Ways To Add More Value To Yourself In 2015:BECOMING INDISPENSIBLE

The world has high regard for value. Nobody gives
attention to things that are of little or no value.
Value here is " the quality that renders something/
someone desirable or useful"
As humans, we are more valuable than any other thing
on this planet. But even among us, there are people
who have distinguished themselves by adding more value
to themselves. They went ahead to do certain things
that everyone else has refused to do.
Why are some people thriving in spite of the bad
economy?
Why are businesses holding unto certain individuals and
refusing to let them go?
Why are some people still holding on to their spouses
even in the face of challenges?
Why would people prefer to listen to Mr. A and not
Mr. B?
The common answer to these questions is that these
people have made themselves indispensable by adding
more value to their lives.
In this post, I will try to give tips on how to add
more value to yourself and ultimately become useful to
your world. I will be specific to different groups of
individuals in order to drive the point nearer home.
I have tried to be as brief as possible. Please stay
with me.
To the graduates, sadly, it's no longer a big deal that
you're a graduate. Nigeria already has many and many
more are still coming. What will distinguish you from
the others is your worth, that is, what you can offer-
that extra thing that every other person lacks. This
calls for diversity. There are many persons seeking for
limited job opportunities these days. All of them present
their certificates, but the guys who have added more
value to themselves by learning an additional skill and
gaining experience while in search of a job will most
likely get the job. People are looking for assets not
liabilities. There are many graduates today who are
sitting at home and waiting to be called up for a job.
The question is, what can you offer now? It is
adviceable that instead of wasting your time sitting
around, get busy with something productive. Read
books that will give you exposure, books on how
businesses operate, self improvement books that will
improve your communication skills etc. Also learn a
skill whether or not it's related to your field. If it's
related to field, good, but if not, still keep yourself
busy because no knowledge or experience is a waste.
The world is dynamic and things change. Gone are the
days when people only knew things in their field with
little or no knowledge about any other. There is now
an inter-mingling of disciplines. These days, just a
degree in your course will not do. For instance, you
have to be computer literate. Don't tell me 'I know
how to boot the computer' that is not enough! I mean,
apart from the basic computer operations, you have to
know how the computer is applied in your field.
Before now, artists only concerned themselves with
brush, pencil and paint but now there's Photoshop,
Cinema 4D, etc. It means that only your brush and
paint won't do anymore. The engineers and architects
also have their own software, so do musicians. So, get
busy and add more value to what you already know.
There is so much information these days for you to
remain ignorant.
I personally can play the piano and wish to own a
recording studio someday. But just knowing how to
play the piano is not enough to run my studio. It may
have been possible some years back but now if I must
have a successful studio, I need to learn how to use
my piano skills with the various music production
softwares such as Fl Studio, Nuendo or Magix etc to
create and mix my sounds. I know a little about that
already but it's not good enough because when
compared to professional sound producers, I'm an
amateur! So I need to improve if I really want to
achieve my goal. Oh, I forgot to mention this earlier -
I'm not a graduate of music! In fact, I'm in the
science field.
So as you add more value to yourself you'll discover
that you don't have to wait for anybody to employ you -
you can become the employer of labour.
For the single lady, while you're looking forward to
getting married, engage yourself with things that will
make you a good wife when it finally happens. You can
learn skills that will earn you an income if you've not
found a job yet. Learn how to cook if you’ve not. You
may say “No need, I’ll simply get a maid or a cook’’
Of course the maid can do the cooking but fact is,
your future husband would so much love to eat meals
prepared by his wife.
For the single man, prepare and equip yourself to be a
good husband. Don't go into anything blindly especially
if you have the opportunity of learning a thing or two
about it beforehand. It gives you an edge over
everyone else. Learn and apply ways to earn and
manage money.
Now to married men. There are educated married men
who have little or no knowledge about how to handle a
home/family. Their finances are scattered, no definite
goal for the family etc. It should not be. There are a
lot of families who are doing well and it would not do
you any harm to seek advice from them. You can also
buy and read books on how to run a home. Read a
thing or two about women to help you understand your
wife, read on how to raise kids, how to handle
teenagers etc. Also find time to help around the house.
