LEARNINGS FROM DENRELE EDUN

You might have seen him at a musical concert dancing, or on TV presenting, or if you are close to him, you would have met him at the Sound city office, fumbling with cameras, to come up with good production. One thing about this guy is obvious.....he is catching fun all the way and he is being paid for doing what he loves doing.

To some, he is a model, to some an actor, and to some a clown. This Producer of the year winner of the Future...Award 2006 is simply fashion oriented and upbeat personified.

Adenrele Edun was born in June 13, and he's the only male child of his parent. Maybe that is why he keeps his hair long, shinny, and well groomed like that of a lady. He is graduate of English education from the prestigious University of Lagos, and his favourite colour is Red.

One interesting thing about success is that it leaves clues. That means that if somebody can achieve success, you can also attain that level of success if you know what the person does to produce some specific results. I learnt that in the kitchen. By watching how my mother cook her delicacies, and following her recipe, I have been able to produce a similar result, in a different environment. To produce any result in this world, all you need is to model someone who is producing the king of result you sought. And the things to model are the person's Beliefs, Mental Syntax and Physiology.

Denrele has style

Looking at him, you need not be told that he has style. At times, or most times, his dressing looks weird and out-of-the-box, but you cannot doubt that his way of dressing is unique.

To be a great person, you need style. You need to discover that things that makes you unique and then amplify it. Can you come up with a list of three things that makes you different from every other person? How can you amplify your uniqueness in such a way that it becomes obvious? Don't forget that in this world of everybody, somebody must decided not to be a nobody.

Denrele believes that if you do what you love,you will never have to work for the rest of your life

He believes that at all times, he is playing, even when he is in the office, and guess what? He is being paid for playing in the office everyday. What are you passionate about? What are your hobbies? What do you do with little or no efforts? Whaty are your favourite school subjects? What are your childhood dreams? What can you do for months without being paid? Who are the superstars you admire? Which sport do you enjoy? What are the things you do effortlessly and tirelessly?

For the next seven days, pay attention to what you spend the most part of your time doing. Come up with a list of your talents, then think of ways you can earn from your earnest yearning. An artiste friend of mine, Stylish is a student of A.A.U Ekpoma, and in his leisure hours he sings at a club where he is being paid. How can you place a price tag on what you enjoy doing? For me, I love writing, speaking and coaching, and I am paid for doing them.

Denrele believes that he needs to learn to listen and listen to learn.

He is more than a talker, although you might be forced to believe he is a parrot when you watch him do his thing on red carpet, he is a listener.

We learn more when we listen than when we are talk. Furthermore, listening to people shows that you care for them. It shows that they are important and when you make people feel important, they will also make you feel important. The more we listen to people, the more they are willing to listen to us. That's why Steven Covey said "Seek first to understand, before being understood."

Celebrated talk show host, Oprah Winfrey owes much of her success to the artful application of the simple process of listening and responding. "Communicating with people is how I always developed my kind of value about myself", says the most successful female entertainer in the world. On her show, she is able to block out external distractions,become actively involved, and listen emphatically without interrupting. So learn to listen, and when you listen, you learn.

Denrele Edun believes in himself

Whilst he admires Funmi Iyanda's presentation style, he is himself. He is original, and not a caricature of another person. Just recently, I was addressing some Secondary school students (JSS1-SSS3) on why they should believe in themselves. I told them that if you don't believe in yourself, then you may not succeed in life.

You should believe in yourself because you have all it takes to turn your life around. All you need is all you have right now, and whatever you don't have, you don't need. Believe in your abilities. You can do something with what you have right now. Can you sing? Volunteer to sing somewhere this week. Forget about perfecting your skills right now and start something. You will perfect your skills along the way.

Be self reliant. "When people find it easy to leave your life, let them go. Stop begging people to stay in your life. I have got the gift of goodbye! You can go if you want to go, but in case you come back, I will take you with joy. People leave you because they are not joined to you and your destiny is not tied to any person that leaves. They didn't leave because they are bad, they left because their part in the story of your life is over and you cannot force them to stay." says, T.D. Jakes (Emphasis mine).

It is not my dream to tell you all there is to know about modeling a successful person but in case you have learnt something from my article, kindly put it into action and I will like to hear from you. So if nothing stopped you from being born, then nothing can stop you from achieving your wildest dreams.

Agbolade Omowole,runs Interpersonal Skills Trainings for corporate organizations. He is also a financial adviser at Aims Asset Management Limited

contact:

Mobile phone: 08020777803

E-mail:agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com