See Yourself As A Star

When it comes to issues pertaining to who a star or achiever is, I quickly tend to raise eyebrows.


More often than not, society makes us believe as though only those who appear on television are THE STARS. That they are the only ones who can gain the spotlight and receive massive attention. That they are the only ones who ‘matter’.

What I think? You matter. Anybody currently making the world a better place is a star.

Stardom is a state of mind, and not necessarily a societal award. You need to create that state of mind before society can discover you.

Stardom is an outward reflection of what a person has already thought of himself. Society only discovers stardom. It never creates it.

Until you begin to recognize yourself, you will never get recognized. And until you begin to hold a high esteem of yourself, you will never be esteemed.

Don’t wait for someone to discover you before you begin to bask in their accolades.

Project yourself as a star. Think like a star. Feel like a star. Speak like a star. Interact with people like a star. It’s not bossiness or arrogance. It’s confidence.

Business Seminars: How many must you attend?

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’?

In A Pool of Ideas

Okay, so you have a myriad of ideas popping out of your head every now and then. At one moment, its one heaven of an idea coming into your mind and then the next minute, its another one trickling in, which superlatives can’t even describe. You seem to be constantly bombarded with wonderful ideas you believe will take the world by storm. And now your mind is really beginning to get full; full with ideas but dull with execution. What may happen eventually if care is not taken is that you may end up abandoning very intelligent ideas to the detriment of your wealth creation which among other things is the major motivator for most people.


Solution? What you are probably not figuring out at this point is how you can take advantage of all the wisdom God has given you by identifying and finding effective ways to implement these ideas to not only create the best possible wealth for yourself, but also make the world a better place.

Having often found myself in this same dilemma (that is, being completely lost in a pool of ideas), I’ve in recent times devised some ways to go about them more effectively. In as much as this is my version of the solution, your inputs are also very much welcome.

I believe in this simple principle: You need money to make money. This has reflected in the steps I’ve developed below:

1. List all the ideas down on paper: Most often than not, the probability that you will follow through on something you have written down is much higher than ideas you allow to freely enter in and out of your head. Seize those ideas on paper (as possibly as it comes to mind and in no particular order) and keep in a safe place. For example,

1. open a new boutique. 2. Teach at a school. 3. Create a website for a project,etc.



2. Identify the money generators and money pumpers: Secondly, you need to identify which of the things you’ve listed can generate money for you and those you will need to invest money into. For instance, teaching at a school will generate money for you but opening a new boutique may require some amount of capital.



3. Make a new list of the ideas that will generate money for you and another list for the ones that you will have to invest money in.



4. Concentrate your efforts into getting the money generator ideas started: For eg, you can start teaching at a school or do any job that generates money for you. Subsequently, you can save up some money and then plan for the other ideas you will need to pump money in. You don’t necessarily need to execute all the money generator ideas before you begin thinking of starting your money pumping projects. You just need to have a clear cut balance between the two and also make sure that you sustain your money earning projects once you get the money pumpers started. Otherwise, you may get financially drained and very frustrated.

Everything is possible. So go on and be. Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, etc.

The ‘I Want to Work in A Bank’ Syndrome.

I’ve met a thousand and one university students who want to ‘work in the bank’ after school. In recent times, the idea of many people wanting to belong to the banking fraternity has become a huge force to reckon with in career circles.


For most of these people, the perception of prestige associated with this industry is enough motivation for them to not keep their ‘burning’ desire under wraps.

Banking is perceived the world over as one of the most ‘decent’ professions. It is against this background that most people find it to be highly desirable industry to work in.

But is choosing a career about what society considers to be prestigious or deems ‘decent’ or about what you really want to do?

I think modern society’s thinking has been a little thrown out of gear concerning what career paths one should choose.

Personally, I believe in choosing a career that you see yourself in, not one society thinks you should see yourself in. At the end of the day, its you and what makes you happy and fulfilled, not what makes society happy. Is it even possible to make the WHOLE society happy with your almost always ‘singular’ career choices?

If you strongly feel banking is your turf, dive into it as soon as it’s possible, or just love it if you’re already in, being as proud as proud can get. Otherwise, if for other reasons, chances are, you may end up being frustrated with job dissatisfaction. It is then that you may realize that it would have been so much better to do what you really desire in life and pay no heed to the supposed ‘status quo’.

There’s no greater fulfillment in life than doing what you really want to do and what you are really good at doing.

I think we should take a moment to think about what exactly we want for ourselves and what to do in order to get there. Let’s say no to this ‘banking’ brouhaha and live lives we truly enjoy. Once we find what we want, we will definitely get people supporting our dream.

“You owe it to yourself to find out what you want to do, and what it will take to get there and then use that to catapult you to stardom.” – Anonymous.

Your comments are highly welcome.

We need Simon Cowells in Ghana.

I love entertainment to the bone, be it music, arts, movies, comedy or any other form. I love to be cheerful just about everything. Main reason? We can’t afford not to be happy. Happiness is all around us; that’s if we take a moment to look at the lighter side of things.


I find the “American Idol” show a great source of entertainment. Probably because I love reality shows. I love the fact that one doesn’t know what to expect and is kept glued to their TV sets in their insatiable quest to quench the suspense.

With ten seasons organized so far, the highly-ranked American television voice talent search has gained roots in entertainment circles around the globe with each new season getting more interesting.

For some, the first few seconds of showing “what they’ve got” is enough to wow the judges and guarantee their entry into the next stage of the competition. Upon exiting the audition room, some skillfully play out some suspense on their families who wait for the “verdict” with bated breath. Almost immediately, they snap their “green light” tickets to “Hollywood, eliciting thunderous rounds of applause from elated family members.

