Iyabo Ojikutu's Blog, page 5
February 12, 2018
Reflecting on UN Youth Forum
My first involvement with the United Nations was last September when I was invited to be a key partner with the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Media Zone. I was excited to launch my first
book, Permanent Happiness, there and gave a speech about peace/permanent happiness and how it relates to SDG 16—peace, justice and strong institutions.
This was a phenomenal experience—being on the world platform and sharing my thoughts on how we can all come together to attain individual and, ultimately, world peace was an opportunity I’ll
never forget.
So when I was invited back to be a key partner of the SDG Media Zone and the UN ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) Youth Forum, I was more than delighted.
I’m writing this blog post sitting on the plane headed back to Atlanta from NY after the conclusion of the forum.
I am ever so optimistic and strengthened by my experience at the forum. It was inspiring and motivating to meet so many people who are involved in contributing to the Sustainable
Developmental Goals.
On day 1, I served on a panel with Eglantina Zingg, an actress and influencer, and Aicha Eichel, the moderator, a youth activist, and a high school junior. Our discussion topic was “Bridging
across the Generations: Helping Young People Reach Their Potential.” I was so inspired by both ladies. Eglantina, a native of Venezuela, is making a difference by using the power of
soccer/football to positively influence youth. Aicha, a native of Guinea, West Africa, made a special impression on me—hard to believe a high school junior could have so much confidence, poise,
and passion to make our world better. Their main interest was SDG 5—gender equality.
With Actress and Influencer, Eglantina Zingg and Youth activist, Aicha Cherif
Click link to watch entire video:
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I met NYC bloggers Gina Doost (left) and Ellese Launer (right), who were supportive and encouraging. I can’t wait to visit their blogs and learn more about what they do.
The Green Girls Robotic team, from Minnesota, also inspired me. Each middle and high school girl spoke with passion about her plans, hopes, and dreams for the future. Some of the girls wanted to
be doctors, some engineers, and they all consistently shared dreams of fighting for women’s rights and social justice in different ways. If every young person had this much drive and zeal to be
their best selves, our future would be bright for sure.
(The Robotics team pictured above)
The panel of the Women Leaders of the UN was my favorite of the night. The three women on the panel (Amina Mohammed, the UN deputy secretary-general, was one of them), as well as the moderator,
were full of wisdom. I listened to every word, soaked it all in, and recorded most of their speeches. Amina Mohammed tackled a very popular question: Can women have it all? Talking about
work-life balance, her conclusion was interesting, and I totally agreed. She said, “If you just want to be fulfilled in your career and you are not seeking a leadership position, you could
probably have a good balance, but if you are a woman seeking a position of leadership, something’s got to give.”
These are bloggers - Maddie and Jo
Other women leaders of the UN discussed how women should support other women and how we must take opportunities and make wise choices. I will be going back periodically to listen to the
videos, to stay inspired and to remind myself of all the nuggets of wisdom they shared.
Day 1—I met many other key people. Day 2—I met YouTube bloggers Damon and Jo, whose passion is SDG 6—clean water and sanitation.
My UN experience both times has been so fulfilling! The opportunity to be involved in making our world a better place via the UN platform is one I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams.
Watch this space! I have been invited back to the UN and will be returning soon to be a part of another great cause. Stay tuned!
There are 17 Sustainable development goals—Global Goals. See below link for more info on how you can get involved.
Sustainable Development Goals
My areas of interest are:
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being for people.
SDG 4: Quality Education.
SDG 5: Gender Equality.
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Which of these goals will you be working on?
Learn more at UN.org, get involved today.
Let’s make our world better and permanently happy!
January 24, 2018
World Change Is Possible
I stumbled on a quote on Instagram that read:
Do you believe you can change the world?
What action steps are you taking to realize that belief?
If we all collectively believe we can change the world for the positive and embark on active steps every single day to do so, our world will transform for the better.
I’ve always been conscious about contributing something positive to the community around me and to the lives I’m in touch with every day. I’ve done this in my pediatrician career and with the
mentoring of medical students.
