ImageMakerz

Tease your brains a bit

2007-02-26T15:42:00.000+01:00

According to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the
professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many
preschoolers got several correct answers. Andersen Consulting says
this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have
the brains of a four year old.

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whether
you are truly a "professional". The questions are not that difficult.

Think each question through before reading further because the answers are just beneath each question

Have fun!

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and
close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple
things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Wrong Answer : Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close
the refrigerator. Correct Answer : Open the refrigerator, take out
the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your
ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the animals
attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer : The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator.
This tests your memory.

OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly,
you still have one more chance to show your abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles.
How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the
Animal conference! This tests whether you learn quickly from your
mistakes.

hahahaha
Cheers
@biola.com

Entreprenueral Mindset

2007-02-26T14:37:00.000+01:00

The following I have observed to be very true and so I decided to share with all. It's the difference between me and my boss that makes me even more despirate to be my own boss soon. The Differences Between You and Your Boss When you take a long time, you're slow. When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough. When you don't do it, you're lazy. When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy. When you make a mistake, you're an idiot. When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human. When doing something without being told, you're overstepping the mark. When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative. When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed. When your boss does it, he's being firm. When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude. When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original. When you please your boss, you're apple polishing. When your boss pleases his boss, he's being co-operative. When you're out of the office, you're wandering around. When your boss is out of the office, he's on business. When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick. When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill. When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview. When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked. Please be encouraged to have an entrepreneural mindset, work everyday like It's only preparing you for the challenges of being your own boss. Plan your way out of being someone's employee especially when you know you have all it take to be an employer. cheers @biola.com

Enemies of the ordinary

2007-02-19T12:07:00.000+01:00

"Radical idea is not a bad idea"

Enemies of the ordinary
(My interpretation)

Eccentric is the word that people have (are/will) always used to describe me. The word eccentric (in case you've never heard of it) is often associated with genius, giftedness, extreme creativity or display of dismissible (common) lunacy. "There has always been a method to my madness". My eccentric behaviour is perceived by many to be the outward expression of my unique intelligence or creative impulse. My eccentric attributes are incomprehensible as some would agree not because they are illogical or the result of madness, but because they stem from a mind so original that it cannot be conformed to societal norms. For crying out loud, "I am not mad!"

When faced with life issues, be it at home, work or play I seek special methods and tools to go about them. I never hesitate to ask questions (as many as necessary). I try to restate problems sometimes by changing the wordings take different viewpoints and try it in graphical forms (I am primarily a graphic artist). Transforming one issue into another by the describing the problem to both laymen and experts in the field often helps to get new insights. By explaining it to others I get to hear myself and see the loopholes. I never try to learn all the details before deciding on a first approach. I keep the tools unlocked, I work quickly, whenever, wherever. Failure is not a fear, if I can't make it better, I make it worse and analyze what happens. I turn to Mother Nature (the originator of serendipity) for assistance. I meditate out in/under a tree or in an open field, play with combinations of ideas and concepts. I keep my eyes open and my imaginations turned on. For me nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one I have. The first solution found is usually inadequate. I initiate brainstorming sessions, mostly informal, where participants are encouraged to suggest any idea that comes to mind. I am particularly stubborn about solving a problem. I sometimes spend time trying things I know won't work or don't know how they will work. I value experimentation, play, exaggeration and persistence. I am flexible about problem definition and problem solution. "Wow! Don't you wanna grow up to be just like me?"
Many individuals manifest eccentricity consciouslyand deliberately in attempting to differentiate themselves from societal norms or enhance a sense of inimitable identity: given the overwhelming possible\nstereotypes often associated with eccentricity. Using the above, "judge for yourself, am I truly eccentric…?"
Whether you think I pass as eccentric or not, one thing as certain I'm an "enemy of the ordinary" because my habits make me achieve unique (extraordinary) results. You just have to be like me to cope with me otherwiseyou would tag me "crazy". Cope with me (be like me) if you can otherwise, lay off. "The world cannot contain too many of us". Mind you "I'll be 28 mynext birthday" (11th June). ",

-- @biola.com

PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES

2007-02-01T12:21:00.001+01:00

PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES

"We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down." (Aneurin Bevan)

Problem solving and decision-making are important skills for business and life. Problem-solving often involves decision-making, and decision-making is especially important for management and leadership. There are processes and techniques to improve decision-making and the quality of decisions. Decision-making is more natural to certain personalities, so these people should focus more on improving the quality of their decisions. People that are less natural decision-makers are often able to make quality assessments, but then need to be more decisive in acting upon the assessments made. Problem-solving and decision-making are closely linked, and each requires creativity in identifying and developing options, for which the brainstorming technique is particularly useful.

Decision-making process

Define and clarify the issue - does it warrant action? If so, now? Is the matter urgent, important or both. See the Pareto Principle.
Gather all the facts and understand their causes.
Think about or brainstorm possible options and solutions. (See brainstorming process)
Consider and compare the pros and cons of each option - consult if necessary - it probably will be.
Select the best option - avoid vagueness or 'foot in both camps' compromise.
Explain your decision to those involved and affected, and follow up to ensure proper and effective implementation.

Decision-making maxims will help to reinforce the above decision-making process whether related to problem-solving or not.

Brainstorming process

Brainstorming technique for problem-solving, team-building and creative process

Brainstorming with a group of people is a powerful technique. Brainstorming creates new ideas, solves problems, motivates and develops teams. Brainstorming motivates because it involves members of a team in bigger management issues, and it gets a team working together. However, brainstorming is not simply a random activity. Brainstorming needs to be structured and it follows brainstorming rules. The brainstorming process is described below, for which you will need a flip-chart or alternative. This is crucial as Brainstorming needs to involve the team, which means that everyone must be able to see what's happening. Brainstorming places a significant burden on the facilitator to manage the process, people's involvement and sensitivities, and then to manage the follow up actions. Use Brainstorming well and you will see excellent results in improving the organization, performance, and developing the team.

Brainstorming process

Define and agree the objective.
Brainstorm ideas and suggestions having agreed a time limit.
Categorise/condense/combine/refine.
Assess/analyse effects or results.
Prioritise options/rank list as appropriate.
Agree action and timescale.
Control and monitor follow-up.

In other words

Plan and agree the brainstorming aim: Ensure everyone participating in the brainstorm session understands and agrees the aim of the session (e.g. to suggest ways of improving cooperation between the sales and service departments;). Keep the brainstorming objective simple. Allocate a time limit.

