The ‘Craziness’

If you would write at all: why not tell the truth?

Of real life trends…

The relationship crisis of AS and AS/AC not being able to get married to each other; in spite of the prospects of a blissful relationship.

The reality of girls becoming ‘friend-girls’ to guys that claim they have master-plans and are on a search for a particular helpmate. Similar to that, guys getting stuck in the ‘friend-zone’ trap.

The career waiting period that entails writing series of tests and getting crawling response rates from Human Resource (HR) departments of ‘reputable’ Firms. This leads to the bane of underemployment or brain-freezing unemployment (worst case scenario).

The rough edges that arise from; youth independence, start-up initiatives, dream implementation, brand development. In simple terms; the first two years of blogging, the first 5 months of a start-up business, the first year of an event-initiative, the first 6 months of an internship, and so on.

The creative exhaustion that develops from multitasking, living your dreams while working to make substantial income for basic needs and societal respect.

The confusion the community has about the various temperaments and the tendency to put stereotypes on individuals.

Those eureka moments that occur when you flip through your life goals and pop-up questions keep coming; ‘is time running out?’, ‘am I on track?’, ‘when did I make that goal?’, ‘is this feasible.’, ‘what would I do to achieve this goal?’

The awkward moment when you realize that your passion and talents have gotten rusty; because you have compromised them for so long.

If I would write at all, I would tell the truth…

It has not been funny, although I may laugh a lot; but it’s not funny! We were prepared for the good life, no one told us about the ‘craziness’ in between.

Yes, we would come out stronger! Yes, things would get better! Yes, this too shall pass! Most importantly; yes, it is alright to talk about the ‘craziness’ and not ignore it anymore.

Truthfully, this is the ‘growth’ pill I got to swallow along the way. Now, I would speak the ‘truth about the craziness’.

Before I go on, the amazing fact about these truths is: they would teach you things you would never learn sitting on the fence. They serve as witnesses to qualities you would learn along the path to greatness. Today, permit me to concentrate on the growth process, not growth in itself.

Looking through the various accounts of my life, I would give a ‘disclaimer’ at this stage…I am not pained and those truths stated at the beginning (that might have thrown you off guard) do not constitute the whole nine-yards of my growth process.

Therefore, I would pick a struggle and speak the truth about my Career growth process…

Contrary to existing notions, the corporate world is an ‘interesting battlefield’. It brings determination to the novelty and thrill to the mundane. I guess everyone should do the ‘corporate dance’ at one stage of their lives or the other.

I found this crazy joke a while back that captured the corporate myth that we almost all started out with…

Story Line: As a young Graduate with a good result from a reputable institution, there is this ‘energy’ after convocation that pushes one into the job market with ‘pride’.

…During an interview as a fresh graduate:

“Sir, I would collect nothing less than 250k.”

One year later:

“Sir, give me 200k.”

Two years later:

“Okay Sir, I can work for 150k…”

Three years as an unemployed:

“I would take 80k…’elp me Seh. Consider me as a Human Being.” (End of Story line)

The fun part of this lesson is; entering into the corporate world has to be strategic and humble (if I could put it that way).

My corporate process started with a desire to gain ‘corporate experience’ and learn about the ‘professional world’. I started out with internships…because among other things, I needed to learn the basics.

I’m talking about experiencing the proper working hours, having effective Microsoft office skills, communicating properly, knowing how to manage perception, practicing negotiation and maintaining corporate relationships, among others.

In days like that, I learnt to forget about the money and build up the CV…So when the proper job strolled along, the opportunity for the best bargain in respect to the expertise brought to the organisation would be achieved.

If I have learnt anything about the initial career growth process, from my internship days, I would walk through them quickly in the following points:

• Do not mix business with ‘play’…This goes beyond ethical issues, it helps to know that the corporate world means ‘business’ in every sense of the word;
• Try well enough not to play the ‘favoritism’ card; yes, it might be tough, but you need everyone on your team…No enemy needed, let’s all be friends;
• No emotions in the Workplace…Particularly negative ones. ‘We are here to act professionally, not otherwise.’
• Take breaks (it helps for effectiveness)…The work necessarily doesn’t finish…in the same bit, it would go on whether you are around or not;
• See through to the end of Projects and Processes…Don’t start what you can’t finish;
• Be a knowledge Worker…Learn valuable job tasks and build expertise on the job;
• Remain an effective Team Player…Learn (build on your strengths); Perform (let go of your weaknesses);
• Leave a trend-setting legacy…Be ‘unforgettable’ not essentially ‘irreplaceable’;
• Know when to walk away…You need this to stay relevant and climb higher.

All these would not be complete if I do not tell you how to survive with the ‘craziness’. Yes, there would be so many days when you need to quit; it would take some time to adapt to the drama of the workplace; and you would be tired (I tell you). So, keep in mind what my Dad told me during my compulsory second internship (we called it ‘youth service’)…

…‘Blessing, you stoop to conquer!’ In other words, let humility find you (more than being humble actually). Do not allow it be said of you that you refused instruction or disrespected anyone no matter how much stress you went through. It would help you to climb the ‘corporate ladder’ and obtain valuable rewards at every point in time. (End of ‘paraphrased’ advice).

If I would write at all, why wouldn’t I tell the truth?

In days when the ‘craziness’ tends to affect my sanity, I step aside from the shackles of ‘reality’.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”- 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)

I would end these truths this way…

Any relationship crisis can be converted when you believe and act wisely in helping the future generation (marry the Person with a compatible genotype!)

Have faith that God would send your helpmate and enjoy the blessedness of being single for a season of your life (stop jumping from A to B and then back to Z…)

You would get a proper Job…As long as you are determined! The next time you feel discouraged about having to write another Test and go through another HR (recruitment) process, do it tired. No one said you can’t get tired, they only said ‘it is not over until you win’.

There is something called ‘delayed gratification’…Life doesn’t necessarily happen on the fast lane. You make ‘sacrifices’ to see your dreams come true…Learn to be excited with the little beginnings on your way towards greater strides.

You must work and go through a level of independence…If it entails 8am- 5pm and staying up late into the night (to live your passion), it wouldn’t be too much. You should provide yourself with some basic income after School (It’s not rocket science!)

Learn to accommodate yourself first and then extend that understanding to those around. You should know the various temperaments (and probably ‘love languages’) in order to put yourself in another’s shoes.

Keep inspired with your goals…Yes, ‘your goals should scare you.’ When they get achieved, you would understand that it was ‘grace’.

Never let your passion elude you…No matter how busy you get, stick to your talents…They remain a great possession in these changing times.

After you have done all that…On a daily basis|_

“Laugh and Believe.”

 

@blessingshares

Image(s) source: Google images

Note: The ‘story line’ was extracted from a Nigerian model.