adamasmag: This year, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism won the commencement speech lottery: Oprah Winfrey. USC brought together about 900 candidates for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in communication, journalism, public diplomacy, and public relations to hear Oprah’s 23-minute commencement speech.
Oprah catered to her audience. For much of her inspirational and politically charged speech, she rallied the communications graduates to fight for the truth, exemplify honesty, and to remember their principles. Oprah encouraged her audience to pick a problem, any problem, and do something about it. “To somebody who is hurting, something is everything,” she said. “Use your gifts to illuminate the darkness in the world.”
Then she got to the nitty-gritty and practical. “I don’t have any new lessons,” Oprah said. “I often think that it’s not the new lessons, so much as it is really the learning the old ones again and again.”
Your job won’t always be fulfilling. Show up anyway Oprah told the audience she filmed 4,561 episodes over The Oprah Winfrey Show‘s 25-year run. She said she never missed a single day of filming. And still, even Oprah didn’t always like going to work.
“Your job is not always going to fulfill you,” she said. “There will be some days when you just might be bored. Other days you may not feel like going to work at all. Go anyway.”
She reminded the audience that your job is not who you are. “It’s just what you are doing on the way to who you will become,” she said. To build a fulfilling career, you need to put in the work even on the unfulfilling days while grinding through what may be unfulfilling jobs.
You need to keep showing up. Keep putting in the effort. Even when you don’t feel like it. Even when you have to do remedial tasks. Even when your boss takes credit for your ideas — which definitely will happen, Oprah warned the audience. In those challenging work situations, she said, there are lessons to be gleaned. She encouraged the graduates to use every uninspiring or difficult workday as a learning opportunity.
Earlier in her speech, she heralded the importance of being the person who can always be counted on. “Give your word. Keep it. Show up. Do the work. Get your hands dirty,” she said. “You build a legacy not from one thing but from everything.”
It takes diligent, consistent effort to grow your skills. And that’s how truly fulfilling careers are built. “The number one lesson I could offer you where your work is concerned is become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do that your talent cannot be dismissed,” Oprah said.
Nuggets of practical wisdom Oprah also squeezed in a few pieces of practical advice about life in general.
Eat a good breakfast. It really pays off. Pay your bills on time. Recycle. Make your bed. Aim high. Say thank you to people and actually mean it. Ask for help when you need it. Put your phone away at the dinner table. Know what you tweet and post and Instagram today might be asked about in a job interview tomorrow — or 20 years from tomorrow. Be nice to little kids. Be nice to your elders. Be nice to animals. Know that it’s better to be interested than interesting. Invest in a quality mattress. I’m telling you, your back will thank you later. Don’t cheap out on your shoes. And, if you’re fighting with someone you really love, for God’s sake find your way back to them because life is short, even on our longest days. Don’t ever confuse what is legal with what is moral, because they are entirely different animals. In life, you are principled or you’re not. So do the right thing — especially when nobody’s looking. Do not equate money and fame with accomplishment and character. Oprah closed her speech by reminding every member of the audience to stop comparing themselves with others. “Your life journey is about learning to become more of who you are and fulfilling the highest, truest expression of yourself as a human being,” she said. “That’s why you’re here. You will do that through your work and your art, your relationships, and your love.”
iamnlia: I've been eating like an elephant for a long time in order to get fat but I am still looking slim as Buhari and I usually get 5-6 hours of sleep though I always disturb my sleeping pattern. I can eat up to 6 times a day for a long time and gain little fat but if I go a week or two of insufficient eating, I get very much slimmer.
Please I need help and very much willing to resort to drugs, please help me.
Be yourself, every other person is taken. Love your body, It will shock you to know that somebody somewhere is admiring you and wishing to have your body. As long as your are healthy, dont allow it bother you. just for a second, imagine someone that is handicapped, amputated or bed ridden. All they care about is their health not body weight. You are unique.
Though, I have tried both Fiverr market and blogging in the past and got some experience. In fact, I was solely financing my University studies with my Fiverr job before I stopped due to someone circumstances.
