Ace that Cover Letter!

Research shows that, within the first seven seconds of meeting you, people will have a pretty solid impression of who you are. This truth applies not just to physical meetings, but to virtual ones as well. 

Considering your cover letter is the very first opportunity you'll ever have to make an impression on your potential employer, it is supremely important that you put your best foot forward when drafting it.

A very good evening to you. My name is Michael Egbuna, and it's my pleasure to take you through this surefire guide to writing a stellar cover letter that adequately compliments your qualifications and résumé, consequently setting you apart.

Take Care of Yourself

These nerve-wracking exams have made it virtually impossible for me to pen anything remotely profound of recent, but this rather sudden itch of mine to write this evening just must be scratched regardless.

Much Ado About Mentorship

I’ve considered myself a maverick for as long as I can remember, thoroughly relishing the thrill of paving my own path and going the extra mile. Growing up, there were very few things I dreaded more than being ordinary. In my juvenile, prepubescent eyes, if anything could be described as common, lacklustre or mediocre (I particularly loathed this word) then one thing was certain; that thing – whatever it was – definitely wasn’t for me.

No Perfect Parents

Do you still have any memories of your very early childhood? I realise now that a lot of people seem not to, but I do.

I particularly recall, with sweet nostalgia, the moments, way back in nursery school, when each of us would cheerily go “our car is a Peugeot”, “my mommy has a Volvo”, “my daddy drives a Tayota [sic] (God bless your heart, Urenna)” during virtually all of our lunch breaks.

Everybody's Different; Everybody's Human!

Nothing’s particularly wrong with people who generally prefer social media interactions to meeting new people in person.

Not every college dropout is out of school because of poor grades, economic challenges, drug problems, or the infamous “village people”; not every exceptionally brilliant student is interested in pursuing a PhD either.

Not every “successful man” or “homely woman” who everybody considers “ripe for marriage” is interested in getting hitched, and – in my humble opinion – not everyone should be.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Where are the right words when you need them?

There’s a ton of infinitely valuable lessons I have been reminded of this past year, but none more important than the fact that God loves me unconditionally. None more reassuring either!

Little wonder I feel so immersed in love and gratitude this morning.

Reach Out and Listen

Contrary to popular opinion, there are members of the human species who are quite easily capable of showing deep, genuine concern for the wellbeing of others with relatively no regard for their own welfare. The English language calls these angels altruists, and - of course - they're rare.

We however mustn't be flawlessly selfless to reach out to the ones around us who need a shoulder to lean (and sometimes cry) on, thankfully.

Respect the Little Things

If you've ever received professional music training - probably on how to play the piano or some other musical instrument - then you must remember just how structured your lessons were and how you had to repeat pretty basic scales, chords and arpeggios you were sure you had mastered over and over (and over...) again simply because your instructor was insistent on solidifying your foundations and ensuring that you learnt how to play with proper posture, correct fingering and overall solid technique.

Thank God We Don't Look Like What We've Been Through

One of my favourite things about meeting new people and deliberately getting better acquainted with them is the opportunity to see life through their eyes and be inspired by their survival stories. Life itself starts teaching us the very minute we're born that it is neither a walk in the park nor a bed of roses. We all learn that lesson eventually, but the more fortunate ones learn more quickly than the rest.

Usain Bolt in the 10,000-Metre Race

Imagine this for a second: You've just had the ghastliest Sunday of your entire life. You woke up way less enthusiastic than usual this morning, after barely getting a wink of sleep the previous night, and you had to will yourself to leave home at the crack of dawn for some special service in church. Somehow, your day has sped by in a flurry of activities even you cannot recollect. All you know is that it's 9.49 P.M. and you've just getting home. 

If Your Reputation Could Look in the Mirror

Practically every rational human being should be interested in building a solid reputation. That's a value we subconsciously adopt from early childhood. I know I did. It was, after all, the exceptionally wise King Solomon who wrote about how a good name is more desirable than great riches, and the man knew exactly what he was talking about.

Do It with Passion or Not at All

It's always something of a surreal feeling knowing deep down in your heart that you were made for so much more than the ordinary. More often that not, people have made impressive comments about your person that perfectly agree with that unmistakable feeling in your bones that you have a remarkable destiny that's tailor-made for you to fulfil. And so you've grown to not be bothered when the average Joe fails to understand - let alone share - your opinion about certain concepts. How could he possibly comprehend your intellectual ability when he doesn't even understand how a perspective like yours is possible?

