Friday, January 29,2021 @ the Ministry of Youth & Sports:
Speech delivered by Sir. Alex Favour Devine Jr.
My name is Sir. Alex Favour Devine Jr. And for the next 30mins or less, permit me to speak to you about a topic the organizer sent me” Career Development and Goals Setting”.
Before I commence my presentation, I will like to touch on an interesting confusing subject in our society “Responsibility”, Using Liberia as a case study, many people demand respect and titles from others, sadly, these very people do not exhibit characteristics that merit these titles. It was against this background that President Obama spoke about Congressman John Lewis “Even before he came an honorable congressman, he was already acting honorably”
Titles are always complimented by responsibilities, that was what God meant when he designated man as the head of his home, not to demonstrate “might or strength” but to be responsible. Suffice this to mean that the moment a person becomes so concerned about his titles, he has failed in his responsibility.
As a person I’m guided by many philosophies and definitions. And that is what keeps me going through my journeys and pushing me daily to keep doing the little I do for this country(Liberia). Permit me to share few with you:
One, “When you have something to offer your generation, the world stops to listen”. This means you don’t demand respect but you earned respect by the things you do. These things command respect to you.
Two, ” Education without its application is no education”. Hence if your education can not help to solve societal problems, then it means you are as doomed as the most doomed/ uneducated person who lives within that community or neighborhood.
You don’t fight to be called a leader, you show to be called, because leadership is not in words but action.
And lastly, IMPACT is the rent we paid for Living. Impact is not optional, it’s mandatory. As long as you are living here on this earth, the universe that gives us so much; the sun, water, trees, that medicines are made from, the animal and fishes, expect us to give back.
How are you impacting your community or country??? We’ll think about it as we proceed with the topic under discussion.
Let’s begin; Career Development and Goals setting:
In the simplest terms, it means, knowing Your passion and persuading it or them, and setting goals means, in simple terms too, setting a clear date, and timeline to achieving each of the goals. Or simply put, having a clear vision for what you see after you should have earned your career.
Genesis 13:14, “After lot has left ( His nephew), and God said to Abraham, as far as your ear can see it’s yours..
That’s a vision, my people.
What is a vision?? Vision is the destination that one visualizes and wants to achieve, but the path is unknown.
But for a person to set an easily achievable career, it must be birthed out of passion.
How can a person know that this is His/Her passion??? Well, it’s simple, in the words of Dr. Mensah Otibill, to discover that this or these are your passions, is to discover the things that seem easy to you but difficult to others. It’s how you know that this or these are your passions.
It is ONLY your passion that you should persuade as a career.
To develop a career, one MUST have a clear vision of the end State. A clear mental image of who you will be in the future. You must see it so clearly. You believe in it, and admire it, and must be living in it in your lowest moment!!!
It is ONLY when you see the end of your career and benefits thereof, you are never drafted no matter the difficulties encountered on the journey to persuade your career development. It is only when you will be able to stick to the script. Because passion will keep you going.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Career Development requires action and not talking. The first step is always required. It is the first step that will propel you to the end state of what you saw.
Mastering/ Articulating your vision statement for your career is the first step in helping you eventually to reach your career goals.
This brings me to how you can articulate or master the game that will put you in charge or distinguish you in your career field.
For one to be in charge of their career, He/She MUST clearly understand b/w Art and Craft.
Art is/ a natural gift (s) a person is born with. As Craft is a gift (s) a person was not born with, but learned and mastered.
Now… In this competitive world, anyone who wants to be in charge or distinguish at whatever career path they choose, He/She must not depend on the naturalness of their gifting but MUST go to school to learned and master it.
Ex: do you expect a person who was born with a gift of singing to be better than a person who spend 4 years in MUSIC school???? Well, Think about it. It’s the same thing with another career in this very competitive world.
It’s very important for all of Us to set Goals because goals are the means to the end. It is goals that take us to the end of our journey.
When setting goals, it MUST be;
Realistic; And MUST require action. Any goals without actions are not better than no goal.
All Goals setting MUST have these elements:
Process;
Performance;
And Outcome.
Just as a vision, goals MUST be written down.
As the Bible says in Habakkuk 2:3-3 it says ” Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed “TIME”, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.
As I conclude, be reminded of the following:
It’s Passion that involves into a career. Discover your passion (s). Let no one tell you what you can do or cannot do.
Passion is things that are easily done by you but difficult for others. Those are your passion. Use them to set your career goals.
Goals are action not talking. And that, you don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Along this journey of life, you need a Mentor or Mentors. But I can tell you this, Mentees who are searching or, would search for Mentors after here; Especially in this Liberia.
Do not allow any Mentor to choose you. Rather, you should do the choosing.
A mentee should not choose a mentor because of His/Her eloquence on radio, or merely because they are educated. But mentees should choose their mentors because you’ve followed their integrity and moral standing within the society.
Choose your mentor based on integrity and morality.
