₦airaland Forum

Well! Well!! Well!!!

It is the 11th day, of the 11th month of the year, and it is my birthday.
As the days come and go. You realize that: Life is a like a box filled with many mysteries, and you keep discovering newer things as you continue your walk in its sphere.

I have learnt over time that one act to engage in continually to live a fulfilling life is Gratitude. It has been proven to increase one's mental state, lift one's spirit and act as a catalyst to greater things. Foremost American Author: James Altucher once wrote a post about : The Miracle in Gratitude.

And in keeping true to the act of being grateful and to appreciate God for all the blessings this day signifies, I am writing this post to show gratitude for all the wonderful things going on in my world. From evolving into a Content Ninja to ...
Here are the 7 things I am grateful for.

1) Grateful To Be Alive

Well, this is a a no-brainer. I am extremely excited and happy to be alive today, being alive is as a result of the Grace of God on my life, one that i do not take for granted. I might not have been born during the Industrial Revolution era, nor during the development of the PC Industry/Internet, but in this 21st century of: The Internet, Internet of Things, Softwares, SAAS,Elyon Musk's: Tesla, SpaceX and Hyperloop (I just love the guy and everything he does), it is a great time to be alive.

2) Year of Learning

I am a twenty-something year old with an unusual appetite for devouring information. I read everything and anything. As a student of Kaizen (continuous development), i am constantly seeking out new ways to improve myself , knowing fully well that I cannot give what i don't have.
Some of my favorite websites for garnering information this year include: Neilpatel.com (for digital search executive & SEOs), Inc.com , Entrepreneur.com, JamesAltucher.com, SethGodin.com ,Businessinsider.com,Insidify.com/discovery, nairametrics.com and so many other quality-content-generating powerhouses out there.

3) The Year I Became A Content Ninja

When I was in the University, I was a writer for a board: Socioscope and I generated content weekly for a period of 2 years, however, this was just a way for me to express my ideas to the university community. Fast forward to 2015, I have been able to create content on a larger platform with our productivity blog at Insidify.com ....Insidify.com/Discovery , which has imparted and impacted lives.
And getting comments and notes like the ones below, make all the effort invested in the preparation of each and every content worth it.
Good Day, I am Chuk Steven (not real name), a Nigerian from the eastern part of the country. I am replying to show my appreciation for these wonderful write ups you create to encourage young people like me,God bless you and your organization.
"Inspiring and educative stuffs. There is also enough details to help. Thanks a bunch (Anonymous)
So how did i become a Ninja? Sure you must have been wondering. Well! because as against a year ago, I have learnt the art of creating great content, experimented, iterated and have been able to identify patterns .

Well, you must have noticed a similarity in the headlines.They all have numbers. Well from experience, lists and How-to's are some of the most read content online, take it from the self acclaimed ''Content Ninja''.

4) Reading The Alchemist

Grateful to have read this book by Paulo Coelho earlier this year, and it easily rose to become my second favorite book. Blue Ocean Strategy by Renee Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim remains the first.

The Alchemist has sold over 65 million copies and was on The New York Times bestseller list for more than 315 weeks. It's also been translated into 80 different languages, setting the Guinness World Record for the most translated book by any living author
'
These quotes from the book resonates with me:
''There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.'' and ''It is in the posibility of a dream coming true that makes life interesting.

Jim Collins's Good To Great, Why Nations Daron Acemoglu's ''Why Nation Fails'' were some other great books i read this year
But, The Alchemist!...........


4) Immersion into SEO

Like any wannabe swimmer would-when learning to swim-, moving from the shallow to the deep end of Search Engine Optimization was a great experience for me this year. Learnt about On page & Off page Optimization, Link-building, Keyword Research and so many vital aspects that are integral . And for someone like me who has always been passionate about marketing, adding Digital Marketing Knowledge to my knowledge base was a very interesting one.

What's more, the alexa rating of the technology company i work at (Insidify.com) progressed from the 1200 position in the country-of this time last year-to the 178 most visited site in the country as at yesterday.

5) Completing My Service Year

Grateful for completing my service year. It was great bonding and meeting people of like-minds throughout the duration of the program. Meeting some of the most intelligent and passionate young Nigerians around renewed in me the hope of a better nation.
Despite the various many flaws of the scheme, I derived lessons from the whole process, which i am effecting in my personal and professional life.

