How to Switch from Boredom to a Fulfilling Life

This article is sequel to the article titled, “Pursue Your Heart’s Desire.” It is an article that explains how a full-time house wife turned her boring lifestyle to a fulfilling and prosperous one. To read the article, click here: PURSUIT OF DESIRE.

Here in this article, we are going to discuss the success secret of this woman’s life and business.

In the Enterprise and Finance Counselling Clinic (EFCC) organised by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Thursday August 25, 2011, at Zone 1, Wuse, Abuja, Nigeria, I had the privilege of listening to this enterprising and inspirational housewife cum business tycoon.

 NDE is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria saddled with the responsibility of job creation through entrepreneurship training.

It has been the usual practice of NDE that in all their programmes, they always ensure that those they would use as resource persons in their programmes are those whom they have trained or those that have benefited from them. This woman happened to be one of them.            

Grabbing the microphone and with a broad smile, she shared with us how she switched from the life of boredom to become a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of her multi-million naira furniture company.

In this article, I have distilled 13 inspirational and valuable lessons from the woman’s success story as shared by her. I urge you to read through this article and also endeavour to apply what you read. You too can do something to turn your life around for the better.

      i.        Don’t Die of Boredom

Don’t die of boredom; do something about it. If you are not satisfied with any circumstance or situation you are in, don’t surrender to it. Look for the solution. The truth is, you are not created to be ruled or overwhelmed by circumstances. You need not allow yourself to be bored by any circumstances. Get agitated and start looking for concrete solution to the boring life you are living in.

    ii.        Follow Your Heart

Don’t try to be like other people. Other people may like to do certain things they love, but if it is not your interest to do same, don’t try to be one. If you try to be one, life will be boring for you.

Stop wasting your time trying to be like others. The truth is, you can never achieve true success and fulfilment by choosing to be like others. If you choose to be like others, you are not likely going to be the best God wants you to be.

The secret of fulfilment is: follow your heart. Don’t seek the approval of any person. Once you are convinced that your heart’s desire does not infringe on other people’s rights, or violate the laws of God, go after it. WHAT WILL DISTINGUISH YOU IS WHAT YOU GIVE YOURSELF TO.

The woman gave her whole self to furniture making and became extremely successful and fulfilled.

   iii.        Stick to Your Opinion

Don’t expect others to reason or think the way you do. Don’t expect everybody to agree with anything you are doing and don’t expect others to believe in your goals and aspirations.

What others think is wrong, may be the right thing for you. People don’t really know what you are good at, what you are passionate about and what will make you great in life. They don’t know about your capabilities; it is only you that know what you love doing and what you are capable of doing.

People did not take the woman serious for going into furniture making. They thought she was out of her senses, but she proved them wrong. IF YOU ALLOW PEOPLE’S OPINION TO INFLUENCE WHAT YOU DO IN LIFE, YOU CAN NEVER BE THE BEST THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE. Never be afraid of people’s opinions. Their opinions are not as important as yours.

IF YOU ARE CONVINCED ABOUT WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO, DON’T LET ANY PERSON’S OPINION PREVENT YOU FROM DOING IT. Stick to your own opinion. Pastor Femi Emmanuel, initiate of Living Spring Church International said, “Your inner conviction creates your outer condition.

 It is your CONVICTION that helps you to switch from boredom to a fulfilling life. When you are convinced about anything you wish to achieve, don’t allow any person’s point of view to influence you. Stick only to your own opinion.

  iv.        Take Your Business Serious

When the woman bought furniture tools and started repairing and making furniture, it was like a joke. She was not taken serious by anybody. But she took herself serious. For others, what she was doing was senseless, but for her, she was into serious business and so gave all her heart to it.

Others may not take you serious, but you must not fail to take yourself serious. Believe in your goals and aspirations. Believe in what you are doing. When you believe in what you are doing, you can never be discouraged by any person or thing. It is when you are not sure of what you are doing that you will be quickly discouraged and frustrated. Take everything you are doing serious, for as the woman said, “Business is not a joke.”

   v.        Get Down to Work

“When you start working”, says the female business tycoon, “you will inspire others to be serious in life. When they see you working, they will be encouraged to go and find something worthwhile to do.”

