A lot happened in 2010 no doubt and a lot more is happening in 2011. This year started over a week ago and is racing to the middle of the first month. I just realized that I’d  been so caught up in activities this year that I’ve almost missed my goals.

It’s quite akin to what we football lovers call  ”ball watching” on the field of play – a situation when a defender focuses on the ball and forgets to watch and stay with the opponent he’s been assigned to. I have been focusing on the events of the new year and almost forgetting my goals in the new year.

Talking about events and goals, I’m glad though that I’ve participated in a few because they seem to be directing me towards my goals.

I got to Warri, Delta State one of the South-South states in Nigeria yesterday for a Mega Business summit with Avenues to Wealth and listened to a presentation by one of my mentors, Deolu Akinyemi on what to watch out for in the new year. I couldn’t help but start my blogging with those points. I hope they’ll bless you as well.

1.  Stretch Yourself – Set goals bigger than yourself.

Somebody said you’ll miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. In 2011, the goals you set will determine the results you get. Don’t set goals you can achieve. Set goals that are beyond your reach by far. Set goals that will stretch your imagination and ability. Set goals that will push you out of your comfort zone. It is said that “if you aim at the tree you may shoot lower than it but if you aim for the sky, the worst that’ll happen is that you’ll hit the tree.” Don’t let fear keep you from dreaming and setting goals.

2. There’s a right time – Don’t miss it.

Not every time is your time. However, you may miss your time if you trivialise opportunities. Hugh Allen said ” Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there than waiting for one big one to come along.” Your opportunity may come from the least likely source. Stay tuned and keep your eyes open. I like a quote that says “Opportunity is as scare as oxygen. Men fairly breathe it and do not know it.” Benjamin Disreali said “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it come.”

3. Develop the attitude of giving

Giving is gong to get you more in 2011 than you can imagine. Have a set goal for what you are going to give periodically before the opportunity to give presents itself. Go and seek who to give to if they don’t come to you. Give your love, care, money, time and other resources to bless and empower others and much more will find its way to you. It was Albert Schweitzer who said “You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others – something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.”

4. Master the Wealth Equation – W = V*N*k

Where W = Wealth; V = Value given; N = No. of people; k = perception of Value given.

Wealth will be easier for you to earn in 2011 if you make up your mind to provide value for as many people as possible, even if the value isn’t much. Once the perception of the value is high, people will pay all the time for it and you’ll become wealthy.

5. Change your Relationship paradigm

Your relationships in 2011 will determine your results from it. Don’t undermine them. Show love when it isn’t even expected. Some one said “If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say?  And why are you waiting?  ~Stephen Levine”

Also some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay for a while and leave their footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same.

Have a great 2011

Hi Everyone, I wish you all a very prosperous new year. I saw a news flash this morning that stated that Americans were not optimistic at all about a good 2010 but I assure you that if you trust in God and do His word, He’ll single you out for outstanding revelations on what to do in a failing world economy that’ll guarantee your immense success this year without a shadow of doubt. I watched a movie in the last few days of 2009 and want to share my thoughts about that movie.

The title of the movie is “Flawless” and I’m sure you may have watched it. The actual plot of the movie had to do with a very senior executive played by Demi Moore who kept getting passed on by the management for promotion in a Diamond producing company and a janitor played by Michael Caine who assumedly wanted to retire rich. Both of them colluded to rob the company of a few pieces of diamonds, at least that was what Lara Quinn (Demi Moore) thought until she found out with shock that every single piece of the diamonds had been stolen – about 2 tonnes of diamonds. The details of the plot I won’t go into now because that isn’t where the major lesson I learnt was.

After the theft had been successfully carried out by the old janitor (Michael Caine), Lara really got jittery and remorseful begging him to please return the diamonds because they were going to be caught by the insurance investigator who seemed to be gaining ground in his investigation especially with his interest in her as a prime suspect becoming more intense. She regularly required to meet with the janitor at different nondescript places to express her fears and to implore him to give up the diamonds but he wouldn’t budge.

Eventually, she determined to find the diamonds where they were stowed and started her own parallel investigation. She finally stumbled upon a clue that led her to the diamonds but before she could alert the company, she was held hostage by the janitor for a few hours until the insurance company paid the sum of $100million to an account the janitor had anonymously demanded they should pay into. While he held her hostage, he asked if she had been thinking about what she was going to do with her own part of the ransom ($10million). ARE YOU GOING TO BE A TAKER OR A GIVER?

