WHAT NOBODY TELLS YOU ABOUT BEING YOUNG AND SUCCESFUL

WHAT NOBODY TELLS YOU ABOUT BEING YOUNG AND SUCCESFUL

‘A society that cuts itself from its youth severe its lifeline, but a society that engage their interests, enlists their talents, and liberates their energies, brings hope to the entire world’-Nelson Mandela

As a young Nigerian , I don’t want to look back at my life and regret at the things I hoped for , but never attempted.I don’t want to utter the regretful words of ‘Would have, should have, could have’.I am the captain of my ship and the creator of my circumstances.The glory of the youths is in their strength, and right here in Nigeria a crop of youths are pursuing their dreams, not making excuses,standing tall in the midst of challenges that desires to dwarf their dreams.They are changemakers,on the marathon to success,making diamonds out of their clays inspite of skyrocketing unemployment, perennial black outs, endemic corruption.These youngsters have refused to give up, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.They are young starters, early risers, who have developed a sense of urgency towards their life’s journey believing in the maxim that:’The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the next best time is now’.In this piece I bring to you lessons we can learn ,adapt, and adopt to our lives, from young, influential, and high achieving youths.

1.Enlist your capabilities
From Whizkid to Mocheddah, Seyilaw to Helen paul,these youngsters all enlist their capabilities i.e their God given abilities and are making a living from it .As a talent development coach , I often tell my clients to learn the business side of their talent, because talent alone cannot pay the bills.It is talent and a strong eye for the money that pays the bills. Its not just enough to discover your talent and God given potentials, it is also imperative to learn how to profit from your talent, and meet the needs of your target audience.

2.Connect
Success is not a solo game, it’s a team sport that no one plays in isolation.History books are full of gifted people whose talents were overlooked until someone believed in them.Modupe oreoluwa popularly known as Mochedah is a living witness of this principle,same applies to Whizkid .His rise to the top of his game is obviously as a result of connecting to Banky W who saw the wealth in him,explored it, and created a product from it.Connection is the path that leads to your destination.

3.Start Small
These days I find it amazing that many young people desire to make it fast without paying their dues.They often ignore the counsel of starting small and growing big.Anything worthile takes time, and be cautious of moving too fast.In 2006, a 22 years old damsel started a blog focusing on lifestyle , fashion, entertainment, music, geared towards projecting the right image of Africa and inspiring Africans to make a difference in their world.Today, Uche Eze a.k.a Bellanaija, has grown the blog into establishing Bainstone corporation , company for Bellanaija in july of 2001 quitting her 9-5 to pursue her dream.She has appeared on Oprah and still taking her brainchild to the next level as a result of her resolve to start small.

4.Find your niche
A niche is your own zone, your own uniqueness , your own area of differentiation ne person who exemplifies this principle is Toyosi Akerele, the inimitable outspoken Founder of Rise Networks, who was recently honoured as a young African female leader to watch out for by Michell Obama.Toyosi has been able to make a name and a living for herself consulting and proffering solutions to youth developmental/empowerment issues.Through her annual youth seminars , enterprise development workshops for youths, she has stuck to her niche and enriching lives through it.Succeeding in a function of finding your own gold spot and sticking to it.

As a young Nigerian no one will believe in your dreams and aspirations .They may even call you names and tell you to be realistic. But the Real-ity lies in believing in the beauty of your dreams and pursuing it with unimaginable vigour.Stay hooked to your dreams. “Today we may appear young and people may not believe in us, but we are going to compel them to believe in us through our achievements."- Tony Elumelu. I will read your success story!

Kehinde Ajose is a renowned celebrity talent development coach, syndicated columnist, sought after speaker, and publicist. He helps people to turn their talents into a treasure in order to become global brands.For bookings and enquiries pls call kenny on 0802421530/http:/Kehindeajose.blogspot.com