MIND YOUR BUSINESS 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


GREAT QUOTES

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

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

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