To My Teachers

I think I was in the second or third grade. My class was learning a new poem (The Snare). Suddenly, the Head Mistress appeared standing by the door. She observed the class as we continued with the recitals. She then called my name and asked me to recite the whole poem. I was more than jolted. The look on her face said “I believe you can do it.” I was encouraged. I did it. That simple instance has inspired confidence in me over and over again throughout my life.

She had presided over many lives in their formative years. Now I know what she was trying to instil in our unpredictable lives so many years ago.

I thank God for teachers.

I am deeply grateful to all my teachers.

Blue sky behind every cloud

HOW TO PREPARE FOR JOB HUNTING

Always Stand Tall

Know What You Want

You should be perfectly clear of what you want. Don't give yourself vague objectives such as "any job that pays." Make your objectives and goals very definite and specific. Your first step to getting a successful job is, knowing precisely what you want. Ask yourself this question and write down the answer on a sheet of paper.


Expect the Best But Prepare For Adversity

Always expect success, but prepare for the bad things in life. Adversity happens to the best of us. Our challenge is to conquer adversity. Adversity is a great teacher; learn its lessons well. Remember, if you haven't been through bad times, you are far from success.

Be Positive

When you create a "win,win, win" attitude, you will start to win. When you start to think positively, everything around you will be positive. Whatever you expect to take place will take place. If you want things to be good, they will be good. You are the master of your destiny. Destiny DOES NOT rule you.

Be Confident

You must have confidence in yourself. If you are not confident in yourself, people will not be confident in you. People admire and respect confident people. You will even admire and respect yourself more. If you have doubts about yourself, other people will have doubts about you, also.

Action Is the Key

Do what you know you must to do to get where you want to. Commit yourself to action. Don't put off your plans, start today. The only way you will achieve success is if you act now. You must act now with full force if you want to achieve your dreams. Plan to act out your ideas today.

Visualize Your New Job

Look ahead and visualize the job you want. Tell yourself how much you want the job and what you are willing to do for it. Your dreams will become your reality if you let them. Know what your dreams are. Visualize success in your mind so well that it is almost real.

Be Persistent

Be persistent to do better. Anything worth doing is worth doing again and again and again. Don't let rejection stop you from reaching your goals. Keep trying and you will succeed. Nobody makes it the first time. Try over and over again and don't stop until you get what you want. There is no going back.

It's Going To Cost You

Nobody gets a free ride. If you want something, you must pay for it. It is going to be hard to get what you want, but it will be well worth it when you are successful. The best things in life are the hard things.

Other People Can Help You

People will help you to get where you want to go. You will never make it alone easily. People can teach you and help you become a better person. Listen to other people--you will learn from them. If someone helps you, don't forget to reward him.

Demand a Lot

When you demand a lot, you get a lot. Your expectations of others and yourself will become a reality if you expect them to be real. What you expect to happen, will happen. If you push yourself hard, you will start to see results. What you demand you will receive.

Lions In Wolf Country

Peace is Being in Charge of Your Mind.

Over the mountains, many miles from the nearest road there is a village know for its sheep breeding expertise. Over the years its inhabitants have grown wealthy in the mutton business. Now and then shepherds from distant villages arrive to secure employment. Traders travelling through have brought news of lions being sighted in the surrounding villages. But the inhabitants of Yele have never seen a lion before. They only had to deal with the occasional wolf problem.


On his first day, a shepherd is warned about the wolf problem and instructed to shout. Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! At this signal the lookout will light the beacon and the villagers will come to the rescue.

On one occasion the shepherd sported a lion roaming the hills. He cried: lion!!! ...lion!!! ...lion!!! Unfortunately, the look did not light the beacon and no one came to his rescue. On the second occasion the lion came and snatch one of his sheep. He cried out again but no one came. The next day he reported the incident to his employer.

“My son,” said his employer, “our fathers have tended sheep on these mountains for centuries and up to this day we haven’t seen a lion in these parts.” “What convinced you that all of a sudden they have decided to show their faces after all these years?” “This is my advice: stop listening to those good for nothing traders. All they are interested in is extortion and they will use fear to get it. Mark my words.”

That day our friend learned his lesson.

He went back to work. As the sun was going down behind the hills he sported a two lions approaching him from the direction of the setting sun. This time he cried Wolf, Wolf! Wolf!

The lookout hard the cry and warned the village. The young men came with excitement to confront the beast that was threatening their livelihood. This time they looked different. They chased them anyway; with noise and wild gestures.

The chief called to the shepherd to have a word. “Those are not wolves.” He said seriously. “They are lions and much more dangerous.” “The threat is not only to our flock and livelihood, but even to our young ones.” The shepherd replied: “it happened so fast, I thought they were wolves.

That evening our friend scratched these lessons on the back of a tree.

