Category Archives: Career Development

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

Sometimes You Need to Act Without Your Intuition (6 Tips)

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This article is a sequel to the piece on my blog titled “How to Establish Truth, and Experience Less Doubt“.

Like I said in that piece, to use your sixth sense simply LISTEN to your deepest feelings, and act on them. However, sometimes those “feelings” may not be distinct enough for you make your mind up.

When that happens, you may have to “walk blind” i.e. face such situations on your own…not knowing what to expect, and letting things play themselves out.

Sometimes you’ll misread positive situations negatively (e.g. paranoia arising from previous bad experiences), or assume a negative situation to be positive (e.g. naivety/wishful thinking).

This “dilemma” is likely to occur less often, as you master use of your 6th sense. But it’s unlikely to ever go away completely – as long as we’re human.

For each person, the situations that cause this dilemma will naturally differ.

What is important is that you work hard to develop reliable real world relevant competence at whatever you do. That will see you through instances when you’re getting mixed signals from your 6th sense.

I Describe Six Real-Life Scenarios in Which Using the 6th Sense Can Be Very Challenging

1. Dealing with Anchorless Social Chameleons

Some years ago, I wrote an article on Emotional Intelligence that ended up being widely syndicated and extensively quoted in published journals online.

In it, I described the positive attributes of a Social Chameleon, as described by Daniel Goleman, author of the book “Emotional Intelligence”. He also mentioned that some people take this ability to the extreme by using it to manipulate others.

They become duplicitous, constantly trying to pretend to be who they are not, in an effort to get what they want from those they relate with.

Goleman described these kinds of persons as ANCHORLESS Social Chameleons. Examples include con men (or women). People who make a living from gaining people’s trust in order to defraud, cheat, or even hurt them.

Have you ever had to relate with that kind of person at work or in your personal life?

They can be so hard to pin down! And some are SO GOOD at what they do, that even when your 6th sense helps you correctly catch them out, they can put up such an act that you end up thinking you were wrong, and apologizing to them!!

Anyone who has been in love with a two-timing partner may understand what I mean:

You had this GREAT relationship everyone admired you for. Yet, every now and then you got a strong feeling your “partner” was not being straight with you. But each time you tried to establish truth by bringing it up, you always came away feeling like a jerk…until one day, you caught him/her red-handed!

2. Scam or Con artists Playing Mind Games

Two-faced people. In certain societies, duplicity is almost an accepted way of life. People learn from an early age to use deception to get what the want.

A person from a society where sincerity and trust rank high (even if with a keenly honed 6th sense), is more likely to get “duped”, if s/he has dealings with someone from a society where duplicity reigns.

Why? Because the use of the 6th sense is always a function of the experiences one is exposed to. In such societies, it will take you time to “train” your 6th sense to competently guide your decision making.

This is why foreigners often tend to be easy prey when they visit such societies. It’s also why the famed 419 Internet fraudsters recorded such great success in the early years, before people LEARNT.

3. Spies and Terrorists Working Undercover

Consider members of terrorist groups who infiltrate societies and organisations. What about men and women who live double lives as spies – working for their countries security agencies?

These people skilfully maintain relationships with different groups of people, while living double lives.

Few suicide bombers’ associates know what they’re involved in – until they made the news!

These people succeed because others rarely use their 6th senses to find them out. Their ability to pass lie detector tests is apparently not fabled. I’ve read that some actually get trained to do that!

4. Wanting “Something” A Bit Too Badly

If you’re too emotionally and/or psychologically tied to a desired outcome, you could misinterpret or become totally dead to signals from your 6th sense.

Sometimes, the other person could be very skilled at “masking” signals s/he gives out, leaving you inadequate “information” to feed your “truth meter”.

We need to watch out, for mixed signals arising from our subconscious unwillingness, to accept the truth our 6th sense may try to tell us.

A lady dating a two timing chap could force herself to believe she’s the only one in his life – despite sensing that the opposite is the case.

One example from a real life experience.

As a desperate start-up seeking clients in 2005, I repeatedly “chased” a rich but mischievous prospective client, who made me jump through many hoops, pretending to be interested.

Each day I was with him, a quiet voice kept telling me he was just “jerking my chain”.

But he looked so fatherly (he was greying) and acted so nice, that I dismissed the thought – repeatedly. I SAW he could afford to pay me – and felt that was enough.

He was interested. What I stupidly failed to note was that he was the kind who liked to cheat others – to get something for nothing. Some people get rich through that means. And that often makes them bad clients. Your 6th sense should help you detect that. I did not apply mine – and I learnt a painful lesson.

After over 5 visits, he had requested (and gotten), from me, a printed 10 page proposal – FREE. This was in addition to picking my brain for hours on end. Then he said he would get in touch with me.

A week later, I learnt through an employee of his that all he got from me had been passed to a nephew of his, who was a web designer, to use in building a website for his company.

So, he’d just used me! That experience taught me to  require a refundable fee payment, to provide proposals or discuss project aspects in depth.

5. Dealing With Temptations in Moments of Weakness

Why didn’t I see that coming? That’s a question I’ve sometimes asked myself many times, after discovering I’ve been taken for a ride.

When you’re having financial challenges, even  “fraudulent” offers you’d normally use your 6th sense to sniff out may tend to “miss” you.

That’s when you start giving bogus email offers you would normally ignore a second look :-)

In such moments of weakness, even situations you would normally handle competently with your 6th sense can become unduly challenging.

People I know to be intelligent and analytical thinkers, have surprised me by responding to fraudulent phone SMS messages that informed them they’d won money, in UK lotteries!

In one instance, after I’d advised that it was a scam offer, one such person went ahead to call the number provided. When she was asked to send money over to get details, she saw I was right.

I’d “seen” enough of (but never replied to) those kinds of SMS messages to become numb to them. But she – like the others – was yet to get that far. They however only acted out of character because they were under financial pressures.

In their normal states of mind, when they were not in need, they would have readily deleted such messages without even reading them.

But as human beings, when bills are mounting, and expected income is delayed, everything that comes our way offering promise of some income suddenly gets our serious attention.

It’s that subtle “wishful thinking” that makes it so hard to stay properly tuned in to our 6th sense.