Now, with my new writing, blogging, and speaking career, it is even more possible—more possible to change the world, to have a greater and wider impact on people. Much more attainable.
Having been a mom for 20 years, a pediatrician serving our children ages 0–21 years for 25 years, and a citizen of the world for almost 48 years, I’m well aware of the challenges our youth face,
and also their important and key role in the world’s future.
This is why I was so excited when I was invited back to the United Nations to be a part of the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum (the United Nations Economic and Social Forum). I'll be joining the SDG Media
Zone at the ECOSOC Youth Forum—where youth leaders all over the world will engage in discussions about their role in building sustainable and resilient urban and rural communities.
I have many dreams, but these two are at the top of my list:
One is world Peace and bringing the human race together for restoration, renewal, and reconciliation. My second completed book is all about this and tackles the various forms of human divisions
(to be published in the near future).
The other is strengthening and positioning our children and youth to be tomorrow’s leaders.
I know they are both big dreams and tall orders, but that’s what I do. I dream big, contribute my part actively to the dreams, stay consistent, and keep going and focusing on the goal.
How is your soul searching going for the year?
Are you taking action steps to achieve your goals?
I hope you will visit UN.org and sustainabledevelopment.un.org and learn all about the 17 SDGoals and how you can contribute your part to making our world much better by the year 2030. May we
all be permanently happy by influencing others positively.
YouTube
January 22, 2018
Reader Views Interview
My writing journey has indeed been very fulfilling. Since the release of my debut book, Permanent Happiness in May 2017, I have
received a lot of positive feedback and reviews. Recently, I have started receiving editorial reviews from book reviewer sites and book blogger sites, and this validation is even more empowering
for me, and certainly humbling.
Reader views recently interviewed me. Below is the full interview detailing my writing journey and more.
Read Interview
January 17, 2018
Paying the Toll on the Road to Financial Freedom
You may need two jobs to reach financial independence.
This is a post that will dive into my personal financial situation a bit, but my goal is to help someone out there who needs to hear this.
Financial constraints and bad debt are huge stressors and sleep deprivers for many people. This kind of stress is never short lived. It goes on and on and prevents people from achieving true joy,
true living, true thriving, and financial freedom.
First, let’s start off with some facts to place us on the right perspective. Did you know that 80 percent of millionaires are college graduates, but only 18 percent have master’s degrees? Fifty
percent of all millionaires are either self-employed or own a business.
So for most people, I believe a college graduation is essential for success in life. A master’s degree or other advanced education is not essential. You don’t need an MBA to be a successful
business owner. It’s an added perk, but you’ll do fine without it as long as you have the drive and other qualities needed for success.
People ask me all the time if I had to get an MBA to open my practice and to manage it so well, and the answer is no. Most solo medical practices in the US rarely last more than five years. Of
course I do have my medical degree, but absolutely no MBA. My MBA was the inner churning in my spirit that spurred me on to open my practice and stick with all the ups and downs until I saw it
start to succeed and soar. Books were my MBA also. I read literature on businesses, not just medical ones. Every business has the same fundamentals.
And the last statistic, 50 percent of all millionaires are self-employed or business owners. I actually thought this percentage would be higher. So this means you can still be employed by someone
else and be paid millions. Those millionaires who are employed, I’m assuming, are the ones working for Fortune 500 companies and the like and are in top managerial positions.
From the above, we can safely conclude that to have financial success, you need a college degree. You don’t need an advanced degree, and you are probably better off opening your own business and
being self-employed (unless you have a path that will lead you fast up the executive ladder to top positions in big companies).
My financial story—I have been debt-free for many years. The Amex I have is the type you pay off every month. Otherwise, I have debit cards only. I do not have a personal credit card, neither do
I have one for my business (more on my business below). The only debt I have, which in my opinion is good debt, is my home, which I just bought a year ago in a nice area of Atlanta (humbly said).
