Parents like to pamper children to make them enjoy life. This happens especially when they have the financial empowerment to put food on their table and can afford basic necessity for comfort.
Let us consider this scenario created by an adult who remembered his childhood after fumbling with the way he handles the money he had earned in life. He wished he had learnt financial literacy early in life.
‘Mummy loves to make life comfortable for me. My father was not different. They both labored to please us. We had good clothes to wear and always dressed smart. Sometimes when we were in the teenage years, I would overhear my mummy asking my dad when the next salary will be paid. My father, a dedicated civil servant always talk about how the salary is not enough to take him home. As soon as the money is paid, it never settled the bills so there is always carry over and the debt keep pilling up. It is now that I am a financially informed adult that I fully appreciate the problems my parents had.’.
Everyone needs to have one form of financial education or another. It is a subject we cannot ignore.
There are certain things about money and finance that our parents never taught us. Not because they hate us but because of their ignorance which was responsible for the failure in money matters.
If anybody want to live a comfortable life, there are certain skills we must acquire and knowledge to be acquired.
Here are 7 financial Lessons Your Parents Never Taught You
1. Education Will Not Make You Rich But Financial Literacy Will. No matter what profession or class you belong, if you do not get serious about this lesson, your financial life may be in tatters. Go over that sentence again. ‘Education will not make you rich but financial literacy will’. This is the basic principle of creating life comfort and wealth. No matter how lucrative your course is, it will not make you rich. There are many doctors, lawyers, engineers, journalists, broadcasters, marketers, etc. finding it difficult to survive despite the fact that they have good jobs and paid fat salary. What will make you become rich is financial literacy. This one respects no man. It is a law. It cannot be broken. If a person with secondary school certificate has financial literacy, he will be rich. If a professor lacks financial literacy, he will be poor. It is that simple. Stories and examples abound of artisans who never had the privilege of attending the conventional schools but still have home to shelter their families with choice properties. Contrarily, we have also heard about professors and retired civil servants who lived miserable life post retirement just because they lack financial education.
2. The Rich Don’t Work For Money. But our parents told us to work hard at our studies so that we could get good grades, have good degree, get good job and be paid fat salary. They taught us to work for money and that is the life we are living. Whatever your background. No matter how fat your salary is. If you want to be rich, understand this lesson-the Rich Don’t Work For Money. In the contrary, ‘Money Work For The Rich’. Many families, civil servants, politicians, top flight professionals work for money. They are money slaves and money is a wicked task master. It runs away from people who work for it but unbelievably pursue those who make it works for them. Where do you want to belong? Work for money or make money work for you? If you work for money, you will not be rich. If you put your money to work, you will be rich. That is the secret of the rich.
3. Mind Your Own Business. This is another vital lesson in personal finance. If you are working for somebody, what you are entitled to is salary. No more no less. You know nothing about the profits the boss is making through your effort. You end up being the monkey while your boss is the baboon. Haven’t you heard the tale ‘monkey dey work, baboon they chop’ before? Even it is the same thing for civil servants. They work for government. Their job is the business of government. But to be financially independent, you need to have a business of your own. Create a business around your talent and passion. It is the way to wealth. Find people in need of a defined service, give them what they want in exchange for money. The richest people in the world owns personal business they run. A civil servant should consider per time business around their skills. If you have no skill, learn one and sell it to those who need the service.
4. Car, House, Not Your Asset. This phenomenon was formerly popular in the developed countries with mortgage service for citizens. Now that the wind had blown to Nigeria, it is high time we talked about it. Most people think car is an asset. They think having a personal home is an asset yet it is not. An asset is anything that put money into your pocket. i.e. generate income for you. A liability is anything that take money out of your pocket. Be warned. You can never find this definition in your dictionary. If your car does not generate income for you, it is a liability. Simple. If your house does not generate income for you, it is not an asset. It is a liability. Hope you get the gist.? Never forget this lesson. It will determine your ability to create wealth and be happy in life.
5. If You Want To Be Rich, Keep More And Spend Less. This is a discipline you must build. Learn to save. What you save will save you in time of financial crisis. What you save will make you profit from taking opportunities that may arise suddenly in the future. With this, you can grow your wealth.
6. Learn To Create Ideas To Solve Your Money Problems. Whenever you are faced with money problems, think about anything you can sell to raise the money. Think about service you can render to attract the money you want.
7. Work To Learn, Don’t Work For Money: If you are working for somebody, set a goal to become better, wiser and smarter. The better you are, the more you attract favor and opportunities to yourself. If you work for money, you will end up in frustration because money is never enough. Develop your self and multiply your skills. You will never be a loser.
That is the curtain raiser for the financial lessons.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Timeless Lessons From 7 Principles Of The Eagles
This topic is hot and has great life-changing impact. The first time I learnt about the 7 principles of the eagles was from a request by readers of Monday Tribune calling on the columnist of the financial tribune inspirati section-Lanre Oyetade to repeat his previous write up on this topic.
Yes. I made effort to get the full gist when he responded positively to the clarion call of the loyal readers.
It seems the lessons from the 7 principles of the eagles is timeless. Why I said so is not far fetched. Just recently, it was repeated again on the said column through popular demand.
What are these principles that makes the eagle so special. What lessons can we derive from them.
I will recall each principles and lessons we can all learn from the 7 principles of the eagles in a simple and easy to understand way.
1. The Eagle Flies At High Altitude And It does Alone. This is an amazing principle of the eagle which very few people can cope with. The eagle is not found among sparrows or other smaller birds. The eagles flies in altitude only one kind of bird can fly-the eagle. Never with other birds and never in flocks. What is the lesson here? If you ever want to do something great in life, learn to be alone and when you are with people, share your time with people of same ambition and desires
2. The Eagle Has Strong And Unbelievable Vision: This vision is so sharp to the extent that it can capture objects 5 kilometers from the air. No matter the obstacle, the eagle focus on its prey and does not back out until the prey is captured. Many obstacle will appear to distract you in life. Stay focused and never allow dissenting views and voices to deter you from your vital goals in life.
3. The Eagle Eats Fresh Prey. Vultures can feed on dead animals but not the eagle. The eagle is so choosy and special that it feeds on fresh prey only. What is the import of this principle to you? Stale information will never do you good. Update yourself regularly with fresh information from reliable sources. Research your subject areas and use it for maximum benefit.
4. The Eagle Gets Excited In The Midst Of Storm. Other animals can run from adversity but not the eagle. The eagle loves gathering cloud. In fact, it thrive best in the midst of storm and winds. How often do you allow opposition to discourage you? Learn from the eagle. Use life’s storm to be better, wiser, greater, wealthier and healthier. Challenges should be your stepping stone to your success and not to your destruction. Jesus Christ went to sleep in the midst of the storm instead of fretting like the disciples. Learn to rest and soar during the time of storm in your life. That is the secret of the eagle.
5. The Eagle Tests Before Trusting. There is a saying that says ‘trust but verify’. I believe it was coined from the principle of the eagle. This principle is peculiar to the female eagle which subject the male eagle to vigorous testing before allowing the male to mate with her. This principle could be applied in our relationship with others especially when we want to enter one kind of agreement or partnership with others. Test the commitment of people before you trust them with your time and resources.
6. The Eagles Prepares For Training: The male and female eagles takes the baby eagle to a mountain top at high altitude to prepare it for the challenge of flying at great heights. When the baby eagle is released, the free fall at first is frightening but the mother eagle soon come to the rescue and the process is repeated again until the baby eagle can fly alone at high altitude in the manner of the parents. Challenges of life are inevitable. It is a training period for higher responsibilities. The better you are at managing your battles in life, the wiser and more responsible you become. Preparation is vital for future success.
7. When The Eagle Feels Weak, And About To Die, He Retires To A Place Far Away In The Dark. The eagle does this to shed old wind and grow new ones. Stress and fatigue is part of life. There is need to learn how to retire to a quite place for periodic retreat and strategic thinking with planning. The freshness gained from such practice improves productivity and quality of life. It also prolongs life. Take time to refresh. It is and indispensable tool for success and longevity.
Yes. I made effort to get the full gist when he responded positively to the clarion call of the loyal readers.
It seems the lessons from the 7 principles of the eagles is timeless. Why I said so is not far fetched. Just recently, it was repeated again on the said column through popular demand.
What are these principles that makes the eagle so special. What lessons can we derive from them.
I will recall each principles and lessons we can all learn from the 7 principles of the eagles in a simple and easy to understand way.
1. The Eagle Flies At High Altitude And It does Alone. This is an amazing principle of the eagle which very few people can cope with. The eagle is not found among sparrows or other smaller birds. The eagles flies in altitude only one kind of bird can fly-the eagle. Never with other birds and never in flocks. What is the lesson here? If you ever want to do something great in life, learn to be alone and when you are with people, share your time with people of same ambition and desires
2. The Eagle Has Strong And Unbelievable Vision: This vision is so sharp to the extent that it can capture objects 5 kilometers from the air. No matter the obstacle, the eagle focus on its prey and does not back out until the prey is captured. Many obstacle will appear to distract you in life. Stay focused and never allow dissenting views and voices to deter you from your vital goals in life.
3. The Eagle Eats Fresh Prey. Vultures can feed on dead animals but not the eagle. The eagle is so choosy and special that it feeds on fresh prey only. What is the import of this principle to you? Stale information will never do you good. Update yourself regularly with fresh information from reliable sources. Research your subject areas and use it for maximum benefit.
4. The Eagle Gets Excited In The Midst Of Storm. Other animals can run from adversity but not the eagle. The eagle loves gathering cloud. In fact, it thrive best in the midst of storm and winds. How often do you allow opposition to discourage you? Learn from the eagle. Use life’s storm to be better, wiser, greater, wealthier and healthier. Challenges should be your stepping stone to your success and not to your destruction. Jesus Christ went to sleep in the midst of the storm instead of fretting like the disciples. Learn to rest and soar during the time of storm in your life. That is the secret of the eagle.
5. The Eagle Tests Before Trusting. There is a saying that says ‘trust but verify’. I believe it was coined from the principle of the eagle. This principle is peculiar to the female eagle which subject the male eagle to vigorous testing before allowing the male to mate with her. This principle could be applied in our relationship with others especially when we want to enter one kind of agreement or partnership with others. Test the commitment of people before you trust them with your time and resources.
6. The Eagles Prepares For Training: The male and female eagles takes the baby eagle to a mountain top at high altitude to prepare it for the challenge of flying at great heights. When the baby eagle is released, the free fall at first is frightening but the mother eagle soon come to the rescue and the process is repeated again until the baby eagle can fly alone at high altitude in the manner of the parents. Challenges of life are inevitable. It is a training period for higher responsibilities. The better you are at managing your battles in life, the wiser and more responsible you become. Preparation is vital for future success.
7. When The Eagle Feels Weak, And About To Die, He Retires To A Place Far Away In The Dark. The eagle does this to shed old wind and grow new ones. Stress and fatigue is part of life. There is need to learn how to retire to a quite place for periodic retreat and strategic thinking with planning. The freshness gained from such practice improves productivity and quality of life. It also prolongs life. Take time to refresh. It is and indispensable tool for success and longevity.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Do Your Home Work If You Want To Be Rich
Robert Kiyosaki has written books which has caught my fancy. I had learnt basic financial intelligence from his widely celebrated best-selling title: Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
No. I don’t intend to say much about that book now. This one I want to talk about was released in 2001. I had seen the title on pages of specialized financial publications and heard about it on adverts.
I Eventually Got My Copy
Fortunately for me, I was able to raise the money to buy my personal copy in 2009. The lessons are as fresh as when it was first written in 2001. Think about words like ‘If you want to be rich, don’t go to school’. That is too radical for a juvenile mind to understand. What about this ‘If you want to be rich, do your home work’. Okay, if that one too is radical or difficult to understand what about this too ‘My banker don’t ask for my report card’. Then what does my banker ask for? He also went on to say ‘money does not make you rich’. Ooh! Then what makes one to be rich?
You may not have all the gist in this difficult to resist financial tips goldmine for anyone who desires true and winning financial success.
61 Insights For Your Home Work
These quotes are culled from the book ‘Rich Kid, Smart Kid’ . They will open your eyes to fully discover the secrets to financial success.
1. For the first time in history, many well-educated people are facing the same economic difficulties that less educated are facing.
2. In the industrial age, the rules were go to school, get good grades, find a safe, secure job with benefits, and stay there all your life.
3. In the information age, the rules are go to school, get good grades, find a job and then retrain yourself for that job.
4. To keep up with change, you need to relearn everything every 18 months
5. In the information age.what you learned is important, but not as important as how fast you ran learn, change, and adapt to new information
6. In the Industrial age, the smart kids went on to become doctors and lawyers. They made the big bucks.
7. In the Information age, the people who make the big bucks are the athletes, actor and musicians. Many of the doctors and other professional people are actually making less than they did in the Industrial age.
8. Instead of hoping to find a good job with a big company, more and more students are starting their own business in their dorm rooms.
9. Home schooling is no longer a fringe form of alternative education. Today, the number of kids being educated at home is increasing by 15%.
10. A person does not need to go to college to learn facts. He can learn them from books.
11. Imagination is more important than knowledge
12. Money is an idea
13. Financial intelligence is not about how much money you make, it’s about how much money you keep and how hard that money works for you.
14. Too many people work too hard for money and slowly kill themselves in the process
15. Too many people think about working harder rather than about how to have more fun and enjoy this great gift of life
16. 85% of a person’s success in life is due to ‘skill in human engineering’. The ability to communicate and get along with people is much more important than technical expertise
17. Your true education begins when you leave school
Read On
No. I don’t intend to say much about that book now. This one I want to talk about was released in 2001. I had seen the title on pages of specialized financial publications and heard about it on adverts.
