IGNITE IT

Thinking of which business to go into should not be confusing. Dozens of people have made this decision in the past; some are smiling in fulfillment and satisfaction while some are taking the hot coffee of regret. The difference between these two sets is, one made her choice from her interest while the other made hers from other people’s interest, they saw their progress, they too took it as a norm.  

Success in business has a lot to do with energy. Not muscular energy but a continuous burning passion for what you do, the ability to want to go the extra mile without any external motivation. And nothing fuels this passion as interest. Interest is the singular launching pad that launched businesses into greatness.

Find your interest, hidden in your talents and gifting, it will ignite the genius in you and spark up the curiosity and pioneering spirit in you. Making money will become fun and easy. “Music was important. Football was the easy part”. Zinedine Zidane, the French Footballer.

He also found out the easy way, resigned his job, pursued and leveraged his interest. "He had an early interest in software and began programming computers at the age of thirteen" - Bill Gates- Biography and History- inventors.com

This is a confirmation from a professor of psychology at Duke University, USA

"Our research shows that interest is important in the process of pursuing goals. It allows us to perform at high levels without wearing out," said Paul O'Keefe, who conducted the studies as a doctoral student in Duke University's Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, along with associate professor Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia. - sciencedaily.com

"When human beings are granted what smith calls the "natural liberty" to pursue their own interest, where "All system of... restraint, therefore, being completely taken away, the harmony of these individual pursuits will, unintended by the actors, often produce social and economic good..."

So, don't be confused on which business or career to choose. Find out where your interest lies and IGNITE IT.

Octopus on Roller Skate

"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." Ray Bradbury

A Profile in Failure

The greatest people in history have been failures. Certainly, we remember these individuals as successes, success stories, and we treat those stories as legends and those individuals as gods. But each of them failed apically and repeatedly, more so than the combined successes of all of humanity.

Failure should not be overlooked in anyone, especially not those we admire. It is through failure that these individuals were able to learn, grow and ultimately succeed. We know this about ourselves but even as we learn to accept our own failures, sometimes we don’t recognize that the most successful people in the world have had an abundance of failure.

Our heroes need to be held to the same standard as the ancient Greek gods: awesome but not infallible. Failure is a humbling exercise, both for the observer and the observed. But learning is a humbling process. Once we realize that our heroes are just like us, we can examine how failure drives success. So I’ve started collecting stories about the failures of successful people, as a reminder that if you’re making mistakes and learning from them, you’re actually on the path to success.

When you think of Warren Buffett, chances are the words “successful” and “rich” come to mind. Look no further than Wikipedia, which highlights Buffett as being “widely considered the most successful investor of the 20 century.” (Wikipedia may not always be the beacon of truth, but it is nonetheless accurate in this case.) Buffett is also known for his wisdom and patience, earning him saint-like nicknames such as “Oracle” and “Sage.” People make annual pilgrimages to Omaha just to hear him speak. But what many people don’t know is that his purchase of Berkshire Hathaway—his crowning achievement now worth over $300 billion—was an epic failure, driven by hubris and immaturity. Buffett once declared “I would have been better off if I’d never heard of Berkshire Hathaway.”

Buffett’s involvement in Berkshire Hathaway started in 1962 as an investment similar to his other purchases. Analysts calculated the stock was worth $19.46 a share, but it could be bought for a mere $7.50, so Buffett bought some “cheap” stock, planning to sell it back to the company when the price rose. After a time, Berkshire’s President—Seabury Stanton—got wind of Buffett’s stock accumulation and called him to his Massachusetts office for a meeting. He asked at what price Buffett would be willing to sell, and Buffett said he’d sell for $11.50 a share if there was a tender offer.

Shortly thereafter, Stanton issued a tender offer of $11.37 and a half cents per share. The young Buffett was livid; he felt that Stanton was trying to pull one over on him. Instead of renegotiating or holding his stock until a better offer came around, he started looking for more stock to buy. He vowed to buy a controlling interest in the company just so he could fire Seabury Stanton.

Berkshire Hathaway in the 1960s was nothing like the powerful conglomerate it is today. It was a lowly textile company that imported raw cotton from the South and turned it into cloth. Before air conditioning was invented, Berkshire addressed an important need as mills had to be located far away from southern heat and humidity. But by the 1960s air conditioning was commonplace, labor was cheap in the South, and both labor and raw materials were even cheaper overseas. So by the time Buffett started buying stocks, New England textile mills were in dire straits, including Berkshire Hathaway.

