Your biggest oppenent.....

Facing the person in the mirror and trying to convince him that he was a winner and that someday, his breakthrough for success would come, was and still is my greatest challenge.....

At the start of the race he seems to be with me and helps me to put 100% into everything. But when the going gets tough, he ditches me and withdraws all attention, passion and strength and has the cheek to question me "why are we doing this again". When it get's late from writing event proposals and blogs, whilst juggling Uni work and phonecalls, he's telling me "sleep and do it tomorrow, I'm getting tired" and he knows very well that procastination can only be the beginning of a downfall. When its time to do uni work and prioritise my activities he encourages me to do what he wants to do because Uni work is boring and difficult.

I struggle with the man in the mirror, not because he is stonger, not because he has a spell over me but simply because he is me.

I am my biggest weakness. I am my only obstacle and I am my ONLY and BIGGEST oppenent.

My mind, emotions and will, sometimes don't co-ordinate or adhere to my vision. I say I want a 1st, but come study time, my mind is saying overload, which causes my emotions to say "fed up and annoyed" which causes my will to be "I don't want to do this".

But theres a way I counteract all of this. No matter what the facts say, how I feel, or even what I want NOW...I will CHOOSE to be great in all I do. I will choose to do this whether the man in the mirror cares or not, because I know eventually he will fall in line, because I'M IN CHARGE!!! What I say goes and I have the power to change my mind, emotion and will on anything if I give myself the power through determination and knowledge.

Question: Who runs your show? Who calls your shots? Is it the situation your in i.e. if its a good one your motivated, if its a bad one then your upset. What determines my outcome. Me or the man in the mirror.

In the Great Debaters Denzel Washington says to his young team who


Who is the Judge?

God

Why is he God?

Cause he decides who wins or loses not my oppenent

And who is your oppenent

My oppenent does not exist

And why does he not exist?

Cause he is a mere decenting voice to the truth I speak

So with that I encourage myself and you to let no one come in between you and success. The man in the mirror is an illusion. You are the boss and you control your outcome.

R.O.C.K
Richard Oluwafemi Chukwunonso Kuti

Fuel for the Journey

I decided not to bore you with words this time but rather post some videos which help me understand that Life is not easy and we have to fight to succeed. I hope you enjoy and reflect on these videos.

R.O.C.K


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOlTdkYXuzE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk

Where are you going..Part 1

Simple but profound question that has been ringing in my head this week. Where am I going?

If I live my life the way I've lived it for the last 24 hours, where would I be going?

If I continued on the path I'm going on now, where would I end up?

If I've got 4 different destinations on a piece of paper, how am I going to reach all of them?

Reality Checks have the potential to be the most hurtful things that you do to yourself, yet it can also be the most beneficial move you make to your life and save you time. The question "where are you going" is a very deliberate statement. It doesn't state where do you hope to go, or even where you intend to go but rather states where are you going. It is a question that deals with now!!!

The main reason for this question is due to the amount of talking I've heard myself and others do without action to follow up. Alot of us know how to talk about our dreams and what we want to do in the future, but when asked are you doing what is neccessary to achieve this, you'll usually find that theres a different answer. From my own experience, I know that this happens for a number of reasons, which I won't go into.

To think about exactly where you are going/ heading is a great way to be prepared and know where your going for your future. It's like an audit. Your looking at your current position and your current activity and seeing where it'll take you. It helps you focus on how you're gonna get to where your going.

Theres no point in saying your heading for success but then you sit in front of the tele day in, day out. Thats actually madness if you think you'll go anywhere. Instead, be honest with yourself. How many hours are you spending on getting to your destination per day, week, month etc. It kinda scares me when people say they want to be succesful in their field or own a business, but most of their time is spent on something completely contrary. This type of thing has gotta be stamped out. I'm not suggesting that everyone becomes boring workaholics, however I do believe that when you say you've got a destination, you must be on that path and if you stray off of it you will find it hard to get back onto it again.

