SECRETS TO CREATING WEALTH

>      Once the psychological aspects of
> prosperity are understood, we can turn to the actual
> business of creating wealth. Conventional wisdom suggests
> that there is no substitute for learning as we go. Yet the
> smart wealth creator will want to stand on the shoulders of
> giants, absorbing the rich wisdom stored in business
> biographies.
>      Paul Barnum is often described as
> the world's greatest showman. But in his 1880 success
> manual: The Art of Money making, he advises surprisingly
> simple ingredients for achieving prosperity, good health,
> integrity, the right vocation and the right location to
> practice it in.
>      Conrad Hilton, who built a rundown
> hotelry in a mining town into a global hotel chain, was told
> by his parents that prayer and work were the basic elements
> of success in life. But his own experience added a third
> element: the need to dream and think big. When times are
> tough as they were for Hilton during the Great Depression, a
> powerful vision is the only thing you need to pull you
> along. For Bill Gates, such a big vision was instrumental in
> building the world's largest private fortune. No one really
> anticipated  the personal computing boom. But Gates'
> dream of a computer on everyone's table, running software
> that was easy enough for his mother to use ensured that
> Microsoft was ready to seize any opportunity that came his
> way.
>      And though Gates attributes much of
> his success to being a master deal maker, Donald Trump has
> also risen to the top of real estate investing through his
> ability to think big. Indeed, the books of Richard Branson,
> Felix Dennis, Anita Roddick and Howard Schultz show that
> passion is the basis for building great companies such as
> Virgin, The Body Shop and Starbucks and that an individual's
> wish to stay true to their conscience is often a hugely
> underestimated basis for creating wealth.
>      Though in time. they may become
> part of the establishment, in the beginning it is the
> mavericks and outsiders who create surprising, outstanding
> value. This is underscored by the management legend, Peter
> Drucker,who notes that entrepreneurs provide new value, not
> simply by doing things better, but by doing things
> differently. All businesses begin small, but Michael
> Gerber's book, The E- Myth Revisited is a vital reminder
> that to become a champion you must be far-sighted and avoid
> getting bogged down by day-to-day management. You become an
> entrepreneur not in order to buy yourself a job, but to
> create powerful systems that deliver satisfaction to
> people.
>      No wealth can be created without a
> supportive economic and human rights framework. Which is why
> Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations amply demonstrates that a
> society in which everyone is free to pursue their own
> economic interests is most likely to deliver prosperity to
> the greatest number. Milton Friedman, Smith's modern heir,
> shows that while government intentions are often good, free
> markets are a better guarantee of personal liberties. In her
> turn Ayn Rand provides a convincing case that Capitalism is
> the only moral system of political economy, because at its
> centre lies an insistence on personal freedom.
>     Wealth on its own may be obtained by rogue
> states or corrupt individuals. But prosperity: understood as
> peace of mind based on material abundance, naturally rests
> on the assumption of freedom of association and movement.
> More recently, Thomas Friedman has provided a compelling
> argument that technology is creating a flat world that
> allows millions more people to compete in the global
> marketplace. Governments cannot stop this shift; they can
> assist it by making sure that their citizens are well
> educated and well connected.
>      It is wonderful to make money; but
> it is even better to be able to keep the money. Which is why
> we are concerned  in this category with strategies of
> personal finance, investing and managing your wealth.
> Whether you have a windfall to invest or are a regular wage
> earner socking away a little each month, this category shows
> you how to make the most of what you have.
>      David Bach reveals how the habit of
> paying yourself first can make a person of modest
> means  into a millionaire; thanks to the power of
> compound interest, while Stanley and Danko's The Millionaire
> Next Door provides a remarkable portrait of the quiet
> wealthy person who gets that way by living within his means
> and investing his savings. What is the best form of
> investment then? Apart from your own  business, the
> best returns come from stocks or reaql estate.
>       Regarding the stockmarket, legendary
> investors Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham and Peter Lynch
> all stress the difference between long-term investing in
> companies and market speculation for short term gains. The
> small investor is best off investing their money into a fund
> that buys pieces of every listed company in a market.
> Property investment is also an easy road to wealth. Final
> word: it is worthy of note that prosperity has principles.
> Basically, things come into being that did not exist before,
> when you create mental pictures of health wealth and
> happiness, you bring them into being. Whatever you desire
> becomes reality.
>