1. People will believe what they want to believe. Don’t fight it.

2. Don’t cry, “Lion”, in a wolf country.

QUESTIONS 4 TODAY

QUESTIONS 4 TODAY

The questions you ask yourself today play a vital role in the shaping of your future. A thoughtful question discourages fuzzy thinking. It focuses the will and directs your mental resources on the issues of life; how they affect your personal development. The practice of self dialogue in the form of question and answer increases your understanding of the self:

• Why you act in a particle way in a given situation?
• Why you adopted the belief systems you now have?
• Your attitude to change and personal development?

Self discovery is the key to personal development.

You are as good as the questions you ask.

QUESTIONS

Am I maximising my potential?
Knowing what I now know would I be doing this...?
What are my limiting beliefs and assumptions?
Are my values clearly defined?
What are my life's goals?

Am I maximising my potential?

How long would you allow your kid to spend in 1st Grade? What if s/he loves it and asks for two more years – in 1st Grade? I am sure you will look him/her straight in the eye and say: Son, or Daughter, you have to move on to the next grade. I may be wrong. However, in adult life, with the absence of external pressure to move forward, you tend to stay in first grade for a couple more years.

Your 1st grade is any situation you are in that is no longer contributing to your growth or advancement: An unhealthy relationship; an unfulfilling job; not wanting to leave port for the open sea; being too comfortable within your comfort zone.

Asking yourself, “Am I maximising my potential?” forces you to listen to the genuine cry of your heart. The heart will never be comfortable with less than what the self can achieve. Trying to quiet the cry of the heart, with drugs, alcohol or unhealthy habits, is impossible.

A tree grows as high as it can. The river flows as fast as it can. With human beings, on the other hand, the story is different.

Do not be satisfied with your current circumstance when there is room for growth. Cultivate an attitude of continuous personal development.

Learn all you can. Can all you learn and then use the can.

Knowing what I now know should I be doing this...?

Do you feel stuck in a situation you landed in because you made a poor decision in the past? – The wrong job, career path, business, or relationship? Knowing what you now know what is keeping you from choosing the right path?

Many a man has been crippled by the fear of uncertainty.

Uncertainties are the bricks by which you build your life. Until you take hold of uncertainties, laying them down as you would use bricks in building your house you will have no idea where your life is going.

You must handle uncertainties with courage. The fear of uncertainty will waste your life.

Life will be boring without uncertainty. Uncertainty itself is exciting. This is why you read novels; watch TV Series; and getup in the morning not knowing what’s in store for you.

In answering the above question you must deal with the fear of uncertainty. Do not let this fear cripple you. Every time you allow yourself to be defeated you strengthen its grip on you. Every time you retreat you lose ground. And the harder it becomes to win the fight.

Answer this question honestly. Proceed courageously. Know that others have gone before you. You will draw strength from their stories.

What are my limiting beliefs and assumptions?

Your belief system and assumptions have been shaped by a mixture of your environment, parent, education, religion, experiences and personal choices. Your beliefs and assumptions are your map. The map is not the territory. Your beliefs and assumptions are not the reality. Your must question their usefulness in your life from time to time.

Limiting beliefs
Any belief that undermines your abilities and curtails your drive for personal growth and advancement is a limiting belief. You must examine all your belief systems to be able to identify those that are limiting you. Get into the habit of questioning your belief systems. If your hear yourself saying, “I am too old to learn.” Ask yourself the following questions:

How old is too old?
What is wrong with learning in my old age?

Punching holes on your limiting belief systems will deflate them. Soon they will have no sway over your decisions and actions.

Assumptions
Assumptions are beliefs or feelings that something is true or that something will happen although there is no proof.
Our subconscious mind operates on our assumptions. If you assume the dog is going to be hostile to you, your subconscious mind prepares your body for a hostile encounter with the dog. The dog sensing your hostility acts hostile toward you thus reinforcing you assumption. If you assume the dog to be friendly, you subconscious mind prepares you for a friendly encounter. The dog in turn acts friendly toward you.

Recall a time you were meeting someone for the first time. What were your assumptions about the encounter? How did it turn out?

Like limiting beliefs, you must wrestle with your assumptions by asking direct questions.

Why am I assuming that the meeting is going to be antagonistic?
Do I have the facts to back this assumption?

If you cannot state the facts, know that it is a limiting assumption. You will get more from the meeting if you prepare to deal with participant in a courteous and friendly manner.

Challenge your limiting beliefs and assumptions as often as the need arise. This practice will put you in control of your life and actions. You will experience a sense of freedom and a sense of being in charge.

Take the following belief:

“Opportunity comes but once.”

This belief system assumes that opportunity will come to you. If this is part of your belief system your action will be that of waiting for the right moment and jumping at opportunity when it presents itself.

Contrast to the above, examine the following:

“You create your own opportunity.”

