The Backbiting Bug

I know that we all talk about this all the time how its in our nature to pull each other down. We do it all the time. Its like its fun to watch someone falling down a slippery slope. Either its funny because the slope is slippery and the person missed it or its just great to see the person falling so that you can rise for a change? I see it at work all the time. People take things so personal. So what if your proposal was not picked? NO its not because someone did juju on you or because the boss likes him more! Why cant it just be because maybe this time your work sucked! Yes so pull it together and come up with a better suggestion next time. In reality what happens is his idea was not selected so he blames it on her for being selected and gossips about her to a colleague who listens and then when working with the same girl later own has his prejudice because now he judges her for being picked. Eventually you have teams of people around based on events that have happened at the office. Group A are all those that have a lot of complaining to do about the same person or issue instead of trying to figure out what they can do to make it better, Group B are all those jealous about someone advancing to the next level so just find all these excuses to bring the person down. Group C are all those independent people that keep a grudge over the smallest issues and never talk about it. And then theres my group--Group Zero--who really couldnt care less! I literally come in and out of work. I work 12 hours a day in all sorts of departments and come accross so many characters and see so much going on around the office and I wonder WHERE IS ALL THIS ENERGY COMING FROM?! I read a quote that said "You know your busy when you have too little time in day to worry and too tired at night to not enjoy your sleep". Point is we are no longer in highschool for things to be taken so personally. If you have time to backbight and bicker then your not doing something right. If you have a problem with someone, sort it out with them and forget about it. Give them a chance or cut them out. Whats the point of back and forth, "oh im not talking to that guy, because bla bla bla" your wasting your energy on unimportant things! Do you agree that fighting someone takes more energy than being friendly or on an "ok, we work together so lets get along terms with the person?" So if you know that bit of information try and use less energy to be more effective and effiecient. Not to say that Group Zero doesnt mess up sometimes. Sometimes I hurt peoples feelings, I say things or do things that im not supposed to and it hurts them or makes them angry. When I hear it I try to change what it is I have done to make the person feel better. Sometimes I fail, most of the time I pass. So I always try. We're not perfect right, but we can try to be.

So you are officially a backbiting bug if you are one of those people that complains about ghanaians being the way they are and yet do the same thing by belonging to GROUP A, B or C. Why are you happy when someone is slipping? Is it because the person is mean and they finally desrve whats coming for them? Is it because of something someone has told you? or do you just like to be ahead so wanna see the next person falling? Can you just join Group Zero and have flaws but be willing to change things around? Yes I do believe that we can be loyal to each other and we can help eachother not be backbiting.

The worst is when you hear a foreigner say yeah Ghanaians are not loyal to eachother, infact they pull eachother down. It hurts deep in my soul, because even though I've said it too I dont want anyone else to say it!!!! Can we change and destroy the backbiting bugs within ourselves? or is this just wishful thinking?

Keep yourself BUSY this week, but not too busy to comment on my blog. ha ha ha.

Holiday tomorrow! YAYYYYYY! Need I read over this blog? Im hungry so I cant..sorry for any typos or messed up train of thought...

Enjoy

Its TIME!

Its been a while I know, but i JUST have to get back into this habit of blogging. I have so much to say, so much has changed! Some are miracles others are just hard hard work. Either way I thank God everyday for all the blessings. SO question is why am I back again? Yeah it was a bit stressful with all the work around me and everyone that knows me knows I despise routine! A bit funny when life is a routine in itself...wake up, dress up, work, eat, play, sleep...so i decided to take a lil break, then a break turned into more ideas, and then I just lost focus. THEN 8 months later I get 2 weeks off from all kinds of work and I'm back refreshed and really ready to get back into action!

Did you know that BE BOLD 2 is in the works! YES YES YES the planning committee have begun the crazy meetings and planning! Its intense, but its happening live and colored. Fri. 7th and Sat.8th of January 2011 marks the 2 special days that you need to schedule in your calendars! Its going to be AMAZING! Keep an open for the flyers and posters! and you and i both know that word of mouth is the BEST form of advertising so go on and tell a friend.

