3 LESSONS I LEARNT ON KENNY’s BIRTHDAY
What
might these lessons be apart from a recent experience? Don’t just wonder, read on
and get it from Kenny himself in this short except.
I have
a confession! I didn’t plan to do this. I mean putting together Kenni’s
three lessons. I read a Blackberry broadcast Kehinde John Olagbenjo (KJO)
sent earlier this week and it just inspired me to share some of the
lessons I have learnt in the past 12 months. Before I cut to the chase, I want
to embark on a probono public service announcement. I want to use this medium
to appreciate God for giving me another opportunity to see a brand new year in
the story of my life. No be beans; Na
only God fit do these things. I know I am beginning to sound like a pastor. Okay
let me unveil lesson 1.
LESSON
#1: Are you learning your lessons?
One of
the most inspiring words you will encounter in your life time is “You are not
alone”. For everything you go through, every obstacle that appears on your
journey to the top, every tear you had to shed, bear in mind that you are not
alone.
Sometime
last year, I had issues with my website-KehindeAjose.com. I approached
my website manager, but he just couldn’t fix it. It took me 12 months to engage
the followers that visited that website and it was difficult starting all over
again. Amazingly, when I checked out my options, I was forced to start all over
again.(No be small thing).
I did
start all over again. The fast growing website, Kennisplace.com is
a product of not refusing to give up. Truth is, I have learnt my lessons
from the previous experience. Life’s lessons doesn’t come in full doses, they
come in bits and pieces. It is your responsibility to learn the lessons life
throws at you. The reason why history repeats itself is simply because people
don’t learn from history.
LESSON
#2: Try new things
Late
last year, KJO shared the idea of starting a show on Enterprise radio with me. I
was initially skeptical based on the fact that I hadn’t hosted a show before on
radio. I obliged and gave it a shot. Within six months, with the help of my
Enterprise radio family, the show has grown into one of the most listened shows
on Enterprise radio. What if I refused to try out something new and different?
Trying
something new stretches you and helps you to grow out of your comfort zone. Now,
I can confidently add the appellation OAP to the new things I
have tried out. Psychologist Rich Walker of Winston-Salem State University
looked at 30,000 event memories and over 500 diaries, ranging from durations of
3 months to 4 years, and says that people who engage in a variety of
experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones
than people who have fewer experiences.
LESSON #3:
Small is the new big
Have
you ever wondered how David defeated Goliath? Though Goliath had the strength
and experience, David was able to leverage on Goliath’s weakness to conquer
him. Proven records show that Goliath was partially blind and so he could only
win a battle at close range. And David understood that.
In the Nigerian entertainment scene, it is the younger artistes that are making
waves, headlining shows and redefining the game. (The likes of Patoranking,
Korede Bello, Wizkid, ReekadoBanks, Kiss Daniel) How would you describe Linda Ikeji’s
dominance of the Nigerian online landscape? Ayeni Adekunle, CEO of Black House
Media puts it this way: “Linda Ikeji is not a member of NIPR. She has never sat
for the APCON examination. She is not an advertiser. She is not a media
practitioner. She is not a PR person. But she is engaging with more communities
than with any of the brands that we work for. The most academic of women; the
most intellectual of women constantly have Linda Ikeji open on their phones,
laptops and iPads. How is she able to build such platforms without insight or
access to the kind of intelligence that both industries have?
Now you
see advertisers struggling to pay for the backdrop of Linda Ikeji’s website or
mobile site. You see PR people struggling to put sponsored posts on the site –
sponsored posts that one can tell are sponsored anyway.”
All these are made possible because she realized that to move at the speed of
light, you don’t have to be a big player in your industry. Small is the new
big. Ask Linda Ikeji, Wizkid, Yemi Alade, Chude Jideonwo. You don’t have to be
great to start, but you have to start to be great. These are my lessons.
I am
looking forward to reading your comments…Thanks for the birthday wishes.
Except for www.kennisblog.com
Also
read: 7 Keys to Success, 10 Things I Meditate, Make Things Happen, Use Your Mind, 9 Gigs for Success and Adversity Makes Men Think.
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