Prior to that, after my divorce, which was nine years ago, I rented apartments in nice areas also, but I wasn’t ready to buy a home, for this reason—I was saving up for the down payment. I knew I
wanted a nice home in an upscale part of Atlanta, but I wanted to put enough down payment on the mortgage so that my monthly payments would be the same as my monthly rent. I wanted to keep my
monthly expenses steady so that after I bought the home I could continue saving. So I waited awhile to buy a home but was still living well in the meantime.
I opened my practice in 2004. I had to obtain business financing to get it up and running. I paid it all off within six years with the revenue generated by the practice. I hired staff and doctors
gradually as the business grew. Kept my personal income low in the first five to six years, just enough to pay my bills, send my daughters to private schools, save, and contribute to my
retirement fund and to my daughters’ college funds. Didn’t take many vacations in that time period. Just a few short day trips in the US.
I hired the first doctor in 2011, and this was a big turning point for me. The business loan had been paid off, and I had enough to pay another doc.
As soon as I did this, my practice, which was already growing, now grew exponentially. There were now two of us seeing patients. With a bit of marketing, our patient load grew fast. I had a free
half day here and there to focus on efficiencies for the practice. I researched and studied hard to discover ways to make a practice efficient. It all worked. I hired a second doc and more
support staff, and the rest is history.
Hiring 2 docs and 10 support staff and reducing my clinical time gave me time to work from home managing the practice remotely, longer vacation periods, and certainly some financial freedom. But
I paid my dues—I put in the hard work, focus, sacrifice, and persistence needed along the way, and evaluated my financial position frequently with my CPA.
I only own one car, which is modest, as I ride Uber 80 percent of the time anyway. At almost 14 years old, my practice is a high-value investment on its own.
True financial fluidity is when you realize you’ve built a business of such high value that it can be sold to investors or other buyers.
The financial fluidity from my practice has also given me flexibility and options for marketing my brand-new book, Permanent
Happiness, and author-branding venture. I have not had to obtain any loans for my new venture.
So there you go—that’s me being open and vulnerable and sharing my financial journey in a nutshell.
The reason I started the post with “you may need two jobs for financial freedom” is this (you may already have figured out why I said that, since you’ve been reading along): While you’re working
on a new business, you still need to pay your bills and live well and exist and thrive well. So for some situations, for some people, it makes sense to still keep a job or two that guarantees
your income and enables you to save. You may need to do this for two to five years or so while your business is growing. In some instances, like mine, a business finance loan may be the solution,
but be careful about this. Have some certainty and evidence that the business has a high chance of succeeding before getting a huge loan that you’ll be stuck with.
More key points—save save save. Musts—a retirement fund, a savings account, and a college fund (some believe their kids should get their own college loan and pay it back, but I don’t belong to
that school of thought). I believe in funding my kids’ college educations as long as they stay focused and pass their courses. Having no debt when they start off in life pushes them ahead several
steps.
Extra key point: a business that you opened over five years ago—if it’s still not generating enough funds and you still don’t feel financial fluidity from it, you may need to reevaluate its
potential. Be careful of wasting too much time hyperfocused on a business that is not working. It’s perfectly OK to reevaluate, restart, reprioritize, refocus, and replan your ideas. There may be
a better path for you. I see way too many people hold on to businesses that are obviously not serving them in any way, and time just passes them by.
I hope someone out there has picked up a thing or two about attaining financial freedom. I’m still learning every day myself.
May we all have financial freedom and be permanently happy.
January 16, 2018
Avoid the Poverty Mindset
We must avoid this specific mindset.
On our Christmas trip last month, while in Zurich, Switzerland, and riding in an Uber with my daughters, we engaged in an interesting conversation with the driver.
The immediate neighborhood where our hotel was located had many grand and beautiful homes. As we drove by, my older daughter, Reni, asked the driver, “Are these private homes or just more
hotels?”
The driver answered, “They are private homes—very expensive.”
Reni responded, “I’d love to own one of these one day,”
The driver and I responded to her simultaneously! I said, “Great, dear. Just dream it, work hard, and you can have it.”