It takes GREAT mental discipline to fight this feeling when it comes. We must key in to our 6th sense to see such phoney offers for what they are.

6. Getting Carried Away by One’s Success

Sometimes we could just be absent minded. People sometimes get careless when things start going well for them. As a result, they miss signals their 6th sense throws up.

This is why I argue that knowing how your 6th sense works, does not mean you’ll be able to competently use it to reach your goals on a long term basis.

Different situations will occur, requiring you to apply your 6th sense is varying ways. Not all will be familiar to you – meaning you’ll have to guess.

That’s why I offer in this article, real life examples in which the 6th sense was used. Reading them can help you better prepare for what you may face.

You’d Have to Be Psychic to Always Get It Right

Napoleon Hill wrote extensively about using the sixth sense in “Think and Grow Rich”. We were all born with it. Our ancestors were however more aware of that innate ability and put it to great use.

For entrepreneurs, especially those starting out, consider getting a copy of James Cook’s “Start-up Entrepreneur”. I’ve repeatedly referred to it as “The Missing Chapters In Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich”.

Why?

It’s because Cook provides amazingly deep insights on how to deal with adversity, and uncertainty, as a first time start-up.

In that New York Times Bestseller, he shared, based on his personal experiences, practical examples of how he used his “intuition” to choose the right people to work with him as employees, and to detect persons not being straight with him.

But like I said earlier, no one can be perfect in this art. As humans we will sometimes get it wrong.

For instance, had he been perfect in his use of intuition, Cook may probably not have brought in shareholders/board members who later turned around and tried to kick him out of his company!

Over 10 months of boardroom battling took place. Luckily, his 51% ownership, and refusal to give in to their antics enabled him emerge victorious.

Final Words:  When You Struggle To Use Your 6th Sense, See It As a Learning Opportunity

There are times when I feel like someone launched a signal to “jam” my 6th sense “lie/truth detector”!

I simply get mixed messages or none at all.

When that happens, I’ve learnt to – as I said at the start of this piece – walk blind. I simply monitor trends and traits I can use to make up my mind.

Unlike the instant “gut level feeling” the 6th sense gives, this approach may take weeks to yield fruit.

You’ll be exposed to potentially negative outcomes. If any manifest, just dust yourself off, and move on.

In the end, you’ll often emerge tougher. What’s more, my experiences indicate these things sometimes happen for our own good.

We may not be able to use our 6th sense to solve every puzzle or avoid every danger.

There will be times, when our inability to quickly apply our 6th sense, will be meant to help us grow.

When (not if) it happens to you, make the most of it!

Career Development, My DN Travel News

How Regular Salary Payments Can Hurt You Post-Paid Employment

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This article highlights a potential blind spot some  employees have, so they can eliminate it. Doing so will enable them give more value to their employers, while becoming better prepared for life outside the security of paid employment at the same time.

Employees Don’t Earn Money – They Receive Handouts

It is not my intention to offend anyone who earns a salary.

However, the truth – which can be quite bitter – needs to be told.

In the real world (also known as the “UHK” i.e. “University of Hard Knocks”), you will rarely get paid 100%, UNTIL you’ve given 100% (or more) of the product or service you promised a buyer or client.

But, as Robert Kiyosaki observed, some people in paid employment today continue to demand to be paid more for doing less work!

They go to work all through a month putting in the barest minimum of effort each day. At the end of the month, they still have their full salaries deposited in their bank accounts. As long as they are not absent, they get the full day’s pay – even if all they do is push files around and chat, or gossip!

Think about it for a minute, and you’ll realize this is true. Some of us are (or have even been) guilty of doing it!

People who have this habit often rest secure in the knowledge that come rain or sun, their salaries will be paid.

And it often happens that way. In many companies, for as long as you remain on the payroll, you will be paid in full – even if you perform poorly or averagely (especially with the union there to “fight for workers”).

That’s why Robert says that salary earners do not “earn” money – instead they actually receive “handouts”.

Zig Ziglar Expressed A Similar Sentiment About Persons In Paid Employment

In one of his books, the late Zig Ziglar made a similar observation. He noted that some people go to work each day without doing anything differently from the day before.

As a result, five years down the line, instead of having five years’ experience, all they really end up with, is one year’s experience repeated over a five year period!

That is indeed – as he put it – A FACT.

The irony is that many find it easy to close their eyes to the FACT that they are asking to be retained, or even paid more – or promoted – despite not adding any extra VALUE to their jobs!

The only time they change their reasoning in this regard, is when they start their own businesses, and their own employees make similar demands of them.

Only THEN does it dawn on them that such employees’ requests are unrealistic.

Figures!

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“After listening to each of my subordinates give me a self-appraisal of their performance, I have come to the conclusion that I have only three types of people working for me – Stars, All Stars and Superstars!” – Gunther Brink

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That Attitude Can Lead to Failure in the Real World (i.e. Post Paid Employment)

Like I said in last week’s article on preparing for retirement, all employees, no matter how good they are, will eventually have to leave the job via one of the 3R’s (i.e. Retirement, Resignation or Retrenchment ).

Then they will have to live in the real world – where payment will often be directly proportional to the degree of effort expended (physically, and/or intellectually).

To illustrate my point, I often use the example of young street hawkers on the roads in Nigeria.

They run after cars trying to outdo the other in a bid to sell. And they do NOT STOP till they’ve made the sale (even when they feel tired). They act this way, because they know the rest of the family depends on them, to bring home money to meet the day’s needs!

Now, that’s living in the real world! The real world demands that you prove yourself worthy of every reward you get.

You must sow before you reap. You have to give in order to receive. Only in paid employment do we find this law of nature almost totally disregarded.

And that’s why when many people retire from well paying jobs, they tend to be unable to adjust to surviving in the real world.

Among other things they find that (contrary to what obtains in paid employment), just putting in minimal effort does not result in predictable income rewards!

Final Words

In closing, I must note that I am aware certain people do get “paid” (handsomely too!) for work they do not do. Or for work they do not do well.

Corrupt practices in business and general society make this an inevitable reality.

However, anyone seeking authentic success in life, will not compromise his/her values in that manner.

