7 Important Questions that Can Radically Change Your Life & Work
If
you don’t detest where you are, you may never really move forward to a better
place. Start by questioning why you are at where you are right now.
Questions
are powerful – they provoke insights & deep reflections. The questions you
ask determines what you see, where you live, how you use your energy and much
of who you eventually turn out to become. While it’s true that most times the
world in which we live only wants to reward those who provide answers; asking
important questions are always the start of great things. Every time you
struggle in any area of life, it means good strategy is lacking.
Here
are 7 important questions that are linked to a super-life strategy that I think
you should consider asking yourself constantly:
1. What differentiates me from
everyone else?
Be ready to be unconventional and different. Know your distinctive competence,
pay attention to it & deploy it. You’re designed to shine bright like a
star in this world if only you can identify what sets you apart from others and
maximize it. Don’t invest your efforts where you get the least results. Our
world will become a better place than it is right now if everyone function in
their areas of differentiation.
The starting point is to analyze
your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats. You’re not going to do
well in every area – work at improving what you can & get help or support
in your very weak area. Working in your area of differentiation will help you
get better results than anyone else. Your differentiator is a door opener for
you and it shortens the curve of success for you. This is a key element of your
personal competitive strategy!
2. How much do I show honour to
myself?
Honour is a key characteristic of
success. Honour shows up in your appearance, presentation and personal values
or grooming. It determines how you talk, live and carry yourself. It shows up
in your confidence. Of course, nobody wants to be treated by a Doctor who is
not confident. Do you wear shoes that aren’t well polished? Or do you carry a
hairstyle that’s dirty & unattractive? How courageous are you? What’s the
strength of your character and integrity? These all speak to how much honour
you have. This is a key element of your personal branding strategy!
3. How am I dealing with disorder in
my life?
Be
the best at introducing order wherever you find disorder. As you pursue order
in your life, you rise above mediocrity. The first sign of insanity is living
with disorder & remaining indifferent.
Every movement towards order
creates pleasure. Never sing a workplace’s song of mediocrity in solidarity.
Many times you need to get ahead of the rest for the sake of the rest of the
people. Wrestle to deal with everything that is wrong around you. Every pain or
loss around you is a proof of disorder. Every organizational process that’s not
working, every rule that is broken or target that is indolently missed is a
proof of disorder. Start with fixing your own closet and then fixing other
things around you.
Rather than contribute to ills in
your environment, seek to address it. Let excellence and quality show in your
work. Seek excellence and good quality in unusually high degree. When you value your organization and love
people genuinely, you will serve them with the best that you’ve got. Grow in
discipline & overcome procrastination. When you deal with disorder, you get the best
in return. This is a key element of your quality strategy!
4. How much financial wisdom do I
possess?
Most
family arguments revolve around money. Money is not a miracle – it’s the reward
for solving problems relative to their importance. It is a reward for doing
something so well. Instead of just doing a job, solve problems through your
desk. Get skills that help you solve big problems for your organization. Utilize
the ideas that you have; then money will come to you. The last time I checked,
money still flows in the direction of value creation!
Be careful about what you spend
money on, you certainly can do without a lot of things that you buy. Never pay
more for a product or service than you have to pay. Educate your mind on how to
multiply what’s in your hand. Instead of getting angry with your employer who
did not increase your salary, learn how to multiply what you have legitimately
earned, otherwise your incessant complaints can get you fired. The truth is
that many of these employers have put more money in our hands more than all our
family members combined! Put your money in places where they can work for you
without you being present – this is called investing. Stocks, shares and treasury bills are good
options. Avoid putting money in Ponzi schemes or else heart attack may well be
your reward.
Have a monthly personal financial
budget. Understand the sources of your income before allocating your expenses.
Be disciplined enough to ensure that you’re only spending out of what you have already
earned. Then save a percentage of your earnings – this is called savings. Be
sure that at every point in time your savings can keep you till you get another
job for at least six months should you be out of employment. If you must budget
to visit the cinemas for four times a month, apart from the ticket fees, also
plan for the popcorn and soft drinks. Many people who don’t do their budget
this way in my part of the world often blame the disappearance of their money
on “Agbanna”, a Spirit that mysteriously takes away money from the pockets of
people. If you must borrow, be certain that you’re not using it to buy
liabilities but assets – even certain assets depreciates with time! A liability
takes away money from you in the long term while an asset brings more money to
you in the long term. This is a key element of your financial
management strategy!
5. How well do I project my talents?
It is stupidity and not humility
to light your candle and put it under a bushel. People who believe in their
talents projects it more. Your talents are not for you but for the people who
need it. These may be individuals, groups or corporation. Collaborate with
others to give your talents more reach. Be a good team player – others need to
do their bit so well for you to be able to do yours well also. Learn to
delegate effectively so that you can focus on where your talents will add the
most value.
Refine your talent through
training. Nobody will desire your talents in its raw state and it’s never too
late to get education. Develop your communication skills. Find the best people
in your field and serve under them as an apprentice. Learn under the
professionals because the refining process is what really adds value to your
talents. Be consistent in the quality of your delivery. Never be tempted to
become complacent and give less than your best. Develop a strong work ethics.
Find places where you can deploy
your talents to get the best advantage. Stand where opportunities can see you
and where you can be seen. Today’s media has been democratized. You no longer
have to pay so much money to be on the television to be heard, the social media
is as powerful and it’s free! Don’t burn your data cost reading other people’s
works, let them also read yours! This is a key element of your talent
advertising strategy!
6. What is my reputation like?
Develop strong values, moral
excellence and accountability system. Be straightforward in whatever you do. If
you must do anything, do it right! Strive for integrity. Labour for integrity.
In fact, battle for integrity.
Don’t become an untrustworthy
employee on your job. Don’t spend your employer’s time on personal stuff. Pay
your taxes correctly. To win respect, you must always act with dignity. Nurture
your credibility and grow your believability. Run from bribery and corruption.
Be trustworthy. Never allow your success to outrun your character. This
is a key element of your risk management strategy!
7. How are my negotiating in my
relationships?
All of life is about negotiations. A negotiation takes place whenever ideas are
exchanged for the purpose of influencing behaviour. Be persuasive. Master the
art of convincing others to want to do what you want them to do. Never belittle
the opinions of others, otherwise your opponents will become more hostile.
Rather, focus on bringing friendliness and sympathy to the table at all times. Today’s
divorce rate would have really gone down if the marriage vows were to have been
changed to read “love, honour & negotiate”!
The understandings, relationships
and agreements you reach will largely determine whether you fail or succeed in
career or life. You must develop the ability to dialogue with others by first
giving thoughts to your words before you speak while being mindful of your
audience. To resolve the business and social conflicts of society, each of us
will have to become better negotiators. In life you don’t get what you deserve,
you get what you negotiate.
Human beings engage and will
continue to engage in a bargaining process whenever they work or walk together.
Rather than become confrontational at work for example, you should learn to negotiate.
How well we negotiate with superiors, associates & subordinates has a
far-reaching effect on our lives than all the buying and selling we will ever
do. Good negotiators are non-violent, they are ever listening, responding &
adjusting conflicting values and they always end up with a greater share of
money, freedom & respect. This is a key element of your negotiation
strategy!
Are you really succeeding in these
areas? Let me know your thoughts.
Comments
Post a Comment