Think of a sat nav. If you type in a particular destination, and it shows you a route there (which usually is the quickest route, unless you tried to skip the "toll charge" :P) if you stray from it, the sat nav quickly sets another route. However, this other route it sets out is usually longer or requires you to get back onto the previous route from before. The key lesson here is, if we don't do what we're supposed to be doing first time round, we'll have to spend more time getting back on track. The age-old saying "I'll do it later" is killing so many dreams day by day, all because we never considered our real destination in saying it. I will write more on this subject, but in the meantime I leave you with this note...


WHERE ARE YOU GOING???

R.O.C.K
Richard Oluwafemi Chukwunonso Kuti

Different Leaders.....

I usually wouldn't blog two days in a row, however today has marked a significant change and landmark in my life!

I was privileged enough to be invited through Elevation Networks to the Different Leaders Annual Conference (www.dlaglobalconference.com), hosted by The Diversity Practice (http://www.diversitypractice.com). I'd never been to an event of it's kind before so I didn't really know what to expect although I anticipated that it would be good from the speaker's profiles.

As I arrived and listened to the panel of speaker's for the morning session, I was exploding with passion, inspiration, determination and all sorts on the inside. They were amazzinngg!! I was so encouraged and motivated that there were ethnic minorities out there in positions of influence that were real, determined and inspiring. The 1st panel was with:

Garth Crooks, Vivian Hunt, Michael Prest, Prem Singh and Veera Johnson all very inspiring leaders who I recommend you look up on.

In a day that featured interactive workshops, productive networking, key learning and a keynote from Britain's most influential black woman Baroness Patricia Scotland (I thought she was absolutely ammaaaaaaaaaazing) I believe that it is safe to say that as a final year student studying Business Administration and aspiring for a possible career in the corporate world and to be a leader, today was ......

NEEEDED!!!!!

The issues that were brought up and the problems that so many leader's had the will to solve was phenomenal. I believe all students who aspire to be leaders should try their best to expose themselves to great examples of leadership in order to learn, grow and be advise. This is exactly what "The Diversity Practice" provided today and I am truly grateful. To conclude, I will jot some points down from some experienced world class ethnic leaders that has inspired me:

1. You decide the rules to the game. You must understand where you are and where you want to be and navigate yourself there....
2. Define who you are, don't let anyone define it for you
3. Have a well-rounded experience
4. Get results...not confrontational
   
5. Think Outside the Box
6. Give yourself the permission to be audacious
7. Don't die before they kill you!
8. Know your stuff in order to be taken seriously
   
9. No one owes you anything, you owe yourself something
10. Have a low self orientation. Be humble and understand that no matter anyone is in an organisation, given different circumstances you could be in their shoes...

I hope that gives a glimpse into what I experienced today. Please be inspired and feel free to contact me about anything. Let's do lunch!


R.O.K

LINKS:
www.dlaglobalconference.com
http://www.diversitypractice.com/
http://www.elevationnetworks.co.uk/
www.lessociety.co.uk

Let the Games begin: Goals, Goals, Goals!!!

Right, this is not a formal blog, but rather a pledge and a committment I intend to keep. I've been babbling on about my own personal goals this year for a while now and they seem to be evolving everyday. Regardless of this I wanted to write my vision for this year down in this blog to

1. Challenge myself.
2. Monitor my progress.
3. Encourage you to write your own goals so that when we achieve them (our goals) we can celebrate our success together.

Now that you know my reasoning, I'll list out my goals for this coming academic year (2009/10):

• Get a 1st Class Business Administration Degree.
• To constantly effect many lives especially in London South Bank University.
• To establish and maintain discipline in all that I do (time management and keeping, money management and work).
• To start my businesses by the time I leave University.

I've set mine. I will achieve it and blog about it also. Feel free to expose your own and lets CHALLENGE each other to success. It's easier to achieve something if you know that someone else knows what you hope to achieve and will take an interest, so goo ahead, let's do this!!!!

Let the Games begin!!!!

R.O.K

How Bad do you want it???