Commit to doing the right and honourable thing(s) at all time.

Regardless of what is at stake or who is concerned.

For those NOT in paid employment, this article’s message is equally relevant.

Just being in the real world is not enough. What you do with each day will determine how far you go!

NB: This article is based on excerpts from my Self-Development Bible™. You can get the PDF version free by subscribing to my newsletter using the signup form below. The glossy coloured print version can be ordered from my online store here.

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

Be Easy to Identify Online

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Success in business (or life in general) requires getting others to trust you. Today, people will readily Google your name to find out more about you. Do you have your first name and surname registered as a domain name i.e. www.firstnamesurname.com? This article explains why your success may depend in-part, on doing that – as well as a few other things.

People contemplating connecting with us, can make up their minds in seconds. Some may be so fickle minded that one small hint of inconsistency in your online profile or presence can make them flee – literally speaking.

That’s Why You Need to “Protect and Nurture Your Google/Online Identity”

A few years ago, I wrote an article on the above theme – based on my observations and experiences.

Googl’ing a person’s name can sometimes throw up links leading to profiles or pages of persons bearing the same first and last names as him/her. Maybe it happens with yours?

If you’ve never Google’d your name – try it now. If other people show up with the same name as yours, it may not be a good thing…for YOU.

I have met a number of people who faced this dilemma, in their business.

I’ve been lucky with my own name though. I have never encountered anyone online bearing the same first and surname combination with me.

Since 2006 I’ve done a lot of heavy content publishing that’s helped me gain reasonable name recognition. But even then, whenever I checked – even way beyond page 10 of Google’s results, I never came across a namesake.

That notwithstanding, a few weeks ago, I decided to register www.tayosolagbade.com to cover that loose end.

And that’s why I’m now writing this piece – especially for persons in business who find they have at least one or more online name sakes.

Persons in Paid Employment Can Also Benefit From Doing This

At first, there is a tendency to think that this may be a non-issue for those who are not in business e.g. employees.

I would however argue that you should consider making it an issue.

It is in your best interest, to ensure your employer (current or prospective) has no difficulty picking you out from amongst your namesakes online.

Ambitious career persons in today’s world, actually purchase their own names as domains.

They then point the URL to profiles on free hosting accounts. Some even purchase cheap hosting and build their resume websites on it.

For Business Persons, It Is Especially Imperative

For instance, I strongly believe that as a person in business, you must aim to dominate (at least) page 1 of Google’s results for your name. At least 80% should be all about YOU.

In my considered opinion, that reduces chances of people mistaking a namesake for me.

Publishing good quality content regularly, via an intelligent web marketing system, can help you gradually achieve that.

One quick and reliable way to boost your claim to your name on the web (and search engines take this into serious consideration), is to register your name as a domain.

That way, you alone get to ultimately use that URL. No one else.

Imagine what would happen if a namesake beat you to it, and registered the domain?

People who meet (or hear/read about) you may Google you (this happens a lot!), and click on the URL for your name, only to discover a different person!

How confused do you think they would be?

It could be worse. For instance, some may not even realise the person they’ve found is NOT you.

If that happens, you’d better hope what they see pleases them. Otherwise, you’re done!

The above could happen to a potential client/buyer who remembers your name but is unable to recall the URL for your company correctly.

If Your Namesake Does Something Bad, It Could Cost You Greatly!

Be you entrepreneur or employee, you can be negatively affected if your name sake has a bad reputation online.

Some namesakes may do naughty things, linking negative reports to their names.

In 2010, I actually interacted with a prospective client who had this problem. A namesake of his showed up on page 1 of Google, with screaming news headlines (from BBC and other websites) describing the namesake as a criminal. Same name. Exact same spelling!

Like I told him “Few people will even bother trying to investigate to verify if it’s really you the news story is about!”…that includes potential clients/employees!

Think about it. When BBC reports a thing, most people accept it as God’s truth.

Yes they do! And that’s why it’s best to consolidate your name recognition online via regular quality content publishing in YOUR NAME.

It’s your best form of defence against inadvertent or deliberate negativity.

Final Words: Protect Yourself!

I’ll therefore end by saying, if you do nothing else, register your name as a domain (preferably top level e.g. dot com) ASAP.

But if you really want to be in control of what happens when people do an online search in your name, adopt a custom Web Marketing System. (Email me via tayo at tksola dot com for details of what it entails – or use this contact form).

You will NOT regret doing it.

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, My DN Travel News

How to Use Your Job to Prepare for Retirement (6 Tips)

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Every employee will eventually leave the company s/he works for e.g. via retirement. Sometimes companies can also “leave employees” e.g. via retrenchment. Either way, it pays to be ready.

In one of his books, Robert Kiyosaki, recommended proactively acquiring skills that would help one in self-employment, while still in paid employment.

It’s an unusual – but effective – strategy. Below, I suggest tips you can use, based on my personal experiences and observation:

How to Acquire Self-Employment Skills While Still In Paid Employment (6 Tips)

1. Ask yourself what area of business you wish to go into. Then find out what skills and knowledge you need to have to be effective in that line of business.

2. Study the job opportunities or positions available in your current employer. Identify those positions that can equip you with skills and know-how you need as an entrepreneur.

For instance, every entrepreneur needs marketing, sales, and book keeping knowledge to function effectively. Startups often have to multi-task a lot in those areas.

Therefore having your employer give you roles that enable you work in sales, sales management, marketing, finance and HR can be valuable.

This is not being dishonest. Your long term purpose will remain. But in the short term, you’ll still ensure you deliver justifiable work quality to your employer while doing such jobs.

3. If you can deal with the additional work load, MOONLIGHTING (running a business on the side, while employed) could be a viable approach. But do not shortchange your employer.

4. Sometimes your current employer may not have job positions that offer exposure you need. Depending on how determined you are, you may explore taking up such jobs elsewhere.

5. Accepting a pay cut to move to another company to take up the job you need to learn, may be appealing, if you feel convinced better options do not exist. It would be risky. But probably no riskier than hoping you won’t be asked to retire early…or worse get laid off!

6. Then again you may not need to switch employers at all. Consider talking to a friend(s)  competent in the areas that interest you. Maybe s/he is employed in such a job. Make out time to undergo private coaching with him/her – even if you have to pay. It will be money well spent.