Manage the actual brainstorming activity: Brainstorming enables people to suggest ideas at random. Your job as facilitator is to encourage everyone to participate, to dismiss nothing, and to prevent others from pouring scorn on the wilder suggestions (some of the best ideas are initially the daftest ones - added to which people won't participate if their suggestions are criticized). During the random collection of ideas the facilitator must record every suggestion on the flip-chart. Use sticky tape to hang the sheets around the walls. At the end of the time limit or when ideas have been exhausted, use different coloured pens to categorize, group, connect and link the random ideas. Condense and refine the ideas by making new headings or lists. You can diplomatically combine or include the weaker ideas within other themes to avoid dismissing or rejecting contributions (remember brainstorming is about team building and motivation too - you don't want it to have the reverse effect on some people). With the group, assess, evaluate and analyze the effects and validity of the ideas or the list. Develop and prioritize the ideas into a more finished list or set of actions or options.

Implement the actions agreed from the brainstorming: Agree what the next actions will be. Agree a timescale, who's responsible. After the session circulate notes, monitor and give feedback. It's crucial to develop a clear and positive outcome, so that people feel their effort and contribution was worthwhile. When people see that their efforts have resulted in action and change, they will be motivated and keen to help again.

Pro’s and Con's decision-making method

Another simple process for decision-making is the pro's and con's list.

Some decisions are a simple matter of whether to make a change or not, such as moving, taking a new job, or buying something, selling something, replacing something, etc. Other decisions involve number of options, and are concerned more with how to do something, involving a number of choices. Use the brainstorming process to identify and develop options for decision-making and problem-solving.

First you will need a separate sheet for each identified option.
On each sheet write clearly the option concerned, and then beneath it the headings 'pro's' and 'con's' (or 'advantages' and disadvantages', or simply 'for' and 'against'). Many decisions simply involve the choice of whether to go ahead or not, to change or not; in these cases you need only one sheet.
Then write down as many effects and implications of the particular option that you (and others if appropriate) can think of, placing each in the relevant column.
If helpful 'weight' each factor, by giving it a score out of three or five points (eg., 5 being extremely significant, and 1 being of minor significance).
When you have listed all the points you can think of for the option concerned compare the number or total score of the items/effects/factors between the two columns.
This will provide a reflection and indication as to the overall attractiveness and benefit of the option concerned. If you have scored each item you will actually be able to arrive at a total score, being the difference between the pro's and con's column totals. The bigger the difference between the total pro's and total con's then the more attractive the option is.
If you have a number of options and have complete a pro's and con's sheet for each option, compare the attractiveness - points difference between pro's and con's - for each option. The biggest positive difference between pro's and con's is the most attractive option.
N.B. If you don't like the answer that the decision-making sheet(s) reflect back to you, it means you haven't included all the con's - especially the emotional ones, or you haven't scored the factors consistently, so re-visit the sheet(s) concerned.

You will find that writing things down in this way will help you to see things more clearly, become more objective and detached, which will help you to make clearer decisions.

Example Pro's and Con's weighted decision-making sheet

Decision option: should I buy a new car?

pro's	con's
better comfort (3)	cost outlay will mean making sacrifices (5)
lower fuel costs (3)	higher insurance (3)
lower servicing costs (4)	time and hassle to choose and buy it (2)
better for family use (3)	disposal or sale of old car (2)
better reliability (5)	big decisions like this scare and upset me (4)
it'll be a load off my mind (2)

total 6 pro's, total score 20	total 5 con's, total score 16

On the basis of the pro's and con's, and the weighting applied, in the above example there's a clear overall quantifiable benefit attached to the decision to go ahead and buy a new car. Notice that it's even possible to include 'intangible' emotional issues in the pro's and con's comparison, for example 'it'll be a load off my mind', and 'decisions scare and upset me'. A decision-making pro's and con's list like this helps remove the emotion which blocks clear thinking and decision-making - you can now see the wood for the trees again, and make a confident decision.

SWOT & PEST analysis method of decision-making

SWOT analysis helps assess the strength of a company, a business proposition or idea; PEST analysis helps to assess the potential and suitability of a market. Good decision-making requires a mixture of skills: creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement, firmness of decision, and effective implementation. For group problem-solving and decision-making, or when a consensus is required, workshops help, within which you can incorporate these tools and process as appropriate. Here are some useful methods for effective decision-making and problem-solving: First a simple step-by-step process for effective decision-making and problem-solving.

SWOT analysis overview

A SWOT analysis is a subjective assessment of data which is organized by the SWOT format into a logical order that helps understanding, presentation, discussion and decision-making. The four dimensions (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) are a useful extension of a basic two heading list of pro's and con's. SWOT analysis can be used for all sorts of decision-making, and the SWOT template enables proactive thinking, rather than relying on habitual or instinctive reactions.

Translating SWOT analysis into actions

Product (what are we selling?)
Process (how are we selling it?)
Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
Distribution (how does it reach them?)
Finance (what are the prices, costs and investments?)
Administration (and how do we manage all this?)

If it's a business, and the aim is to improve it, then work on translating: into actions (each within one of the six categories) that can be agreed and owned by a team or number of teams.

Strengths: maintain, build and leverage,
Opportunities: prioritize and optimize,
Weaknesses: remedy or exit,
Threats: counter

PEST analysis overview

The PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business. A PEST analysis is a business measurement tool. PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors, which are used to assess the market for a business or organizational unit.

More confusingly (and some would say unnecessarily) PEST is also extended to seven or even more factors, by adding Ecological (or Environmental), Legislative (or Legal), and Industry Analysis, which produces the PESTELI model. Other variations on the theme include STEEP and PESTLE, which allow for a dedicated Ethical section. STEEPLED is another interpretation which includes pretty well everything except the kitchen sink: Political, Economic, Social and Technological - plus Ecological or Environmental, Ethical, Demographic and Legal.

All businesses benefit from a SWOT analysis, and all businesses benefit from completing a SWOT analysis of their main competitors, which interestingly can then provide some feed back into the economic aspects of the PEST analysis.

PEST becomes more useful and relevant the larger and more complex the business or proposition, but even for a very small local businesses a PEST analysis can still throw up one or two very significant issues that might otherwise be missed.

The PEST subject should be a clear definition of the market being addressed, which might be from any of the following standpoints:

a company looking at its market
a product looking at its market
a brand in relation to its market
a local business unit
a strategic option, such as entering a new market or launching a new product
a potential acquisition
a potential partnership
an investment opportunity

Whatever the technique

"In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." (attributed to Theodore Roosevelt)

JFDI - Just Frigging Do it (polite version). The decision-maker's motto. There are usually several right answers when you are faced with a complex decision. When you've found the best solution you can find, get on with it, make it work, and it most probably will.

Comment on Deolu's "Are your eyes on the future"

2007-01-12T11:06:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

I was at www.deoluakinyemi.com today and I had this to say as regards his post titled are you eyes onm the future. I just thought i should post it to for those who could also gain from it from here.