The importance of getting down to work is that you are not only being fulfilled, you are also encouraging others to find true success and fulfilment. You need to realise that others are watching you. When they find you busy all the time, they will be encouraged to do something worthwhile too.

There is the problem of the “folding up of the arm” (laziness) in the country today. Many people are idle. They don’t want to work. When people are idle, poverty will continue to ravage the land.

In the National Radio Network News sometime lasy year 2011, it is reported that poverty rate has gone up to 69% and that 71.5% of the populace are poor in the country.

And government is also not helping matters. I believe if people are willing to work and government is willing to create jobs for those who cannot employ themselves, poverty will be reduced to the barest minimum.

Let us encourage each other by getting down to work. Hard work pays. It is laziness that kills. As you inspire others through your hard work, you will also be inspired the more to work harder. As you work harder, so also you progress faster.

  vi.        Set Good Example

The female business tycoon is not an arm chair CEO. She is the CEO that believes in setting good examples for her staff to follow. For her, management goes beyond sitting down in the office and dishing out instructions to your staff. You have to be there to supervise, to check work standard, and to show them how things should be done.

Staff are motivated when you set quality standard for them to follow. When they come to know that you don’t compromise quality standard for anything, they will learn to focus their energy on meeting the standard.

According to her, “Make people think about good things they can do by setting the example.”

vii.        Know Your Work

In any business, trade, vocation, or profession you are engaged in, it is essential that you know the nitty gritty of it. Know what you are doing like the back of your hand.

It is the knowledge and skill you acquire that will enable you to successfully maintain standard, supervise your staff and dish out relevant instructions for purpose of maintaining your set quality standard.

 Your knowledge and skill are also relevant at the initial stage of your business when you are not yet able to employ workers to work for you. As the CEO and employee of your own business, your knowledge and skill are indispensable. The woman’s knowledge and skill enabled her to single handedly take her business from the scratch to a flourishing one.

Viii. Be First-class Person

Whether you are producing products or rendering services, you must always go first-class. Essentially, people are not buying your produt or service, they are actually buying the QUALITY of your product or service.

Businesses which produce poor quality product don’t last long. According to the female business tycoon, ‘To be an example to the society, you have to be a first-class person.’

She went on to explain that the country of Italy is known as the home of best fashion because its citizens produce quality fashion products including, but not limited to furniture and upholstery.

She also enthused that her company maintain high quality standard at all times and that was why the company continued to thrive.

The lesson here is that to ensure long lasting success in our business, we must produce and sell quality product or service. If you give customers/clients quality and satisfy them, they will keep coming and bringing more prospects to you.

viii.        Read and Rule the World

The female business tycoon also attributed her success to reading. Most of what she know and did were gotten from the avalanche of books she had read and is reading. Her advice to us was: “You should cultivate reading habit. If you can read, you can rule your world.”

X Attract Patronage by Putting in Long Hours

One way of attracting patronage, according to the CEO, is that one should put in long hours of work. She said that at the time she was speaking to us, (August 25, 2011), her company was producing 800,000 sofas within an interval of four months.

Said she, ‘presently, I am producing 800,000 seatings within four months. When you put in long hours, people will come to you.’

I think this is very important because people are looking for business/people that can deliver, that can meet deadline and that can be trusted.

  

Xi Start Small

The CEO started her furniture business from home. When she started, it was like a joke. People did not take her seriously. She started with their old furniture they have abandoned in their home. Gradually, she started making progress until her company became a big one. Her advice is: ‘All businesses started small. Don’t expect too much. If you expect too much, you will choke.’

xii. Effective Marketing

Another success secret of the CEO that she revealed to us is effective marketing. Marketing plays a vital role in her business. In addition to constant promotion and advertisement, she was also in constant touch with her customers. She had their contacts and so communicated constantly with them. Said she: ‘Get your customer’s phone numbers and communicate constantly with them about your business and products.’

Xiii. Excellent Customer Service

Another success strategy adopted by this CEO was the excellent customer service her company renders to all. Below are some of the customer services that she shared with us:

·       Treat customers –big or small, rich or poor – very kindly.

