During my first year at the University of Ghana, I came across a myriad of posters advertising what many have branded as business seminars. Many a times I would rush to purchase a ticket and make sure I am one of the first people to show up at the venue on that day.
I would sit on the front row and look straight into the eyes of the speakers, as if to extract all their wisdom by some magical means. These speakers who are normally well known or popular personalities in the corporate world, would go on and on about how life is not easy and how hard you have to try in order to make it in life. They would all in different ways repeat the popular saying that “Once you set your mind on something, you can achieve it”.
The end of the ‘lecture’ soon arrives and many students leave turbocharged and full of inspiration for their ambitions. One would think they are about to take the world by storm. That they are about to make the world a better place than it is now. That they are about to reach the top echelon of their careers and ambitions.
Rather unfortunately, it turns out to be a nine-day wonder. They leave all the will behind. They continue with their lives like nothing has happened. They savour their delicious rice and brown beef stew like they were never inspired. They take in their delectable fried rice and chicken like they were never challenged to take advantage of opportunities and leave an indelible mark in the process! Everything goes with the wind.
And then another notice for a business seminar pops up. And then again, they look on excitingly. They mark it on their calendars as something they wouldn’t miss for any errand in the world. They proceed to get tickets and even invite friends along.
And the cycle continues. Listening to the same kind of inspiration lingers on once more. And in the end, they are yet again at a standstill. With fizzled out inspiration and an anxious wait for more servings.
Many a times, I fell into this trap. This web full of ‘talk’ and no ‘walk’. So by my second year, I finally decided to stop attending business seminars all together.
Don’t get me wrong. I love business seminars. I only find something wrong with us. We do nothing about what we hear. Its like we enjoy paying to go and listen to something we’ve heard over and over again. Something we can search deep down in ourselves for.
Its about time we did. If you attend business seminars to fill up seats and suck in some inspiration you do not act on, then its time to rethink. Perhaps you could save up those seminar fees for that project you want to work on or that business you want to start up.
After all, how many business seminars must you attend to be inspired about who you ‘wanna be’?
Its all about career and ambition, who 'wants to be' what and who is. Its inspiration for ambition bursting at its seams. Wanna be a Wanna'be? Join our exciting world.