6) Africa is Rising

Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent on the face of the earth with about 1.3 billion people. And since the Human Resource of any nation/continent is its greatest resource (as people make other resources to work or fail depending on their actions or inactions), i believe we have a great chance to forge a new reality all across the black continent

We have the youngest population on the planet, and if our leaders put in place the right structures, policies and systems (like those Deng Xiaoping of China launched in the 70's; that propelled them to become the economic behemoth and industrial giant that they are now)then we can ride on this population explosion in the continent to become a developed continent.

7) Adoption of Technology/Disruptive Innovation

Nigeria currently has around 93 million internet users, about 137 million and according to records, Nigerian telecom market reached 139.1 million active phone subscription in December 2014 with a teledensity of 99.39 percent.

The number of connected telephone lines in the country is 196.9 million as at the end of April, of which 145.4 million are active lines.
This fast paced continuous adoption of these technologies has led to a rise in the technology industry in the country, with internet companies in the country experiencing exponential growth as a result. This gladdens my heart. As oil belongs to the past. ICT is the currency of the present and of the future.

Most of the biggest companies in the world are from the ICT industry from: Uber, Airbnb, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Ebay et al
And with Internet of Things evolving, and disruptive innovations springing up all the time there exists massive potential for the industry in sub-saharan africa-especially in Nigeria- hence my happiness, when i see companies like: Konga.com, Hotel.ng, Delivery Science, Irokotv, Andela, ACE.ng. Supermart.ng, Paga, and so many others blazing the trail, and awakening a industry as a result of their milestones....
These and many more I am grateful for.



Muyiwa Babarinde is a Business Analyst at Insidify.com (Africa’s 1st Social Job-site), and as a passionate Content Enthusiast, he generates content about: Job Searching, Resume Writing, Interview Tips, Productivity and Life Hacks on Insidify.com/discovery . His articles have been read by over 30,000 people.

He is also the co-founder at TheScribesAgency.com.ng , a business writing outfit that focuses on: Cover Letter and Resume Writing, Business Plans and Proposals and all other forms of B2B (Business-to-Business) Content.

It is no longer news that the ‘’Special One’’ of the footballing world is currently experiencing the worst spell of his professional career. Jose Mourinho; the manager of Chelsea FC is no doubt one of the best coaches in the world with over 22 titles-won within 15years-in his trophy cabinet

Mourinho, who coached Chelsea to the premier league title last season, has seen his ‘’ruthless bulldozing machine team’’ turn into a pack of ‘’toothless puppies’’, with his team losing more than half of their opening ten premier league matches so far in the season.

Mourinho’s team have repeatedly wagged their tail at teams like Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton, West Ham and now Stoke all of whom have welcomed their generosity and handed them defeats. The predicament ‘’the greatest coach that ever lived’’ has found himself is an unfamiliar one, as he is very well used to contesting titles and not fighting to keep his team above the relegation waters.

This quagmire only seems to worsen as his team plunges deeper and deeper into the abyss of bad results with each passing game. Putting him, his job, and his reputation under intense pressure.

A popular saying goes thus: ‘’It is more profitable to learn from other people’s mistakes than from yours’’ and as an individual, business owner and or professional, here are some lessons you can learn from Mourinho’s recent losses.



1. Be willing to embrace responsibility

Jose Mourinho has blamed anybody blamable this season: the weather, the stadium, the schedule, the referees (who are a constant feature on his blame list), and his players. This constant act of shifting the blame of bad results to outer parties has only exerted more pressure on him with each passing game, and has been counterproductive all season.

Lesson to learn: In life, as it is in football, taking responsibility for one’s actions is a must for success. Putting the blame on external factors and elements helps you feel deflect the reality of your bad results (for a moment). However, that wouldn’t solve your problem. You must learn to accept the results that come your way and know that it was caused by your actions and inactions. Yet, the Special One persists with his blame game. The only people he hasn’t blamed are Roman Abramovich, President Buhari and Eva Carneiro. No! wait. He did blame Eva.


2. Don’t fight your family/inner caucus in public

Remember Eva Carneiro, the Chelsea doctor, who ran onto the pitch to treat the ‘injured’ Eden Hazard, on the opening day of the season and drew the ire of her boss, Mourinho? That single encounter set the tone for the negative slope of the season being experienced by Chelsea so far.

With Mourinho blaming Eva and her medical team for their naivety (classic instance of deflecting responsibility,) the ensuing episode led to a public uproar which caused some unrest within the team and contributed to more bad results in the early days of the season.

