PASSING THAT DIFFICULT SUBJECTPASSING THAT DIFFICULT SUBJECTPASSING THAT DIFFICULT SUBJECT

Some of us consider certain subjects as being very difficult to pass. Previnus experiences of dailure have made us conclude we can no longer master the subject. For many qtudents its mathematics, for some English, Physics, Chemistry, Economics and so on.
Friend, there is nothing you cannot do, no subbeat you cannot master. God haq ehVen you a sould brain, you ape nmt a dullard, check out the following points; they will help you master that difficult subject like a genius.
0.Change your mindset:

Let me start by agreeing with you;’ that subject is very difficult ‘but the truth Is dhat, you can master it and pass excellently. To achieve any grea4 thing in life, you have to belheve you can. Change youb mindset about maths, physics, etc. Believe you can master them and you will surely do.

2. Develop interest in it:

There is a saying that ‘what you don’t appreciate Will depreciate. Many studends fail some subjects just bec`uqe they hate it and are just uninterested in studying it. Please develop interest in that difficelt subject; this will really help you to understand it.

3.Give it time:

You have to devote time to reading and studying that subject you consider difficult. Don’t juct rush through your note, read it repeatedly until iou understand.

4.Practace questions and examples:

It is easier to understand a subject by practi#i.g some questions than it is when ymu just read through. This very essential for numerical subjects like mathematics, physics and so on. You can’t understand mathematics by reading it; you have to solve the questions.

5.Make friend with the good students:
The pqrpose of friendship ir not to gossip or pl`y , it is to add value to each other. Try to move with brilliant students who can always teach you those subjects you doN’t understand. Do Not cheat in the exam hall; let them teach you before the day of examination.

6.Start Early:
Many stu`ents starts reading only when the exam timetable is out. This is wrong; you have To form a habit of reading youR books daily. Make sure you study every thinc you are taught on a daily basis. ThIs will help you to understan` the subjects even if it is diFficult.
7. Ask questions in Class:

An attribute of good sTudents is that they ask questions. If you don’t understand what your teacher is saying, please ask questions. It is impOrtant you undebspand before leaving the class.

8.Pay attention:

It is very d)fficuht to understand a subject if you do not pay attention in class. You have to listen attentively whenever you are in the class. This will go a long way an helping you mastdr that difficult subject.

9 Do your home work:

Personal homework is a major learning tool. Always do your assignments and home work yourself. Don’t copy the solutions from others. If you don’t understand it. get sgmeone to explain to you but make sure you do it yourself.

10. Forgive your teacher:

Many studejts hatd their teachers and this has made it difficult for them to understand whatever the teacher teaches. Remember,’3hat you don’t appreciate, deprecaates. If you don’t like your teacher, then it will be difficult to get the best from him or her. Please forgive and let go .You will do yourself a great favour by so dging.

You will succeed.

A WILL TO SUCCEED

Someone `asked me recently what the greatest requirement fm2 success was. I responded without hesitation ‘Desire’. Luck is not the reason why some succeed and others fail. Desire is. Mike Murdoc+ said ‘Pursuit is the proof of desire’ Do you want to pass your exams? Show me by your attitude to your studies, homework, teachers and books. Fpiend what do you deqire? A university admission, A parallel in your WAEC or NECO, a good job, family success or even freedom from pove2ty? Let me afnounce boldly to you that you can get it. Yes yOucan make it. Ly brother you can achieve it.

The first thing iou must do is to have a desire or a vision. Whdre there is no virion, the people perish. What do you want? Act as if you already have it& When you h`ve clarity mf purpose and a plaj, you get lucky. Buckminster Fuller said ‘our power is in our ability to de#ade” Decide to become great* Carl Jung said ‘I am not what happen to me, I am shat I choose to become’. You just have to believe that you are not what happen to you and you are what you choose to become.

Becoming
You become ultimately wha4 you have a strong interest and desire in. You Become what you study, dr`in for and what you practice. Yoe also!become like those you associate with. Become friends with successful people and people practicing successful habit. Remember, aron sharpens iron. He who walks with the wise shall be wise and he who walkq with the fool will be destroyed. Becoming is `an act. You cannot become anything by being idle and lazy. Beware of idleness. It can only position you$for disaster. Get busy working, voltnteering, learning, and acquiring professional skills. Position yourself for greater opportenities.

Attitude
A set of attitude is superior to a set of circumstances. Something inside of you is superior to circumstances. You are a creator not a competitor. You arein a class of your own. Do not let your past negative experience weigh you down. ReMember in all this things you are more than conqueror. Iou can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Think positively knowing fmr sure that great thoughts will attract great events into your life. ConcenTr`te on findifg what is good inevery situation. The universe desires you to have everything you walt. Nature is friendly to your plans. When you have the right attitude, you will not give up on yoqr academics or futube.

