Category Archives: Self-Development

My DN Travel News, Self-Development

Proven Strategy for Succeeding by Winning People’s Trust

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Sometimes a person can be competent, qualified, even certified in his/her chosen field…and still have problems succeeding e.g. in getting jobs…or if s/he’s in business, clients. There will be exceptions, but my experiences and observations suggest people who suffer that way, do so because they fail to inspire trust.

Something about them just does not convince those they seek to connect with, that they can be trusted to deliver.

Do The Signals You Give Out, Make You Credible?

Employers and clients seek people who can add value to them, by helping to achieve their important goals faster, if possible with less effort and at less cost.

As a results focused person, you will also naturally desire to get the very best returns on your investment of time, effort and money.

When someone you know tells you “I can do it. Trust me.”…what thoughts immediately pop up in your mind?

Are they positively reassuring…mixed…or even negative?

Your feelings will be based on a combination of factors – mainly what you see, and what you hear/read about him/her.

And that’s also how YOUR “reliability” will also be assessed by others, when you tell them what you can do i.e. what they see when relating with you, and what they hear/read about you.

What You Do, Matters Much More Than What You Say!

I once came across the following quote, and it really “spoke” to me:

“What you do speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say”

It’s less of what you say, and more of what you do (or have done) that people will use to determine whether or not to trust you.

That’s why recruiters/employers ask for resumes, and prospective clients want to see your profile, your website and past projects you’ve handled or details of experiences you’ve had.

Some of the most successful people in the world have rivals (and even critics) who admit having (sometimes grudging) respect or admiration for them.

That’s something that rarely happens by accident.

Such successful persons will have proved themselves to be reliably competent, many times over, to achieve that level of acknowledgement from others.

Goodwill of this kind is what some individuals who choose to contest for public office (or other valued positions) often leverage to get elected.

A track record of private business success will enhance the credibility of a candidate promising to improve the economy by encouraging entrepreneurship.

Final Words: Go Out and Become MORE…and You’ll Win People’ Trust Over and Over Again

You can significantly improve your success rate in winning people over within short periods of time.

And I mean to the extent that they readily give YOU what you want (e.g. payment to do what you offer to do for them) within 24 hours of meeting you!

How can you do this?

One proven way is by constantly adding to yourself in terms of the useful knowledge and skills you possess.

When people discover you often have something useful – based on real life experiences – to tell them, with respect to achieving the goals they consider important, they will readily trust you.

That’s why you need to get out and do things that will give you true stories you can tell. Make it a goal of yours – everyday – to explore and discover newer and better ways to do what you do.

Challenge yourself to think up new ideas to share – freely – with people you meet and hope to connect with.

Consistently do this every single day, and watch “magic” happen in your relationships with those you approach.

Everything I say here is based on personal experiences I have had, and continue to have.

It is because of this “knowledge” that I am NEVER afraid of what the future holds for me.

You can live that way too, if you adopt a similar strategy.

My DN Travel News, Self-Development

Don’t Apologize for Being Yourself

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Read this article with an open mind, if you wish to get useful value from it. I’m not asking anyone to be rude or inconsiderate to others. Instead, it’s a call to every person of vision and ambition to stop playing small in a bid to avoid criticism or scrutiny.

The Best Way to Live Life Is To Fulfill Your God-given Potential

Our creator has endowed each person with a unique talent or ability that sets him/her apart from everyone else. And he expects each of us to put our strengths to use to make others better off.

Doing so however will periodically attract unpleasantness from negative minded persons.

It is my considered opinion that a higher (probably increasing) number of adults today feel insecure and threatened by anyone who confidently puts his strengths to use.

Rather than seek ways to emulate such persons, they often readily attack him/her for being “showy” or “arrogant”. They hide behind such criticisms because they actually feel intimated by the other person’s demonstrated self-confidence.

Never Let Anyone Make You Play Small

YOU have every right to work to develop yourself to your full potential. And it will not matter who feels offended by your willingness to do so.

I make this comment because I’ve come across too many people who keep holding themselves back because they’re scared of exceeding others. They don’t want to call attention to themselves that could lead others to mock and give those names.

But that’s always a big mistake. The world needs you to be your full and true self. And you need to do so without apology- to anyone. Not even your parents.

There’s no crime in trying to be in people’s good books. But you must know when to stop. For instance, when avoiding getting on the wrong side of people means you have to avoid being your true self, there’s a big problem.

As human beings, we are driven by our passions. Whenever we have to subdue our passions, we usually feel miserable. The human spirit can never accept being restricted, limited or caged. This is why when a person is subjected to repeatedly undue criticism for acting true to his/her nature to increase, s/he is rarely happy and fulfilled.