The driver said, “No, no, you don’t want to own a home here. Once you do, the government assumes you have lots of millions, and you don’t get anything for free anymore. Your children won’t have
any benefits. You won’t get anything for free again. So it’s better not to have money to buy these kinds of homes.”
I was obviously shocked, disappointed, and saddened by his outlook on life. He was a young guy in his 20s.
This is what I refer to as “poverty mentality.” I have encountered many people with those beliefs. Younger and older people who limit themselves by rationing their successes in life. People who
plan their lives around what they can gain from the government instead of dreaming big, soaring high, and then finding ways to contribute what they’ve earned to great causes.
I have encountered people with the poverty mentality in every country I’ve lived in—they exist in my birth country of Nigeria, there were many in England, and a high number in the US. I encounter
many youngsters in my medical practice who already have that mentality and are only teenagers. Obviously, these beliefs have been passed down from the adults and influences around them.
The belief that you can conveniently and consciously avoid getting a good enough education or a good enough job so that you can enjoy all the perks of the government—free or subsidized housing,
food stamps, free health insurance, free education, and so on—is poverty mentality.
I have encountered numerous patients in my office who have Medicaid and who obtain food stamps but drive flashy cars like Land Rovers and Range Rovers and wear the latest and flashiest sneakers.
It’s a mindset I’ll never understand, because I wasn’t raised in that mindset.
The Uber driver was opinionated and passionate about his advice to my daughter. However, I’m so glad I could be there as a positive role model for her. After we exited the car, she was obviously
taken aback by his response also, so I didn’t even have to do much explaining. She had already understood what was really wrong with his reaction.
I’m all for helping people who truly don’t have enough money or resources. I contribute to these causes through my church and even outside church. People who are truly living in poverty for
genuine reasons—such as they work hard for low wages, or they’re removing themselves from domestic abuse situations and still finding their footing, among others reasons—will garner my help and
aid. Disabled people will receive my help any day. It’s actually sad that some disabled kids can’t even get all the services they need anymore because the Medicaid system is overburdened by so
many people who really shouldn’t be receiving these services.
The poverty mentality leads to a stuck and static life. It’s a mentality that gets no one anywhere. It’s a comfortably static nonrevolving life. Those with a poverty mentality mindset will never
fully realize their dreams, life purposes, and real contributions to the universe.
It’s OK for the government to lift and aid you up during difficult times, but not forever and certainly not indefinitely.
We must all, within our power, do what we can to get a good education—academic or technical—graduate, get a job, open a business, and make our own contribution to society. We will never end
poverty in the world or cure all diseases if a substantial number of people still hold this mentality to heart, limit their personal success, and look to governments for so much help.
I know this is a controversial topic. People get very passionate about their own views with this subject. However, I respectfully stand by my views on this.
If it helps only a handful of people out there to reevaluate the role of government help in their everyday sustenance, then I’ve made the necessary impact.
These people will implement changes in their lives, then will see the growth and freedom it brings and go on to spread the truth to others.
Be financially free starting in 2018.
January 10, 2018
Kicking Off the New Year
What’s the most difficult task you’ll have to do to kick off this new year?
I wish I could guess what everyone’s answer will be!
Try to answer this question in your mind before you read further, then compare with what I truly believe is the answer as you read my thoughts.
The answer I’m about to share will completely change the entire course of your hopes and dreams and place you on the path to personal fulfillment, which will lead to your true life purpose.
Here we go: The most difficult task you’ll have is to finally come to terms with the true fact that you can depend only on your inner self for everything you need to achieve in life. And I mean
everything!
No one else can do this for you.
No one else can dream up that passion for you.
No one else can believe in you as much as you believe in you.
No one else can get up to take the necessary action steps needed to get started.
No one else can help you evaluate your current position.
No one will work hard for you as much you will for yourself.
No one can be brutally honest to you as much as yourself.
