Sometimes
we do not know what the future holds for us. Our dreams and aspirations seem
blurred especially when we have made wrong decisions in our earlier years. Often
times I ask myself, what if I made the best grades in college and graduated
Magnum Cum Laud, what my life would be like. I’m tempted to compare myself to colleagues
and friends that started this life journey with me and see how far some of them
have come, a good number of them are perceived to be doing great. But I thank
God for my upbringing, I have a father who is a role model and his life is a
source of inspiration for me. I consider my father as a success. Raising four
kids with my mother and making sure they achieved their highest potential in
life. We were not rich growing up but for some reason people thought we were.
My dad had the ability to manage resources prudently and his partner, my mum,
had the strength to create wealth. This partnership is still working for them
almost 40 years later. I look around and see some family friends that had so
much money and affluence in the past, today some of them look up to my dad, not
because he is rich but because he is happy. Happy in the sense that he has
healthy independent and caring children, lovely grandchildren, good health
coverage, a loving and supportive spouse, and a reasonable bank balance J
The
question now is what is really our quest in life? What do we really want to
achieve by going to college or learning a skill or trade? I’m more comfortable
creating real value than making money.. Yes I know you are saying is it not the
same? I do not believe they are the same. Value creation in my opinion is
focusing on using your skills to make the world a better place. Example is
selling a bookkeeping software to the owner of a gas station that would enable
him spend less time in the office, increase his profits by reducing overheads,
and have more time for things that are very dear to him. My belief is that when
you create value, you create wealth eventually.
My
journey in the United States has been a very challenging and interesting one.
My first year I probably got called for over 15 job interviews in the various
fields I chose. Guess what, I never got any of those jobs. Looking back now I see
the reason why, and NO it’s not because I’m black! I believe it was very
obvious I had not integrated into the American business environment and it was
so glaring. I had difficulty in communicating because of my accent (which is
African with a sting of British), I had a disposition that showed I was above
learning (after all I have an MBA), and I think I dressed too much for certain
positions. I remember a prospective employer telling me that I was not a good
fit for his organization. At that time I felt insulted, but now being on the
other side of the aisle (I interview every candidate for jobs in my
organization) I realize that employers seek certain kind of people that would
blend into the existing culture in their organization.
I would
like to share the experience of Ulot being fired from a job and how he survived
that experience in the next series..
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