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Your Pathway to Prosperity

> This column introduces from this week a new series on how to
> attract,create, manage and share wealth. The Oxford English
> Dictionary defines wealth as an instance of prosperity.
> Whereas, wealth is simply the possession of money or assets,
> prosperity is the flourishing, thriving or succeeding in
> life. Wealth is about money but prosperity is about life;
> good fortune, abundance and wellbeing.
>      The great theologian of the
> Methodist movement, John Wesley told his followers: Make all
> you can; save all you can and give all you can. History's
> most famous philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie noted: No man
> becomes rich unless he enriches others. Even more
> recently,the author of The One Minute  Millionaire,
> provided a similar creed for the enlightened business mogul:
> make millions, save millions, invest millions and give
> millions away.
>      We celebrate the act of wealth
> creation, but we also recognise the joy of giving.
> Prosperity is best appreciated as a circle in which money is
> first attracted and created; then managed well and shared to
> good effect. People say money cannot buy happiness, we agree
> with them; since our findings confirm their 
> experience. Indeed, it is also true that the abilities to
> attract, create, manage and share wealth are important to
> living a contented life. Since many of us seek to be better
> off financially not to amass money for its own sake, but to
> be in control of our time and spend it in meaningful ways.
>      Thus, the idea of prosperity
> suggests that we are stewards of wealth who create it from
> existing resources and eventually give it back in some form.
> But many argue that the phenomenal growth of wealth in the
> 20th century has caused our environmental degradation; but
> it is also true that without continued prosperity we will
> lack resources to research and invest in new energy sources
> or repair what has been damaged.
>     However, if you understand wealth creation as
> part of the larger concept of prosperity, nothing should
> hold you back from your pursuit  of abundance. You have
> a duty to yourself and humanity to maximize resources, use
> your imagination and work hard to bring new valuable
> products into being. In making this, you may find that it is
> possible both to be well off financially and to live with a
> good conscience.
>     Wealth creation does not happen in a vacuum.
> Thus, an aspirant must arm himself with thought provoking
> reads in economics, psychology and political economy. There
> is a natural divide between prosperity consciousness or the
> psychological aspects of creating wealth and the nuts and
> bolts of personal finance and economics.You must be well
> read on entrepreneurship, investing and more practical areas
> which will open your eyes and hearts to the metaphysical
> classics of abundance. Your ultimate aim should be to
> integrate both, so that you become a master of the inner and
> outer game of
> wealth.
>     We think of wealth as involving the ability to
> shape the world around us to profitable ends. Yet wealth 
> really begins in the mind: with your ideas, vision, beliefs
> and character. You attract or repel wealth 
> according to what you think and believe about yourself.
> Therefore it is never a waste of time to work on
> your own self development.The Greek philosopher, Aristotle
> said: The hardest victory is the victory over self. But this
> is a victory that enables you to win in all other aspects of
> life.
>     In his book: The Path of Prosperity, James
> Allen underscores this concept of an appropriate 
> mindset, noting that a disciplined mind and a focus on
> serving others are basic to the achievement of 
> any prosperity.Napoleon Hill said in his Master Key to
> Riches, that definiteness of purpose and the 
> desire to go the extra mile are essential to creating value
> or wealth. Max Weber's famous essay: The 
> Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, argues that
> the early Protestant merchants were able to 
> attract fortunes as a result of their intense preoccupation
> with the personal virtues of honesty and frugality.
>     But there is a metaphysical basis for
> prosperity. Thus, there is need to achieve prosperity
> 
> consciousness, the lack of which simply indicates a
> separation from God or the universe; a lack that can be
> remedied through prayer, affirmation or visualization. This
> consciousness affirms that our 
> emotional state of being can act as a magnet that attracts
> wealth.
>     In Secrets of The Millionaire Mind,Harv Eker
> demonstrates the importance of the inner game by showing how
> each of us has a mental financial blueprint that either
> allows money to flow to us or stop.
> You can change the blueprint, but the first step is to
> become a person open to opportunities rather than focused on
> complaints. In her bestseller of the 1980s,Do What You Love,
> the Money Will Follow, Marsha Sinetar asserts that the key
> to an abundant life is simply doing work you love. Not only
> that this leads to excellence in what you produce, which
> attracts greater rewards, but aligns your life with your
> deepest values and talents, creating for you a well of
> sustainable happiness. All of these have a common thread:
> Prosperity begins with prosperous thoughts, which in turn
> set up an emotional state
> that can only attract good into your life.
>

