Are You an Internet Slave? Find Out Here!

Do you stay glued to the internet for five hours and more, everyday doing frivolous things like;

• Chatting with total strangers?
  
• Chatting with anybody that indicates interest?
  
• Searching for the latest dating sites where you can hook up with a ‘responsible’ man or woman?
  
• Watching obscene pictures and videos?
  
• Cursing and quarrelling with everyone and anyone over religious, ethnic, regional or political issues?
  
• Pretending to be
  

Word for the Day.

Do You Know Your Talent?

Recently, while we were watching the Big Brother Africa reality TV show, captioned “Big Brother Hotshots”, and because most of the housemates in the show have showcased one talent or another, a friend of mine said to me;

stick right there!

Have you ever gotten lost in the middle a task and you decide to call a spontaneous halt to come back to it with the hope that the break would afford you the opportunity of having a fresh muse with which to continue later on and then get it right?

You will have no reason to lie about your age after reading this!

Ever wondered why in the world people reduce their age, especially, when applying for a job? Your guess is as good as mine. Right now, I can’t think of any better reason why that is, but I do know that lack of information, determination, exposure and hard work, are contributory factors. Or probably, some lie about their age just for the sake of it. Official age you may want to say. Most people waste their years doing little or nothing and times pass them by, hence, they resort to reducing their age to wipe out the wasted years. Instead of growing, they retard and remain on the same spot.

I used to be guilty of this circumstance until I heard that still voice within me call me to order, almost chastising me. Why would I continue to disregard all the potentials in me and reduce my value and status? Year after year, writing job aptitude tests meant for fresh graduates when I knew my level had gone beyond that. Why would you go carrying certificates from company to company painting the picture that you are some mediocre readily willing to be used by some inconsiderate employers who would pay you peanuts when you know you can do more than that? Oh, someone says I seem to forget there are no jobs nowhere, so, why not grab this one fast before the next person takes it away, you know the queue is a long one! Really? Honestly, one needs to have a mentality that works.

As a young lady at twenty-seven, you don’t need to lower your age to twenty-one just so you get a pass to be considered for that modelling job. You do not need to be at the mercy of some fake people who parade themselves as modelling agents only to have sex with you at the end of the day or dupe you of the money you don’t have with the promises of giving you modelling jobs. Come on! Let that go. There are other ways you can be heard in the fashion and entertainment world. Think vast. Don’t limit your brain and yourself. Think of possible better approaches to get you there.

Someone might say “age is nothing but just a number”. That could be true when applied in some other contexts, but in this particular context, age is everything! Age is result. Age is life! One needs to start oneself in time and meet up with one’s age or even surpass it. You will agree with me that it is not uncommon in this part of the world for a sixty-year-old man, for example, who is not married and does not have a child or children, neither does he have a means of livelihood, to hate being addressed as “Baba” or “Papa” (father). In fact, you will see the hot side of him should you dare to do that. Why? Because he is ashamed of his age because he didn’t meet up with it. He is so scared to be a man or a father now because he refused to be one when he had all the time. He refused to discover himself in time. He refused to work hard. And he refused to accept that it was not late for him to retrace his steps and be useful while he could. And now it is almost too late and he is going to live like that for the rest of his life. Now, growing old scares the daylight out of him. He feels the need to maintain that bachelor standard in which he has kept himself. Now, he does not grow old nor young. His life is stagnant without him even realizing it and there is no denying it, within him, he has this unsatisfying feeling of emptiness that will not go away, until his death. The worst place to be, you will agree with me.

Now, don’t get me wrong there. I do not want to make it look like marriage and child-bearing are all there is to life, heck no! Life is much more than that. I merely used that to illustrate one of the negative impacts of not living our age.  The person dwindles without even realizing it. Do yourself a favor and be your age because it will make you work hard.

Discover yourself as young as you are and work hard and hard and hard. Never relent because it will pay later and will not even stop paying until you decide so. In case, you might feel that where you are right now is too late for you to make the turn, all you need, first of all, is boldness. Be bold to say your real age anywhere. That does not hurt, does it? You will be amazed that someone somehow, will get you favored because to them, you look so much younger than your age. That alone, my friend, will stand you out wherever you go or your name is mentioned.  Moreover, once you get familiar with your age, reality would have dawned on you and no one would need to push you to work hard because you would. Being truthful to your age is all the motivation you need at this point. Secondly, get yourself the right packaging to sell yourself out there. Listen, everyone has some talents and purpose in life. Discover what you are good at. That is where your success lies. Do it. Don’t you deceive yourself with someone else’s talent because it will never work. Do not sing or act or even blog because you think it’s the easiest way to get fame and fortune. You will fail woefully. Just do you! Okay? Some may never get to discover their purpose because they are busy chasing others’ dreams when they can do theirs. There’s no better time to retrace your tracks and be on the right track but now and always. Now, back to PACKAGING. Package yourself attractively and sell to buyers. You never know how many rich people are out there willing to sponsor or invest in your project as long as you are able to give them the conviction that you are a resolute, committed and trustworthy person who always delivers in whatever is entrusted in their care. You do not think anyone is wealthy enough to go about looking for who to give that huge amount of money to just like that, do you? Please, have a rethink if you do. 

