Unemployed or Arrogant?

I have interest in a farm somewhere in Osun State. I noticed that all the young people who engage in activities like clearing, weeding, planting happens not to be from that state. They come from places as far as Benue and Cross River. What then are the indigenes doing? They will rather engage in okada driving or sit idle complaining there is no job.

People like to do easy jobs and disdain menial jobs. Are white collar jobs easier than blue collar jobs? Well is it easy to acquire the credentials that make you eligible for a white collar job? If you have the credentials for a white collar job and can’t find any would you not prefer a menial job than stay idle?

I am irritated when i see young people beg for money. Why should you focus on what you cant do rather than what you can? Before you go and beg for money from that uncle or relative can you identify problems you can solve for him. Imagine a youth come to meet you and ask if he can do your laundry, wash your car and or baby sit for you and then compensate him with money in return.

Wow! Is that not a better way to earn money? Earn money with dignity. There is something about the money you work for. It is typically well spent. Even if I don’t have a task for you, my heart will be more readily opened to give to your pocket. Go with a value adding mentality.

I can’t be a driver, teacher, farmer, cleaner etc. It is beneath my status. Yet we see Nigerians with superior qualifications going abroad to engage in menial jobs for dollars. I have seen people turn offers for white collar job down because they say the pay is poor. Haba.......yet my people for Warri talk say at all at all na im bad.

Don’t despise the days of little beginning. How little can a menial job or a low paying white collar job be for you to prefer idleness to being busy and productive. Doing nothing makes you better at nothing – only!

Bury your pride. The first and important thing is to enter the game. Yes enter the race and improve your situation and status as you go.

Greener Pastures

“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be so wonderful if there were not dark valleys to traverse” Hellen Keller

Sometimes as humans we are tempted to envy people around us who appear to be succeeding. Our times and seasons are different. Scripture says we should not be like fools who compare themselves with themselves. Rejoice with people making progress around you. If the grass appears to be greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher too.

Don’t let what you lack put a lid to your progress. Look at what you have and make use of it. The greatest capital is the willingness to start with what you have and where you are. All you need is to think creatively, look afresh at what you normally take for granted.

You don’t need any special talent. Just be passionate about what you do or look for something you are passionate about and do it excellently. Put your mind to it and in a short while you will blow peoples mind with your performance.

It is important you are productive. You can’t afford to be in the market place and be idle. An English adage says idleness is the beginning of all vices. Do not bite at the bait of idleness beneath it is a hook. Keep on walking. Don’t spend all the time thinking or talking about the dream or vision. Take steps. A Chinese proverb says “he who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg”.

Yes there will be limitations to overcome. Don’t let that scare you. Success is like wrestling a gorilla, you don’t quit when you are tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired says Robert Strauss. There will be temptations to quit. Please don’t yield. Dr Maxwell said “quitting is not running from our problems, it is running from the opportunity to solve our problems”.

As I close, I will like to remind you that though we aren’t what we ought to be and we aren’t where we ought to be but thank God, we aren’t what we used to be.