So in 2018, if you want to have the best year ever, feel the most inner peace you’ve ever felt, be more productive career or business-wise, feel fulfilled and like you’re making a difference in
the world, you must do that one thing.
Just one thing.
Realize and believe that only your inner self can help you soar in life.
So if you’ve been waiting on your spouse, significant other, parents, children, friends, work colleagues, boss, neighbors, spiritual leader…to help you lift your passion/project/dream off the
ground or waiting for them to give you the approval/validation/motivation/tools/finances to get started, you’ve been wasting time.
You’ve wasted all that time in the past. Precious time. Time you can’t get back.
Because no one else feels the desire/urge/churning in your spirit like you do. No one. No one else. Only you can really feel your core, your spirit.
Our hope is for our spouses/ significant others/parents/kids to feel the same desire for our success and life purpose fulfillment as we do, but the raw truth is it never really exists on the same
level as what we feel for ourselves.
Of course, we will need expert mentors and possibly paid help/business mentors and consultants to help as appropriate, but nothing ever gets done well until you get up and advocate and believe in
yourself.
My personal freedom/business success/entrepreneurial growth/realization of more of my gifts have come to reality only because I had the lightbulb moment years ago. The moment when I fully
realized “I” was who I really needed to get all my hopes and dreams fulfilled.
I realized no one could feel the same desire I had for all the big dreams in my heart.
I have always had big dreams. Always…as far back as I can remember, even as a child.
Big dreams to change the world for good.
Big dreams that would continue to exist and live on even after I am long gone from this earth.
No one took those dreams as seriously as I did.
No one else thought I was capable enough to achieve some of my dreams.
No one could feel the desire I had.
No one fully realized I had a big calling from God.
(Actually, my dad did…he’s the only one who really felt my inner urges. I miss you, Daddy. Rest in peace.)
Note: We all have big callings, but the moment we place the responsibility for the realization of that calling in another human’s hands, we immediately diminish the power and importance of that
calling. We immediately relinquish all active movement to birth that project/passion the minute we ask someone else to provide what we need emotionally, financially, and spiritually for the
initiation and maintenance of that project.
If you’d like 2018 to be different and see progress for yourself, quit being so dependent on others. A person who hasn’t practiced self-independence first will completely fail when trying to
fulfill dreams by being dependent on others first. You must practice relying on yourself first before relinquishing your life purpose steps to someone else.
I know society teaches us different, especially women.
Time for rethinking, reevaluation.
Time to return to the basics.
I only fully, totally, completely, unconditionally, relentlessly believe in two sources:
my inner self and
my heavenly Father
Be self-reliant and self-dependent. Make 2018 the year your life path hits the upward movement.
Be permanently happy.
January 8, 2018
Our “In the Meantime”
I think it’s important to know how to manage our “in the meantime.” Our “in the meantime” is the period of time we are waiting for our hopes, dreams, projects, and passions to materialize and
come true.
We all have dreams we are waiting on to be fulfilled, but what do we do in the meantime? How do we stay happy, peaceful, optimistic, and inspired while waiting?
Obviously, you must be actively working on the dream or project. If you are hoping and hoping and not doing anything to birth that dream, you know that’s obviously a waste of your thinking time.
Time is a gift. Don’t waste it away. Thoughts don’t actually happen until they are put into motion and action.
If you’re still procrastinating on initiating steps to put that passion or dream into action, let today be the day you stop procrastinating. Let today be the day you search Google for steps to
take; the day you reach out to that mentor who’s an expert in that field; the day you start writing down active steps to move forward.
If you are already actively pursuing your dreams and are waiting for parts of the dream to come together, here’s what you do in the meantime:
Take care of yourself spiritually and physically—meaning exercise several times a week, eat right most of the time, pray, spend time in solitude, reflect, travel, etc.
Keep researching and seeking one to three mentors in the field pertaining to your dream project. Let three be your maximum number, and don’t ask advice from friends or family who are not
experts in that field. You’ll end up confused, and you’ll start to stall and doubt yourself.