And what is life without fulfillment and happiness? Nothing. It’s nothing.

You Owe Nobody Any Apology for Being Yourself

It goes without saying that you must be your “good” self.

For instance, you must be fair and considerate in your dealings with anyone. If your true self does not enable you be emotionally intelligent in relating with others, you need to make adjustments. That would be nothing to be proud of.

One example: I know a young undergraduate who is in the habit of constantly putting others down. Nothing gets past him. If a colleague says he has little airtime credit on his phone, this guy quickly announces he has some comparatively large amount on his. Then he proceeds to mock the other for being “poor”.

That’s not all. For him, no opportunity to ridicule a colleague or roommate based on some subject he believes he knows, ever escapes. As a result, he often instigates blind arguments with others.

To make matters worse, when told what he’s doing wrong, he boldly asserts that he will never change, saying there’s nothing wrong with his behaviour.

Now that’s wrong. And his colleagues tell him so. Yet he continues doing the same thing.

That kind of “self” is not desirable – for civilized interaction. A person guilty of such habits will often need to call him/herself to order, and possibly apologize.

Don’t be that kind of person.

You will always be better off moulding your character into one that delivers useful benefits to those you relate with.

You must get to a point where what you do cannot be correctly seen as bad, or unfair. Once there, you will no longer have to worry about offending anyone – because being yourself will be “good” for everyone you meet!

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

FYI: If You Experienced Difficulties Accessing This Blog’s Content between Monday 15th July 2013 to Saturday 20th July 2013, This Could Be Why…

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NB: Let me start by saying this post is being made for information purposes only. And it applies specifically to the period between Monday 15th July 2013 to Saturday 20th July 2013.

In case anyone’s experienced difficulties accessing articles/content on my blog in the last few days…hostgator has now confirmed they’ve completed the migration of all customer accounts:

” onto brand new, more powerful hardware which will include the latest versions of cPanel and CentOS.”

Alert email notice announcing start of upgrade

Screenshot of email notice announcing start of upgrade

Screenshot of email notice announcing start of my hosting account migration

Screenshot of email notice announcing start of my hosting account migration

In response to my enquiry, they’d replied thus:

“…there may be some performance issues for the server since the migration process will have an impact on the communications performance of both systems. This effect should be temporary.”

The screenshot below shows their email notice that the upgrade has been successfully completed for my account.

Screenshot of email notice announcing successful migration

Screenshot of email notice announcing successful migration

My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development

To Be Truly Happy, Never Submit to Abuse

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“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.” – Frederick Douglass

Nothing is worse than an adult who lets other people use him/her as a door mat. No one deserves to be subjected to abuse in any form – by anybody. Sadly, some adults – who have kids of their own – are so insecure and unsure of themselves. They get intimidated into adopting a second class existence, in deference to the ego of some other persons.

This situation is worse in certain societies than others. Yet, even where it is worse, YOU always have a choice.

In this article I offer insights you can use, against the backdrop of a true story.

What If Someone Tries to Oppress or Intimidate You? (A True Story)

What I share below is based on excerpts from comments I made on a similar theme in a recent online discussion.

Over a period of six years, a hotel client used an Excel-VB driven Hotel Management Software I built specifically for them. The owner (who happens to be about 10 years older than I am) paid me to build it in November 2005.

Upon completing the staff training, I sent in an invoice for my balance, but he refused to pay up. Eventually, I stopped calling to ask.

Three months later, they had problems with the software and called. I told them my balance had to be paid up, before they could be eligible for support.

On learning of my response, he called me on his mobile, to say I had no respect for elders.

I pointed out that self-respecting elders did not refuse to pay younger ones struggling to fend for their own families, for completed work!

After making threats, this CEO arranged for police officers to pick me up in a (rickety) jeep. Their boss, the Divisional Police Officer, turned out to be a graduate of the University of Ibadan. Not surprisingly, he asked for my side of the story.

On hearing me out, he requested that I resolve the problem the hotel had. I replied that I wanted my balance paid.

Again, acting like the enlightened man he was, he sent an officer with me to the hotel, who told them my request. When they agreed to pay, I got behind a terminal, and eventually resolved the problem.

The accountant promptly handed me the balance in cash, and I signed for it.

The hotel owner (who though “rich” is poorly schooled), later said to me: “Tayo, you’re a very stubborn young man.” My reply was that I acted that way, only to persons who I felt wanted to cheat or intimidate me.

From that day in 2006, up till 2011, they continued using the software.

