How to plan your life when the future is foggy at best

February 17, 2021 Mary

If there’s any beauty that has come from this pandemic, it’s that we are reorganizing our priorities to honor what really matters to us. And for many, “career” is at the top of the reboot list. A lot of folks are currently asking, “What do I really want to do with my life, given that everything else seems to be up in the air?”

Letting go of what we always thought we could count on, however, can leave us feeling like we’re floundering. Having a plan is one of the best stress reduction strategies in those situations.

If you are seeking a professional change, you will want to make sure adaptability is part of the process: Channel your desire to make a strategic plan, and build in checkpoints that allow you to correct course as new information arises and circumstances shift. This technique is called microplanning, and it allows us to relieve stress without giving in to the erroneous perception that we have control over what is going to happen next.

There are six elements to microplanning:

— PURPOSE: Identify the purpose whose fulfillment you find the most gratifying. If you aren’t clear on your purpose, jot down the most fulfilling career experiences you’ve had to date and notice what commonalities they have. Those will lead you to your purpose. For example, my purpose is to help leaders become more connected to sustainable sources of personal power so we can all make our highest contribution to humanity and the planet.

— THE YEAR: Make a plan for the year that aligns with your purpose, based on the best available information. Identify one to three areas of growth that you want to focus on. Your plan could include a job search, pursuing growth opportunities in your current career, laying the groundwork for starting your own business or whatever else makes sense for you.

— QUARTERS: At the beginning of each quarter, reflect on the time that has just elapsed. Ask yourself: What worked, and what didn’t in this past quarter? What did I learn? What needs to shift in my plan? Based on your answers, set goals for the next quarter — no more than five.

— MONTHS: Each month, take your goals for the quarter and assess where you stand. Break active goals into specific projects and then break each project down into phases. Every project requires four phases: planning and initiation, shipping/launching/making it visible, completion and integration, and rest and reflection.

— WEEKS: At the start of each week, make a to-do list. This weekly plan allows you a broader view of what’s ahead and gives you more flexibility to plan than a daily to-do list. And make sure to include time for self-care.

— DAYS: Track your energy every day. Keep a journal by your bed and jot down how you felt emotionally, mentally and physically. Note what you worked on, how it went and what you’re grateful for. Use this data-collection practice to make adjustments to your goals and the way you work.

The world is changing dramatically all around us, and we need to change with it. By breaking down our planning processes into smaller chunks, we can all adapt more naturally.

The newly-inaugurated Lagos State Government Task Team on Restoration of Law and Order in Apapa Ports Access Roads has solicited the cooperation of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council ( NSC) in solving the traffic problem in Apapa.

Toyin Fayinka, chairman of the Task Team made the call during a courtesy visit to NSC’S headquarter in Lagos recently.

Fayinka, who doubles as the special assistant for Transportation to Governor Sanwo- Olu, said the essence of the visit was to introduce the team to the Council, stating that the Committee cannot succeed in its assignment without the support of the Council, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other agencies in the maritime sector.

Jide Oduyoye, general manager, Lagos Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA), who is a member of the team, said LASTMA will not hesitate to sanction any case of indiscriminate parking of trucks on port access roads.

Noting that there has been lack of regulation of truckers and truck ownership, he pointed out that most trucks operating in the nation’s seaports are second hand and unserviceable.

He however said that minimum standards are required for truck drivers and trucks to operate efficiently in port business.

Responding, Hassan Bello, executive secretary/ CEO of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), described Apapa traffic situation as an international embarrassment, adding that traffic in Apapa is presently affecting the efficiency of the port.

He assured that the Federal Ministry of Transportation has prioritised the solving of the Apapa traffic situation which is evidence in the recent on- the- spot assessment visit of Chibuike Amaechi, minister of transportation, Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary and other top officials of the Ministry to Apapa in December 2020.

According to him, the Implementation Committee on the Ministerial Directives to decongest traffic gridlock along the port access roads and Lagos Maritime Logistics Ring, would work in tandem with the Lagos Task Team to the solve Apapa traffic problem.

This, he said, would be for the benefit of every Nigerian as it would eliminate the distortions in prices of goods imported into Nigeria.

No fewer than twelve members of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC who took part in Unity Bank’s flagship business plan competition, Corpreneurship Challenge, has won cash prizes totalling N4 million.

The winners emerged during the final business pitch in the fourth edition of the contest for NYSC 2020 Batch B corps members, which took place simultaneously across four NYSC camps in Lagos, Ogun, Benin, and Abuja recently.

The cash prizes included a N200,000 business grant for each of the second runner up,

N300,000 business grant for the first runner ups and a star prize of N500,000 for each of the four winners.

Some of the winners included Evelyn Esumai, Aisosa Erica and Ozuoka Moses in Abuja camp, while Akomolade Blessing, Okafor Augustine and Edokpayi Harrison emerged the winners in the Benin camp.