Your Knowledge & Skills REMAIN Yours When You Leave – You Have Nothing to Lose!

More opportunities and incentives exist today, to pursue self-employment, than was the case a few years ago.

But experience in certain areas of business can be quite essential. Without it, things can get tougher, messier – and costlier – than they should be, for you.

I know this from working closely with CEOs of small to medium sized companies, in different industries, over the past 10 years.

Here’s the trend I noticed…a very distinct trend:

Those who had never worked (or who had spent little time) in paid employment, often struggled with daily running of their businesses. They frequently employed a lot of trial and error in managing employees, organizing sales teams, planning marketing etc.

Most noteworthy however, was their inability to ensure reliable and accurate business data recording and report generation – by themselves or their workers.

This caused trouble when financial reports for tax purposes had to be prepared, for instance. I sometimes had to facilitate the process of helping them setup systems to address the problems.

Integral to the best practice solutions I developed was often a custom spreadsheet application that performed multiple functions. Some adopted it, and made it work. Others never got it going.

In contrast, those with relevant work exposure, prior to starting their businesses, rarely had such issues. They readily brought their experiences to bear in setting up in-house. It was that simple.

Final Words

I know this is supposed to be a career development article. A first look at what I’ve written above may suggest it is not. That it’s more of a pre-retirement primer :-)

But it is still a career development focused article. It just offers an unusual perspective :-)

The truth is long term jobs are much harder to find, than they were in the past. Indeed, many employers no longer offer such jobs.

By implication therefore, most people now have to take up contract jobs, and temporary employment of all sorts.

In between jobs, many have learnt to be MORE entrepreneurial, to keep their income levels up while searching for new employment.

That’s why the strategy I’ve proposed above, is so relevant today. There’s no point being needlessly sentimental about it. As you move around, deliberately acquire NEW knowledge and/or skill. Over time, you’ll be better prepared to run your own business as the need arises.

And the need will arise…eventually…unless you win the lottery, and never have to work for money again… :-)

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

THE FOOL WHO THOUGHT HE WAS WISE (A 14 Year Old’s Useful Short Story On HIV-AIDS Prevention)

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This insightful piece was written by a 14 year old boy – Amaechi O.S – 6 months ago. It was typed by him in MS Word format. The story delivers a powerful message regarding a dangerous misconception some people – especially kids or “uneducated” adults – may have about “how to wear” condoms to prevent HIV infection.

I’ve edited it for spelling, comprehension and grammar but added NOTHING to it, and published it here (i.e.www.tinyurl.com/AmeachiOnHIV). A PDF version is available via a download link at the bottom of this post. Please share it freely – and do let Amaechi have your feedback – if any – in the comments section or via email (see below)

Oh yes, one more thing: Consider this the VERY first guest post I’m publishing on my blog…LOL! And who knows…Amaechi may end up becoming another teenage writing genius – like Bamidele Onibalusi!!

======STORY BEGINS====

There was once a family. They had lived through many generations, and were rich, strong, God fearing people.

But one day, one of their offspring brought disgrace to the family.

His name was Leinad.

Leinad thought he was clever, but often did things that showed he was not very smart.

On that fateful day, armed robbers broke into the house where he lived with his family, and demanded for two million naira.

But they were fair with him, and gave him two options.

They told him to choose between being injected with a syringe containing HIV infected blood, or giving them the two million naira.

“We will be back in five days time”, said the men of the underworld.

After five days they came back asking him if he had made his decision.

He said, “Yes. I want to give you the money”.

“Where is it”, said the men of the under world.

“It is in my room”, he replied.

“Then bring it out now!” they said.

Leinad went to his room, but instead of getting the money, he wore a condom on his manhood, then went back downstairs, and said:

“I want the syringe, I want the syringe man!”

So, they tried to inject him in the buttocks with the syringe.

“No, on my hand” he said.

They injected him and left saying “You did this to yourself!”

But Leinad laughed saying: “Those fools they don’t know that I am wearing a condom”.

Two years later he died of HIV.

======THE END====

Send feedback to: amaechiOS at tksola dot com OR add your comments below…

DOWNLOAD THE PDF VERSION…

This insightful piece was written by a 14 year old boy – Amaechi O.S - 6 months ago. It was typed by him in MS Word format. The story delivers a powerful message regarding a dangerous misconception some people – especially kids or “uneducated” adults - may have about “how to wear” condoms to prevent HIV infection.

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, My DN Travel News

Attract Success by Leaving Others Better Off Than When They Met You (2 Tips)

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FACT: In business, and life in general, doing what this title proposes is sure to lead you to attract long term recognition and success to yourself. I employ it in dealing with every person I encounter – both online, and off the web. I strive to do it no matter how brief our interaction is. And I continually reap useful progress as a result.

This article offers 2 ways you can do the same thing and reap similar or better rewards.

1. In Business – Give Potential Clients Value Even When They Have NOT Hired YOU

This can be hard to remember, and do. I say this from experience. But I urge you to invest time and effort in doing it. Believe me, it works!

When searching for buyers for your products and services, do NOT focus on what you want (You’ve heard – or read – that before I’m sure!).

Instead, actively explore ways to immediately add value to prospective clients – using what you know, or can do.

Specific example: I always give practical ready-to-use ideas on web marketing to potential clients during discussions or meetings we have. I even create marketing resources (e.g. downloadable PDF they can give away to capture subscribers, or generate leads).

There is magic in this. Psychological magic.

It makes you look bigger in their eyes, because you come across as having so much that you confidently and readily give free samples without fear of loss.

They’ll often be impressed by your willingness to give of yourself in that manner. And that can actually attract or influence them to buy your products or services, or tell other about you.

But even if no apparent benefits seem forthcoming, do it anyway.

It will pay off eventually.

2. In General Life – Add Tangible Value to Others Even If You Have NOTHING to Gain

If you’re like me, with a passion for what you do, your personal and work life are probably difficult to separate :-)

But all the same, distinctions exist. Sometimes you’ll have to relate with people you do not consider potential buyers of whatever you sell.