Meanwhile, I can't say I am the right person to mentor you on any of the business ideas now because as I said above, I have not being active in that regard for some time now.
So, the only thing I can tell you now is to look for someone here on Nairaland or even on Google to learn from. Then pursue it with seriousness and you will never regret.
I myself had just opened a brand new Fiverr account this afternoon to start working again. And I am so confident that I will make enough cash there before this year runs out.
I may be communicating with you as I progress.
thanks dear,let's start from the account opening ,since you are confident, then you can boost my confidence too. I will send you a mail. all I need is a guide.
How you can be making some lucrative and easy cash using classified ads sites like OLX and Jiji without having any personal product to sell.
So that was in 2015, my neighbour was relocating to another state and wanted to sell her car.(Honda baby boy) at a price of 800k Told me to help her tell friends and colleagues to get any interested buyer. Well as somebody that knows how stuff works online i just got pictures of the car and created an ad on olx online..
I created the Ad and put my price as 1.2m with the Negotiable tag.. I got several calls from interested buyers offering different prices with most wanting to pay the very 800k which i refused.. Into the second week i got a buyer who negotiated and was ready to pay 950k.. That is all the way from 1.2m
I simply told my neighbour i have a buyer who will be coming to check out the car and strike a deal if satisfied. The buyer came, checked the car, was satisfied made payment and that was it....... I collected the cash gave my neighbour her 800k and took the 150k...
That's was the deal i had which the idea of the method i want to share here was birth from. And i have been using it to make money at random times since then.
No matter how much you earning from whatever you do already, it feels very cool when you get to earn such an extra amount of money from an alternative source of income without having to do any rigorous work.
Now, After that deal i got to understand i literally did not drop a sweat in helping my neighbour find a buyer for her car. All that played things to my favour was my knowledge of using classified ads to get interested buyers for the car.(Reaching out to a wider targeted audience)
So i put thought into it on how i can rinse and repeat the whole process so i can always get to keep earning that kind of cool extra money...
And an idea came to mind, which propagated into actuality and since then i have been doing this in my casual times and always get to make money from it just anytime. Just like today.
What is the idea! In other to create a circle of reoccurring deals as the first so always earn kime i did, that means i need to always have a car in stock to sell, and since i cant know who else/the next person interested in selling his/her car so the best bet; "is to partner with car dealers who have lodge if cars in stock and even waiting for buyers to come patroniz them.....
Okay. You are already getting the whole thing...
Simply meet any car dealer in your area/city... Propose an affiliate partnership with them and agree on a commission, get pictures of cars, post on classified ad sites... Buyers will call you, you make bargain, agree on final price you meet up, inspection and deal.. You make your money... As simple as that...
After helping my neighbour sell that car for the first deal the whole stuff made sense to me and i thought of a way to continue the circle and this idea popped up... Since then i have been using this method to make easy cash especially in the city i Base as i have repeat customers once or twice.
And the sweet thing about this, you can sell more than one qty of the car since the dealer always have in stock unlike in the case of my neighbour where it was just one. Because for as long as your ad remains live you continue getting calls and inquiries from interested buyers. So the selling continues and more money for you...
Now Let's get into steps.. How do you get started with this!
-Look for a car dealer/dealers/Car stand in your area/city, meet with the manager or person in charge and let him know you will like to affiliate and help bring buyers for their cars then you come to an understanding of how you operate (You have to sound experienced and confident and make them know you are into the biz and understand how stuff works).. Some may want you to identify yourself with an id card or something just to prove legality .. It's just normal. But they cant turn you down if you come through well.. Who rejects money btw? like said earlier, the way you come through shows and should talk your business for you .
-After agreement and your partnership affair is established. You proceed to take pictures of cars. Ranging from mid range to high grade
-Now go on to OLX, Jiji and create your ad for these cars.. E.g
"Clean and perfect Toks Lexus300.. Just arrived , everything neat and in perfect condition..You just buy and drive..Price slightly negotiable.. Call me asap lets meet.. "
That's just an example, You can add other details of interest too all to give a short description and convince your potential buyers. No need for talking too much here you pictures plus buyer's interest in the type of car is what does the selling.