Since I've been off blogging weird things have happened. Lets try and summarize this and follow up with some pictures later on. I worked hard everyday, ignored some frustrations, worked some more, missed the days of FREEDOM with no 8 to 5, and then one day walked into a tv station in one of our company's departments, was asked to try reading something on TV, then BAM got a second job and BAM get on tv everyday from 7:00 to 7:30 pm everyday, next thing I know I am mc'ing for corporation events and next thing i know I'm in newspapers and I'm excited and my friends are excited and we're all jumping up and down inside, then people are staring at me in traffic or being extra nice to me and I end up being confused cus naturally Im not used to it...normally when people stare I stare back and say "what? what u staring at?" but now I cant cus their looking cus they saw me on tv so I smile back and say in my mind "really I'm just like you". People tell me no no no your a star or as my international friends would say "a local celebrity" HA HA HA HA! Trust me I'm none of those cus we all know how this project started (go back to BE BOLD day 1) remember?! I'm just going to life...HUSTLING like life depended on it and this is where I got to so far. I guess what I'm saying is you do the same and you just never know where life will take you. Ill do my best to tell you my steps in the next blog with pictures!

Be bold Part 2

an excerpt from the Next BIG thing Magazine

an excerpt from the NEXT BIG Thing – Magazine

The BE BOLD Project.

It all started in Canada June 2009 when the CEO’s (Sterre Mkatini & Christal Jeanne) of INEN Organized met up in Canada to begin their dream of developing Africa through INEN Organized. INEN Careers, a subdivision of INEN Organized was created to initiate the BE BOLD Project. The BE BOLD project aims to mobilize African students abroad and encourage them to be actively involved in the development of Africa as a whole. We strive to inspire, to encourage and to become a support system for all those who have been educated abroad and locally to stay in Africa to help develop our nation together. Most importantly INEN Organized wants the BE BOLD initiative to assist in Bringing Education and Building Opportunities for Leadership and Development (which is the acronym of BE BOLD) all over Africa.
To begin this INEN Careers launched its first networking and showcase event called the BE BOLD Project to bring together employers of companies in Ghana and also to give a chance for young entrepreneurs to meet up and discuss potential business opportunities in Ghana. The first BE BOLD event was launched at Citizen Kofi on the 2nd of January 2010 by the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Ghana Betty Mould-Iddrissu. “I wish to urge you to come back and inculcate the discipline of work you went through in the UK and other places into the working environment back home”. She urges Ghanaian youths who have had the opportunity to study abroad to return home with the skills acquired to help build the country. The event continued with a showcase of Ghanaian talents in singing, designing, acting and many more.
INEN Careers hopes to launch its website www.inencareers.com as a support system for all Africans living abroad. This website will highlight the success of Africans, post job openings from companies in Ghana and give an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to create professional portfolios for further networking.

How INEN worked on the BE BOLD Project
They always say practice what you preach! INEN Organized through BE BOLD preaches the return of students to Africa. With both partners being Africans from Ghana and South Africa living away from their homes, it was definitely a challenge for them to understand the meaning of what BE BOLD really meant. Therefore while one partner, Sterre Mkatini, did her Masters on youth entrepreneurs in developing countries at the University of Amsterdam the other, Christal Jeanne, re-located to Ghana to live the BE BOLD project in order to experience firsthand the problems in re-establishing and working in Africa.
This is when the action plan of the BE BOLD Project began! Sterre and Christal worked long hours after school and work with the INEN Organized teams based in Ghana, Amsterdam, England, Canada and USA. The two months following were about getting sponsorships, rehearsing the show, interviewing individuals who were based in Ghana, organization and working on the INEN careers website.