Yet Buffett was determined to own the company, driven by his disdain of Seabury Stanton. He convinced others to sell him their stock until he had collected enough to control the Board. Seabury, seeing the writing on the wall, resigned, and Buffett was elected Chairman of the Board and hired Seabury’s replacement. Despite new management, the textile mill continued to disintegrate. Buffett first poured money into it and ultimately tried to sell it, but no one would buy it. It ultimately shut down.

Of course, by then Buffett had diversified its holdings, acquiring companies in different industries to keep Berkshire Hathaway afloat. But the original Berkshire Hathaway textile company was a huge mistake. In his biography, The Snowball, he put it this way:

“You walk down the street and you see a cigar butt, and it’s kind of soggy and disgusting and repels you, but it’s free…and there may be one puff left in it. Berkshire didn’t have any more puffs. So all you had was a soggy cigar butt in your mouth. That was Berkshire Hathaway in 1965. I had a lot of money tied up in the cigar butt….I would have been better off if I’d never heard of Berkshire Hathaway.”

Buffett made a series of poor decisions which forced him to fight his way through a hard lesson learned. He was stubbornly persistent, and rather than giving up and allowing Berkshire Hathaway to fail, he diversified the business into one of the greatest success stories in investor lore. What’s more, Buffett didn’t hide from this huge failure. To the contrary, he wore it as a badge of honor. He kept what is arguably a horrible brand name and it’s a reminder of his failure each and every day for the rest of his life. Buffett owned that failure, internalized it, and let it become a defining characteristic of the now supremely successful Berkshire Hathaway.

Eagle Eye

Keep an eagle eye on things that interest you... they will make you interesting.

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BEFORE YOU SAY I DO

“It is essential to know yourself before deciding what work you want to do.”*

True love comes from the heart, not from the mind. This is not another single and married piece. Not the ‘I do’ with your spouse or to be spouse but it’s closely related. Practically, before you profess love to someone, you must have developed interest in that person from within, that is, no string attached. And when you show interest in a person, you are professing a fixed allegiance to such, but would you want to show interest or profess a fixed allegiance to the person you don’t love or have interest in? Knowing fully well that whichever person you show interest in, you must give your full and undivided attention to. So also your choice of career.

Therefore, before you say I do to any work or career, there must be an interest first before acceptance. Interest comes from within, so it must first come from within then without. So you must ensure that whichever career or work you want to pick up must be from within you(something you love doing or talented at)not from without, that is, not determined by external factor such as the official car attached to it, pay check or any tangible thing. No external factor must decide your career, the decision must come from within. It must be what you are in love with. That which you are ready to spend the rest of your life doing. As it is not possible for you to divorce the woman you genuinely love, so also, it shouldn't be possible for you to divorce the career you chose. 

That is why before you are joined to your spouse, you will be asked again “do you truly love him/her? Will you be there in times challenges? Will you be willing to stick your neck out? This is because the true test of interest that leads to love is trials and challenges. And if you can stand firm in the stormy sea, then you’re truly in love. So you should ask yourself this same questions, ‘do I really love this career I’m about to choose’ or have chosen? As the case may be. Do I really have interest in this job I am doing? Am I fulfilled and happy doing it? Do I have peace of mind in it? If your answers falls in the negative, click this link www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp to access yourself on the right career to go into ‘BEFORE YOU SAY I DO’.

* The 8^th Habit, p76, paragraph 2.

Your Talent and Your Career Choice

If you want to experience what success really means, find what your talent is and choose a career along that area. If you can do this, two things will happen, one, you will be fulfilled and two, you will succeed faster. Why? Because career is an individual expression of one’s interest or talents at a particular time. And you will do well in certain areas that capitalize on your talents.

The following personality types by John Holland will also be of great help to you.

Here is John Holand’s theory on personality types. These personality types that Holand described predispose people to do well in certain careers that capitalize on their talents. They don’t describe everyone, but they provide a structure for understanding why some people do better than others in particular jobs. 

Realistic: This person is logical, objective and forthright. Preference is given to dimensions such as physical prowess, aggression and domination. A realistic type prefers activities in which to manipulate objects, machines and other tangible things. This person is likely to be emotionally stable but less sociable and inclined to select technical, agricultural, or trade occupation. He or she is practical and tends to have underdeveloped verbal and social skill but highly developed motor skills. The realistic person chooses career such as laborer, farmer, carpenter, engineer, or machine operator. The realistic environment allows realistic people to perform preferred activities and be rewarded for technical abilities.

