Friday, January 29, 2016

Dressed Dreams



Dear lovely people,

Peterson waited for two solid hours at the reception to be called in. he wondered why it took so long for the first candidate to come out of the interview room. Most disturbing to him was the unexplained reason why the receptionist gave him a special chair to sit on. Then the doors flew open and he was called in. he bypassed the first candidate coming out incapable of determining from his facial expression whether he was happy or not.

When Peterson stepped into the room, he could sense some tension, the expression on the faces of the five-man jury were not friendly at all. He sensed that something about him pissed them off. Then the lady in the middle smiled, greeted him and showed him to a chair other than the one at the center of which to him that was the right position. It was a confused Peterson who came out of the interview room wondering why he was in there just for five minutes. He had been asked some few general questions about him that had nothing to do with mechanics.

OK as a flashback, Peterson was dressed like an old-school mechanic that morning. He had on an over-sized worn-out tee-shirt under an over-sized white overalls that had evidently gone brown and greasy with age. To make his dressing the more horrible, Peterson had on a faded jeans trouser streaked with grease. He consoled himself that he was set for work should he be taken. Peterson did not know that when you’re invited to a job interview, one wrong move can blow your chances. Even wearing the wrong thing can distract an employer from your polished resume and outstanding experience. Before you say a single word to the interviewer, you have already made an impression based on how you’re dressed.

If you were going for a job as a mechanic, you wouldn't go in there in dirty overalls, even though that's how you would dress for that kind of work. You would still go in there and show respect. You would go in with an open-collar shirt, clean pants and maybe a jacket. For always, you should dress in a manner that is professionally appropriate to the position for which you are applying. In almost all cases, this means wearing a suit. It is rarely appropriate to “dress down” for an interview, regardless of company dress code policy. Chances are good that by dressing on the conservative side, you won't unintentionally disqualify yourself. But trying to demonstrate how hip you are with your exposed lower back tattoos or laid-back Juicy bum could backfire.

That’s what should equally happen with dreaming and chasing your dreams. You should be cut out for your success. Nobody wants to become a celebrated an aeronautic engineer by moving around dressed like an artisan fisherman. Successful people know the secret in dressing for success. Wear great clothes, you never know whom you’ll meet. Gone are those days when “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Book jacket and product packaging designers around the world today know so well that people do judge and purchase products based on how they look.

The way you cloth yourself and your dreams make a strong visual statement about how you see yourself. Comfort may aid productivity but, in this era of “Me, Inc.” and “the Brand Called You,” are flip-flops, sweats, jeans, and flashy or revealing clothing part of how you want to be judged? You might think you are expressing your individuality, but you could also be sending the message that you’re not a serious professional. Nobody would want to do business with anybody who is not a serious professional.

Trust me, everything you do makes some kind of statement. Re-brand yourself and your dreams today! That is the way to go if you are serious about making progress.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

“Ei Go Better” (It Will Be Well)



Dear lovely people,

Recently, I watched a Nigerian movie in which a man was at the height of misery. Everything he touched seemed to trickle through his hands. His bank account was in red, his business had collapsed completely, his creditors where at his throat, his children were out of school for fees and the bank was threatening to take over his house. As a matter of fact, he felt as if he was at the end of the road.

One evening when he got home loaded with all these troubles, a loving wife walked up to him, placing her soothing hands at the back of his neck, she said in pidgin “ei go better” meaning all will be well with you. I am sure the wife was basing her comforting words on God’s instruction in Isaiah 3:10 “Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.”

I know people who have spent the past four years overwhelmed by stress and fear. But at the end of it, what do they have to show for it? Absolutely nothing other than four lost years. These difficult days are demanding far more from people than they've ever been expected to deliver. The daily news will give you a dose of despair because, let's face it: Things aren't looking good. Nobody knows when the economy will get better, when the jobless will find jobs, or when investors will bring in returns. So, tell yourself this day, it will be well with me because:

If I don't find fulfillment in this day as uncertain as it may be, it will be lost to me. If I don't find happiness in this day and every day like it, I won't get a purpose for living any more. If I don’t find a way to get out of the doldrums and give more meaning to my life, I will die a complainer. I'll be a day older, then a year older, then ten years older, and I will have wasted precious time that I did not need to waste.

Dust yourself up and get moving. Be encouraged by God’s soothing words in Jeremiah 15:11 “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.”

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Get Them Gasping


Dear lovely people, 
 
By the end of the first month, Bresley got all the tongues in the company whacking. Noticeably, there was a complete turnaround in the way things where done since his coming. Some of what was said about him was negative, we all understand but most of the comments about his outstanding performance were very positive. Bresley in less than a month proved that he was a certified professional, who mastered what he was doing and who could easily win 100% staff support. He clearly demonstrated through his work that he was indispensable and an excellent return on the company’s investment in hiring him.

Most and if not all the times, a positive first impression paves the way to your success especially when you get the people around you breathing your ‘fragrance’. Knowing how to create a lasting first impression, from body language to word choice, and from impact to attitude, makes your growth in whatever you do as easy as the word itself. Get them gasping through the first impressions you consistently create.

Those who create positive first impressions, always hit the ground running
Those who create positive first impressions are consistent in whatever they do
Those who create positive first impressions, NEVER give up no matter the circumstance
Those who create positive first impressions, know unquestionably that their success is inescapable

Again, first impressions are everything. Don’t leave yours to chance. Apply it in everything you do and then sit back to watch the magic happen before your very eyes as you soar.