Category: Success Unplugged

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The Power of Selective Association

selective Association

The power of Selective Association cannot be underestimated. The kind of people you mingle with can determine how far you will go in life. It then becomes a motivation to soar and fly higher in life. Selective Association is one important lesson we must all learn from the eagle if we ever dream of a fulfilled life. By selective association, the eagle doesn’t just mingle with any other bird but with fellow eagles. An eagle can soar higher than any other bird. Eagles can fly up to an altitude of about 10,000ft, which no other bird can reach. The eagle is a bird of pride and always makes its place of abode at the summit of trees, cliffs, and mountains, where no other bird can.

Interestingly, the eagle at such a great height can only mingle with other eagles. Therefore, if you want to be successful in life, you must associate with high flyers. These are people who are ready to motivate you to soar and also soar to greater heights with you. You must work with a team of fellow eagles. In the words of Major Collin Powell, ‘If you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar’.

Prerequisite of Success

Selective Association is a prerequisite for success. Hence, I recommend it to you if you must have fulfillment in the journey of life. It means selecting those you will associate with. And your relationships with people determine whether you find fulfillment in life. The selective association is not ego, pride, or arrogance. Rather, it is all about doing the needful in the pursuit of fulfillment.

Go and check. Many great personalities who lived fulfilling lives chose people to associate with. Jesus was good at selective association. Note that out of the multitude that thronged him, he selected twelve disciples; also, among the twelve, he chose three – Peter, James, and John. Apart from his disciples, he has another group closer to him. People who understood his vision and whom he confided in. These people were closer to him and understood him better.

... When it was day, he called unto him, his disciples: and of them, he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles – Luke 6:13
And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings he took peter and john, and James, and went up into the mountain to pray – Luke 9:28
 When he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in save peter, and James, and John ... Luke 8:51

Target Likeminds

By selective association, you will target like-minded people who believe in you. And also in your dreams, and will go to any length to support you in achieving your goals. This entails you working with a community or team of like-minded persons. But even though you must relate with some people, you must also work with a select few. These are people who understand your vision very well. This is a closed group or team; if you like, call it a community inside a community.

In party politics, they are called the caucus. Something like the GOP in the case of the Republican Party in the United States. They are the board of trustees in organizations. In addition, if you are a member of the working class in any organization. Understand that you and your co-workers are carefully selected through interviews to associate with one another. The aim is to achieve the company’s goals and objectives. Moreover, when you agree to work with such an organization, you believe in the vision, mission Statement, and core values. In other words, you and other staff believe in the organization’s philosophy. On the other hand, any staff member who goes against the core values is shown the exit door.

Why You Must Target Likeminds

Actually, your happiness and satisfaction in any field, to a large extent, depend on the people you associate with. So, you must be careful in selecting these people. Surround yourself with people who have your utmost fulfillment at heart, not people who will kill your dreams before you actualize them. You must be selective in choosing the people you associate with; this will help you deal with the problem of distrust.

Associate only with like-minded individuals and people with a success mentality. You must work with people who will motivate you to actualize your goals, people who believe in your dream. Discard those who lack confidence in you and in your ability to actualize your dream. Do this before they kill your dream. You must shield yourself with people who are ready to take the ‘bullet’ for you. These are people who are willing to stand by you no matter the odds. They are people who will help you unpack your life’s baggage. People who will help you live a fulfilling life.

Culled from my book “The Threshold of Life “. Get your Copy and Learn more about Selective Association.

Imagine, believe, dare the impossible

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Career Fulfillment: The Three Big Questions to A Rewarding Career-Part Two.

career fulfillment

Sequel to my previous post on career fulfillment, the third big question you must ask yourself is whether the work environment is conducive for you to give in your best. By the work environment I mean the entire organizational ecosystem. The organizational ecosystem includes the entire system like the office spaces, the organizational framework, the rules and regulations, the administrative procedures, the management, and staff, etc  All these make up the entire ecosystem. In a situation where the environment is not conducive, there will be no career fulfillment. Basically, if a work ecosystem is not conducive then it is toxic. A toxic environment is a hotbed of career crises. It is a working environment that is rife with threats to safety, insecurity, and toxic people.