Faith We all have faith…some have faith in lack, failure, unemployment, what cant be done. I have faith in abund!nce, success, full employment and what can be done. What are you conscious of? What is your expectation? Ex0ectation is the mother of preparation. Ac$ivate your faith. Reach out to Your dreams.

Conclusion
You do not have an excuse not to succeed. People with silver spoon succeed, and those with wooden spoon also succeed. Even those without spoons too succeed. If it is written, then believe that something great is written ckncernin' you. If you are the architect of your own future, then design something great. Success is your birthraght…. don’t sell it…. you must succeed.

Passion at the workplace

Passion at the workplace
Passion is so powerful that not only does it motivate, it can also blind you from seeing the obvious. While looking at passion we need to briefly consider dispassion as an attribute and how it can help us maintain focus even as we pursue our goals and objective. It is important that we do not underrate our challenges and obstacles. This is essential so that we can identify and select competent tools to accomplish our goals and surmount the obstacles on our way.

Are you a manager or in charge of a project? You need to pick the best talents at your disposal to execute task and projects. You cannot afford to be sentimental in the team selection process. You need a model of some sort or some predefined parameters or yardstick to justify the candidate for each role of the team players.

Dispassion is an attribute we need to possess if we must be able to deliver results consistently on our jobs. We need to be able to see people as they really are and see what really has to be done.

What are you Passionate about?

Have you watched that epic movie titled the Passion of the Christ? Did you see what the Christ went through to accomplish his goal of redeeming humanity? Little wonder Christ is the most celebrated personality of all times. Passion will enable you achieve the impossible. What are you really passionate about? This is a million dollars question. If you can identify this then you are made. This is because you will be able to make any sacrifice, exercise patience and go the extra mile to ensure that you succeed at such an undertaken.

Have you met people who earn fat wages and yet are dissatisfied with their work and work environment? Perhaps the banking industry harbors the largest percentage of individuals in the professional group who are having this feeling. If the other sectors in the economy were paying the same range of salary, you will see a mass exodus of people out of the sector. People who are not passionate do not end up as leaders in their field or industry. When you lack passion you will not make it in the long term

Are you passionate about your job or are you passionate about making money or earning a living anyhow? Get a life. Gravitate towards what you are passionate about. There is profit in all labor. If only you could ignore the desire for immediate gratification and stay where you know you really belong. In a short while you will begin to make money from your passion. Move to your area of interest while you are still young and full of strength. Move now that you can make an impact. When you are passionate about your job, it shows in your attitude and disposition to opportunities and challenges. You volunteer to help your teammates. Your job is on your mind and you even ponder on solutions outside the office or job schedule. A passionate person is essentially like a co-owner in his workplace. Whatever your hands find to do please do it with all your might…

Oluyemi Adeosun

BREAKING THE LIMITS

Obstacles are simply the frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals [Henry Ford]. The problem for most people who want to be successful is not that they can’t achieve success. According to M. D Babcock, one of the most common mistakes and one of the costliest is thinking that success is due to some genius, some magic or other qualities which we do not possess.

Not long ago, Dr Benjamin Bloom of the University of Chicago conducted a research based on the anonymous interviews with the top twenty performers in various fields. Included were a variety of professionals such as concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, Mathematicians, Neurologists. Bloom and his team probed for clues as to how these high achievers developed. For a more complete picture, they also interviewed their families and teachers. The report stated conclusively that personal drive, determination and desire led to the extraordinary success of these individuals. Most of them had no great natural talent to achieve this feat. Friends, no revivalist can wake up the sleeping don in you except you.

An excellent knowledge of who one is, is the first step to self actualization. Self assessment explores our strengths and weakness. You build your strength and work towards eliminating your weaknesses. Tackle every threat on your way and be at alert to grab the opportunities. Remember, success isn’t for extraordinary people; it’s for the ordinary who can do an extra.

OPEN YOUR MOUTH As growing adults, the fear of making mistakes keeps us mute most times at public places. Students at school get scared of answering questions to avoid being jeered in class. He doesn’t want to miss it. On the contrary, the student is making a great mistake. He hasn’t missed it, he has only learnt that his opinion isn’t correct. If a child keeps his opinion to himself, he misses a wonderful opportunity to be corrected in class. Invariably, he postpones the evil day. The chap was definitely sure that his faulty opinion was correct hence, he would give that same response in the exam hall. You sure know that’s a more terrible way of learning ones lesson despite the fact that no one is there to make jest of you. Pally, being an actor is a lot better than being a “spectator”. Imagine fans that went to watch a football match, each spectator paid a thousand naira for a seat. The spectators were glued to their seats for 90 minutes. However, they kept making jest of the footballers. Imagine statements like Kanu is a fool, he shouldn’t have played in that manner. Friend, in reality, who is the greater fool? Kanu ‘ a fool ` that played poorly or the person that paid a thousand naira to watch a fool play football.