-Attend to calls, negotiations and bargains until you get a buyer.
-Buyer meets with you, inspects car upon satisfaction and make payment.....
You get paid! Simple as that..
Range Of Commission you earn.
Its simple. The commission you earn for any car sold depends on the car and the agreement you have established with the dealer. There are two ways you can always get commission...
-After discussing with the dealer and coming to understanding about your affiliate partnership , now the next thing is to get the best prices for cars you want to sell. The best price is the last or least amount threshold the dealer is willing to sell the car after a bargain from any customer ....... As an affiliate to the dealer you are also in a position as the dealer, hence it required that the dealer goes direct to telling you his best prices for any car you are selling so you can always know the limits in your marketing. No bargains here.
Now, the first and main way you get to earn is by the commission the dealer gives for any sale made. This is the commission you get for bringing a buyer...
For example,
The dealer's best price for a 2008 Toyota camry muscle is 2.9m... If at the end of your marketing on OLX or Jiji you settle with a buyer who buys the car for 2.9m. You should get a commission ranging from 75k to 200k depending on the dealer's terms and the understanding you had earlier.
This commission here is natural. Its the normal commission you get as an affiliate working with the dealer base on your understanding and agreement.
-Now second way you get commission or make money is by the extras you can pull out on the price. As in the case of my neighbour.
For example,
Using the 2008 Toyota camry muscle again. So the dealer gave you a best price of 2.9m........ as a business inclined person this doesn't mean this is the price the seller just throws at first to any customer that comes to buy the car. A customer can only hit this best price mark after negotiation from a first price the seller must have thrown first .. Understand this right? This concept here we all know is not just applicable to the cars deal only but to buying and selling in general.
So same thing applies to you, when placing your ads on classifieds you don't just go and put 2.9m.. You should put say, 3.5m or 3.3m or 3.2m then add the Negotiable tag in the Ad set .. So when interested buyers call for bargain you negotiate till they stop at a favourable threshold.. Say @ 3m or 3.1m or last last the 2.9m and with that you make yourself a commission ... So as simple as that... And you keep repeating the cycle..
Also you and the dealer should have already had an understanding about the commission you make from selling the car above the best price they gave you.. I believe you understand what i mean here... All these is discussed at first when you go to initiate a partnership Good.
There are some cars you can even get commission of up to like 200k to 500k all depending on the car dealer you affiliating with and what they have in stock .
Also You can post as many cars as possible on the classifieds and lay out your prospects of having yourself identified as a serious dealer. .. this is the major and only work you will have to do..
So thats it, and This thing can be done by anybody and you can start making yourself some cool money.. I sold a Toyota camry pencil light today.. 1.1m and made 100k. Did not even see it coming but that is how it always happens as long as your ad is still live the calls can come in anytime, just put up those ads amd you can get vack your main work. Olx/Jiji handle the rest....
And also if you really want to take things serious, you can buy "top ads" for your ads and get even massive exposure to your ads..This is a great feature which was not even available when these sites first launched.. With N1000 to N5000 you can get top ads running from 1 to 7 days and increase the eyeballs and buyers that get to see your ads. This will sure fasten your sales and get you even earning quicker.
Attitude to portray doing this classified ads biz...
-Don't be desperate. -If you consistent you will get buyers. Many times i get calls for ads i placed over a month passed. -Be smart and be in control. Don't make it obvious you an affiliate, act like the dealer when you talk to callers.... even when the buyer comes to inspect the car before making payment be in control. -Finish negotiations on phone before buyer comes to check car and make payment.
So thats it with how i make money with classified Ads site without having a personal product to sell. You can do it too, simply follow the steps and ask questions where you don't understand
Side tip: Hot selling cars- Mercedes-Benz Toyota Honda
Side tip: Top buying cities(i have sold in one time or the other) Abuja Lagos Kaduna Ilorin Calabar
So what you waiting for, go make the proposal, get your cars, set up ads and make some easy cash...
