Benita’s Corner (Episode 2): Rachel’s transformation

Holla peeps! I hope you didn’t miss me too much.

Without further ado, I’ll just get back to the gist I was narrating the last time we met. Yes, Rachel… <Read Episode one>

 

How did this reunion even happen? I went to an eatery for lunch with some guys from the office and while we ate, Jeff from Procurement who thinks he’s handsome (he’s really just there) lets out a slow whistle. We all followed his gaze and it landed on this bombshell of a woman who was fueling her car beside the eatery.

 

Folks, let me not even lie, she oozed class and money. What?! She was standing near her car, a sleek Mercedes Benz. As someone who loved fashion, I could tell that she was wearing designers from head to toe. Her dark skin shone, and her long legs were framed by these wicked Louboutin heels. I was drooling.

 

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6 types of people to have around at retirement

Your experience through retirement will largely depend on the people you surround yourself with. To have a happy and exciting retirement, consider having these types of people in your circle.

 

  1. The Adventurous

This is the friend that is up for anything and is a great companion for road trips or getaways. With them, you experience the other side of your comfort zone and enjoy the excitement that life has to offer.

 

  1. The Authentic

With this kind of person, you can be yourself. They allow you to be vulnerable, express your emotions in healthy ways, and help bring a smile back to your face when you’re down.

 

  1. The Cheerleaders

This is the person you can always count on to lift your spirits, motivate you through challenges and make y

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Too big a bite

As Jotham lay on the road, panting, his heart thumping hard and his lungs fighting for air, he sincerely thought he wouldn’t live to tell his story.

 

After a couple of minutes in that state, he noticed a small crowd began to gather and people murmuring, “Is he dead?” “Looks like he fainted,” “Abi he has a heart attack…” Amid all the assumptions, he heard a confident male voice say, “Give him some space. He needs the air.”

 

By the time Jotham came to, he was sitting by the culvert with a tall, middle-aged man standing over him and staring in concern. “It’s about time you came back to this crazy world, my friend. I’m Dr. Jide and I saw you pass out while you were running.” Jotham immediately remembered the events that led up to this moment.

 

He had been pretty much inactive with his exercises and hadn’t gone for a run in about three years. After so much procrastination, he decided to get b

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6 ways to reignite your passion for your work

After working for 15 years, Kemi started to feel a bit ‘bleh’ about her job. The passion, drive, and zeal for work that she had in her earlier years had diminished and she needed a jump start.

Here are the tips a career coach gave her.

 

1. Engage your brain

Boredom often causes disinterest in one’s work. Sign up for a development program at work or take a course on your own. Learning something new will excite you, open your mind and give you an edge on the job that you didn’t have before.

 

2. Find meaning in your work

Think about why you got into your field of work originally, and whether you’re still on the same path. When you renew your commitment to the goals you had, or make new ones, you get a renewed sense of purpose.

 

3. Move others forward

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6 tips to excel in your career

Many years ago, Maureen Akintoye applied a list of smart nuggets to help her excel in her career. Now, with over a decade of successfully running a top Marketing and Advertising firm in New Zealand, she shares a few career tips which worked for her and where they originated from.

 

  1. I first heard Zig Ziglar say it when people challenged him on his “positive attitude” manifesto: “You can do anything with a positive attitude better than you can do it with a negative one.” – Lea McLeod, Career Coach.

 

  1. Work hard and be nice to people. It’s a very simple motto I try to live by daily – Marie Burns, Recruiting Leader at Compete.

 

  1. There’s never going to be a precisely right moment to speak, share an idea, or take a chance. Just take the moment – don’t let thoughts like “I don’t feel

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Not another work week!

It’s Sunday night and you’re excited because it’s one of the weeks you get to work remotely due to the staggered work conditions at the office following the pandemic. You’re happy because unlike the previous week, you don’t have to rush out into the frustrating traffic to get to work. So, you press play on the new series you’ve saved to your list on Netflix and settle in for a binge-fest.

 

An email alert pops up and one look confirms your fear – a group-wide meeting has been fixed for 8 AM the following morning followed by a short brainstorming session just two hours after. Instantly, the enthusiasm towards your binge-date with Netflix deflates as you imagine how tight your Monday would be despite working from home. You sigh and turn off the series – it can wait for now as you need to hit the sack.