Each time they had a problem and called me in, the normal agreement was that my call out support fees would be paid – in cash.

Yet, every now and then he tried to stop me getting paid – even after I’d worked on the reported problem for hours – AND resolved it.

Sometimes he crossed out the fee on my invoice and wrote over it a figure 60% less!

But my ready willingness to confront without being combative ensured I got paid my full fees each time. I knew he did not like that. But I was not scared of him either.

This is important. Believe wholeheartedly that your creator will support you against such abuse, when you fight back in this manner. Never let fear control you!

Among other things, I knew giving in would be the beginning of a very bad treatment. I saw enough to warn me, each time I visited.

He once traveled before Christmas, without paying his staff salaries. And he returned in February! I’ve also heard him speak abusively on many occasions to staff. Guests hear him scream “MAD DOG!” at some of them.

What I find most hard to comprehend is the fact that some have worked with him for years. I often see them fidgeting fearfully anytime they have to face him.

A few have told me they have no choice. Yet many are young and able bodied.

The way I see it however, they only feel they have no choice because they are LAZY.

In addition, they also lack self-esteem and dignity.

It’s the only reason any sane person would accept let anyone subject them to abuse everyday at work. I feel little sympathy for people who choose to live in this way.

Their unwillingness to choose a more dignified path in life makes them undeserving of pity or sympathy. I say this without apology.

God did NOT create anyone to be stepped upon by another – no matter how rich!

I’ve since told that client I’ll no longer support his company’s use of the software.

It all came to a head after I had to defend myself against another attempt he made – using his police connections – to try intimidating me to work without due payment in 2011.

That’s however a story to be told some other time. Suffice to say though, that I wrote complaint letters to the Governor, State Security Service and eventually the Attorney General’s office to get him off my back!

Final Words

Here’s my point:

In society, one will always come across good and not-so-good people. It’s not a crime to view life through rose coloured glasses – believing that others will treat you right.

But even the bible records stories of people who were bad, and used their position, money and power to subject harmless/innocent others to abuse.

It therefore goes without saying that you must prepare to stand up to such individuals as the need arises. Or you’ll doom yourself to being oppressed by them!

You deserve better than that. And so does your child.

Being gentle, easy going, and not wanting any trouble, does not mean you have to be someone else’s door mat.

Learn to assert yourself – by confronting without being combative, when necessary.

And teach your child to be the same way. It’s the key to living a truly happy and fulfilled life.

My DN Travel News, Self-Development

You May Not Need New Ideas

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If you’re struggling to achieve sustained progress towards your goal, it could be because you’re making the mistake described in this article. Sometimes we spend too much time, effort and resources searching for new ideas to achieve our set goal, and fail to make the most of the ones we already have. This makes us under-achieve most of the time. This article offers insights you can use to overcome this limitation, and achieve your full potential.

Times Change – But Success Principles Never Do!

The major guidelines for achieving authentic success, remain the same ones preached by gurus like Napoleon Hill, decades ago in his groundbreaking book “Think and Grow Rich”. They have not changed.

Most of today’s success gurus built their teachings on such time tested wisdom.

The steps for succeeding outlined below are among familiar recommendations they make – albeit in different words:

1. Set a goal
2. Break it into objectives
3. Take action
4. Persist even when you have setbacks
5. Remember to take care of your health
6. Look for mentors to guide/help you grow

And so on…

The Problem: Some People Take Success Guidelines For Granted

None of the above points is new. Really. Today we have a lot of learning resources written by experts which expand on the above guidelines – in creative ways.

The mistake some people make is in taking these truths for granted.  They fail to think as deeply as they should about (and also diligently apply) them, to achieve the best possible output.

Instead they keep searching for the next shiny object to follow e.g. the next big idea they can quickly grab and run with, before others find out!

And that’s a big mistake.

We Need to Apply Our Uniqueness to Every Idea

Most times the key to our success lies right within us. It only requires bringing our unique abilities and talents to bear on whatever interests us.

No two humans think or act alike. We have different talents and abilities.  And that includes even physically identical twins.

With respect to the success guidelines listed above, experts bring their unique insights to bear. Each gives us his/her perspective of how to apply them in our lives. From Zig Ziglar, to Brian Tracy, Robert Kiyosaki, Burt Dubin and so on. They only differ in terms of how they present the ideas for us to learn/apply.

It’s the same thing with religious teachers or leaders. Each one may offer his/her own take on specific aspects of a religious doctrine for instance. What they offer will often be dictated by insights gained from prayer, meditation and/or studying literature, scripture etc.

