by Happiness Hassan | Apr 10, 2022 | Family & Parenting
Conflict of interest in career choice between parents and their children is one of the factors igniting family dispute, which eventually terminates the love, trust, unity, understanding, and harmony in a home. Oftentimes, propels children to rebel against their parents. However, to avert disheartening statements in the future such as I hate what I do and life is miserable for me because my parents are forcing me into a career I dislike, it’s best if you speak up in the right way.
Reasons Why Parents Choose Careers for Their Children
It’s wrong for parents to force their children into careers they have little or no passion for. In essence, a career is a lifetime occupation that requires you to make the decision yourself and not your parents. However, parents believe they know what’s best for their children and are in the position to decide what career they should venture into, besides they pay the bills.
Reasons for this are traced to a parental desire for a socially recognized career, careers with more job opportunities, and a selfish reason to preserve their family status. Learn more about the role of parents in their child’s career choice.
Know That Rebelling is not an Option
My parents are forcing me into a career and I’m not interested, what can I do? Ahmad laments. His family wants him to become a doctor. Unfortunately, he grew up in a family passionate about medical sciences. His dad is a doctor, his mom a pharmacist, while his sister is into the nursing profession.
They own a private hospital. His dad continually reminded him of heading to the family hospital someday. Ahmad had something entirely different from what his parents wanted for him.
His passion was architecture, being scared of disobeying his parents he kept quiet and devised his scheme. Unknowingly to his parents, he had a change of course and for years lied to his parents hoping to convince him his excellent grades in architecture having graduating. Surprisingly, the reverse was the case. His deceit brought enmity between him and his parents shattered their love and trust for him.
Moreover, if you find yourself in Ahmad’s story you don’t have to remain silent at the expense of your happiness nor should you rebel.
Here is What You Should Do If You Are Forced Into A Career You Don’t Like
1. Understand Your Parents
Your parents forcing you into a career probably have something good in mind. Remember, they will not make choices that are detrimental to your well-being. Their choice might be different from yours but not a horrible option. Hence, consider their perspective. Ask yourself the reasons why your parents want you to pick a certain career, is there a selfish reason? Inquire about the benefit associated with that career path.
To be more practical, how would you react if you were in your parent’s shoes someday and your child rebels against your choice? That doesn’t seem right. You can convince them when you speak from their standpoints.
2. Communicate Your Feelings Effectively
This is a medium that helps you express how you feel towards your parent’s choice, likewise convince them about your own desired career. Silence never solves the problem of your parents forcing you into a career you dislike.
Discard the feeling of fear from your mind when approaching your parents and employ the following communication tactics.
Select Your Words Carefully
To successfully convince your parents, be mindful of your word usage, avoid using words such as you have no right over me, I am old enough to make my own choices, I have my life to live. Those kinds of words harden their heart the more.
In contrast, use words like “I trust your choice for me” “I know you have my best at heart” and more.
Moderate Your Tune
Your tune while conversing either creates a negotiable atmosphere or an uneasy one. Speak with courtesy because pleasant words spoken in a calm tune loosens up the hearts and promotes agreement.
Time Your Approach
It’s a fruitless effort attempting to convince your parents when they are stressed out or upset. Hence, observe their moods, you can also set a happy atmosphere by assisting them in completing their activities for the day or prepare a surprise meal for them before approaching them.
Have A Heart-to-heart Conversation
Your parents will always rethink when every word you express is said from your heart, putting your emotions to play. Learn more about effective communication.
3. Talk To Your Role Model
Humans are easily convinced by the good example presented to them. Therefore, become courageous to show your parents people who are successful in your desired fields, this practice assures your parents that you are not making the wrong choice.
Also, provide a thousand acceptable reasons why you choose a career entirely different from theirs, the benefits associated with the career. Likewise, their success stories remind changing agents.
4. Bring in a Third Party
Perhaps, other steps aren’t sufficient, and you are afraid of approaching your parents, then get a third party involved. However, you need to be mindful of the kinds of third parties you invite. Meanwhile, there are standard third parties capable of convincing your parents about your choice. They include your Malam, Pastor or a community leader.
Furthermore, sign up for a counselling session with a career counsellor or coach, you can also invite them over to your house to talk with your parents. These counsellors are trained in the field of career choice and conflict of Interest among parents and children, hence they know the perfect approach to apply notwithstanding how difficult your parent might be.
