Nilla's Spin: Nigeria Discussion Series

I think we've hit rock bottom. And if we haven't, then we have only a few more years left to hit it. A nation that preys on itself in every sense. Where all manner of depravities come to roost (... okay sue me for telling it as it is)

The mere mention of values is enough to get you the backward head jerk like 'where in the world is this fool coming from?" Its all gone, there is no need to for detailed stories of how immoral our beloved country is. I'm comfortable that we all have seen, heard and lived enough stories to fill plenty of books. As the saying goes, "Been there, done that"

But wait.

Is that how our story ends? Do we crash and burn, never to rise again? Or do we get a "do-over"? Don't we get the chance to start afresh and show what we are really made of?

I think we do

But this new story starts with you and me. Its time to get serious. I have been following this discussions carefully and I have read lots of good ideas mostly business and I agree that we have to definitely to establish ourselves economically.

But the one thing that I think we have pushed to the back or failed to notice as we talk about business organizations is the fact that most of these major business entities start with a value.

For example, Sam Walton of Walmart was determined to to build a line of discount stores that would provide even more value to it's customers than their competitor - KMart. His vision was to not only build the best value discount chain ever, but to employ a "family" of employees (associates) where he would enrich their lives.

Bill Gates stated early on that his goal was to put a PC in every home; it wasn't to make billions - it was because he truly saw the potential computer applications and how they may help educate, entertain and enrich people's lives.

Walt Disney's past is filled with vision and dreams of making people happy, improving the world - making money became important ONLY out of necessity of realizing his dream of improving the world!

Other examples include Sears' commitment to trusting the customer. (From the 19th century onward, any product could be returned to the company with a money back guarantee, which engendered great trust in both directions, enabling booming sales, and, the great success for the firm that followed.)

Apple Computer's belief in the values of solving problems of society. (The company created the IPod player and ITunes online music store to overcome a conflict between those who sought to download copyrighted music for free and the music industry which sought to protect its artists and its revenues.)

Marriott's values of systemization and standardization. (The company created a standard model hotel, and then duplicated it hundreds of time around the world, enabling it to grow incredibly fast, and become the leader of its industry.)

When we examine the lives of famous people, we often see how personal values guided them, propelling them to the top of their fields.

This leads me into my message for the day.

I think for there to be a collective change in our nation we need to make some individual changes. Firstly, I think its time for us to have values.
What is a value?

A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values.

Why is it important to know what your values are?
Simple. So you can make better choices.

People who don't know their values tend to wander around, bouncing from one thing to another, trying to find themselves. They're like puppets, pulled along without any clear direction.

Knowing your values helps you:
Follow a clear set of rules and guidelines for your actions. You’re less likely to take the easy way out or chase after short-term gains at the expense of your long-term goals.

Make good decisions. You quickly know what are good choices for you and what are not.

Find compatible people, places, and things that support your way of living.

Live with integrity. Integrity here doesn't mean honesty or honor. Integrity means wholeness or completeness - being a whole person.
Nothing left out. Being true to yourself

There is a saying that if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything. With values, we have a core, a reason for living. The value may be as simple as concern for others or as ambitious as world unity but we got to have something, its worth everything!

We can talk all we want about the changes we want to see take place in Nigeria but its not going to happen if we are not prepared to change ourselves. Now hear me, I said "change ourselves", not other people.

Let's NOT start with the corrupt policeman, lets start with keeping traffic rules (gasp!), doing an 8 hour job when we go to work, taking time to put our trash inside trashcans, not on the floor! Need I give more examples? Its on you and me to change our world.

We can't keep putting new wines in old vessels, its not going to work. An average Nigerian wants the Jeep, the fancy duds, plenty of throw around money, the big air conditioned office but yet, there is rarely any talk about working 16 hours a day to get all that.

We have to get our values straight. Not everyone is going to be a millionaire or close, thats why the word "poor" exists. Because it describes a state of being.

Did you say "thats not going to make a difference"? Well I beg to differ. One person CAN make a difference, can influence another person to change and lead to exponential change.

We all have to remember that NO country is devoid of corruption,immorality or negativity but the fact is countries have learnt to excel in spite of that. Because they have people that still have core values, people that will not support wrongdoing, people that will take the trouble to stand ...or even die for their beliefs

Does change sound impossible? Maybe it is, maybe not. But remember, according to Napoleon Hill, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe - you can achieve.”

Whatever one's values, when we take them to heart and implement them in the smallest details of our lives, great accomplishment and success are sure to follow.

Interested in understanding your values
http://www.selfcounseling.com/help/personalsuccess/personalvalues.html

LET ME ASK YOU A TOUGH QUESTION
What will YOU do for your country?

posted by lala @ 9:26 AM

1 Comments:

At Fri Mar 16, 11:03:00 AM 2007, Nilla said…

I noticed you have two posts on this.
My comment, as well as the link from my blog is on the post below.