In Lagos, Moses Bolanle, Iran-ola Oluwosulu and Zainab Muhammed emerged winners to claim the cash prizes.

The initiative attracted massive interest among the corps members, as over 300 applications were received but only forty were shortlisted for the pitching session from where the twelve winners emerged.

The contestants’ business plans which ranged from fish production, poultry farming, fashion, piggery to beverages were assessed on originality, marketability, future employability potential of the product and knowledge of the business.

Unity Bank debuted the Entrepreneurial Development Initiative in 2019, to specifically target corps members, as part of efforts to contribute to job creation in Nigeria.

Speaking during the finale, the group head, retail and SME banking, Unity Bank Plc, Olufunwa Akinmade, said the competition was to encourage more youths with clear entrepreneurial intentions to expand or start profitable ventures.

“The grants are not a loan and we want the money to be directed towards profitable ventures. First, you must learn that making mistakes is part of business. It is important to constantly think about the challenges you will face. Put the same energy you all have displayed in preparing for this contest in your businesses as you face your post-service year ahead.

“We started Corpreneurship in 2019, with a launch in Lagos and in three other states which included Edo, Ogun, and Abuja. So, today we have expanded it to four locations, and it has been hugely successful.”

Speaking further, he explained that the Bank will sustain the programme in order to achieve record impact on job creation. He said: “This is a programme that will stand the test of time, but all we are doing is to support NYSC corps members to start their own business no matter how small and then grow with it. Unity Bank is there, and we are offering them a startup capital as well as business mentorship.”

On expectations from the winners, Akinmade said: “Our expectations are two folds: that they manage the money well such that at the end of the year in addition to the N500,000, N300,000, N200,000 that they won today, they will double it.

“Second, we want people, who at the end of the year, can become employers of labour. This is our first steps towards reducing unemployment in the country. It is a small step but a big one and so we expect them to be able to say I have two, three people working with me,” he said.

Underwriting firm, Sovereign Trust Insurance (STI) Plc has paid out a whopping N13.3 billion to its clients across the country that suffered different kinds of losses over the last five years.

The claims paid out between 2016 and 2020 underscores the company’s strong financial ability and undeterred commitment to guarantee peace of mind to all its customers as they go about their businesses without fear on a daily basis.

A claim is a reimbursement from the insurance company when the insured has suffered a loss that is covered under an insurance policy. According to the data made accessible to journalists, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc paid a total of N13, 312,459,054,(Thirteen Billion, three hundred and twelve million, four hundred and fiftynine thousand and fifty-four naira) during the five-year period to different insureds across the country and across her major product lines.

The breakdown of the claims shows that Energy insurance ranks number one with N4.2 billion while Fire insurance is number two with N3.1 billion. Motor insurance ranks third with N3.036 billion as General Accident comes fourth with N1.3 billion and Marine is fifth on the table with N1.2 billion while Construction All Risk Insurance (CAR & Engineering) is the sixth with N235 million.

Olaotan Soyinka, managing director/ceo, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc commenting on the claims history said, “it is in the policy of the company to pay all genuine claims promptly while stating that claims payment is one of the paramount reasons for their being in business”.

Soyinka further said, “We take claims payment as a priority in our company and that is why we have remained trusted by our clientele and our Broker partners who have continued to do business with us over the past years”. He said insurance is about building trust and confidence, and that is why customers who benefit from our service go ahead to recommend us to other customers without our knowledge.

He added that the company has built capacity to continually meet customers’ obligations in terms of offering quality products and settling all genuine claims promptly to the satisfaction of customers.

Olaotan Soyinka said to achieve this excellence in customer service, the company has invested heavily in technology that ensures customers from any part of the world are able to file their claims, track the processing and get paid without a one- on-one encounter with STI staff.

According to him, this applies to all lines of the business, except for those that requires loss adjusters’ involvement and in some other occasions where the claims process gets complicated for some extenuating reasons.

Commenting also on the intent of the organization as regards claims settlement, Jude Modilim, executive director, Technical Operations said, “the company is committed to settling genuine claims and there is no compromise to that as long as long as the “Ts” and the “Is” have been properly checked and certified. Genuine claims settlement in Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc is a major focus of our operations and we do not pay lip service to it. “for us, claims settlement is the only way to prove that we are well and alive to our responsibilities as an underwriting firm in the country. We intend to uphold this obligation and we will always walk our talk.” Modilim added.

Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc commenced business in January 1995 following the restructuring and recapitalization of the then Grand Union Assurances Limited.

Operating currently through a network of branches nationwide with its head office on 17, Adetokunboademolastreet, Victoria Island, Lagos, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc is licensed as an Insurer by the Federal Government with authority to underwrite all classes of Non-life business. Currently operating with an authorized share capital of N7.5 billion, the company has a fully paidup capital of N5.7 billion and shareholders’ funds of over N7.7 billion with assets base of over N13.4 billion. The ownership of the company is made up of diverse shareholders from different walks of life across the industries.