Please Impress Yourself

Let's talk about something that's been on my mind for quite a bit, shall we?

Is it just me or does anyone else ever wonder why we're generally so much more concerned with how impressive people perceive our lives to be than we are about actually leading better and more fulfilled lives? I mean, think about it. We’re super eager to take a myriad of pictures for Instagram just before a flight, or in front of those spotless fancy hotel bathroom mirrors (and no, ladies; it's not just you) and exotic condos and vehicles just so Facebook knows what’s on our minds. We’re relentlessly devoted to keeping up appearances on social media – whether it be through our photos and videos or via typed updates (oh yes, we type to impress too!) – just to prove to the world that we've at least got decent access to the finer things of life and are therefore better off than some other people. Do you ever ask yourself why we seem to think these things are necessary?

Going the Extra Mile with Compliments

Learning to consciously appreciate and acknowledge people's virtues is something I've discovered can make a person feel really great about themselves. As someone who’s naturally inclined to look out for the downsides about circumstances and people – myself no less (more so actually) – and in earnest pursuit of becoming my best self, I came up not too long ago with a strategy to compensate for my apparent penchant for nitpicking. Over time, I've made it a point of duty to work at figuring out at least one unique thing about each person I come across and spend time with, and going ahead to amply compliment them about whatever it is, even if it would mean going out of my way.

The Glad Game

Ecclesiastes 9:11 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

11 I also saw other things in this life that were not fair. The fastest runner does not always win the race; the strongest soldier does not always win the battle; wise people don’t always get the food; smart people don’t always get the wealth; educated people don’t always get the praise they deserve. When the time comes, bad things can happen to anyone!

I never heard about an Easy-to-Read version of the Bible till pretty recently, but I’m glad I stumbled on it when I did. There’s something refreshingly different about the perspective it gives, especially with verses like the one above. But more about that later.

Living the Deliberate Intentional Life

After standing in the scorching sun for ten very long minutes at the bus stop on the ever busy Douglas road, waiting for a vehicle heading to Ihiagwa to show up, one finally did, and the lucky few of us who could scampered in. It had been quite the Thursday, and I was itching to get back to my school residence.

As had become a weekly routine for me at this point, I had gone to the cinema at The Mall much earlier in the day to meet up with some friends and catch a movie. The Fate of The Furious was really the only item on my bucket list for the day, and believe me when I say it was every kobo worth the trouble. You really should see it if you haven’t yet. Great movie.

My Thoughts on Mental Health

Today’s post isn’t going to be a long one, but it’s one I hope reawakens our awareness to something that’s still such an issue in this part of the world. The fact that we choose to ignore just how serious mental illness can be.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My Superwoman,

You've been on my mind way more than usual this past month. It's you I think about and smile just before I gently fall asleep each night. It's you whose loving thoughts I wake up to the beautiful morning after. It's you who's the subject of those soothing dreams in between. It's absolutely impossible not to think about you when virtually everything around me reminds me that you're not here, and that there's still that great big void that time will never fill. Evidently, I still miss you so very much.

Give Them Roses While They Can Smell Them

We hadn't had power for days, and I just lay in bed that morning, playing music on my phone with the little that was left of the battery. I've got playlists for the songs I want to listen to for each time I crave music, but this time was going to be different. I had over a thousand songs in my library and I was sure I had never heard quite a number of them. So I decided to let the player randomly play songs for a change, and you know what? It was one of the best decisions I had taken in a while. I'll tell you why.

The Irksome Thing About Unsolicited Advice

1 Thessalonians 4:11

1 Peter 4:15

I urge you - especially if you're Christian - to briefly look at the above passages before proceeding. You'd realise why.

I was attending a conference this Easter and something rather interesting happened. Something that made me realise that many people still don't understand the deal with offering unrequested advice and the beauty of minding one's business. I'm someone who has opinions about virtually everything and everyone, but these are opinions you may never get to know of if you're not very close to me and deliberately seek them out... or if I don't write about them, as I'm doing right now. I'm reserved like that these days. So I'll be quite frank and say that I was pretty piqued that this happened to me.

