‘For youths to thrive, they must have soft skills’

Victoria Praise Abraham is a multi-talented creative entrepreneur and bestselling author of ‘Treasures,’ ‘Golden Laws Of Success,’ ‘Hope On The Go,’ ‘The Tiny Big First Step’ and ten other non-fiction books. The prolific writer, poet, author, motivational speaker, songwriter and gospel minister, is the Founder/President of Africa Youth Reformation Initiative Agenda (AYRIA). She is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vic-Abraham Media Nigeria Limited, a media merchandising company. Victoria holds a BSc. Physics (Education) and certificate in Mass Communication respectively from the University of Lagos, Certificate in Media Enterprise and also Script Writing from School of Communications of Pan Atlantic University Lagos.  In this interview with MARIA DIAMOND, she spoke about the concept of writing, the necessity for young people to have soft skills and the need for women, single or married, to find a balance to every aspect of their life.

Tell us about your books. At what point did you become an author?
I started writing about 18years ago but published my debut book titled, ‘Treasures,’ which took me about seven years to write in November 2011.

My writing started first with me journaling as a form of therapy, afterwards, I started to sharing these writings on Facebook and other social media platforms before publishing it.

I write in the non-fiction genre. I believe in writing books that inspire, solve problems with practical approach, instruct and educate. My books are for people who desire to be inspired and motivated to live their best lives by using whatever they have to unlock their greatest potential in life.

My targeted audiences are the young and old generations as I’m determined to help people discover their life’s purpose. However, I’m specifically all out to help young people discover their talents and put it to good use.

How do you help young people deploy their talents? What do you do differently?
I help young people deploy their talents by helping them better understand and appreciate their unique self. I also coach and mentor young people formally and informally. Some of our Nigerian motivational speakers talk a lot of blunders, they speak a lot of ‘you can be great’ without helping their listeners to know or learn how they can achieve this greatness. Every message I pass across to young people comes from personal experience, so I’m usually speaking from a point of practical experience. I emphasise on the necessity for young people to learn soft skills. For young people to thrive, they must have soft skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, self-awareness, self-motivation and others.

Do you have a central thematic preoccupation on the books you’ve written?
Yes, all my books address diverse issues of human life. I like to throw more light on particular topics and give my readers practical hands-on knowledge about whatever topic I’m writing about per time.

Of all the books you have published, which of them reflects your personal experiences?
All my books have some element of my personal experiences but the most vivid would be my books titled, ‘Blessed Not Cursed’ and ‘Because I Believed.’

What actually gets your writing muse working?
I love writing. I breathe writing. I write when I am sad, I write when I am happy. I can write at any time, morning, afternoon and night. The only time I cannot write is when I am very tired and when I am asleep.

Tell us about AYRIA, what is the focal point of the initiative?
Africa Youth Reformation Initiative Agenda (AYRIA) is a youth development initiative for empowering teenagers and young adults. We do this through coaching, seminars, social networks and empowerment programmes.

As a single lady, you tend to be driving your career to thrive without distractions. Do you think if you were married with children you could work at the same pace?
This is a question I sometimes personally wonder on. I think that being single has greatly helped me to be very focused and purposeful to achieve so much in life, especially with my career. The truth is, I am a single minded, purpose driven and very determined person. So, if I were married, I would know how to properly plan my time and allocate it in such a way that I can still succeed in all that I set my mind to succeed in. Marriage has its advantages and disadvantages and I guess that when I finally marry, I will be in a better position to proffer a more revealing answer to this question.