Lesson to learn: In life, it isn’t always the best tactic to publicly hound your family and inner caucus, as these are the people who contribute to your success and work with you daily. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t reprimand colleagues, or employees or friends when they err, you should however not throw them under the bus or leave them to hang for their mistake, as this could affect your whole team’s performance as in the case of Jose.


3. Be calm in the face of stress (panic escalates events)

Mourinho has thrown quite a number of fits this season. Actions that make him seem incompetent and desperate. These tantrums have landed him a stadium ban and 50,000 pounds fine by the Football Association. Could he have handled some of these situations better if he was calm? Yes!

Lesson to learn: When faced with a dangerous situation, the first and natural instinct for most is to panic and do whatever comes to mind à la Mourinho. However, this fire-brigade approach most times lead to more disaster for the party involved (bans in Mourinho’s case). Learn to take a breather when you feel the walls are closing in on you and then make a calculated and coordinated response. Don’t get caught in the emotion of events, separate the facts from the assumptions, and then take a stand. But whatever you do, be calm and you will be thankful for that when the storm passes.



4. Modify tactics for different situations

Chelsea FC of England, ‘’the Pride of London’’, so far this season has lost 7 games out of their last 14 games, and they have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in 70percent of these games. Despite this, their problems persist. For the team to bounce back there must be a change either in personnel or tactics.Whatever it is, everyone knows something must change for their recent woes to become history

Lesson to learn: Insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. And in life, whether in your business or your relationships, to get some new results and realities, you need to change something. You want to be more fit, you have to change your eating and exercise habits. You want to earn more income, then you need to learn more skills. You want to more productive then you have to evaluate your style. When things aren’t going the way you expect. It is important you examine your methods and change them if need be.


5. Don’t lose hope

Despite all the problems faced by Mourinho and his lieutenants at Chelsea this season, they troop out at the start of another week, hoping to win their next encounter. There is no guarantee they will win, but, through all the hard knocks and barrage of criticism they have had all season long, they still show up and fight hoping the ''god of fortune'' would smile on their efforts and reward them with success. They could rebound and enjoy a good season if they do make good changes.

Lesson to learn: No matter how battered you are, no matter the injuries you have suffered. No matter the hopelessness of your situation. When the day is dawn and the bell is rung, you must show up. It is in showing up that you create and retain the possibility of triumphing over your obstacles, challenges and impediments.

Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope. Never lose hope. Never give up. Never give in. It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

The reality of life is that things will not always go according to plan and you have to learn the proper reactions that will assist in the process of leading people and even yourself back to the right track.

Did you find this article useful? Did you gain some insights? Then smiley Go ahead and share with friends.

Source: http://insidify.com/discovery/5-life-lessons-from-chelsea-and-jose-mourinhos-disastrous-season-so-far

It is no longer news that the ‘’Special One’’ of the footballing world is currently experiencing the worst spell of his professional career. Jose Mourinho; the manager of Chelsea FC is no doubt one of the best coaches in the world with over 22 titles-won within 15years-in his trophy cabinet


Mourinho, who coached Chelsea to the premier league title last season, has seen his ‘’ruthless bulldozing machine team’’ turn into a pack of ‘’toothless puppies’’, with his team losing more than half of their opening ten premier league matches so far in the season.

Mourinho’s team have repeatedly wagged their tail at teams like Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton, West Ham and now Stoke all of whom have welcomed their generosity and handed them defeats. The predicament ‘’the greatest coach that ever lived’’ has found himself is an unfamiliar one, as he is very well used to contesting titles and not fighting to keep his team above the relegation waters.

This quagmire only seems to worsen as his team plunges deeper and deeper into the abyss of bad results with each passing game. Putting him, his job, and his reputation under intense pressure.

A popular saying goes thus: ‘’It is more profitable to learn from other people’s mistakes than from yours’’ and as an individual, business owner and or professional, here are some lessons you can learn from Mourinho’s recent losses.


1. [b[b]]Be willing to embrace responsibility[/b]

Jose Mourinho has blamed anybody blamable this season: the weather, the stadium, the schedule, the referees (who are a constant feature on his blame list), and his players. This constant act of shifting the blame of bad results to outer parties has only exerted more pressure on him with each passing game, and has been counterproductive all season.

