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  • How to Motivate Yourself

    “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

    Just as willpower is essential to achieving success, discouragement and a lack of motivation can, at some point, keep you from reaching your objective.

    It is entirely up to you to devise techniques and methods that help to keep the fire burning.

    Visual goals are very helpful. Whatever you are working toward, make it visual. Write it down, and remind yourself of it every day. This creates an indelible mental picture of what you want to achieve.

    It may be something material like a car, or a vacation you have been looking forward to for a long time. Write it down, be specific and not ambiguous.

    If possible, take or cut out a picture of it and paste it somewhere conspicuous at work or at home where you can see it often. So when you feel discouraged, it will remind you of your goal and help you stay focused.

    Make a contract with yourself. According to motivational researchers, people who write down to-do lists are far more likely to achieve their intended goals than those people who just keep mental lists. Writing down your goals has power.

    Putting something in writing can make it psychologically more powerful. This may also explain why most cultures hold such a high regard for honouring contracts.

    In the contract, you may also include a reward you will give yourself once you complete the task.

    After all, everyone likes to be rewarded for completing a good job. Even a simple pat on the back, “good job”, or “thank you” may do the trick to give someone the push to keep going, but unfortunately, these may not always be readily available.

    Since these are also essential for staying motivated, you must learn to find that encouragement on your own by pleasing yourself.

    Abusive people lower your self-esteem and bring you down. Get these negative people out of your life. Surround yourself with positive-minded people. Imitate their example. Smile amply and think happy thoughts.

    This will give you a brighter outlook, help you see a clearer picture of what you really want, and give you a fresh mind to decide what steps to take to get there.

    Rather than wait for things to happen, try to be proactive and MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. Inactivity idles the brain and stagnates your potential to reach your goals. There is a saying: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”

    Read inspirational books and literature. These can improve your attitude and heal your mind. A book of success stories can also be encouraging.

    You will learn from other people’s experiences and gain confidence-boosting insights, and the stories will also motivate you to pursue your goals and move forward with your plans.

    Oftentimes, not knowing how or where to start is frustrating. Knowledge is power. Knowing how and where to start is empowering, and it gives you the drive to hit your mark and follow through.

    Whatever it is that you have been planning to do, or wanting to achieve, JUST DO IT! Keep on aiming high and go for it!

    Actually getting your hands dirty is the best way to solve the problem of motivation. By “forcing” yourself to do it, your momentum will build gradually, and before you know it, you have finished the task or finally achieved your goal.

    Divide and conquer is the key. Break down the apparently unattainable activity into small, doable ones. Not only does it become less overwhelming, but seeing the “in the meantime” results will further your confidence that it can indeed be done.

    Lack of motivation happens to us all, but if you do not encourage yourself to accept opportunities and be challenged, no one else will. It is most important to keep your eye on the goal, find ways to keep going, and in no time, you shall reap the benefits.

    If in the beginning, you were just doing it for the material reward, you will also learn to realise that the fulfilment, satisfaction, and self-achievement you derive from reaching your goal are equally enjoyable and will keep the drive within constantly burning.

    Conclusion

    There are many other ways to keep yourself motivated. The key is to maintain it at a level that drives you to achieve your intended purpose.

    We all need to be motivated to reach our goals, and sometimes that drive burns out and needs to be rekindled. If you want to stay motivated, get the motivation spirit.

  • It’s Time to Review Your Resolutions

    We’re nearing the end of the year, and it’s time to review your current goals and what you have achieved. This is also a good time to start thinking about what you want to achieve next year.

    If you didn’t start the year with any resolutions, now may be the time to set them and evaluate what you have achieved.

    “To be successful you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, and then resolve to pay the price to get it” – Bunker Hunt.

    The only thing you have to fear is not giving 100%. There are no limits to achieving your dreams.

    You do not have to wait until the end of the year to write down your goals or resolutions. You can start now and align yourself as the year progresses.

    If you live your life without setting goals, you are living an aimless life; you are simply drifting along. It is important to have a written set of goals and work toward achieving them.

    I know for a fact that every reasonable human being has a set of aspirations they would want to achieve. You may not have realised it, but even those without written-down resolutions have some sort of aspirations.

    If you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, they will definitely tell you something. Some of the happiest people I have met are those who write down their resolutions and pursue them vigorously.

    Writing is a Great Reminder

    “You can do anything you put your mind to” – Unknown. Don’t rely on your memory; write down your resolutions and read them often. Writing down your resolutions reminds you what you need to achieve within a set period.

    If you are serious about your personal growth, you will write down resolutions that support your intended life purpose. This also acts as a gauge of your life.

    You will always assess whether you are moving toward your written resolutions or drifting away, and keep yourself on track.

    It takes a lot of discipline to live by your written plan. But remember, discipline is a habit you can learn.

    Every day brings its own challenges, but it is also important to fit those challenges into our plans.

    Everyone, including those who are successful, faces challenges, but the difference is that they have learned to be more disciplined, which helps them achieve their goals. “Great minds have purpose; others have wishes” – Washington Irvin.

    Your written periodical resolutions should support your overall intended life purpose. Use your resolutions to move you toward your life’s bigger picture.

    I can assure you that most likely you won’t achieve all your resolutions in the period you set for yourself. Don’t worry about that; the most important thing is that you’ve written them down, and this will keep reminding you as you review your progress.

    Give Yourself Genuine Targets

    Pair your resolutions with genuine, measurable targets. They will motivate and encourage you as you achieve each resolution you write down.