                                             

Investigative: By relying on intelligence and cognitive skills, this personality type is problem solver. Socially aloof and introverted, the investigative individual prefers intellectual tasks that require academic proficiencies. He or she also tends to be analytical, critical, intellectual, methodical, precise, rational and reserved. These person exhibit traits of creativity, independence and self-confidence but is often not realistic or practical. Career choices for this type include scientist, scholar, research worker, and theoretician.

Artistic: This is a sensitive, impulsive, creative, emotional, independent and non-conforming individual who values cultural activities and aesthetic qualities. The person may develop competencies in art, drama, music, writing and language and avoid structured situations. Not surprisingly a creative type chooses careers such as actor, writer, musician and artist.

Social: This person is highly skilled in dealing with other people. He or she is usually accepting, responsible, cheerful, nurturing and caring. If you have noticed a similarity between this type and yourself or your classmate, it’s because this category is most often descriptive of those who choose helping professions. Take note, however, because this type often evades intellectual or physical task, preferring to use strength in interpersonal manipulations.

Enterprising: This person uses highly refined verbal skills for leadership and sales profession such as marketing, business and politics. He or she is enthusiastic, energetic, dominating, persuasive, extroverted and aggressive. Much concern is devoted to attaining status, power and leadership roles. Some examples of enterprising vocations are business executives, sales people, politicians and promotional workers.

Conventional: This type of person prefers activities that are routine, structured and practical. A conventional type is self-controlled, orderly, inhibit and efficient. Examples of conventional vocation include bankers, book keepers, office workers and clerks.

Sample Careers

The following lists are sample careers that typify persons dominant within a category.

Doer (Realistic)

Working with one's hands/body, with tools, machines, and things; practical, mechanically inclined, and physical

Actor, agriculture, animator, anthropologist, archeologist, architect, artist, astronaut, athlete, bartender, carpenter, catering, chef/culinary art, computer art, computer scientist, cosmetology/ make-up artist, costume designer, dancer, dentist, driver (bus, truck), engineer, electrician, environmental science, farmer, fashion designer/ haute couture, fashion model, filmmaker/ film school, firefighter, game design, graphic designer, handicrafts, horticulturist/gardener, instructional technology, information technologist, interior design, knitting, laborer, librarian, lifeguard, martial arts, marine biology, mechanic/automobiles, mechanical engineer, military, musician, nursing, optometry, paleontologist, paramedic, park ranger, personal trainer/ athletic trainer, pharmacist, photographer, physical therapist, pilot, police officer, production designer, radiology, sculptor, list of sewing occupations, surgeon, veterinarian, web development/ web design, webmaster, waiting staff, wood carving.

Thinker (investigative)

Working with theory and information, analytical, intellectual, and scientific

Actuary, computer science, critical theory, economist, engineer, finance, lab work, lawyer, library and information science, mathematics, medicine, pharmacy, pre-med, professor (all fields), computer programmer, psychologist, public health, research/scholarship, science, statistics, surgeon, teacher.

Creator (Artistic)

Non-conforming, original, independent, chaotic, creative

Actor, author/poet, dancer, master of fine art, musician/singer-songwriter, painter/graphic designer

Helper (Social)

Cooperative/non-competitive environments, supporting, helping, healing/nurturing

Activist/social justice, advisor, art therapist, caretaker, civil right lawyer, clinical social work, community organizer, counselor, clergy, dance therapy, drama therapy, education, human rights/humanitarian, nurse, nutritionist, philanthropy, physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, receptionist, religion/philosophy, special education, speech-language pathologist, teacher, trainer (business), translator/interpreter.

Persuader (Enterprising)

Competitive environments, status, hierarchy, leading, persuading, selling, dominating

Administration, administrative assistant, bartender, business/MBA, buyers, communications, economics, entrepreneur, event manager/haute couture, fashion model, flight attendant, hospitality management studies, human resources, insurance, investment banker, journalism, law/Debate, lobbyist, marketing/market research, management, management consultant, political science/international relations, politics, pre-law, professor, publicist, publishing, public administration, public affairs, public relations, public policy, public speaking, real estate, retail, stockbroker, sales, student council, trainer (business), travel agent, united nations/model U.N.

Organizer (Conventional)

Precise, perfect attention to detail, orderly, organizing, likes to work with data, status

Certified public accountant (CPA), actuary, administration, administrative assistant, banker, bank teller, bookkeeper, business/MBA, cashier, clerk, copy editing, computer science, desktop publishing, economics, engineer, finance, instructional technology, investment banking, lexicographer, library and information science, information technology, management, management information systems, office manager, payroll, pharmacy, proofreader, secretary, statistics, technical writer.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia