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1.
Who Is This Website For?
This website -
www.spontaneousdevelopment.com
- is especially targeted at people who desire
to learn how they can take advantage of the
virtually limitless opportunities for self-determination,
accessible through diligent application of
proven self-development techniques in conjunction
with technology and The Internet.
Spontaneous
Development Dot Com is home to Self-Development
Academy Limited on the World Wide Web. We
offer New Ideas, Information, Articles, True
Stories, Strategies and Services for Career
Development, Performance Enhancement, Small
Business Best Practice, Spreadsheet Automation,
Professional Web Design, Copy writing, Freelance
Writing and more. Spontaneous Development
Dot Com is a dynamic online resource for ANY
individual, group or organisation passionately
driven to continually function at their best
in whatever they do.
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2.
What Can It Do For You?
This site's
primary objective is to offer useful, real-world relevant
information, and education, that shows people what
they can do by themselves for themselves to achieve
their set goals - with minimal trial and error. Articles,
books(print
and electronic), learning events(talks,
seminars, workshops) based on practical experience
are available. In addition, the Self-Development Academy's
Business
Support Services and Custom
Excel Software can help you increase your profits
by enabling you to do what you do at less cost, in
less time and using less resources/effort are showcased
on this site, for purchase at affordable rates. |
3.
Why The Focus On Information And Education?
"..the
biggest challenge facing most African nations is to
creatively adapt ideas to their unique environment."
- Mr. Patrick Boateng, Adviser for
Africa, US Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
at the African Internet Summit and Exhibition(AFRINET)
2002, held in Abuja, Nigeria.
In the October
20, 2000 edition of Newsweek magazine, Tim Berners-Lee,
inventor of the World Wide Web(NOT the Internet, which
was created 20 years before the web) in an interview
expressed his belief that the Internet presents a
"real chance" of integrating the Third World
with the rest of the world.
He narrated a story(told to
him by someone who had been a missionary in Africa)
about a woman who had taught herself English through
the Bible, and subsequently began earning a living
by translating documents received in English over
the net into the local dialect. As Tim put it, Internet
access can enable a person earn income in a way that
would not have been possible before, and can even
benefit an entire village. He added that there are
numerous jobs which are just "information-in,
information-out" that anyone anywhere in the
world can do if they are given access to the Internet.
(SDAc invites you to visit www.freelanceworkexchange.com
to see countless examples).
The SDAc, through
this website aims to demonstrate practically, specific
ways any individual or group can successfully utilise
self-development, in conjunction with technology and
the Internet, to empower themselves economically,
socially and politically. We will provide real-world
relevant information and education that will equip
our target audience with competencies they need to
more frequently achieve authentic personal successes,
and also show them how they can help others like themselves,
achieve similar successes. |
4.
Business Profit Making Combined With Social Development
"I want
to be part of a South Africa and Africa sending out
a new message to the world, of taking responsibility
for our own challenges. The world has got used to
a picture of Africa asking for support, with cupped
hands. It's time we create a new image of Africa.
It's time that we ourselves start giving and assert
our sense of dignity. We deserve respect. It is time
we stop apologizing for ourselves and acknowledge
our achievements".
- Graça Machel -Mandela
Even though we
are engaged in people development and empowerment,
the SDA is NOT - and has no intention of becoming
- a Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO). We maintain
a profit making focus, and believe that by so doing,
we will be better able to empower our target audience
with income-generating skills than if we ourselves
depended on grants and other unearned income sources
to fund our operations. Click
here to learn more about the Self-Development
Academy Limited. |
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Articles
Previews/Report Abstracts etc - PREVIEW
PAGE NO. 1
On this page I provide the interested
visitor a listing PLUS short previews of articles available
on this site. Some articles reference downloadable items located
in restricted access areas. In order to be able to access
such resources, the visitor may have to register
for a website membership login acco
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Preview
Pages : No.
1 |
No.
2 | No.
3 |
No.
4 |
No.
5
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Quick Index
SN |
Title Of Article(PLUS Paper,
Report Or Blog Post) |
Author |
Date Published |
| 0. |
How
To Use(And Get The Most Value From) This Website
(Website User Guide)
Emerson's view(see quote here)
of HOW to succeed is one that I share. Which is
why I do what I
do, the way I do it - via this website. This
website CAN help you become the best you can be
in your chosen area of endeavour - BUT only
if you let it. Its contents are meant for
: Entrepreneurs, Parents, Teachers, Students, Employees,
and/or Decision Makers in organisations and businesses.
