Food For Thought
90% of the things I have accomplished in my adult life are as a result of being linked to someone who has been instrumental in helping me achieve them. Either they directed me to the right person(s) or they advised me on the right way to approach the issue at hand.
I have gotten great positive results 100% of the times I have gone to visit someone after being introduced to them by a person with a higher authority or someone with a higher clout than them. Now whether this is done willingly or grudgingly that's another story all together.
This is the power of a network. So here are my thoughts about creating a (winning) network....
We all need someone with broader shoulders (figuratively speaking) on whom to stand in order to see further than we can when standing on our own.
I have read lots of books (still reading) listened to many successful people and even met some in person, but I am yet to meet anyone who has made it to the top just by themselves without the help of someone else.... [Continue reading]
It is as simple as the title reads.
There is no challenge that was ever accepted that never brought change to the challengee (is there such a word?).
According to one version of the English dictionary, the word challenge has been defined as, "the situation of being faced with something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person's ability". Another version says, "A challenge is something new and difficult which requires great effort and determination."
The two definitions above can be translated to mean that a challenge is something that can only be overcome by changing one's mentality from an old one to a new one in order to get the desired result. There is a famous Einstein quote that says, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
In other words, the key to overcoming challenges is change. For one to successfully overcome challenges, there are a few elements one must posses... [Continue reading]
What's the spelling of time? In my world, it is N-O-W i.e. NOW.
Now is the only time you have because as you already know, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is yet to come.
Stephen R. Covey said something very profound; "The key is not spending it but investing in time." Why did he say that? Becasue there are people who "spend" their time doing useless, meaningless things that add no value to their lives. As a matter of fact, those things devalue their life. According to my understanding of the word spend, when you spend something it means you will never get it back again. It's gone for good. On the other hand when you "invest" in something, it means at one point in life it will give you some returns. May not be now or tomorrow, but eventually it will. So when you invest in your time, you are sure you will get some returns out of it.
So, how do you invest in time? Here are some 5 pointers that you can apply?
Never let a minute of your time go idle. Take advantage of your passive time... [Continue reading]
Today you reaped (or will reap) whatever you did because sometime in the past you planted some seeds that have now borne you some returns. What you probably don’t realize is that some of those seeds might have been planted over a decade ago but you are reaping the benefits today.
Question is, what if you hadn’t planted those seeds then? That’s why I always tell people to make sure that no matter what is going on in their lives, they should always make sure that no day goes wasted.
Plant as many seeds/seedlings today for you never know which ones and how many of them will germinate and become productive.
If it’s your health, plant seedlings of healthy eating and regular exercise and in due course you will reap your reward.
If it’s about your personal growth, plant seedlings of developing yourself daily (through reading, listening to personal development material) and when the time is right, you will realize you have grown exponentially.
If it’s about your finances, plant seeds of... [Continue reading]
Today I’ll let Calvin Coolidge speak for me:
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Determination will go further than your skills, your talents, your connections, your “god-fathers and mothers” as well as your abilities.
Apply determination in everything you do and you’ll eventually reap your fruits.
Be Ignited. Be Inspired. Be Influenced
There is a FIRST STEP in everything you do.
Like the old adage says, “the journey of 1000 miles starts with the FIRST STEP."
This day started with you opening your eyes and deciding to step out of bed.
When you get to your office there will be that FIRST STEP you will need to take in order to set your day in motion.
Could be taking our phone to call that customer, or opening your laptop to send that email. There will be a FIRST STEP.
If you are unhappy with your weight then there is that FIRST STEP you will need to take; could be joining a gym or a jogging club.
Every area of your life has a FIRST STEP.
Now, unless you take that FIRST STEP, you will never know where it could have led you. You will never know what you are capable of achieving.
Like Ann Voskamp said, “Sometimes you don’t know when you’re taking the first step through a door until you’re already inside.”
Today how about you shed off all your fear and you just take that FIRST STEP you need to take in order to... [Continue reading]
“Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.” ~ Gautama Buddha
And you never see a snake going back to that skin again. Once it sheds it off it's off for good, never to go back to it again.