Start Making Better Use of Ideas You Already Have!

Some people dilute their efforts by running in multiple directions trying to catch the next big idea for succeeding.

For instance, they jump on every FREE webinar on offer, and keep exploring new initiatives. But they never stay long enough with one to make it work.

Yet quite often what you need to succeed may not be a new idea!

It could instead be a disciplined focus on applying your unique abilities to implement a few good ideas you already have – with consistency, faith and determination – over a period time.

And that’s my message to you in this article:  Stop trying to find so many new ideas.

Take stock of those you already have. Identify viable ways to make the best use of them to achieve the success you desire. This is likely to require using your unique thinking and talents/abilities in a creative way.

It is the key to making your success inevitable – because it will attract people and circumstances you need to achieve your valued goals!

“No one can ‘download you’ (i.e. pick your brain) if you do not want them to. When you TRAIN yourself to be a relentless Ideas Generator™, what you give away won’t matter, because you’ll ALWAYS get better ones. The hard part is making productive use of the ideas. Not everyone has that locked down. And that’s why some people only get MEDIOCRE results, from great ideas!”
– Tayo K. Solagbade
www.spontaneousdevelopment.com
Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

You Can’t Establish Expert Authority with Money

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In some parts of the world, some people get accorded authority status based on unproven wealth they display – and rarely little else. I grew up in a society where it happened (happens!)…a lot. However, authentic expert authority is not achieved by “showing money”. It comes via demonstrating verifiable, value-adding competence. This article provides insights you can use.

What Does It Mean to Be Called an Expert Authority?

An Expert Authority is one who has – by his/her achievements/contributions in a particular field(s) – demonstrated that s/he is a value-adding leader in thought and/or action.

Typically s/he has over a period of time made significant impact on stakeholders in that field. They would formally acknowledge his/her competence, and readily make reference to him/her as a result.

This can be in professional fields, and also in everyday social life.

I’ll start by giving a “non-sensitive” example.

Nelson Mandela is widely recognized as Human Rights icon. His lifetime achievements – including many ideas and thoughts he has expressed – have made the lives of millions better, earning him countless awards.

Mandela is therefore an Authentic Expert Authority on Human Rights.

Anybody Can Show Money – That Will Not Necessarily Confirm Expert Authority Status!

If no means exists to verify them, anyone can make any claims s/he likes – and we would be incapable of checking to determine if it’s the truth or not.

In this regard, developed societies (where personal records dating back to your ancestors can be reliably traced) have an edge over less developed societies.

In such places, people know they can get found out if they make false claims. So they do it less blatantly. But some daring characters still do it :-)

Now, like I said at the start, in certain societies, some “clever” persons cut corners by “buying” authority status. This is typically done by giving monetary and other rewards to “corruptible” key players and stakeholders.

As a result, they get accorded formal attention/recognition despite having limited (sometimes no!) pedigree, and offering little useful value.

Here’s a potentially “sensitive” example…:-)

Imagine a person convicted of looting public funds while in office, a year ago, being given an award on Human Rights in the same country(or indeed elsewhere)?

That’s absurd. But it has happened…many times, in certain societies.

An award confers authority status on the recipient. S/he is assumed by others as being an embodiment of the values and ideals on which the award is based.

One would therefore naturally expect whatever s/he has done (and will do) to be consistent with what the award is about.

A dishonest – and unrepentant – former office holder, conferred with an award meant for persons who protect people’s rights from abuse?
That’s not authentic authority status!
Like I said, money can buy it in some places.

But where things work, that’s rarely possible.

Final Words: To Establish Authentic Expert Authority Status – Prove Yourself Worthy

As an expert in your chosen field, the best way to establish yourself as an authority is to record achievements that make it obvious that YOU ARE!

It does not matter what field you’re in. Start by getting necessary preparation.

Mandela did not need to attend Human Rights school (if anything like that exists). Instead he set a real goal for himself to change the lot of real people.

Then he went out to make it happen. And he put every fiber of his being into doing so.

It took him time, but he eventually made it.

It was however in the course of doing it, that he recorded many achievements, attracting recognition – that eventually won him “Expert Authority” status.

Just as this works in the non-professional field, so it does also for professionals in various areas of endeavors – be it paid employment or business/entrepreneurship.

That includes lawyers, doctors, and experts in all other areas of interest and focus.

To establish authentic authority status amongst your peers, simply record achievements – via your contributions – that show you are indeed worthy.