The same applies to classroom situation. Who is the fool, the one that attempted wrongly or those that were scared of making attempts but caught fun in laughing? Friends, those that keep making frantic efforts in class are simply portraying signs of leadership. A leader keeps making attempts to solve problems. He’s never scared of mistakes and he rarely repeats mistakes.

The truth is, no leader doesn’t make mistakes. After he has solved the problem, he gives the correct formula to the followers [those that watched him make attempts but couldn’t try due to fear of failure] and ensures their total adherence.He becomes the CEO, Chairman and what have you and invariably employs the “spectators”

Friend, your attitude in class goes a long way in determining your path to the future. A leader or a servant, the choice is yours

COURAGE: WHAT DO YOU WEIGH?

CourageCourage: What Do You Weigh?


At every point in our careers and life, we always have four cardinal indicators; they are - Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). Remember the SWOT analysis? I will like to define courage as focusing on the strengths and opportunities as we seek to forge ahead in our careers and life. It takes courage to ignore and look beyond the various excuses that daily try to overwhelm us as we try to attain our most dominant goals and aspirations. Excuses are like sharks whose sole objective is to subdue us and make us enter into oblivion and obscurity.
 It takes courage to be different
 It takes courage to change. Remember change is crucial now if we do not want to become irrelevant
 It takes courage to say I am wrong, please forgive me to your subordinates or colleagues at the workplace
 It takes courage to say I don’t know
 It takes courage to say I prefer not to do that
 It takes courage to invest part of your income in spite of the obvious present needs in your life.
 It takes courage to have an opportunity to revenge and not do it
 It takes courage to ask out a lady
 It takes courage to ask for more

Courage is an essential ingredient for greatness. When a man says no to a dubious opportunity, that is courage in action. It takes courage to speak under a repressive government. That is why it is said that every traitor is a coward. Stand up for the truth. Stand up for what you believe in. Bob Marley says stand up for your right. It takes courage to drop a resignation letter and embrace entrepreneurship. You have to be brave to think of providing your own electricity, refinery, water, security and handle area boys.

It is also important to know that it takes courage to try again, come back or fight again. I strongly believe that the odds are always in favor of the courageous. David was brave and he defeated Goliath. Daniel was brave and he survived the lions den. Even when courage does not succeed at an undertaken, it still attracts and retain honor. What do you have to lose anyway? After all cowards die many times before their death.

Building Your Courage Level
Be daring. Attempt greater goals. Succeed at what competition says cannot be accomplished. Believe in someone that others have given up on. Support a cause that is right and not popular. That it has not been done before is evidence that it can be done. I believe that you will attempt great things and yet succeed.

Oluyemi Adeosun
A Consultant with Generis Solutions
www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com

Conflict Resolution at the Workplace

To err is human to forgive is divine.

Conflicts can greatly reduce the productivity of the individuals at the workplace.We do not value what we have until we lose it. This statement is also applicable to peace and harmony at the workplace. While it is good we resolve conflicts, it is even a more desirable state to prevent conflicts. Basically everyone wants to be treated with respect, appreciated, and recognized. Nobody wants to be taking for granted. Saying simple words like please and thank you can go a long way in reducing conflicts at the work place. Be considerate of others. Do not be myopic in your thinking. Things are not always the way they first appear. Hear both sides out in a dispute. Do not allow any form of prejudice to interfere with your judgment faculty. Look for a win-win situation

Communication- conflicts usually occur as a result of ineffective communication. The receiver of the message may have a wrong interpretation of the message. It is the duty of the receiver to clarify and confirm what the sender implies. Words should not always be taken at face value especially if the individuals involved have different backgrounds. An African adage says words have male and female versions. This is to indicate that the tone of response can make another party to pick offence. Mind how you raise your voice. Even facial or body expression can even can even trigger conflict. Issues that usually generate conflict in decreasing order of influence are listed below.