5. Express Your Passion
Parents are humans with natural emotions. Begin by letting your parents know how difficult their chosen career would be for you and how you might end up failing in that career path. On hearing this, most times they give their support in favour of your career because no parent wants to waste their time, resource and efforts on a career that will result in future failure.
Likewise, outline your plans and objectives for choosing your preferred career for your parents.
6. Promise And Fulfil
Take responsibility for every choice you make. Your parents might doubt your success in your desired field and force you into careerism different from your plans. However, their minds and choice can be reversed by making a promise.
For instance, committing yourself to excellence and making yourself proud when given the free will to decide for yourself. Don’t make them regret their chance of plans for you.
Conclusion
The steps mentioned above are an effective approach to convincing your parents. You don’t have to rebel or deceive them, instead, work towards understanding and convincing them strategically knowing that they love you and would always want the best for you.
Have you been forced into a career before? Let me know how you handled it in the comments box.
by Johnson Temiloluwa | Apr 5, 2022 | Business & Finance
The name or brand “Dangote” doesn’t sound foreign to you, if it does then you are not a true Nigerian. I could even push further and say not a true African. But I wouldn’t, let’s stop in my country. Recognizing his name and the facts about Dangote means he is doing something right in the business world, hence, someone with his kind of experience with business has a few things about himself and his business that could inspire every businessman. Recently, I wrote about quotes from Dangote that are nugget worthy and will motivate you. In this article, I’ll share with you facts about Dangote and 15 things about him every businessman should know.
Who is Aliko Dangote?
Aliko Dangote is a 64years old business magnate and the richest man in Africa. He is the founder and CEO of the Dangote Group. He was born in Kano, Nigeria and his education was mostly in Egypt, Cairo.
Dangote comes from a well-known business inclined family, he is the grandson of Alhaji Alhassan Dantata; he was the richest person in Africa at the time he was alive. He ventured into business at the age of 21. Aliko Dangote owns the second-largest sugar refinery in the whole world, the largest cement factory in the world (again), one of the largest flour mills in the world, and the number two largest fertilizer plant in the world.
According to Forbes, Dangote is worth $14 billion and has maintained topping the list of the richest men in Africa for more than 10 years.
Dangote is a quintessential and successful businessman and a philanthropist.
next, I’ll be sharing with you the things every businessman should know about him. They will be factual as I will be adding his words to each point.
Things Every Businessman Should Know About Dangote
There are people who think that because Dangote is from a rich successful business family, he is privileged, and not every business owner can learn from him. This notion is understandable but stay with me, the things I’ll be sharing with you will probably change that notion.
Regardless of your money status or how long you’ve been a business person, there’s something you can adopt into your business from knowing these facts about Dangote.
1. Dangote Understands the Need for Passion
Here’s what he said during an interview with Bloomberg when he was asked to share a business hack.
We had already studied doing 300,000 barrels a day back in 2005. At that time I couldn’t even fathom a larger refinery. I had no financial capacity. Then in about 2010, we paid all Dangote Group’s debts, which amounted to $2 billion…We don’t want to listen to the critics, because their intention is to destroy us. We are using our own money. This is my lifetime project. I have to back it up with my own life to make sure it is delivered.
There is no way you can have a population of 320 million in West Africa and no self-sufficiency. So the first thing to do is food security. We have land, we have water, we have the climate—we shouldn’t be a massive importer of food. With modern farming, you can get 8 to 10 tons per hectare. I believe Dangote Group is in the right position to drive this trajectory.
This statement oozes passion from every angle. He had a huge amount of debt to pay but his passion for what he does as a business kept him going. Among many other things, It takes passion to keep at a business, especially failure to some extent looms.
Also, I believe that before a business, there’s a person behind it, and there’s a passion driving the business in the person. Do you get it?
2. Dangote is Hungry for Success and Confident While at it
In the interview he had with Bloomberg, he said a lot of inspiring things and I’ll point out one of them again.
Beginning in 2020 our major investment will be in the U.S. and Europe… Beginning in 2020, 60 percent of our future investments will be outside Africa, so we can have a balance.
Let’s say that by 2025, I’m looking at [putting in] between $20 billion and $50 billion [in Europe or the U.S].