I Eventually Got My Copy
Fortunately for me, I was able to raise the money to buy my personal copy in 2009. The lessons are as fresh as when it was first written in 2001. Think about words like ‘If you want to be rich, don’t go to school’. That is too radical for a juvenile mind to understand. What about this ‘If you want to be rich, do your home work’. Okay, if that one too is radical or difficult to understand what about this too ‘My banker don’t ask for my report card’. Then what does my banker ask for? He also went on to say ‘money does not make you rich’. Ooh! Then what makes one to be rich?
You may not have all the gist in this difficult to resist financial tips goldmine for anyone who desires true and winning financial success.
61 Insights For Your Home Work
These quotes are culled from the book ‘Rich Kid, Smart Kid’ . They will open your eyes to fully discover the secrets to financial success.
1. For the first time in history, many well-educated people are facing the same economic difficulties that less educated are facing.
2. In the industrial age, the rules were go to school, get good grades, find a safe, secure job with benefits, and stay there all your life.
3. In the information age, the rules are go to school, get good grades, find a job and then retrain yourself for that job.
4. To keep up with change, you need to relearn everything every 18 months
5. In the information age.what you learned is important, but not as important as how fast you ran learn, change, and adapt to new information
6. In the Industrial age, the smart kids went on to become doctors and lawyers. They made the big bucks.
7. In the Information age, the people who make the big bucks are the athletes, actor and musicians. Many of the doctors and other professional people are actually making less than they did in the Industrial age.
8. Instead of hoping to find a good job with a big company, more and more students are starting their own business in their dorm rooms.
9. Home schooling is no longer a fringe form of alternative education. Today, the number of kids being educated at home is increasing by 15%.
10. A person does not need to go to college to learn facts. He can learn them from books.
11. Imagination is more important than knowledge
12. Money is an idea
13. Financial intelligence is not about how much money you make, it’s about how much money you keep and how hard that money works for you.
14. Too many people work too hard for money and slowly kill themselves in the process
15. Too many people think about working harder rather than about how to have more fun and enjoy this great gift of life
16. 85% of a person’s success in life is due to ‘skill in human engineering’. The ability to communicate and get along with people is much more important than technical expertise
17. Your true education begins when you leave school
Read On
Monday, May 25, 2009
How To Write An Attractive And Compelling C.V.
Your C.V. is your sales presentation when hunting for any job you want. The way you package yourself will determine the kind of response you receive from your prospective employers.
Not many people can successfully sell themselves through this medium. Some C.V’s. flying around are so badly packaged that it never impress employers. Those without grammatical errors have nothing to differentiate them from others.
In order to grab the best job you so desire, you must write your C.V. attractively and make it irresistible.
This article is to reveal the secret techniques many job seekers never knew exist. They are not common and very few people could dare to implement the techniques.
Before laying the techniques bare before your eyes, let me bring to your notice what someone wrote about getting any position you want. ‘
He says ‘It is very easy to get any position one wants providing one has eh ability o fill it and make the right sort of approach in applying for the position’.
Now, let us get to business. Here are the winning steps to follow in writing an attractive and job pulling C.V.
1. Decide what position you desire: This is where to start. Edwin C. Barnes decided to become the business partner of Thomas Edison before he work for his company. The opportunity he sought came 5 years after he has worked as a cleaner in the same company. He grabbed that opportunity when it came calling. Thomas Edison promptly made him his sales manager. Decide ahead what kind of position you seek.
2. Accurately grade yourself in the following 17 principles of success:
i. Definite major purpose
ii. Self confidence
iii. Initiative
iv. Habit of saving
v. Imagination
vi. Enthusiasm
vii. Self-Control
viii. Covering Extra Mile
ix. Pleasing Personality
x. Accurate Thinking
xi. Concentration of Effort
xii. Cooperation
xiii. Profiting From Failures
xiv. Tolerance
xv. Golden Rule Application
xvi. Health Habits
xvii. Master Mind Applied
Score yourself marks in %.
3. State your age, nationality, schooling, work experience, email address, GSM number.
4. Send names and addresses of references
5. Write a covering letter stating
i. The C.V. sent
ii. The Position you seek
iii. Ask for opportunity to offer your service free for at least 1 month
6. Neatly type-set the C.V. without grammatical errors
7. Attach a recently taken photograph of yours.
Pitfalls To Avoid
1. Never apply for any position above you personal ability, education, race and experience
2. Do not make the mistake of grading yourself too high
3. Insincerity will kill your effort
Finally, remember that there is always a place for someone who sincerely follow he habit of rendering more service and better than that for which he is paid to do no matter how many depressions may come and go.
Not many people can successfully sell themselves through this medium. Some C.V’s. flying around are so badly packaged that it never impress employers. Those without grammatical errors have nothing to differentiate them from others.
In order to grab the best job you so desire, you must write your C.V. attractively and make it irresistible.
This article is to reveal the secret techniques many job seekers never knew exist. They are not common and very few people could dare to implement the techniques.
Before laying the techniques bare before your eyes, let me bring to your notice what someone wrote about getting any position you want. ‘
He says ‘It is very easy to get any position one wants providing one has eh ability o fill it and make the right sort of approach in applying for the position’.
Now, let us get to business. Here are the winning steps to follow in writing an attractive and job pulling C.V.
1. Decide what position you desire: This is where to start. Edwin C. Barnes decided to become the business partner of Thomas Edison before he work for his company. The opportunity he sought came 5 years after he has worked as a cleaner in the same company. He grabbed that opportunity when it came calling. Thomas Edison promptly made him his sales manager. Decide ahead what kind of position you seek.
2. Accurately grade yourself in the following 17 principles of success:
i. Definite major purpose
ii. Self confidence
iii. Initiative
iv. Habit of saving
v. Imagination
vi. Enthusiasm
vii. Self-Control
viii. Covering Extra Mile
ix. Pleasing Personality
x. Accurate Thinking
xi. Concentration of Effort
xii. Cooperation
xiii. Profiting From Failures
xiv. Tolerance
xv. Golden Rule Application
xvi. Health Habits
xvii. Master Mind Applied
Score yourself marks in %.
3. State your age, nationality, schooling, work experience, email address, GSM number.
4. Send names and addresses of references
5. Write a covering letter stating
i. The C.V. sent
ii. The Position you seek
iii. Ask for opportunity to offer your service free for at least 1 month
6. Neatly type-set the C.V. without grammatical errors
7. Attach a recently taken photograph of yours.
Pitfalls To Avoid
1. Never apply for any position above you personal ability, education, race and experience
2. Do not make the mistake of grading yourself too high
3. Insincerity will kill your effort
Finally, remember that there is always a place for someone who sincerely follow he habit of rendering more service and better than that for which he is paid to do no matter how many depressions may come and go.
Monday, May 18, 2009
How To Get The Job You Want Anywhere You Desire
How To Get The Job You Want Anywhere You Desire
The global recession has unleashed unto the world a precarious situation of severe job loss. Many young people currently in college are trained to pick up job in areas that matches their skills. The problem is, those who are in jobs are being retrenched by companies to save cost and survive the recession.