    It is important to challenge ourselves, but these targets should be realistic and achievable. Not achieving your targets within a set period should not limit you or discourage you.

    The most important thing is to learn from your failures and keep improving until you achieve your plans.

    You can set targets for periodic review, e.g., weekly, monthly, or quarterly, depending on how often you want to monitor your progress.

    When setting your targets, please ensure that they can be easily measured and assessed by both yourself and an independent person with whom you have shared them.

    Be honest with yourself when carrying out a self-assessment. Remember that only you know yourself better than anyone else. Be honest with yourself before you can be honest with other people.

    Reward Yourself

    “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it” – John Rushkin.

    Life is too short. Always reward yourself when you accomplish your goals. Reward yourself only when you have met your set resolutions for that period. This will help keep you motivated to work extra hard, as your mind will look forward to the rewards afterwards.

    Keep your rewards modest so they don’t overshadow you with instant gratification.

    Look at the bigger picture of what you want to achieve and keep your mind focused on doing what you have to do to achieve your overall intended life’s purpose.

    Also, remember that you are not competing with anyone and that success is not a destination but a joyful journey. Personal development and growth are about yourself and not anyone else.

    It is your responsibility to stay motivated and focused on the bigger picture of your personal development and growth. I have noticed that many of us like to blame our failures on other people.

    But remember that most of the time, we are not forced to make the bad choices and decisions that lead to failure and destruction.

    Conclusion

    Therefore, I challenge you to review your achievements this year, whether you have resolutions for the current year or not.

    The fact that you are not dead means that you must have achieved something, even if it is failure. If you have your resolutions written down, it is time to review them and think about how strong you are going to end the year.

    It is also time to start thinking about next year’s resolutions and have them ready as you begin working on them at the turn of the year.

  • Adversity Introduces You to Yourself

    “Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the Seed of an equivalent or greater Benefit” – Napoleon Hill.

    We have all experienced misfortunes. Some come out scathed and bruised, while others come out unscathed. However, when you come out of a challenge, you will have learned many lessons.

    One lesson you can learn to avoid or mitigate the recurrence of a challenge is goal setting.

    Goals are like the stars; they are always there. Challenges are like clouds; they are temporary and will move on.

    Keep your eyes focused on the stars. Your goals will always be there. But to reach them, you will always face challenges. Clouds will always cover the stars.

    The adversities we face in life are what make us grow. They teach us life’s lessons. They remind us that life is not always smooth sailing. It is riddled with many obstacles. To overcome these obstacles, you need courage.

    The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity. These choices measure your life.

    Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there will never be a wrong time to do the right thing. Focus your mind on what is right and not on who is right.

    When you are deep in the middle of the storm, when you are at the darkest moments of your life. You have tried everything you can, and nothing seems to be working.

    At moments like this, most people will just give up. They will throw in the towel. They will call it quits.

    But do you know that personal development comes at a high price? In fact, the greater your achievement, the higher the price. Nothing on this earth comes for free. Everything has a price.

    If you have been told that personal growth is easy, get it from me that is not true. There is no quick fix for personal development and self-improvement. I have never found one.

    The only formula I have found is being persistent, courageous and getting up when you fall. Refuse to accept defeat.

    Yes, sometimes it may feel like nothing is going my way. But I keep pushing, sometimes not for myself but for the sake of my family and the people around me. I pay it forward.

    When you face life’s challenges, don’t be quick to point to your failures. Do not play the blame game. Instead, summon your inner self and focus your energy on facing challenges with a positive attitude.

    After Adversity Comes Rewards

    No adversity lasts forever. Misfortunes come and go.

    “Weeping may endure for a night but Joy comes in the morning” – Psalms.

    God always gives a way where there seems to be no way. He is always by your side if only you can pay attention to his counsel and direction. When we overcome challenges, we grow to another level. It is our responsibility to triumph over them.

    “Adversity is the diamond dust that heaven polishes its jewels with. large sailing ship moving onward” – Leighton.

    Those who have succeeded know that they will fail, not just once but many times. They learn lessons from the failures they endure. They never give up when faced with adversity.

    If you are not prepared to overcome challenges, then you are not prepared for success. Challenges are the price we pay for success.

    Hard times prepare us for better ones to come. For to he who is given more, more of him is required. Great success comes with great responsibilities. God will never allow you to enjoy success without being ready for it.

    You will never succeed without going through the mill. Otherwise, we would all be successful. Every one of us would be enjoying a successful life.

    Every storm that comes your way is followed by calmness. For every mountain you climb, great rewards follow. Do not give up and slide back when climbing your mountains.

    Yes, the mountain may be marred with mud, but keep your mind focused on the reward that follows. The mud will soon dry, and you can step on it and move forward with ease.

    Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.

    We all face different challenges every day of our lives. Some challenges seem insurmountable; some seem obvious.

    There is no one-size-fits-all solution to overcoming them. It calls on one to use their own wisdom and intuition to tackle them. I personally prepare my day by saying a prayer early in the morning.

    I thank God Almighty for giving me the opportunity to serve him; the opportunity to enjoy life; the privilege to interact with people; and the grace to write articles.

    I also thank him for what he has prepared for me today. I refuse to be negative. Early in the morning, I decide to be happy.

    I always include my family in the prayer. I seek God’s guidance, protection, and wisdom. They say prayer moves mountains.

    Conclusion

    I would like to end with one of my favourite prayers,

    “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

  • This is a Milestone Reached

    This website has just reached 177 articles. In essence, that’s more than 177,000 words at an average rate of 1,000 words per article. I know it’s very small, but that’s huge for me.