It is based on insight gained from real-life experience
- what I call street-wisdom, and
NOT text book theory. This website
is based on TRUTH. Through it, I share with interested
individuals how to make the most - in spite
of adversity - of challenges/opportunities
in different areas of endeavour, by diligently developing
and using innate abilities one possesses, to achieve
valued goal(s). To get the most value from this
website, you need to know HOW to use it. Read this
article to learn how to use this website to get
the most value for yourself. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Introduction |
1st April 2006
Access:
Unrestricted |
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| 1. |
Should
You Quit Your Job or Start Your Business Part-time?
(True Story)
The dilemma of choosing between quitting one's job
or starting up part time(while holding on to a job)
is one that countless entrepreneurs have had to
contend with in the past. This difficulty confronts
persons who are either approaching retirement or
feel they do not want to continue working for someone
else. Not many business ideas can be properly "tested"
in the market place using "moonlighting"
techniques - where an employee tries his/her hands
at pursuing a fancied business career on the side,
during his/her free time. In this article I share
the true story of HOW I took the decision to start
my own business. I also provide insight into what
others who have passed the same road did - and say.
The truth however, is that no two situations are
likely to be exactly the same, hence the intending
startup must carefully weigh the options available
in making up his/her mind. It is my hope that the
reader will be able to use the ideas offered here
to intelligently arrive at a decision that will
facilitate the launch of a successful career in
entrepreneuring. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
February 2003 (revised March 2006)
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
| 2. |
You
Can Increase Your Profits Without Raising Your Prices(True
Story)
Every business(whether owned by an individual or
a multinational) wants increased profits, and different
businesses go about achieving that purpose in different
ways: Some settle for price increases of their products
while others try using special promotional offers
aimed at increasing purchases over a defined period.
The problem in the latter case tends to be that
they still have to spend more to get more sales,
and often if not well managed, there may not be
any significant difference in bottom line margins
achieved, especially when competitors launch a counter
event. This article describes tested and proven
ways by which anyone can intelligently implement
Variable Costs (VC) Monitoring/Control and Reduction
initiatives - supported by spreadsheet tracking/analyses
- to increase chances of routinely recording optimal
profit margins even when prices remain fixed and/or
competition is fierce. To decide if you NEED to
read this article, download a FREE Layman's
Business Variable Costs Control Systems Awareness
Quiz™:
if you answer NO to even
ONE of its seventeen(17) questions, there is a good
chance the information contained in this article
can help you. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
April 2005 (revised March 2006)
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook
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| 3. |
Do
You Need A Business Plan - If Your IDEA Is Ahead
Of Its Time, Or Unproven?
Business plans can be
very useful instruments for raising capital from
prospective investors and also for managing daily
operations of the business post-take off. However,
preparation of business plans is normally based
on review/analysis of historical data from similar
businesses operating in the market place. The situation
however becomes different, when someone comes up
with an idea for a product or service that is totally
new i.e. unheard of, untried or unproven in the
market place. There would be no reliable pre-existing
data with which to do say a SWOT analysis. Any attempts
would for the most part be based on weak assumptions
and mostly conjecture. This article offers any start-up
nursing such unproven business idea(s) a proven
path to follow based on the real-life experiences
of others who were faced with a similar dilemma
at some time in their entrepreneurial careers.
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
September 2005
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
| 4. |
Catfish
Farmers Beware Of Uncontrolled Variable Costs!
As more and more catfish farms spring up, every
catfish farm owner will have to contend with increased
availability of the same products(fingerlings and
table-size catfish) in the same market. To avoid
losing out, the wise catfish farmer needs to start
exploring Variable Cost Reduction initiatives that
will enable production of larger numbers of catfish(fingerlings
and/or table fish) at lesser cost, in lesser time,
and using lesser resources. Are you planning
to(or already) own a catfish farm? If yes,
I urge you to go beyond enjoying the psychological
satisfaction that people think you are making money
from it. Instead put your hard earned startup capital
to good and lasting use, by doing the things I have
described in this report to ensure you do make GOOD
money in form of tangible PROFITS. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
November 2005(revised March 2006)
Access:
Unrestricted |
5. |
Practical
Guiding Philosophies For Entrepreneurial Success(Based
On Real-Life Practice)
By Philosophies, I refer to an integrated system
of beliefs held by an individual or group as a guide
for behavioural conduct, especially in the pursuit
of valued goals. If you plan to (or have already)
start(ed) a career in entrepreneuring, it is imperative
that you have a system of beliefs(tested and proven
to work in the conditions you plan to operate),
to fall back on, as and when the need arises.The
philosophies I describe in this article are those
that I have adopted based on extensive studies of
the experiences of successful entrepreneurs - and
my successful application of them as an entrepreneur.
