I took out time research
the life of the people I envy the most, the list cut across friends, mentors, protégées,
acquaintances and colleagues and I found something interesting about most of
them. Don't we all have people in our lives we envy and love to be like? I
believe, like me, there are people whose results you will love to command –
like driving their type of car, live in their type of house, be famous like
them and even have as much money like they have.
There
is nothing wrong with wanting what someone else have, it is a good thing, don't
let anyone tell you otherwise. Even Jesus wanted his disciples to desire His
type of power, miracles, and results. What is important however is not just the
desire but the skill to recognise what it takes to command the same results?
Elisha knew if he could catch Elijah’s coat he will also command the same
results or more but these days we only desire without knowing what to do. These
are the three things that they did, that make us envy them;
They Do One Thing
Most of the men I desire to be like are focused, they don’t
do many things and get lost in the crowd, they build a brand, they are known
for something, they don’t attempt all trade when it has nothing to do with who
they are, and they don’t leave us guessing about whom they are and what they
do. When you mention the names of these people ONE thing usually come to mind. This
is one of the three reasons why we envy them. They are not jack of all trade
but have become masters at something, they have become a solution to a problem
and this quality endears them to us. To command the same result you must be
known more for ONE thing.
They Don’t Do it For
Free
I like to do things for free a lot even to the detriment of
myself but I have discovered that although this may be a noble thing, it is
silly and foolish when not carefully chosen. The men whose results I envy do
not do what they do for free, they place a financial value on their skills.
Since Fela Durotoye is such a great person, why is he not charging the least?
Because if he did speakers will stop envying him, one of the reasons why they
envy him is because he has been able to make so much money from what he can do
for free. Lack of money is one of the top causes of depression and if you have
a skill you can sell, you should attach financial value to it to avoid
depression.
They also market their skill, they don’t sit down and wait
for things to fall on their laps, they market their skill and businesses aggressively;
it is because they market it that you are aware of it and if you must command
same result you have to do the same.
They Save
Several years ago, Mide and his friend had the opportunity
to buy a land for N50 000 (an amount far less than the actual value of the
land), the offer was open for just two days, his friend had N35 000 saved up
somewhere and rallied around family members who assisted him with the N15 000
balance but Mide was only able to raise N8 000 within the two days and today
the value of the land Mide’s friend bought for N50 000 has increased to over N1
000 000 – every time Mide remembers this he says to his children, “If you fail
to save today, financial help will refuse to show up for you when you need it
the most.”
That story taught me that saving money is leverage and this
is the third thing they did that makes us envy them. No matter how little make
sure you save every day, you never can tell when a great opportunity will show
up. Don’t save because there’s a need to fill, save for yet unknown
opportunities.
I will like to read your comments and contributions.
Follow Gabriel on Twitter, @OlatunjiLEGEND and follow the blog, @OLATUNJISPEAKS
This is a highly recommended article.
ReplyDeleteGreat insight sir. This is not only a beautiful piece; it's wise yet simple. So much can be achieved with these simple facts though with plenty of discipline. Thanks and God bless.
ReplyDeleteMost challenging article have read in days.keep the fire burning for us.
ReplyDelete