So, even if you’re in a place where it’s possible to “buy it”, you now know better :-)

My DN Travel News, Self-Development

Graduates Can Use Purposeful Self-Development to Succeed

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Many young people today complete their university education, only to have the shocking realities of – a seemingly hostile – real world tell them they’re inadequately prepared to succeed in it.

When I graduated in 1992, I went on to observe my service year in Gulu-Vatsa village (remote, off-grid village…at the time) in Nigeria’s Niger State. While there, I taught students in schools, and worked weekends on farms with other teachers and natives. That was, after all, the essence of the service year: to unify us:-)

Post Graduation Job Search Blues

But my undergraduate and service year experiences  prepared me very little, for the real world I was to enter afterwards.

To be honest, I only began to have an idea of what I could do with my university degree when I got back to Lagos, a year later!

I quickly learned how to take intimidating job aptitude tests. Then I clung desperately to what was left of my battered self-esteem, when interviewers talked down to me, literally tearing my qualifications apart – making me feel almost worthless!

Now, this was not entirely their fault. One could ask: what was a graduate of Agricultural Extension Services doing applying for a job as a Marketing Officer for an Insurance company for instance?

If you are a Nigerian (or have lived there a while), you may be able to relate to what I am saying.

That’s why one finds degree holders taking up jobs that often do not require them to apply the specialized university education they received!

Many graduates (it would appear) are not particularly excited about practicing in the fields they studied for 4 – 5 years. In many cases they’re just glad to find any job with an employer that will have them.

Lack of Purpose: Graduates Accepted Courses They Lacked Passion For – Just To Get Admitted!

One main reason is that many of them settled for their courses of study after trying to get the ones they wanted and failing. Others do love their courses of study, but income derivable from practising it locally makes it unappealing.

Therein lies the problem. Young people tend to start off their lives being denied the opportunity (by adults and/or circumstances) to decide what they want to do.

When they are able to decide what they want, the enabling environment is rarely provided for them to successfully pursue their goals. They often find that they just have to take what is available!

As a result, many graduates lack sense of purpose. They keep asking “government” to create “jobs” for them. And they make this request even when they see graduates ahead of them still waiting “in line” for jobs that fail to show up!

A Proposed Solution: What Graduates Can Do To Help Themselves

I have passed through the same predicament myself as a university graduate.  I know how confusing it can be to discover nobody wants you, after you ’ve studied hard and gotten good qualifications!

The sad truth is that TODAY, fewer jobs await each batch of graduates that leave the university.

So, what is the alternative?

The truth is each graduate must come into the real world better prepared with real world relevant competence.

Note that by “real world” I do NOT necessarily mean the “labour market”. The latter, in today’s world, has fewer “buyers” in it. And most of them are more frugal than before – hiring fewer people, who tend to get paid less, while being asked to do more.

The real world I refer to is the larger socioeconomic environment.

Today’s graduate must enter it, with the added ability to earn a living outside of paid employment – should the need to do so arise.

To achieve this, she must adopt and begin to diligently practice Self-Development.

That will involve deliberately acquiring practical knowledge and skills – through careful reflection on future goals, and anticipated challenges.

For instance, developing entrepreneurial skills and interests would serve her well, if she chooses not to get a job after graduation.

Some successful entrepreneurs started their careers by operating micro or small enterprises on campus.

And if such a well rounded graduate does decide to go after the security of paid employment, she’s more likely to get the position ahead of other applicants.

Why?

Because recruiters will tend to find her resume more compelling, and her mental attitude/disposition of greater appeal.

In reality, results focused employers prefer employees with entrepreneurial mind sets!

Final Words

To summarize, today’s graduate can make a more successful entry into the real world using the strategy described in this article.

Simply develop a practical and purposeful Self-Development habit – and nurture it diligently.

Then use it to acquire knowledge and skills to boost your chances of getting hired; and at the same time, equip yourself with entrepreneurial know-how to create income generating opportunities, in case you’re not.

Goodluck

NB: This article is based on excerpts from my 113 page print manual Self-Development Bible. You can download the FREE PDF version by subscribing to my newsletter mailing list using the form below.

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

Fast-Food Energy: Self-Repairing “Artificial Leaf” Cheaply Generates Electricity from Dirty Water (New Discovery)

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A research team has developed a “self-repairing artificial leaf” that produces electricity from dirty water. This is a milestone achievement, in the drive for sustainable energy. Forward thinking governments of developing countries may find it useful to explore adopting this new technology.

This is a major advancement in efforts to develop alternative – and sustainable – energy sources. It has been featured in the “ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research”. The research was funded by USA’s National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Department of Energy.