Thanks for this. This is indeed insightful and informative, before now, i had this business in mind but you have shed more light . My question is, in this present economy, is there still high purchase of cars?
saintcasmir: Well it depends on where you are coming from and where you are going.
You should understand that blogging is not a "quick cash maker". It needs a lot of patience, dedication and some investment if you want any tangible income. Meanwhile with Fiverr you can start making it within 24hours depending on your knowledge and investment.
So, my opinion? Zoom off and start with Fiverr then you can add blogging once you have started making some bucks. This way, you would have gotten enough experience and even some cash to invest into blogging for greater profit.
i am doing both already but i need to learn the ropes e on fiverr, can you mentor me? already sent a mail.kindly reply
Ever had friends turn their back on you? your family will be always there to embrace you . We think success, we think wealth , we think fame but the greatest is the love that your family showers on you. As a married man or woman seeing your family happy is a great joy and peace of mind. As a single guy or lady , your partner may disappoint you but your family will be there for you always. sometimes we get carried away with the issues of life and we seldom forget our foundation, " Family" if you have a family you have everything. Inspite of the fights, quarrel and dramas that might happen sometimes, it only strengthens the bond. There's always a favourite Sis, bro,aunt,uncle or granma you can run to when in need or a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes we look too far in search of love when love is just around us. They might not give you everything in the world but their love means everything in the world. Don't you just love your family?
first of all, I advice mothers especially to befriend their daughters, don't be too hard on her. Tell her you love her, care for her, ask her how her day went when she's back from school. Ask her about her friends in school .laugh with her during her happy moments and cry with her during her sad moments. make her understand that you love her and show it in your actions. know when to switch from being her disciplinarian and her friend. secondly, if your daughter who is your best friend is seeing anyone you would know, thank God for phones, there will be signs, she will be all emotional and overly- excited. if she is seeing anyone, you would know. you are a woman and you have being there. pregnancy doesn't just fall from heaven, it takes two. when your daughter confides in you that she has a boyfriend,invite him over and know him. expose her to sex-education , it's your duty to be her counsellor .watch movies of how young girls get pregnant and suffer together. pick on it and advice her to be careful.
if she still go ahead and get pregnant . show your disappointment towards her, don't send her packing to ruin her life. she has made her mistake, make sure that she is remorseful and help her to set her life back on track.
life is too precious to allow mistakes ruin ones destiny. BTW a child isn't a mistake, it was just the wrong timing . a child is a blessing.
OP, this topic is interesting but too long The above article is from different researchers point of view. welcome to reality where there are different strokes for different folks. whatever works for you my dear. Age is just a number, what actually matters is the friendship, mutual understanding and maturity from both parties in a marriage or relationship.
naijaboiy: Sometimes you date a person who hasn't really discovered him/her self and you think that's the true personality of that person and then along the line they discover who they truly are and bring it out for you to either tolerate and stand by them or get frustrated and do something drastic.
Many people don't really know who they are and so they can't even explain what happened or what they did that made the marriage change shape but the other partner will see it as pretence.
No matter how long you spend courting a person if you both haven't come to that self realization of your true selves and make a decision on how to compromise with each other, there will be problems in marriage.
$2
I agree with you but how can you know if the person you want to get married to has discovered his or herself?
Knew something like this would come up. I don't do online romance or relationships or that kind of thing. Besides, I have no idea what you look like and on top of that you're married. As regards stalking you, you should know by now that family section is a small place and we bump into a particular name often numerous times as we read through new or trending topics. The occasion for coincidental meeting abounds in such online community. Lastly, if you took the time to make a short investigation into my personality by looking through my comments you would have dispelled the notion of my stalking you because it is a stark contrast with my religious belief as a Christian.
I however believe I courted this reaction from you by unnecessarily throwing compliments your way. It achieved the opposite effect intended which was to convey my respect and appreciation of your wisdom.
Besides, following a member of this forum is likened to stalking them and it is the norm but you will confirm that I never followed you as a member. What else should I say but that you've got it all wrong.