I was telling a friend a while ago about our grandmother (maternal). She was given a phone by our uncle in London and I bought her a Glo line. Lucky for her it's a flip Phone so I set it in such a way that she only has to open it to pick her call and this I explained to her as best I could.
Funny though, she rushes down to open it even when it rings for text messages, she has to call someone around when she needs to make a call, it could however be difficult if the name of the person she want to call does not correspond with the name she is metioning even though i tried to store all the names on her phonebook the way she is familiar with them. She has over 30 free text messages on her phone per month and she does not use them cos she does not know how. She relies on trusted people to load her credit for her and tell her how much is left there. She hardly ever lives her phone lying around from the day she realized that anyone can pick it up and use all her money. I can't lock the phone cos how do I explain opening it to her. Just recently I tried teaching her to use the speakers cos she begining to lose her hearing and believe me...that was work.
My point is this the world for her has changed and she can only try and cope. A lot of people though they are youths who are supposed to know about what is currnet and happening are still a lot like her today, they do not even have email addresses, they cannot tell the difference between mp3 and mp4, dvd and vcd. they cannot convinently operate a five disk changer sound player/recorder. they are amazed at the sight of a remote control.
These things are petty things compared to what will be operating in the world by the time we become grandparents too and our grandchildren will say press this button if you want the car to fly.
We cannot afford to be too backward now otherwise we could be overbackward then. Let us constanly embrace the future with open arms.
Deolu, I'm asking a question now in my head and at the same time bidding all to do same... How flat is my world?
cheers
@biola.com

NB: I'll explain what I mean by how flat is your world shortly

Choices:

2007-01-06T09:39:00.000+01:00

Choices:

He stood before them to give a talk, to motivate them, to encourage them. He gave a brilliant speach after which there was a loud applause. After the show they were interviewed for comments and they said stuff like "He is very brilliant" "He is well informed" "He is a great man" "He is..." They went on and on.
Let's stop and ponder, he was not born this way, he does not have too heads or anything that makes him physically superior. He is only a product of the choices he made to: Read the books he read, relate with the people he relates with, acquire the knowledge he has, etc.
This means in essence that if I make the right choices today, it could be me up that stage tomorrow recieving the applause and having people say nice things about me. Hmm...

cheers
@biola.com
Nb: This was called from the comment i made on Oritsega's blog

Response to Microsoft word keyboard shortcuts

2007-01-06T08:58:00.000+01:00

Hi,

Alot of people have stylishly asked me why i posted a this.
We call them keyboard shortcuts, with emphasis on shortcuts. One does not necessarily have to know all his/her fingertips. The few that you do know will come in handy when the need for it arises. for instance

1. you could get a lot done faster combing your knowledge of Keyboard shortcuts with the the use of the mouse.
2. what happens when the mouse fails
3. there are general keyboard shortcuts there that apply to some other windows application. who knows where they could me useful if not microsoft word
4. knowledge does not waste, you could teach somebody who needs the information someday.

I must be sincere the few that i know at my fingertips have really be helpful in making my work faster and easier.

Yes they look like jagons, but as you get use to the few that first catch your interest or the few you would love to experiment with, i'm sure you'll enjoy it and you'll wish to know more.

thanks for you comments, i wish to know who "anonymous" is though

cheers
@biola.com

happy new year

2007-01-04T15:20:00.000+01:00

hi all,
Happy new year, Congratulations! You made it into 2007

Cheers
@biola.com

Plugged or Unplugged

2006-12-18T16:30:00.000+01:00

Hi All,

If there is anybody here who has not seen the film "MATRIX" let he/she try and do so in order to better understand this.
We live in a world that has a system, the system allows for a lot of vanities, It simply throws what we do not need at us cheaply and the very things wr truly want/need it deprives us. For example, it is so easy to get a prostitute for a one night stand, yet so difficult to get wife. It is easy to play or set up a playing atmosphere but so difficult to get a job that will fetch a living.
But come to think of it the principle does nto apply to all, while some cannot get a job, some others change jobs like clothes and are offered more that they have to refuse, while some cannot afford a meal a day some though cannot also afford to eat are being offered the food free of charge. And it is the same God the made us all....hmm.
These "supermen" do not have to heads some were born in poorer states the those who now suffer while they enjoy. For instance I have heard people say, I can't get a job because I did not go to school and I did not go to school because ny parents are poor. I have also heard people say that the reason why I have not made it beyond this point is because my parents are rich and they pampered me so I did not learn to fight for what I want while growing up. Is this not funny?
Let me tell you about the "supermen". The supermen like Neo, Murpheous and Trinity, are men who have simply been reoriented and have gotten a knowledge that the world system only applies to those who believe in it. They have come to an undertstanding that they can change the rules by changing their thinking, belief, choices and their general approach to life to one that will simply not settle for less. To one that sees No Limits. They no longer live by the general order. The general system does not apply to them anymore because the moment they had this changed mindset, its like for them they run on a different program, they write what becomes of them by themselves. If the world was a MATRIX (a program written to decieve us so that we will not be true to who we are or should be), they have been unplugged, their eyes have been opened, they know the truth, the truth has set them free, free to fly.

What is the truth?
We are children of God, Our playing small does not serve the world.
There is potential on the inside of each and everyone of us.
This knowledge liberates us and and as we set ourselves free we unconsciously spread it to others around us.

Knowing the truth and living it is what finally set us free (Unplugs us) and as such we are no longer confined to a box, we no longer have limits or fears, and agents in this world cannot stop them.
Please get unplugged now.
This is supposed to start an unplugging process in you, if you remain in the Matrix, it is your choice for which you would have no excuse(s)

