AMINU M. AZIZ
INTERCONTINENTAL BANK GHANA
PRESENTED AT THE GAME CAREER BUILDER CONFERENCE 2010
My good friends, take it from me, if you are going to graduate and exit this campus without any form of fear, then you need the necessary information about the outside world.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your honeymoon days are over or will soon be over. The days when you are giving “chop money” is over and you will soon face the realities of life.
You need information about the outside world to be free from frustration. We are in ICT age where how much of relevant info you have determines how far you go. The Economists call it the K-Economy
The first thing I would like to tell you is that the future is a choice you make. And when you make your choices you have to be ready to live with the bye-products of your choices. You are what you are today, where you are today because of the streams of choices you made in the past.
What you will be tomorrow or what you become in the near future will depend on the kind of choices you make today. Well, for being here I at least can trust your choices in life.
There is a common force that drives most of us: The urge to succeed; to be successful.
Regardless of who we are or what our specific goals may be, we want the security and comfort that success provides as well as the satisfaction of knowing that our lives are turning out well and count for something.
The question is; if we all want the same basic thing in life, why then are some people so much more successful than others?
Warning! Circumstances/ luck alone isn’t the deciding factor, because some people succeed despite incredible difficult circumstances eg. Helen Keller, Barack Obama…
Roger Babson once said "let him who will enjoy a good future waste none of his present"
The sign posts
Neither is success determined by natural ability alone. Many gifted people fail in life (eg.Jeeman), while others who seem less likely to succeed do.
WHAT THEN MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?
Some experts say it boils down to organization - establishing priorities,planning and managing time wisely and so on. Others say creativity is the key, or motivation or hardwork, or single mindedness, the ability to work well with others.
In reality to have the greatest chance at success it takes a combination of these. And more.
Remember if you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail
Most people fail in their dreams not from lack of ability but from lack of
Commitment
Vision and focus- no sense of direction
Faith
Self-confidence
THE SELF AUDIT
TO LIVE AND ACTUALIZE THE EAGLE IN YOU, YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF SOME THREE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
Where are you now? Where in your life are you today as you sit here? May be you are in your early twenties, mid-thirties, late thirties etc, in the first year, second year etc or may be you should have graduated a year or two ago.
Why are you where you are today? How many of you have paused and reflected on your life why you are where you are?
What kind of future do you want for yourself? Are you prepared and ready for that kind of future. Some of you will attend interviews without taking the trouble to find out about the company that has invited you for the interview. They ask you a very simple question: ‘what do you know about this company? You sit there you can’t answer. Yet you have applied to work in that company. How unserious!
POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE- THE PMA EXERCISE
You are naturally drawn to whatever you focus upon. You will see precisely the opportunities and possibilities that you prepare your mind to see. Unless you can clearly see in your minds eye the kind of personality you want to rise to you never will get there.
For once have time for yourself. Go sit somewhere quietly and envision yourself in the image of the kind of personality you want for yourself. See it clearly, picture it and draw the image in your mind. Focus for a while for it to register in your subconscious mind.
You can’t hit a target you can’t see. You can’t accomplish wonderful things with your life if you have no idea of what they are. You must first become absolutely clear about what you want if you are serious about unlocking the extraordinary power that lies within you.
MOUNTAIN TOP THINKING- THE PMA EXERCISE
Have this image, develop it and live your life like you are that already. Gradually your subconscious mind will accept it and before you are aware you are the dream person you have always wanted to be. Your mind is the most powerful computer ever made. Its capacity has still not been fully utilized by any mortal being.
All succesful people in life knew exactly what they wanted. They all had a clear picture of what their ideal lives and accomplishments would look like. This vision of the kind future they wanted to create for themselves became a powerful motivator that drove them on. Read about Ishmael Yamson.
THE REALITY CHECK
Please fasten your seat belt
What you studied in school does not matter. Students should major in subjects they enjoy. They should pursue learning. One of my colleagues is a samrt Banker but he read “Natu”. I know a Medical Doctor who is a network engineer and has been doing major installations for banks and the telecommuniaction companies. There is also a judge with a degree in pharmacology. Your degree does not matter.
Self-discipline is the common denominator among the successful. In order to get into university and to earn a degree, one must exercise delayed gratification. This doesn’t end after school. Delayed gratification and self-discipline are necessary for continued success in life.
Be willing to do grunt work. By doing the entry-level jobs, you’re building skills necessary to move up. As you progress in your career, find things in each job to be passionate about.
TRUE STORIES
First Story
Brian graduated in 2004 with a first class in Actuarial Science. He shared his experience moving from job-to-job. He began knocking on doors right out of school and eventually found work. But the job wasn’t perfect, and neither was he. He was fired after only two years. This experience taught him a couple things:
A job is not a marriage. It’s not “for better or worse”. It’s only for better. If it’s not working out for you or the company, then move on.
Treat your time as an investment. It’s more important to invest your time wisely than to invest your money wisely.
Later in his career, Brian found himself working in a job he didn’t like. He made a promise to himself: “I told myself that if I wasn’t happy with my job one year from that day, I’d leave. That was the best decision I ever made. After a year, I knew it was time to go. It was more important for me to be happy than to chase cedis.” Two other life lessons Brian shared were:
The people you work with are more important than the company. You want to work with people who have high integrity, people you can trust. It’s nice to work for a great company, but it’s better to work with great people.
Don’t rationalize your decisions. As you move through your career, don’t stay in situations that make you unhappy just because you think you’re obligated. Take some calculated risks.
"the quality of our work depends on the quality of our people" unknown
The second story
Our second story was shared by Aminata, a professional photographer. As a single mother, Aminata applied for a new program at BB University for a training in new photogarphy technology. She was one of 72 applicants for 16 spots. She didn’t get in — she didn’t let it bother her. “I’ve failed at a lot of things in life,” she says, “but they’ve made me who I am today. It’s okay to fail.” The important thing is to be working toward something, to have a goal.
Still, you should always keep your mind open for other options. Don’t be so locked into your goal that you miss opportunity knocking on the door. Sometimes life will lead you in directions you don’t expect. When she didn’t get into the program, Aminata pursued a diplomat course at NVTI . She wanted to be a teacher. But then life led her in another direction, and now she owns a successful photography studio.
“You’ve got to find your passion,” Aminata says. “I changed my field of studies six times. That’s okay. Everything you do leads you to the person you’re becoming. As long as you have some goals, you’ll be fine.”
Aminata stressed that it’s important to think about the sort of life you want to live. Build your life and career around what you want to do. Entrepreneurship has allowed her to construct a fulfilling life.
What’s important to you?. Make your choices based on that. I want to be excited about what I do every day. If you’re complaining about what you’re doing, then try something else.”
Do what you love. A low-paying job that leads to future prospects in a career you like is better than a high-paying job in a career that doesn’t move you in the right direction. Never stick with a shitty job. It’s easier to change jobs now than it will be in five or ten years.
Some simple truth
As you are leaving school remember that there is no any short cut to success. The fact of life is those who achieve greatness take their time: They build, they develop, they create then they become great.
We cannot do two things well, at once.
If your attitude stinks. Change it.
No one – absolutely no one – wants to be connected with someone with a bad or negative attitude.
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