Ok then, but how does one identify the right kind of people to surround themselves with? I don't have all the answers but I think I figured one facet of it out - Surround yourself with people that Inspire you positively; people that inspire you to greatness; to do good; to be true to yourself and to be better than you are! That is a true friend, that is a true brother, that is the kind of person you can rely on for good advice, for extrinsic motivation, and even for help. Look around you......who are the people you find yourself surrounded by; what kind of clique to you hang out with; what brings your group of friends together; what are your bonds based on; how much to they truly INSPIRE YOU. What kind of friends do you have - you can't change your family and as you grow they become less of an influence as compared to your friends - So what kind of friends do you have? Whenever you want to do something good or worthwhile are they supportive? When you suggest that you should pursue productive ends do they concur, do they actually help you make things happen? What tangible gains can you boast of your association with your in-crowd? What do you spend most of your time doing, and apart from that basis do you even hang out? What do you talk about; how truly beneficial have their advise been to you? Is your relationship based on superficial or deep things; is it based on transient or lasting things; is it based on harmful or beneficial things? And finally, can you honestly be your true self around them; do you have to put up a facade to fit in; can they truly reveal their inner self to you or are you all putting up airs to be able to deal with each other? The questions could go on and on, but the point being driven home is; are you truly happy with the group of people around you; have you surrounded yourself with the right kind of people? I certainly hope you have because I spent a very long time with the wrong crowd and all its ever brought me was pain and sorrow......BUT NO MORE!
Therefore as part of my growth, maturity and desire for Change in my life I have had to and still am having to cut out so many people from it simply because they no longer fit the profile of what I want to be, where I want to go and how I want to get there. I don't call them anymore, I don't hang out with them anymore; our lives no longer cross because they did not truly inspire me.......these were the kind of friends that were envious of me, rarely helped me when I truly needed their help, always sought to use me for their own selfish ends, and sometimes even actively sought to undermine my success. I was and will always be open to all these people; I will always seek to help them better themselves as others have helped me, but I can only open my door, I can't drag them in......they have to decide to do so themselves. I realize now that these are people that I always sought to find a way to cut out of my life even then but couldn't because of love, genuine respect, pity and unnecessary mutual dependencies, but the truth is they were holding me back......From my dreams, my health, my wealth and my peace of mind. I always say this to most people I care about especially in terms of relationships, "We each carry 100% of our problems and managing that is hard enough so when you want to manage another persons 100% as well, make sure that its a fair exchange." And so I try now to as much as possible surround myself with the right kind of people now, people who say things like, "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Oh, How they inspire, my new crop of friends.....HOW THEY INSPIRE ME TO ASPIRE TO BE BETTER THAN I AM......to be true to myself in such a way that my God-given talents, energy and life are not wasted but utilized in such a way that my success is assured.
So that is the primary motivation behind the formation of Business Minds Investment Club - To inspire the youth to aspire to be better than themselves in such a way that they can achieve success, greatness and fulfill their true destinies. The question for you then is this; are you a true Business Mind? Being a part of BMIC begs of you to answer this question, and it is because if you are to really benefit from what the club has to offer then you have to be a true Business Mind who is willing to work and sacrifice now to rack up the inevitable gains later on. BMIC is more about inspiration, motivation and determination that it is about money. BMIC is about proving that nothing is impossible, so long as the necessary work is done. What motivated you to join the club - was it because the name sounded cool or because you just randomly add invitations to groups? Is there any tangible reason for you being a member; is it something that just looks good on your facebook page; what engagements have you made to the group so far even; what comments, suggestions, tips have you put in? We at BMIC do not require anything from any member save to say that they should be active, supportive and we all should use this forum to HELP each other. Why I bring up this issue is that BMIC is growing so fast that I am becoming afraid that we will become just another group that was born and then died on Facebook. BMIC is bigger than Facebook, or the blog, or some off-shore bank account - BMIC is primarily an Inspirational, Motivational and Youth Empowerment Networking Hub. I want to encourage the breeding of true Business Minds - because some people made the concerted effort for me to change into what I am today not because of anything but the fact that they cared about more than just themselves. Before the meeting I was at the mall trying to 'evangelize' BMIC to some interesting pre-med students and they liked the idea lots but quickly kept making assumptions that it was all about money, if I had money to invest, and how they would love to join it because of all the money they could make but I didn't enjoy their money centrism.......chasing money never yields enough.....rather "Chasing work and value bring wealth" (Mr. Ampofo Snr.)
Even if I had the millions necessary to invest, I would not just invest it in any youth's businesses that would not yield assured profit, and being a member does not automatically qualify you to attain funds anyway. Neither can I, in good conscience, ask for members to invest their money in this venture because they can't; they don't have money themselves. Right now members of the 'Executive Committee' are in dire straits trying to organize funding to hire out the British Council, provide refreshments and rack up motivational icons and business gurus to come speak - I bring this up because we need constructive input and help from members who can provide some assistance - we don't need money, we need links, help with planning, cleaning up after and things of that sort. My greatest fear is that people will not even show up, or participate adequately thereafter - but fears and worries have to be dealt HEAD ON so things will go as planned, Godwilling. In the long term I see this group evolving into a full blooded Financial Services Institution - essentially an Investment Bank! Thats a HUGE goal......and I felt that members should know where we are right now and where exactly we are headed; I can just envision the amount of sweat, pain and suffering it will take for us to get there, but the end result will be well worth the work that will be put into it. It takes ordinary people who face impossible odds to make an extraordinary difference.
For now BMIC remains an organization focused on Inspiration, Motivation, Youth Empowerment and Counsel using the resources that are available. In time though, who knows where we will end up.....Nelson Mandela said he see's the celebration of Mandela Day not as a personal honor to him but a "way of demystifying that only extraordinary people can make a difference." Another inspirational friend (whose also a member of BMIC) said this to me in response to me telling him that people always say that my head is up in the clouds, "Its the only way to SPACE!" Mr. Kweku Spy also said, "If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters first. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude." Again....how inspirational!!!
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