Self-Devpt. Nuggets™

It was on Sunday 6th July 1997 (my 27th birthday) that this photo was taken, with Nkechi (my wife), using my Olympus Stylus Camera’s timer. She was 22 at the time. It was our VERY first photo together. And it’s the one I LOVE the most! Tomorrow (Sunday 22nd June 2014) she turns 39. I arrived in Lagos today, about 5 hours ago to spend the weekend, and her day, with her.

We’ve now been together for 15 years!

Our first child was born in 1999. Then I was still in paid employment. After I chose to quit my job in 2002 (2 years after we got married), it became more of a roller coaster ride…

Since then, we’ve been through thick and thin together. And the strains stretched us to our limits. But we stayed strong (with support from loved ones) and NOW, with our kids, we’re one strong family building an exciting future.

Looking back now, it’s clear I chose “RIGHT”. 15 years are more than enough proof of it!

Just as in marriage, it’s important that you choose “RIGHT” in your life’s work or vocation…

In my case I scored a double in this regard.

That is, in addition to choosing the right partner to LIVE with, I also chose the right vocation.

And just like it’s was not easy getting this far in my marriage, it was not easy finding my feet in my chosen vocation.

Over 80% of what I do to earn a living today requires that I do a lot of creative thinking (e.g building custom Excel Software, Web Marketing) and writing ( web copywriting, freelance writing etc) for clients in different industries – BUT with special focus on Farm Business Owners.

And I did not settle on my line of work by accident.

Instead, it came from a careful review of my life’s experiences and achievements, dating way back to my time in the university.

After graduating with a degree in Agricultural Extension, I got an offer, as Best Graduating Student, to return and pursue a graduate assistantship in Unibadan, where I’d finished from. However, at about the same time I got an offer from a wine manufacturing company, to work as a trainee sales coordinator.

It was a start-up company. But what really got my attention was the fact that they’d taken the pains to retain a consulting firm to screen candidates through a gruelling selection process that culminated in a selection board final stage.

The 3 of us who made it through were taken to meet the MD/CEO, who turned out to be a retired brewer from one of the country’s large multinationals. We were told how his company used very (mostly over) ripe pawpaw fruits to make fermented table wines of different kinds, sold across the country.

I was immediately excited about being a part of that process.

And so I had no difficulty choosing not to submit my application for graduate assistant program to Unibadan (University of Ibadan).

Over a period of 6 months, despite having to go out on trade visits with the Ghanaian Sales Manager for the company, I found time to hook up with my fellow recruits who were based in the lab, and they took me through the entire brewing, fermentation and filtration process employed in making the wines.

It was so exciting for me.

A lot of what I learnt in 1994, in that wine making company, would in 2013 influence me to develop a process for using pineapple peels to produce drinks, after I moved to Benin Republic.

What I was not to know that by going the extra mile the way I did, I was actually preparing myself for the opportunity of working in a bigger brewing company.

During my 5th month working in the small wine company, I found myself in the final stages of the recruitment process being conducted by Guinness Nigeria, for new Graduate Management Trainees.

They also chose to have a selection board debate preceding the final selection interviews. I was elated. My previous experience had prepared me well. What was more, since I was applying for entry into the technical (brewing) function, I knew my time in the wine company would likely be taken to imply I would learn fast.

A few weeks later, I got a formal letter, from Guinness, offering me employment.

Thankfully the MD of the wine company had always been like a father. I went to him and showed him the letter, along with my resignation. There was little time left in the offer window. I could not do otherwise. I was not surprised that he expressed happiness for me, and wished me well – even giving me tips about how to excel in the brewing world. We stayed in touch for years.

I joined Guinness and enjoyed an exciting 7 years of rapid career advancement.

Again, this was driven by the fact that I brought my passion with me. The work to be done interested me deeply. But at the same time, I had acquired an additional competence while working in the wine company.

Something told me to take part of my salary and register for introductory computer lessons at Lagos City Computer College. MS-DOS, WordPerfect, DBase, and Lotus 1-2-3 were topics covered, at a very basic level.

However, the interest I had made me spend my spare time exploring each subject as much as I could, using other people’s PCs at any opportunity I had.

I had no PC of my own. This was back in early 1994. Indeed I NEVER owned a PC of my own until 2004 – 2 full years after I became an entrepreneur. Before then I’d used computers in Guinness to develop custom spreadsheet software that automated brewers’ data recording and report generation.

As an entrepreneur, I got clients to provide me a PC with power supply and internet connection where applicable. All of that I negotiated into my terms of work with the client. And they always agreed.

What I’m trying to say in essence is that choosing the “RIGHT” kind of work to do, made it easy for me to excel…

And this has been the case at every stage of my life. I’ve always gone with my gut instinct i.e. how I feel about something.

I never let what others thought influence my decision.

It’s so important to get this right if you do NOT want to go through life making other people’s mistakes.

Listening too much to people about what you should choose can be dangerous. Most people do not know how to put themselves in other people’s shoes.

They are also generally very poor judges of character. In choosing a vocation, if they feel they will not enjoy doing something, they readily conclude others will not either.

In choosing a life partner, if they feel they cannot get along with a particular kind of person, they conclude others will not either.

Here’s my suggestion: Remind yourself at all times that YOU will be the one who has to live with the choices you make about your work or your life partner.

And that FACT should make you realise the need to TAKE YOUR OWN decision, regardless of what others think or say.

Nothing stops you from considering what you are told.

But always let your heart and good sense do the final decision making for you.

And of course, never fail to let the creator guide you as well.

Indeed once you let your heart speak to you, and if you keep an open mind, you’ll find that the creator NEVER stops talking to you…offering the WISE guidance you seek!

The problem is most of us fail to pay enough attention to realise it.

Everything I’ve said here is based on decades of hard won experience, dear reader!

Final Words: Tomorrow, I’ll be taking a special anniversary photo with my wife, to commemorate her 39th birthday anniversary.

And I’ll put up that photo, next to THIS one on this blog (and Facebook), then print out a special framed copy for our home.

For now, I invite you to rejoice with us :-))