The ghost of unemployment is on the high rise. What hope is there for you as a job seeker?
Think Out Of The Box
Is it possible for you to still get any job you want in this seemingly difficult world unemployment situation? Yes. That is why I am writing this piece to open your eyes to creative principles that can land you the job you want.
Warning…………
If you are not ready to do what is unconventional and imaginative, don’t bother to read further. These job hunting techniques I want to reveal to you are not what the job seekers out there are doing. They are proven methods that work at all times if they are faithfully applied.
Get The Job You Want In 8 Simple Steps
Before I go into the proven secrets of getting any job you want, let me relate to you the life story of a young job seeker who used creative methods to get the CEO of his prospective company to want his service so desperately that he was engaged even before going for his national youth service.
This story I want to relate to you was narrated by the CEO of the company. Enjoy it……
‘I met Abdullahi in February 1996. No, I didn’t me him. He wrote me a letter from Kano, which he sent by courier. The letter reads:
Dear Sir,
I have just read the January 1996 edition of your un-put-down-able magazine; and I was most impressed by the practicability and workability of the ideas it espoused, especially those contained in the 6 Great Ideas To Brighten Your life in 1996; Roger Dawson’s You Can Get Anything You Wand and Ziglar Teachers You How To Set Goals to mention but a few.
It was after I was trough with it that I went back to the book I was reading-Enthusiasm Make The Difference By Norman V. Peale-where I read an idea which I believe if put to use by your organization will boost your sales, lead to production of top-flight managers in Nigeria who will better manage the Nigerian economy and also improve our lots.
I am 26-year-old graduate of Economics from Bayero University, Kano. I will be going for service in either late May or early June, so this leaves us with at least about 4 months to test the practicability or otherwise of this idea.
It will cost your organization nothing but a letter of introduction and a few unsold copies of your reputable magazine Success Digest. This idea has worked miracles in the United States of America, and I believe it can also work wonders in Nigeria.
I will give you a sketch of the idea when we meet-if you would give me an appointment to see you, Sir. I could be reached through….
I am presently in Kano, but I’ll be in Lagos in the first week of February 1996.
I patiently await hearing from you.
Kind regards.
Abdullahi Lawore.
That was the master piece written by this smart young Nigerian unemployed graduate. The CEO was so impressed that he promptly reached for the phone and contacted this ‘genius’ Abdullahi. He promptly gave him an appointment to see him in Lagos.
After their meeting in Lagos, the CEO has this to say about the subsequent events…
‘The young man left my office only to turn up with a comprehensive detail of his strategy for selling Success Digest. Again, it was an arresting piece of information he put together. I couldn’t resist the urge to tell him to go ahead to practicalize his dream. That was how Abdullahi Lawore found himself a job.
Should I tell you the end of the story? After this pre-national youth service freelance job placement, the CEO hired Abdullahi after his youth service. No one wants to lose a smart and diligent enterprising go-giver.
How To Get The Job You Want In 8 Simple Steps
1. Self Belief: No one can get any job he desperately desires without proven self belief. Think about the content of the letter the young man used as an example above wrote.
2. Prompt Action: When you have something to offer, act on it promptly. Express your desire and service you wish to offer in a creative and concise way as to make your offer irresistible.
3. Applied Faith: Without faith, you cannot bring to life what is not yet in existence. You want the job you want right? You must believe that you can get it. Imagine yourself doing that job the best way you could.
4. No procrastination: When idea comes to you, the best time to implement it is immediately. Don’t waste time. Contact the authorities you want to work for. Remember that the young man never waited for job vacancy advert before acting on his idea.
5. Go Extra Mile: Do something unusual to create an irresistible impression in your prospective employer. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice some amount to get across to your employer speedily e.g. using courier or speed post.
6. Handle Rejection Carefully: on your way to implementing your ideas, not everybody you contact will accept your proposal. Learn to handle rejection carefully.
7. Focus On Service Before Reward: Concentrate on what you want to offer. Build your interest in the special service you have to offer. The reward will surely follow in droves.
8. Package an attractive C.V. that forces your prospective employer to fall over themselves for your service. This is how to be in control of your job hunting exercise.
I'll be talking on How To Write An Attractive C.V. in the next issue....stay tuned
The global recession has unleashed unto the world a precarious situation of severe job loss. Many young people currently in college are trained to pick up job in areas that matches their skills. The problem is, those who are in jobs are being retrenched by companies to save cost and survive the recession.
The ghost of unemployment is on the high rise. What hope is there for you as a job seeker?
Think Out Of The Box
Is it possible for you to still get any job you want in this seemingly difficult world unemployment situation? Yes. That is why I am writing this piece to open your eyes to creative principles that can land you the job you want.
Warning…………
If you are not ready to do what is unconventional and imaginative, don’t bother to read further. These job hunting techniques I want to reveal to you are not what the job seekers out there are doing. They are proven methods that work at all times if they are faithfully applied.
Get The Job You Want In 8 Simple Steps
Before I go into the proven secrets of getting any job you want, let me relate to you the life story of a young job seeker who used creative methods to get the CEO of his prospective company to want his service so desperately that he was engaged even before going for his national youth service.
This story I want to relate to you was narrated by the CEO of the company. Enjoy it……
‘I met Abdullahi in February 1996. No, I didn’t me him. He wrote me a letter from Kano, which he sent by courier. The letter reads:
Dear Sir,
I have just read the January 1996 edition of your un-put-down-able magazine; and I was most impressed by the practicability and workability of the ideas it espoused, especially those contained in the 6 Great Ideas To Brighten Your life in 1996; Roger Dawson’s You Can Get Anything You Wand and Ziglar Teachers You How To Set Goals to mention but a few.
It was after I was trough with it that I went back to the book I was reading-Enthusiasm Make The Difference By Norman V. Peale-where I read an idea which I believe if put to use by your organization will boost your sales, lead to production of top-flight managers in Nigeria who will better manage the Nigerian economy and also improve our lots.
I am 26-year-old graduate of Economics from Bayero University, Kano. I will be going for service in either late May or early June, so this leaves us with at least about 4 months to test the practicability or otherwise of this idea.
It will cost your organization nothing but a letter of introduction and a few unsold copies of your reputable magazine Success Digest. This idea has worked miracles in the United States of America, and I believe it can also work wonders in Nigeria.
I will give you a sketch of the idea when we meet-if you would give me an appointment to see you, Sir. I could be reached through….
I am presently in Kano, but I’ll be in Lagos in the first week of February 1996.
I patiently await hearing from you.
Kind regards.
Abdullahi Lawore.
That was the master piece written by this smart young Nigerian unemployed graduate. The CEO was so impressed that he promptly reached for the phone and contacted this ‘genius’ Abdullahi. He promptly gave him an appointment to see him in Lagos.