Work hard in your current job that pays your bills. Don’t lose focus on that current job. You need it to pay your bills.
Have time carved out to actively work on your dream project every single day.
Write down active and practical timelines for everything you need to do to bring it to fruition, and cross them off as you achieve them.
If you can’t birth that project within two to three years and it is proving difficult to face reality, consider letting it go. It may not be your path. Be realistic about waiting forever and
wasting your time and resources.
Keep an optimistic, bright, and positive outlook. Hope for the best. Push through obstacles. Be kind to everyone working with/for you, even if you have to move on from them at some point.
Avoid naysayers. This could be your close friends and even family. Be careful!
Listen to experts, those with proven track records, as long as there’s no money or profit in it for them. Be careful of this. Some people will advise you based on what is in it for them.
Be ready to hear the truth even if it’s not what you hoped to hear.
Don’t tell the whole world about your dreams before they happen. Bad vibes and bad energy do exist.
One extra vital step—save, save, save. Have a retirement fund, have a savings account, college fund for your kids, etc., and get rid of bad debt.
Have lots of fun as you work hard. Make sure you keep a light, fun-filled heart.
May our “in the meantimes” be full of permanent happiness, and may we savor and enjoy every single day.
January 4, 2018
Confidence Comes from Your Heart, Not from Your Wallet
I was at the Suntrust ATM the other day, and a message on the screen read, “Confidence comes from your heart, not from your wallet.”
I pondered this for a while, and I initially wondered why a bank would post this. You’d think they would say the reverse—that confidence comes from the wallet—so people would want to save and
invest more in their bank.
So I guess Suntrust is not thinking only business in this case. Their intention is to speak the truth to help others.
Confidence does come from the heart. You can be the wealthiest, richest person yet be unsure of yourself, doubt yourself, and even be insecure.
I believe some people are inherently confident and their very presence can command a room, and they can do this from a young age. This behavior trait comes naturally to some people, even from
early childhood. For others, it’s a learned behavior that stems from maturity, getting older and wiser, and being more comfortable in their own skin.
I remember some of my fellow students in elementary and secondary school being very self-assured—the ones who were the student leaders, union leaders, class prefects, etc. I was on the shy side
during my student days. I never really felt comfortable being the one who stood out for any reason. Only thing I really worked at standing out for was my grades. I was pretty confident but quite
shy. I’m not sure if those two can go together. Can you be confident if you’re shy? I believe I was both. I believed in myself but never felt comfortable around people or being the highlight for
any reason.
Obviously, in school none of us was making money. We were still being supported by our parents. However, even then I don’t remember a correlation between kids from wealthy families being more
confident than kids from average-income families. There were less confident kids who didn’t like the spotlight from both income groups.
As I’ve matured, this correlation has turned out to be not so straightforward. I’ve noticed people who are wealthy and appear confident from a distance, but when you really get to know them, they
are not as self-assured as they seem. As you get close to them, you notice their insecurities.
Others, on the other hand, who are not as successful can stand their ground and show up when they need to and are really confident.
I’ve found that I’m most confident when I’m in the position to use my gifts, display my passions, and help others. I was quite shy all through my school and college days, but as I discovered my
gifts and embarked on my true life purpose and path, I have become confident and fearless of using my voice to propagate change and to make a difference in the lives of others.
My confidence didn’t come when I started earning a good salary from my doctor job. There were many situations distracting me at that time from really focusing in and embracing my true gifts and
talents. I was just pushing through life and trying to exist.
As I found more peace and my life became more stable, I connected better with myself. I identified my gifts and my true life purpose and my core values. I became more confident as I realized I
was making a difference and impacting others’ lives…my patients, medical students, staff.
My confidence has increased over the years, and now with my writing career, I feel very confident, especially because of the way my writing came about. I believe it is part of my true life
purpose, and it gives me the drive every day to keep touching lives.