    This is a personal achievement for me, and I thank God for the grace and inspiration to write.

    I can only ask for more grace and inspiration to write even more, much, much better articles.

    Thank you also for following me on my journey this far; we are in it together. 

    I have never written this many articles in my life.  This is truly a milestone worth celebrating.

    I also pray and hope these articles have been, and will continue to be, of great help to you, the readers.

    I believe that we can help change the world for the better. A journey of one thousand miles begins with one step in the right direction.

    I have personally endeavoured to take that step, and I know that it is the right one.

    My pledge is to grow this site into one of the most preferred destinations for people seeking personal growth, personal development, spiritual growth, and encouragement.

    I will be writing about other areas in due course, as outlined on the home page.

    For now, I just wanted to share this happy moment with you.

    What’s Coming in the Next Few Weeks?

    I have been doing some work in the background on how best to host podcasts.

    I am in the process of introducing a podcast section for some of the articles. I hope this will also open up the possibility of recording podcasts with different personalities.

    I am always looking for ways to improve both the general outlook of the website and the quality of the articles.

    I want to make it as user-friendly as possible. I also want it to be simple but informative.

    You will notice a few tweaks here and there; these are just to correct errors and improve the overall look.

    If you feel anything needs my attention, please feel free to contact me in the About section.

    I have noticed that since the BlogCarnival website was taken down, a few platforms host personal development carnivals.

    I intend to start hosting one in the coming weeks. I’ll upload the submission request page soon.

    I will ask only for a link back to successfully hosted sites. I hope the community will greatly appreciate these services.

    These are some of the major changes that will take place on this site. Thank you again for your continued readership and support.

  • On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

    Get set, ready, steady, go. The challenge starts today. The die is cast. There is no turning back. This is the start of the month-long article-posting challenge.

    In my previous post, I made a public declaration and challenged myself to post an article daily for a month.

    Well, the month is here. This is the first post for the challenge. By the end of the month, we should have at least 31 articles of real value.

    The month has already started with challenges for me, and I need to learn quickly how to navigate them without disrupting my 31 Days challenge.

    I know I will face many, but what will determine my success is the lessons I take from them.

    I am not looking back but pressing ahead and seeing how far this challenge will take me. The beauty of it is that by the end of the month, I will have moved a step closer to achieving my objective of improving my writing skills and contributing to humanity.

    I believe that when something is written, it is indelible. Usually, we write what we believe in or what we want to say. Most of the time, we convey our feelings and thoughts through writing. 

    The main difference between speaking and writing is how easy it is to refer back. It is much easier to refer to written speeches than spoken ones.

    Written messages are never forgotten. Today, we still refer to many quotes because they were written down.

    Here are some of the key objectives of the 31 Day Challenge.

    Increase Content on the Site

    Increasing site content is a no-brainer. Remember that I pledged to increase content on this site. More articles posted on any site will, of course, add to the existing content and increase the overall content.

    This is a basic SEO rule. The search engines love new content. This can greatly improve site rankings and, in turn, increase search engine traffic to the website.

    I believe that search engine traffic is the best because users reach your site through what they are searching for. They are more specific. If your site appears in search results for those keywords, the likelihood of increased organic traffic is higher.

    Increased traffic means increased visibility and access to a wider audience. I hope to reach as many people as possible.

    Through this, I am hoping to get more referral links pointing to this site. More backlinks mean improved search engine rankings. This is good news for me.

    Improve Visitor Satisfaction

    Visitor satisfaction will come with the quality of the content being generated. Although visitor satisfaction will not depend only on content quality, many other factors will also affect it.

    Some of them may be beyond my control. However, I will endeavour to change what is within my power.

    I am also very much aware that you cannot please every visitor. But I will try as much as possible to make the site user-friendly and work with more reliable and faster hosting service providers. For now, I cannot complain about Namecheap’s service.

    Improve My Writing Skills

    They say practice makes perfect. I believe that even before I undertake this challenge, my writing skills are improving with every article I write.

    I can only assume that there will be a great improvement at the end of the challenge. I know there is a lot of room to improve my writing skills.

    I can assure you that I work to improve them regularly. The better and easier the articles are to read and understand, the more user satisfaction they generate.

    Improve Writing Inspiration

    My friends who are artists and bloggers will understand what I mean when I say you need inspiration to write.

    It is not easy to wake up and start writing. You need some inspiration to put your thoughts on paper and, worse still, put them down in a meaningful way.

    A musician always needs the inspiration to write and sing songs. Inspiration may come from real-life experiences and many other sources.

    One of the biggest killers of putting down our thoughts is putting them off until later. I have learned over the years that when you feel inspired to write, don’t postpone it; your thoughts will be gone by then.

    Just sit down and get going with it. Your thoughts will flow on paper. Usually, the idea isn’t even clear at the beginning, but as you delve into it, you flow with it.

    Conclusion

    As we undertake this journey together, I also challenge you to do something you have never done before. It could be exercising daily for a period of time.

    You could also challenge yourself to get rid of an old bad habit. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it adds more value to yourself and the world at large.

    I believe that we will be made to account for how we spend our time on this earth. 

  • 5 Common Principles for Successful People

    “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit” ~ Conrad Hilton.

    You may have asked yourself these questions as you’ve got older. Why are other people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money, have more friends, and enjoy a better life than others? Why do other people derive more satisfaction from life than others?