Because Michael Promised...

It was one of those nights without power supply. Worn out from the bustle of the day, I got into bed pretty early - as is usual for me on such quiet nights - ready to head right for dreamland, but, eager as I was to fall asleep, I found myself reminiscing helplessly about the past – the past year particularly. About the crazy rollercoaster ride it had been. The dreadful and depressing lows. The sprinkles of unprecedented highs scattered about here and there that I was super thankful for. And then the bouts of utter numbness and deafening silence that conveniently filled the voids in between. This reminiscence was fast becoming a habit, some sort of bedtime ritual, if you will. But there was something else to ponder that night that I hadn't really thought about in quite a bit.

56 With Responsibility

It's been 56 years since we gained our independence from the British, 56 years since that joyous Saturday of October 1960 when our fathers and mothers must have thought, “Ah! Freedom finally!”, amidst their hearty celebrations. I'm still in bed and can't help but wonder. If our veterans who fought so hard and tenaciously for our freedom envisioned that the state of our nation today would be what it is, would they have laboured as hard as they did? Is this at all what they were willing to sacrifice their lives for?

This Thing We're All Bent on Discovering...

So a few weeks ago, my very good friend, Chiziterem (whom I've shared some of the most intellectually stimulating conversations I've had in a very long while with, and sadly won't be seeing for quite some time because he's currently undergoing industrial training), and I had one of our usual long talks at about midnight in almost pitch blackness because there was power outage in school. In the course of this particular discourse, the issue of one discovering what one's purpose here on earth is came up. We both knew for sure what his was, and how diligently he was working towards fulfilling it. Then the question was thrown at me. Had I discovered what God's purpose for my life really was?

Communication - the Key to Effective Leadership

Leadership is an all-encompassing word that means different things to different people. Nonetheless, it is generally perceived to be a process of social influence in which a person, or a group of people, enlists the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task or goal. The mention of the word “leadership” easily paints a myriad of pictures in our minds - pictures of confidence, courage, integrity, honesty, vision, focus, humility and indeed so much more. However, if there ever was a quality, a factor that set apart a great leader from a mediocre one, that factor would be effective communication.

Dealing With Failure

It's funny how I've been meaning to post updates here since my exams ended in February, marking the end of one academic session that never seemed like it'd end, and haven't really been able to. Now that I have a little chance, and have been reminded over and over again by a couple of people that they've been expecting something new, I just thought I'd quickly 'pen down' a little something.

So I decided I'd write about dealing with failure today. It's something virtually all of us have dealt with at one point in our lives or the other, but it's also something the vast majority of us suck at dealing with. Failure can come in as many ways as you can imagine, though it usually seems to revolve around not meeting up with certain moral, academic, spiritual or financial (you name it) standards we might have set for ourselves or believe we are expected to attain. You know what's more? Failure's even more painful when we consider ourselves too big, too smart, too wise or experienced to have made certain errors. Truth be told, as I'm sure we've all heard a million times already, no one is above mistakes. No one!

Thanks For Making My 2013 Spectacular!

Tuesday, January 1st, 2013. I remember that day just like it was yesterday! Celebrations were in full gear to mark the beginning of the new year, the distinct aroma of fried chicken had saturated the dry Harmattan air. (Meanwhile, why is the weather still so hot and humid at this time of the year? The Christmas/New Year feel just isn't there this time around. Global warming abi?) But in the middle of all the merry-making and the joy in the atmosphere, there I sat on my bed, looking in the mirror, the ghost of a wry smile gradually becoming visible on my still sleepy face, anxious about what a year 2013 would turn out to be for me. Yes, being a firm believer in the power of prayers, I had already committed the year into God's hands and I knew He had heard and answered, but yet, anxious I was. Looking back now 364 days later, can I say my anxiety was worth it?

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do!

Hello friend! Just read this piece on lifehack.org and thought I should share. Enjoy!

Dealing With Regret

Have you ever noticed how really agonisingly painful it is whenever you reminisce about the events in your past that you know could have gone better but didn't? Things you should have said, things you should have done...or shouldn't have, as the case may be. Truth is, we all have varied levels of grace when it comes to dealing with such feelings. Some of us are fortunate enough to have the ability to handle regret gracefully, the rest of us just suck at it. I've seen a lot of people wallow in regret for much too long, becoming shadows of their former selves and - as a resultant - rendering themselves utterly unproductive. So here's the question. How do you deal with regret?