cheers
@biola.com

MicrosoftWord Quickreferernce

2006-12-13T15:43:00.000+01:00

List of keyboard shortcuts for Word 2002 and for Word 2003

Command Name Shortcut Keys
............................................................................................
All Caps CTRL+SHIFT+A
Annotation ALT+CTRL+M
App Maximize ALT+F10
App Restore ALT+F5
Apply Heading1 ALT+CTRL+1
Apply Heading2 ALT+CTRL+2
Apply Heading3 ALT+CTRL+3
Apply List Bullet CTRL+SHIFT+L
Auto Format ALT+CTRL+K
Auto Text F3 or ALT+CTRL+V
Bold CTRL+B or CTRL+SHIFT+B
Bookmark CTRL+SHIFT+F5
Browse Next CTRL+PAGE DOWN
Browse Previous CTRL+PAGE UP
Browse Sel ALT+CTRL+HOME
Cancel ESC
Center Para CTRL+E
Change Case SHIFT+F3
Char Left LEFT
Char Left Extend SHIFT+LEFT
Char Right RIGHT
Char Right Extend SHIFT+RIGHT
Clear DELETE
Close or Exit ALT+F4
Close Pane ALT+SHIFT+C
Column Break CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER
Column Select CTRL+SHIFT+F8
Copy CTRL+C or CTRL+INSERT
Copy Format CTRL+SHIFT+C
Copy Text SHIFT+F2
Create Auto Text ALT+F3
Customize Add Menu ALT+CTRL+=
Customize Keyboard ALT+CTRL+NUM +
Customize Remove Menu ALT+CTRL+-
Cut CTRL+X or SHIFT+DELETE
Date Field ALT+SHIFT+D
Delete Back Word CTRL+BACKSPACE
Delete Word CTRL+DELETE
Dictionary ALT+SHIFT+F7
Do Field Click ALT+SHIFT+F9
Doc Close CTRL+W or CTRL+F4
Doc Maximize CTRL+F10
Doc Move CTRL+F7Doc
Restore CTRL+F5
Doc Size CTRL+F8
Doc Split ALT+CTRL+S
Double Underline CTRL+SHIFT+D
End of Column ALT+PAGE DOWN
End of Column ALT+SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
End of Doc Extend CTRL+SHIFT+END
End of Document CTRL+END
End of Line END
End of Line Extend SHIFT+END
End of Row ALT+END
End of Row ALT+SHIFT+END
End of Window ALT+CTRL+PAGE DOWN
End of Window Extend ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
Endnote Now ALT+CTRL+D
Extend Selection F8
Field Chars CTRL+F9
Field Codes ALT+F9
Find CTRL+F
Font CTRL+D or CTRL+SHIFT+F
Font Size Select CTRL+SHIFT+P
Footnote Now ALT+CTRL+F
Go Back SHIFT+F5 or ALT+CTRL+Z
Go To CTRL+G or F5
Grow Font CTRL+SHIFT+.
Grow Font One Point CTRL+]
Hanging Indent CTRL+T
Header Footer Link ALT+SHIFT+R
Help F1
Hidden CTRL+SHIFT+H
Hyperlink CTRL+K
Indent CTRL+M
Italic CTRL+I or CTRL+SHIFT+I
Justify Para CTRL+J
Left Para CTRL+L
Line Down DOWN
Line Down Extend SHIFT+DOWN
Line Up UP
Line Up Extend SHIFT+UP
List Num Field ALT+CTRL+L
Lock Fields CTRL+3 or CTRL+F11
Macro ALT+F8
Mail Merge Check ALT+SHIFT+K
Mail Merge Edit Data Source ALT+SHIFT+E
Mail Merge to Doc ALT+SHIFT+N
Mail Merge to Printer ALT+SHIFT+M
Mark Citation ALT+SHIFT+I
Mark Index Entry ALT+SHIFT+X
Mark Table of Contents Entry ALT+SHIFT+O
Menu Mode F10
Merge Field ALT+SHIFT+F
Microsoft Script Editor ALT+SHIFT+F11
Microsoft System Info ALT+CTRL+F1
Move Text F2
New CTRL+N
Next Cell TAB
Next Field F11 or ALT+F1
Next Misspelling ALT+F7
Next Object ALT+DOWN
Next Window CTRL+F6 or ALT+F6
Normal ALT+CTRL+N
Normal Style CTRL+SHIFT+N or ALT+SHIFT+CLEAR (NUM 5)
Open CTRL+O or CTRL+F12 or ALT+CTRL+F2
Open or Close Up Para CTRL+0
Other Pane F6 or SHIFT+F6
Outline ALT+CTRL+O
Outline Collapse ALT+SHIFT+- or ALT+SHIFT+NUM -
Outline Demote ALT+SHIFT+RIGHT
Outline Expand ALT+SHIFT+=
Outline Expand ALT+SHIFT+NUM +
Outline Move Down ALT+SHIFT+DOWN
Outline Move Up ALT+SHIFT+UP
Outline Promote ALT+SHIFT+LEFT
Outline Show First Line ALT+SHIFT+L
Overtype INSERT
Page ALT+CTRL+P
Page Break CTRL+ENTER
Page Down PAGE DOWN
Page Down Extend SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
Page Field ALT+SHIFT+P
Page Up PAGE UP
Page Up Extend SHIFT+PAGE UP
Para Down CTRL+DOWN
Para Down Extend CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN
Para Up CTRL+UP
Para Up Extend CTRL+SHIFT+UP
Paste CTRL+V or SHIFT+INSERT
Paste Format CTRL+SHIFT+V
Prev Cell SHIFT+TAB
Prev Field SHIFT+F11 or ALT+SHIFT+F1
Prev Object ALT+UP
Prev Window CTRL+SHIFT+F6 or ALT+SHIFT+F6
Print CTRL+P or CTRL+SHIFT+F12
Print Preview CTRL+F2 or ALT+CTRL+I
Proofing F7
Redo ALT+SHIFT+BACKSPACE
Redo or Repeat CTRL+Y or F4 or ALT+ENTER
Repeat Find SHIFT+F4 or ALT+CTRL+Y
Replace CTRL+H
Reset Char CTRL+SPACE or CTRL+SHIFT+Z
Reset Para CTRL+Q
Revision Marks Toggle CTRL+SHIFT+E
Right Para CTRL+R
Save CTRL+S or SHIFT+F12 or ALT+SHIFT+F2
Save As F12
Select All CTRL+A or CTRL+CLEAR (NUM 5) or CTRL+NUM 5
Select Table ALT+CLEAR (NUM 5)
Show All CTRL+SHIFT+8
Show All Headings ALT+SHIFT+A
Show Heading1 ALT+SHIFT+1
Show Heading2 ALT+SHIFT+2
Show Heading3 ALT+SHIFT+3
Show Heading4 ALT+SHIFT+4
Show Heading5 ALT+SHIFT+5
Show Heading6 ALT+SHIFT+6
Show Heading7 ALT+SHIFT+7
Show Heading8 ALT+SHIFT+8
Show Heading9 ALT+SHIFT+9
Shrink Font CTRL+SHIFT+,
Shrink Font One Point CTRL+[
Small Caps CTRL+SHIFT+K
Space Para1 CTRL+1
Space Para15 CTRL+5
Space Para2 CTRL+2
Spike CTRL+SHIFT+F3 or CTRL+F3
Start of Column ALT+PAGE UP
Start of Column ALT+SHIFT+PAGE UP
Start of Doc Extend CTRL+SHIFT+HOME
Start of Document CTRL+HOME
Start of Line HOME
Start of Line Extend SHIFT+HOME
Start of Row ALT+HOME
Start of Row ALT+SHIFT+HOMEStart of Window ALT+CTRL+PAGE UPStart of Window Extend ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+PAGE UP
Style CTRL+SHIFT+S
Subscript CTRL+=
Superscript CTRL+SHIFT+=
Symbol Font CTRL+SHIFT+Q
Thesaurus SHIFT+F7
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Intrepreneurship 101

2006-12-12T17:54:00.000+01:00

- The History of Intrapreneurship

In an article in The Economist in 1976, Norman Macrae predicted a number of trends in business - one of them being "that dynamic corporations of the future should simultaneously be trying alternative ways of doing things in competition within themselves". In 1982, he revisited those thoughts in another Economist article, noting that the this trend had resulted in confederations of intrapreneurs. He suggested that firms should not be paying people for attendance, but should be paying competing groups for modules of work done. One suggestion was to set up a number of typing pools contracted for a certain amount of work over a certain time period for a lump sum. The members of the pool would be responsible for apportioning work, setting pay, setting work hours or even whether to subcontract out part of the work. Applied across the business spectrum such groups would provide the intrapreneurial competition he envisioned.