The janitor apparently had a grudge to settle with regards to his dead wife and simply wanted to take it out on the insurers who had refused his wife health insurance when she was ill may years ago. The CEO of the insurance company eventually committed suicide which seemed to satisfy the janitor as revenge for what that CEO had done to his wife several years ago. The janitor disappeared before the stash of diamonds were found and was never seen again by anybody.

Lara Quinn didn’t go to prison for helping find the loot and confessing to the conspiracy and the company got back all its diamonds. She retired later to find out shockingly that an account had been opened in her name in an offshore account with a balance of $100million. She then decided to dedicate the next 40 years of her life to ensuring that every single penny of that money was used to help other people around the world either regain their health or find a new reason for living. She paid for organ transplants of different kinds for different poor people all over the world through a foundation she opened; she paid for education for several indigent students and built schools. She kept empowering poor and rather  unfortunate people till she had spent every last penny.

40 years later, she felt at peace. “At least and at last”, she told herself, “I have turned a previously criminal and very bad situation into a very beautiful solution”

The Moral:

In 2010, God is going to give you a lot of opportunities and resources; those we plan for and those that happen along our way without our pre-knowledge; those we think are negative and those we are sure are positive; those we imagined and those we didn’t dare imagine; those that are just sufficient, not sufficient and more than sufficient. Let me ask you the same question?

ARE YOU GOING TO BE A GIVER OR A TAKER?

…Ponder on these things. The year will tell.

OAU logo

“Busayo, you are coming along abi?” he asked. “Where are we going?” I answered, looking bewildered

“To ife.” he responded. “When?” I asked, my face lightening up. “On saturday” he replied.

“Most definitely” I responded.

That was the dialogue that set me on a return journey to my alma mater. I graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Dec. 2005 after 7 long years of studying a course that originally should have taken 5 years. I don’t want to go into the details of how it took so long but suffice it to say that I didn’t have any extra semesters. It just took them 7 years to be able to decide whether or not 1998/99 set could graduate. Anyway, that’s all past now and I’ve left the school.

So what brought this all up in the first place? A particular christian fellowship in the school was organising a seminar and wanted a few of us to speak. The seminar was actually designed for final year students who were wondering what career steps they’d be required to take once out of the university and how or why they should take the steps they eventually take. Eventually, four of us left Lagos for OAU as facilitators for the seminar. These are Gbolade Shoyemi (Chevron Nigeria Ltd.), Deolu Akinyemi, Ogho Emore, and yours sincerely.

We set out for Ile-Ife on Saturday morning and got to OAU in time to rest for about 30 mins before the programme kicked off. The seminar was billed to start at 3pm but it started at about 3.30pm. We had a panel of about 7 graduating students sit at a table in front of the hall and stand up one after the other to state their names and their intended career paths. One by one they started, some with confidence and coherent, others incoherent and shaky.

All together, just one of the girls was able to state her career path with clarity underlined by the passion with which she passed across her future plans. She had beautiful, well laid out plans with regards to her future and was willing to share them with anyone who asked. She also had a part about giving back to society by building and running a home for physically and mentally challenged kids. We, the facilitators were all very impressed with her clarity and told her as much. The energy with which she put forth her plans made you think they were workable and realistic. The only thing that seemed absent was that she hadn’t considered the “what ifs?”

One of the things that is very clear among youths either in or about to leave higher institutions have no intentional plans for what they want to do with their future. They can’t give you a comprehensive or coherent report of where they’ll be in 5 years. They lack the drive and passion necessary for winners. They already have a defeatist mentality with regards to what lies out there for them. They believe they’ll go out there, wait for and take whatever life throws their way. They believe that beggars have no choice and since they see themselves as beggars, they have no choice. They forget that even beggars have a choice of changing their profession if they so desire.

I remember the circumstances under which I graduated, I felt I was cheated out of graduating with an upper grade. I recall telling my colleagues and some lecturers that 5 years from now, I’ll return to the department as living proof that what you graduate with doesn’t determine your level of achievement or vice versa. Your desire, drive and passion will get you where you have planned to be regardless of the circumstances that surround your graduation.

I knew when i was leaving that i wanted to consult and all the jobs i’ve gotten since then have been consulting jobs. I have always loved to consult also on human related issues and now i’m doing HR consulting. I used to do financial consulting for my friends and lecturers while in the university. Now, i do financial advisory and consulting for clients. I was always anchoring one meeting or the other in school. Now, I do the same for corporate and informal audiences alike numbering thousands. HEY!!! what do you want to do at this point of your life. Wake and go do it.

The most fulfilling part of the seminar for me was that just 3 years later (2 years before i thought), I am already giving back to the school that affected my life and caused me to move in this direction in life.