I don't think she meant it that way.. see the emijo, she was only joking .
Relationship sometimes can be likened to politics. Some guys will promise anything and pretend just to get a lady that can discern. People don't change in marriage, marriage is just a revealer. But if you are smart and not emotinally carried away, you would have gotten some tips you needed in the early days of your relationship.
what prompted my post was a phone call I had with a male friend which turned into a debate .
He is about getting married and says something like one doesn't need to date for a long time before getting married ,maximum 6 months because there's nothing you want to know about your spouse, you will eventually find out everything when you become husband and wife living under the same roof .
Trust me, I debunk the notion because I am of the strong opinion that rushing in is dangerous. You need to know the person you want to settle with to a very large extent before tying the knot. The time you spend doing that, is up to you. but I am particular about the " LARGE EXTENT ".
I used my previous relationship as an example, I once dated someone who if not for longtime relationship and closeness, I wouldn't know that he abuses drugs. Well, if I had rushed into marriage with such person, I'm sure I would be regretting because this guy was an addict. I cannot stand it.
talking about why people change after getting married, I really don't think that people change, we just haven't discovered who they really are until we find ourselves living together then the true colour start to display.
that's my opinion.
Tell me yours , I want to learn from you, i might have a wrong mindset.
Antina: You were engrossed with his appearance and after your wedding he has an accident and what you like most in his appearance withers off, will you get a divorce? Or you marry an handsome 'wife beater' or a beautifully shaped 'slay queen' who will kill you before your time.
There is one I read like that, she says she was in love with his hair before marriage, after marriage the husband lost some of his hair, God knows to what! And doesn't love husband anymore, But his husband dad is attracted to her (father-in-law) cos he still has the hair she fell in love with.
If we look at the divorce rate around us, we wouldn't say most of them didn't marry their specifications.
To me I will say appearance is not 'that' necessary, as far as he is complete (no disabilities), little above me in almost every aspects and he is good, I'm good to go.
very true and I pray we don't get disabled in life because it's not funny. your comment is deep. thanks.
My sister, marrying someone spec. doesn't not stop someone from cheating "a cheater will always cheat and find excuse to justify it. What you will hear next is 'it's devil's work'.
you are very right.... once a cheat, always a cheat.
Edemaya: When you get to a stage in life, u will definitely understand physical appearance isn't that special in telling someone No, what will be your watch out for would mainly be good characters, God fearing and at least a man that can take care of your needs.
really? no offence o but can you go for a dwarf with all these personality?
vicfuntop: @greatwomenworld I will say yes and no. Physical appearance is directly proportional to love in most cases. I don't believe that you wake up one day and fall in love just like that.
You have to be attracted to the person first. In other scenarios, personality can be very attractive and a person can have that intriguing personality on a body that you are not even attracted to at all.
What happens in a scene like this? You WEIGH. Does his/her personality interests you more than how he/she looks? I mean you weigh the personality and looks. Anyone that has a higher percentage, you go for. I believe you use your heart to weigh here .Let me use my self as a case study.
I am attracted to very dark, slim, tall, left handed and good looking men, but I ended up with a very good looking, chocolate, tall, chubby man. He has this kind of bad boy personality , honestly I think that was what I was attracted to first. Then as time flew by,I fell in love.
In summary, you have just got to WEIGH which is more important
My sister, marrying someone spec. doesn't not stop someone from cheating "a cheater will always cheat and find excuse to justify it. What you will hear next is 'it's devil's work'.
vicfuntop: @greatwomenworld I will say yes and no. Physical appearance is directly proportional to love in most cases. I don't believe that you wake up one day and fall in love just like that.
You have to be attracted to the person first. In other scenarios, personality can be very attractive and a person can have that intriguing personality on a body that you are not even attracted to at all.
What happens in a scene like this? You WEIGH. Does his/her personality interests you more than how he/she looks? I mean you weigh the personality and looks. Anyone that has a higher percentage, you go for. I believe you use your heart to weigh here .Let me use my self as a case study.
