The value of an
African woman is immeasurable. Her worth is inestimable and her
importance in the family and society as a whole can not be overemphasised. The
African woman plays the role of the mother to not just her children but also to
her husband, making sure everyone is healthy physically, mentally and
spiritually.She is the neck that helps the head stay in position.
There is a popular quote that says any woman who understands the problems of
running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a
country. Whoever said this can't be anymore right.
In this
part of the world, the most untapped resource is not the gold or iron ore in
Nigeria or the Inga Dams and tropical forest in Congo, it is our female
population. From inception, we women have always been confined to the kitchen,
bedroom and to raising children. Mainly because of our lack in the kind of
physical strength our male counterparts possess, we are classified as the
"weaker vessel" and it is this kind of programming that has reduced a
lot of us to having the mindset of dependence on our husbands, keeping us
from attaining the position God has prepared for us.
I have always had a
passion for helping women discover their potentials and mentoring them to
achieve greatness because I believe that in the 21st century, the days of
women relying on their husbands to be the sole provider of the home are long
gone. Now is the time for us women to take part in handling the financial
responsibilities of the family and relieve our husbands from the stress the
economic situation of the country might want to cause.
It's my dream
and vision to empower women to do exploits but there is a common Yoruba proverb
that says "Eni ti o ba ma fun nil'aso, tiara e l'aawo". In other
words, to really help, teach or mentor women to succeed massively, I on my part
must at least have evidence of a little if not much success in my finances,
career and home. I have to know the "where" before I can show the
"how" because one can not relate the direction to a destination if
she has never been there. Thus the saying "Physician, heal thyself".
I worked
hard in school and bagged a BSc, second class upper divisions and a Masters in
Environmental Management. With tha I was able to get a job with The Lagos State
Environmental Protection Agency in Year 1999 but after working in the civil
service for 10 years and receiving multiple awards for my outstanding performance
and dedication, my finances were not in good shape and my dreams were looking
awfully vague and far from reach. I still wasn't able to live the kind of
lifestyle I wanted or support my family as I hoped to because the salary I was
receiving didn't allow me to.
A lot of people
graduate and pray to get government jobs because of the higher chance of the
job being more secured than employment in a private firm but what's job
security when your take home salary can't take you home. I believe our focus
should be more on having a secured future and not just a secured job.
Working for 10 years
and running a rat race was exhausting and frustrating. Even as I tried to save
and live very well below my means, I always was on the same spot at the end of
the month.
I wasn't
happy with the reality I had to live in and I always hoped that God in His
infinite mercies will present me with an opportunity that will move me out of
my predicament. Then a time came at my workplace when I was moved from my old department
to a new one . This was where I met Moji again. Moji and I used to be
schoolmates but we were not close friends so we didn't get to talk to each
other. But now that we share the same office, we got talking. She just started
her Forever business about a week earlier and she invited me to attend the
seminar.
At first I was
skeptical because I have seen countless number of people who did the same
business at some point in their lives and made nothing out of it. Even as I
didn't know the reasons why they failed in the business, I didn't want to waste
my time to find out for myself.
But a day came,
because of Moji's consistency, I decided to attend one of the seminars
and it was that day my eyes opened. I saw a lot of people better than me doing
the business. I saw a lot of women who were where I wanted to be, living the
kind of lifestyle I wanted and achieving all I have ever wanted to achieve and
even more. I also saw the reasons why some people quit the business halfway in.
One reason for failure in Network Marketing is lack of mentorship. A good
mentor is someone who sees more potential in you than you see in yourself, and
helps you maximise it. Reading books are great, listening to audiotapes are
fantastic but having a good mentor is the most important of all. They save you
from wasting unnecessary time and resources on what you are not meant to and
help reduce your learning curve. Moji and I quickly aligned ourselves with a
top leader in the business who was humble and willing to show us how to move up
in the business.
And today 6 years into
the business, with dedication and consistent training, I have recorded
outstanding success and qualified for every incentive the company has to offer.
I became a Sapphire Manager, joined the Millionaires' Club and also qualified
for 2 cars: a Volkswagen Touareg V8 3 years ago and today an Audi
Q7.
I have been on over 10
international trips to exotic places with all expenses paid for by this amazing
company. From being decorated with my daughter in the 2nd most expensive hotel
in the world - the Marina Bay in Singapore, to spending time with my husband in
Lake Tahoe in the United States and going on a ship crusie with Mrs Oyemade, a
woman who has imparted a lot of lives building an empowerment centre in Women's
prison.
I didn't even have an
international passport before starting this business but all these were able to
happen to me a girl from Badagry just because I said Yes to what God has in
stock for me.
I did the business for 5 years on a part time basis and last year I
voluntarily retired as a Senior Officer on the Management Level
I have also been able
to help a lot of women like me achieve their dreams
Some of them are Susan Eseigbe who was a hairdresser for 11 years but is now
also a Sapphire Manager and Millionaire's Club member travelling the world all
expense paid and living the life of her dreams. Also EniolaAjibade who I met as
a youth corper with nothing to do but now earns a tangible monthly income with
the Forever opportunity.
All these amongst many others that God has used my life to be a blessing to .
I want to appreciate
God for the grace to have made it this far despite all the challenges I faced,
with persistence and consistent training and with God on my side I prevailed
and became victorious.
I thank my husband and
my children for being a pillar of support since since I started the business
and for helping me strike a balance between being a wife, mother, civil servant
and business woman.
I deeply appreciate my
mentor Mr Tope Akinola, the President of Life Changing Group who helped
me work on my mindset and assisted me in turning my yearly income into my
monthly income. Because of his trainings at the Life Changing Group Academy, I
now make in one month in my business what I get as salary for 12 straight
months.
I want to thank every
Forever Business Owner and other Network Marketing Professional worldwide for
playing their part in reducing the statistics of unemployment and poverty in
the world. I pray that God will help us all spread our teams, business and
influence to all corners of the earth.
I appreciate every MLM Company worldwide for their vision and for being the
industry that has produced more female millionaires than any other. May God
keep expanding the comapnies and the industry as a whole.
Lastly and most
importantly, I want to appreciate every woman out there making an impact in the
lives of other women. I pray that God will keep increasing you for being a
source of inspiration to the female population. To build a better Nigeria,
raise better children, end the ongoing recession and to leave a legacy for the
generations unborn, it is important for we women to come together in love and
unity, kick out envy and hate, and support ourselves on our way to the top.
My name is Sewanu Gbobaniyi
and I'm a 21st Century Woman.
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