By doing this, you're making yourself a home
management 'expert' and with time, someone is going to
be knocking on your door for some advice. That's
value. Try as much as possible to be the best husband
and father that you can be to your family.
To the wives. Some wives don't know how to cook
certain dishes that their husbands like but rather than
learning it, they make the man to eat whatever they
can prepare. The man may not complain but he will
appreciate you more if you take that extra step to learn
to prepare the meal he likes. There are also wives who
don't have any business/job and don't intent to engage
in any. This is not a safe ground to thread. I know
that people have different opinions on this but the thing
is, no one knows tommorrow. Your husband may be
happy providing all the money but he'll be more happy
to know that he has a wife who can survive without
him. You may not necessarily have to run a business
that will always require your presence and as such
distract you from your family. You can also get into a
business that you can do from home. There are a lot of
them, find out. Your husband can also setup a
business in your name. The bottom line is, be
enterprising.
I remember during the long ASUU strike of 2013,
some wives of lecturers had to take up a greater part
of supporting the family when their husbands' savings
started running out. Some baked wedding cakes while
others engaged one form of little business or the other.
That's resourcefulness.
Also, find time to read books about important things
concerning family. You can learn in a few days what it
took someone 30 years to learn by reading a book.
This makes you a better partner than the average
woman who does none of these things. Strive to the
best mum to your kids.
There are many people who support and hold on to
their spouses and would not trade them for anything
even in troubled times because they know that he/she is
worth more than any other man/woman. That inspite of
the present challenge, they will get back on their feet
because they have within them what it takes to be
successful. But when the reverse is the case, the
future of the family becomes endangered because both
lack what it takes to face the challenge at hand.
To the worker/employee, make yourself valuable at
work. Try to improve your skills. Continually read
books and attend seminars to keep you informed on the
current trends in your career. Upgrade your knowledge
and experience in your career. This makes you better
than the other workers who are stuck in their old
knowledge and ways of doing things. This is called
developing your human capital. There are some persons
who cannot be unemployed for more than a week
because they have so much value that everyone wants to
have them in their work force. They have made
themselves relevant in their field and with time they
become employers of labour too. Strive to be that kind
of person. Be committed to giving your best to your job
and learning all there is to learn about your job.
To everyone in general especially young people (who
make up a greater percentage of members on this
forum).
Learn to develop your skills by utilizing every available
training. Expand your knowledge by reading books,
articles and anything related to your talent or the skill
you want to work on. There is a lot of information
available on any subject you can think of, therefore,
avail yourself of the opportunity. Be current about
latest trends and advancements.
Explore your creative side. There is a fountain of
creativity within most of us that has never been tapped
or never been used to its highest potential. Try writing
that book, try learning to play that musical instrument,
try making that jewelry, try painting etc. When you do
this, you may just discover a talent that has been
hidden in you all these years.
Nurture your mind. Gain more knowledge. Grow your
mental ability. Read, read, read. Don't just watch TV
and movies. Virtually all highly successful people do
some form of daily educational reading. Regardless of
what they read, they make sure it contains useful and
meaningful information from which they can benefit from
in the long run. Statistics show that the average
person reads less than 1 book per year. If you could
read 1 book per week, that would mean about 52 books
per year. Now imagine what an advantage that will
give you over everyone else.
Always be open to learn. There is an old saying which
goes thus 'the more you know, the more you realize
you don't know' Only foolish people say they know
everything. Have an open mind and learn. Never be
afraid to ask for help from those who are ahead of you
on your path.
The points raised in this post may seem a little difficult
to accomplish but as long as you set your mind to do
them, you will. Please note that these points are
inexhaustive as I do not have the luxury of time and
space to go into more detailed explanations.
Finally, for emphasis sake, let me cap it up by saying
that if you must be the indispensable graduate, spouse
or worker, strive to add more value to yourself. It
places you above everyone else and it makes you more
useful to others. It is only a person who has value
that can add value to others. So, from today, make
yourself an asset.