During the same time frame, Gifford and Elizabeth Pinchot were developing their concept of intra-corporate entrepreneur. They coined the word intrapreneur giving credit for their thinking to the 1976 article by Macrae. Under their model a person wishing to develop an intrapreneurial project would initially have to risk something of value to themself - a portion of their salary, for instance. The intrapreneur could then sell the completed project for both cash bonuses and intra-capital which could be used to develop future projects. Based on the success of some of the early trials of their methods in Sweden they began a school for intrapreneurs and in 1985 they published their first book,Intrapreneuring, combining the findings from their research and practical applications . (Note: A revised edition of that book, Intrapreneuring in Action is now available.)

By 1986 John Naisbett was citing intrapreneurship as a way for established businesses to find new markets and new products in his our-of-print book, " Re-Inventing the Corporation" and Steve Jobs was describing the development of the Macintosh computer as an intrapreneurial venture within Apple. The concept was established enough that in 1990 Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School discussed in her book, " When Giants Learn to Dance", the need for intrapreneurial development as a key factor in ensuring the survival of the company.
And, in 1992, The American Heritage Dictionary brought intrapreneurism into the main stream by adding intrapreneur to its dictionary, defining it as "a person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation". Intrapreneurship was a concept here to stay.

- Human Resources Issues in Intrapreneurship

What has intrapreneurship meant in the reality of the business environment? The area of greatest impact has been, of course, in human resources. Intrapreneurship has not just become a method for revitalizing business processes, but of also revitalizing jobs.
In GTE's Information Systems Division that has paid off for the company and its employees too. This program was actually developed by a former GTE employee, Anthony Spadafore, who left GTE to form his own consultancy program, Pathfinders, which works towards developing self-directed employees. Spadafore spent extensive counselling the volunteer employees in this new way of thinking and working. From the initial group eight new projects were proposed and a number of them funded. A number of employees have defined totally new career paths for themselves. This program has totally redefined how GTE does business.
3M is another company that has reaped the rewards of intrapreneurism. 3M has a standard policy that allows all employees to work on developing their own business ideas at least 15 percent of the time they are at work. One of the big breakthroughs that came from this program was the concept of Post-It-Notes which was pioneered by an employees that wanted something that wouldn't fall out to mark pages in his hymn book at church.
One of the most exciting concepts in intrapreneurism is developing intrapreneurial competing teams within a company. The organization can be organized around teams that function as small businesses nested and networked together. These teams can be focused on a product such as a new car, a process, such as public relation or a service, such as the secretarial services of the organization. What evolves is a free market system with work coordinated more effectively and responsibility distributed more widely.

- The Intrapreneurial Organization

Intrapreneurs have been credited with increasing the speed and cost-effectiveness of technology transfer from research and development to the marketplace. While intrapreneurs are sometimes considered inventors, inventors come up with new products. Intrapreneurs come up with new processes that get that product to market. Part of the reason they are considered similar to inventors is that they are creative and are risk-takers in the sense that they are stepping out of their traditional role within the business. However, their risk-taking behavior is personal. In terms of the business, they actually work towards minimizing the risk through the innovative approaches they use to more efficient and effective product production and sales.
Some methods that have been used by businesses to foster intrapreneurship are:

· Users of internal services are allowed to make their own choice of which internal vendor they wish to use.
Intrapreneurial employees are granted something akin to ownership rights in the internal intraprises they create.
Companywide involvement is encouraged by insisting on truth and honesty in marketing and marketplace feedback.
Intrapreneurial teams are treated as a profit center rather than a cost center(i.e, they are responsible for their own bottom line). One way some companies handle this is for the team to have their own internal bank account.
Team members are allowed a variety of options in jobs, in innovation efforts, alliances, and exchanges.
Employees are encouraged to develop through training programs.
Internal enterprises have official standing in the organization.
A system of contractual agreements between internal enterprises is defined and supported by the organization.
A system for settling disputes between internal enterprises and between employees and enterprises is part of the intrapreneurship plan.
Intrapreneurism in business has evolved to encompass a variety of concepts: identifying and fostering employees who have what a considered to be intrapreneurial traits, developing an intrapreneurial process for part or all of a business, and developing innovation through rewarding intrapreneurial behavior.

- The Intrapreneur

For the intrapreneurial employee, advice abounds. They are advised to be courageous, moderate risk takers, frugal, flexible, and creative about their pathway. Their task is to put together a team of enthusiastic volunteers, build a network of sponsors, and ask for advice before asking for resources.
Gifford Pinchot's out-of print book " Intrapreneuring, Why You Don't Have to Leave the Corporation to Become an Entrepreneur" provides 10 commandments for intrapreneurs:

Do any job needed to make your project work regardless of your job description.
Share credit wisely.
Remember, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Come to work each day willing to be fired.
Ask for advice before asking for resources.
Follow your intuition about people; build a team of the best.
Build a quiet coalition for your idea; early publicity triggers the corporate immune system.
Never bet on a race unless you are running in it.
Be true to your goals, but realistic about ways to achieve them.
Honor your sponsors.

Online forums that encourage new thinking have evolved with Fast Company and The Intrapreneuring Cafe being among the favorites. Fast Company has the goal of chronicling the changes under way in how companies create and compete, highlighting the new practices shaping how work gets done, showcasing teams who are inventing the future and reinventing business, and equipping the people exploring this uncharted territory with the tools, techniques, models, and mind-sets they need. The Intrapreneuring Cafe, run by intrapreneur.com discusses a variety of specific intrapreneurship issues such as what the best businesses are for intrapreneurship and government agency intrapreneuring. They also run want ads for intrapreneurs.

Another direction intrapreneurship is growing is in developing scenarios to anticipate future trends and responses. Scenarios are stories about possible futures which enable organizations to learn, adapt and develop better strategies. Scenario planning begins by identifying the focal issue or decision. There are an infinite number of stories that could be told about the future; the purpose is to tell those that matter, that lead to better decisions. While scenarios to-date have primarily been used for large scale planning efforts for such projects as education in the United States, it is very applicable to the business environment today.

Make Money Online

2006-12-12T17:50:00.000+01:00

Make Money Online

Even with no product and no Web site, you can get paid for what and who you know

Making money online used to pretty much require you to have your own Web site, products to sell and some marketing savvy. But a new generation of dot-coms have arisen that will pay you for what you know and who you know without you having to be a web designer or a marketing genius.