Always realize that everything you do still links back to building credibility for yourself. So, explore non-manipulative strategies to turn others into your raving fans and advocates.

We all know that people generally prefer to buy from persons they know – and trust.

By aiming to leave everyone you meet better off than when you found them, you effectively build a reliable store of goodwill for yourself.

Sooner or later, you will harvest the rewards – sometimes including positive gains in your business.

One Specific Example (A True Story)

Years ago, while working in a large multinational, I used my spreadsheet programming skills to create an automated MS-Excel-VB driven application, for use by a senior colleague in the engineering function.

It enabled him produce his complex graph based engineering reports within minutes, instead of the hours it normally took him.

I did it without his asking, while off duty from shift brewing.

Some years later, I quit the company to become self-employed. Among other services, I offered spreadsheet programming services to potential company clients.

One day I got a lengthy email from this former colleague. He had moved to a well known multinational oil service company in a top position.

He wrote asking me how much it would cost to build, for him, a similar application to the one I’d built back when we worked together.

In that email, he wrote something as follows (not exact words):

“Tayo…I know you can help me with this because I’ve seen your Midas touches from when we were together in (company name)”.

NB: If I had not used my skills to add value to him years before, it’s unlikely he would have developed this deep level of trust and confidence in my capabilities.

We eventually had two meetings and followed up with emails and phone calls. Although he was eventually unable to get funding to pay the fee I quoted, it was still a useful experience for me.

This was because our discussions had given me an insider view, of areas in which I could add value to companies in the market place.

I went on to use that knowledge in winning projects from 2 medium sized hospitals later on.

Final Words (Watch Out for Wolves!)

What I’m recommending in this piece is simple.

Aim to get even people who DO NOT buy from you, to be grateful or glad that they met you. You can do this using abilities (or knowledge) you have, that can be of use to them.

Make doing this a habit, and many good people will love having you around. They will sometimes even go out of their way to help you, should the opportunity to do so arise.

Be careful however. Don’t let yourself get exploited while doing this. There are always wolves out there!

It may take some work, but for best results, you MUST learn to use your gut level instinct to identify WHO to offer yourself to in this way.

Not all those you meet will be sincere. Some insincere people will try to exploit your “generosity” to get you to work for them without (decent) pay.

The truth is however that such people will rarely be hard to detect – especially if YOU are sincere.

Just pay attention to your sixth sense. Listen carefully to YOUR FEELINGS, and you’ll know!

Career Development, My DN Travel News

How Conforming With Peers Can Kill Your Career

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Imagine it’s break (or closing) time at work, and you’ve agreed to join some close co-workers for lunch (or drinks after work). But some task(s) remain(s) that you know would be better done now, not later. What would you do? Especially if you know ” friends” may mock you for being so “diligent” that you sacrifice your private time to put in unpaid hours? This article uses a true story to offer you insights.

It’s Great to Be Sociable, but Never Let It Blind You to Your Priorities

Do not sabotage your career by letting decision makers conclude you are not committed enough.

Ask yourself why you’re in the company. Is it to conform to some unwritten loyalty code from demanding colleagues or co-workers?

In truth, except when a friend is badly in need of your support to deal with some serious issue(s), your employer comes first.

Sadly, most people don’t want to be seen as wet blankets or spoil sports. So, sometimes they stop work they should finish, to go on break. Or if it’s at close of work, they agree to join others to go home. Their “friends” tell them, you can always do it tomorrow!

Maybe the question to ask yourself is this:

“What if leaving it till tomorrow could hurt YOUR employer?”

A True Story Offers Insight YOU Can Use

On Monday, Oyat and 11 other graduate trainees resumed work in a large corporate multinational. They were soon assigned to different departments to commence a company-wide induction.

Oyat started in the training section of the Sogal factory. Within weeks he formed a close relationship with Drahcir, the young Training Manager, who happened to be a skilled spreadsheet programmer, and an experienced line manager.

1. Oyat Chooses to Learn Rather Than “Belong”

Over time, Oyat (being a bit computer literate) began helping Drahcir in testing formulas in a macro-driven reporting application the latter built for top level reporting in the factories. Doing this required understanding of complex formulas for many factory performance indices. Eventually, Drahcir travelled to all the sites and they commenced using the application.

As time went on, Drahcir told Oyat:

“If you want to be a good line manager, follow me anytime I call you.”

That was easy, and Oyat had no problems doing it. Drahcir took him all over the factory, showing him various plants, how they worked, how to manage the operators etc.

But doing it meant Oyat had to miss going on daily meal breaks with other trainees. Drahcir and himself often arrived at the restaurant towards the end of break time. The other trainees would point and whisper. They eventually coined names for him, and also mocked him for “following Drahcir around like an errand boy”.

By the time he finished his training, Drahcir had gotten Oyat to produce detailed typewritten training notes covering all that he had learnt, with photos (taken by Drahcir).

Everything was then printed out (photos glued to relevant pages) and spiral bound into 4 different modules of over 250 combined pages. A set was given to Oyat, while Drahcir kept a set for the training centre.

He told Oyat:

“You’ll find yourself referring to these notes, and you’ll be glad I got you to make them. What’s more, others will come to borrow them from you. Mark my words!”

Oyat Gets Deployed & His Preparation Yields Almost Instant Rewards

One year later, all 12 trainees had been deployed to permanent stations. Oyat ended up in one of the company’s factories in another state.

At the start of his second week there, he was looking through some process records in his new department, when he got word that the site Training Manager (a colleague to Drahcir) wanted him. Arriving there, the gentleman asked him

“We’re getting some errors from this application. Our reports must get to headquarters today. Drahcir tells me you know this application as well as he does. Can you help us?”,

He turned the computer monitor towards Oyat, who found himself staring at the application he had spent hundreds of hours helping to test and check for errors.

Less than thirty minutes later, he’d corrected the problem. Everyone soon heard about it.

Some months later, while working as line manager, he found himself referring to one of his spiral bound reports to verify certain details.

A new manager in training asked to see the report, and took time to flip slowly through a few pages. Few minutes later, looking at Oyat with new found respect, he asked if he could borrow it!

As he replied in the affirmative, Oyat could almost hear Drahcir saying “I told you so!”