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Proven Secrets of Happiness

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By Bayo Ogunmupe

      We  all want to know how to find happiness. Here is Robert Biswas-Diener who has spent time studying happiness in India, Greenland, Spain and Israel. Diener is the author of the book: Happiness, Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth. He explains how to find happiness in a three word acronym: AIM. A is for attention. You will be as happy where your attention is directed. Focus on what is good and positive, be optimistic and you will feel good; feeling good is happiness. Focus on bad stuff, that means bad news, you will feel worse.
      The I in AIM means Interpretation. We tend to think that the way we see things right now is the only way to look at them. That is wrong. A promotion can feel good or it can scare wits out of you, because you don't feel up to the new challenges. Losing a job can be awful, but if it was a lousy job, it can be the best thing to happen to you in years. You cannot control the facts, but you have control over how you interpret them. And it is interpretation that determines whether you will feel happy or not.
      The M in AIM stands for memory. You do not know what is going to happen next in life, so thinking about the future can be fun or terrifying. However, happy memories are safe bet. You can turn to them for a guaranteed boost when you need it. Take time to look back and savor those moments that made you smile. Memory has to do with savoring: reliving the positive moments. This is counterintuitive but the past is a more secure repository of happiness than the future. We always make future decisions in the hope that it will make us happy. But your past has guaranteed points of happiness. If you occasionally look back to the past, you can dredge some of those happy memories into the present  and feel them with the same emotional resonance that you did at the time they occurred.
     So AIM is a good way to remember fundamental things that can keep you happy. But what should you do everyday to build a happier life? Here are some principles to guide your actions at work and at home that can surely get you more pleasure. One, use your strengths.The more you do things that you are good at, the happier you will be. The psychologically wealthy are characterized by the ability to see what is good in the world. Nonetheless, they are grounded in reality. They are involved in activities they believe are meaningful and important. They have found these activities as places they can use their strengths.
      Two, the projects you take on at work, the activities you engage in during your leisure time, the more you involve skills you are uniquely good at, the better you will feel. And research shows this has no small effect on your happiness and well-being. So, doing what you are good at can even make the office you are occupying more pleasurable. But given that work is called work, not called unending fun; it is often the source of a lot of stress.
      Three,for enduring happiness, you must have a calling. When you think of the end result of your work, the benefits it provides to others and feel like you have a mission,it is your calling that can gain you the boon. Thus, the mindful way to happiness is in choosing the life you want. It is not what you do, it is your perception of the effect of your work that grants you happiness. So, contributing to the betterment of the lives of others will finally get you to the state of pure bliss, gliding on a cloud of never ending joy.
      Four, happiness is a process, not a place or destination. Nobody is always happy. We are made happy by what we think and do everyday. It is an ongoing process. You cannot stop the waves but you can learn to surf. An interesting fact about happiness is: frequency beats intensity. That means, lots of little good things make you happier than a few big things. Research shows religious and sports services bring people a disproportionate amount of happiness. This is because churches and gyms do not have much in common, though both make you sweat on occasion. Scheduling frequent little things that make you happy is the real solution.
      Five, balance pleasure with meaning. Pleasure is pleasurable; that is totally legit form of happiness. But living fast is often followed by dying young. And all work and no play might get Jack promoted but it also makes him a very dull companion. For true happiness, pleasure must have meaning. Short term fun and effort toward long-term goals produce happiness. To be happier, spend more time on your relationships. Support your friends, kiss your partner, hug your kids. Relationships are vital to well-being. Envy no one, be happy for what you are. Invest in others, it gains you the ultimate in happiness.