So my observation and conclusion is the same as Suntrust’s. Confidence comes from the heart, not from the wallet. You can have all the money in the world and yet be the most insecure,
self-doubting person without passion or a heart for any good cause. Or you can be the most confident, self-assured person who has a clear vision and purpose in life but not have much in the
wallet.
Purpose is wealth. Passion is wealth. Changing people’s lives is wealth.
There’s more to life than the size of your wallet and its contents. The size of your wallet will inevitably grow as your passion, purpose, and confidence grows.
Don’t be driven by your wallet size. Be driven by passion and purpose first, then watch what happens to your whole life, including your wallet size!
May we all be confident, heart-driven, permanently happy people in 2018 and beyond.
January 1, 2018
Soul Searching for 2018
On my flight to Switzerland for my Christmas holidays, while reading the inflight magazine, I stumbled on an article by Kevin O’Leary. For those of you who don’t know him, he’s one of the
self-made billionaires on the show Shark Tank. His show name is “Mr. Wonderful.” This is one of my favorite TV shows. I love watching people pitch their business ideas to the panel of billionaire
entrepreneurs. Some ideas get represented. Some don’t. But lots of hopeful businesspeople come on every week to give it their best shot and try for a deal with one of the financial moguls.
Mr. Wonderful is the one on the panel who gives the truth to aspiring entrepreneurs in a brutally honest manner. He doesn’t mince his words, comes across as harsh, but he is spot on with his
analyses and opinions!
In the article, he described how he started his own journey as an entrepreneur and what spurred him on to be a success.
His first job as a young adult? An ice cream scooper. He said people would often spit out their gum on the floor as they got ready to enjoy their ice cream. Kevin would then be asked by his boss
to clean off the gum stuck on the floor at the end of the day, even though he’d been hired as an ice cream scooper. He refused to scrape gum, primarily because there was a girl he was interested
in who worked across the road and he didn’t want to be spotted cleaning floors and being humiliated.
So he quit, and this was the turning point for him.
Photo of Kevin O'Leary from KnowNetWorth.com
This taught him the difference between the two types of people in the world:
those who own the store
those who scrape crap off the floor
It was his choice. Kevin wanted to be the one who owned the store.
He also went on to say that if you want to be an entrepreneur out of greed and with the intention of amassing wealth, you’ll fail.
What matters is personal freedom. He wanted to have personal freedom for himself and his family.
I loved reading his story, mainly because this guy is someone who fascinates me during Shark Tank, and it was inspiring to read part of his story.
We all make New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of each year. Usually by February/March, most resolutions have been broken and forgotten and we are back on our old routines…in our comfort,
static, non-evolving zones.
I don’t make resolutions at the beginning of the year. I soul search all year round. I’m continuously and actively examining my hopes, dreams, achievements, and path forward.
My personal longing to be an entrepreneur started from watching my parents growing up in Nigeria. Neither of them had the typical 9–5 civil-servant kind of job (which many parents had at the
time). They were both business minded, entrepreneurial, and successful at what they did, despite a lack of advanced education. Their MBA was their broad-based, hardworking, and analytical minds.
Just like Kevin described in his article about wanting personal freedom, my parents absolutely had personal freedom. They were their own bosses, had their own schedules, worked hard, but had time
to socialize, travel, and spend time with their children. They radiated contentment and fulfillment.
I saw this growing up and knew, no matter what career field I would choose for myself, I had to be a boss and be able to control my own schedule.
Fast-forward. I became a doctor, and I opened my own private practice, which is in its 14th year, employs 12, and is growing, serving the community, and it gives me a lot of personal fulfillment
and freedom.
My brand-new author life also grants me a lot of personal freedom, as I can write anywhere and anytime. This path is still evolving for me, but I’m enjoying the journey, being fully present in it
and visualizing the magnificent possibilities.
I’m a continuous soul searcher, not an occasional resolution maker.
I get in tune with what my soul longs for on a daily basis, and then I flow with it and align my actions, decisions, and human connections with it. I’m constantly but peacefully analyzing where I
am, what I desire in the now, and what I desire in the future, and why I desire what I desire.