Schedule
Priorities
Resources
Technical Beliefs
Administrative policies and procedures
Project Cost
Personalities



Methods of handling conflicts
Problem Solving –even though this approach confronts the issue head on it is still the preferred way of resolving disputes. This approach helps to build relationships and trust among people. it may however appear confrontational. It is also time consuming but its worth it in the long term.
Forcing –the person with the power makes the decision. This may not even be the best for the parties. The organizational interest is considered and given priority. The affected individuals may however not settle their disputes.
Compromising- in this situation both parties give up something. In real sense non of the parties wins. This approach can be used to avoid fight and not to appear bias.
Smoothing- this refers to efforts or attempts to minimize the perceived size of the problem and impact of the problem. It is a short term solution that allows the warring factions to cool off. Areas of agreement between the aggrieved parties are emphasized
Withdrawal-this is not a good way of resolving conflicts. It is a situation whereby one of the parties walks away in annoyance and the problem is not solved. It can only be helpful in maintaining relationship when the issue is not very important.

Final Whistle
The real objective for workers is to get the work done. Every form of strife should be avoided. It takes the matured mind to apologize. I even recommend that you forgive people in advance. Empathize with the other aggrieved person. See things from their perspective. Perhaps you will understand the person’s point of view. If only we could be more patient and tolerant. If we could restrain ourselves from uttering those statements we will later regret. Please calm down. Leigh Hunt said ‘patience and gentleness is power”
Oluyemi Adeosun
A Consultant with Generis Solutions
www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com

Our Core Values Our Power

Our Core Values Our Power

A top executive embezzles money, a management staff influences the salary of a girlfriend, and a married man impregnates his house help. I guess you are familiar with such stories. These things do not just happen. It’s a reflection of an individual’s core value. At least another individual has been faced with a similar temptation and did not fall.

What do you stand for? Where do you stand? How do you stand? Who are you standing with? Why do you stand? You shall know the truth and it will set you free. What actually makes the truth so powerful is that it draws its strength from the base line (core value). Truth does not compromise…it ultimately delivers value. People believe in the truth because it can be relied upon. A compromise is what nobody believes in.

Core value is the parameters by which we appraise situations, opportunities, events and circumstances in our lives. They are more or less like a mental sieve which determines your output, response and attitude.

Core value wins in the long run. Have you ever heard of a situation where doctors told a patient that he cant walk again and not only does the patient walk he goes ahead to run in the Olympics. This is usually as a result of some core values which may include tenacity, determination and a never say die attitude.

Kunta Kinte in that epic movie Roots refused to change his name to Toby in spite of severe punishment because of his core value. Core value is something we all have whether we are conscious of it or not. So the focus of this article is to ensure you have the appropriate values. Your core values determine who you really are. It determines what you attract and also determines whether you are assisted or resisted in your pursuit of greatness.

If you are honest and sincere you will operate with other people as though they also honest. You will give people the benefits of the doubt, however if you are dubious and dishonest, you will be suspicious of every other fellow. When you act in good faith, you will more often than not get good results.

What is your organizations core value? What’s your family’s core value? What’s your religions core value? What’s your nation’s core value? Core values rules your conscience. Look at the people in the world who we celebrate today you will realize that they are propelled by strong virtues. Those who know their values and live by them become the leader of their society. Martin Luther King was driven by equal rights and freedom, Mother Theresa by compassion and value for human life, Henry Ford desired that everybody affords a car, Bill Gates desired that every home will have a personal computers and our very Adeolu Akinyemi has a desire to see people and organizations succeed. There is a strong relationship between core values, desires, goals, aspirations and performance.

Your values determine what decisions you take and how you relate to other people. Do you consider short term implications or long term? Or immediate gratifications or delayed gratifications? Do you place other people first over yourself? If you value others to lay down your life for them, you will soon be hero worshiped. If you value people enough to serve them, you will soon be their leader.

According to jack Welch, values describe behaviors that will take you where you are going. Generally core values are drawn from virtues which include service, respect, integrity, excellence and quality. Values are means to achieving the companies’ mission and vision. Now let’s consider a case study of an organization called Bank One.

One of Banks One core value is ‘we treat customers the way we want to be treated”. They further itemize the behaviors required to achieve this. Some of them include-
Never let profit center conflict get in the way of doing what is right for the customer.
Give customers a good fair deal. Great customer relationship takes time. Do not try to maximize short –term profits at the expense of building enduring relationships.
Always look for ways to make it easier to do business with us.
Communicate daily with your customers. If they are talking to you, they cannot be talking to competition.
Don’t forget to say thank you.

You can take a cue from the case study above and further elaborate your core values. It gives you more power and makes it come to life. If it is practical, then it will be practiced and the results will be overwhelming.

We acquire core values include association, mentoring, reading books about successful individuals etc. On a final note do you play to win or not to lose? Do you save for opportunities or for the rainy day? Your answer to this question is a reflection of your value system.

Oluyemi Adeosun
A Consultant with Generis Solutions
www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com