This belief system empowers you to be proactive. You make things happen. You live life with a how-can-I-make-it-happen attitude.

Beliefs and assumptions shape your life in a subtle but powerful way. Before the 1400s everyone believed and assume the world to be flat. As a result sailor had a fear of falling over the edge of the world. This fear limited them from venturing out into uncharted territories. The rest is history. Make no mistake your belief systems shapes your life.

Question the beliefs and assumptions that have shaped your life since childhood. You will have to think deeply on this one.

Are my values clearly defined?

Values are your beliefs about what is right and wrong and what is important in life. Values help you create a picture of you ideal self, and point you in that direction. Values are your moral compass. When your goals are aligned with your values your life will be in harmony. You will experience peace and calmness in making life-changing decisions. Operating from this harmonious state gives your power. You are said to be in a resourceful state.

Defining your values clarifies them. You understand them and are able to apply them in your daily decision making.

Pursuing a goal that disagrees with your value system produces discord. Discord squanders your resourceful state. Every time you violate your value system you experience internal conflict and stress.

Refusing to define your values will not prevent you from violating them and suffering the consequences. The only difference is that you will be suffering without knowing the cause.

Don’t be deceived by the inconspicuous nature of the toll rendered on the body when you violate your values. Stress that results from internal conflict put enormous pressure on the nervous system, causes chemical imbalance, depresses the immune system and adversely affects your emotional health. These secondary events cause further damages to your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self. Many addictions and other risky behaviours have their first cause in the chain of event when one violates one’s value system.

Defining your values will increase the overall quality of your life.

What are my goals?

With well defined values, it becomes easier to set goals for your personal development. At every moment in your life you must be doing something that contributes to the achievement of your goals. (When you eat, sleep, day dream, etc. you are contributing to the achievement of your goal)

Goals can be broken down into long-term, short-term, monthly, weekly, daily etc. Choose a system that works for you. One in which the larger goal is made up of a series of smaller goals.

Break every goal into series of small steps. Steps that you can clearly define and act upon in the time frame you give yourself.

If you want to start your own business, that is the big picture. Break it down to five distinct sub-goals. Then break the individual goals into their manageable smaller goals with their individual time-to-completion. There are no limits to the number of times you can sub-divide your main goals.

Your goals in themselves are dead. Working on the manageable sub-goals is what creates excitement and momentum, giving you the energy to persevere till you realise your main goal.

You have latent mental resources that are just under the surface. The process of goal-setting will bring these resources to your aid.

No one knows what your capabilities are, not even you. Stop limiting yourself and start exercising your abilities in creating your future.


These questions are for today. Today is all you have.


Copyright © 2009 K.K. Agbermodji All Rights Reserved

Tips For Small Business

Tips For Small Businesses

Are you a sole-proprietor? Are you in a partnership, or a business manager? Whatever form of small business you are managing you must know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in your business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management must be handled like food ration on a lost ship.

Develop good cash-flow management habit
Some of the things you can and must do include protecting yourself from expenditures made on sudden impulse. We've all bought merchandise or service we really didn't need simply because we were in the mood, or perhaps in response to the flamboyancy of the advertising or the persuasiveness of the salesperson. Then we sort of "wake up" a couple of days later and find that we've committed hundreds of thousands of business funds for an item or service that's not essential to the success of our own business, when really pressing items had been waiting for those funds.

If you are incorporated, you can eliminate these impulse purchases by including in your by-laws a clause that states: "All purchasing decisions over (a certain amount) are contingent upon approval by the board of directors." This will force you to consider any impulse purchases of considerable cost, and may even be a reminder in the case of smaller purchases.

If your business is a partnership, you can state, when faced with a buying decision, that all purchases are contingent upon the approval of a third party. In reality, the third party can be your partner, one of your department heads or your Accountant.

If your business is a sole proprietorship, you don't have much to worry about. However, give yourself three days to think about the purchase. If after thinking you decide you don’t really need it or can’t afford it, move on and don’t sweat it.

While you may think you cannot afford it, be sure that you don't short-change yourself on professional services. This would apply especially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commit yourself and move ahead without completely investigating all the angles, and preparing yourself for all the contingencies that may arise, you're cutting too close. Regardless of the costs involved, it always pays off in the long run to seek out the advice of experienced professionals before embarking on a plan that could ruin you.

When sales are down, you must be firm when saying no to people trying to sell you luxuries for your business. When business is booming, you undoubtedly will allow sales people to show you new models of equipment or a new line of supplies; but when your business is down, skip the entertaining frills and concentrate on the basics. Great care must be taken however, to maintain courtesy and allow these sellers to consider you a friend and call back at another time.