Our business strategy has always been like that, yes. We don’t want to be No. 2 in anything that we do. We want to be No. 1. Worst case, we can be No. 2 but targeted to become No. 1
Put in mind, this was a well-successful man already. Everyone knew how successful he was but, he was hungry for more success and it kept him on his toes to do more, be more, and have more.
3. Provide Valuable Goods and Services
When Dangote was asked why he chose to be involved with cement. His reply would shock you;
I think actually what I figured out was looking at the entire African continent, especially sub-Saharan, and saying, “What do we actually produce?” What I learned is that the majority of African countries imported cement. The better way, I thought, would be to empower Africa – to meet our own infrastructural needs so that we could be more self-sufficient.
Personally, I think this is where business owners get it wrong. They provide a service that is not a solution. Dangote realized a sector that was lacking and built a business up from there. Dear business owner, before venturing into a business, make sure to find what solution it will provide.
4. Dangote is Thoughtful
There’s a trend that goes on around business owners which is taking up an interest in selling what is trendy and popular. Dangote thinks otherwise and he did differently. Here’s what he said:
The majority of people here made their money through oil. But Dangote has never ever dealt in oil, which is to prove that you don’t have to be in oil. In Nigeria, oil has really damaged our thinking. Everyone is thinking about oil, oil, oil. And we are one company that has made a success without doing that.
Business owners, you do not have to follow the trend of what other business people do. Look carefully, there’s something else to be done. Think deeply, relating to the previous point, there is a solution that people need, you just have to find it.
5. Dangote Is Bold and Daring
There’s a saying that, “only a bold man makes the bold moves”. Before a business gets successful, an entrepreneur must have taken a move that was out of their comfort zone. Can you think of yourself as being bold? No? A business person should be able to do this and this is one of the facts about Dangote that I find really inspiring as someone that is interested in business.
We make a lot of bold moves, which other people find really difficult to take. We always dream very big, and we’re committed to investing in Africa… the only way to move Africa forward is for people like us to take very bold moves. I never worry about being too bold. In business it’s good to be aggressive, but with a human face.
The above statement is what Dangote said in a recent interview.
6. Dangote is Consistent
What makes a business known for the value it has to offer is the consistency in the running of the business.
Dangote says:
To hold on to consistency, find ways to remove hitches that come with entrepreneurship.
7. Dangote Appreciates People and Hire the Smart Ones
I always make sure I hire people smarter than me.
A business only thrives when there are various heads with different brilliant task execution. Dangote is aware of this so he hires smarter people, that way, things get done with the help of these people’s brains.
8. Dangote Wants to Make People Happy
He said:
My grandfather once told me the soul of business is not making money, it is making people happy and I have held on to it
9. Dangote Embraces Competition
Don’t kill the competition. Competition is healthy for businesses. It keeps you the entrepreneur on your toes.
He sees competition as an opportunity to be better and do better.
10. Dangote Is a Big Dreamer but Knows the Importance of Starting Small
To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big
Any business has its early beginning which is definitely small. He encourages starting small with the hope that it gets big and better.
11. Dangote Makes Tough Decisions to Keep His Company Afloat
If I had challenges in my company, I would not hesitate to sell assets to remain afloat, to get to the better times, because it doesn’t make any sense for me to keep any assets and then suffocate the whole organization.
He is aware and knows when certain risks should be taken.
12. Dangote is Patient
You could easily tell that hard work and perseverance go hand in hand with patience. We often hear people say patience is worth it, yet we don’t practice it. I did and look how well it worked out for me.
Dear business owner, be patient. It takes time to build anything.
13. Dangote Makes Adequate Research About Business
The most dangerous thing for an entrepreneur to do is to actually go into a business that he does not understand fully.
Do not, I repeat, do not venture when you don’t understand. This is one of the facts about Dangote that I find admirable. Every business owner should do this
14. Dangote Started to Build With Ambition
If you don’t have ambition, you shouldn’t be alive.
Ambition is basically what you want from life. Dangote chose the business part and he followed through with it.
15. Dangote Knows When to Sleep
I cannot stress this enough, it’s okay to be passionate about your business but know when to sleep. Know when to rest and build the body. Dangote says:
Exercise is better than any medicine I can take; exercise and sleep.