The show, having turned the lives of some fortunate few around, has also unfortunately given others a bitter pill to swallow with their disqualification from the competition due to their not-so-impressive voices.

With your granted permission (and I hope so) to be a little sarcastic, witnessing the not-so-good display of voice talents is in actual fact my “fun” part of the entire competition. (I wouldn’t give this part up for any errand!) With croaky and husky voices which send judges like pretty Paula Abdul and sexy Kyra going under tables, who wouldn’t laugh?

The drama staged by contestants during these auditions is enough to cause uncontrollable rib-cracking. From a lady who brings along a heaped file of songs she has personally composed and is still turned down, to a young man in suit who takes centrestage and makes a mess of the mike with a croaky voice which sends judges into a seemingly perpetual state of shock!

The ultimate question is, “Did these people know they had horrible voices? Why didn’t their family and friends talk them out of it, with regards to the fact that some of them thronged the audition halls with their family and friends?”

This is where British born music producer, Simon Cowell comes in. Although there’s a current flurry of criticisms surrounding the handsome looking American Idol judge, his incredible knack for honesty seems to keep the show on the up and up.

With mainly "sugar coated" words likely to emanate from the other judges, Randy, Paula and new entrant, Kyra, the worst of singers are most likely to be deceived into thinking they can try again the next year or so if they work hard at it. Unfortunately, that’s the bad thing with exercising too much caution so as not to step on “deserving” toes.

Back to Simon Cowell. A horrible singing performance is likely to meet an even more horrible comment from Simon. Reason? He never minces words. “Excuse me, but I think your performance sucks!” or “Don’t try a career at singing. Concentrate on something else”, he’s likely to say. Nevertheless, he showers the needed accolades where the delivery is excellent.

I think we need a million or more Simon Cowells in Ghana who will say it as it is and not mince words. The biggest problem with most people in Ghana is that if someone’s not good at something, they don’t want to talk the person into admitting it because they feel the person might feel awful.

But what they forget is that, if the person tries his hands on something that is not his turf, and does not (and will highly probably not) succeed, he will still get hurt anyways.

The fact that the person is horrible at singing doesn’t mean that he will be horrible at teaching. Its rather up to us as friends, family and loved ones to help that person find himself so that he can channel his resources in pursuit of that dream that is right for him.

Meanwhile we need to also take care not to sound offensive in our pointing out “the truth”. You can say something like, “Sweetheart, I’m sorry but singing is not just for you. I think you will be a wonderful teacher because you can really explain your points to the admiration of all”. Don’t say, “With this kind of voice, do you really think you can be the next American Idol?”.

I entreat all and sundry to emulate Simon Cowell’s good example and not to be too quick to “badmouth” him in his pursuit to help young people understand what they are and not made of.

So what do you think? Your comments are highly welcome.

Don’t give off YOUR best.

When you aren’t giving off THE best and you bask in the glory of average performance, you are said to be mediocre or exhibiting mediocrity.

Naa Ashorkor (actress/presenter in Ghana) wrote this lovely piece on the most popular social networking site, facebook : “If you try to fit in, you can never stand out”.

In practical terms, you CANNOT be great at everything. Picture this situation where one person is the best footballer, best presenter and best doctor? How can that most possibly be?

Everybody’s got unique talents and gifts. Michael Essien may be one of the best footballers in recent times but he may NOT be the ideal personality to consider when looking for a great presenter for the Miss Ghana Show. You need to make sure that where you are great at, you are REALLY the greatest.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from or which country you are in. Mediocrity must not and should not thrive! Mediocrity never gets you to the top.

Some of the big wigs in recent times who showed mediocrity the door are namely Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Halle Berry, BasketMouth, Genevieve Nnaji, Kofi Annan, Jackie Appiah, Yvonne Nelson, Doreen Andoh, Jessica Omane Saforo, Samini, Michael Essien, Agya Koo, etc. The list is endless.

If I want to become a presenter (and in actual fact, I do), I should be the best presenter Ghana and the world has ever seen. If you want to be a doctor, you should be the best doctor, better than your predecessors. There’s nothing like trying to be like someone even if that person is great. You must be an original best.

There is a saying on the wall at my ad agency reception which reads: “Life is too short to be mediocre”. My agency may not be the all-superlatives kind of agency but I try to ensure (as much as possible) that whatever I contribute to the drawing board is my best, my very best.

Sometimes it may be very difficult not to be mediocre in your current work environment. But you must strive. Cos’ the ones who were and are average never got noticed.

Don’t give off YOUR best. Your best may be mediocre. Give off THE best.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to flow. Thanks. 

Career Is Not The Same As Ambition.

Okay, I really needed to clarify this before I’m ‘skinned’ alive. Like I have a choice. Dull!!!!! My blog address is careerandambition.blogspot.com.(wink wink).

Career means ‘an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress’. It describes a situation of working permanently in or committed to a particular profession. I guess a typical example in the Ghanaian context would popularly be a regular ‘8am-5pm Monday to Friday’ job such as a banker.  

However, you’ve got ambition when you have a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hardwork. Its the desire and determination to achieve success.

Ambition is not necessarily a chosen career path although it is in some instances. 

Like someone could have an ambition to be a banker and his chosen career path would also probably be banking. For others, career and ambition are totally different ball games.  

Nevertheless, you need to have ambition in order to be successful in your career. Career without ambition is just sheer mediocrity. 

Bottom line: Whether it’s career or ambition, its still who you wanna be. So go on and be.