INEN Organized in 2010
We have many plans for the year of 2010 mostly associated with the BE BOLD project. Our website www.inencareers.com is one of our biggest projects for this year along with the BE BOLD talk show which will be aired on one of Ghana’s top TV Stations. We hope to continue to inspire, encourage and support all young Africans all over the world to return to help develop Africa together.

Websites
www.inenorganized.com
www.inencareers.com
Contact
Inenorganized@gmail.com

Thank you!

A special THANK YOU for attending the BE BOLD project.

Hello! This is a long overdue special thank you for attending the BE BOLD project on the 2^nd of January 2010. We had a wonderful time organizing the event and were so happy to have seen so many of you supporting the event and just being BOLD in so many different ways!! We have been seriously working on the website www.inencareers .com to release all the pictures which have not been put on the INEN Organized fan page on facebook.

We would like to recognizing a couple of Key Players in making this event a success:

Hon. Betty Mould Idrissu - Attorney General & Minister of Justice of Ghana - For Launching the BE BOLD Project

Dr. Dennis Larking - Superintendent of Lincoln Community School

Mr. Ashong- Ghana Investment and Promotions Center

Young Entrepreneurs

Silvia Dake – Event Organizer -Sponsorship and Company Recruitment

Lydia Elim Andrews – Company Recruitment

Vanessa Bannerman – Event Organizer – Coordinator of Showcase

Rochelle Thompson – Event Organizer – Coordinator of Showcase & Everything Else

Wesley Owusu – Content on Website Development

Kukua- Event Organizer who handled everything there was to handle.

Martin Beeko – Event Organizer - Sponsorship, Website, Editor

Jacqueline Traboulsi – Event Organizer

Kojo Ampofo – Mc for BE BOLD forum

Yvette Nsiah – (AKA Fanci Godiva) – MC for BE BOLD Showcase

Melissa Nsiah – Dressing up MC & Inviting Stars to Attend

Nana Ama Barterls – Advertising Internationally

Nancy Khalinda – Interview Questions for Designers

Anuli Azih – Advisor & Content Editor

Kweku – K.Boateng Academy of Performing Arts who was a key player in making the event a success with his brilliant plays.

Renee Q – Make up for Models

Christie Brown – Dressing up Main Organizer

Designers – Allan Davids, Renee Q, Aya Morrison, Diva Delicious, Bello, Knaf Couture, Duaba Serwa

IAN Jazzy – Poetry & Rapping

Contemporary Dancers

Dk Osei – Poetry

Wanlov The Kubulor- The best STAR in Ghana right now!

Luxe- Coretta- Ushers

Contant Boti Trio & Sax

TONY –Stage Design

iCREATE Advertising –Tallal, Raeed, Francis, Skid, JP- All Graphic Designing, Website Designing and conceptualization, Sound, Lighting for BE BOLD.

My Chale Group – Duke Ofori, Maxwell, Herbert - Website Designers, creators & conceptualization

ALL OUR PRIVATE Sponsors

Sponsors: Koala, Lincoln Community School, Global Media Alliance, eTV, iCREATE advertising, Renee Q, INEN Organized

Thank you all so much for helping to make the BE BOLD project a success! We really could not have done it without you.

Aside from that I do intend on getting back into my usual blogging routine which I know I’m horrible at. Luckily I have been creating an update of my experiences every once in a while so I am well prepared.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

BE BOLD in NEWSPAPERS, Radio & TV!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Its almost time for the BE BOLD project at citizen kofi entertainment! This 2nd of January 2010! Network with companies and young entrepreneurs will be at 3pm - 6pm, Showcase will be from 6pm - 10pm and definitely an amazing after party right at citizen Kofi to end the night!

We just got published in the Weekend World Newspaper December 14 - 18 edition so grab a copy if you can! Aside from that expect to hear about us on Y FM and see our live interviews on eTV very soon!

Are you excited about the event? Because we certainly are!!!

Lets BE BOLD (Bring Education & Build Opportunity for Leadership and Development)!