·       Listen to customers. Try to understand their needs and ensure you meet their needs.

·       Keep your promises and ensure your customers are satisfied.

Dear reader, I have no doubt in my mind that you have been inspired and motivated by this article. As someone once said, ‘There is no surer road along the way to success than to follow in the footsteps of those who have journeyed before us.’ I believe if we can follow the footsteps of this successful entrepreneur, we will also achieve great success in our own endeavour.

Until I come your way soon, go and be victorious in your business world!

When Divorce becomes a Necessary Evil

Divorce is an act people don’t really contemplate or think about. Everyone wants to enjoy a happy marriage for the rest of one’s life. But sometimes, people are forced to call it quit with their marriage. In some instances, spouses are able to mend or put their marriage on the right track. In other instances, parties have no choice than to divorce.

Under Nigerian law, dissolution of marriage is not permitted on a platter of silver. It is permitted as a last resort. Dissolution is supposed to be a NECESSARY EVIL. Necessary evil in the sense that, even though both parties never contemplated divorce from the onset, yet they have no choice than to divorce. And if they fail to divorce, things will become worse than they are at the moment.

Someone has said, “Divorce is like amputation; you survive, but it feels like there is less of you. And it is worse if you didn’t want the divorce.” A necessary evil you might say.

Going by God’s law, the Bible, marriage is expected to be a life-time affair and as such, the idea of divorce is a last resort, a necessary evil.

The question now is, when does divorce becomes a necessary evil? Under our law (Matrimonial Causes Act), divorce is permitted only WHEN THE MARRIAGE HAS BROKEN DOWN IRRETRIEVABLY. For this reason, our judges are reluctant to grant a decree of Dissolution Absolute. The judges always ensure that all avenues are explored (including alternative dispute resolution mechanism) to reconcile both parties. When they cannot be reconciled, then the necessary evil – the decree of dissolution Absolute will be granted.

But what constitutes the circumstances in which the court will hold that a marriage has broken down irretrievably? Or what will make the court to come to the conclusion that the marriage has broken down irretrievably?

Well, our law (the Matrimonial causes Act) stipulates the following circumstances:

1.      When there is a lack of consummation;

2.      When adultery is committed and the petitioner finds it intolerable;

3.      When the party’s irresponsible behaviour such as habitual drunkenness, intoxication, conviction for crime (within five years) or where the petitioner is left without reasonable support, convicted for attempted murder of petitioner or inflicting grievous harm, etc.;

4.      Where the spouse deserts the other for a very long or unreasonable period without any explanation;

5.      When both parties lived apart for two or three years;

6.      Failure to comply with the Decree of  Restitution of conjugal Rights; and

7.      Presumption of death.

O yes, divorce is a necessary evil. But from my point of view as a motivational expert, divorce can be averted by REFUSING YOUR MARRIAGE TO BREAKING DOWN IRRETRIEVABLY. There are two ways you can do this:

1.      By ensuring you don’t do the seven acts above. Those are the acts the law recognise as circumstances that cause a marriage to break down irretrievably; and

2.      Both spouses should be determined to work hard to ensure they enjoy a happy marriage. Where any of the parties is no longer interested in continuing with the relationship, then, keeping the marriage afloat may be difficult because there is a saying among the Igala people that: “It is sticks that you bind together; you don’t bind two persons together.”                                            

Will you prefer to work mutually to enjoy a happy marriage or will you choose the necessary evil?

CONSULTATION

For consultation, enquiry, or question on marital issues and otherlegal issues, contact:

Sunny Adaji Esq

+2347061016859

Email: conqueror.adaji30@gmail.com; or sunnyadaji@hotmail.com

Pursue Your Heart’s Desire

Life, they say, is what you make of it. And if you are going to live the life God wants you to live, it is up to you to do something about it.  For a woman, the story is not different. Whether you are married or not yet married, you still have firm control of your life and destiny. And when it comes to choosing to be a career woman or a housewife, it is all your responsibility.

In a business seminar (clinic) organised sometime ago in Abuja, I had the privilege of listening to one of the resource persons (a successful business woman) who found fulfilment because she chose and pursued her heart’s desire.