    Studies have been done, and lots of money has been spent, to answer these questions. I have been doing my own personal study of successful men and women. The revelations have been phenomenal and interesting.

    I know that the subject of success is very wide. I also know there is no formula for success, and it is difficult to measure.

    However, after my brief study, I realised that all successful men and women share about 5 major habits, or rather principles.

    They practice these differently and apply them in different ways, but you can rest assured that no matter how they apply them, these 5 principles or habits will appear in their daily activities.

    Therefore, as we strive to succeed, you and I must incorporate these five principles into our daily lives.

    Thank God we do not have to reinvent the wheel; studies and documentation show how others have succeeded in their lives.

    Remember that there is no defined formula for success. What works for someone may not necessarily produce the same desired results for you.

    So please note that you are not competing with anyone. Success is a personal journey.

    Don’t measure or compare your achievements with anyone else’s. In my quest to help change the world for the better, I don’t see ‘competition’ as a threat; I treat it as complementary.

    For me, if anyone is doing what I think will help change the world, they are most welcome; they are not competition, but complements. I have presented these 5 principles in no particular order.

    The Habit of Saving

    The number one principle is the habit of saving. The saying “Rome was not built in one day” holds a lot of water.

    If you want to build up riches, it is common sense that you must learn to save from your current income. Learn the art of spending within what you have. Avoid spending from your future income.

    The discipline of saving is unmatched. You must be like the ant; it knows when to store food for the future.

    You must know that you will not always be healthy, and that one day the energy you have now will be a thing of the past. Therefore, it is important to start saving and investing your money wisely.

    Invest your money in investments you understand and that are long-term. Do not invest your money in something you do not understand unless you have professional advice.

    Most financially successful people will tell you that the habit, or rather the principle, of saving is very important. You should learn to live not for now but for tomorrow unless you have no tomorrow.

    Can you imagine how much you would have saved after 20 years if you saved only 10% of your paycheck each month?

    You can cut the time it takes to raise a million in half if you can defer gratification. This does not mean, however, that you should not enjoy your wealth.

    The principle of saving is probably the number one factor in how far you will succeed. Be it financially or in any other field you are engaged in.

    Remember, saving isn’t just about finances; it can take many forms. I have learned to save, especially with my finances.

    The best way to get started is to save in small amounts. If you work, you could open a savings account and ask your employer to split your salary.

    Saving requires the discipline to cut down on unnecessary spending.

    Consider how much you spend on talk time, entertainment, deferring a new car and buying a second-hand one instead, transportation, and other things you know are not necessary.

    Time Management

    If God has given us all one thing in equal measure, it is time. We all have 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and so forth and so on. No one on planet Earth can claim to have less time than anyone else.

    Yet with the same amount of time, some people seem to succeed more than others. One of the magic wands to success is the principle of time management.

    If you want to succeed at whatever you do, you must learn to manage your time efficiently.

    Most successful men and women have mastered time management. They say time is money. I say time is more than money; once lost, it cannot be recovered. This is how precious the commodity of time is.

    I have learned from Brian Tracy’s “How to master your time“ the technique of writing down my daily goals. This simple principle of daily goal setting is a life changer.

    In this technique, you write down and plan your day. Organise it in such a way that you start with what is more important, moving down to what is less important.

    Set your daily goals the day before and review them at the end of the day before you set goals for the next day. Stick to your daily goal-setting principle religiously for better results. It surely is a wonderful tool to use.

    In everything that we do, time is of the essence. Most successful people have realised that they must manage time well.

    You will agree with me that time is a precious commodity, especially during school examinations. The difference between passing and failing an exam can come down to how you manage your time.

    If you have to take a giant step towards success, you must be time-conscious. If you are in business marketing, then you know how important it is to manage your time very well.

    You can learn more about time management by purchasing Brian Tracy’s “How to master your time” CDs from this store.

    Hard Work, Perseverance & Persistence

    “Hard work pays off” ~ unknown. There is no substitute for hard work. Successful people work hard smartly.

    There is no point in working hard for the wrong results. If you have to achieve above-average results, you need to start working hard and doing it smartly.

    Every successful person will tell you how hard-working they are. The difference between more successful people and less successful people is the level of hard work and perseverance.

    Most of us give up just as we’re about to break through. The most successful people work hard even when they fail; they get up and keep going.

    With perseverance, hard work and persistence comes success. There is no sweet without sweat.

    You will be amazed at how much time successful people spend working. Most of them will tell you that they wake up very early in the morning and they are the last ones to go to bed.

    I have noticed that most of us want to have it easy. We let our bodies dictate how we live.

    Brain capacity doesn’t differ between those who are successful and those who are not. The only difference is that those who make it are disciplined.

    They have trained themselves to do what matters first, even when it feels awkward.

    They have the discipline to follow their daily goal settings. If the goal says to wake up at 05:00hrs and exercise before anything else, they do just that, even when their body still wants to sleep. This kind of discipline makes the difference.

    Most people fail because they lack discipline, hard work, perseverance, and persistence.

    Vince Lombardi says “the price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”

    I can therefore conclude that the price of success is working hard and smartly.

    If you have a habit of stopping a project at the first challenge, today should be an eye-opener. You must learn to develop a culture of hard work, perseverance, and persistence.

    Clear Life’s Purpose

    If I had to rearrange these principles by importance, I would put this (Clear life’s purpose) at number one.

    What is success without a clear life’s purpose? How do you even start on your journey of success without a target?

