess the factors that
influence attitudes and behaviour, such as values, peer pressure and the media.
It’s as critical as it sounds…go for critical thinking skill.
4.
Creative thinking is a novel way of seeing or
doing things that is characteristic of four
components – fluency (generating new
ideas), flexibility (shifting perspective easily), originality and innovation (conceiving of
something new), and elaboration (building on other ideas). It’s simply the
skill of putting our mind to work.
5.
Decision making helps us to deal constructively
with decisions about our lives. This can have consequences for health, business
and general wellbeing. For example, it can teach us how to actively make
decisions about our actions in relation to healthy assessment of different
options and, what effects these different decisions are likely to have.
6.
Problem solving helps us to deal constructively
with problems in our lives. Significant problems that are left unresolved can
cause mental stress and give rise to accompanying physical strain. The truth is
that this skill helps us to tackle problems head on…as it is always said, a little
drop of left unsolved grows into an
ocean that will hunt us after words.
7.
Interpersonal relationship skills help us to
relate in positive ways with the people we interact with. This may mean being
able to make and keep friendly relationships, which can be of great importance
to our mental and social well-being. It may mean keeping good relationship with
family members, co workers, friends or our community at large.
8.
Effective communication means that we are able
to express ourselves, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are
appropriate to our cultures and situations. This means being able to express
opinions and desires, and also needs and beliefs. And it may mean being able to
ask for advice and help in a time of need or knowing when to say “NO”.
9.
Coping with stress means recognizing the sources
of stress in our lives. Recognizing how this
affects us, and acting in ways that help us control our levels of stress, by changing
our environment or lifestyle and learning how to relax. The acquisition of this skill ensures the
elimination of suicide.
10.
Coping with emotions means involving and recognizing
emotions within us and other. Being aware of how emotions influence behaviour
and being able to respond to emotions appropriately. Intense emotions like
anger or sadness can have negative effects on our life if we do not respond
appropriately.
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FOLLOW YOUR PASSION...LIVE YOUR DREAM
TALENT+PASSION EQUALS SUCCESS |
TALENT+PASSION=SUCCESS
USING YOUR PASSION TO FUEL
YOUR PURPOSE
When we were kids, we all had dreams of what we wanted
to become when we grew up. But for many of us, along came “life” with it’s
challenges and responsibilities – marriage, childbirth, ageing parents, health
issues, lack of employment opportunities, etc.
So the question remains, what do you do when you feel
pressured to choose between paper chasing and chasing your dreams? On how doing what you love will translate to
riches, for you in a matter of time your talent coupled with your passion will
help you achieve excellence. And with excellence comes increased patronage or
promotion, depending on what you do. This isn’t going to be easy though but in
a short while you will forget the challenge as you begin to get the benefits.
Not to say
dropping out of school is good…but we have an inexhaustible list of prominent
people who have so followed their dreams that they dropped out of school. Do
they regret it? No, of course, they are happy doing what they do...the names
goes on like this
Bill Gates co-founder of Microsoft Corporation
Thomas Edison founder General Electric
Orji Uzor Kalu: Founder of “Slok Group.”
Richard Branson Founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Lawrence J. Ellison: Builder of Oracle
Michael Dell Founder of Dell Computers Inc.
Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple Inc and Pixas
Henry Ford Founder of Ford Motor Company
Walt Disney founder of Walt Disney
Ray Kroc owner of McDonald’s
Cosmos Maduka: Founder of the Coscharis Group.
Ingvar Kamprad: Founder of IKEA. Furnitures
Simon Cowell: of the American Idols
Barry Diller:
founder of Fox Broadcasting
Company.
Andrew Carnegie: Founder of Carnegie Steel Company
Mark Zuckerberg Founder of Facebook
Ted Turner founder of CNN
But before you could get the monetary value for doing
what you love, you must have to make sure what you love doing serves as
solution to someone.
I have a few
tips:
1.
Identify your
talent. That is something you think you do very well, or something people have
told you countless times that you are good at.
2.
Identify and
understand your passion. Your passion is that thing you could do for long time
without getting tired. That thing you would always want to do even when you
know you are not getting paid for it.
3.
Marry your talent
with your passion. This helps you to fish out talents that you may have but not
passionate about or passions you may have but not talented in them. We advise
you to only pursue what you are both talented and passionate about.
4.
If your day joy isn’t your
passion, refuse to be defined solely by it. Find something about your passion
that describes you, even if it means including something like “Aspiring
Comedian” in your profile.
5.
Spend time
developing yourself in that area. Buy books, listen to audio tapes, and watch
documentaries and movies related to that field, if you can’t afford proper
trainings.
6.
Network and
surround yourself with people of like minds…study the top persons in that
field.
7.
Learn to take
calculated risks. Know when to push, how far, for how long, and when to stop.
8.
Don’t centre your
talent on making money. Money will come but understand that dreams don’t always
involve making millions. Not everyone will become rich from pursuing their
dreams. But if done the right way, you will make a decent living and of course
you’ll be happy.
9.
If you’re
quitting a well paying job to start something new, prepare for a pay cut! Cut
down your expenditure, plan ahead and reduce your liabilities while you
increase your assets. It is the sowing period.
10. Finally, never
settle for “second best”. Do your best to be the best at what you do. Strive
for excellence.
If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he
should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets
so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great
street sweeper who did his job well - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
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