After their meeting in Lagos, the CEO has this to say about the subsequent events…
‘The young man left my office only to turn up with a comprehensive detail of his strategy for selling Success Digest. Again, it was an arresting piece of information he put together. I couldn’t resist the urge to tell him to go ahead to practicalize his dream. That was how Abdullahi Lawore found himself a job.
Should I tell you the end of the story? After this pre-national youth service freelance job placement, the CEO hired Abdullahi after his youth service. No one wants to lose a smart and diligent enterprising go-giver.
How To Get The Job You Want In 8 Simple Steps
1. Self Belief: No one can get any job he desperately desires without proven self belief. Think about the content of the letter the young man used as an example above wrote.
2. Prompt Action: When you have something to offer, act on it promptly. Express your desire and service you wish to offer in a creative and concise way as to make your offer irresistible.
3. Applied Faith: Without faith, you cannot bring to life what is not yet in existence. You want the job you want right? You must believe that you can get it. Imagine yourself doing that job the best way you could.
4. No procrastination: When idea comes to you, the best time to implement it is immediately. Don’t waste time. Contact the authorities you want to work for. Remember that the young man never waited for job vacancy advert before acting on his idea.
5. Go Extra Mile: Do something unusual to create an irresistible impression in your prospective employer. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice some amount to get across to your employer speedily e.g. using courier or speed post.
6. Handle Rejection Carefully: on your way to implementing your ideas, not everybody you contact will accept your proposal. Learn to handle rejection carefully.
7. Focus On Service Before Reward: Concentrate on what you want to offer. Build your interest in the special service you have to offer. The reward will surely follow in droves.
8. Package an attractive C.V. that forces your prospective employer to fall over themselves for your service. This is how to be in control of your job hunting exercise.
I'll be talking on How To Write An Attractive C.V. in the next issue....stay tuned
Monday, May 11, 2009
52 Proven Path To Abundant Success
Discover The Simplest Steps To Motivate Yourself For Life-Time Achievement
The truth is, many people desire success and achievement but they are soon frustrated by lack of correct and timely information. If you really seek easy steps to life-time riches, here they are in a box…
1 No One Drift To Success. Understand that the person who acts with purpose and a plan attracts opportunities
2 Learn How To Live Your Own Life. Name any highly successful individual you know. You will find out that they are unique in what they do. You have the prerogative over your mind. Exercise it. It is the only unchallengeable right you have.
3 Motivate yourself To Achieve Success. How do you get this done? Develop a burning desire for something you wish to have in order to reach a greater goal. Stop wishing. Decide definitely that you will have it.
4 Budget Your Time And Income. The successful person budgets time, income and expenditures. This skill will empower you to be disciplined.
5 Create Strength Out Of Struggle. Struggle is a clever way through nature compels humanity to develop, expand and progress. Without it, success is unthinkable. Begin to see struggle and difficulty as your opportunity to fully realize your dream.
6 Be Sincere To Yourself And Others. Sincerity is a trait that pays off in self-satisfaction, self-respect and spiritual ability. Others can easily detect your sincere disposition. It will sustain you through difficult periods.
7 Be Hopeful At All Times. Hope is the raw material for building success. It transforms into faith. Faith into determination and determination into action. Hope never make ashamed. It has great powers and possibilities.
8 Cultivate Patience. Patience has been described as the courage to change the things you can, the willingness to accept the things you cannot and the wisdom to know the difference. Patience is a positive force to direct your destiny. The power of patience strengthens you to overcome obstacles.
9 Be Flexible. Flexibility means the ability to bend mentally and physically to adapt one’s self to any circumstances or environment while maintaining self-control and composure. This is the first trait of a pleasing personality.
10 Imbibe Enthusiasm. ‘Enthusiasm is the radio wave by which you transmit your personality to others’. It is more powerful than logic. Know for sure that nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm. It is the winning skill to get others to accept you and your point of view.
11 Use Your Personal Magnetism. Here is the secret to influencing others and making friends. You can get people to find it difficult to resist you even on initial contact with this skill. Everybody has a measure of personal magnetism. Learn to use your own profitably.
12 Have Confidence In Yourself. Out there are people who are ever ready to shout you down and kill your dream. Self confidence is the only means to make your subconscious mind to work for you. Remember that your subconscious mind believe everything it is told. Use your subconscious mind to build your self confidence.
13 Strengthen Your Strength Of Humor. Develop a cheerful disposition. It will make you more likable and attractive.
14 Exhibit Creative Showmanship. You can get yourself into the heart of others by simply paying special attention to niceties of courtesy and politeness. You’ll be more appreciated if you appreciate the values of others.
15 Choose Your Goal. About 2 out of every hundred people actually know what they want from life. These are the leaders in every walk of life. They make life pay off on their own terms. Decide precisely what you want, how much of it you want and when you want to have it in possession.
16 Use Your Personal Initiative. Personal initiative is the only cure for procrastination. There is no more destructive human habit than procrastination. Take voluntary action daily towards achieving your goal. This is personal initiative.
17 Get The Job You Want. The best job offered you may not be the one with the highest pay. Always think about the future and what you really want to become when hunting for job.
18 Smartly Get Your Promotion. Though not in the conventional way. A creative way to get unusual promotion is to offer more and better service than is expected of you.
19 Be Resourceful. If you cannot do a task, find someone who can do it so that you still achieve your results. You will be marked out as a good executive material.
20 Lend A Helping Hand. One of the surest ways to achieve your own success is to help others to attain theirs. Almost anyone can contribute to those who are less fortunate.
21 Live Harmoniously With Others. If you can’t get along harmoniously with others, you cannot be successful. Follow peace with all men. Even without it, no man can see the Lord.
22 Let Others Help You Achieve Success. It is certain that success will come more quickly if you learn to use the education, experience, ability and influence of others.
23 Welcome Help From Others. In your time of worry, you cannot think clearly. This is the time to seek the aid of others whose minds are not clouded by fear and worry.
24 Work With Your Team. Cooperation is indispensable in your home, your job and your social life. Learn to induce friendly cooperation from others.
25 Operate Under The Force Of Humility. No. Humility is not a negative virtue. All of humanity’s greatest advances whether spiritual or material has been based on it. No matter what your goal is, humility is a powerful and positive trait you need to achieve personal success.
26 Boost Your Self Esteem. One of the most effective ways to boost your self esteem is to find some persons as models whose achievement you would like to equal or exceed.
27 Wake Up To Meet Your Positive Self. If you aspire to the higher planes of success in life, you should become better acquainted with that great, powerful, positive self who lives in your body.
28 Acquire The Power Of Positive Mental Attitude. Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, your mind can achieve. Learn to positively take possession of the power of your mind and direct it to ends of your own choice.
29 Tell Yourself ‘I Can Do It’. Remember that you cannot stand still. You must move upward towards success or downward toward failure. The choice is yours.
30 Practice The Habit Of Optimism. Optimism develop from good sense of humor, hopefulness, ability to overcome fear, contentment, positive mental attitude, flexibility faith, decisiveness and enthusiasm. Instead of worrying about the bad things that might befall you, spend a few minutes everyday enumerating pleasant events that will happen tomorrow.