Final Words: Those Who Mock You Will Eventually Admire You!

In the months and years that followed, repeat secondments – and eventually a promotion – came. He got to a management grade higher than his former trainee colleagues.

One day, he took a call from one of them, who at a point in their discussion said:

“You know Oyat, you’re the first amongst us, to get promoted to this level in the company.”

And when he said it, he was dead serious.

This was in contrast to those early years, when this same individual had led others to mock Oyat for “following Drahcir around like an errand boy.”

Oyat’s decision to NOT bow to peer pressure at work, had proven to be a wise one!

Career Development, My DN Travel News

Does Your Boss Trust You on the Job? (3 Ways to Find Out The Truth)

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You need to get an accurate answer to this question. They may not show it. But if your superiors don’t trust you completely on the job, you may lose career advancement opportunities. And you could even be in danger of being declared redundant.

Here are 3 Checks to Help You Establish How Well Your Boss Trusts You

Now, unless you’re a mind reader, it goes without saying that these checks will not tell you everything. They will however give you a fairly reliable indication of where you stand with your boss in this regard.

And that’s all you really need. (I say this based on 7 years of applying them successfully, to get recognised and rewarded as a high performing employee in a corporate multinational.)

So, here are the checks:

1. What Does She Say?

Sometimes you’ll hear snippets from the corporate grapevine. This may not always be a reliable source. However it can be useful.

Performance appraisal interviews/discussions can also be very useful. But it also depends on how open your boss is about his/her feelings. It will often be a great opportunity to get answers and gain valuable insights.

So, be bold, but tactful. Ask questions, and make requests, to find out.

For instance you could suggest that s/he give you a shot at handling an area of work or task that you’ve never been assigned. Listen carefully to the response, and watch the body language. You’ll often be able to tell.

2. What Does She Do?

a. How often do you get called on, when an important or crucial task is to be implemented?

Those are often periods when decision makers simply cannot afford to take chances with anything going wrong.

If you never get picked to hold fort during such times, be concerned. Except if you were assigned something of greater importance elsewhere.

This rule applies in all areas of endeavor. Even in team sports. A very good measure of a coach’s confidence in a player is often evident from the roles s/he gets him/her to play – especially in important matches.

Another example: If your boss has to go on a planned annual leave, or a week’s break, how often do you get picked to fill in for him/her? If “never”, and you know you’re theoretically “qualified” to get picked, you should definitely be concerned.

b. Another scenario: When a department head from a sister factory calls for help saying “Can you give us your best hand(s) to help us out over here?”

Who does you boss send over to help?

If you rarely get picked, that’s like being on the bench all the time in a football team. When there’s a need for the organisation to “shed staff weight”, you could be a prime candidate.

c. Sometimes you’ll also gain useful insights during normal work periods.

When something goes wrong while s/he’s not around, who does s/he call to find out what went wrong?

And who does s/he task to find ways to rectify it – or to lead others to do that?

How often does s/he call YOU under such situations?

And when you get called, does what you say, or do, get accepted as adequate? Or does s/he call others to double-check what you’ve said and done?

If you keep getting second guessed, that is not a good position to be in either. It suggests you’ve given him/her cause to doubt you!

If that happens, determine why what you say (or do) never seems to satisfy him/her. Then make necessary changes in your work related behavior.

3. How Does She React?

Sometimes your boss may have to be away at short notice. It could be unplanned (like a sudden temporary secondment, or a domestic matter that makes him take time off from work).

During such periods, the team will usually take orders from other decision makers, who may be less familiar with individual team members.

Under such situations, responsibilities for tasks may get handed out differently from what the substantive job holder (i.e. your boss) would do.

You could as a result get assigned to handle tasks that your boss has never previously given you the opportunity to do.

How she reacts on being told (while still away or when s/he returns or calls in), can give you a good idea of how well s/he trusts you on the job.

After the Checks, What Next?

If you were honest with yourself in doing the above, you’ll have gotten a decent idea of how your boss rates you.

A period of one month is enough to be really sure.

If what you learn indicates you’re rated highly, then keep doing what you’re doing – and if possible, do more.

But if you discover you don’t rate well, do a serious self-examination to find out where you’re falling short.

TIP: Study those who seem to be rated better and find out why. Some bosses play favorites – but that is easy to detect. Otherwise, you’ll often find that simply emulating those rated highly, will eventually bring you into reckoning.

Final Words

Results focused decision makers want people they can RELY on, to deliver outcomes that will move the organization forward.

If you deliver performances that make your employer think about you in that manner, you can expect a rewarding career in that organization. It’s that simple.

Career Development, My DN Travel News

Voicing YOUR Opinion Can Make You More Successful: Stop Holding Back!

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Being a Silent Workhorse May Not Always Work Well

You don’t have to be introverted to be guilty of making this mistake. Many extroverted personalities also find it hard to make their true opinions known. We rarely want to rock the boat. But that attitude may quietly backfire against your ambitions. E.g. by denying you reward and recognition you desire – and probably deserve.

It can be good to be a diligent – but silent – work horse. Your boss and/or team members will likely appreciate you. However, sometimes employers also want employees to stand out and think/act differently, especially if it can result in benefits to the company.

NB: This article is written with a focus on career development. The ideas shared in it can however be successfully applied by non-employees, who may find themselves in social groups, clubs or associations.

Two Possible Areas You Can Voice Your Opinion to Make Useful Impact

1. Mode of Dressing In The Company

Every time I’ve seen a photo of Steve Jobs, I’ve never seen him in a tie. It’s strange, considering how successful a business person he was. And also the fact that he related with many people who often wore them…and who probably considered doing so a basic requirement for taking anyone seriously.

In other words, they probably made an exception for Jobs, because he was already “made”. Another person who has an aversion for ties is Richard Branson. It’s unlikely that people who work(ed) for these two men were (are) ever be pressured to wear suits to work.

The resulting relaxed atmosphere probably makes (made) such employees bring their best selves to the job every time – to the benefit of their employers.

But not every company or employee can adopt an informal dress code. It depends on what they do. The question therefore is what about YOU, and YOUR company?

Is it possible an informal dress code can lead to an improvement in morale or performance in your workplace?

