- From Cyan Frank-Hanachor
We discovered graceful living by pragmatism about our reality: a shoe-string budget, in a single income household with a second career yet to take off. We had needs: kids in school, a building project, housing, medical and gazillion dependants who believed they had a lien on you because your wife was homebound and loving it!
Nobody reckoned on the creative juggling behind the scenes: major-domo, primary caregiver, chauffeur, after-school tutor… mundane tasks we field out for the more pressing scaling of brand to sustain your lifestyle and provide more effectively for the young ‘uns.
Buoyed by a future I knew we’d meet well, I was satisfied intellectually, broke, an increasingly fluid bill but a fresh perspective to placing value on money. It meant scouting for the nearest produce market (few and far between), bulk buying, feverishly researching storage methods, ferreting for steals in low-budget shops (in Nigeria?); not skimping on quality but developing a 6th sense on what will go the long haul.
We stretched a lean purse and ploughed gold. We mined the mother lode of resourcefulness, hard work and strength of character… pennies stacked into the bank of life. We learnt to “do the most with the little” and discovered the wonderful secret to survival: living on a shoestring budget.
It took years to trace the thread of our uncommon favour: piecing the truth from gleaning through the back roads for bargains. I learnt how precious one penny saved today, could be a dollar on the morrow. We found a growing stack of coins piled up in the most unusual locations, handy for boosting the next meal, family outing or planning a Xmas getaway.
Thus we arrived at the threshold of “One penny…!” We incorporated it into our work and birthed a living, breathing, interactive medium for a non-denominational, syndicated lecture series to bridge lifestyle options, the generational gap in parenting, attitudinal values, interpersonal relationships in the home, school and workplace: ”The ‘Good’ Lesson Series.”
We literally sailed into a life of living well… within reason, within budget. We chose our pennies and stashed every luxury that went against the grain, back on the shelf. We skimped and saved and built a life centred round the necessities and healthy living: ”one penny, a day!”
We were reconciled that we had matured into a more intelligent, rewarding and responsible lifestyle. One we could respect and replicate even blindfolded…the economic and non-pecuniary returns to frugal living.
We have done this teaching for nigh on fifteen years. “One penny…!” has become bigger than us. In that time we have seen the world take on “One penny…!” and make a tv series of it. “One penny…!” has spun a world-renowned lecture series, I hear. I am proud that we were able to initiate a movement of the magnitude it assumed even though we haven’t received “one penny…!” for it.
Only those like me who have endured creative “entrepreneurship” will give credence to the validity of the argument: “One penny…! One penny…!” Till I watched a professional do me on the “Book Chat Segment” of the TVC early morning show: “Walk Up Nigeria”.
She was gentille: poise, charm, flawless; understated but intelligent delivery, spelling breeding, professionalism and knowledge of the subject-matter. A delight to the communication and PR expert.
Read Also: Hamzat: cultural preservation crucial to self-discovery
Chalk it up to stalking; all that made sense when I made her acquaintance online. I was doing research and stumbled on the familiar. My first foray into being active was on a brand; an “unknown” given carte-blanche by a thorough-bred professional and mentor: the Honourable Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.
No hint of that by the way during the interview. What’s this world coming to? It was too good to pass up.
Funmi Omotoso, B.Sc. Psychology, MBA in Marketing, M.Sc. Psychology, Fellow, Institute of Management Consultants, was promoting her book: 30 Nuggets For Self-Development: A Guide To Personal Growth.
I am not a big fan of self-help books but this was real. It did not pull any punches! She had come from the familiar: “…owing a corner shop.” It was a revelation. She literally took the words out from my mouth. I sat at the edge of my seat and watched the reality of “One penny…!” take wings and fly.
It has insightful introspection from my side of town – the reality of the not losing “self” in the dynamics of finance. The curse word of the housewife.
According to the “serial” entrepreneur with a background in media and advertising, in 1995, as a “corper, providence” had guided her into a second stream of income, buying and selling to colleagues. Trading sharpened her marketing skill and her career trajectory has since criss-crossed four continents, equipping multiple businesses with “system, process and structure.”
Funmi Omotoso, shares the secret of a life-changing leap from a humble start-up to being an award-winning Self-Development and Behavioural coach as a spin-off from the mechanics of Behavioural Economics.
30 Nuggets For Self-Development: A Guide To Personal Growth is a handbook for a definitive path to personal transformation: “self-discovery, self-development and self-actualization”.
It has 30 power-filled “nuggets” of time-tested wisdom, distilled insights and practical advice to spur you on to greater heights in one month, one “nugget” a day!
The author’s inspiration was realizing that self-development was the “foundation for success.” Keys to self-development read: ”potential, growth, development…”
You are told to: “rise above yourself, maximize your strength and minimise your weaknesses” to “discover your power and unleash your potential” to self-mastery and self-realization!
The celebrated Public Speaker/Resource Person: “The Best Minds Team” advocates “a clarity on goals” for growth in the dynamics of “self” – a better understanding of “self”, career, success and a purpose-driven life.
Her primary job commitment is customised brand analytics for a step-by-step guide to help clients get insights to “evaluate financial opportunities”, make informed strategic “investment” decisions, “explore multiple streams of income and entrepreneurship.”
This has a “multiplier effect” on clients who are “inspired, uplifted and confident to accomplish their purpose in life, achieve their goals” and become more effective to accelerate their brand.
The Guide To Personal Growth is relatable. There is a message for every age, gender and phase of life. The analogy of the “Parable of the Talents” makes it ideal as every young woman’s companion on the path to “self-actualisation” and “self-fulfilment”.
You are told to “find purpose in life and be a better self” by combating negative “self-image, perfectionist tendencies” and a personal gem I believe every 21st century African female would find positively life-saving: “learn to delegate”!
Funmi Omotoso is the current President, Merit Toastmasters, Nigeria, a chapter of Toastmasters International.
The Personal Effectiveness guru with the Midas touch, is an advocate for harnessing your talents to scale your brand. On the trail of her personal ideology, an odyssey from age 11 has yielded a single: “E wa bami jo” from the Yoruba inspirational genre.
30 Nuggets For Self-Development: A Guide To Personal Growth curated by Funmi Omotoso is a must-read: simple, direct and easy to understand. Great in kindle, it is listed on Selar.com for: ₦1,466.97.