Don’t wait until you fall sick, If the richest man in Africa prioritizes exercise and sleep, who are you not to?
Conclusion
Every single point and fact about Dangote in business can increase your process as a business owner, you just have to take what you need and make use of it.
While you are here, this is the best time to read the effective qualities every entrepreneur should have.
I wish you a successful business. Cheers to your growth!
FAQs
What is Dangote slogan?
“Building prosperity and self-sufficiency.”
What is Dangote full name?
Alhaji Aliko Dangote
How much does Dangote make in a day?
Dangote makes around 15 million a day
What is Dangote’s position in the world?
He is the richest man in the continent of Africa for 1, 2, 3…11th year. Yes, you are seeing right.
What type of company is Dangote?
Dangote is a Nigerian multinational industrial conglomerate and its position is the largest corporation in West Africa and also one of the largest in Africa.
What has Dangote done for Nigeria?
The list is quite lengthy but the most notable and world-recognized one is this; In the year 2021, Dangote (Cement sector) moved to erect the biggest cement plant in Africa in Southwest Nigeria. With this, It made Nigeria a cement exporting country.
Who gave Dangote money to start business?
His uncle; Sanusi Abdulkadir Dantata gave Dangote money to start business. Dangote was the one that actually requested the loan.
by Michelle Anama Abari | Nov 29, 2021 | Personal Growth
A lot of people have never taken out time to ponder on ways to invest in themselves. There are millions of smart ways to invest in yourself, it all depends on your willingness to see yourself as a being to invest in.
Investing in yourself does not only deal with your physical self, it also touches other facets of your life like your spiritual, mental, and even emotional life. There are a lot of smart ways to invest in yourself that is you as a whole.
Taking out time to build yourself is a very good thing. It is like you see yourself as a broken building that needs to be reconstructed. As you go deeper into this literature you get to realize that there are infallible smart ways to invest in yourself.
Ways to Invest in Yourself
1. Travel More
Yes, travelling is a good way to invest in yourself. By travelling, you get to see and experience a lot of things ranging from seeing new people, learning a new language, learning new cultures, and even trying out new dishes.
Travelling also helps you relive your mind by changing environment and meeting people with different ideologies and experiences which help you see life from a different angle.
2. Plan for Your Future
Don’t wait until retirement age to start saving or investing. A lot of people fall into this category because they don’t save, they just spend all the money that comes into their hands.
By saving money, you get to invest in a business or even build a business empire for yourself. This business can be inherited by your children which is a good thing.
In the book The Richest Man In Babylon’ by George S. Clason, the author states you should pay yourself first. By paying yourself first, are not just keeping a certain amount of your money stagnant, you are keeping to put your money to work later on. It is a really good way to invest in your future.
3. Read a Book or a Blog
There are hidden benefits to the art of reading. It is not boring to read, it’s a blessing! Reading a book or blog which is beneficial to your life is another smart way to invest in yourself.
Books give you the power to learn new things and bust through career slumps. Books and blogs help you boost your career and show you a clear path to things you never knew possible. Books give insights into a lot of things in life. Because books and blogs are written by people from their own experience, you can grasp and understand life from these authors’ perspectives.
By grasping some of their ideas, you get to use the good to help your life and this is very good in investing in yourself.
4. Exercises and Yoga
Your physical self also has to be invested in. Exercises and Yoga are good ways to invest in yourself. Exercises bring a sense of lightness and confidence to your body, honestly stretching and flexing your muscles are very beneficial to you in the long run. To exercise and do yoga habitually, you have to motivate yourself to workout, you have to look beyond the pain of exercises and look at the beneficial part of exercises and what it does for you in the long run.
Exercising and doing yoga gives you self-confidence which is very good and helps you appreciate your physical appearance.
5. Pray More
As very religious as it may be, it is a very relevant way to invest in yourself. The art of prayer helps you feel at peace, you don’t only feel at peace but you also feel a sense of wholeness in yourself. Praying may seem orthodoxical to some but it is good for investing in yourself.
By praying, you are also investing in your spiritual life which has a link to other facets of your life. Praying goes a long way when investing in yourself. It is often neglected but it is very important to invest in yourself. Just praying solves and leads you to other ways to invest in yourself. It does not matter how your prayer, all that matters is how you take prayer and how it invests in your life.