You need to make it work. No one but YOU! So, you do not want to downgrade yourself. You do not need any official age. Think your real age, do your real age and be your real age and even greater!

There is no better time. Do something now – always!

“Refuse to sit with your back to the future,

watching time pouring away into the past.”

                                                                                                           ---- Uzoamaka Kalu

When I was a teenager, I used to brag to myself, “My life has not begun. It will begin when I enter the University”. This was probably because I thought or felt there was a special or perfect time and environment for me to be useful to myself and the society or probably felt there were some factors, like ‘parental interference’ hindering me from taking my future into my hands and doing things I was gifted to do. I knew my talent but I had conditioned my mind in a way that I wouldn’t do anything unless I moved away from the prying eyes of my parents...

And I wonder how many other young people, especially, in this part of the World who had thought or are thinking in a similar way. The truth is that the time to utilize your abilities will never come once you have this mentality of waiting for a slated time before you do something. It takes an extra effort to pull you out of that. What with other distractions, school work and what have you and you will become so used to postponing what you have to do that it becomes normal to you and if not curbed, you grow old postponing your dreams and you know what happens afterwards, you end up living an unfulfilled and poverty-stricken life. You know that pang that reminds you that you are yet to fulfil your obligations on earth.

I knew I could do writing but I kept it on hold telling myself I would start writing once I gained admission into the University. I kept on dreaming of how I would write my own books. The truth is, there is no better time. Take each day and do something. A little here, a little there and you will be amazed at how much you would have achieved in a little while by the time you put them all together.

You do not need any special time or preparation to do what you have been called to do. Besides, while you wait for that “right” time, a lot of distractions would have come in the way to help mar your intentions. Sometimes, you might be like, you are waiting for the big thing. But while you wait for the “big thing”, are you going to sit and fold your arms and let the clock tick away? This is the most mistake made by most young people. They finish their Secondary Education for instance, write their University Entry Exams and now waiting to be granted admission into the University. Oh! Of course, the University! Everyone wants to go there (especially, in this part of the world)! Waiting for that University admission! Now, they do not mind waiting till eternity, sitting at home doing absolutely nothing but wait! Being a University graduate is fantastic, a wonderful honour, as long as this part of the world is concerned. But I’ve got news for you. Going to University is just a trend, especially, in this present day Nigeria. Most people do it just because they don’t want to be left out. Gone are the days when a University degree was a first class ticket to better life because, then, good jobs abounded for graduates but we are in a new era now where graduates roam the streets from year to year hunting for jobs. Most young people here would write University entry exams (you might want to call it JAMB) year after year without success until they become frustrated and depressed as a result but I assure you, it wouldn’t be much of a trouble to you if you had something to fall back on. I’m not saying it’s wrong to be a graduate, no! But one ought to have a focus in life. What is your focus for wanting to be a University graduate? Is it because others are doing it? Is it because you are desperately hungry for a white collar job when in reality you have been destined to be a greatly successful farmer? That is why you see most of our graduates with their degree certificates roaming the streets all in the name of hunting for a white collar job. What do you do when the job is not forth-coming? You end up a hungry graduate whose hopes are shattered or you are lured into soiling your hands with one dirty business after another.

While you wait for that admission into the University, if you must attend it, look for something to fill in the gap. Don’t stay idle and only trust that University education is the solution to all your life problems. Learn a trade. Learn some handwork and when the University finally comes, you would have been at an advantage unlike your other counterparts who would only depend on University to miraculously turn their lives positively around. That way, you can independently and comfortably see yourself through school if your parents are still struggling financially. You have absolutely nothing to lose learning a trade or handwork while you wait for school. Who says you cannot do that white collar job while you still own your own businesses and be an employer of labour. If the University admission proves so tough to come by, give up on it. It could be that there is another form of education that suits you better. Think about it! There is the polytechnic, there are other courses one can do outside the University. Go learn some computer program. Do some other program. There are a whole lot of them, Technical, Human Resources, Education, Electronics, Photography, Creative Writing, Film-making, Radio and TV presenting, and what have you.

One thing, whatever you do, ensure that you love it and do it with all passion and you will come out tops with it. It might take time but bear in mind that patience is part of hard work.