Woman, carry out self evaluation and discover your self-worth, by Ola Emmanuel

Margaret is in her 30s with two children (the last child not yet up to six years old). She had to relocate with her children to another city in search of greener pasture. According to her, she relocated to Abuja when things became tough for her husband. She wanted to support her husband financially and be able to pay the children’s school fees. She left her husband in Lagos to take up an appointment that pays N60,000 net per month in Abuja. A year after the relocation, she is no longer having enough time for her growing children. She has been leaving them with a relation in one of the FCT satellite towns while she commutes every day to the metropolis for work. Now she is in a dilemma: she doesn’t want to leave the job since there is no alternative yet; and she is open to returning to her husband in Lagos if she can get help and secure a job in Lagos. When pressed in respect of what skill she has, she is aware that she is a very good cook. Also she can weave and braid, do some pasties like chin-chin, doughnut, puff-puff and also very good in local dishes preparation.

With Margaret’s present monthly income of N60,000 out of which she pays transport to shuttle Abuja and at least buy lunch for herself, I doubt if her real income is up to N15,000 every month: an average N500 daily. Has she been able to realize her expectation? Can she really say that her goal: why she left her husband somewhere to help her family make money and support the children’s school fees, is realized? Clearly, Margaret is not happy with her stay and work in Abuja. But she is not alone in the situation. There are several millions of people wearing this same shoe. They are not happy with what they do or the kind of life they are living. There are several employees that the only day they are truly happy is on Fridays. That’s why they invented the popular aphorism, ‘thank God it’s Friday – TGIF’. By Sunday evening they are sad and downcast because they remember they will be somewhere on Monday morning working. If you are one of these people, it is clear you are not yet doing what you are really created to do. You are not yet in your real purpose for living. You may have life but you are not yet in your purpose.

There are several issues thrown up by what we are looking at: self evaluation and self-worth assessment in relation to time, opportunity maximisation, doing what you are really cut out to do, appraisal of opportunity costs, the price of holding on to something which satisfies not or satisfies little, performance and income target setting, how to work-play (i.e. you are working but it is like you are playing), and such like. The problem of 99% of Nigerian working class is that they are risk averse; they always prefer to give their lives for secured and guaranteed incomes even if the eventual income doesn’t worth anything. Greater percentage of the people in this country does not know how to analyse risks and values, and they are naturally unrepentant consumers who always find it difficult to delay gratification. They are not lovers of idea generation and hardly give it a thought what price to be paid today to have a better and more satisfying tomorrow – because many are lazy and are looking for quick fix.

There are deluge of economic activities a woman can do in her home – from using learned skills to trading. Just give it a deep thought. With the natural ability that Meg had identified she possesses, I am convinced she can make more than her present real income of N500 per day if she can package her natural skills. Putting her skills to economic use, she will still be able to keep her family under one roof with her enjoying the company of her husband and the children getting the needed attention they deserve to develop into becoming the real joy of their parents and the society. I can count several women who started their businesses from their homes: fashion design, purchase and supply, petty trading, crèche or day care services, etc. A married lady I am so proud of was introduced to me by her mother for business training some years ago. After the business plan training she attended, she started preparing lunch for corporate ladies and guys on the Victoria Island and Lekki axis of Lagos (using her kitchen as workshop with lunch delivery handled by her despatch riders). She is also handling events catering. Today, she is making waves and making good money – right from her home. She was also at product exhibition I was involved in planning few years back to exhibit her products. Her customers started with her circle of friends that are working on the Island and Lekki – and from there expanding her circle of clientele.