Gratitude!

Hello dear friend. My word! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I've been seriously tied down with a couple of things of late, especially now that there's a possibility that this our little "holiday" might soon be called off. I really wasn't in a hurry to update the blog because I was still thinking about the ideal post to thrill you with after such a relatively long period of being AWOL. However, it just pricked my conscience so much how we tend to ignore certain things that we just shouldn't, especially when it comes to being grateful. It's a pity we just have to expect that ideal thriller a bit later, hehe.

So here's the deal. We pray to God all day, everyday when we need something we think is really urgent (and when things are going our way prayer no longer seems to be an option. Anyway that's a story for another day). I know I'm good at this one. During or just before exams (especially when I'm ill prepared), when I'm in some sort of dilemma, praying just seems a whole lot easier. But then when He answers our prayers as we expect, do we ever really say "thank you" ? A lot of us have wonderful families and friends who add so much value to our lives and we take them for granted (again I'm guilty), only to realise how much they really meant after we've lost them. Isn't it just sad?

Sell Yourself!

Midday Friday. Slept really late last night and consequently just woke up barely a couple of hours ago. My eyes are still a bit tired though. The weekend's here...but there's really nothing major to look forward to. Every day's now the same, no thanks to this unending Strike. Anyway, I think it's time I updated here, especially since there's really nothing else to do right now.

So, selling oneself, right? I don't know if it's just me but, have you ever seen wonderful hairdressers who always seem to have utterly unkempt hair? Or amazing interior decorators who live in places that can best be likened to a mad woman's playground? Or really exquisite tailors and seamstresses who always wear...things that are just unimaginable? Or even renowned marriage counsellors who have had series of failed marriages and divorces? Would it be out of place if I also mentioned gifted health practitioners who lead very unhealthy lifestyles characterised by excessive alcohol intake, cigarettes and really bad eating habits?

Sweet & Sour? It's Probably Just Life!

Sunday evening! Today has been simply amazing, from the very minute I woke up till now that I'm privileged to share this moment with you. Yeah, privileged. I had been thinking really hard on what this post was going to be about for the past couple of days, didn't really find anything I was that enthusiastic about. I just had to put up an update today though, so after quite a lot of brainstorming I settled for something. My title already let the cat outta the bag so let's just get on with it, shall we?

Today's Sunday, so I guess it wouldn't really come as a surprise if I made a little reference to the Bible. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 very readily comes to mind at this point, you know, the very popular Bible passage you learnt as a kid about there being time for everything? (I hope my assumption that you're Christian is in order, pardon me if it isn't.) Verse 4 probably is the most relevant to what we're talking about tonight. Most of us know this passage like the back of our palms, but when it's time to put this knowledge to good use what happens?

Let The Grudge Go!

Monday morning, lounging on my sofa and just staring vaguely at the television with a glass of good old milk and some pieces of cake in a tray right in front of me. Flipping through the channels looking for something I'm in the mood for but...nothing just seems to be doing it for me this morning. So I thought I'd quickly share something that's been on my mind for a couple of days now, something most of us have heard over and over again...and even preached but don't really practice.

Have you ever been hurt before? Trick question right? Like who hasn't been hurt at some point or the other in their lives huh? Truth is, hurt is relative. I'm not talking about those random moments when your younger sister just gets on your nerves at the wrongest of moments or when Dad denies you some luxury you honestly think you deserve (if that's your definition of hurt, this probably isn't for you). I'm talking about being so provoked because someone has done something very painful to you that probably has caused you something valuable and made you certain you'd never forgive them. Clearer picture now?

So What's Your Phobia?

Alright. This is going to be another brief one, as brief as possible. I've got a little story to start this off with. So one of my favourite people in the world, Ola, sent me this picture on WhatsApp about a fortnight ago. I had barely opened it before I started having goosebumps all over my arms, serious goosebumps. Care to know what the content of this picture that caused me half an hour of terror was? Think you can guess? Well it was a Trypophobia themed picture. New word? You probably want to click here before you continue reading (no seriously, open that link. Don't cheat). So did that freak you out?