Artificial Leaves Generate Electricity - 27 Science Fictions That Became Science Facts in 2012

How It Works

This artificial leaf works by mimicking the process of photosynthesis carried out in nature by green plants – which convert water and sunlight into energy and oxygen.

However it does not use the same complex chemical process. It is just a thin slab of silicon (referred to as a “sunlight collector”), coated with catalyst films on either side. The two films generate oxygen and hydrogen gas (on opposite sides).

When placed in water, under sunlight, the catalysts in the device break the water into its hydrogen and oxygen components. As the gases bubble to the surface, they can be easily collected for use as fuel to produce electricity in fuel cells. This is the simple principle on which this innovative device works.

The Relatively inexpensive compounds used to make the catalysts on both sides of the leaf (nickel-molybdenum-zinc generating hydrogen on one side, and cobalt film generating oxygen on the other) are said to be abundant in nature.

That eliminates the potential problem of replenishment as the devise needs to be mass produced.

Potential Applications – Individual homes in Off-Grid Locations

The research team leader is Daniel G. Nocera, Ph.D. (Harvard University’s Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy). He has suggested that individual homes lacking access to power grids/generating plants would benefit from using this inexpensive alternative.

With less than a quart of drinking water, he explained that the artificial leaf would provide about 100 watts of electricity for an entire day.

The improved version of the leaf was reported in New Orleans on Apr. 8, 2013 (during the “Kavli Foundation Innovations in Chemistry Lecture” at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society).

It has been re-designed to utilise dirty or impure, bacteria-contaminated water readily found in nature. The scientists found a way to make the leaf self-healing. Basically, the catalysts now fall apart in a manner that prevents bacteria’s access to smooth surface they need to establish their bio film. “Then the catalyst can heal and re-assemble” said Nocera.

In earlier versions of the leaf, this had not been possible. As a result electricity production got shut down as the bacteria eventually formed their bio film across the smooth surface of the leaf.

This new self-healing property represents a major advancement – especially for the needs of developing societies. There, access to clean and pure water remains an even greater challenge.

Personalized, Fast-Food Energy: A Cheap Energy Generator, Adapted to Tough Local Conditions

Millions of people around the world still lack access to basic power supply via their country’s power grid.

They will benefit from a portable, inexpensive solution like this self-repairing artificial leaf energy generating device.

Nocera stated that “It’s kind of like providing ‘fast-food energy,'” and he pointed out that his team plans to produce lots of inexpensive units that will trade a bit of efficiency for functionality. They will be aimed at getting the job done.

He used the analogy of the transition from “huge mainframe computers to a personal laptop” noting that “This is personalized energy.”

The artificial leaf offers superior benefits to existing alternative energy solutions.

For instance, solar panels are expensive, and can only generate energy when the sun is out. In contrast, the leaf’s hydrogen and oxygen can be stored and used at night.

As Nocera points out, many complicated and expensive alternative energy devices are being developed.

But that is making it difficult for them to get widely adopted on a large scale. A less expensive and simple system that works like the artificial leaf, therefore stands a much better chance of getting widespread usage.

He revealed that the team has plans to further integrate the device, with technologies used to convert hydrogen into liquid fuel, for running portable electric generators or indeed cars.

Final Words: Developing Countries Stand to Beneift The Most

Leaders of developing nations – especially those in Africa, should seriously consider cutting back on money they keep sinking into space projects, and similar “abstract” pursuits.

They would be better off exploring ways to collaborate with Nocera and his team, to get the research solutions working for their rural populations.

Doing so will translate to an immediate improvement in the quality of life enjoyed by their people!

FURTHER READING

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120509123900.htm

 

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

Young People Must Be Taught To Be Original!

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Less than 24 hours ago, I saw one of my most widely read and referenced farm business ideas articles (titled “Producing Good Catfish is Important, But Finding Good Buyers is Imperative!”) subjected to a more malicious level of abuse than I’ve ever seen. Naughty people periodically use other writers’ works without giving credit. When found out, many quickly make amends.I’ve experienced this with some of my articles. But yesterday’s was a new experience!

Before I tell you what happened, let me provide some background.

I’ve Been Writing on Farm Business for Over a Decade

Yesterday 3rd July 2013, was my brother’s birthday. At about 10.38 a.m I arrived in a client’s office in Cotonou, for a Web Marketing Systems development project review meeting.

But just before we started, I pleaded his indulgence to let me call my brother in Abuja, Nigeria, to wish him happy birthday.

We had not spoken since I left Nigeria 3 months before. By the time I was done, I’d learned my new report titled “10 Fruits You Eat, That Leave Useful Peels/Skins Behind” (featuring ideas on using pineapple peels to produce fermented and non-fermented drinks), emailed to him a month ago never arrived.