Like Kevin said, if your primary goal is to amass wealth, you’ll fail. I believe that strongly. My goal when I initially desired to own my own practice was to be able to control my own schedule
so as to have more time for my kids, myself, and husband at the time. To be able to take longer vacations and just have personal freedom. My first job as a doctor in the US had me working long
hours in three to four clinics that were in different parts of Atlanta, covering hospitals and working on the weekends two to three times a month.
It wasn’t for me. I quit after nine months because I had bigger dreams based on what I saw my parents do.
I wanted what Kevin now describes as personal freedom. I never described it that way or thought of it with those two words, but I now realize that was my desire.
Mind you, the personal freedom did not come overnight! I paid my dues, was persistent and resilient, pushed through the obstacles and naysayers, and was consistent.
The long and frequent vacations did not materialize till after about five years of consistency and growth. In the beginning, my kids’ summers were spent in my office with DVDs, games, and books
to keep them occupied as I saw patients, marketed, and managed my practice.
As I expanded and hired doctors and more staff to work in the practice, the personal freedom showed up.
I still work hard today, of course, but with a lot more flexibility in my schedule.
I built a valuable business over 14 years, which has given me a lot of fulfillment, and I’ve also touched so many lives along the way, as they have touched me also.
If I ever decide to move on from it as my author career blossoms and demands more of my time, I know it will be worth a lot, as it’s a major investment on its own.
That is the true definition of successful entrepreneurship—building an empire that gives you personal freedom and becomes of high value and a potentially great investment. An empire that you can
pass on to others and obtain great returns from it as you expand and evolve into more areas of entrepreneurship.
That’s my entrepreneurial story in a nutshell.
What’s your entrepreneurial story? Do you have one? Or are you still on the 9–5 circuit?
There’s nothing wrong with the 9–5 culture. Someone has to do it. But I still want to challenge you this brand new year.
Do you soul search on a daily basis? And then back that up with honest analyses of your life fulfillment and the amount of freedom you have? Or are you just complacent, OK, and don’t want to rock
the boat? Do you prefer to not take any risks so you can be in your comfort zone?
The comfort zone that only allows you one or two long weekend vacations a year? The comfort zone where you are not truly happy or fulfilled? The comfort zone that feels tense and like a constant
hustle hustle, grind grind and you’re not really impacting anyone’s lives? The comfort zone you’ve been in for too long and you’re staring at your 40s, 50s, 60s and not sure what path you’re on,
need to be on, or would like to be on? The comfort zone that feels static and you’re not evolving, growing, and you still have to work so hard to convince people to join you or patronize your
business?
If after three to five years, attracting clients to you is still a major struggle and not effortless, then you need major soul searching.
A sign you’re on the right path is after a few years, you become totally in demand. People will flock to your business effortlessly because you are of high value and providing a service that
fulfills others.
If you’re still stressed out from trying to attract new and/or more clients, maybe that’s not your path. Maybe you need some major reevaluation and soul searching.
And for my complacent 9–5ers, if you’re happy and fulfilled doing this, then stay there.
However, if you have felt churning in your soul as you’ve read my story, my parents’ story, and Kevin O’Leary’s story, don’t ignore that churning. Please don’t. Maybe you need to explore the
entrepreneurial field.
Maybe…maybe…maybe.
Let 2018 be the year you get on the continuous soul-searching mode. Try not to be the occasional resolution maker with one or two flimsy goals you’ll soon drop and then crawl back into your
comfort zone.
Search your soul on a daily basis, be brutally honest with yourself, and you’ll end up as the store owner and not the floor crap cleaner.
2018 is the year to grab your permanent happiness. But you can’t get there and stay there without daily soul searching.
December 26, 2017
Travel Blog: Trip to a farm in Attinghausen, Switzerland
Our trip to a farm in Attinghausen, Switzerland (village in central Switzerland).
My kids attempting to pet the cows.
Lots of cows eating. Seems like it’s always meal time here.