Nigerian... and Proud?

Something I always get to look forward to pretty early is Nigeria's Independence Anniversary Celebration as it comes just two days after my birthday (speaking of which, I know I owe you guys a post about how it all went down on Sunday...and cake. I'll deliver, I promise). So Another October 1 is here and so much has already been said about Nigeria...the good, the bad and the ugly obvious...especially the ugly obvious. She's 53 today...and no, I'm not about to compare her to a 53 year old person and how successful that person should be at this age. I think we've heard it one time too many already. So what's the deal?

Harnessing Your Full Potential

Wow! Just 2 days of not updating and everyone's on my tail, even people I never knew were following Michael's Opinions. I'm truly astounded, dumbfounded, shocked to say the least, pleasantly though I must add. Please keep the emails, calls and comments coming. They've been an immense source of encouragement. I want start by apologising for the little "break in transmission". It was due to circumstances beyond my control (sounds familiar right? hehe). Anyway I've been going through a whole lot lately, haven't really had time to blog. It's been utterly difficult, especially considering the fact that everything I write is spontaneous, straight from the heart. Nevertheless, I'm here again with something fresh. (I'm terribly sorry. This might very well be my last post this week as I have other projects I'm embarking upon that are struggling for my attention so I'll make it a bit lengthier than usual.) Ready?

The True Essence of Friendship

Would you believe I've spent the past half hour reminiscing about the friends I've had over the years and how they've helped shape me into the success story I earnestly am praying to become? It's even more awe-inspiring when I realise that some never even knew how much positive impact they had made in my life. Obviously there's hardly anything better than having friends, the right friends that is. After observing various friendships as best as I can, I've come to the realisation that the majority of us have no idea what friendship really is about. In my book, associating with people, having the usual hello-hi conversation or even seeing them every so often doesn't qualify them as friends. So you might ask, who then are friends? What then is friendship?

When All Else Fails...

Dear friend, have you ever encountered situations where it seemed there was no glimmer of hope in sight? When you were convinced the whole world was moving without you? When no one seemed to care, or even notice, that you needed help? When each and ever door that once was open doesn't just seem closed, but like it never even existed at all? Well I know I most certainly have had times that felt even much worse than these, times when it seemed the road had come to a premature end. So the question is, what do you do when all else fails?

True Happiness? Be Yourself!

Spent the past few hours seeing some old episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That show just never seems to get old now does it? Guess what? Ever since I started blogging (not like it's been that long anyway), I've received some rather surprising comments and feedback that just made me smile. Something really interesting that kept coming up was that I write like an Arts student. Some people even went as far as asking if I was studying Law, Philosophy, Psychology... Hehe, e jo oh! Whoever said Engineering students couldn't be brilliant writers? The feedback has been beyond inspiring to say the least anyway. Gracias!

Nobody Seems to Likes You, Huh?

Just put lunch in the microwave oven. Set the timer for 5, hope that's enough time to share something that's been on my mind since morning...

So you've always been the pride of your parents, a well-mannered, well-cultured, morally upright straight-A student well on your way to graduating with a First Class from Nigeria's most prestigious university (I'm sure we all know which one is, hehe). One humid Thursday evening as you sit out on your veranda trying to review your notes, getting ready for the tests you have the following morning, your best friend comes crying to you recounting how much of a mess her life has become.

Something Good About The Strike. You.

Weeks upon weeks of waiting for almighty ASUU to call off this rather annoyingly, excruciatingly, painful strike and looking for something worthwhile to do. I've tried studying, knowing full well that once the strike's called of my exams would be underway, but that's gotten old. I mean, where's the motivation? What else didn't I do? Take aimless walks around my neighbourhood? Watch television till it literally hurt? Keep myself hopelessly engrossed with social media? (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram probably know me better than my own mother at this point.) Practice my beloved but long-forgotten French? In my mind, I think I even did my own Skelewu video... thrice!

Now don't even judge me. Boredom makes us do some really silly things, you know. More so when a strike has left you with tons of idle time. But just when I gave up on coming up something new and worthwhile to do with myself and thought it was a completely hopeless situation, WHAM!!! It hit me! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO HAVE MY OWN BLOG!!!