Sharing her success story, she started by making us to understand that she did not initially ventured into business to become a career woman. She said she got married to a well-to-do husband who loved her so much that he asked her not to work or be involved in any business, but be a housewife, take care of the home, and the children. Her husband provided everything she needed and so lacked nothing.

Nevertheless, she was restless all the time. After taking care of the home and the children and there was little to do, she became bored and pensive. According to her, “When you continue to cage a dog, one day when you come close to it, it will jump on you and bite you.”

In order to kill boredom, she started looking for something to do at home to keep her busy. Though a graduate, she loved anything practical. She had always loved furniture and upholstery. She started bringing together the old furniture they have cast aside. She bought hammer and other furniture equipment and started repairing the old furniture. She also started producing furniture of various designs.

At first, it was like a joke. Her neighbours wondered why the wife of a well-to-do man would carry hammer and saw and be making furniture.

Soon, many people started coming around to buy the furniture from her. She later trained some boys and employed them to work for her. She did not stop working. She worked harder and kept supervising her staff.

Her furniture company had grown to become a big enterprise employing many people. As the date of the seminar (August 25, 2011), her company was producing 800,000 sofas within four months. Though a big Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.), she loved being involved in furniture making.  So, rather than remained in office, she involved herself in the production and supervision of her staff.

What started like a joke landed her in a multi-million naira enterprise. According to her, “Business is not a joke.” From an unfulfilled housewife, she switched her role to a fulfilled house wife-cum business tycoon, by DOING what she loved doing, which is furniture making.

I think the bottom-line here is: you can be whatever you make up your mind to be provided you are willing to pursue what you love doing. And more importantly, your passion in your pursuit will eventually lift you high beyond your expectation. Then, you will begin to enjoy greater financial freedom and fulfilment.

What is that burning desire in your mind? You want to be a career woman, full-time housewife, or a house wife-cum career woman? Get agitated today and start looking for what you are most passionate about. Start DOING what you love doing, for that is the ONLY thing that you need to switch role from an unfulfilled person to a fulfilled person.

NOTE: A power-packed inspirational, motivational, and life-changing article on the success secret of the above housewife-cum business tycoon will be coming your way soon. The title is: “How to Switch from Boredom to a Fulfiling Lifestyle.” Watch out for this article. You can’t afford to miss it! 

The Success Factor in Information Product Marketing

One reason I like information product marketing is that it is one of the easiest ways of making money online. And that is why I recommend information product marketing to anyone who wants to make money online.

In discussing information marketing, it is important we consider the determining factor for success in information product marketing.

Below are three steps you can take to successfully market your information product:

1.  Find a Hot Niche

Although virtually all information products sell online, there are some that sell faster than others.

If you really want to make huge constant income selling information product online, you have to discover a hot niche. A hot niche is any topic, subject, or information that a large number of people are craving for.

Information products that deal with money making, healthy living, weight loss, ‘how-to products,’ etc will sell anytime, anywhere, any day.

2.  Create a Product

It is one thing to identify a niche that sells faster, it is quite another thing to create a product based on that niche.

This is more so when you don’t have adequate knowledge and experience on that niche. For, as it is said, you cannot give what you don’t have.

Be that as it may, lack of personal knowledge is never a barrier to packaging a hot-selling information product.

There are several ways you can create your own hot-selling information product, like embarking on research. In addition, you should ensure your product has depth. Depth here means quality.

Your product must properly address every relevant issue that need to be addressed. People buy solution to their problem. So, your focus should be on presenting the solution in a clear and unambiguous manner.

Get rid of trash from your information product. If you don’t, you may not be able to make constant sales. Customer satisfaction should be uppermost in your mind while packaging your information product.

3.  Market Your Product

No matter how good your product may be, if you don’t market it, you won’t sell. A successful internet marketer once said that unless you are willing to market your product, you won’t sell.

Marketing includes, but not limited to, advertisement. To really succeed in selling your information product, you need to aggressively market it online and offline. There are cost-effective methods of marketing your information product online and offline.

Please, visit my paid blog, CFVL  to find out how you can equip yourself with strategy for marketing your information product.

Until I come your way soon, go and live victoriously!