Therefore what I share here are not just ideas from
others, but useful learning distilled from DEEP
personal experiences that have validated the truth
presented in those ideas for me. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
6. |
Where
Do You Want Your Business To Be FIVE Years From
Now? (Action Plan/Progress Evaluation Checklist)
In order to ensure that they stay motivated towards
achieving their set goal, it is generally acknowledged
that people often need to have a "compelling
reason" for wanting to achieve it. Naturally,
the reasons would vary. One person could set out
to prove a point to others who doubt him; another
could be driven by a desire for fame and material
reward; and so on. This article describes a tool(and
provides a download link to a FREE template)
that you can adopt to help you clearly articulate
your intended personal or business purpose/goal
in terms of smaller goals(sub-goals), each of which
you can then outline under headings like "WHAT
you need to do, HOW you could go about doing it,
WHEN you need to start" etc. Continue... |
Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
7. |
If
You Lack Capital, Intelligent Multipreneuring Can
Increase Your Chances Of Succeeding(Based
On Real-Life Practice)
In order to get maximum value from this article,
the reader must keep an OPEN mind - free from the
influence of whatever societal myths s/he is familiar
with about doing more than one thing at a time.
If you cannot do
that, then you are NOT ready to use the information
provided here. Much of this article probably goes
against ideas held by majority of people, but the
truth is that when a person is willing, that which
the majority regards as impossible, becomes that
which can be done with adequate intelligent effort.
In our daily conversations certain expressions we
use(such as "man-of-many parts", "multi-talented",
"utility player", "multi-skilled",
“wears many hats” etc) indicate that
we acknowledge that some of us have such abilities.
However, sometimes human beings tend to question
and/or resist attempts by such individuals to make
use of their skills in a formal manner e.g. in business.
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
8. |
Avoid
Taking Lessons On Entrepreneuring From The Wrong
Person(s)
One of the challenges I had to face as a Start-up
was that of trying to intelligently sort out the
“wheat”(useful stuff) from the “chaff”(nonsense)
in the relentless barrage of mostly unsolicited
advice I got from various quarters. Almost every
one had one tip or the other - or dos and don’ts
- to offer me. Yet, there was one thing common to
most of these people, that I gradually came to realize
(especially after following some of their advice
and suffering unbelievable hardship as a result).
And that was the fact that few (if any) of them
had done what I was trying to do before - or even
knew anyone who had, closely!(And they were giving
me advice!). To put it another way, these people
were all offering me advice based on experiences
they’d never had. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
9. |
Why
You May Not Need To Rent An Office To Start YOUR
Business!
Believing you need to have your own office/staff
from the start could be a BIG mistake. With only
a few exceptions, most businesses can be prudently
started up on a small budget, in a way that would
increase their changes of achieving long term success.
The problem seems however to be that certain individuals
come into self-employment with faulty preconceived
ideas about how they should start. Many times, they
will ignore readily available wisdom on offer from
a myriad of sources to devote scarce financial resource
to creating a lavish image for their new business.
By the time they realise that the business is struggling
to earn needed income at a rate that will allow
quick enough recovery of expended capital to cover
cash flow requirements, it would be too late. This
article provides common sense justifications for
starting small and offers examples drawn from real-life
occurrences and personal experiences of entrepreneurs
who have achieved success by following a similar
route. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Entrepreneuring |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
10. |
I
Am A Self-Development Educator And NOT A Motivational
Speaker
Every time someone calls me a Motivational Speaker/Author,
I am quick to correct him(or her) that I am a Self-Development
Educator. So, what’s the difference, you ask?
In this paper I explain why I refuse to be called
a Motivational Speaker. Yes, there is a motivational
dimension to what I do, but my basic aim is to help
people achieve Mental Emancipation™, by (re-)
orienting them about what they (think they) know;
how they see themselves/their society; and what
they believe they can (or cannot) do. You could
in fact call it “Philosophical Re-Orientation”.