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KNOWLEDGE MAKES YOU GREAT

iN the centuries to come, when the history of our time will be written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important events historians will see will not technology, not the Internet, but the unprecedented change knowledge has brought to the human condition.

It is only when you examine your life that you get to know yourself and understand your values, motives and talents.

It is in developing these personal insights that provides the foundation of all successful leadership, and it is only as you examine your life that you are able to identify the changes you need to develop your leadership.

Until you truly know yourself, your strengths, what you want and why, you cannot succeed in any leadership venture.

Leadership begins with leading yourself. Developing as a leader is intertwined with knowledge and personal development. Which is why knowing yourself is the foundation of successful leadership.

No leader sets out to be a leader; people set out to live their lives, expressing themselves in their passions. When that expression is of value, they become leaders.

So, the point isn’t becoming a leader; it is to become yourself, to use yourself, to use all of your skills, gifts and energies to make your vision manifest.

You must withhold nothing. You must become the person you wanted to be, enjoying the process of achieving your goal.

You cannot lead without understanding who you are. Becoming a leader starts from knowing yourself and what you want to accomplish with your life.

The quest for leadership, therefore, is an inner quest to discover who you are and what you care about. Just as your reflection in a mirror reveals changes you need to make to your appearance, so does self-awareness help you identify beliefs and behaviours you need to change to improve your leadership.

Knowing your personality, values and desires allows you to be proactive in the choices you make and how you lead.

In their journey, leaders have developed self-knowledge in some important areas. Leaders know what they stand for. They knew their values, they are clear on what motivates them and know the impact they want to have on the world.

This understanding is the compass by which leaders navigate through life. Their personal values are often adopted from society and people in authority, such as parents, teachers, bosses and friends.

Leadership demands that you take responsibility for directing your life, expressing your own unique vision, purpose and values.

We learn from history that people expect their leaders to stand for something; hence leaders have clear set of principles, beliefs and values upon which their leadership is built and expressed.

When you are not clear about your values, you are easily swayed by the opinion of others. Thus, trust is lost or eroded when you are inconsistent in your decisions.

However, when you are clear as to your values, you are more consistent in your actions. Indeed, consistency of behaviour is critical to building trust. Your values impact on how you relate to people and the examples you set for others.

You must separate who you are and who you want to be from what the world thinks you are and wants you to be.

To succeed as a leader, you have to learn who you are. You must know what you are good at and what to learn for you to get the full benefit of your talents.

Great leaders exploit their strengths and manage their weaknesses. While you may be good at many things, you are only really great at a few things.

Self-aware leaders know the few things they are great at and are constantly working on improving on these few strengths.

In memory of Martin Luther

The year 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Christian reform movement when Martin Luther nailed his theses on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This Luther decade provides for celebration and reflection.

Wittenberg is a sleepy middle-size town on the borders of Saxony and Brandenburg. Located on one of Germany’s longest rivers – Elbe, Wittenberg has a proud history. There is no shortage of testimonies to the Renaissance in Wittenberg. The reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546) is inseparably linked with Wittenberg, which is why we should really refer to it as Lutherstadt. But they don’t call it so because people think: why all the fuss about a renegade monk called Luther?

Yet at the moment, it looks all this is gradually changing. Luther, who has always lived on the hearts of Protestants, is being brought closer to other inhabitants of the town and its surroundings. Not least because so many tourists, especially from abroad and overseas go there in search of Martin Luther’s trail. After all, the Luther monuments in Saxony-Anhult have been under UNESCO protection as part of the world heritage since 1996. Luther tourism is certainly an economic factor, not only in Wittenberg, but also in Wittenberg’s sister, Eisleben, in Mansfelder district, where Luther was born and also died.

t was at Eisleben that the person the Roman Church outlawed as Junker Jorg lived in hiding, and in 1521 and 1522, worked on his German translation of the Bible. This was a momentous act, of which there can be no doubt. For many people, the Book of Books is as topical as ever. Sadly in Eastern Germany where, during more than 40 years of communist rule, the citizens had their faith driven out of them. Indeed, to a degree the communists succeeded something that the Christian churches of all denominations unanimously lament.