31 Control Your Mental Attitude. Your mental attitude can be controlled by a burning desire, close association with people who are positive minded, daily devotion and definite directives.
32 Appreciate The Value Of Positive Thinking. A positive mind attracts opportunities for success while a negative mind repels opportunities and never take advantage of them when they arise.
33 Let Habits Work For You. All of us are ruled by habits. Reorganize your habits and build success habits by concentrating your effort on whatever the desire.
34 Think Accurately. Accurate thinking separates facts from fiction. Facts are also separated into important and unimportant ones. Accurate thinkers know that emotions are not reliable. Accurate thinkers protect themselves through the power of reason and rules of logic.
35 Cultivate Creative Vision. Creative vision reveals new ideas, concepts and plans. It operates through the sixth sense. This is the way to discover new inventions and products. New breakthroughs are impossible without creative vision.
36 Concentrate Your Effort. Most successful people have mastered the skill of concentrating on a single thing at a time, instead of spreading their efforts over many fields.
37 Have An Open Mind. Intolerance is a two edged sword that cuts off opportunities and lines of communication. Open mind helps you to develop vision.
38 Recognize Blessings In Failure. Surely, failure sometimes becomes a blessing. If often opens new doors to opportunity. It also provides firsthand knowledge of the realities of life.
39 Learn From Defeat. There is adversity in life. However, each adversity comes with the seed of equivalent benefit. Defeat bring people under a spirit of humility so that they can acquire wisdom and understanding.
40 Overcome Fear To Reach Your Goal. Fear is an obstacle to success. It is your responsibility to control fear and turn it into useful tool for your success.
41 Discipline Yourself. According to Benjamin Disreali-former British Prime Minister who developed his willpower to its greatest capacity after repeated failures, ‘The secret of success is constancy of purpose’. You should turn on the full powers of your will and take complete control of your life.
42 Stop Making Failure Out Of Your Children. Napoleon Hill’s step mother gave him the best chance to take a shot at responsible living. She created time to build him up in skills he never thought he could acquire. History shows the great success he later achieved. Learn to give your children reputation to live up to irrespective of their mistakes today.
43 Identify The Spiritual Power Of Grief. Sorrow can serve a highly useful spiritual purpose. It can break old, unproductive habit. It is also a medicine for the soul and mind.
44 Look In The Mirror. There is a man who can help you attain your life’s success. You must learn to depend upon him and get acquainted with him. Check him out in the mirror.
45 Never Surrender Your Emotion To Mean People. No one can make you angry or hurt your feelings without your cooperation. If anyone offend you, forgive and put your hurt behind as quickly as possible. Your state of mind is something you can control completely. Never surrender it to intruders who envy you and are determined to get you offended.
46 Use The Unbeatable Master. Faith is the unbeatable master. Choose faith instead of fear. Condition your mind to believe. Put your faith to work. Active faith knows no fear. No self-imposed limitations. With faith, you’ll be mightier than disaster, stronger than failure and more powerful than fear.
47 Give Thanks Everyday. Whatever status of success you may attain, remember that you did not do it alone. Some people contributed to it. Show gratitude to God and those who have helped you one time or the other. By so doing, your personality will become more courtly, dignified and gracious.
48 Close Your Door Against Unpleasant Experiences. Your experiences-good or bad are not important in themselves. What counts is your reaction to those experiences.
49 Be Contented. We brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. Be contented with whatever you have while working to attain your desired goal.
50 Not Too Much, Not Too Little. Seek happiness. Success is not all about riches. Money alone cannot bring peace of mind. Strive to be the master of money and not its slave.
51 Take Time To Assess Yourself. Critical and sincere self-analysis is very important. When often neglected, it is possible to derail from your target and be distracted so find time to review your activities and lifestyle.
52 Apply The Golden Rule. Life is a boomerang. What you sow, you shall reap. Be ready always to do to others what you want them to do unto you. Show love and kindness to others. By so doing, you too will get affection from them.
The truth is, many people desire success and achievement but they are soon frustrated by lack of correct and timely information. If you really seek easy steps to life-time riches, here they are in a box…
1 No One Drift To Success. Understand that the person who acts with purpose and a plan attracts opportunities
2 Learn How To Live Your Own Life. Name any highly successful individual you know. You will find out that they are unique in what they do. You have the prerogative over your mind. Exercise it. It is the only unchallengeable right you have.
3 Motivate yourself To Achieve Success. How do you get this done? Develop a burning desire for something you wish to have in order to reach a greater goal. Stop wishing. Decide definitely that you will have it.
4 Budget Your Time And Income. The successful person budgets time, income and expenditures. This skill will empower you to be disciplined.
5 Create Strength Out Of Struggle. Struggle is a clever way through nature compels humanity to develop, expand and progress. Without it, success is unthinkable. Begin to see struggle and difficulty as your opportunity to fully realize your dream.
6 Be Sincere To Yourself And Others. Sincerity is a trait that pays off in self-satisfaction, self-respect and spiritual ability. Others can easily detect your sincere disposition. It will sustain you through difficult periods.
7 Be Hopeful At All Times. Hope is the raw material for building success. It transforms into faith. Faith into determination and determination into action. Hope never make ashamed. It has great powers and possibilities.
8 Cultivate Patience. Patience has been described as the courage to change the things you can, the willingness to accept the things you cannot and the wisdom to know the difference. Patience is a positive force to direct your destiny. The power of patience strengthens you to overcome obstacles.
9 Be Flexible. Flexibility means the ability to bend mentally and physically to adapt one’s self to any circumstances or environment while maintaining self-control and composure. This is the first trait of a pleasing personality.
10 Imbibe Enthusiasm. ‘Enthusiasm is the radio wave by which you transmit your personality to others’. It is more powerful than logic. Know for sure that nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm. It is the winning skill to get others to accept you and your point of view.
11 Use Your Personal Magnetism. Here is the secret to influencing others and making friends. You can get people to find it difficult to resist you even on initial contact with this skill. Everybody has a measure of personal magnetism. Learn to use your own profitably.
12 Have Confidence In Yourself. Out there are people who are ever ready to shout you down and kill your dream. Self confidence is the only means to make your subconscious mind to work for you. Remember that your subconscious mind believe everything it is told. Use your subconscious mind to build your self confidence.
13 Strengthen Your Strength Of Humor. Develop a cheerful disposition. It will make you more likable and attractive.
14 Exhibit Creative Showmanship. You can get yourself into the heart of others by simply paying special attention to niceties of courtesy and politeness. You’ll be more appreciated if you appreciate the values of others.
15 Choose Your Goal. About 2 out of every hundred people actually know what they want from life. These are the leaders in every walk of life. They make life pay off on their own terms. Decide precisely what you want, how much of it you want and when you want to have it in possession.
16 Use Your Personal Initiative. Personal initiative is the only cure for procrastination. There is no more destructive human habit than procrastination. Take voluntary action daily towards achieving your goal. This is personal initiative.
