Notes from Billionaire Tony Elumelu on family and how self-discipline keeps him grounded as a businessman

Recently my family celebrated some incredible milestones. It is a time to reflect, to give thanks and share my motivation. To explain why family keeps me grounded and how self-discipline allows me to balance the demands of business and the love of family.

First, my twin boys, Toby and Tony, became communicants of the Catholic Church. We are Catholic, and as part of their Christian journey, receiving holy communion allows them to become full members of the Church. It is an important step in their journey of faith. It was a time also to pay tribute to my wonderful wife – and her skills as a mother.

But, Awele is not just an incredible mother. At the beginning of the month, I joined this amazing, supportive anchor, to celebrate Avon HMO’s decade of empowering people across Nigeria to live healthier, fuller lives by providing access to quality healthcare services. Awele is a champion of healthcare in Africa and as Chair of Avon is leading by example.

Two weeks ago, my gorgeous triplets – Ugo, Nneka and Onyinye – received different awards at their school’s prize-giving ceremony. Ugo was awarded the Dual Science Award, Nneka, The Fifth Form Prize
for Latin and the Sinclair Cup for All Round Academic Achievement and Onyinye, the Upper Fifth RB Prize for Endeavour. These awards were, as they say in the game of football, ‘hat tricks’ for my family.

On Friday my darling Oge graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science, with a Bachelor of Science in Politics and Philosophy.

I am beyond proud of this significant milestone, not only because this means so much to my family, but also because for each of these milestones, I know first-hand the effort, time, and dedication each of my family has put in for these achievements to manifest.

My boys love football. We bond over games, and they know their stuff, but Mrs. TOE and I found a way to create a healthy balance of love for their studies and football, while also preparing them for Holy Communion.

With my triplets, it’s the same but a little more challenging! My girls are in their teens, and teenage years have got quite the reputation; balancing social life, with studies, me watching as they grow, become
more independent, questioning and looking for answers. Still, as TOE girls, we believe we have instilled the correct values to help them accomplish great success.

My Mini-me, Oge, has done exceptionally well at Uni – and has made us incredibly proud. Being the eldest, she has created the blueprint for her siblings to excel. I see the same traits in my second daughter,
Ogo who is away studying Pre-med in the United States.

Let me say that Mrs. TOE makes parenting our children so very easy, as we share the same values. One of these values is self-discipline.

Introducing the concept of self-discipline in your children at a young age is critical. It’s a family custom for Mrs. TOE and me – instilling the same values my parents and Mrs. TOE’s parents instilled in us.
I often tell my children that winning starts in their minds, rather than at the finish line. It begins each day till you achieve your goal. However, you must have self-discipline and robust time management skills to win.

To achieve winning results, one must be self-disciplined. However, self-discipline does not come naturally. It has to be practised until it becomes a habit. To win through self-discipline, you must;

1 .Plan
The first step is to plan. How you plan your day sets everything up for you. Break your week’s goals into smaller daily chunks that become easy to tackle.

2. Execute 
It’s effortless to plan, but execution requires a lot of grit, self-discipline, and resilience. Make it your daily mission to accomplish the goals you set aside for each day.

3. Measure and Review Progress.
People end at execution and skip the progress review. How do know if you reached your goal?
You must take time to review what you accomplished. Reviewing progress helps you determine if your approach was good or needs to be modified and allows you to identify your mistakes.

Anything is possible with self-discipline, but you must understand the significance of self-discipline in your life before engaging in it.
Regardless of your desire to give up, stay focused on the goal to be won. The stronger your determination gets, the higher your chances of winning. Go on and win the day! Love your families and spread the message.

#TOEWay

____________________________________________________________

Tony O. Elumelu is one of Africa’s leading investors and philanthropists. He is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, his family owned investment company, committed to improving lives and transforming Africa, through long-term investments in strategic sectors of the African economy, including financial services, hospitality, power, energy, technology and healthcare. Tony is the Chairman of pan-African financial services group, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), which operates in 20 countries across Africa, the United Kingdom, France, the UAE, and is the only African bank with a commercial deposit taking presence in the United States.

Disclaimer

It is the policy of NewsWireNGR not to endorse or oppose any opinion expressed by a User or Content provided by a User, Contributor, or another independent party. Opinion pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of NewsWireNGR