I am attracted to very dark, slim, tall, left handed and good looking men, but I ended up with a very good looking, chocolate, tall, chubby man. He has this kind of bad boy personality , honestly I think that was what I was attracted to first. Then as time flew by,I fell in love.
In summary, you have just got to WEIGH which is more important
lucky you sis...@ least he isn't short . okay, personality vs appearance. I get
makydebbie: I think it matters. To avoid things like, "she's not my soec". To justify cheating later on. We all know love can get us unreasonable at times. But guys I beg you, if you love busty ladies, go for them big boobs ladies. Don't go for a peanut sized boobs, and when you're caught cheating on her, you'll give excuse that you've always liked them big. As for me, it matters. So as to avoid stories that touch.
makydebbie: I think it matters. To avoid things like, "she's not my soec". To justify cheating later on. We all know love can get us unreasonable at times. But guys I beg you, if you love busty ladies, go for them big boobs ladies. Don't go for a peanut sized boobs, and when you're caught cheating on her, you'll give excuse that you've always liked them big. As for me, it matters. So as to avoid stories that touch.
Abi... you have a point o. justification for cheating
olagbemi118: The poster below me has the right answers u need...he has never disappointed & he won't start now...trust him & do as he says....mind u I didn't read the post...
The problem with the term LOVE as defined by a lot of people is a farce and is only a representation of what their ideal man or woman should be. When actually love is supposed to connect people beyond any conceivable variable. Like a very beautiful and well endowed lady getting married to a short, black and big headed man who isn't rich. That is true love right there and not juju like a lot of people will want to believe.
Now, going for your spec is a different ball game. But please don't call it love except it's truely love.
It pertinent to note that people also attract what they are. It's funny how some ladies who aren't so good looking in the first place will be looking for a tall, handsome, rich and God fearing man. Examine yourself both inwards and outwards and be realistic with your expectations. I've seen people as beautiful as Agbani Darego gallivanting the streets of Lagos looking so clean and foine but i don't bother going after them because...
please Don't go... we are curious.. because of what
Hello my fellow Nairalanders. First I will like to salute you all for your insightful comments so far, una too much!
they say marriage is not a bed of rose, it has it ups and down ,then again I ask myself what if one meets someone who isn't anywhere what you want your dream guy or lady to look like. hmmm , won't there be a problem?
what do I mean? the saying that in life you don't always get what you wish for is very true. We all have this particular physical attributes, we want our spouses to have. just like some ladies love their men tall, dark and handsome. some doesn't mind his look. same way some men love them slim or round, others are obsessed with the big ones. Different strokes for different folks yea.
My question is, Does physical attributes have anything to do with love? is it enough to say NO, I cannot marry you?
imagine a guy who likes slim ladies getting married to a fat one won't he get frustrated along the line? or a lady that's obsessed with tall guys, ending up with a short one. No offence please ,but this is reality. what is your honest opinion about this?
Fadamant: You are 120% right and it has always been like that and it is not peculiar to Nigeria. The Bible even says, " the neighbour of the poor runs away from him". That is to say, a poor man has no friend. It is called RANKISM.
What to do about it? Behave differently towards people from those characters you just mentioned and strive to be the best you can be for yourself and leave the rest. In the end, you cannot control how others treat you, but you can control how you treat yourself and respond to others' behaviour towards you.
word! but how can one behave differently towards such money loving peeps?
I begin to wonder where our core values have wandered? the rate at which people idolise money and the wealthy is very alarming. I'm not only talking about societal norms, i am talking about the family yes! look around you and you will see for yourself that the people without money are least respected . Gone are the days where the eldest in the family is respected as one. these days, No Money No Senior! I have looked around and seen it happen even in relationships, mother- in -law prefer a richer partner or anyone that fits into their social class than the one from a humble background with morals. I have seen cases where a mother visits her children who lives in the city and stays with only the son that has more money. friends only flock around you because you have money . is life only about all the exotic cars, luxuries and Money in the bank account? what about our core values, our tradition and culture. It seems the only gospel we hear this days is " Money" can somebody prove me wrong?