Thursday, August 15, 2013

SOARING HIGHER

By Victor Ikeji


I thought about giving some tips which I felt would be helpful when applied and 'Soaring higher' was conceived. Four principles; Several applications.

TAKE A RISK: Life is all about risks but some people fail to understand this fact. Some of the influential people in the world today knew the importance of risk taking and that is why they are where they are today. What would you say about one dropping out of school just to have enough time to start-up something OR someone investing a whole fortune into something he only perceived to be successful. The above-mentioned illustrations are talking about the Facebook Guy- Mark Zuckerberg and the owner of Honda automobile company- Soichiro Honda. See where this two are today owing to the risks they took. There are a lot of other examples.

TAKE A CHANCE: Opportunities they say comes but once. When it comes knocking, go for it. Many a times people fail to recognize opportunities because they have eyes on the bigger goal. A story was told of an admission seeker who was offered a job as a casual worker in a multinational company, when he was about to be made a staff of the company, he was offered admission. His parents talked to him about the importance of education but he wanted the money. He aspired to be a manager [even without a certificate]. After some years, the company was hit by recession, workers were to be laid and they started with those without credentials. He didn't just loose the job but also the ability to get an education because by then he has a wife (unemployed) and kids. This is just one of several instances.

MAKE A CHANGE: Many run from it, some are afraid of it and others don't want to hear about it but it is still the only constant thing in life. A change of clothes, a change of plans, a change of season, etc most people remain stagnant today because they refuse to embrace change. Doing things a little differently had over the years proven to yield overwhelming results. A story was told about a woman who runs a store dealing in baby products, this lady complains of little sales which are not even enough to pay her staffs and settle her bills. She had been using the traditional sales method for years until someone introduced her to Google Adword which she tried and her sales rose by over 500%. That's the effect of change, if she had settled for those traditional method, who knows she might go out of business after sometime. When you use the same method and notice no results, try doing things a little differently.

BREAKAWAY: In this regard, breaking away entails breaking from the norm i.e. not doing the usual but attempting the extraordinary. It entails distinguishing oneself from the crowd, not succumbing to the ‘Herd mentality’ or maintaining the Status quo. Just because everyone in your family is into buying and selling doesn't mean you must be a businessman or woman. Your managerial skills could be harnessed by getting a University Degree in Management or a related field. That it-has-never-been-done-and-can’t-be-done attitude should be swept off the back door. The problem with some people is that instead of setting goals, they set limits. That extra study time could change a D grade to an A grade, that extra time you spend at the lab when others have left could lead to a groundbreaking discovery, learning that new language or skill that others see as irrelevant could give you that dream job.


So just like a famous songwriter said: Take a risk. Take a chance. Make a change and Breakaway.

Follow me on twitter: @Victorikeji

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