Before you delve into to reading this, I want you to know that this particular post came out of passion and emotion. There are some ground facts here but most comes from a passion to empower you to make decisions better.

I've got a question for you. It's simple but you have to ask yourself the question. This isn't a hocus pocus trick and it shouldn't be too far fetched for you to think about this topic.


Think about something you reallllllllly want...I meannnnnn realllllllly want. It could be for something to happen, a job, to be famous, a breakthrough, a relationship, grades anything. Think about exactly what you want or better still what your aspiring for.


Now ask yourself this simple question:

"HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?"

If I'm correct and I'm doing this properly, you should answer...really bad. This is totally fine. But I want to ask you something again. I mean how bad do you reallllllly want it.

What resouces are you using to look into it?

How much of your time is dedicated to fulfilling this goal?

How much work have you put in thus far?

What results have you seen?

To say you really want something, or set a goal, is a bigger statement than you think. It's a picture of what your aspirations are and your tomorrow.

For example, to say that you want a top Accountancy job is a massive statement. Let's say you are in your 1st year of University and you say this, what steps are you making in order for this goal to happen? If you haven't started planning, when do you think it is the best time to plan your way into the top firms? Do you even know what skills/ attributes they require? Some firms look as far back as your college grades. Did you know that!!!! Do you even know who the big players in your field are? Do you have any mentors or role models who can tell you about the Accountancy world? Have you read books?

These are questions that should spring to mind when you say I really want something. Too many people nowadays talk about their passion and have no evidence to back what their saying or prove that they have the slightest interest in the topic at hand. They love the idea of fashion and know jack diddly sqwuat about the fashion industry. They say they're interested in trading, but know nothing about the stock market.

I speak for a volume of do-ers and myself when I say in the real world, this will get you NOWHERE!!!

The truth is, seeing is believing in this world, and if you can't show that you have that hunger or passion through your results, people will dismiss you as un-serious/ dishonest.

Never play innocent either. Alot of people say,"My mum said I was no good when I was young, therefore I became a postman instead of a lawyer".

NO NO NO NO!!!! This is a sign of someone who doesn't know how to take responsibility and will never progress. If you keep dishing the blame to some external source, you keep yourself out of the line of fire and cannot learn. Your refusing to learn. If you don't acknowledging your wrongs early on, you will be hard-headed in the future and resistant to much change in my opinion. It's a foundation you don't want to have, so kill that attitude no. I say have a "can-do" attitude. Never say never, only say how!!!!

My message is simply this. If you want something. Go and Get it!!! Make it happen as Action Jackson says. No more Excuses as Sotonye Diri says. By all means necessary as Malcolm X states.

Go out there and look for ways of reaching your goal. If you stay in one place and only talk about it or make minimal effort, it's this simple......... You don't want it as bad as you say you do.

I had to learn this myself before I could realise any element of this to be true. I'm very talkative, so I like talking about my so-called passion, which is to inspire people. It got to a point where I realised that I was so frustrated of trying to inspire, doing it wrong and getting no where that I began to talk about it a lot more! It was almost my way of proving to people that even if they had a gift, so do I!! I was INSECURE, NOT GIFTED AND I'M GLAD I FOUND OUT EARLY ENOUGH TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY...
Let me tell you something, if you've got a passion and you merely talk about it with no action, your a dreamer and you don't want it, you just like the idea.

It's a concept of thinking that I've been fighting for and still everyday when I feel tired, when I'm demotivated, when theres no source of inspiration and no one believes in me, and I 'm stuck in a bad situation, I ask

HOW BAD DO I WANT IT??

Bad enough to keep going, or good enough to stop now and be content.
If you cherish it, follow it, it will be a journey to remember and bring the most amount of experience knowledge and insight.

I leave you on this note. Watch this trailer then go and watch the film. It will depict exactly what I'm saying, better than I could ever say it. A true example of someone who wanted something that baddddd:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xcZTtlGweQ

Till next time

No More Excuses

I've recently been reading a book by Sotonye Diri called "No More Excuses" and believe me when I say IT HAS BEEN AN EYE OPENER!!!