So the imminent jubilee of the Reformation is coming just at the right time. For this jubilee, the Evangelical church in Germany has instituted a position for a prelate, which was filled by the theologian, Stephen Dorgerloh. The Luther Decade refers to the period up to 2017 the year that will mark the 500th anniversary of Luther’s legendary nailing of his theses to the door of Wittenberg Church.

In those 95 theses, Luther denounced the Roman Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences. He criticised the conditions that prevailed at the time with pertinent references to the Bible.

The posting of the theses took place on October 31, 1517. Therefore the October 31 is Reformation Day, which is a public holiday in the Protestant central German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.

Holidays are always welcome everywhere; but what does Reformation mean? What does it mean in Nigeria today? For the lack of the study of history Religion, Reformation or Protestantism do not appear to mean much to the Christian Nigerian.

Luther’s nailing of the theses to the door of a Wittenberg Church unleashed a movement that has left its mark all over the world. The Reformation not only influenced the church, theology and philosophy, it also influenced music, the arts, business and social life. It also influenced language and the law. The 500th anniversary of the publication of Luther’s theses will be on October 31, 2017 in Wittenberg. In order to celebrate this jubilee, the Evangelical Church in Germany has conceived the Luther Decade, during which the broad range of the themes raised by the Reformation will be dealt with in what they termed The Theme years and links will be made to historical and commemorative years.

The Theme for 2011 was Reformation and Liberation and it was engaged as a phase of upheaval that led to a democratic state under the rule of law. The Reformation jubilee also entails numerous international links, which is why the German Foreign Office and the Ministry of Education will be active within the framework of German Culture and Educational policy. They will activate various projects during the Luther Decade.

One highlight in March 2011 was an international symposium in the Luther City of Wittenberg. The event debated the question: How free are human beings? It examined Reformation’s influence on reform movements around the world, and the development of democratic civil society.

But the debate on the current meaning of Reformation got going only very slowly. Yet the consequences of the work of Luther and his friend, the theologian Philipp Melanchthon can be felt everywhere. It established the freedom of religion and freedom to hold opinion without interference. Reformation also developed the German language and thought. It also unleashed upheavals extending from the Enlightenment to 20th century modernism.

evertheless, it took much time before Luther’s protest against medieval restrictions and impositions was seen in the context of emancipation and liberation and subsequently as something contemporary and timely. It was only lately that it was accepted as an event worthy of our attention, celebration and subsidised with state funds.

Meanwhile, however, things are really moving: a pilgrim path follows Luther’s trail through central Germany. Theme years and events are being organised to structure the anniversary, up to and including the major celebrations. In 2011, the government of the state of Magdeburg spent millions of Euros among other things for the refurbishment of Wittenberg Castle. Thus for the 2017 celebration much more is being expected.

With the anniversary barely a year from now, it will be heart-warming to witness a celebration of Luther, the Christian reformer by Nigerian Protestants.

EACH MAN HIS TIME

THE book, Each Man, His Time, subtitled, The Biography of an Era; is the story of Auchi Kingdom in Edo State, Nigeria. It is written by Prince Tony Momoh, the Yerima of Auchi and a prince of the realm.

This book affects its reader on three levels. First is the appreciation of how Momoh the First created a dynasty between 1919 and 1944.

Secondly, how Momoh transformed the culture of the Auchi people from the traditional polytheism in religion: totem control and idol and ancestor worship to the worship of the Only one God, the Creator of the World as revealed by the Quran.

nd thirdly, the documentation of traditional beliefs and the powers of transmigration and soul manipulation: all of which belonged to an era that saw them as authentic faith.

