Mindset is EVERYTHING
#87
Apologies for being MIA. And thank you to everyone who checked in 😂😂. Says a lot about how much people like the newsletter. Appreciate it.
Anyway, big sense from Mark Essien some days ago. Guys, mindset is everything. Can’t be complaining forever, not believing in yourself and expect things to change. Just doesn’t work that way. Don’t underestimate your capacity to achieve greatness. Read Mark’s story below:
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For all of you who don't believe you can ever live in Eko Atlantic, but are telling yourself, let my #goals be Iyana Ipaja, let me give you some tips how you can achieve it.
Step 1: set your goal right. I know a man who was very wealthy. He called his sons and told them: I want all you to have houses. Pick a house, I will buy for you. But you will repay me monthly for the house till you have paid it off. One Son picked a house in Yaba. One in Ikoyi. The Yaba repayment was N100k a month. The Ikoyi repayment was N500k a month. They repaid for 6 months. After that, the Dad told them to stop repaying and they can keep their houses. One had a house worth N30m, one had a house worth N300m. Irrational confidence gave him that. You must set the goal to where you want to end up. Without this, forget the rest. This is just your mindset, but mindset determines the rest.
Step 2: Who do you converse with the most? The people you have one on one conversations with, are they ahead of you or behind you. Because if they are behind you, they will pull you back. If they are ahead of you, they will move you forward. Every Day, do the work to connect with someone on a one-on-one basis who is ahead of you in any way possible (not necessarily your field). If they don't want to connect with you, bring gifts. Show you are serious. Don't ask without giving. Offer to help. And as you advance, go for more challenging people to talk to. People you never imagined could be your friends. Show you are trustworthy. Opportunities come from people, not from hard work.
Step 3: Build a (or multiple) skill to be better than 95% of people. Being you is not a skill. Whatever you do, be so good at it that it will take years to train your replacement. You are only as valuable as what you can do, and how quickly someone else can do it.
Step 4: Keep trying. Leave discouragement from your vocabulary. If you want a job, you apply 10x a day. You don't keep stopping, you keep going. Be like the Terminator, once you start, you cannot be stopped. Take a small step first, someone achievable.
Step 5: Once you have achieved that goal, then start working hard to get to the next step. Found a job? Once you stop learning, start trying to find a better one. Challenge yourself to be better next month than this month. Be like Oliver Twist: want more.
Final Step: Speak up. Never hide, hoping that saying nothing will avoid trouble. Look for trouble and speak up. Where you work, among your peers, in rallies. Get noticed. Do not be a silent friend, stay top of mind for people who can help you.
Article List— What I’m reading (10 articles a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 3360 articles a year).
Letter from Africa: Zimbabwe, the land where cash barons thrive: This stuff is getting out of hand. Imagine paying a different price for an item depending on how you pay for it!
Warby Parker is launching Scout, its own line of contact lenses: Warby Parker is becoming the Warby Parker of contact lenses
Twitter thread on $JMIA and how they’re really messing up in Cameroon. Fired entire staff, no public announcement and a whole lot of craziness.
A Snapshot Of Venture And Startup Activity In Esports: TBH this might be the way to go. All of you think you’re so nice at COD and Fifa, please find your way into an e-sports team. Will sponsor for equity of winnings.
Black Friday: Konga tipped to break Alibaba’s $38 billion record but Jumia poses threat: …guys, let’s be serious here. Please. It’s Single’s Day. Not April Fool’s day.
Internet fraud: Nigerian scammer 'pulls off $1m heist' from prison: La Casa de Papel Nigeria edition
Jose Mourinho appointed new Head Coach: Adding this just to respect the quickness of this turnaround 😂😂
Podcast— What I’m listening to (1 podcast episode a day= 365 podcast episodes a year) — Broadening my experiences through others’ stories.
The Arena by the Kauffman Fellows: Learn from some of the best VCs in the game on their experiences and the values they hold dear. Very engaging conversations happen on this podcast. You’re definitely going to learn something.
Fireside Chats by New Path- Episode 1: The Success Code (Part 1): Tamilore is doing the damn thing. One of my best friends from college, she moved back to Nigeria and has been building since. Watch and comment!
Book— 1 Chapter a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 336 chapters. Most books have 10-12 chapters, so 1 year = 28 to 33 books. And my book list is nearing 1000 books. Send help 🌚
Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson. I’m actually learning so much from this book. Highly highly highly recommend to anyone looking to get into venture investing. Might take a while to grasp all the concepts. I’ll have to read it at least 3 times to fully get it.
📱📱Quote of day
“Wisdom doesn’t come with age. It comes with experience.” - Grandma
Remember: “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”