THINGS TO DO…..BEFORE YOUR CAREER DISAPPEARS (i)

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suraj pic

I engage in a lot of activities. Some I am contracted to engage in, others self-appointed.  My typical day is usually a busy one. I have a job in an oil and gas exploration and production company where I am saddled, alongside my boss, with the responsibility of organizing its tax affairs. I run a blog, where hundreds of people expect me to serve them with daily menu of articles. A standard article takes me 2-3 hours. I am a Social Media enthusiast, which means I trigger or contribute to random online discussions, almost on per-minute basis, on facebook, twitter and Nairaland. I run an MBA from a Scottish University, which means I have loads of materials that follow me around to read at the slightest opportunity.  I have a couple of collaborative projects I supervise, which means I spend hours on phone and sometimes in physical meetings. I am someone’s son, husband and father, which means I need time for family affairs too.  I have my weekends to myself, but I spend the first 3 hours after my morning prayers (and after a short nap) playing football, and the following three hours reeling on bed from the exhaustion of the exercise. Yet, I am not the busiest of persons. No, there are far busier people.

THINGS TO DOPIC

So when yet another public holiday (October 1st)  offered an opportunity to do much, my plan by Monday evening was to use it to do some reading on my MBA materials, and perhaps attend to few of the outstanding career  dilemmas by my blog readers I have yet to treat.  I read under the best of conditions, the slightest inconvenience, I don’t pick a book.  The first half of today unfortunately was one of those uncomfortable moments – hadn’t have enough sleep,  restless, struggling to sleep, not refreshed enough to pick the materials I had planned to read today. In actual fact, any non-working day I don’t take the early morning post-subhi (6-8am – subhi is the Muslim early morning prayer which, of course, I must wake up to do by 5.30am ) sleep, I feel weak for the rest of the day. So, contrary to my plans, I saw myself struggling to take my regular nap. Thanks in part to my little baby, who was shattering everywhere, and my forgetfulness in switching my phone to silent mode, which made one phone call rudely wake me up after just 10 minutes.( I hate ring tones, whether awake or asleep).  It wasn’t the best of mornings for me.

Yet, realizing that exam was inching close and I still have a lot of ground to cover, I had to angrily march out of  room to go pick the MBA material. I read one or two pages at the dining set, but it just wasn’t sinking.  I was still weary. I needed that sleep.  On my way back to bed, I saw Tope Fasua’s book, “THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR CAREER DISAPPEARS”, which I had dropped by my bedside for over a week now, hoping to find time to read one day. Let me confess, like I commented on facebook few weeks back, that I am a poor reader when it comes to writings that are more than 2000 words, that is, any piece of work that is more than what I can start and finish in 30 minutes, I hardly read. At best, I select some parts to read. I bought Obama’s DREAMS FROM MY FATHER and AUDACITY OF HOPE at MMIA about four years ago, I have only read selected parts; I have Segun Adeniyi’s Yar’adua book both on my laptop and in hard copy on my shelf, I have only read the parts I found immediately captivating to me. Same goes for Nasir el-Rufai’s book, THE ACCIDENTAL PUBLIC SERVANT, which copies I have on my system and on my shelf, I haven’t read up to 50% of it, I only glanced through the parts I found most interesting the very day I got them.  So, when Tope, who was one of the presenters at Jarushub Career Conference that held last week, gave Jarushub 5 complimentary copies of his book (which was also the subject of his presentation in that conference) , I, naturally, went home with 2 (and gave 3 out almost immediately).  I read the backpage immediately and few introductory lines and dropped it beside my bed, looking forward to the day I would have time to read more.

Tope Fasua FCA, autographs his book, THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR CAREER DISAPPEARS, while I watch.....at the JCC

Tope Fasua FCA, autographs his book, THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR CAREER DISAPPEARS, while I watch…..at the JCC

So, on my way back to my bed this afternoon when my eyes (and brain) just weren’t clear enough to read the MBA note I scheduled this work free day for,  I stumbled on Tope’s book which was by my side. I took it again, and opened a page at random.  One hour later, I was still with that book. That hasn’t happened in a long time. I broke my 30-minutes rule. In fact, it was the need to say my asr (4 pm) prayer that made me to put down the book. My weary eyes and brain (from lack of sleep) suddenly rebooted. I found the book unputdownable. It is the best book I have read in recent memory. And I am not exaggerating.

 

See part 2

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