 

Deep within, you wonder how it would feel to not have to work every day to eke a living and your heart does a double some

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Benita’s Corner (Episode One) : The “good life” bug bit

Benita’s Corner (Episode One) : The “good life” bug bit

Hi, I’m Benita and it’s nice to meet you. This is to officially welcome you to my corner where I plan to rant (mostly about money), goof around, and sometimes get serious with what’s happening in my life and the world.

My friends describe me as intelligent, playful, and highly optimistic. So, I hope that as you read, you’ll get a glimpse into my life, teach me a thing or two, and hopefully learn from my experiences, as we navigate the tides of adulthood – you and me.

 

Now, to the first subject of my rant…

 

The “good life bug”

 

A few years ago, I finished youth service and was super excited to land my first job. Armed with a 2.1 degree, a couple of professional courses under my belt, and the enthusiasm of a winner, I came to Lagos to begin an exciting career. I had this dream that once I landed this city flowing with milk and honey, companies will be rushing me.

 

Well, I got the shock of my life when I had spent over six months in my sister’s house, sent out over a hundred job applications, and not one company was excited to employ me. I had thought they’d rush me like hot puff puff but alas… I cried, fasted, and prayed. I even went personally to offices to beg for an opportunity to show my CV… I did so much, yet nothing.

 

Then Nosa shows up…

 

A couple of years down the line after I finally got a job, I met Nosa, and he introduced me to the ‘good life’. Nosa was a fashionisto and skilled with styling. Unfortunately, he was also a party animal, and soon, with my constant hangouts with him, I got bit by the good life bug. Only, this good life bug was costing me more than I cared to admit.

 

As a Customer Service officer, I was earning N200k but my people, do you know that by the time the 25th of every month came around and salaries were paid, I’d already be in debt?

 

Hmmm… How manage, you ask? Well, Nosa had introduced me to some boutique owners who didn’t mind giving me items to pay later. So, while I looked like a million bucks when going to work and parties, my account was constantly in red. Or should we talk of the unending parties and hangouts this my guy always roped me into? Where I had to open my purse so as not to be seen as a broke babe…SMH.

 

I was living from salary to salary with no savings or investment to my name. Even common emergency fund, your babe didn’t have.

 

This lifestyle felt normal to me until one day when I met Rachel, my paddy way back in the University.

 

You guys won’t believe what I saw that day. I felt like an utter fool to put it lightly.

 

Shoot! My ride home is about to leave, and unless you people want your girl to trek from VI to Festac, I gotta go (My car broke down mbok). This gist will continue next time. In the meantime, beware of the “Nosa’s” out there. Lerra!

To be continued!

 

 

The post Benita’s Corner (Episode One) : The “good life” bug bit appeared first on Realising Ambitions.

Lekki Concession Company: Obeying the Rules of the Road

ARM’s Lekki Concession Company (LCC) project was conceived with a specific mandate from the Lagos State Government to transform the Lekki-Epe Expressway from a 50 kilometre road to a modern and efficient highway. The initial vision of both Lagos State and ARM was to expand the identified Lekki-Epe Expressway carriageway from four to six lanes in selected areas, add new roundabouts, interchanges, and a Falomo bridge on-ramp.

The Road to Recovery: Emmanuel Ikazoboh and the NSE Reforms

In 2010, the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission, in an attempt to restore investors’ confidence, appointed Mr Emmanuel Ikazoboh as Interim Administrator of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, to carry out a capital market reform of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The Do’s of spending in retirement

Mojisola is on the brink of retirement and her excitement knows no bounds. She already drafted a plan of what she’d want to do with her years after hanging her work boot. She wants to get it right and enjoy her retirement without running out of money or good health.

 

Here are some interesting bits of her spending plan:

 

 

Track your spending daily – Mojisola knows that checking on her transactions and account balance will help her see how much is going out and discover where to cut back on excesses. This ensures that she won’t be dipping too much into the money she has saved.

 

Spend on learning – Continued education of any kind such as developing new professional skills or enhancing old ones is a positive way to spend retirement money, Mojisola discovered. This knowledge expansion helps you stay sharper and relevant as you get older.

 

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