See you on Jan 2nd 2010
For tickets call 0208118172 or buy them from koala shopping center or citizen kofi in Osu

Mind your own business!

After graduation I had a sense of panic thinking I need to find a job so that I can pay my bills and start living my life. I think i panicked more because that is exactly what everyone around me was doing. A lot of my friends had graduated and although they had a difficult time finding a job in this economic crisis, they found one. Some were ok with their jobs; others just hated every bit of it, but had to do it for the sake of paying their bills. When my time came, I searched a little. I woke up and thought APPLY! I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but applying just made me feel better so I DID. In my cover letters every job became by passion simply because I JUST HAD TO FIND A JOB. I applied for engineering jobs, accounting, banking, investing, nursing...I KID I KID, but I really wasn’t filtering. Luckily I got a couple of great interviews which I thought I did really well in but when I didn’t make it through I wasn’t the least bothered because it didn’t really matter much. I had a plan in my mind. Its almost like I knew were I wanted to go, but wasn’t feeling the vibe of how to really get there. So instead I spent a lot of time thinking and arranging my life after graduation and not to forget ENJOYED the feeling of NO SCHOOL!! Its a great feeling!

I had started a little business (www.inenorganized.com) on the side that was bringing in some income so I wasn’t too worried about the job thing. It gave me time to wonder why it was so important for me to jump into a job just so when I was asked “SO what are you doing these days?” I would have something smart to say like “Oh I work for so and so” as supposed to “oh I’m not really doing anything yet!” I hate that question sooo much but even I find myself asking it to people who tell me that they just graduated too. One guy I asked said very boldly with a huge grin and satisfaction on his face “NOTHING!!!”. Talk about BE BOLD. Honestly its great if you get a job right after graduation, but if you don’t DO TAKE IT EASY. Know that it happens all the time. People find jobs and hate it, people find jobs and loose it within two weeks and others just can’t find. I’m a strong believer in “everything happens for a reason”. Believe in yourself and have faith.

Between my own panicking, working on the side, applying for all the jobs in the world, taking a BOLD step to come to Ghana I found what I love to do most and thank God everyday for really giving me a chance to experience the saying “do a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Mine was surely by chance though because I KNOW that if I would have landed some job that made some good money too, no matter how much I hated it, I might have stuck around for a little bit until I found something else to do. Big ups to all those working long hard hours with a job they hate! Know why your there and get out as soon as you can and its all good.
I read somewhere that you should mind your own business. At the end of the day everyone needs to make money somehow. You working for a company is making your boss richer. Even if you get paid well you end up spending more. The more you make the more ideas you have about trips to take, a car to buy and a house to own for instance. These things all increase your expenses and liabilities. The best thing to do is to mind your own business in the sense that you have to start thinking of something to do that will increase your revenue generating assets. If you’re making money, start saving and investing in something that will generate income aside from the income that you are making from your current job. I know fresh graduates who work and have also started doing business in beads, cakes, websites, clothes, singing, real estate, stocks, bonds, event planning, interior designing, writing books. You name it! Be creative and think big! Whatever you do make sure its lucrative and doesn’t necessarily take up a lot of your time just your intelligence, talent or skill. Oh yeah don't forget some hard work is necessary. "work for boss, then mind ur own business" for instance. And remember not everyone has to start a business. There are people who are good at those things and then there are also people who are just not built for it. If everyone in this world was a CEO then how would we survive?

Now about the The BE BOLD event on 2nd of January. It has been a little hectic. We have a great team with different committees. Everyone is working hard on their part. We have already inviting over 70 companies to attend the BE BOLD event. Honestly Christmas time is not the best time to invite companies or anyone to attend anything serious because everyone is in the party mood and holiday spirit. So we are shooting to invite as many companies as possible and hoping for at least 50% of the companies to attend the networking part of the event. The rest of the networking will consist of business minded people and well a chance for you to really get to know people. Our designers and artists are ready for a show of a lifetime! Buy your tickets as soon as possible. The venue does have a maximum capacity you know!!!!

