Money will buy me a house, but not a home, a bed, but not a good night's sleep.- Zig Ziglar
Is Money Everything? This was the title of my speech at a seminar in Central London organised by Find Your Voice. Many professional speakers from all walks of life attended and delivered messages that motivated and empowered people to take control of their lives. I was one of the four speakers and the theme was: “Money Makes the World Go Round.” I would like to share the views I expressed at the seminar with you.
One of the problems with literature about success is that most of the time the word ‘success’ is usually interpreted as material success or power. This usually includes the amount of money a person earns or has; the type of car they drive and the size and location of their house. However, we need to remind ourselves that true success isn’t just Hollywood’s definition of it!Success is a journey and not a destination.
The mistake most people make is aligning money with success. Money is only a medium of exchange and can never be measured side-by-side with success. I believe that success can be divided into eight categories; these are: spiritual, health, family, career & business, financial, self-development/intellectual, personal needs, and community.
It is therefore worth noting that true success is not just when you are financially rich, rather it is when you are rich in all of the eight categories.Money can buy you material possessions, but it cannot buy you happiness and peace of mind. Money is used in exchange for other things, but this paper money we spend (e.g. Pounds, Naira, Dollars, etc) is not the only money we should have.
There are hidden 'monies' in all of us; the only problem is discovering we have such 'monies' within us.Let us consider this; if one is only financially wealthy and lacks the intellect to make other riches, or is unsuccessful in their family life and health, then the person is as good as being poor. Let us not be overly carried away by this mere medium of exchange – money – and fail to consider other aspects of life.
I once knew a rich man, who, in spite of his wealth, is deficient in his health. He died despite the great financial wealth he had accumulated. Would you say such a man was wealthy? No. Why? Because he was only monetarily wealthy – this appeared to be at the expense of his health.
I was at the mansion of one of my mentors, Richie Dayo Johnson, in Netherne-On- the-Hill, Surrey and as we sat down in his study that Sunday evening I asked: “ DJ (as I fondly call him) tell me what money can and can not buy. He replied, “Dayo, money can buy you a house, but it can't buy you a home. Money can buy you insurance, but it can't buy you security. Money can buy you entertainment, but it can't buy you happiness. Money can buy you medicine, but it can't buy you good health. Money can buy you a bed, but it can't buy you sleep. Money can buy you companionship, but it can't buy you friendship. Money can buy you sex, but it can't buy you love. Money is called currency, because it is designed to flow through you. Money doesn't change you; it only reveals who you truly are.”I totally agree with Richie Dayo Johnson.
In addition to this, I believe that money can buy you many women but it cannot buy you a good wife. It can buy you a good book, but it cannot buy you wisdom and knowledge. It can sponsor you through school, but it cannot buy you intellect. However, the things money can buy are temporal but the things money cannot buy are, most times, everlasting. Who are you when you have money and who are you when you don’t have?
The bottom line is that money does not change you; it merely uncovers you. Why don’t you take time to reflect on those things money cannot buy; you may be surprised to realise that money is actually not everything?Is your spiritual life in order? Are you enjoying good health? Are you in control of your finances? Are you developing yourself intellectually? Are you giving back to the society?
If you answer YES to all these questions, then you can confidently say that you are prospering and therefore successful.
Now tell me, IS MONEY EVERYTHING? I rest my case.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
ACHIEVE MORE WITH LESS THROUGH PROPER PLANNING
One question a lot of people ask me recently is: “how do I manage my own personal time and get so much done in the same 24 hours everyone else have? They wonder how I have time for my family, being a Motivational Speaker, Business/Life Coach, Writer, Publisher, and Toastmaster.”
One day, I was in the gym with my very good friend, Joe De Souza, a highly skilled Speaker who has impacted me immensely, when he asked me the same question. He certainly got me thinking that I thought and deemed it appropriate to write about my personal time management.
According to time evangelists, time lost can never be regained. When it comes to time management, I believe in the 80/20 Rule which states that ‘20% of what we do leads to 80% of the result’. Therefore, most of my time is spent on high value activities; things that advance my overall purpose in life, things I have always wanted to do, things I am most passionate about and things that will yield positive and maximum result.
My time is built around my goals, values and purpose, which I established many years ago when I went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate my 35th birthday. My goals are eight folds: Spiritual & Values; Career & Business; Relationship with my family and friends; Financial & Wealth; Health & Fitness; Personal Needs; Intellectual & Self-development; and Community & Social goals.My purpose in life is to inspire people to achieve greatness, make the world a better place by improving the standards of living for all, and providing better and high quality goods and services. Knowing my purpose in lifehelps me prioritise my time.