Benefit from other peoples experiences
Your company's books should reflect your way of thinking, and whoever maintains them should generate information according to your policies. Hire an outside accountant or accounting firm to figure your return on your investment, as well as the turnover on your accounts receivable and inventory. Such an audit or survey should focus in depth on any or every item within the financial statement that merits special attention. In this way, you'll probably uncover any potential financial problems before they become readily apparent, and certainly before they could get out of hand.

Many small companies set up advisory boards of outside professional people. These are sometimes known as Power Circles, and once in place, the business always benefits, especially in times of short operating capital. Such an advisory board or power circle should include an attorney, a certified public accountant, owners or managers of businesses similar to yours, and retired executives. Setting up such an advisory board of directors is really quite easy, because most people you ask will be honoured to serve. Once your board is set up, you should meet once a month and present material for review. Each meeting will be a discussion of your business problems and an input from your advisors relative to possible solutions. These members of your board of advisors will offer you advice as well as alternatives, and provide you with objectivity. No formal decisions need to be made either at your board meeting, or as a result of them, but you will be able to gain a great deal from the suggestions you hear.


Help the cash-flow inwards
Most of your customers have the money to pay at least some of what they owe you immediately. To keep them current, and the number of accounts receivable in your files to a minimum, you must call them on the phone, genuinely, enquire how business is going for them and tell them you are about to send them their invoice you just want to know if that would be “O.K.” Most people will respond positively to your considerate gesture. Ask for an explanation why they are falling to honour their contractual obligation. If you develop such a habit as part of your operating procedure, you'll find your invoices will magically be drawn to the front of their piles of bills to pay. Always maintain a courteous attitude. Never hesitate, or be too much of a "nice guy" when it comes to collecting from your clients.


Playing smart with your bank
As a business owner or manager, you can methodically build your credit rating with your local bank by practicing the following: when you have a good cash flow, you should borrow a determined percentage of your working capital from your bank every 90 days. Simply borrow the money, and place it in an interest bearing account, and then pay it all back at least a month or so before it is due. By doing this, you will increase the borrowing power of your signature, and strengthen your ability to obtain needed financing on short notice. This is a kind of business leverage that will be of great value to you whenever your cash position becomes less favourable.


Utilise resources made available to you
By all means, join your industry's local and national trade associations. Most of these organizations have a wealth of information available on everything from details on your competitors to average industry sales figures, new products, services, and trends.

When given a membership certificate or wall plaque, you must display these conspicuously on your office wall. Customers like to see such "seals of approval" and feel additional confidence in your business when they see them.

If at all possible, have your spouse work in the business with you for at least three or four weeks per year. The important thing is that if for any reason you are not available to run the business, your spouse will be familiar with certain people and situations about your business. These people should include your attorney, accountant, any consultants or advisors, creditors and your major suppliers. The long-term advantages of having your spouse work four weeks per year in your business with you will greatly outweigh the short-term inconvenience. Many couples share responsibility and time entirely, which is in most cases even more desirable.

Whenever you can, and as often as you need it, take advantage of whatever free business counselling is available. Some local universities and many private organizations hold seminars at minimal cost, and often without charge. Take advantage of the services offered by your bank and local library.


Conclusion
The important thing about running a small business is to know the direction in which you're heading; to know on a day-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to be aware of what your competitors are doing and to practice good money management at all times. All this will prepare you to recognize potential problems before they arise.

You can survive and thrive with a small business, regardless of the economic climate. Surround yourself with smart people you can learn from. Seek them out. Do not wait for mentors to come to you. Practice sound business management at all times.

Carry you cup half full.

Never stop learning.

For The Green White and Blue

Give me a story
Recapping the days of glory
Enter into my heart
Experience the grief and pain
Near is hope, I never faint

Wait! The time is here
Hear me. I say, do not fear
In courage so bold
True men will hold
Every virtue pure and good

Action
Needs
Doing

Believe and you’ll see
Lead and you’ll be free
Uncover your fear
Enduring love you’ll share.

Copyright © 2010 K.K. Agbermodji All Rights Reserved.

Sierra Leone! I cry

With high hopes, bold aspiration
You set forth
But death and corruption
On you has been wrought

Culture and heritage trampled we like dirt
In self-love and arrogance we grow fat
O how you weep
In this unending grief

Will hope usher a new dawn
Is this the end? Are we done?

Riches you lack not
From them you’ve been hurt
Leadership in you is not scarce
The battle we fear, is fierce

The heart you know, has not changed
But that to you is nothing strange

Your strength and beauty
With chains were led
Until evil
From justice fled.

That which you provide
We’ve accepted not
Your soul we’ve divided…
In vain our fathers fought

We kill and maim
For riches we can not claim
Who shall deliver?
My soul doth shivers

Who within you will stand?
And form a noble band
Corruption and greed, like bees
Their sting shall be nothing but past memories

Today we wait
Tomorrow… too late
Our hopes… abate
This far… by fate

God shall open freedom’s gate