Over the years, I’ve seen many people struggling, trying to impress people, trying to fit-in to the system, trying to force people to like them, trying to make people happy at their own expense but forgetting who they truly are.
Although, the affections of life or the challenges of life may cause us to have a shift from becoming who we are, though we have passion and courage to make things happen but fear of what people may say if we start out becoming who we truly are.
Another scenario of becoming who we are is how long it will take us to make our first million naira. However, government laws or political agendas have a lot to say in discovering our true talent and making use of it in the best way.
What school teaches us is how to be an employee not a job creator, for a job creator takes all the money. Employees are paid just 1% of their effort while the employer takes 99% of the employee’s 100% effort.
One of the well known Nigerian motivational speakers, Muyiwa Afolabi says “Don’t start the business of your passion, until you’ve started a business that is very profitable. Passion will die where poverty is alive”.
This statement took me days to understand. Over the last few days, I’ve been contemplating the statement deep down in my mind because one of the genuine attributes of a business owner is passion. That is if you’re passionate about your business, definitely you’ll surely make money from it.
In my own opinion, here are some reasons for his statement.
· Knowledge: knowledge is one of the reasons why you shouldn’t start a business you are passionate about. No wonder the holy book (Bible) says “My people perish because they lack knowledge”. So many of us don’t have what it takes to start a business, we don’t have knowledge about our passion, what we normally do is to jump into conclusion that I can do it, nothing is impossible, though nothing may be impossible but do you have knowledge about that business you’re intending to start?
Using myself as a case study, years back, I am passionate about motivating people but I don’t have what it takes or let me say that I don’t have the knowledge not until I seek it but trust me it will pay off. What about you? If you don’t know something, I employ you to ask people that know much about it, don’t be guilty for what you don’t know.
· Financial Literate: many of us cannot differentiate between asset and liability, income and expense etc. Also we don’t give account on our spending habits, all we do is to spend and spend on irrelevant things. If truly you have passion to start that business of yours, you must have a clear financial record so as not to mistake assets for liability.
In a simple definition, Asset is anything that brings in money while Liability is anything that takes money from you.
In my country, an IPHONE is an asset while in some other countries they know that it’s a liability because you have to recharge it and other expenses that follow. Like I said earlier on, your Asset is something that brings in money for you, your phone can equally be an asset but it depends on your perspective, how you make use of it.
Learn to be financially literate to start the business you’re passionate for.
· Economy: The economy has much to say about your business. In America, it is a little easy to get a job, working for about four companies in a day but in my country, the reverse is the case. I am not saying that you should blame the government for your misfortune but you have yourself to be blamed because you don’t make use of the economy in a positive way that will equally move that business you’re passionate for to the next level.
Remember Muyiwa’s statement, he says passion will die where poverty is alive. If you don’t make money as the economy changes, you will be frustrated, your passion may die with you and poverty will definitely take over.
Therefore, use the economy to make a good decision that will affect your passion in a positive way.
· What will People say? This saying, “what will people say” has ruined so many people in becoming who they are. What will people say if I eat, what will people say if I go out, what will people say if I start that business of mine? Etc.
All these statements shouldn’t be your problem, ok, what will people say if you’re broke without any money? What about that? What should be your problem is how to develop yourself, make yourself happy and do your best. Remember that I said we all need knowledge, if you don’t have knowledge about your passion, you may end up without any impact on earth.
If you don’t know your worth, another person that knows it will hire you, use you and pay you a peanut. That’s why I said the employee gets paid for just 1% of his total effort.
Becoming who you are!
From the above opinion of mine, you can find your part in life from it, if only you can genuinely give it a thought.
Many people have been motivating you every day, every minute, but where comes the missing link? What are you doing? Remember that we are now in the information age not in an industrial age. We are not living in 1970 we are now in the 21st century, where everything ever needed to keep running your day, your business is now on the internet.
This is just a hint for me and you to differentiate between what is happening years back compared to this present moment. Industrial age is all about going to school, studying hard, getting a good grade and getting a good job because there are jobs everywhere, there are many companies on the ground ready to employ you after your graduation. While the information age is pure internet, all your courses that you have studied for complete four to seven years in school can be easily browsed on the internet and can be downloaded between a click of an eye.
I am not disputing the fact that we need to go to school but we equally need a skill, we need to make a decision plus the right information at the right time to survive in this century.
If you’re not informed, you will be deformed.
Dear friend, this is just an eye opener for I and you, don’t be left out in this advancing technology, don’t be left out in becoming who you are, let them say whatever they like about you, because that is not real you, the real you is inside of you not what they see outside, don’t let people opinion to shift your mind from what you have passion for but seek for knowledge where necessary. Learn the skill required to keep your passion alive so as to make good money from it.
I hope you have learned a lot, what you need is a rapid action because action speaks louder than your voice.
Hope it's worth your time?
Please do have a nice day!