But it's hard to tell hype from the real deal. I did a search on "make money online" and "making money online", and much of the information out there is just promoting various infoproducts, mostly about Internet marketing. I see why people sometimes ask, "Is anyone making money online besides Internet marketing experts?"
So I put together a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:
Pay cash, not just points towards rewards or a chance to win money
Don't require you to have your own Web domain or your own products
Don't involve any hard-selling
Aren't just promoting more Internet marketing
Give a good return on your time investment
In the interest of objectivity, none of the links below are affiliate links, and none of them have paid or provided any other consideration for their presence here.

These are legitimate companies with business models that allow you to get paid for a wide range of activities.
Help friends find better jobs.
Sites like karmaONE, JobThread and H3.com connect employers with prospective employees, many of whom are already employed and not actively job-hunting, via networking - the people who know these qualified candidates. Rewards for referring a candidate who gets hired range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $5,000 - not chump change. This is a great way to break into the recruiting business with no overhead.
Connect suppliers with buyers.
Referral fees are a common practice in business, but they haven't been used much in online networking sites because there was no way to track them. InnerSell provides that. Vendors set the referral fees they're willing to pay, then when a deal happens, you get 70% of the referral fee.
Provide business contact information.
One of the greatest challenges in sales is getting accurate contact information about prospective customers. A growing number of services have launched in the past couple of years to help address this, but most rely on members to maintain their own contact information. Jigsaw, on the other hand, pays members to help keep information up-to-date on the people they know, not just themselves, and pays them to do so ($1 for each unique new qualifying contact you put into the system). According to Jigsaw, in their first payout after launch, the top ten point-earns each received more than $750.
Become a semi-pro reporter.
Creative Reporter is a new program from Creative Weblogging that lets just about anyone become a paid reporter/blogger. They're looking for people to create original, but non-exclusive, blog posts / articles of 250-500 words on topics including parenting, celebrities, travel, mobile technology, and more. Pay is $10 per 1,000 page views on your posts (that's excellent pay for Web writing, although there's no telling how much traffic/money you'll actually get).
Write your own blog.
You don't have to have your own Web site, or install blogging software, or even figure out how to set up the advertising. At Blogger you can set up a blog for free in less than five minutes without knowing a thing about web design, and Blogger even automates setting up Google AdSense so you can make money off your blog by displaying ads and getting paid when people click on the ads. To make even more money from it, set up an affiliate program (see below) for books, music, etc., and insert your affiliate links whenever you refer to those items. You'll have to get a lot of traffic to become a six-figure blogger, but pick an interesting topic, write well, tell all your friends, and you're off to a good start.
Related: Blog Profit Tips - Make Money From Weblogs
Advertise other people's products.
If you already have a Web site or a blog, look for vendors that offer related but non-competing products and see if they have an affiliate program. Stick to familiar products and brands - they're easier to sell. To promote those products:
Place simple text or graphical ads in appropriate places on your site
Include links to purchase products you review or recommend in a blog, discussion forum or mailing list you control
Create a dedicated sales page or Web site to promote a particular product
They all work - it just depends on how much time you have to spend on it and your level of expertise with Web design and marketing.
Related: How To How to Really Make Money on the Internet With an Amazon.com Affiliate Site
The above list is by no means comprehensive, but it highlights some of the new and interesting ways to make money online without investing any money, without having a product of your own, and without having expert sales and marketing skills. Most of all, unlike taking surveys or getting paid to read e-mail, the potential return on your time investment is substantial.
Suggested Reading
How to Really Make Money on the Internet With an Amazon.com Affiliate Site
Internet Marketing Articles
Blog Profit Tips - Make Money From Weblogs
Related Articles
Make Money Online (Without Spending a Dime)
Internet Business Models
Marketing your Craft Web Site
4 Elements of a Successful, Profitable Website

Other relevant links

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Make $13,500 a monthfrom a free toolbar you build on your ownmake-money-toolbar.com
work at homeBe your own boss set your own hoursivyzhong.typehome.hop.clickbank.net

Tips and Tricks

2006-12-05T17:11:00.000+01:00

Gbàmí gbàmí ò yẹ àgbàlagbà, Ewúré nle mí ò yẹ ọdẹ

This is a yoruba (the language of one of the tribes in nigeria) adage which means... screems for help is not too befitting for an adult and i'm being chased by a goat not too befitting for a hunter.

I'm posting this today for two reasons

1. To let you know that you do not have to wait until you will need to tell that unbefitting tale, the kind of tale that make people say stuff like "what were you too looking at... you should have...."

2. I wan't to let you know that writing yoruba precisely as it should be in you blog is possible and below are some tips and how to get it done.

Type it in microsoft word and thereafter copy it to your post
For special symbols, click insert, click symbols, pick the one that most siuts you then click insert, finally click close.
It could be strainous and time consuming doing it over and over, please endure... good things take a while.

On a final note, always remember... impossible is nothing, nothing is impossible

cheers
@biola.com

Thinker

2006-12-04T16:11:00.000+01:00

The magic box
What you see above is call the magic box. It’s got three rows and three columns, it can contain the number from one to nine each in it’s own cell as shown above. However, these numbers can be rearranged in such a way that every straight three cell ad up to 15 including the diagonals. Examples

If you are a good thinker it probably won’t take you time to figure it out. Its easy, rearrange the numbers from 1 – 9 in this box in such a way that all straight three cells add up to 15. Try it and share how many days/ hours it took you with me.

Cheers

The Man in the Mirror

2006-12-04T15:47:00.001+01:00

The man in the mirror
A look around me in the past weekend made me understand this: When we want to apportion blame say for example about the present situation of things in our country, we blame the government, policies, inflation, tax, politicians, our parents, the boss of the company we work, our class mates, our friends and others that I cannot even begin to imagine.
We blame all except the man in the mirror… ourselves. Come to think of it how many of us have actually accepted while being driven that it is the man driving us that is responsible for the near accident situation. We blame the driver in the other car, despite the facts.

Another critical look again and I realize that in a quest for success and significance we look everywhere for the secret… we look over the mountains, deserts, cross seven seas, did deep into the earth, bla bla bla and forgetting the most important, the answer… the man in the mirror… you.
You are the secret of your success, the secret of your failure. You should like the lizard that falls from the Iroko tree and nods, praising himself also praise yourself if you survive the storms of life and make a great achievement otherwise blame yourself for taking the jump if you died in the process.
It’s time to look in the mirror with a different purpose rather than to see if the make-up looks good on you. It time to look at the star in you the only person that can take you to your desired height or the fool in you the one person that has been responsible for all your set backs.

NO MORE EXCUSES… It’s the man in the mirror we should blame/credit

Cheers
@biola.com

Free to fly

2006-11-28T13:15:00.000+01:00

A lot of us have somehow signed up to certain things unknowingly that continually guarantees our lack of limitations. We are just not away that we are "free to fly". When this topic first came to my mind it came with the picture of a bird in a cage, this bird has stay in the cage so long, tried to get out for so long and now has gotten used to the fact that it is confined to a defined radius and a very small one too. If the cage is opened and the bird is left free to fly, it doesn't know without a push. I hope you are feeling me.

