5 Sujimoto Quotes To Inspire You To Success in 2016

It is a Leap year you know. Ready for Quantum leaps??

Learning something about everything and everything about something is one of my favourite hobbies. And last year was a long ride of aggressive personal development and learning for me. Got to know about many more outliers and industry leaders in various sectors. And I in turn have been following closely and learning from the exploits of some these giants.

From Neil Patel (Co-founder of Kiss-metrics, Crazy Egg) to Travis Bradberry (Emotional Intelligence Expert) to Ugo Ugodre of Naira-metrics, to Adebola Williams of RedMedia, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji of Andela.com, Editi Effiong of Anakle.com, to Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO, VayneMedia), I have picked-from afar-lessons in the enterprises of these giants -Golden Nuggets of Wisdom.

However, someone stands tall amidst the people who were a source of inspiration to me in the past year. His name is Sijibomi Ogundele (Founder/CEO of Sujimoto Group) and he is a visionary.

He has the vision of redefining luxury in the real estate sector of Nigeria, and with magnificent edifices like Cosimo, and Lorenzo-the Eye of Bourdillion (in construction), he is gradually creating the realities he had long dreamt up.

                                 Aerial View of  Lorenzo

The 34 year old, former venture capitalist is  part of the young breed of entrepreneurs in Nigeria, who are challenging perceived realities and are actively building empires on new values, the type necessary for a 21st century business.

Sujimoto described by Forbes Africa as a brave young entrepreneur, set to revolutionize the luxury real estate market in Nigeria; setting standards of excellence and simultaneously expanding his interests in construction, infrastructure, and entertainment, a feat which has positioned him as a man to watch out for in the revolution of Nigeria’s prime real estate industry

He sure has depth. And here are some of his quotes that have struck me and should inspire you to success in 2016.

1)  The Game of Success

 ‘’Success is a game and to be successful in the game of success. You must understand the rules and regulations that guide it ‘’

When he was in his early 20’s he  was reported to have met his mentor Sujimoto Koga. Who taught him that success is indeed a game, and you have to learn and

 It is one thing to want to be wealthier, healthier, be more productive at work this year, and it is another thing to understand the principles governing advancement in these fields of life. It is extremely important to understand the rules of the games before engaging.

    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Ruler of Dubai) & Sujimoto

 Stop for a minute before rushing into your activities this 2016, and examine your methods, are they best practices? Are they the ones necessary to succeed? If your answer is no, you know what you need to do.

Asking yourself  vital questions about your knowledge in a particular field or enterprise will help you find answers that will be crucial to you achieving your goals this year.

Learn the rules of any space,sector or endeavor before delving headlong.

 2) You Can Become Whoever You Want

‘’Leadership isn’t born. It is made…….’’

He was being interviewed a while back, when he made this statement. Ultimately, there is no skill that can’t be learnt or acquired. You can create your own reality. You can come from any environment and recreate yourself.

It doesn’t matter whatever your limitations had been in 2015. Once you’re honest enough with yourself, to point out your own deficiency, you are on your way to personal recovery. But it isn’t enough to identify your weaknesses, it is also important to take concrete, specific and measurable actions to improve your Achilles heel whatever it may be.

''Leadership isn’t born. It is made.''

There is no skill in this world that cannot be acquired with proper commitment and dedication. So, it would be great to make a list of qualities you want to actively create in yourself this year, and then start acting towards them.

3) Bench-marking The Best

’’Dubai has grown from a city of camel and sands and has become the city of marbles and towers. This is what we can replicate in our country’’

When describing the vision for his company. He used the example of Dubai, who has become the point of reference for architectural excellence over the past few decades, despite having been traditionally a city of camels, sands and pebbles. He is certain that if a country with that kind of topography could harness their potential and rival the best of the world in architectural masterpiece, then there isn’t any reason why Nigeria can’t do the same. It is important to note that he is building a company and bench-marking his buildings against the best in the world. We should remember this when setting our goals this year.

We should set the highest goals we can conceive for ourselves. If you want to make comparisons of performance, or you want to benchmark processes and establishments. Look for the best of the best in your industry and work towards emulating them.

Think Big. Get Big.

 4) Stop Rationalizing Your Failures

‘’Anybody can start justifying their failures with excuses.’’

As any entrepreneur, business owner or investor in Nigeria will tell you. Doing business-in a country like ours-isn’t a walk in the park, as there are a lot of factors that seems to be working against you. However, it would be foolhardy to accept failure as a result of the lack of an ideal environment, an infrastructure. Sujimoto says and quite rightly ‘’Never justify your failures with excuses.’’ It is a new year. It is high time you stop blaming your background, your spouse, your boss, your workplace for your outcomes. Take responsibility.

You can either make excuses or make efforts this year.

Ultimately, when the time for this year runs out, your outcome will be determined by your actions or in-actions throughout the year.

You are the captain of your ship, the master of your fate. Start acting accordingly.

5) Think Big 

‘’It might be impossible to fly, but we’ll make it possible for people to swim in the sky.’’

Sujimoto group is currently constructing a 25 storey world class building in Victoria Island called Lorenzo. This upon completion, in 2018 will be Nigeria’s first luxury building. It is one that challenges the previously established perception of ‘’Luxury’’ in Nigeria. With state of the art technology at every nook and cranny of the monumental structure.

While planning the building he told Tiago De Sousa Goncalves (Civil Engineer and Project Manager for the project) that he wanted a swimming pool on the 17th floor of the building. ‘'it might be impossible to fly in the sky, but we’ll make it possible to swim in the sky.''

 This form of bravery and big thinking has been the attributes that have helped Sujimoto to the success he has achieved so far in life. 

He once said

I refused to believe that we are a nation of idealists and thinkers; we must start transforming our potentials by becoming a nation of realists and doers.

People who think, think big, and do big!

Preparing for Success:2016

  It is a new year, a new opportunity to create your realities.  I hope you find the grace to actively pursue your goals and dreams this year.

 Be the captain of your life, the master of your soul. Dominate.

 And yes, as Henry Ford once said: ‘’ Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs"

 Have a plan to achieve your goals. Daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly qoals.

Want to earn more passive income? Start a side business. Want to write a book? Write One page daily (you’ll have a book within a year). Want to be fitter? Allocate a time for exercising .Want to improve your communication skills? Join Toastmasters club, learn two new words daily, volunteer to speak publicly. Want to be a better professional? Take online courses on Coursera, ShawAcademy, Alison or on any of the several Massive Open Online Courses outlets.

The Secret to getting ahead is getting started.

Have a splendid year ahead.

Olumuyiwa Babarinde is a Business Analyst at Insidify.com. A technology enthusiast and Content Aficionado.

He can be reached at : [email protected]