The unusual titles of many of my Talks and Information
Products support my claims. I have gained deep insight
into the socio-cultural situation in Nigeria, and
wish to share my ideas with others. My objective
is to influence people to positively change the
way they think/act towards getting what they want
in life. That’s why I also describe my role
as that of a Social Change Agent.
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
27th Mar 2003/Revised on 27th Dec 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
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11. |
Simple
Performance Measurement/Process Control Tools You
Can Use In Your Business
Process Performance Measurement/Control is beneficial
for virtually any area of human activity. The
objective of process control is to ensure the quality
of finished products in a process fall within predetermined
specification limits while making optimal use of
resources such as labour, energy, raw materials
etc. Statistics can/should be used to arrive at
process performance targets – instead of arbitrary
target setting that tends to be commonplace. Also,
in deciding whether or not for instance a change
in procedure has made a significant difference/impact
on the process operation or indeed the final product
quality statistical analysis can and should be applied
to arrive at informed decisions. Such decision should
not be made based on “gut-feelings and hunches”
else there would be chaos. In this article, I will
be reviewing some known statistical tools and highlighting
practical ways in which, from my experience, they
can be productively applied in process management.
I will specifically propose tools like CUSUM for
practical production/operations management and TWUF™
for monitoring, control and verification of recorded
and/or reported wastes. My purpose is to help the
reader understand HOW to successfully apply these
concepts to achieve measurable improvements in her
business operations.
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Best Practice |
Coming Soon
Access:
Login
Required |
| 12. |
How
To Choose The Right Web Design Company
Are you trying to choose
a web designer to build a website for your business?
You may not realize it, but there are a number of
important issues you MUST consider carefully before
parting with your hard earned money to an individual
or company that proposes to help you put your business
on the net. I have outlined some of them in this
article. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Custom IT Solns |
April 2005
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
| 13. |
Zero
Cost Methods To Boost Your Business Marketing And
Cut Your Costs Using Your Website(Based
On Real-Life Practice)
What does your website do for you? Does it help
you make(and/or save) money? Or is it like an obsolete
"billboard" draining your profits? What
have you said/put on your site to ensure the right
people visit your site and do what you want(contact
you and/or order a product) while there? How would
you know if a visitor interested in knowing more
about your product or service visited your site?
What do you have on the site that ensures you can
stay in touch with your visitors even after they
leave? Does your website make it easy and painless
for visitors to let their friends know about you?
This article discusses in detail, zero-cost, time/cost-saving
tools and strategies which(if you adopt them) can
enable you confidently answer the preceding questions
and more. Or maybe you do not yet have a web presence(?)
In that case this article offers tested ideas you
can use in setting yours up to get the best results
right from the start.
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Custom IT Solns |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
14. |
How
To Use Multiple Windows And Tools To Upload Many
Files To Your Website In Half The Time It Currently
Takes You (Based
On Real-Life Practice)
Many people use FTP tools like CuteFTP and SmartFTP
to upload files to their website servers every now
and then. Some also use the FTP accounts/file manager
facilities provided by their hosts to upload fewer
files. However, there are certain user or webmasters
who frequently have a need to do uploads of numerous
files of different types and formats to different
folder locations on their websites. In such cases,
using one instance of an FTP client like CuteFTP
may be limiting. This is because you would have
to wait for an upload to a specific folder location
to end before commencing another one to a different
destination. This despite the fact that you probably
have a high speed connection which could handle
multiple simultaneous uploads if you chose to do
them. In this article I explain how I update 6 different
websites hosted in separate sub domain folders simultaneously
using multiple windows and FTP tools. This approach
enables me achieve more than 50% savings in time
spent doing this task. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
Custom IT Solns |
Coming Soon
Access:
Login
Required |
15. |
Recover
Your Deleted Files Instantly - How Brian Kato's
FREE Software Program Saved Me!(Based
On A True Story)
IWhen I discovered what I had done, I could not
believe it. With my own mouse pointer, I had selected
the folder containing over three year's worth of
data/work, and deleted it by pressing the Shift-Delete
key combination/clicking YES, thereby bypassing
the recycle bin! At that moment, I considered it
the biggest mistake of my life, and one that - as
I told my wife - could ruin me, since I had not
backed up my hard drive for a while despite making
many numerous updates to its contents. As I continued
to gaze at the screen, the power was cut off, so
that I had to shut down the PC while on UPS. This
would later turn out to be a blessing in disguise,
as I would learn from reading about how to maximise
chances of recovering mistakenly deleted files from
a computer. In this article, I narrate the true
story of how, on Saturday 11th March 2006,
I successfully recovered - under 2 hours -- over
146 MB(1,800 files approx) that I had deleted in
error. I did this by following certain very important
preliminary steps, and then using a nifty(160KB)
FREE software that I found(along with others which
were not FREE) on the Internet, through a VERY desperate
Google search. You'll want to read this!