There are certain things you have, that has guaranteed you wings and has also increased your radius thereby making you "free to fly". Lets get to them

God on your side: This is one ultimate thing that a person can have. If the creator of the universe is your friend then the secrets of the universe, how it will work and what part you should play, what path you should take are not far away from you. You only need to Listen and Hear him as He desires to share these secretes with you.

A network of influence: Friends who matter in the world. A mentor to guide you. A physical representation of God and his Grace

An attitude of thanksgiving: If you have the heart that a appreciates, things are done are will continue to be done for you. You will never have to worry,You will always be happy, There will always be a bright side for you to see and utilize, you'll most likely be the only one seeing it and then that singles you out in this competitive world.

A Talent, A skill, a GIFT: The gift of a man will make way for him. That skill you have has a better tendency of putting you in a fulfilling career and life far better than the education you have. However like I've said If you education fall in line with your natural God-given skill, you have a two-hit combo.

with these and a few more, we do not have any excuse not to make it, not to fly without limitations. If you are lacking in one log-on now, cos you will not be able to blame anybody from today for not soaring with eagles, for not being on top, ahead, above in e very area, facet of life.

YOU ARE FREE TO FLY. You have all it takes... so no more excuses.

Final note: "Aspire for a level beyond success...SIGNIFICANCE" Meet a need instead of seeking to gain and see how much you will gain in the process.

Cheers
@biola.com

Country people

2006-11-27T15:25:00.001+01:00

A friend by the name of Kike sent me this via email, it's kinda interesting so I decided to post it. I'll really love to hear your thoughts. It seems to me though that somebody somewhere does not yet know the power of GRATITUDE
A Trip From Abuja By AirBy Reuben Abati
I had cause to travel to Abuja a few days ago. I was accosted at the airport by a television crew who wanted to know how I felt traveling by air so soon after the ADC plane crash of October 29. "What can we do? Life must continue", I declared, matter of factly. And indeed life must go on, although I noticed that there were not too many passengers at the usually busy local wing of the Murtala Muhammad airport in Lagos .
But the drama that I experienced on the return leg of my trip was so memorable I cannot the resist the temptation to report it. I arrived at the Abuja airport very early on Friday morning, to beat the rush and see if I could get a seat on either an Aero Contractors flight or Virgin Nigeria. For now, these are the only two airlines which Nigerians prefer to patronise. But at the Aero contractor ticket counter, I was told that all the airline's early morning flights to Lagos had been fully booked. I ended up buying a Chachangi ticket. The plane was already boarding so I rushed off to the tarmac. Sitting next to me in the aircraft was a young lady who pestered me endlessly with her anxiety. First, she lamented not being able to get an Aero ticket. Then, she declared that her mother would nearly faint were she to be told that she travelled with another airline.
"Do you think this plane will get to Lagos safely?", she asked me.
"I don't see any reason why it shouldn't", I tried to reassure her.
"Ah", she sighed. "And I didn't tell anybody I was travelling o. I want my mum to see me in Lagos and be surprised."
I kept mute. I had nothing to say to this. Meanwhile, the door of the aircraft was being shut, preparatory to departure.
"They are locking the door", she told me. "Someone cannot go down again. Ah, what have I done to myself? I think I should have gone back home and travel later."
"Don't worry. We are in it already. Everything will be fine"
"But see" she said, sweeping the aircraft with her left hand. "There are not too many people on this flight. It's like other people are afraid too. This is an early morning flight on Friday, ordinarily it should be full of passengers. I just hope I have not made a mistake."
"Don't worry, take it easy. Everything will be fine."
"Anytime I can't get either Aero or Virgin, I will just go back home."
The plane was now moving onto the runway, and just as it lifted itself off the ground, it shook at the wings a bit.
"The plane is shaking. It is shaking", the lady said, her voice quivering.
"That is normal when an aircraft is taking off, It will soon stabilise once it gains altitude," I told her.
"See, other people are praying."
She placed her head on the seat in front of her and mumbled some words to the Almighty. I looked out of the window, and behold, just below us, on a burnt out patch of ground, almost at the end of the runway field, to the right of the aircraft was the tail of the ADC plane that crashed on October 29. I could see it very clearly. I drew the young lady's attention to it. She looked out too noting that the crash was really close to the airport, and judging from the position of the aircraft in which we were traveling, we were able to confirm that in fact the crashed ADC plane had not even gained altitude before it plunged into the earth below and exploded. If such an accident had occurred in a city like Lagos where houses surround the perimeter fence of the airport, the tragedy would have been worse. More people would have died. The plane was now airborne. The young lady was still fretting.
"Don't give yourself hypertension" , I advised her.
"At least we have survived the take-off, it remains landing. I understand that these planes only crash when they are taking off or when they are landing," she observed.
"Well, well". I restrained myself from giving her examples of air crashes in which the aircraft developed a fault while airborne. She kept talking.
"And the planes tend to crash either on Saturdays or Sundays. Thank God today is Friday," she noted. I could see that the lady was trying so hard to reassure herself that she was safe. Just then, the cabin attendant said certain things and mentioned the name of the pilot. This proved to be a useful piece of information for her.
"The pilot is a white man", she said, sounding as if she had just resolved a puzzle. I couldn't immediately figure out what she was driving at.
"That is a white man's name" she added.
I had wanted to tell her that the pilot could well be a Nigerian bearing one of those foreign sounding names, and that she should not judge a man's colour by the sound of his name alone. But I left her alone with her illusions. She won't give up.
"At least a white pilot will be reasonable," she told me.
"How?", I asked
"He will not take the kind of risk that our people will take."
"May be." By now, this lady was beginning to get on my nerves with her panic. So, I pretended as if I was feeling sleepy. I actually rested my head on the seat in front of me. But she would not leave me alone.
"You want to sleep?"
"Yes"
"How can you sleep in this kind of situation? Me, I can't sleep o. I am going to stay awake and monitor everything that this plane does till we get down safely in Lagos ."
I mumbled something about not getting enough sleep the previous day, because I don't always feel comfortable sleeping in a strange bed in a hotel. She was not interested in my sleeping habits.
"Do you think the weather is good today?", she inquired. Not being a meteorologist, I was not in a position to offer her an expert opinion on the weather, other than to describe what she herself could see. It was bright outside, and the sun was already out.
"I think the weather is good today, the pilot shouldn't have any problems", she answered her question herself. I nodded. And if it would be of any comfort to her, I drew her attention to the news that the President had redeployed Professor Babalola Borishade from the Aviation Ministry to Culture and Tourism, a sign at least that the Federal Government is just as concerned about the state of the aviation industry as the rest of us.
"Who is now the new Minister of Aviation?", she asked. I told her. She shook her head.
"But that Professor Borishade, does he have any shame at all?," she inquired. How on earth she expected me to offer a definite opinion on this, I didn't know.
"The man should know that by redeploying him, the President is making a statement of disapproval about his headship of the Aviation Ministry and particularly his management of the ADC crash. What is he going to do at the Culture Ministry? He should have resigned; in fact the President should have sacked him."
"The man says he likes his redeployment. He is not thinking of resignation. He is happy"
"Why won't he be happy? If the President had redeployed him as a Personal Assistant in the Presidency, he would also have taken it. People like him have an explanation for everything. No shame at all."
Finally, the lady kept quiet. But as soon as the cabin hostess announced that the aircraft would commence its descent into the Lagos airport, my tormentor started fretting again. But we made it. The landing was smooth, and I saw her praying again, and singing. I took a close look at her for the first time. A pretty girl. Used to being pampered, obviously. Nice physical assets; delicate and tempting features. We disembarked. It took some time before we could collect our luggage, and now it was my turn to fret. "I don't like being kept waiting", I said. "Why is it taking these people so long to bring our luggage?" Someone spoke beside me. It wasn't the lady now, but a man who had been with us on the same flight.
"Any time they like, they can bring the luggage. You should be thanking God that we had a smooth flight and arrived safely", the fellow said.
I had nothing to say to him. I didn't want another cry baby on my hands, lamenting about the woes of Nigeria 's aviation industry and how it has turned air travellers into victims of paranoia.