17 Get The Job You Want. The best job offered you may not be the one with the highest pay. Always think about the future and what you really want to become when hunting for job.
18 Smartly Get Your Promotion. Though not in the conventional way. A creative way to get unusual promotion is to offer more and better service than is expected of you.
19 Be Resourceful. If you cannot do a task, find someone who can do it so that you still achieve your results. You will be marked out as a good executive material.
20 Lend A Helping Hand. One of the surest ways to achieve your own success is to help others to attain theirs. Almost anyone can contribute to those who are less fortunate.
21 Live Harmoniously With Others. If you can’t get along harmoniously with others, you cannot be successful. Follow peace with all men. Even without it, no man can see the Lord.
22 Let Others Help You Achieve Success. It is certain that success will come more quickly if you learn to use the education, experience, ability and influence of others.
23 Welcome Help From Others. In your time of worry, you cannot think clearly. This is the time to seek the aid of others whose minds are not clouded by fear and worry.
24 Work With Your Team. Cooperation is indispensable in your home, your job and your social life. Learn to induce friendly cooperation from others.
25 Operate Under The Force Of Humility. No. Humility is not a negative virtue. All of humanity’s greatest advances whether spiritual or material has been based on it. No matter what your goal is, humility is a powerful and positive trait you need to achieve personal success.
26 Boost Your Self Esteem. One of the most effective ways to boost your self esteem is to find some persons as models whose achievement you would like to equal or exceed.
27 Wake Up To Meet Your Positive Self. If you aspire to the higher planes of success in life, you should become better acquainted with that great, powerful, positive self who lives in your body.
28 Acquire The Power Of Positive Mental Attitude. Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, your mind can achieve. Learn to positively take possession of the power of your mind and direct it to ends of your own choice.
29 Tell Yourself ‘I Can Do It’. Remember that you cannot stand still. You must move upward towards success or downward toward failure. The choice is yours.
30 Practice The Habit Of Optimism. Optimism develop from good sense of humor, hopefulness, ability to overcome fear, contentment, positive mental attitude, flexibility faith, decisiveness and enthusiasm. Instead of worrying about the bad things that might befall you, spend a few minutes everyday enumerating pleasant events that will happen tomorrow.
31 Control Your Mental Attitude. Your mental attitude can be controlled by a burning desire, close association with people who are positive minded, daily devotion and definite directives.
32 Appreciate The Value Of Positive Thinking. A positive mind attracts opportunities for success while a negative mind repels opportunities and never take advantage of them when they arise.
33 Let Habits Work For You. All of us are ruled by habits. Reorganize your habits and build success habits by concentrating your effort on whatever the desire.
34 Think Accurately. Accurate thinking separates facts from fiction. Facts are also separated into important and unimportant ones. Accurate thinkers know that emotions are not reliable. Accurate thinkers protect themselves through the power of reason and rules of logic.
35 Cultivate Creative Vision. Creative vision reveals new ideas, concepts and plans. It operates through the sixth sense. This is the way to discover new inventions and products. New breakthroughs are impossible without creative vision.
36 Concentrate Your Effort. Most successful people have mastered the skill of concentrating on a single thing at a time, instead of spreading their efforts over many fields.
37 Have An Open Mind. Intolerance is a two edged sword that cuts off opportunities and lines of communication. Open mind helps you to develop vision.
38 Recognize Blessings In Failure. Surely, failure sometimes becomes a blessing. If often opens new doors to opportunity. It also provides firsthand knowledge of the realities of life.
39 Learn From Defeat. There is adversity in life. However, each adversity comes with the seed of equivalent benefit. Defeat bring people under a spirit of humility so that they can acquire wisdom and understanding.
40 Overcome Fear To Reach Your Goal. Fear is an obstacle to success. It is your responsibility to control fear and turn it into useful tool for your success.
41 Discipline Yourself. According to Benjamin Disreali-former British Prime Minister who developed his willpower to its greatest capacity after repeated failures, ‘The secret of success is constancy of purpose’. You should turn on the full powers of your will and take complete control of your life.
42 Stop Making Failure Out Of Your Children. Napoleon Hill’s step mother gave him the best chance to take a shot at responsible living. She created time to build him up in skills he never thought he could acquire. History shows the great success he later achieved. Learn to give your children reputation to live up to irrespective of their mistakes today.
43 Identify The Spiritual Power Of Grief. Sorrow can serve a highly useful spiritual purpose. It can break old, unproductive habit. It is also a medicine for the soul and mind.
44 Look In The Mirror. There is a man who can help you attain your life’s success. You must learn to depend upon him and get acquainted with him. Check him out in the mirror.
45 Never Surrender Your Emotion To Mean People. No one can make you angry or hurt your feelings without your cooperation. If anyone offend you, forgive and put your hurt behind as quickly as possible. Your state of mind is something you can control completely. Never surrender it to intruders who envy you and are determined to get you offended.
46 Use The Unbeatable Master. Faith is the unbeatable master. Choose faith instead of fear. Condition your mind to believe. Put your faith to work. Active faith knows no fear. No self-imposed limitations. With faith, you’ll be mightier than disaster, stronger than failure and more powerful than fear.
47 Give Thanks Everyday. Whatever status of success you may attain, remember that you did not do it alone. Some people contributed to it. Show gratitude to God and those who have helped you one time or the other. By so doing, your personality will become more courtly, dignified and gracious.
48 Close Your Door Against Unpleasant Experiences. Your experiences-good or bad are not important in themselves. What counts is your reaction to those experiences.
49 Be Contented. We brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. Be contented with whatever you have while working to attain your desired goal.
50 Not Too Much, Not Too Little. Seek happiness. Success is not all about riches. Money alone cannot bring peace of mind. Strive to be the master of money and not its slave.
51 Take Time To Assess Yourself. Critical and sincere self-analysis is very important. When often neglected, it is possible to derail from your target and be distracted so find time to review your activities and lifestyle.
52 Apply The Golden Rule. Life is a boomerang. What you sow, you shall reap. Be ready always to do to others what you want them to do unto you. Show love and kindness to others. By so doing, you too will get affection from them.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Maintaining Honesty and Integrity by Jim Rohn (excerpted from Cultivating an Unshakable Character)
What has honesty and integrity got to do with success? In today's world, these are values not often appreciated and it cuts across all shades of life. Government tactically ignore it in burning national and global issues. In the place of work, those who dare to keep these virtues are looked upon as misfit-fools. But here is a reminder to the necessity of these values if you really desire true success. You will make them your inseparable companion. Find what Jim Rohn has to say about this evergreen concept......
For a leader, honesty and integrity are absolutely essential to survival. A lot of business people don't realize how closely they're being watched by their subordinates. Remember when you were a kid in grammar school, how you used to sit there staring at your teacher all day? By the end of the school year, you could do a perfect imitation of all your teacher's mannerisms. You were aware of the slightest nuances in your teacher's voice - all the little clues that distinguished levels of meaning that told you the difference between bluff and "now I mean business".