The desire to excel and reach my full potential propels me.Having decided on my goals, I then deal with the other tasks ahead of me in order of priority. The priority I place on any task is determined by how it measures up with my goals. The more a task helps in achieving my goals, the more important it is to me.I go to bed at midnight and wake up at about 7.00am. The first thing I do when I wake up is to use the first hour (which I call the ‘golden hour’) to prepare myself for the day. I prepare myself spiritually by praying; physically by exercising, and mentally by reading something that will stimulate me; thereafter I leave for the office.I speak professionally twice a week, train four times a week, and write at least two articles a week. The rest of my time is dedicated to my family and attending meetings.Every Saturday morning I walk about five miles in two hours; thereafter I return home to spend time with my family (provided I don’t have a speaking engagement).
The latter part of my Saturday evening is dedicated to researching on my speeches and articles.After church on Sunday, I watch Nigerian movies (which I called Naijawood) with my wife and children and later in the evening I plan for the week ahead.Prioritisation is critical to how I spend my personal time. I do the first thing first. I do not watch television except news and I am one of the rare birds who are not addicted to sports. Although I am an Arsenal fan, I have never sat down to watch them play for 90 minutes. I spend a great deal of time reading books (I read at least two books a month), magazines, articles, periodicals and trade journals that are of interest to me and from which I collect the information for my research files.
Whenever I am out, I ensure I take reading materials with me to fill my time during any waiting period. When I am travelling I spend flying times and airport waiting times revising and updating written materials on my pocket PC.The passion I have for what I do invariably determines how much work I accomplish. My speeches are based on topics requested or those suggested for specific purposes. Knowing the objective of the speech helps in researching the subject; thus I am able to combine new information with old ones to deliver the most suitable speech.
I make every attempt to respond to my correspondences within days of their arrival; however, it sometimes takes a little longer, especially when I am working on a project that needs my undivided attention. Whenever I have a board meeting I create time to prepare for it especially if I have a presentation to do. I attend at least one board meeting every week.
Before I retire to bed I reflect on the day and then carefully plan for the following day.It has been said that Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance; therefore it is crucial to plan your activities thoroughly.
Remember, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
One day, I was in the gym with my very good friend, Joe De Souza, a highly skilled Speaker who has impacted me immensely, when he asked me the same question. He certainly got me thinking that I thought and deemed it appropriate to write about my personal time management.
According to time evangelists, time lost can never be regained. When it comes to time management, I believe in the 80/20 Rule which states that ‘20% of what we do leads to 80% of the result’. Therefore, most of my time is spent on high value activities; things that advance my overall purpose in life, things I have always wanted to do, things I am most passionate about and things that will yield positive and maximum result.
My time is built around my goals, values and purpose, which I established many years ago when I went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate my 35th birthday. My goals are eight folds: Spiritual & Values; Career & Business; Relationship with my family and friends; Financial & Wealth; Health & Fitness; Personal Needs; Intellectual & Self-development; and Community & Social goals.My purpose in life is to inspire people to achieve greatness, make the world a better place by improving the standards of living for all, and providing better and high quality goods and services. Knowing my purpose in lifehelps me prioritise my time.
The desire to excel and reach my full potential propels me.Having decided on my goals, I then deal with the other tasks ahead of me in order of priority. The priority I place on any task is determined by how it measures up with my goals. The more a task helps in achieving my goals, the more important it is to me.I go to bed at midnight and wake up at about 7.00am. The first thing I do when I wake up is to use the first hour (which I call the ‘golden hour’) to prepare myself for the day. I prepare myself spiritually by praying; physically by exercising, and mentally by reading something that will stimulate me; thereafter I leave for the office.I speak professionally twice a week, train four times a week, and write at least two articles a week. The rest of my time is dedicated to my family and attending meetings.Every Saturday morning I walk about five miles in two hours; thereafter I return home to spend time with my family (provided I don’t have a speaking engagement).
The latter part of my Saturday evening is dedicated to researching on my speeches and articles.After church on Sunday, I watch Nigerian movies (which I called Naijawood) with my wife and children and later in the evening I plan for the week ahead.Prioritisation is critical to how I spend my personal time. I do the first thing first. I do not watch television except news and I am one of the rare birds who are not addicted to sports. Although I am an Arsenal fan, I have never sat down to watch them play for 90 minutes. I spend a great deal of time reading books (I read at least two books a month), magazines, articles, periodicals and trade journals that are of interest to me and from which I collect the information for my research files.
Whenever I am out, I ensure I take reading materials with me to fill my time during any waiting period. When I am travelling I spend flying times and airport waiting times revising and updating written materials on my pocket PC.The passion I have for what I do invariably determines how much work I accomplish. My speeches are based on topics requested or those suggested for specific purposes. Knowing the objective of the speech helps in researching the subject; thus I am able to combine new information with old ones to deliver the most suitable speech.
I make every attempt to respond to my correspondences within days of their arrival; however, it sometimes takes a little longer, especially when I am working on a project that needs my undivided attention. Whenever I have a board meeting I create time to prepare for it especially if I have a presentation to do. I attend at least one board meeting every week.
Before I retire to bed I reflect on the day and then carefully plan for the following day.It has been said that Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance; therefore it is crucial to plan your activities thoroughly.
Remember, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
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