Maybe the company next door has done it, and staffs in your company are speaking (enviously) about it in hushed tones.

You do not have to be the CEO or a top manager to bring it up. My personal experience and achievements indicate that your position and years on the job, will not really matter either.

So, would you be willing to make a case to management for it, citing potential benefits to be had?

Big question :-)

NB: I’ve used mode of dressing as an example. You could apply this thinking to any other issues, such as telecommuting, or even work hours (for certain positions).

2. Mode of Operation In The Company

People can get used to a way of doing things, and simply stop thinking about coming up with possibly better ways to do them. Companies that adhere to Best Practice and Continuous Improvement principles are typically able to avoid this pitfall.

Sometimes you may find yourself in a group where the leader voices an opinion, or proposes a line of action, that others immediately accept as being valid.

Possibly they all instantly nod in agreement to it.

However, you, sitting right there amongst them, may actually hold a totally different view. But you may fear getting criticized or disapproved of, if you voice that difference of opinion.

Sometimes you may not even be the only one who feels this way in the group. It’s just that others may also prefer to keep quiet. Later on however, you may hear them whispering their reservations in hushed tones!

You can do better than that, and make a useful difference in the process :-)

Simply develop the habit of tactfully offering your differing views, and trying to get others to see where you’re coming from.

Sometimes it may turn out that you’re wrong. Those with a better understanding of the matter may tell you why and how. It won’t be the end of the world. And you would then not keep wondering about it.

This has happened to me many times.

I once voiced a difference of opinion in a company I worked for, because I had not fully gotten all the details pertaining to an issue. Others who were better informed promptly filled me in, and I stood corrected.

But there were also occasions when I voiced a divergent opinion, and it turned out to be a good thing for the entire group – indeed the company. On a number of occasions, it even led to considerable savings of time and money!

I’ve narrated real life stories in many past articles, of how (during my time in paid employment) voicing my opinion led to significant workplace improvements, and eventual career advancement for me. Here’s one of those articles.

Final Words: Voice Your Opinion, But Don’t Be Rude

This article is not a call for anyone to go around speaking or acting without regard for others.

All I’m saying is don’t let a fear of being different, or getting criticized, make you stifle the urge to suggest potential improvements.

You’re being paid to give your best to the company. Holding back effectively means doing the opposite.

Even if your idea is not accepted, it will be noted as a contribution you’ve made. Many forward thinking companies today get higher productivity, because they reward employees for number of suggestions they make.

If yours is not already doing that, that’s probably another potentially useful idea you should not hold back from voicing to decision makers!

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

F-Y-I: Google Confirms Hacker Attacks On This Website

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I’ve periodically announced the fact that I believe that – this website (spontaneoudevelopment.com) – is a target of selectively orchestrated online attacks. Well, this past Wednesday 22nd May 2013, I got a detailed email from Google Web master Support confirming some of my suspicions.

Below is the detailed hacker email alert sent me by Google, and also the email I’ve since sent to my web host – in line with the advice given by Google.

I’ve also already commenced taking action to clean out the mentioned sites.

(Yesterday a power blackout lasting from about 8.30a.m till 10pm across Benin Republic meant I was unable to start earlier).

Subject: [Fwd: [Webmaster Tools] Message summary]

From: tayo at spontaneousdevelopment dot com

Date: Thu, May 23, 2013 10:57 am

To: support at hostgator.com

Cc: tayosolagbade at gmail dot com

Priority: High

Read receipt: requested

Hi

Google just gave me this heads up (see forwarded email below).

A few days back, I got an email that suggested efforts were being made to

sabotage my website. This confirms it.

See a blog post I put up about it:

http://spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets/fyi-orchestrated-sabotage-campaign-against-this-website/

Can you give me any ideas of how to proceed in resolving this problem.

Would appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks in advance,

With kindest regards,

Tayo

PS: Sometimes I even get the feeling my emails are being intercepted and

blocked. But again, I can’t prove it. Maybe this has something to do with

it.

—————————- Original Message —————————-

Subject: [Webmaster Tools] Message summary

From: wmt-noreply at google.com

Date: Wed, May 22, 2013 7:37 pm

To: tayo at spontaneousdevelopment dot com

————————————————————————–

Google Logo

Message summary

Webmaster Tools sent you the following important messages about sites in

your account. To keep your site healthy, we recommend regularly reviewing

these messages and addressing any critical issues.

Notice of Suspected Hacking on

http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com/

Dear site owner or webmaster of

http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com/,

We are writing to let you know that we believe some of your website’s pages

may be hacked. Specifically, we think that JavaScript has been injected

into your site by a third party and may be used to redirect users to

malicious sites. You should check your source code for any unfamiliar

JavaScript and in particular any files containing “counter.php”

style=”visibility: hidden; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px”

width=”10″ height=”10″. The malicious code may be placed in HTML,

JavaScript or PHP files so it’s important to be thorough in your search.

The following are example URLs from your site where we found such content:

http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com/buy_xl_software.htm

http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com/pu_coaching.htm

[deleted text]

Notice of Suspected Hacking on http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com/

Dear site owner or webmaster of http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com/,

We are writing to let you know that we believe some of your website’s pages may be hacked. Specifically, we think that JavaScript has been injected into your site by a third party and may be used to redirect users to malicious sites. You should check your source code for any unfamiliar JavaScript and in particular any files containing “counter.php”

style=”visibility: hidden; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px”

width=”10″ height=”10″. The malicious code may be placed in HTML,

JavaScript or PHP files so it’s important to be thorough in your search.

The following are example URLs from your site where we found such content:

http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com/feb06.htm

In addition, it’s also possible your server configuration files (such as

Apache’s .htaccess) have been compromised. As a result of this, your site
may be cloaking and showing the malicious content only in certain

situations.

We encourage you to investigate this matter in order to protect your

visitors. If your site was compromised, it’s important to not only remove

the malicious (and usually hidden) content from your pages, but also to

identify and fix the vulnerability. A good first step may be to contact

your web host’s technical support for assistance. It’s also important to

make sure that your website’s software is up-to-date with the latest

security updates and patches.