So I promised to re-send it.

You see, writing on Cost-Saving Farm Business ideas and providing best practice support to farm business owners has been my passion since 2003. And it’s earned me considerable name recognition and credibility. Indeed today, I enjoy the serious attention of farm business owners, and others aspiring, as subscribers to my newsletter, website visitors, and buyers.

Developing Solutions Of Different Kinds to Help Farmers

The challenge many farmers face in finding buyers for their market ready farm products –especially livestock and perishables – has always intrigued me.

For years while in Nigeria, I actively interacted with many farm owners to get an idea of unique challenges they faced, and solutions that could be evolved.

My Feed Formulation Handbook was meant to help farmers acquire the know-how to compound their own rations for their animals. This was in light of the compromised integrity of commercial livestock feed that some found themselves buying.

I got feedback from buyers who expressed the desire avoid manually doing the Pearson square computation for feed formulation.

So I developed an MS Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator software. Both have become quite popular.

The Menace of Content Thieves and Intellectual Property Abusers

In 2009, I wrote the above mentioned article, that attracted serious attention and interest locally and internationally. Various blogs, and websites linked to, or referenced that article via Ezinearticles.com where I published it.

Many such articles have generated pre-qualified sales leads for me. A good number result(ed) in sales of my products, and services (e.g. consultancy).

But as is common with intellectual works, I have found people using my works picked up from Ezinarticles.com without abiding by the terms.

Content publishers know Ezinearticles.com requires that they retain an author’s byine in any article they choose to republish on their website or newsletter.

That’s where we authors post short “marketing” blurbs containing one or two links leading to relevant pages on our websites. It is the small payoff authors gets for sharing their expert knowledge at no charge.

This is meant to be a symbiotic relationship. Sadly, some people – and I’ve seen this a lot in the farm business “category” – prefer to take without giving.

I’ve periodically found my articles reproduced verbatim from Ezinearticles.com, with ONLY my name retained. My entire byline is removed, including any links I added back to my website.

These people feel my work is good enough to be used on their website, and/or social media pages. But they refuse to let me get what is due to me, preferring instead to use my work to generate benefits for themselves alone.

It’s nothing new. Other authors/writers have similar experiences. We do what we can. Sometimes I’ve succeeded in getting abusers to make changes or simply take my work off their websites. Recently, I simply decided to ignore them.

Discovering a More Malicious Form of Intellectual Property Abuse

However yesterday, I encountered a more malicious dimension of abuse.

To generate sales leads based on my expertise on the subject, I had inserted (in line with a Burt Dubin tip) my mobile phone number in the last paragraph of the article.

That simple gimmick led to many people calling to consult me on how to apply the ideas in the article. Then at a point, those phone enquiries fizzled out. They just stopped coming. I didn’t know what to think.

Eventually I put it down to the reduced search engine visibility of article directories, following Google’s repeated algorithm changes.

Then yesterday afternoon, I saw that article reproduced verbatim on a blog run by a young Nigerian chap. As usual, my name was on it, but my byline was not.

However I got really ticked off when I saw that he’d replaced my phone number with his. Exactly where it appeared in the last paragraph of my article!

Less alert readers would naturally assume that that was my number!

Not believing my eyes, I called the number. Sure enough I found myself speaking to a young guy, who identified himself as the website owner.

I casually enquired about the service he was offering, and he readily asked “Do you need help with marketing your farm produce?”(he did not know it was me i.e. author of the article he’d used).

In other words, just what I aimed to do, he was now doing using my write-up – effectively denying me any benefit from my intellectual creation!

Young People Must Be Taught To Treat Intellectual Property With Respect It Deserves

All over the world we have people who steal content and abuse copyright privileges. But only in Nigeria have I consistently found people doing it so callously, with absolute disregard for the damage they do.

I say this without apology. It’s an indisputable FACT.

They abuse a system that encourages competent experts to offer such valuable works in the Internet space at no cost. Failing to see that their actions threaten the continued willingness of such people to share what they know!

This is why today, I write much fewer farm business articles for article marketing online.

Instead, I offer information products for sale to my subscribers and interested website visitors.

My probing questions soon unsettled my young friend. He said:

“There’s too much noise here. Let me call you back later.”

That was 4p.m yesterday. It’s already 10a.m today. And I know I will not be hearing from him.

However I do intend to get him to do the right thing.

If he does not, I WILL put up links to his website here on my blog, along with his name and phone number. Then I’ll inform his website host and Ezinearticles.com via a formal complaint email.

