WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS?

Sunday, September 22, 2013

It's sad that many people do not know the quality, greatness, uniqueness with which they are made. They constantly find themselves needing appraisal and confirmation from others to make them feel good or think they are good enough. It's more annoying that they feel less about themselves cos they're trying to measure up to someone's idea of who they are supposed to be. They try to make themselves good enough to be loved, appreciated or accepted by someone else. WHY? WHY? WHY?

Do you really know who you are? Do you know how beautiful you are? Do you know how valuable you are? You're exceptionally BEAUTIFUL and never let anyone tell you otherwise. Don't try to impress someone by depressing yourself...you're AMAZING, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.

PRESS PLAY on the video below, I have a message for you.

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THE NIGERIAN WHO BOUGHT GATWICK AIRPORT

Sunday, August 5, 2012

I was in the salon yesterday when I got this news and my eyes lit up...this is the kinda news I love to hear. I just had to blog about it, not because it is the latest gist but because I love to identify with and celebrate SUCCESS. I'm going to buy up companies (don't look at me now...in the future you'll remember this story). I'm sure Mr. Ogunlesi said stuff like this some years back and here it is. 

It really matters how you see and how far you can see. Don't be myopic with life, see beyond your horizon and someday you'll be big enough to acquire as much wealth as possible. I'm greatly inspired, hence the reason for this post. I hope it inspires you too. 

Up until February 2010, very few people had heard about Adebayo Ogunlesi. The Nigerian-born investment banker and money manager made international headlines when he led the acquisition of London’s Gatwick Airport from the British Airports Authority in a recorded £1.51 billion deal. The acquisition instantly propelled Ogunlesi, 58, into the global spotlight and earned him a place in history as the man who acquired London’s second largest international airport.

Adebayo Ogunlesi is the chairman and managing partner of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a New York-based independent private equity fund focused primarily on infrastructural investments, with over $5.6 billion under management. The purchase of Gatwick Airport may have grabbed all the headlines, but GIP has some other noteworthy assets in its portfolio including a 75% stake in London City Airport, and Biffa Limited, a UK based waste management company.

Gatwick suffered deep losses over the years, and all the turnaround efforts made by its former managers, the British Airport Authority (BAA), failed to halt the downward spiral. In the first nine months of 2009, the airport reportedly recorded a pre-tax loss of over £780 million, prompting the British government to actively shop for buyers. BAA also reportedly lost £225 million on Gatwick after it was compelled to sell the airport by the Competition Commission.

 While Ogunlesi’s acquisition might have brought him international acclaim and made him something of an overnight private equity rock star, pundits kept their fingers crossed to see what he will make out of the ailing airport. But Ogunlesi believed strongly in the future of the airport so much that he invested some of his own personal funds into the acquisition. He promised to make Gatwick a truly first class international airline and substantially improve the customer experience. Judging from his antecedents, he is likely to deliver on those promises.

Culled from:Ventures Africa 

Have a great week ahead.

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WHAT MATTERS MOST IS HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF

Monday, June 11, 2012

Who do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror? He answered, “I see a bad guy, a confused fellow who’s probably tired of life”.

That was the answer I got from Kamsi, a 2^nd year engineering student who was drowning away his sorrows with a bottle of vodka on the valediction night. From afar, I watched him gulp down more than half the content of the bottle. I just stared at him from upstairs wondering what pains he must be trying so hard to drown, wondering if everything was okay with him. Should I take the risk and go talk to him? What if the vodka bottle finally lands on my head? (lol). I finally summoned the courage and walked up to have a chat with him; after he spoke to me, I felt his pains. He was supposed to graduate from the university that day with his course mates, but he couldn’t because he repeated a class twice – still didn’t pass and then he had to change to another department (computer science) where he was still having problems passing his tests. I can imagine how painful it is to watch people you started a race with get to the finish line while you haven’t even taken a step.

As I listened to him speak, I noticed all the negative comments he made about himself; how he thinks he is a disappointment to his parents, about not being good enough and not being intelligent. He had this sad look on his face that has now formed a shape making him look like he was always angry 24/7. From his looks and actions, he was a typical example of those classified as “the bad guys" in school then. After listening to him, I could see someone who had given up on himself and has seen himself not to amount to any good. He asked me why I came to interrupt his drink, and why I wasn’t taken back by his looks. My answer to him was quite different from what he expected, I told him I saw a great man who had a very bright future but doesn’t want to see it. He asked me how I knew and I said “everyone was born with a seed of greatness in them; you just have to realise its inside of you and harness it till it blossoms.” He was surprised, he said no one has ever told him those words and that he has never seen himself that way cos everything he tried to do has failed.