More information about cleaning your site can be found at:

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=163634

Sincerely, Google Search Quality Team

Here’s My Understanding Of The Discovery Made By Google About Attacks On My Websites

I’m sharing all this information to help others, who now, or in future, may have similar experiences. It always helps to read about what others faced, and measures they took to recover.

The malicious code discovered on my websites by Google, was found to be (selectively) redirecting people who visit my website to possible scam – or spam – websites.

So, when someone visits my website from Google, they may even get a virus or malicious code warning about my website. And this will make the intending visitor quickly leave! They never arrive at that page. But I won’t know its happening.

In the meantime, Google will exclude that page from their searches – and I will receive less visits, enquiries and subscribers. That’s been happening – but my consistent blogging has helped cushion the effects a little bit.

See how complicated this whole issue is – and it’s devastating effect on my ability to earn more income?

Additional Insights Into The Negative Impact Of This Hacker Attack

It’s with this Google confirmation that I’m now able to put 2 and 2 together, to make sense of the strange experiences I’ve been having.

Burt Dubin has – as usual – kindly written in, on learning of this new development. My thanks to him – and my friends/family – for all the moral support, as I tackle these different efforts to pull me down (and they are MANY I tell you – without exaggeration).

There’s a consistent odd/tell tale trend I’ve noticed in these attacks. And those I’ve pointed it out to agree with me, that it is a good sign that these attacks are being done (or sponsored) by people who know me, and who want to discredit me. They are not the usual random attacks.

For instance, specific pages and documents on my website (e.g. my PDF resume, learning event PDF flyers and other pages specifically used to showcase my products and services for sale) are selectively attacked – not the entire website!

They also attacked my popular articles (which I still have on HTML pages) that attract a lot of readers. Those pages used to come up in Google, now they don’t.

The obvious purpose is to prevent me from gaining enough credibility to convert more visitors into buyers (like I did with the Canadian Farm Project Manager priest – to their surprise I’m sure).

It’s even affected my efforts to gain marketing traction for my learning events and new products here in Benin Republic. I’ve had so many in-person meetings that started out looking promising.

Then we would part by exchanging cards, and the prospects would promise to visit my website as agreed, in readiness for a follow up meeting.

As you can imagine, a visit to the website that results in a virus warning or a scam offer will NOT inspire any confidence in a prospect to pursue furthr relations with the owner!

Now consider the REAL possibility that ALL those I’ve been sending my Guest Posts, English-French Guide CDROMs and Seminar proposals to have been having that experience?!!

Our Websites Need To Be Protected – And We Will Often Need All The Help We Can Get

I’m not giving details of the solution I’ve settled on.

But the trends I’ve noticed in these attacks strongly suggest implementing it will make a lasting world of difference. Where I’ve been using this planned solution, I’ve NEVER had this problem, so I intend to simply extend it to the rest of the website.

Sadly, all this has prevented me from building on my success from a few months back.

It took a lot of work to get that far. I’d continued work to build on it. But I found it so strange that everything just came to an almost complete halt.

Google has now helped show why this happened, with this email advice they sent me. I’m now working hard to clean up the entire website to (as they correctly put it) protect my visitors/users.

Most of what I’m trying to achieve in my business (online and off the web) depends on how my website presents me.

That’s where I put up most of my marketing material to support even my offline efforts. Today, people readily Google you, and check your website out to make up their minds.

Mine has helped me earn decent income (and achieve great marketing mileage/exposure) while spending VERY little – even from Nigerians who find it hard to trust themselves talk less of others.

They’ve sent me money from different parts of the country. I have CEOs in Lagos, Niger, Kano, Ibadan and other places who own businesses (e.g. farms, and other companies) that have bought my handbook and subscribe to my newsletter, and are now friends but we’ve never met!

Someone I’d never met before even sent N35,000 (approx. $230 USD) into my bank account, two full weeks before travelling from over 8 hours away in Akwa Ibom, to meet me in Lagos. It was on a Saturday, and I spent about 4 hours putting him through practical Feed Formulation at a feed mill in Oko Oba, late last year.

Why Would A Stranger Send Me Payment 2 weeks Ahead For An In-Person Training? It Was Simply Based On What He Read On My Website.

And That’s How Powerful Your Writing Can Be!

If you own a website, you probably depend on it to achieve similar goals.

That’s why when your website is not in a good state of health, your chances of making useful progress are limited.

So, this kind of attack is something we all need to protect ourselves against. And we will often need all the help we can get to do so successfully.

When focussing on the serious business of attracting clients for your services, it can be annoying to discover “hidden”
attacks like these diluting one’s efforts. This has been an on-going battle for close to 2 years now.

Everytime I
clean it out, they come right back. I’m determined to make this
the last.

I’m grateful for the support provided by Google via their Webmaster tools email alert, and for my web host (Hostgator)’s usual amazing support.

PS: Oh, by the way, I know the “bad guys” are on my newsletter mailing list, and also possibly tune in via RSS etc. So they’re always lurking, with malicious intent.

Well, Here Are Some FINAL WORDS for Those Haters to Chew On…

A proverb in my language (Yoruba) says:

“Ota o le pa kadara mi da. Won kan le fa owo ago pada si ehin ni”

Literal translation: Enemies/haters/evil-doers cannot change my destiny. They can only pull the hands of the clock backwards”.

Contextual translation: “People who try to hurt/stop you can never succeed unless you let them. The best they can do is to slow you down. Eventually, if you don’t stop, YOU will wear THEM down.”

And of course, I hope you know that your “destiny” is what you make of it?

Yes it is!

Like Williams Jennings Bryan said…

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice. Not something to wish for, but to attain.”

Sigh. If these guys knew where I draw my inspiration from, they would have quit long ago. But becasue they are so DAFT, they persist in wasting their time.

How do you stop a guy who simply does not understand how to give up?

Your best bet is: Shoot him…and make sure you don’t miss!

The problem you will have is MY creator will not let ANYONE succeed in doing that to me.

Evil can never triumph over GOOD. Falsehood can never defeat TRUTH. Period.

So “haters”, if you can find better things to do with your time, I’d really advise you do SO NOW. You will NOT win this war. I’m in this to the end – and by then I’ll be the last one standing. Believe it.