    If you have not yet formulated your life’s intended purpose, please stop wasting your time and devise one.

    Having no life’s purpose is living by the wind. God gave each one of us a life’s purpose. Every successful person lives for a purpose.

    You may be wondering why there’s such a fuss about having a life’s purpose. Your intended life’s purpose defines who you want to be; what you want to achieve; how you will achieve it is not your business. God has already figured that one out for you.

    In other words, your life’s intended purpose is the reason why you exist. It is what makes you fit in the bigger body of life. We are all part of one big family, each with a different role to play.

    I encourage you to formulate one before you start on your success journey.

    The best way to do it is by writing your life’s purpose in a notebook. Read it very often, possibly every day, so that your mind absorbs it.

    It becomes easier to tailor your business or whatever activity around your life’s intended purpose.

    You will notice that what you have written down as your intended life’s purpose flows very easily from within you. This makes even running a business easier and more fun, because you will be working with something you enjoy and that flows naturally from within.

    Believe me, we all have something to give to this world, and I mean something unique. No two people have the same DNA.

    It doesn’t matter if you look like someone else; you’re unique and have your own signature. Even identical twins who share the same parents are unique.

    Successful people have a clear life’s purpose, and that is their driving force. Living life with a purpose is much more exciting. Every morning you wake up, you are looking forward to getting started with your life.

    Ever since I wrote down my life’s intended purpose, I’ve looked forward to the next challenge coming my way. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been fun. I still have a long way to go, but I’m slowly getting there one step at a time.

    Knowledge

    The final common principle is acquiring knowledge. “My people perish for lack of knowledge” ~ the Bible.

    “If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability” ~ Henry Ford.

    This is perhaps one key to success. To be more, you need to have more.

    Successful people are more knowledgeable than ordinary people. They spend time reading and expanding their knowledge base.

    I always encourage people to read and read and read. If there is anything you will take with you when you die, it is knowledge. The world is full of reading material, and one of the best ways to expand your knowledge base is to read.

    If you are not in the habit of reading, please develop one quickly; even thirty minutes a day can make a difference in your knowledge base.

    Knowledge will help increase your skill set. If you have to be successful, you must acquire knowledge at all costs.

    I have a modest target of reading one motivational book every month on top of my other materials. I have realised that even one book a month is not enough, but I have to strike a balance.

    The good thing with reading is that it is one of the best ways to keep my mind from mischief.

    Ever since I set this target, I have noticed an increase in my knowledge. I hope to increase it even further so that one day I can write my own books on personal development and self-growth.

    If you have to join the successful elite, you cannot afford to lag behind in knowledge.

    Conclusion

    “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” ~ Robert Collier.

    As I said before, there is no written-down formula for success. What works for someone else may not produce the desired results for you.

    However, you must take action and begin on your wonderful journey of success.

    “He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything” ~ Unknown.

    You were created to contribute to the healing of the world and to help make it a better place for all humanity.

  • The 7 Key Principles of Success

    “Success is a journey, not a destination” ~ Ben Sweetland. This is one of my favourite quotes.

    Indeed, success isn’t a destination where you can say, “Now I have arrived at success”; it’s a journey. It is a daily way of living. There is no quick fix or formula for success.

    We’ve all asked why some people are more successful than others.

    I have been researching this question and have come to believe that the following key principles are common among successful people.

    Many other factors have helped people succeed, but they all revolve around these 7 principles.

    There are many ways to measure success. Some people measure it by the wealth they have accumulated, while others measure it by what they have achieved.

    Whatever metrics you choose, the principles mentioned in this article will be useful to you.

    Success is directly linked to Personal development. You cannot be successful without growing as an individual. Personal development is the pathway to success in any pursuit.

    The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is their attitude towards what they want to achieve.

    People who pursue success are usually persistent, highly motivated, and highly focused on what they are trying to achieve.

    Set Your Goals

    “If one advances confidently in the direction of their goals and endeavours to live the life that they have imagined, they will meet with success unexpected in common hours” ~ Henry David Thoreau.

    The principle of goal setting cannot be over-emphasised. You cannot call yourself successful if you have no target to aim for.

    Therefore, it’s important to write down your intended life purpose before you set out to fulfil it.

    All human beings have a God-given task to achieve in their lives.

    Most of us have abandoned or have no idea what that purpose is. Man was not created to live an aimless life. God created you to contribute positively to the human race.

    Dr Myles Munroe says, “The richest place on earth is the graveyard.” This is because the graveyard holds ideas that were never actualised, songs that were never sung, and inventions that were never born.

    Imagine if you and I played our part in making this world a better place. The world would be different and beaming with goodness.

    Goal setting is the first step to take before venturing out to fulfil your God-given purpose. Have something that is directing your life.

    When you write down your goals and read them frequently, they act as a stimulus and motivation to help you move towards achieving them.

    Targets act as reminders. They are meant to be used as a gauge. Most successful people are goal-oriented.

    If you have no goals in life, you are just flowing with the wind, and you can rest assured you will not achieve much.

    Forget About Failure

    “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently” ~ Henry Ford.

    We fail because we accept failure. Many great stories show how successful people never gave up, even when they faced the prospect of failure.

    Treat failure as an opportunity to perfect your act. Yes, in everything that you set out to do, you shall encounter challenges.

    Challenges are there to teach you and make you adjust your approach to achieving your plans. It shows you that this is not the right path to success.

    A word of encouragement to everyone: there is no success without failure. Every successful person has failed at some point. The difference is perseverance.