The book has a brief insight into 16 black male/female role model's lives. The likes of MP Dawn Butler, Levi Roots, Aml Ameen and others are in there. They are all of afro-carribean descent and have such inspiring stories. Despite all odds (and trust me there are some interesting ODDS in the book) they have persevered and reached the dreams which they so longed after. Quite frankly, I've never read anything like it and I recommend it to anybody whether you are black, white, indian, chinese etc. The book is needed!!! It doesn't just feed you fancy jargon's on success and inspiration, but it supplies you with templates (examples/ role models) of how things can be achieved.

The most valuable lesson I took from it is that everyone has a "fair chance to get a fair chance".
Sounds baffling I know but read it carefully, then continue....

We all make excuses that we can't get something done at one point in our lives. Whether it be as little as homework, or as big as succeeding against all odds, we have all made excuses. In more relevant terms, a lot of us go through hardships and difficult obstacles in our life that come to prevent us from achieving our goals. The level or extent of the obstacle may not be to our peers(e.g. some people are born rich, some are born poor) however, the power to make a decision of your outcome is given to all. It may be hard but to take control of your own life, you have to establish that level playing field yourself! If there are race barriers on the way..BREAK THEM!!!....If you lack a skill OBTAIN IT!!! If it seems impossible, MAKE IT POSSIBLE!!!

We live in an unapologetic & ruthless World that punishes excuses brutally!! For those that make excuses for time management, you will be punished with poor punctuality for the rest of your life if you do not accept that this is your responsibility and you have the power to change it. It may have been your ancestors fault for 13,14,15 years of your life that you think a certain way, but now that your mature face the facts that it's your responsibility to step up!!!

In Rocky 6, Rocky states this,

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody!"

This book is seriously thought provoking and practical. I recommend all buy it and learn from some serious role models who are just like you and me, probably even worse off. Just take the author for example. She's 23 years old of Nigerian descent and she's written a book. Not many can say that or would even think that it's possible, the perfect example for determination. For these very reason's I state this,

GO AND GET THE BOOK NOW!!!

LINKS TO BOOK

http://www.sotonyediri.com
http://www.sotonyediri.com/books for the book
http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=15395


Enjoy and till next time...



R.O.K

The Journey Begins...

Hey all,

Hope your all good. Today's blog is just a simple reminder of an age old theory in which the realism of the saying has hit me in the past few weeks:

"He who dreams bigger, works harder!"

I don't know if that is actually a saying, but the concept is definately true. Recently I've been juggling University, organising events, working and running a student led society. It's hard to do but I have a big dream and I'm chasing it with persistence. There are hardly no shortcuts or easy roads to your dream, only a long ugly graft of unglamourous tasks here and there.

Neitherless, I say all that to say this. On 8/10/09 I will be hosting the first event of my academic year. It's called "What do I do with my Student Loan?" The event will teach all students how to manage and budget their money as this is essential for their time at University and in Life. The details are below and I hope you can all make it. This is what I've worked for and the games officially begin here, so it'd be great to see ya there. Take Care and till nex time

R.O.K

E V E N T D E T A I L S

Date:	Thursday, October 8, 2009
Time:	6pm - 8:30pm
Location:	London South Bank University, London Road Building, Rooms A9 & A10
Street:	London Road, SE1

Not many students know how to deal with the amount of money that student loans provide, and sometimes this can end up in disaster!!

“What do I do with my student loan?” is an initiative formed to let you know just how to avoid falling in the same trap. With a unique line up of speaker’s and enterprising students this promises to be a productive, useful and essential event for all students!

****ADMISSION IS FREE FOR FIRST 30 STUDENTS TO REGISTER @ info@lessociety.co.uk!!!*****

GUEST SPEAKERS: Arnold Sarfo Kantanka (Elevation Networks), Lisa Newton (Boogles Ltd), Joseph Hagan (Inkrease) and many more.....

THEREAFTER: £3 for early registrants and £5 on the door
DOORS OPEN 5:45pm for snacks and networking!