Next, each week that the abused version of my work remains on his website, I will post about it on my Facebook and Twitter profiles, and share widely.

Keeping Quiet Only Emboldens These Cheats and Other Dishonest Individuals

Saying nothing emboldens people who do these things. I refuse to be a silent victim. Anyone who abuses my work in that manner will have me to deal with, if I find out..

Our young people must be taught to develop serious respect for intellectual property.

Many learnt not to do so, from what they saw some irresponsible adults do.

The onus is on us to help them realize that they have within them the capacity, and capability, to produce original ideas and writing.

That will make them discover it’s a more dignifying and fulfilling approach.

Career Development, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

A Manager Who TRULY LEADS, Succeeds More

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This article is not for anyone hoping to quietly work for a regular salary, without making a fuss, till they leave. I’ve written it for people looking to make a noticeable impact, and be positively relevant – anywhere they work.

If that describes you, then you’ll hopefully also realize you need to demonstrate the capability to influence others to succeed. This write-up offers ideas you can use.

It Will Not Matter What Level You Start From

I once read that General Collin Powell (former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US government) started out as a floor mopper.

His is just one of many real life examples. It means you can get to any position you want in an organisation, no matter where you start from…IF you do what it takes.

Even if you are just a Graduate Management Trainee, you already have within you, the capacity to occupy the highest position available. Just be prepared to do the work.

Understand That a Manager Will Not Necessarily Be a True Leader

People sometimes fail to realize these two roles are not the same. Many managers do not act as true leaders for those they are in charge of.

They can, but not many do.

And that can have a direct impact on how far that team, or the organization they preside over, goes towards its goal.

To me, a manager is primarily concerned with overseeing a pre-existing state of affairs. Most of the work about how things should happen would already have been done. Hers would primarily be to keep things going the way they have been designed to run.

S/he will typically ensure conformance or adherence by all who report to him/her. Every now and then s/he will apply initiative in dealing with unforeseen developments.

In contrast, a true leader in an organisation will be a manager, who goes a step further to actively influence change, and develop new initiatives to achieve the company’s goals.

Typically, s/he would display a tendency to identify weaknesses in the existing system, and propose viable practical solutions or alternatives. And s/he will often actively lead the process of exploring the implementation of such ideas – even if initiated by others.

Where a true leader is present in an organisation, stagnation will be very rarely found!

2 Important Facts About True Leaders In Organizations

It is my considered opinion (based on my experiences, and studies, on this subject) that:

(1). Firstly, true leaders are rarely appointed as, or made into, leaders. It’s not a formal role. Instead they become leaders – by using exposure and experiences provided in the organization, to develop that ability. It’s often a self-driven process.

Smart decision makers will regularly identify such persons, and put them in roles where they can be more useful to the company.

(2). Secondly, true leaders can show up at any level in the company. And I mean any level.

Wise decision makers will let these 2 facts guide their search. Otherwise valuable employee talent will be allowed to go to waste, because they fail to look well enough to discover it!

As an employee, use the above insights to guide your development of true leadership ability.

Organizations Are Looking for Leaders Who Understand Management

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the art of management says is possible” – General Collin Powell

Think about any successful organization you know. They are often headed and run by people who demonstrate a high aptitude not just for management, but for leadership.

Companies prefer putting such people at the helm, because they want to reach their ultimate goals. True leaders are better equipped to see the big picture, visualize, and then act!

Collin Powell’s Rules for Picking People (an 18 Lesson Primer that I originally came across as a Power Point presentation) can help you. It contains short but insightful descriptions of attributes you need to be a good leader.

Google “Collin Powell’s Rules for Picking People”, then download and read it.

To get you started, here’s an excerpt of Lesson 13, in which Powell gives advice to persons looking to recruit (and it also applies to decision makers who decide promotion):

“Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done.

Do You Already Have The Above Leadership Attributes In Ample Quantities?

If no, you may want to get started doing something to develop them.

When I read General Powell’s presentation as a 27 year old brewer/manager in Guinness Nigeria (Benin Brewery), back in early 1997, that’s exactly what I did.

And by the first quarter of the next year (1998), I found myself getting nominated to play different roles at levels of management well above my position at the time.

And some – including an eventual promotion, followed by secondments to even more senior positions – came in record time. Less than 6 years (My first 18 months from October 1994, were as Graduate Trainee). Most people took much longer to get that far.

The only thing that made a difference in my case was that I had a plan – based on something I learned by reading, and which I went on to diligently apply till I succeeded.

If you adopt a similar strategy, you’re bound to succeed more.