    When you are starting with your plans, “DO NOT PLAN FOR FAILURE.” Don’t even think about failure; erase it from your mind. When you face failure, treat it as a challenge and take it head-on.

    Failure results from wrong thinking and a lack of persistence. Put on your positive thoughts, and failure will run out through the window.

    Personal success does not necessarily mean you will not face challenges, nor does it mean the absence of failure.

    If you think the journey to success is plain and easy, you are absolutely mistaken. The journey to success requires persistence, smart hard work, diligence, and perseverance.

    If you cultivate the habit of persistence, you will certainly enjoy the insurance against failure.

    “Mastery of the Law of Success philosophy is the equivalent of an insurance policy against failure” ~ Samuel Gompers.

    One of the most common causes of failure is the bad habit of quitting when you face temporary defeat.

    Most of us have made this mistake before. At some point in life, we have quit.

    Take One Step at a Time

    “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” ~ Chinese Proverb.

    Often, when we start a new project, we try to do too many things at once. There is nothing wrong with multitasking, but the danger is that you may lose focus on your main objective(s).

    So it’s important to take one step at a time. Remember, you are not in a race with anyone. It is your personal achievement program. You set the pace and tone for your progress.

    Your plans may not be clear at the beginning, but as you take one step and one day at a time, a much clearer picture of what you want to achieve will begin to emerge.

    The beauty of setting out your life’s purpose is that you do something that you enjoy doing for the rest of your life.

    The challenges you will face every day will be more exciting as you overcome them. You will look back with pride and joy at how far you have come.

    In this part of the world I come from, we tend to do things for the interim. We are not long-term oriented. People tend to want instant gratification.

    Even our local businesspeople start businesses for daily sustenance; most of them have no succession plan, and they want to live for the now.

    When the owner of the business dies, they die with it. Very few well-established businesses have flourished long after the original owners have passed on.

    I do not want to be in the bracket of those that die with the ideas. I want to create ideas that will live on long after I am gone.

    Avoid Negativity

    Watch out for the negative people in your life. Avoid them and always hang around with positive-minded people.

    Find people who will encourage and compliment what you are doing. You cannot entertain negative thoughts and expect to have a positive outcome.

    Positive thoughts will destroy negative thoughts as certainly as light destroys darkness, and the results will be just as effective.

    Negativity is the mother of failure. I challenge you to think of a successful person with a negative-minded personality.

    One major difference between success and failure is positivity. The more you lean toward positivity, the more success you will achieve, and the opposite is true.

    But then you may ask, “How can I avoid negativity?” See 4 tips to help stay positive. You will find some useful tips and information that you can use.

    Like I said before, negativity is the beginning of all failure. The Bible says you will reap what you sow. If you sow negativity, you will definitely get negative results; equally, if you are positive, you will reap positive results.

    There are very few instances where you reap negative results when you are very optimistic. Avoiding all the negative things in life can help change and enhance your personal success.

    Clarify Your Goals

    The goals you set will not be clear at first. If you wait for them to be clear, you will never start on your journey, and I can assure you they will never be clear from the outset.

    When I first set out to pursue my life’s purpose, it was very hazy, and it only started becoming clearer as I worked through the process.

    Every time I visualise what the end product will be, it gets more and more clearer. It is important, though, to be specific at the very beginning about what you want to achieve; for example, you may have a target to raise, say, US$5 million in five years.

    This is a more specific and measurable target than saying, “I want to raise a lot of money in 5 years.”

    What won’t be clear is how you’ll raise the US$5 million.

    Clarifying your goals as you go is important because it keeps your mind in tune with what you are doing. Keep an open mind, and focus more on the journey than the goal.

    Remember, only with unbounded confidence can you reach the goal.

    Embrace Obstacles

    Big ideas tend to eliminate smaller ideas, so it is best to hold ideas large enough to counteract and destroy all small or undesirable tendencies.

    Big ideas will remove innumerable petty and annoying obstacles from your path. You also become conscious of a larger world of thought, increasing your mental capacity and placing you in a position to accomplish something of value.

    Embrace obstacles; they are part of the journey to success. Obstacles tell us to change something in our plans. They simply show us that this is not the way you are looking for.

    However, through attention, you will finally be able to overcome obstacles of any kind that appear in your path onward and upward, and the only way to gain this wonderful power is through practice.

    Remember, practice makes perfect. Difficulties, harmonies, and obstacles indicate that we are either refusing to let go of what we no longer need or refusing to accept what we require.

    Difficulties and obstacles will keep coming until we absorb their wisdom and gather the essentials for further growth.

    You are Not an Island

    No man is an island. We are all part of one big family: the universe. God always gives us people to be surrounded by for a reason.

    You should not be ashamed or feel inferior to ask for help. In fact, help is everywhere. Seek help where you need it.

    Man is part of one huge universe, and each of us has a different role to play, just as the human body consists of various parts performing different but coordinated functions.

    Support can come through various different forms; if you are in business, it could come through employing people and/or delegating some of your duties.

    You should always endeavour not to live life in isolation. Also, try to surround yourself with helpful people. That is, those that you can learn something from.

    Conclusion

    “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving they make mistakes but they do not quit” ~ Conrad Hilton.

    There is no known secret to success, but believe me, he who thinks big and acts on his thoughts has every chance to succeed more than he who thinks small and does not act on his thoughts.

    I would like to end by encouraging you to try these principles; they may be what you have been missing in your life.