And you were able to do that after eight or nine months of observation. Suppose you had five or 10 years. Do you think there would have been anything about your teacher you didn't know?
Now fast forward and use that analogy as a manager. Do you think there's anything your people don't know about you right this minute? If you haven't been totally aboveboard and honest with them, do you really think you've gotten away with it? Not too likely. But if you've been led to believe that you've gotten away with it, there might be a good probability that people are afraid of you, and that's a problem in its own right.
But there is another side of this coin. In any organization, people want to believe in their leaders. If you give them reason to trust you, they're not going to go looking for reasons to think otherwise, and they'll be just as perceptive about your positive qualities as they are about the negative ones.
A situation that happened some years ago at a company in the Midwest illustrates this perfectly. The wife of a new employee experienced complications in the delivery of a baby. There was a medical bill of more than $10,000, and the health insurance company didn't want to cover it. The employee hadn't been on the payroll long enough, the pregnancy was a preexisting condition, etc,etc,..
In any case, the employee was desperate. He approached the company CEO and asked him to talk to the insurance people. The CEO agreed, and the next thing the employee knew, the bill was gone and the charges were rescinded.
Then he told some colleagues about the way the CEO had so readily used his influence with the insurance company, they just shook their heads and smiled. The CEO had paid the bill out of his own pocket, and everybody knew it, no matter how quietly it had been done.
Now an act of dishonesty can't be hidden either, and it will instantly undermine the authority of a leader. But an act of integrity and kindness like the example above is just as obvious to all concerned. When you're in a leadership position, you have the choice of how you will be seen, but you will be seen one way or the other, make no mistake about it.
One of the most challenging areas of leadership is your family. Leadership of a family demands even higher standards of honesty and integrity, and the stakes are higher too. You can replace disgruntled employees and start over. You can even get a new job for yourself, if it comes to that. But your family can't be shuffled like a deck of cards. If you haven't noticed, kids are great moral philosophers, especially as they get into adolescence. They're determined to discover and expose any kind of hypocrisy, phoniness, or lack of integrity on the part of authority figures, and if we're parents, that means us. It's frightening how unforgiving kids can be about this, but it really isn't a conscious decision on their part; it's just a necessary phase of growing up.
They're testing everything, especially their parents.
As a person of integrity yourself, you'll find it easy to teach integrity to your kids, and they in turn will find it easy to accept you as a teacher. This is a great opportunity and also a supreme responsibility, because kids simply must be taught to tell the truth: to mean what they say and to say what they mean.
Praise is one of the world's most effective teaching and leadership tools. Criticism and blame, even if deserved, are counterproductive unless all other approaches have failed.
Now for the other side of the equation, we all know people who have gotten ahead as a result of dishonest or unethical behavior. When you're a kid, you might naively think that never happens, but when you get older, you realize that it does. Then you think you've really wised up. But that's not the real end of it. When you get older, you see the long-term consequences of dishonest gain, and you realize that in the end it doesn't pay.
“Hope of dishonest gain is the beginning of loss.’ I don't think that old saying refers to loss of money. I think it actually means loss of self-respect. You can have all the material things in the world, but if you've lost respect for yourself, what do you really have? The only way to ever attain success and enjoy it is to achieve it honestly with pride in what you've done.
This isn't just a sermon, it's very practical advice. Not only can you take it to heart - you can take it to the bank.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
For a leader, honesty and integrity are absolutely essential to survival. A lot of business people don't realize how closely they're being watched by their subordinates. Remember when you were a kid in grammar school, how you used to sit there staring at your teacher all day? By the end of the school year, you could do a perfect imitation of all your teacher's mannerisms. You were aware of the slightest nuances in your teacher's voice - all the little clues that distinguished levels of meaning that told you the difference between bluff and "now I mean business".
And you were able to do that after eight or nine months of observation. Suppose you had five or 10 years. Do you think there would have been anything about your teacher you didn't know?
Now fast forward and use that analogy as a manager. Do you think there's anything your people don't know about you right this minute? If you haven't been totally aboveboard and honest with them, do you really think you've gotten away with it? Not too likely. But if you've been led to believe that you've gotten away with it, there might be a good probability that people are afraid of you, and that's a problem in its own right.
But there is another side of this coin. In any organization, people want to believe in their leaders. If you give them reason to trust you, they're not going to go looking for reasons to think otherwise, and they'll be just as perceptive about your positive qualities as they are about the negative ones.
A situation that happened some years ago at a company in the Midwest illustrates this perfectly. The wife of a new employee experienced complications in the delivery of a baby. There was a medical bill of more than $10,000, and the health insurance company didn't want to cover it. The employee hadn't been on the payroll long enough, the pregnancy was a preexisting condition, etc,etc,..
In any case, the employee was desperate. He approached the company CEO and asked him to talk to the insurance people. The CEO agreed, and the next thing the employee knew, the bill was gone and the charges were rescinded.
Then he told some colleagues about the way the CEO had so readily used his influence with the insurance company, they just shook their heads and smiled. The CEO had paid the bill out of his own pocket, and everybody knew it, no matter how quietly it had been done.
Now an act of dishonesty can't be hidden either, and it will instantly undermine the authority of a leader. But an act of integrity and kindness like the example above is just as obvious to all concerned. When you're in a leadership position, you have the choice of how you will be seen, but you will be seen one way or the other, make no mistake about it.
One of the most challenging areas of leadership is your family. Leadership of a family demands even higher standards of honesty and integrity, and the stakes are higher too. You can replace disgruntled employees and start over. You can even get a new job for yourself, if it comes to that. But your family can't be shuffled like a deck of cards. If you haven't noticed, kids are great moral philosophers, especially as they get into adolescence. They're determined to discover and expose any kind of hypocrisy, phoniness, or lack of integrity on the part of authority figures, and if we're parents, that means us. It's frightening how unforgiving kids can be about this, but it really isn't a conscious decision on their part; it's just a necessary phase of growing up.
They're testing everything, especially their parents.
As a person of integrity yourself, you'll find it easy to teach integrity to your kids, and they in turn will find it easy to accept you as a teacher. This is a great opportunity and also a supreme responsibility, because kids simply must be taught to tell the truth: to mean what they say and to say what they mean.
Praise is one of the world's most effective teaching and leadership tools. Criticism and blame, even if deserved, are counterproductive unless all other approaches have failed.
Now for the other side of the equation, we all know people who have gotten ahead as a result of dishonest or unethical behavior. When you're a kid, you might naively think that never happens, but when you get older, you realize that it does. Then you think you've really wised up. But that's not the real end of it. When you get older, you see the long-term consequences of dishonest gain, and you realize that in the end it doesn't pay.
“Hope of dishonest gain is the beginning of loss.’ I don't think that old saying refers to loss of money. I think it actually means loss of self-respect. You can have all the material things in the world, but if you've lost respect for yourself, what do you really have? The only way to ever attain success and enjoy it is to achieve it honestly with pride in what you've done.
This isn't just a sermon, it's very practical advice. Not only can you take it to heart - you can take it to the bank.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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