Thus, Each Man, His Time is the chronicle of the life and times of Momoh the First of Auchi Kingdom. The book is a record of an environment that had no cars, no electricity, no link roads but bush paths and the new experience of colonialism.

The book is a reprint of an earlier edition first published in February 1995. This new edition includes an introduction and epilogue from Professor Zakariyau Oseni, the director, Centre for Ilorin Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

This Biography of an Era is paperback, has 378 pages, 39 pages of pictures; 10 pages of index and five chapters. Apart from the epilogue to the first edition, there is an epilogue to the second edition, which highlighted Momoh’s legacy.

At December 7, 2015, he had gone for 71 years. There were many people before him, and many people have come after him. But no single individual has affected the lives of the people of Auchi and its environs than Momoh Oshiogbele Idoah. So profound was his influence that he had become an ogre with the stories built around him.

The commemoration of Momoh’s passing on December 7, 1994, marking the 50th anniversary was the publication of Each Man, His Time by Prince Tony Momoh, one of his sons.

As Minister of Information between 1986 and 1990, Tony had come upon mountains of information on Auchi Kingdom. He found a great deal to say about each of the 450 cultural groups in Nigeria. He was horrified by the huge amount of information our old men were willing to record for future purposes and the young men who should ask but are harbouring an orientation that encourages them to forget this most important area of our history.

Etsako clan is a sub-group of the Edo people of Nigeria. The story of Auchi, therefore, is the story of Benin up to the beginning of the 19th century. It was at that time that the Nupe, the Hausa and the Fulani influence started to manifest with the installation of Ikelebe as the first Otaru of Auchi. But Auchi life took a dramatic turn when Momoh Idaoh came on, especially after the outbreak of the First World War in 1914; when Tony’s materials first started to be recorded.

Etsako was first known as Kukuruku Division; later it was called Afenmai Division. This book treats the appointment of Momoh as district head of Auchi and the crisis that followed. The second part consists of reports on Chief Momoh. The third part deals with the transfer of divisional headquarters from Fugar to Auchi between 1919 and 1921. The final part is a collection of historical sketches written by district officers in 1914, 1919 and 1939.

Those reports constituted the preliminary chapters of this book. Encouraged by the huge volume of materials for the book, Tony thereafter filled in the gaps with researches conducted by Messrs M.S. Ezolome and N.I. Oshiotare. Their findings were illuminating.

They researched into the reign of Otaru Momoh who emerged as the pivot around whom Auchi revolves till today. The research included visits to Udo, the place in Benin from where the people of Auchi were supposed to come from.ach Man, His Time is a celebration of the liberation of the people from decadent beliefs. Momoh the First ruled Auchi from 1919 to 1944. While Momoh the First sat on a mud throne, his successor, Aliru Momoh his 90th child restructured Auchi profoundly. M.J. Momoh sat on the throne from 1945 and 1955. Another son, A.K. Momoh mounted the throne between 1955 and 1970, yet another A.G. Momoh sat there from 1973 to 1996. Again another son of his A.H. Momoh started the transformation of all the institutions of Momoh the Great. Sitting in a new palace, he did not continue to administer the kingdom with five Daudus. The profound changes he brought to the governance of his dynasty inspired the writing of this work.

The book in review is a reprint. The need to reprint arose from the book being out of print and the need to remind people of the many unbelievable issues raised in the book.

The author of the book, Prince Tony Momoh, is a distinguished journalist and lawyer. He is a descendant of the royal family of the Otarus of Auchi, Edo State. He entered journalism as a sub-editor on the Daily Times of Nigeria. He rose to be Editor of Daily Times; General Manager, Times Publication Division and Minister of Information and Culture, Federal Republic of Nigeria. As an active publicist, Tony Momoh was appointed chairman, Nigeria Airways; Chairman, Accreditation Board of the Nigeria Union of Journalism and Chairman, Nigerian Media Merit Awards. The author of many books on media practice and law, Tony Momoh was the chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, one of the parties that merged to become the current ruling party, the All Progressives Congress. He is the Yerima of Auchi Kingdom.

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