WHEN SHALL I PROVIDE FOR MY HOME

The reality is that nothing of importance can occur except we take charge of our life and accept responsibility for achieving our dreams. Stephen Covey in his book (Everyday Greatness) puts it that “the key is in our decisions, not our conditions”. Jacob realized this in

his decision to start preparing for his home after serving Laban, his Uncle for several years in Genesis 30:30 when he asked his Uncle the pertinent question “……………. when shall I provide for my home…..? I also put it to you, after several years of active service, when will you provide for your home?

 Home in this context means providing for life after active service though it might connotes different meaning to different people; migrating from being a tenant to a house owner, employee to employer, self-employed to a business owner, etc. The major challenge is when the change is suddenly thrust into your path without adequate preparation. Some might never overcome the change like an ex-banker in my estate that committed suicide when he lost his job because he just couldn’t see himself beyond the present and adjust to reality. It’s therefore pertinent to start the process NOW!

The belief is that it can’t happen to me. Many have failed to realise that the work place is like a barrack, “soldier go soldier come” and life is all about change. Even the owners of the business will eventually vacate the sit either voluntarily or by fiat (like in the banking industry) or by ill-health or death. As the saying goes; “he who failed to plan, plan to fail”.

The unfortunate fact is that most companies don’t breed entrepreneurs or assist in developing the requisite skill to be to be one. As a result, most people squander their gratuities and severance packages within a short period by investing in businesses or transactions they know little or nothing about. Some even waste the essential resources on frivolous things in a bid to belong and remain in that bondage till the employer decides to do away with their services. The issue will then be how to maintain the standard.

From personal experiences and discussions with fellow “forced retirees”, the following keys are essential to for a smooth migration into life after service:

1.      Self-realization:

Accept that the exit is inevitable and definite. The comfort zone will be shattered one day no matter the level of connection of “god-fatherism”. “It can never happen to me” is also a fallacy. My advice is why wait until you are asked to go, rather start planning your own exit within a specified period. The following advice should be considered:

·         Shelter is the first step and the most important. It is priceless and solves 50% of the challenge that arise after the exit. It provides stability.

·        Reduce your expenses and save more that you spend

·        Invest more in easily realizable assets that will appreciate in value with high convertibility to cash

·        Get your spouse and family involved to get their cooperation, remember, 2 or more heads are better than one.

2.      Self-profiling:

Self-appraisal is required to determine your likes and dislikes, strength and weakness, opportunities and threats. The purpose is to determine what you can leverage on after the exit and how to convert your weaknesses to strengths within your environment. Determine what you enjoy doing and the possibility of earning money from what you enjoy doing. Your personality type also comes to play in whatever choice(s) you want to make and the availability of opportunity. Focus on what will take care of a perceived need and add value to the life of would be clients. Money should not be the main driving force but satisfaction for all the parties involved, even you.

3.      Acquire knowledge:

Seek information, enhance you current knowledge on areas where you are weak, read books, talk to people, check the web, etc. Full understanding of what it would take is required. Select your team; colleagues, mentors, advisers, partners, etc. It is better to surround yourself with those that will add to you in terms of knowledge, expertise, skills, etc. and be willing to understudy to acquire the requisite experience. Never underestimate the importance of knowledge or people, you often need to stoop to conquer.

4.      Draw up your plan:

To achieve success, you can’t just sit back and hope for a miracle. You need to take steps to make it happen. The best way to predict our desired future is to create them. From the experiences gained and the newly acquired knowledge from the information gathered, draw up your own plan on how you want to achieve that desired future. This has to be your plan (though the help of a professional should be sort for fine tuning) to answer the following questions:

·           What do I want to do after active service (purpose/service/product, etc.)?

·           Why do I want to do this?

·           Who are my target audience?

·           How do I get it across?

·           Where are they located?

·           When can I start?

 5.      Implementation:

Vision without action is called day-dreaming! Put your plan into action and the implementation can be gradual, even while in paid employment. Full understanding of the questions raised in 4 above is critical to guarantee the success of any venture. The legal structure to adopt is also important: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Company, etc. Having a regular income (paid employment) during the teething stage provides necessary cushion.

6.      Grace of God:

Put everything before the Creator. Only GOD can make it happen and His grace is the key element or the core of all the process that can guarantee success of any plan. Put your trust in HIM, let HIM direct your steps and you’ll never be put to shame.

Conclusion

Your destiny is in your own hands and a stich in time saves nine! We have to accept responsibility for who we are and who we can become. This requires courage to face the coming challenges and step out from our “comfort zone”, the discipline and perseverance to see it through and focused energy on what matters most. Learn to plan your life or event, people, situation or circumstances will plan it for you, though the hard way. Learn from the mistakes of others. I had only N5,000 cash when I had to leave the banking industry. The investments I made in properties during my latter days in the system assisted me to overcome the challenges. Nobody knows when the time will come. It might come like a thief in the night. It is better to be prepared.