Lesson to learn: In life, as it is in football, taking responsibility for one’s actions is a must for success. Putting the blame on external factors and elements helps you feel deflect the reality of your bad results (for a moment). However, that wouldn’t solve your problem. You must learn to accept the results that come your way and know that it was caused by your actions and inactions. Yet, the Special One persists with his blame game. The only people he hasn’t blamed are Roman Abramovich, President Buhari and Eva Carneiro. No! wait. He did blame Eva.

2. Don’t fight your family/inner caucus in public
Remember Eva Carneiro, the Chelsea doctor, who ran onto the pitch to treat the ‘injured’ Eden Hazard, on the opening day of the season and drew the ire of her boss, Mourinho? That single encounter set the tone for the negative slope of the season being experienced by Chelsea so far.

With Mourinho blaming Eva and her medical team for their naivety (classic instance of deflecting responsibility,) the ensuing episode led to a public uproar which caused some unrest within the team and contributed to more bad results in the early days of the season.



Lesson to learn: In life, it isn’t always the best tactic to publicly hound your family and inner caucus, as these are the people who contribute to your success and work with you daily. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t reprimand colleagues, or employees or friends when they err, you should however not throw them under the bus or leave them to hang for their mistake, as this could affect your whole team’s performance as in the case of Jose.


3[b]. Be calm in the face of stress (panic escalates events)[/b]

Mourinho has thrown quite a number of fits this season. Actions that make him seem incompetent and desperate. These tantrums have landed him a stadium ban and 50,000 pounds fine by the Football Association. Could he have handled some of these situations better if he was calm? Yes!

Lesson to learn: When faced with a dangerous situation, the first and natural instinct for most is to panic and do whatever comes to mind à la Mourinho. However, this fire-brigade approach most times lead to more disaster for the party involved (bans in Mourinho’s case). Learn to take a breather when you feel the walls are closing in on you and then make a calculated and coordinated response. Don’t get caught in the emotion of events, separate the facts from the assumptions, and then take a stand. But whatever you do, be calm and you will be thankful for that when the storm passes.



4. Modify tactics for different situations

Chelsea FC of England, ‘’the Pride of London’’, so far this season has lost 7 games out of their last 14 games, and they have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in 70percent of these games. Despite this, their problems persist. For the team to bounce back there must be a change either in personnel or tactics.Whatever it is, everyone knows something must change for their recent woes to become history

Lesson to learn: Insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. And in life, whether in your business or your relationships, to get some new results and realities, you need to change something. You want to be more fit, you have to change your eating and exercise habits. You want to earn more income, then you need to learn more skills. You want to more productive then you have to evaluate your style. When things aren’t going the way you expect. It is important you examine your methods and change them if need be.

5. Don’t lose hope

Despite all the problems faced by Mourinho and his lieutenants at Chelsea this season, they troop out at the start of another week, hoping to win their next encounter. There is no guarantee they will win, but, through all the hard knocks and barrage of criticism they have had all season long, they still show up and fight hoping the ''god of fortune'' would smile on their efforts and reward them with success. They could rebound and enjoy a good season if they do make good changes.



Lesson to learn: No matter how battered you are, no matter the injuries you have suffered. No matter the hopelessness of your situation. When the day is dawn and the bell is rung, you must show up. It is in showing up that you create and retain the possibility of triumphing over your obstacles, challenges and impediments.

Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope. Never lose hope. Never give up. Never give in. It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

The reality of life is that things will not always go according to plan and you have to learn the proper reactions that will assist in the process of leading people and even yourself back to the right track.



Did you find this article useful? Did you gain some insights? Then Go ahead and share with friends.

Source: http://insidify.com/discovery/5-life-lessons-from-chelsea-and-jose-mourinhos-disastrous-season-so-far

Nigerdeltaboi:
gbam i don caych you...so you dey nairaland ehh

errrm,sir,yeah sir.

jennyesh:
Thank u

You are welcome mademoiselle ..

enigma39:
Good morning guys. i just got my call up letter and lagos is confirmed! cant wait for 26th

Holla,congratulations,we all can't wait too though ,just try to enjoy the last week as a non-corper

Geogirl:
Hi there busola Bsc Geology, hope I'm not too late to the thread

Nope dear ,never too late to join the train to Iyana Ipaja

jenyunwojo:
Yes O! Iyana Ipaja on ma mind!

Yes o! I can barely wait too,only take solace in the fact that Month's end will sha come.