Hired or Fired

One of the signs of inferiority is to laugh when you are not tickled and to scratch where you do not itch. It was one of the traits Dr. Martin Luther King observed among the negro minority of America. There is a timidity born of an inferiority complex. Your self-perception is vital. So many people do not come into leadership or land the best jobs simply because they feel they aren’t good enough. These are the people that never apply to the multinational companies; these are the people that put a lid on their earnings (a five figure salary would do just fine for someone like me). Low self-esteem destroys your prospects in the market place; and life really is a marketplace because you’ve got to sell yourself everyday and how people perceive you will determine if you’d get hired. If you scratch the top of your head because you are nervous, they’d cross you off their list of potential hires in no time. People get hired and fired by the minute. So what can you do to build your confidence? Here are 4 quick tips to help you.

1. Get an education: In every oppressive society, the tool of the oppressor is to bar the oppressed from being educated. Education is a weapon and it builds your confidence in your ability to deliver. Knowledge is power. Let your self-education be an on-going thing. Don’t wait for some institution to do it for you.
2. Dress right: Until you are known, dress the way you want to be addressed. If you are not Michael Jackson, Richard Branson or Aliko Dangote, please don’t pull any stunts. Stick to the dress code. Find the appropriate attire to suit the occasion. If it’s a formal occasion please stick to formal as the occasion demands.
3. Mind your personal grooming: Body odour on my mind!! (Red alert!!!). I remember attending a business presentation in which the presenter’s bad breath filled the room. Its reach was unbelievable! I looked at the uncomfortable faces around the table in the enclosed boardroom as we all went through one hour of pure torture. His breath closed doors. Find the time to take regular baths, use perfumes, deodorants and breath fresheners so you’d smell nice and attractive.
4. Believe you deserve the best: God does not consult your past to determine your future. Do not let adverse situations, a poor or disadvantaged background and unpleasant past experiences weigh you down and blur your perspective. You deserve the best but your self-image is the image you will project. Your response is your communication. While you build your skills, get it ingrained in your mind that good things are yours to have and they will come to you.

If you are getting funny responses from people and it’s beginning to destroy your self confidence or you know you already are in that state, you may want to consider some of these steps in the right direction. All the best folks!