Is The Work Ecosystem Conducive?

An environment that is full of toxic people is not conducive to career fulfillment. Don’t associate or surround yourself with toxic people. They are poisonous to your mind. And you must avoid them like a plague. Here is the truth, if you are surrounded by people with negative energy instead of inspiring you they will end up discouraging you. Gradually they will corrupt your mind with their negative whining. Toxic people don’t talk good about the management nor do they see anything good about the organization. They backbite and they are wailers. You must run as much as you can from this set of people. It is recommended that you socially distance yourself from such negative influences; they make the work ecosystem very unconducive for you. You must do it if you desire a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Workplace Hostility Is A Bane On Career Fulfillment

Hostility in the workplace is also a major reason for career crises. It can be hostility of staff against fellow staff or boss against subordinates. Within such a work ecosystem, there is hatred, bitterness, rancor, suspicion, and threat to life among workers. And such an environment does not promote job satisfaction. It is a system that promotes the repression and victimization of staff. I have even seen cases where the so-called bosses insult, assault, and bully their subordinates. Are you a boss in your office and the only way you can prove that you are the boss is by yelling at and slapping those under you? In an office setting, it is not only ethically wrong but also morally and legally wrong. 

Career crises may also be triggered by the system of operation within the ecosystem. How do they run their business? Is it technologically driven? How sophisticated is the technology? Does it require basic or advanced knowledge? You will not find career fulfillment if you are not at par with the level of technology operating in the work ecosystem. In fact, working in this post covid-19 workplace requires a certain level of digital knowledge. You must build your digital capacity.

Are You Really Happy?

The pursuit of fulfillment should be paramount in your career. Your happiness and satisfaction should be the main focus of your job. Are you really happy with your job? I am reiterating here that you cannot have a fulfilling career if you are not happy with your job. How do you know that you are happy with your job? It is when you carry out your job tasks with so much passion. That is you experience an inner joy and peace in carrying out your official assignments. On the other hand, when you are resentful about your job it may be that you are not happy about it.

In your next career move think twice, and ask yourself these three big questions about your job – Do I really like the Job? Am I in Agreement with the organization’s business philosophy? Is the work ecosystem conducive for me? If there is a ‘no’ answer to any of the questions that is a red flag to your career fulfillment. Chances are that you might experience a career crisis instead of happiness and satisfaction.

Culled from my book “The Threshold of Life “. Get your Copy and Learn more about Career Fulfillment.

Imagine, believe, dare the impossible

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Career Fulfillment: The Three Big Questions to A Rewarding Career

career fulfillment

Career fulfillment should be the dream of a career person. The utmost happiness and satisfaction you derive from your career should be the motivation you need to give your best in your career or professional space. Indeed, our career is an auspicious channel through which we can derive happiness and fulfillment in life. On the other hand, a person can experience a career crisis when such an individual can no longer find happiness and satisfaction doing the job or profession he or she has been trained for and intend to do for several years.

The Three Big Questions

In this post, we shall explore three pertinent questions you must answer if must have the happiness and satisfaction that comes with career fulfillment. In dissecting the topical issue of career fulfillment, I will model my approach after Warren Buffet’s three big questions on investment. Before investing in any organization Mr. Buffet usually carries out a careful analysis of the such organization. He will try to know the people in charge of the business, the philosophy behind the business, how it is run, how they handle the welfare of their staff, and how they treat their customers and suppliers.

After the intense analysis Mr. Buffet will ask himself these three questions; “Do I like them? Do I trust them? Do I respect them?” And if he gets ‘Yes’ in all the questions he will invest in the organization, but if he gets a ‘No’ answer even in any one of the questions he will not invest. This is one of the investment secrets of one of the richest men in the world today.