  • 5 Tips to Increase Your Sales

    “One of the best uses of your time is to increase your competence in your key result areas” – Brian Tracy.

    At the core of every business is a sale. A sale is complete only when a customer pays. Many offline sales strategies also apply online, but not all are well adapted for online sales.

    The Internet has changed how people do business. Even small business owners can reach global markets cheaply nowadays, selling anything from apparel and collectables to computer software, services, and coaching.

    On the Internet, everybody can afford to fail and learn fast. Better still, after years of testing and tracking what works online, you can learn from other people’s experiences and cut the learning curve tremendously.

    The best thing the Internet has done is expose businesses to millions, if not billions, of potential customers. The onus is on you to make your business visible. If you have an Internet business, know that your website has the potential to reach millions of people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    The biggest challenge most business owners face is getting those would-be customers to know about their products/services and converting them into sales. The kind of business you promote matters less; the key to lifelong earnings is having loyal, satisfied customers.

    Imagine how much a loyal, satisfied customer will give you if they keep coming back and buying from you. You can’t increase sales revenue in isolation without promoting your site. In other words, the more traffic your site has, the more chances you have to increase sales.

    Establish a Sound Product/Service

    First things first, you need a product/service to sell or market. If you are an affiliate program marketer like me, you need to find or create a good one.

    Find something that flows naturally from you. Sell or promote something you enjoy doing. If it is just another affiliate program, don’t expect different results.

    Focus on building a strong affiliate program, with the tools and materials to help affiliates promote it easily. After all, affiliates work like clockwork and should be seen as a team.

    Provide them with the right promotional tools, and they will be more likely to promote the program. Click here to learn about the qualities of a good affiliate marketing program.

    Give the customers an option to join the affiliate program after purchase. Satisfied customers are one of the best marketers for any business. They spread the good word through word of mouth. Best of all, they aren’t paid for it.

    A good affiliate program is key to boosting sales. Many people and businesses are selling stuff out there. The best affiliate marketers have their customers at heart.

    Offer incentives such as 30/60/90-day guarantees for unsatisfied customers, and honour your promises. A good affiliate program or product/service will help you build loyal customers who can buy other products you promote.

    After Sale Follow-ups

    The hardest task in any business is acquiring the first sale. At a minimum, collect customers’ names and email addresses during every sale.

    You will need this information for future interaction with the customer. To keep in touch with my own audience, I created a mailing list and send out a newsletter once every month. This helps me promote other products and services that my affiliate program offers.

    Most experienced marketers will agree that creating a mailing list is one of the best ways to increase sales. The trick, however, is not to spam your mailing list. You also need to respect people’s privacy and avoid sharing private information with third parties.

    This approach has been proven to reduce product returns and increase customer satisfaction.

    Every once in a while, mention a related product that might interest customers. Write a review and provide real results.

    Such promotion is extremely inexpensive, but very effective in practice. The product can be anything, including an affiliate program.

    I know creating a mailing list can be hard, but it is worthwhile if you have a responsive one. There are many ways to create one; some prefer the cheap route of buying one rather than the hard work of building one from scratch.

    I do have a problem, though, with taking the easy way out when it comes to mailing lists. The chances of buying a non-responsive list are very high. You may end up with people unsubscribing because they feel cheated.

    Apart from sending newsletters to your mailing list, engage them. Especially with those who have just bought something from you, find out whether they are satisfied with the product quality, whether the delivery method met expectations, and other questions that can help you improve in the future.

    By doing so, you are telling your customers that it is not just the money you are interested in, but meeting and satisfying their needs.

    People want to be appreciated when they spend money; add some freebies to their purchases. This will help you build loyal customers, which will increase your sales.

    Up-sell Technique

    One up-sell technique that I find very effective is that, just before a customer checks out to the payment gateway, I prompt for an optional upgrade to a better, bigger, or nicer product for a fairly steep discount. Don’t overdo this, though, as some people just want to get on with what they are buying.

    I recommend just having one optional upgrade and nothing more. It can be irritating and confusing when you’re about to buy something, and you are getting a lot of other offers.

    If you have more than one optional upgrade offer, you need a better way to promote the other offers. Preferably, sometime after the first offer has been purchased. You risk losing your first sale if you subject your would-be customer to too many offers at the same time.

    I want to mention that we all have different abilities and techniques; what works for me may not produce the desired results for everyone.

    It’s important to monitor and, if possible, document the methods you use so you can make better judgments and focus on the methods that produce your desired results.

    In affiliate marketing, patience and perseverance are key to increasing your sales. You should treat your online business the same way you would treat an offline business.

    One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking online businesses are different from offline businesses. For any business to succeed, you need to learn the tricks of the trade.

    Provide Discount Coupons

    Don’t we all love quality and inexpensive things? Coupons encourage customers to return and shop. Promotional coupons work for both advertising and some forms of joint venture.

    Customers love knowing they get a lower price for what they buy. Coupons make it so real and tangible. This brings me back to my earlier point about offering guarantees.

    If you know you are selling a superior and quality product, you will put your head on the chopping board by offering money-back guarantees.

    Believe me, I would rather buy from someone who offers to pay me back if I feel their product is inferior, doesn’t do what they claim it should, or doesn’t meet my expectations.

    You can offer discount coupons for bulk buying or whatever marketing reason you can give. But remember: discounts should not eat into your profits.

    Only give discounts where you can afford them and give them sensibly. Remember, discounts are a cost to your business and should be handled carefully.

    People love discounts because they offer some form of savings. Discounts can significantly increase sales because people are drawn to them.

