The full-time students of WOU were encouraged to take advantage of every opportunity to network and also presented a formula for success for living out their dreams.
ROBINSON WITH SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPUTY DEAN JASMINE EMMANUEL (CENTRE).
Speaking at the in-house talk titled “Live Your Dreams!” at the main campus today, American motivational speaker/author Wayne C Robinson shared lessons from his own personal journey to success.
Kicking off with an icebreaker to encourage interaction among the first semester students, he declared, “You have to be open to do something different, you have to get to know people, you got to network, you have no idea what that person can do to your life to get where you want to go.”
ICEBREAKER – TO GET TO KNOW PEERS OF DIFFERENT GENDER AND CULTURE.
He stressed that the difference between people who succeed in life and those who fail is that they have goals, are disciplined, motivated and go after what they want. He also advised them to be thankful, adding, “The more you are thankful, the more good things come into your life.”
He repeatedly pointed out the CFA formula for success. “Success equals Clarity + Faith + Action. Be clear about what you want. Have faith and belief that you can get it, and take decisive action to go after it.”
REINFORCING TO THE STUDENTS THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING.
He also stressed the importance of networking as “70% of jobs are found through networking. So meeting people you don’t know helps. There are so many jobs opportunities out there you can get with your degree.”
Robinson highlighted the need to have a dream because success starts with a dream. “Have vision boards to write down your goals. The vision board can have pictures of what you want and positive affirmations. It reminds you everyday of what you want to do.”
ROBINSON ENCOURAGES THE STUDENTS TO KNOW THE DREAMS.
He told them that they can get a lot out of a university besides a degree. “Look at the university as an experience to identify your true dreams, identify your strengths, talents, and skills, and identify your weaknesses” and to learn how to network with other people.
He also suggested the students volunteer in NGOs or work part-time in related fields to “improve social and networking skills, learn how to negotiate, build self confidence, learn team work, learn how to love others, learn how to give back, and increase your job opportunities”.
HIGHLIGHTING THE MANY THINGS THE STUDENTS CAN LEARN FROM THEIR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE.
He concluded: “Now is the time to learn what you need to do to get where you want to go. Learn about your dreams. Learn how to network. Learn how to develop new skills and talents. Learn whatever you need, even if have to work part-time or volunteer in the area you are interested in.”
The very inspiring talk – organised by the School of Humanities & Social Sciences along with WOU ODL Alumni and Full-Time Student Council – was interspersed with a few short video interviews to further motivate the more than 200 full-time students and staff of WOU who attended.
PART OF THE CROWD.