Similarly, you must do a careful analysis of your job or the organization you intend to work in. You must do a background check on how the organization operates. Ask insiders; sample their opinions and the feedback you get will give you insight as to whether you will have a fulfilling and rewarding career working there.  By asking yourself these important questions you are taking the bold step to mitigate the challenge of a career crisis. In fact, any question that is negative is a red flag to your career fulfillment and must be eliminated.

Do I Really Like This Job?

Do you really like what you do? Are you happy with it? You cannot be happy when you don’t like your job. There is no career fulfillment in doing what you don’t like or in not doing what you like. This is a pure clash of values and a career crisis at its extreme. And to derive a sense of happiness and satisfaction from your job or profession you must have passion for it. What do you have a passion for? You will find happiness and satisfaction in carrying out a job description that revolves around your passion in life.

Doing what you are told and not what you want to do may result in a conflict of roles. This arises when someone does a role that is in conflict with his or her training. It may result in redundancy a situation where one falls below expectations and is unable to meet targets or achieve set goals. Another reason why people may not like their jobs is a lack of interest. It is one of the manifestations of a career crisis. You cannot derive happiness or satisfaction from a job when you don’t have an interest in such a job. There are so many reasons that can make people lose interest in a job. One of them may be the monotony of duty. This is a situation where one has to do a particular role for a long period of time to the extent that it becomes so boring. 

Underemployment Negates Career Fulfillment

Career crises may also emanate from underemployment. Underemployment is a situation where someone is overqualified for a particular job position. There is no job satisfaction in doing such a job. However, many people will still go ahead to do such jobs just to keep body and soul together. They are not doing it because they love it but because they did not find the best job befitting their qualification. Under this kind of circumstance, the employee cannot be truly dedicated nor can such a person give in his or her best. 

The truth is that there is no career fulfillment in underemployment. Many people are neck-deep in career crises because of underemployment. In this era with an alarming surge in the unemployment rate, many will easily settle for even the meanest job just to bear the ‘employment’ tag. And the craze for the highly elusive ‘white collar’ jobs is not helping matters. Many are busy pursuing the few or no existing jobs out there. I have seen a case where more than a hundred thousand applicants applied for only twenty job openings. The only remedy to this kind of career crisis comes the moment people begin to look inward to tap into the creative content and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit. You will become a job creator only by doing what you like.    

Are you in Agreement with the Business Philosophy?

Another important question you must ask yourself is whether you fit into the business philosophy of the organization. What are the values and beliefs of this organization? Are you in sync with the core values, vision, and mission statement of the organization? You cannot find career fulfillment if there is a conflict or friction between your values and that of the organization you work for. 

The business philosophy of the organization does it promote a win-win situation where everybody both the management and the staff is happy and satisfied; or does it encourage a win-loss situation where the winner takes it all? Does the management have a genuine concern for the staff that they win as well as they do? Does the management have a good welfare plan for the staff? Do they owe their staff or pay as at when due? All these things form part of the organizational philosophy.  And there is career fulfillment and job satisfaction when a good welfare plan is incorporated into the business philosophy.

Understand that you can only find fulfillment in your career when you fit into the organization’s philosophy. Another way you can fit into the business philosophy of the organization is when you can set and achieve your personal goals. Ask yourself whether you can achieve your goals and objectives in such an organization. Take a closer look at your present job or profession. Does it allow you to achieve your set goals? If it does not then a career crisis is inevitable. Achieving your personal goals is one way you can find career fulfillment in your career. Hence, any job that does not allow you to achieve your personal goals and objectives cannot give you the fulfillment you desire. Consider letting go and moving on with your life.

Culled from my book “The Threshold of Life “. Get your Copy and Learn more about Career Fulfillment.

Imagine, Believe, Dare the Impossible.

TO BE CONTINUED…