You could join religious associations which help people know themselves and also helpless privileged people. By doing this you’re knowing yourself and also investing in yourself.
6. Another Smart Way To Invest In Yourself Is By Eating Healthy
Eating healthy can help optimize brain function. Eating healthy is also very beneficial to invest in yourself. Your body needs fuel to run efficiently, so be sure to serve it nutrients.
Here are some ways to nourish your body:
- Increase the number of fruits and vegetables going into your body.
- Drink at least 3 litres of water daily.
- Take supplements
7. Find A Mentor
Your path to investing in yourself doesn’t have to be a solo trip. Whether you want to be in business or education, finding an experienced mentor in your chosen industry will help you get where you want to go.
These mentors will often have your best financial interest at heart and can direct you towards a future of wealth and stability. Some tips to find a mentor maybe:
- Check social media for a mentor that fits your career path.
- Going for a program relating to your career venture.
- Sending cold emails to some mentors.
8. Develop Your Skills
Everyone has skills, it just depends on you finding them. Once you’ve found something you’re good at or would want to venture into, you have to build on it. Exploiting opportunities to help develop does skills. As they say, practice makes perfect!
Some skills for developing could be:
- Leadership skills
- Digital skills
- Writing skills
- Intelligence skills
- Public speaking skills
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9. A Smart Way To Invest In Yourself Is By Setting Goals
Setting goals is a really good thing if you plan on getting ahead in life. Setting goals will not only help invest in your life but will also help you get ahead in life.
Setting goals could be long-term, short-term, or even challenging yourself. A way to set goals is by taking time to do things you ordinarily would not do but are very beneficial to your life. Take for instance reading 10 pages of a book each day, that would sum up to at least 30 books a year! It is really good because it helps you increase your vocabulary.
10. When You Invest In Others, You Also Invest in Yourself
You may be asking how you can invest in people? There are numerous to invest in people and some ways include:
- Patronize a friends business
- Being moral support to people
- Praying for people
- Giving a talk about your experience at a conference
These are some little ways to invest in people and by doing this you’re also doing good and investing in yourself. You may not know this, but helping people gives you a place in their hearts. So if you would want to invest in yourself, start helping people!
11. Make Money On The Side
Earning money on the side of your day job is different from creating multiple income streams. A side hustle is not necessarily about investing or saving small amounts of money. Earning money in your spare time often means developing a skill that you can offer as a service to clients.
By knowing this little difference, you can use this to your advantage by investing in yourself. There are a million and one ways to create multiple streams of income that can be beneficial to you and your clients. Some ways include freelance writing, reading for a blog, or even tutoring on subjects you’re good at.
All these are ways to earn money that also help develop your skills in the long run.
12. Learn to Say No
Most individuals believe that saying no is a bad thing and makes you a greedy person. On the contrary, saying no does not necessarily mean you are a bad person.
It is good to say no because you do not also have to agree with everything, sometimes saying no is a way of keeping your mental health in check. You do not always have to be a people pleaser to be accepted, saying no can mean you put yourself first and you appreciate yourself better.
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13. Expand Your Network
You don’t have to just work and keep working, as they say, ‘all work and no play makes jack a dull boy. You have to go out, meet people, and get acquainted with these people you meet.
By expanding your network, you could get to meet people through friends at work or even mutual friends. These are little ways of expanding your network which can be beneficial to your life and help you invest in yourself.
A benefit of expanding your network is that you get to meet or people with different sides to life and this can help you in the future.
14. Invest In Your Relationship
This is another beneficial way to invest in yourself, you do this by paying more attention and giving more time to people who matter to you in life. You try to preserve this relationship by doing every possible thing, it could just be going out for drinks, going on a vacation, and also just going out to have fun in general.
You should always try to keep those you care about and who care about you close to you because these are people who help you in the future.
Investing in a relationship also helps you to invest in yourself.
The Point Is…
Investing in yourself is a very good thing to do if you plan on getting ahead in life. As earlier written, there are millions of ways to invest in yourself and these are very beneficial to yourself as a whole.
Most of the time when people suggest ways to invest, they are usually talking about a monetary investment. Learn how to strike the proper balance between investing time and investing money. In other words, be patient.
In other words, know when to spend and when to save, or when to invest and when to let time do its thing.