Kamsi saw himself as a failure because he couldn’t make it through his 1^st year in school. Have you tagged yourself with a negative word because people have called you names you didn’t like but somehow they got stuck in your brain? They said you’re slow/dull/laid-back, bad guy/girl, failure, ugly, fat etc; I want you to know that all those things do not matter. What matters is how you see yourself. If you want people to see an intelligent, brave, hardworking, beautiful YOU, you’ve got to start seeing those things in yourself. What do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror? Do you see the guy/girl you’ve always dreamed to be or the one you never want to be? When you start appreciating the good things about you and see yourself from a positive angle, people will see those good things in you cos that side of you will become magnified automatically reflecting the real YOU to people. As you keep up the positive approach to always say good things about yourself, they’ll gradually begin to fall into place. With time, those attitudes and attributes will become a part of you. Things you initially thought you couldn’t do before somehow become simplified because you have decided to look within and see possibilities instead of limitations.

That year, Kamsi passed his exams and moved on till he got to final year and graduated with honours. He continued to excel in everything he did and his parents who he thought were disappointed in him are now very proud of him. To support him, they helped him start his own company and now he is an employer of labour. It did not all happen in one day; it took determination and focus on his part to get him to that level. I took it as an assignment to send him an encouraging text everyday telling him things I saw in him, things like – you’re the best in your class, your future is bright, you’ll make an impact in your world etc. He started seeing himself that way and gradually became the man he is today. There may not be anyone to tell you these things; you just have to look in the mirror and see the giant inside of you. If you can see it, others will be able to see it through you.

I’ll ask you the same question I asked Kamsi… “Who do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror?”

True Story but a  different name.

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STRATEGIES FOR EXCELLENCE

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Did I hear someone say I want to be the best? Did he/she just say I want to make it to the top? Ok, this article is exactly what you need. It’s funny how sometimes during an examination you hear someone say things like "I don't need an A, I just wish I can get a B or C". I always tell such people that if you aim for a C, you'll limit yourself to studying towards a C and then after the exam, you may even get a D. But if you aim for an A, you'll push yourself  outside your comfort zone, beyond every limitation and work hard to get an A and you'll be amazed at the score you get. Maybe you aimed for a score of 75 or 80 but because you were determined to be an A-student, you accomplished more than you expected and instead of 75 or 80, you actually got 96. Some people have accepted to be average but i know you…yes you reading this right now; I know you want an "A" not just in your academics or job but also in every aspect of your life. Aim high, strive for excellence and give your best shot to everything that comes your way. Here are some strategies for achieving excellence:

1. 1.   THINK BIG. Dream it, see it and pursue it.
2. Set goals and targets
3. Make a to-do-list and follow it strictly so you don’t forget anything
4. Set your priorities right and know which is most and least important (first things first)
5. NEVER procrastinate (you may eventually not do that thing)
6. No excuses – Be determined and focused
7. Have the i-can-do-it mentality cos you can do anything if you’re determined
8. Don’t accept defeat…it’s ok to fail but dust yourself up and try again
9. Do something: don’t just sit and wait for things to happen cos nothing will move until you move. Newton’s Law of Motion states that every object in a state of rest remains in that position until an external force is applied to it. So what are you waiting for?
10. Be diligent in all things: work as though you own the company; don’t work with eye service instead give it your best shot and watch yourself grow faster than you think. Diligence is a spring board to greater heights cos if you are faithful in little…more will be committed into your hands. Proverbs 22:29 - Seest thou a man diligent in his work, he shall stand before kings.
11. Dare to be different: In everything and everyway don’t try to fit into the crowd cos you were made to stand out. Don’t settle for the status quo…there’s a higher level.
12. Relax: Whatever you do, no matter how busy you get or how time-consuming your job is, find time to rest and relax your body. You’ll need to stay fit and healthy to do the job.
13. Measure your progress with time: this is very important because you need to know how far you have gone and what things you have accomplished so far. If you don't measure your progress, it means you don't expect to grow.
14. Write down all your plans and place it before God cos you need him to achieve every form of excellence. Infact, He is the definition of excellence.

I hope these strategies will help you focus on the path of excellence.

Believe it

Dream it

See it & you can have it 

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