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
8th August 2006
Access:
Unrestricted |
| 16. |
Ten
Ways You Can Use Self-Development To Create The
Future You Want
Many people have no idea
there is an almost scientific method they can employ
to achieve their personal or work-related goals,
repeatedly and consistently. Organisations on their
part fail to acknowledge their limits when it comes
to getting improved productivity from their employees.
No matter how hard it tries, a company cannot develop
its employees significantly. Peter Drucker,
in The Practice of Management
(Heinemann, 1955),
said taking responsibility for development of employees
would be "foolish pretension". I agree.
The truth is, ONLY the employee can develop herself.
Get her to strive willingly, and perpetually to
become better on the job, and she will deliver greater
productivity that you could ever pay for! The organisation
only needs to encourage and facilitate diligent
practice of Self-Development(SD) by employees. For
those NOT in paid employment, the diligent practice
of SD offers equally beneficial prospects. That's
why I assure you, that you can develop yourself
to be able to repeatedly deliver superlative performances
that will inevitably result in success for you in
ANY chosen area of endeavour. How? By applying the
"Ten Ways" described
in this article, the way I will show you.
Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
May 2002
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
| 17. |
A
“System” That Can Produce Millionaire
African Writers
Every
time we talk – in Africa - about poverty reduction, unemployment, economic
downturns etc, people keep asking the government
to “do something” about these problems.
For so long, governments have been unable to deliver.
The solution I describe here makes it possible for every
willing person in Africa,
to take greater control of her financial future
by writing for a living. I’ll start by reviewing some of the challenges facing majority
of Nigerian/African writers currently. Continue... |
Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
September 2005
Access:
Unrestricted |
| 18. |
A
Proven Solution That Enables Any African Write And
Publish A Physical Book At Zero Cost!
Letter to African Journalists/Media Houses - 31/10/05.
I am writing to suggest a story about How Print-On-Demand
(POD) publishing companies based on the Internet
have made it possible for anyone, living anywhere
in the world – including Africa, to: a).
Become real-life self-published authors who
can earn income in foreign currency…b).
By writing books(NOT just E-books!) to be purchased
via the internet and shipped to customers worldwide…c). Without
the author having to incur ANY publishing costs
i.e. FREE. Continue...
|
Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
September 2005
Access:
Unrestricted |
| 19. |
How
I Discovered And Used Print-On-Demand Self-Publishing
For The First Time(True
Story)
By POD I refer to the service called Print-On-Demand
now widely used worldwide by millions of people
as a means to create a wide variety of printed products.
Examples include branded gift items, like t-shirts,
caps, stickers which have high quality graphic designs
printed on them. Then there are the written publications
- books, technical manuals, special reports which
have front and back cover designs that have to be
printed and bound to meet professional publishing
standards. With traditional techniques, getting
all these done used to cost huge sums. Today, POD
technology makes it easy for virtually anyone to
do a lot more. In this short piece I share with
you the story of my search for and eventual discovery
of this solution. Continue...
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Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
September 2005
Access:
Unrestricted |
20. |
Achieving
YOUR Goals IN SPITE OF Adversity - Two Short But
True Stories That Tell HOW (True
Story)
Adrenoleukodystrophy or
ALD for short. That was the name of a terrible disorder
that afflicted the child of an American woman in
a film(based on a true story) I watched some years
ago. It was an ailment the child’s doctors
believed could not be treated. The mother of the
ALD afflicted child was however not like most others
and refused to sit back and watch her child waste
away while she hoped for a miracle. In this article,
two true stories are narrated to illustrate how
self-belief, and desire, backed by dogged persistence
can help any person achieve a valued goal(s) despite
the perpetual presence of adverse conditions. Continue...
|
Tayo Solagbade
Category:
SD Education |
March 2006
Access:
Unrestricted
Available in 2006
Quarter 1 Ebook |
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Note:
SD = Self-Development |
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