For now this is all i have to say:
Let this be a word to all: "Those who take life too seriously don't live long" and
Candid advice: "Do not let what you can't do, interfere with what you can do"
Cheers
@biola.com
Nb: What are your thoughts

Education Versus Skill

2006-11-27T14:18:00.001+01:00

Education vs Skills

In Nigeria today we have two classes of youth. We have the one whose parent put up to learn a trade or a skill such as "mechanic" or "tailor" and we have those in our own category whose parents put on the part of education. Both parents have one thing in mind: that the young lad should grow up and be able to fend for himself and the family he/she will eventually make.

The lad that learns a skill and starts at the age of say ten know that after about ten years he will do "freedom" and start a workshop of his own, be his own boss, and from then onwards fend for himself and eventually his family too.

The lad whose "parents choose the path of education for him" will pick a career path that most fits his JAMB score and will know that his options are to get the best grades possible, get a job and work for one big man for a while, earn 20% of the value he adds to the big man's company and eventually retire after many years and still depend on the big man for pension to survive the other years that he has left before he dies.

If the educated lad cannot fend for his family on his salary and it is not just enough, he begins to add some other means such as trading, farming, etc just to keep body and soul together.

The one that is most victorious if we were really to look at it well is the one who chooses the path of education, which is in line with his skill. The gift of a man will make way for him. Such a person will get a job and dictate the price because he will most likely be the best at what he does and when he is fed up of working under somebody he will start his own. He will so easily be an entrepreneur and an employer of labour

We were not told these things while we were choosing our career, most of us picked the course that was given or most convenient for us without putting passion and skill into consideration and we suddenly find ourselves in the crowd or should I say "The rat race".

There is hope however, though things cannot be reversed again. We cannot go back to school now to study what is more in line with our skill. If we could, we should.... on the other hand we should seek to do what we love and love what we do. We should think of being a job creator and not a job seeker.

We should most importantly leave a better legacy for our children.

This is my piece

Cheers all
@biola.com

Gratitude 2

2006-11-21T14:03:00.000+01:00

Some quotes to ispire, feel very free to contribute

Gratitude is not only the greatest of all the virtues, but the parent of all the others.
- Cicero (106-43 B.C.), Orator and Statesman

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those that he has.
- Epictetus

If we could forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings, how different things would be.
- Robert C. Savage, Life Lessons, Galahad Books

Turn your face to the light and you'll never see the shadows
-@biola.com

Gratitude: Thank You

2006-11-20T15:41:00.000+01:00

In showing Gratitude we are showing appreciation for a good deed or act of kindness shown to us. What then if no good deed is done to us? Does this mean that life can be so cruel to a person that he will not have any reason to be grateful either to God or to his fellow men?

"Life can give us blows about by the wings of change and chance"

It is rightly said that sincere gratitude makes the "giver or doer" to want to "give more" or "do more" This makes gratitude key to getting.

Correct me if i'm wrong but I believe if we will be grateful in hard times they will not last long and though they last because we chose to look at the bright side and we are grateful for how things are, we can begin to make the best of it.

Life is too good not to be thankful, in doing so we command blessings. We may never know all the steps but we must learn to join the dance.
Look at the sanguine and learn from him, though he is not a principled person and is very good at disappointing appointments, he takes life easy and is always high in spirit. Little wonder he does not attend classes yet somehow he passes, though he disappoint many he is still loved by the majorinty. He is given preference over most others because of his very jovial and ever happy spirit. He feels sad but he quickly looks at reasons to be happy and he makes the needed switch, sees thigns from the bright side, appreciates that all hope is not lost and within minutes of tragedy his bubbling again. Just like he looks as it things just somehow work out for him.

Look on the bright side and smile, show some gratitude for little as well as big things of life and you will be surprised at how much is still in stock

Thank you for reading this please call again

No Excuses?

2006-11-06T17:55:00.000+01:00

I am wondering what would be the ideal first thing to talk about and something tells me that now that you are here you may probably be asking yourself what I mean by no excuses. I leave in a world that I believe is run by a God majorly. This God gave us abilities that makes us able in everyway. We have capacity to make/create. If we can only believe then there is no such thing as impossible for us, me, you. Even if I do not believe in God the Laws of the universe guarantee this fact. There is therefore no such thing as impossible. In reality impossibility will be another possibility if we choose to allow it. Many have used the word in times past and now in the present world have been proven wrong. Some have lived to see what they claimed could not be done, other we can tell the tale to their children, that is if it wasn’t their children that proved them wrong. If my belief is responsible for what is and what is not, what is alive and what is dead. Then “alive or dead it is in my hands”. I personally believe now that “I will make it” If I don’t, “It will be my fault” end of story. I cannot claim ignorance, because if I really wanted to know the way, I would have sought like I did I would have found. You, by reading this have also found like me. Someday you would be inclined to share this simple truth with someone else who is willing to learn it. If we are not willing to learn, whose fault? Know the truth now… that a right mindset makes thing happen. If you don’t know it’s because you are not ready to know. Truly “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear” ignorance therefore is not an excuse. Should this be the case, then, what is my excuse? If I gave excuses for what I could have done something about so easily would you not call me stupid or worse? Put yourself in my shoes right now and believe when I say we have no reason to make excuses, no basis for that anymore and as such form this day forward there should be no more excuses.

shh...

2006-11-02T20:13:00.000+01:00

If You and I do not make what excuses would we have?

Shh... No more Excuses

Stay tuned for my reasons