The world has high regard for value. Nobody gives attention to things that are of little or no value.
Value here is " the quality that renders something/someone desirable or useful"
As humans, we are more valuable than any other thing on this planet. But even among us, there are people who have distinguished themselves by adding more value to themselves. They went ahead to do certain things that everyone else has refused to do.
Why are some people thriving in spite of the bad economy?
Why are businesses holding unto certain individuals and refusing to let them go?
Why are some people still holding on to their spouses even in the face of challenges?
Why would people prefer to listen to Mr. A and not Mr. B?
The common answer to these questions is that these people have made themselves indispensable by adding more value to their lives.
In this post, I will try to give tips on how to add more value to yourself and ultimately become useful to your world. I will be specific to different groups of individuals in order to drive the point nearer home.
I have tried to be as brief as possible. Please stay with me.
To the graduates, sadly, it's no longer a big deal that you're a graduate. Nigeria already has many and many more are still coming. What will distinguish you from the others is your worth, that is, what you can offer-that extra thing that every other person lacks. This calls for diversity. There are many persons seeking for limited job opportunities these days. All of them present their certificates, but the guys who have added more value to themselves by learning an additional skill and gaining experience while in search of a job will most likely get the job. People are looking for assets not liabilities. There are many graduates today who are sitting at home and waiting to be called up for a job. The question is, what can you offer now? It is adviceable that instead of wasting your time sitting around, get busy with something productive. Read books that will give you exposure, books on how businesses operate, self improvement books that will improve your communication skills etc. Also learn a skill whether or not it's related to your field. If it's related to field, good, but if not, still keep yourself busy because no knowledge or experience is a waste.
The world is dynamic and things change. Gone are the days when people only knew things in their field with little or no knowledge about any other. There is now an inter-mingling of disciplines. These days, just a degree in your course will not do. For instance, you have to be computer literate. Don't tell me 'I know how to boot the computer' that is not enough! I mean, apart from the basic computer operations, you have to know how the computer is applied in your field.
Before now, artists only concerned themselves with brush, pencil and paint but now there's Photoshop, Cinema 4D, etc. It means that only your brush and paint won't do anymore. The engineers and architects also have their own software, so do musicians. So, get busy and add more value to what you already know. There is so much information these days for you to remain ignorant.
I personally can play the piano and wish to own a recording studio someday. But just knowing how to play the piano is not enough to run my studio. It may have been possible some years back but now if I must have a successful studio, I need to learn how to use my piano skills with the various music production softwares such as Fl Studio, Nuendo or Magix etc to create and mix my sounds. I know a little about that already but it's not good enough because when compared to professional sound producers, I'm an amateur! So I need to improve if I really want to achieve my goal. Oh, I forgot to mention this earlier - I'm not a graduate of music! In fact, I'm in the commercial field.
So as you add more value to yourself you'll discover that you don't have to wait for anybody to employ you - you can become the employer of labour.
For the single lady, while you're looking forward to getting married, engage yourself with things that will make you a good wife when it finally happens. You can learn skills that will earn you an income if you've not found a job yet. Learn how to cook if you’ve not. You may say “No need, I’ll simply get a maid or a cook’’ Of course the maid can do the cooking but fact is, your future husband would so much love to eat meals prepared by his wife.
For the single man, prepare and equip yourself to be a good husband. Don't go into anything blindly especially if you have the opportunity of learning a thing or two about it beforehand. It gives you an edge over everyone else. Learn and apply ways to earn and manage money.
Now to married men. There are educated married men who have little or no knowledge about how to handle a home/family. Their finances are scattered, no definite goal for the family etc. It should not be. There are a lot of families who are doing well and it would not do you any harm to seek advice from them. You can also buy and read books on how to run a home. Read a thing or two about women to help you understand your wife, read on how to raise kids, how to handle teenagers etc. Also find time to help around the house. By doing this, you're making yourself a home management 'expert' and with time, someone is going to be knocking on your door for some advice. That's value. Try as much as possible to be the best husband and father that you can be to your family.
To the wives. Some wives don't know how to cook certain dishes that their husbands like but rather than learning it, they make the man to eat whatever they can prepare. The man may not complain but he will appreciate you more if you take that extra step to learn to prepare the meal he likes. There are also wives who don't have any business/job and don't intent to engage in any. This is not a safe ground to thread. I know that people have different opinions on this but the thing is, no one knows tommorrow. Your husband may be happy providing all the money but he'll be more happy to know that he has a wife who can survive without him. You may not necessarily have to run a business that will always require your presence and as such distract you from your family. You can also get into a business that you can do from home. There are a lot of them, find out. Your husband can also setup a business in your name. The bottom line is, be enterprising.
I remember during the long ASUU strike of 2013, some wives of lecturers had to take up a greater part of supporting the family when their husbands' savings started running out. Some baked wedding cakes while others engaged one form of little business or the other. That's resourcefulness.
Also, find time to read books about important things concerning family. You can learn in a few days what it took someone 30 years to learn by reading a book. This makes you a better partner than the average woman who does none of these things. Strive to the best mum to your kids.
There are many people who support and hold on to their spouses and would not trade them for anything even in troubled times because they know that he/she is worth more than any other man/woman. That inspite of the present challenge, they will get back on their feet because they have within them what it takes to be successful. But when the reverse is the case, the future of the family becomes endangered because both lack what it takes to face the challenge at hand.
To the worker/employee, make yourself valuable at work. Try to improve your skills. Continually read books and attend seminars to keep you informed on the current trends in your career. Upgrade your knowledge and experience in your career. This makes you better than the other workers who are stuck in their old knowledge and ways of doing things. This is called developing your human capital. There are some persons who cannot be unemployed for more than a week because they have so much value that everyone wants to have them in their work force. They have made themselves relevant in their field and with time they become employers of labour too. Strive to be that kind of person. Be committed to giving your best to your job and learning all there is to learn about your job.
To everyone in general especially young people (who make up a greater percentage of members on this forum).
Learn to develop your skills by utilizing every available training. Expand your knowledge by reading books, articles and anything related to your talent or the skill you want to work on. There is a lot of information available on any subject you can think of, therefore, avail yourself of the opportunity. Be current about latest trends and advancements.
Explore your creative side. There is a fountain of creativity within most of us that has never been tapped or never been used to its highest potential. Try writing that book, try learning to play that musical instrument, try making that jewelry, try painting etc. When you do this, you may just discover a talent that has been hidden in you all these years.
Nurture your mind. Gain more knowledge. Grow your mental ability. Read, read, read. Don't just watch TV and movies. Virtually all highly successful people do some form of daily educational reading. Regardless of what they read, they make sure it contains useful and meaningful information from which they can benefit from in the long run. Statistics show that the average person reads less than 1 book per year. If you could read 1 book per week, that would mean about 52 books per year. Now imagine what an advantage that will give you over everyone else.
Always be open to learn. There is an old saying which goes thus 'the more you know, the more you realize you don't know' Only foolish people say they know everything. Have an open mind and learn. Never be afraid to ask for help from those who are ahead of you on your path.
The points raised in this post may seem a little difficult to accomplish but as long as you set your mind to do them, you will. Please note that these points are inexhaustive as I do not have the luxury of time and space to go into more detailed explanations.
Finally, for emphasis sake, let me cap it up by saying that if you must be the indispensable graduate, spouse or worker, strive to add more value to yourself. It places you above everyone else and it makes you more useful to others. It is only a person who has value that can add value to others. So, from today, make yourself an asset.
Phew! Quite a long post, huh? Thank you for not falling asleep!