Thanks to all our supporters and sponsors!

XO XO
BE BOLD!

TGIF

I finally understand the meaning of Thank God its Friday! Why?! Because I finally started working! YAY!!! Although I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, Fridays are still very special cus you know you get a break. I started working for Global Media Alliance, which is a leading International media and entertainment company. GMA was founded in South Africa and now has its headquarters in Ghana with offices in Nairobi and Johannesburg. Their affiliate offices are located in London and Lagos.. They introduced the first international multiplex cinema (silverbird) in Ghana, a lifestyle store, the first Sunday newspaper and also have a tv station and two radio stations. Feel free to check out the website www.gmaworld.com to read more about what they do.

Best of all I got the position as events management executive for GMA. For those of you who know me YOU KNOW that this is me to the T. It’s my passion. I live and breath event planning now especially because I plan all the events at Global Media Alliance, including events for their radio stations, tv station and cinema! I deal with sponsorship too so I get to meet a lot of people all the time! I think it was most important for me to not be trapped behind a desk or some office just typing away all day. With GMA I meet a lot of people, I’m always up and about creating ideas, planning, organizing. Oh its lovely! Work doesn’t even feel like work because this is what I’ve been doing for years!! So yes, I’m happy because what are the chances that you’ll find a job you love for your entry level job?

If you’ve ever lived in Ghana you know that traffic is intense! Well guess what? I drive against traffic in the morning and when im coming back from work! This is a miracle! I also started work with a wonderful co-worker. We get along so well that people keep asking whether I knew her before. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES! I think its so important for you to get along with your co-workers. A lot of the employees are young, creative, energetic and are experts at what they do! I love the vibe I’m getting from everyone and I feel very accepted into the new GMA family. This week we even had fire service department come train us on how to protect ourselves during a fire emergency! I learnt how to use a fire extinguisher well and successfully put of a fire created by them for practice! So guys SO FAR SO GOOD and I’m Loving it and I FEEL HAPPY! Thank you God for everything!

Aside from that I’m feeling the pressure of BE BOLD coming closer! Some people don’t stick to deadlines out here! Really its frustrating! Time is such a big problem. I mean you cannot successful create a schedule for the day because someone will delay you! Not by 5 minutes oh, maybe an hour to two! Its so frustrating sometimes. I’ve got a very good team on board though. Our creators are working on the final posters, our web designers are getting the website together and we have several committees working on more sponsors, recruitment and marketing. We are all so excited! We’ve had successful meetings with almost 20 people showing up to every day meetings with the core group! Its amazing how much support is out here. All you have to do is ASK!

One more thing that i definitely have to add! Without my mom supporting me I do not think this would be possible. Its a fact! An entry level job will not pay enough for anyone to be able to rent out their own place, as well as pay for electricity, phone bills, water, and transportation! EIIII, not in Ghana. Not with these ridiculous prices. Unless your job is spectacular and pays you a substantial amount or you lower your level of spending! So my suggestion is PLAN. Be smart! I used to hesitate about going back to live with my family, but how else would I have done it?! In fact its the best decision ever. Free rent, free food, and free electricity. I get to save all my money to invest in my future. In Canada all my money finished on bills before I even got my pay cheque. I’m not going to lie though I am a bit of a spendthrift either way. Its the shoes and the parties and the eating out because I’m too lazy to cook after a long day. Been here for about a month and I’ve enjoyed some small blasting here and there, but its all like music to my ears considering the benefits I get. MOMMY & DADDY I love you! I couldn’t have done this without the two of you! This is my way, you have to find yours, but know that ITS NOT EASY!

I have about two interviews I would like to share with you by the end of this week. Just had to type up my first week of work and tell you how amazing my company is! Will write up again soon!

XOXO

BE BOLD