I think we need to apply this process to our thoughts as human beings. We need to shed off some "dead skin” called bad memories we often choose to carry around and dwell on instead of letting them go. Many of us spend so much time mulling over the negative stuff that has happened to us in the past that we find ourselves stuck and unable to move forward.
What’s past is past; that’s why it is in the PAST and revisiting that part of your life is simply taking you back in time, which only wastes your time; unless you are reminiscing on good stuff, or on lessons you learnt.
How about you spend more time having previews of what your future could be like. How about you spend more time creating a new history by making sure your future is worth looking forward to.
How?
By... [Continue reading]
Indeed life is like a long unwinding road heading somewhere upcountry; those are always several kilometers long and never really seem to come to an end.
Some parts are straight while some have bends. Some are uphill and some go downhill. Some parts have bumps while others have potholes; potholes of varied depths and sizes.
But they all make part of YOUR road.
Question is, do you know your destination?
Are you on the right road?
As long as you are on the right road, all the challenges (potholes, bends, sharp corners, bumps, etc) that come while you are on that road don’t really matter. They are there for a purpose. They are there to prepare you for your destination (destiny).
And even if you are on the wrong road, you can still decide to find your way to the right road, as long as you know where you want to go in the first place.
All the same, enjoy the road you are on currently, complete with all its bends and turns, bumps and potholes.
And if you find yourself in unfamiliar... [Continue reading]
“Activity and rest are two vital aspects of life. To find a balance in them is a skill in itself. Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have. Finding them in each other - activity in rest and rest in activity - is the ultimate freedom.” ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
You need to rest in order to be productive.
Your brain needs to shut down and cool off after a day of exerting it (assuming you did).
Everything needs a rest!
Like Mark Buchanan said, “Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.”
Don’t take your rest time for granted. Embrace it and be thankful for it.
Assuming you are on your laptop at night and then power suddenly goes off, what happens?
If your keyboard is illuminated then the light going off does not affect you. But if you are using one of those old laptops without illuminated keyboards, then unless you know how to type without looking at your keyboard you might as well shut down because typing will become a nightmare for you.
When darkness comes that’s when an illuminated keyboard gets its chance to show off its light.
And so should we.
In the words of Francis Bacon, “In order for the light to shine so brightly, darkness must be present"
In life we will encounter darkness (sickness, failure, loss, financial challenges, etc). If we do not have an internal light that helps counter these challenges then life becomes very tough.
So what is your internal light? It is….
~ the hope you have that things will be better tomorrow even when you don’t know/see how.
~ when you believe in yourself when no one else does.
~ when you maintain... [Continue reading]
When climbing a series of hills, to move from one hill to the next you have to climb down the current hill, pass through the connecting valley and climb up the next hill. Unless you are super(wo)man, bat(wo)man or one of those superheroes, the only way to the next plateau is by going down, then through the valley and up again until you get to the peak of the next hill.
And so it is with life.
Every time you achieve some success and want to move on to the next level of success in your life, you will have to go through a valley before your upward journey towards your next hill of success commences.
The key to success is to REPEAT THIS UNTIL DESIRED RESULTS ARE ACHIEVED.
The valleys in life are represented by many things; Could be sicknesses that drain your bank account; bankruptcy, divorce; failure in some aspect of your life; loss in business; sabotage by people you trusted; weak shilling, etc.
Every tough situation is a valley in your life.
What many people have never realized... [Continue reading]
Today marks the beginning of a new month.
It is a reminder that 4 months are gone; 8 more to go.
It is also a reminder that what’s gone is gone and cannot be recovered, however, you have the gift of today, and you can get a lot done if you put your mind to it.
Forget all you didn’t do before. Look forward to all you can still do with this new opportunity of a new month you now have.
A new month is like a new blank notebook, waiting for you to fill it up. What will you fill it up with?
Make sure you fill yours with positivity, with inspiration and with lots of possibilities.
If nothing has worked for you in the past four months, use this notebook to renew your mindset and definitely, your results will be different this month.
Remember, unless you decide to take a different approach, unless you change your mindset, you might be in a new month but you will still be doing the same old stuff you were doing before.
A new beginning means forgetting everything in your past and focusing on a... [Continue reading]
