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Food For Thought

It doesn’t matter how hungry you are or  how long ago its been since you last ate your favorite meal; the only way to eat food is one bite at a time.  Even if you were invited to the “Bestest” buffet in town, you can load your plate all you want but the only way to demolish that plate is by taking one bite at a time. Same case applies to your dream or vision. The only way to achieve or realize your dream is by approaching it one bite at a time.  If for instance you have a dream to write a book, the only way to do it is by writing a few pages every day consistently, until you finish the book. If your dream is to have the most stocks invested in the stock market, the best way to do this is by buying one stock at a time. If you have a desire to attain a PHD in whatever field you are aiming at, this doesn’t happen all at once; it happens one module at a time, one exam at a time, until you get to the end of the curriculum.  If you have rent to pay at the end of the year, start accumulating... [Continue reading]
“Tough times don't define you, they refine you.” ― Carlos A. Rodriguez I couldn’t agree with Carlos more. Imagine the process a carrot has to go through in order to produce carrot juice. It goes through some serious cutting and pressing, but eventually, the end result is this healthy, yummy, thick, fresh juice that cleanses your skin and detoxifies your body. Every one of us has a carrot moment; that moment when you have to go through the press (blender) for you to produce that which will transform you. It is during such times that we know our own strengths. It is during that time that we realize how strong we are. Unfortunately not everyone takes that process very well. Some people resign along the way and give up. Please don’t.  To quote the words of Karen Salmansohn, “You are stronger than your challenges and your challenges are making you stronger.” Are you going through a challenging situation right now? It is not time to give up. It is time to gather all the courage within you... [Continue reading]
Watch your thoughts for soon enough you will become what you constantly think about.  That’s why Henry Ford said, "There are two kinds of people: those who think they can, and those who think they can’t. They're both right.” In other words, if you think you can be successful then soon enough you will start seeing the signs of success coming your way. If you think you will never be successful, then you will always host failure in your life. There is power in your thoughts. Your thoughts have the ability to create because it is they that soon become your words.  Except for the (many) people who don’t think before they speak, everyone else thinks before they speak. And guess what happens when you speak; Your words create your world. Change your thoughts, and your words will change. When your words change, ultimately your world will change too. May this new month, this new quarter be the beginning of change in your thoughts, your words and your world.
A smile is a secret weapon that most people don’t realize they can use. Today I just thought I should share some ten reasons why you should smile often. Here goes: It is an instant remedy to feeling low; smiling makes you feel good, it makes you feel happier. Smiling makes you look approachable, even if you are a hard nut to crack. And did you know it makes you look younger? Smiling gives you confidence, even if you have butterflies flying up and down inside your stomach, almost threatening to escape through your mouth. Smiling makes you look like a better leader. How? Because when you smile, people feel they can trust you. So leaders out there, if your teams have been avoiding you, if its not sweat that is keeping them away then you need to try smiling more often. Believe it or not, smiling improves your productivity. You see, when you smile, it means you already have a positive mental attitude; guess what happens when you have a positive attitude …… productivity!  Smiles are... [Continue reading]
“Sometimes a majority simply means that all the fools are on the same side.” ― Claude C. McDonald. I know that quote may sound very insensitive but unfortunately it is very true. Many people fear being different; they fear standing up for what is true and what they believe in because they don’t want to be ridiculed or hated by others.  Haven’t you heard what someone said about wanting to please everyone? Whoever it is said this, “If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader; sell Ice Cream”. Why did s/he say that? I guess it is because he or she had realized that for you to make a difference in life, you will have to go against many people who think everything you are doing is wrong, people who think you are nuts. Why? Because the vision you were given is yours alone; it was given to you and not to them. No matter how much you try explaining it to them, they will never understand because they have no role to play in it. Friends, trying to conform or to fit in is the surest... [Continue reading]
Ever heard or read this version of Story of the Five Fingers?  One day, Sir. Middle came to the realization that Mr.Thumb was different from the rest of them. He quickly whispered to Ms.Ring and Mrs. Index to exclude Mr. Thumb from their group because he was shorter, fatter, and he lived far away from all of them.  While Ms. Ring and Mrs. Index agreed with Sir. Middle to exclude Mr.Thumb, Miss.Pinkie felt very uncomfortable. But because she didn't want to be excluded herself, she decided to go along with it and exclude Mr.Thumb.  When Mr.Thumb came along to play with them, Sir. Middle quickly rejected him saying, "Mr.Thumb, you can't play with us. We don't want to be your friends anymore.” "But why?" Asks Mr. Thumb with a sadness in his voice. "Well, because you aren't like us. You are short, fat and ugly, and you live so far away!" replied Ms.Ring. "But...But...Mrs. Index, we were so close! And I love you guys..." said Mr. Thumb. "No, you have to leave us alone" said Mrs. Index.  Mr... [Continue reading]
