Away From the Pressure, Just Do You!

Project InspireMe; TBSS #4, with Peter Justin

You know, your accomplishments in life is based less on what you want, but more of how much you want it. Lola, our last guest, mentioned something we feel you should hold on to, always. “…in the early stages of your career, it is very important to understand that you may need to forgo some personal gratifications while trying to establish yourself….”

Peter, knowing very well he had expectations to meet, had no choice but to be disciplined and attain great success.

On this episode, he shares his journey through campus; becoming an 18 year old Chartered Accountant, his opinion on combining academics & extra-curricular activities, and more… He currently works with the Deal Advisory unit in one of the Big 4s, loves public speaking, coaching & peer mentoring. However, in his leisure time, he watches a lot of movies. . . .

On choosing a career path, what were the key things that informed your choice of Accounting, and how did you know that was what you wanted to do? Also, was it a personal choice or parental-influenced?

I laugh a lot when I get this question because the story behind my choice of career is funny. First off, it was totally a personal choice. At age 7, I kind of bumped into my mum and elder sister discussing some stuff related to the bank and they mentioned the word “Accountant.” That was the first time I had heard the word, and I enquired from my mum what an Accountant did. Guess what she told me? “An Accountant is someone in charge of paying salaries in an organization.” I was intrigued by that explanation. I thought to myself (then), “if an accountant is in charge of paying salaries, he must definitely pay himself very well before paying others. I want to be an Accountant”. That’s where the entire journey started. Probably because of the early mindset I had, to become an Accountant, I naturally fell in love with business/finance related subjects. Throughout high school, I didn’t find commercial subjects difficult. I literally enjoyed them — that’s when I knew I was truly born for Accounting.

Lol, who would have thought? And yeah, it’s one hell of a funny story, but it’s really amazing that you lived up to the decision you made at such early age.

Anyways, do share with us how you were able to develop and sustain the level of discipline needed, at such a young age, and, any other factor that’s played a huge role in all you’ve achieved so far?

Well, I would say, I had a lot of people looking up to me from an early age, especially my wonderful parents. And, it’s never in anyone’s plans to fail in meeting the expectations of people you love… Knowing very well I had expectations to meet, I had no choice but to be disciplined and attain great success. Another factor that played a major role in my achievements so far is the moral support and belief I had from parents, friends, and people around me.

Nothing beats getting moral support from those who love you. Some people can definitely relate… it’s priceless. Just to add, was there any form of pressure (at any point), on you to deliver at such a high and consistent level?

Pressure? Not really. Yeah, there were great expectations of me, but no one pressurized me into performing at a very high level. My performances have been subjective. I’ve just always wanted to make everyone proud and happy.

That really, is super cool, getting to move at your own pace. On the other hand, we’re quite curious as to what your daily routine was like during your undergrad years, and what it’s like now?

I had a terrific routine during undergrad days given the fact I combined my B.Sc with the ICAN ACA programme. I would wake up very early in the morning to prepare for lectures in school. GSS classes were 7.a.m prompt. After GSS classes, I would attend other lectures. If there weren’t any other lectures, your best bet would be that Peter’s in the library studying. From morning to late afternoon, I shuffled between studying and attending lectures. By 5 pm, I had to attend my ICAN lectures up to 9 pm, then I would head home. I wasn’t the “night class” type of person, so I maximized my studies in the daytime and slept at night. This was my daily routine as an undergrad during weekdays. On weekends, I had ICAN lectures all through the day till evening.

My routine now is much better to some extent. I work from 8.a.m to 5.p.m on weekdays. In the evenings, I do other personal stuff like relaxing, watching movies, attending personal development webinars, studying and being social in the little way I can.

Aaaaaand, all your efforts did pay off. This actually brings us to your next question. We find that you were engaged in extracurricular activities too, and struck a balance, performing excellently in your academics. However, there are students who believe these 2 are mutually exclusive such that engaging in one affects your ability to deliver in the other, while on campus. What’s your take on this?

Everyone has different abilities. Mr. A can be engaged in 2 programmes at the same time conveniently, while Mr. B may have the ability for one programme at a time. Do you! Identify your strengths & weaknesses and, make decisions based on them. What might work for Mr. A may not work for Mr. B. As a student, if you can combine academics and extracurricular activities conveniently, go for it. But, if it would be an issue, concentrate on your primary purpose in school.

Well said… If you were to recommend just one book, which will it be and why?

I would recommend “Talent Is Never Enough” by John C. Maxwell. The book provides key points and experiences on how one can utilize his/her talents towards being a great success.

One thing you wish you could have done differently or better, if given another chance.

If given another chance, I would have been more social than I was in my undergrad days. My academics took a major part of my life and I had little time for sociability. This life is just one. It’s essential to enjoy every moment of it.

This life is indeed, just one… It’s quite obvious that you were acquainted to personal development at an early age. What role do you think it plays in a student’s life on campus?

Personal development helps a student get a better understanding of his/her persona while on campus, which would be very helpful in the outside world. It creates a very good platform for purpose and self discovery. Personal development also helps in identifying individual strengths & weaknesses and how to leverage these strengths and minimize the weaknesses.

We couldn’t have said it better. Now, to the fun part… Yeaaaaaah, we’re going to play the 321 game.

Alright, game on…

Yup yup! First up, Three (3) persons you’ve always wanted to meet, if you were given the chance…

Bill Gates, Dr. D. K. Olukoya, and Jace Norman.

British/American accent… And, do you like doughnuts?

British accent. Who doesn’t like doughnuts?

Lol… One (1) city in the world you’d like to visit and why?

New York City. Apart from the fact that New York is the world’s leading financial center and home to many of the world’s largest banks, insurance companies, hedge funds, credit rating agencies, and private equity firm, New York has been known to be a diverse city with open-minded people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

Interesting… It’s been such a privilege getting to have this conversation with you Peter!

The pleasure’s mine. Thank you SPDH for having me

Do follow us on LinkedIn; “Student Personal Development Hub” and “@spdhub” on Instagram. You definitely want to stay tuned to our updates. However, be on the lookout for our next episode of the Project InspireMe series. Live your best life always!