I often wonder why people hate Mondays. Isn’t it a day like any other day? Doesn’t it have 24 hours like any of the other 6 days of the week?  Then I figured out what the problem was: most people hate Mondays because it is a long way off from "excitement" i.e. the weekend.  I know this is true because the same people love Mondays when it is part of a long weekend, like the up-coming Easter weekend. What this means to me is that most people wake up on Mondays with nothing exciting to look forward to, hence the many gloomy descriptions attached to Monday such as Blue Monday, Black Monday, etc.  If you want to have a good Monday, then have something great, something motivating to look forward to. You could decide to make it the day you visit/call your favorite clients, or the day you set aside to do something that excites you, but whatever the case, always ensure you have something awesome to look forward to so that you can jump out of your bed every Monday morning energized and excited... [Continue reading]
A water bearer in India had two large pots hanging on each end of a pole he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I'm ashamed of myself, and want to apologize to you. “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I've been able for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back... [Continue reading]
Whether you like it or not disappointments are a part of life. Just like day and night are a part of life, we are assured that at some point disappointment will happen to you.  That does not mean that you should go around carrying a negative attitude or being a pessimist. No. All I’m saying is that you should not be surprised when it happens. The best way to deal with disappointments is to disappoint them.  And how do you disappoint your disappointments? By not letting them put you down; by not letting them put you in a mood; by making a conscious decision to stay positive no matter what happens. The moment you determine to not get disappointed, then  you are on your way to winning the war against disappointment. How do you manage to stay positive in the midst of disappointments? Simple; look for something positive to be grateful for in that situation that has disappointed you and guess what, you will always find one.  Take roses for instance; We can complain because rose bushes have... [Continue reading]
For any building to get built, it starts from a vision, or what we call the building’s blue print. This is a plan that shows the owner of the building every single detail of the proposed building, down to the minutest detail.  The building starts with an idea (think it) in the mind which is then translated into a visual (ink it), which then leads the people concerned to put all the relevant plans in place before real work begins. While the work is going on, as the building owner, what you say is what you see i.e. If you confess negativity, you get negativity back. If you stay positive, then you will reap the fruits of positivity. Lastly, you live to see your completed building. The same case should apply to your life. Unfortunately most people wake up and just go through each day without a vision or a reason for the life they have. What happened to all the dreams you had inside of you? If you ever want to see any of them become a reality, you have to start by having them  well... [Continue reading]
Going after your dream, or walking your designated path may not necessarily be easy. Today I want to share a story about someone whose dream was almost snuffed out by a teacher. Yes, a TEACHER. When his teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he wrote down on his paper that he wanted to be on TV. His teacher sarcastically asked him whether he personally knew someone on TV, to which he obviously responded no. She told the boy he was being smart and wrote a note and stuck it on him telling his mother that he was being unreasonable. His Mom told his father.  Instead of reprimanding him, his father told him to take out that paper he had written and read it everyday!  Wise man his father was! The boy chose to believe his father and not his teacher.  When he first started telling jokes he didn’t know what he was doing. He used to write jokes for a friend who was doing stand-up. His friend encouraged him to tell the jokes himself because he was really funny. His friend... [Continue reading]
Not sure how true it is but I have heard it said that no two people have the same finger prints; not even identical twins. I guess this goes to prove the one thing that many people still don’t get; we are all unique! This means everything about you, everything about your destiny was made specifically with you in mind. This means that only you can walk the path you were destined to walk and become successful. The beauty of this is that if you are following the path you were meant to follow, though there will be challenges along the way, somehow the universe will work with you ensuring that you still have the passion and the persistence to follow through with your dream.  But if you opt to take a different path, then you will get insurmountable challenges that will eventually discourage you until you quit. To put it bluntly, the universe will conspire against you; it will frustrate you. Just like a fish is best suited to do wonders when it is in water, you are best suited to perform... [Continue reading]

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