    Promote With Related Products

    There is no limit to how you can do this. A joint venture with other businesses, or even competitors, is feasible as long as it creates a win-win situation.

    One example is to include a sample of another product or service as part of the package. As long as the sample is relevant to the customer, this promotion could be seen as an added value instead of pure advertising.

    Packaging your products with related items gives you an added advantage and spoils the customer for choice. That is why it is important to join an affiliate program that offers multiple products/services.

    There is no harm in enticing customers with different products to choose from, as long as they are well documented and explained. You should try to help the customer by mentioning the major differences and advantages where possible.

    You are there to offer the customer a solution to their needs. Most people will buy if they feel you’re offering a solution at the right price.

    Let me mention that product costing is another important aspect of your business. Do not overprice your products/services. It would be wise to have some business knowledge before you venture into business, whether online or offline.

    Some people think high prices mean more money and forget that money comes from turnover. When setting a price, consider all other factors and choose a reasonable price that reflects the value of the product you are offering.

    Conclusion

    “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” ~ Robert Collier. There are many other tactics to increase your sales, but the above tips have been proven to work again and again.

    Choose one at a time and take action. Business success isn’t instant; it’s a gradual process. Affiliate marketing programs can be a source of high income if you manage and nurture them well. Below are some recommended products to get you started. These are products I’ve used and that have delivered results for me. Please bear in mind that success levels depend largely on self-commitment and the methods you use.

    Recommended Products

    SFI Affiliate Marketing Program
    TripleClicks

  • Challenges Require Us to Conquer Them

    The absence of obstacles doesn’t define success, but by how relentlessly you face them. Life is full of challenges.

    Every day comes with its own challenges. If you give up, you are acknowledging failure. You are allowing failure to succeed.

    We were designed to overcome every difficulty that comes our way. I don’t know what you are facing, but I know that you are solely responsible for your life.

    “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser” – Lou Holtz.

    It is your responsibility to do your best to overcome every issue life brings. If you sit and wait for someone, they will never show up.

    It is entirely up to you to act. To get up and get moving; challenges do not last a lifetime; they last but a moment.

    Challenges signal what’s to come. They are merely a test of your mental attitude and character. The challenges we go through in our lives help build our character.

    How you handle your current challenges determines how far you will go in achieving success. Surely success does not come easily. It does not come on a silver platter.

    If it were easy, we would all be successful, and I am sure that life would be boring. There would be no motivation to live.

    Challenges help us find life solutions. “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful” – Joshua J. Marine.

    In your journey for success, you will fail many times, but that should not stop you from reaching your goals.

    Problems are temporary; they are the path to success. You will achieve whatever you set your mind on, but that does not mean it will come without great cost.

    Every good thing comes at a high cost. There is always a price to pay for enjoying long-lasting success.

    One of the biggest problems I have noticed, especially with the current generation, is wanting to cut corners and wanting to compete with other people.

    Measuring success by possessions and material things. Being envious of other people’s achievements. Just because you’ve seen your friend is seemingly doing well, you also want to do the same. No! Live your own life.

    Learn How to Handle Your Own Challenges

    No problems are insurmountable. I have faced challenging situations that have at times left me feeling helpless.

    Some problems result from my bad decisions, and some are not of my own making. But in all, I have learned to handle them positively.

    I remember the first time I lost my job due to restructuring. It was hard to comprehend at the time, and it took me some time to open up and start telling people about it.

    I thought it was the end of the world. Maybe the only consolation then was that I was still very young and learning life.

    It took me some time to actually come to terms with the fact that I was unemployed. Young as I was, I had to refocus my life.

    I know it’s not easy to lose your only source of income, especially when you have a family to support. But there is always a way out. Sometimes things happen so we can see the other side of life.

    Losing a source of income isn’t the end of your life; it is the beginning of a new challenge.

    Stop complaining about not having an income and start working on your next big income stream. If you can see the invisible, you can achieve the impossible.

    Start seeing the invisible. If promotion is not coming, what are you doing about it? If you are looking for a huge business contract, are you ready for it? Are you prepared to handle the many responsibilities that come with huge business contracts?

    The thing is, you may be going through challenges right now, but you are not the only one. There is always someone in a worse situation than you.

    Learn from your current situation and get ready for the next big step in your life. God blesses people he can trust. He blesses people who are ready and willing to take the challenge.

    Keep Moving Forward

    When you face problems, the most important thing is to keep moving forward and never backwards.

    Yes, sometimes it seems impossible to even just motivate yourself, but just keep moving anyway.

    Ever since I started my personal development journey, I have learned that not all days are the same. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

    But even in loss, there is a pinch of victory, because you’ve learned how not to fail.

    You may not notice it, but you are slowly growing as you move forward. I like to use my website as an example; every time I successfully publish an article, I know I am moving forward.

    The more I write, the more I move forward; the more I move forward, the closer I get to achieving my dream of building a reputable and successful personal development and self-growth website.

    For me, the main focus and motivation for this site is to encourage someone to achieve their dreams.

    If I can contribute in a small way, I am more than happy to do so. I am not perfect, but I am more than willing to help.

    And you know this site is also a source of motivation for me; that is why I intend to keep providing free self-improvement content and materials.

    Conclusion

    “Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment you can grow more surely toward the stars” – Brian Tracy.

    I encourage you to take steps that will help you overcome life’s challenges. After all, challenges are what make us grow.

    When you were a baby, you had to overcome the fear of falling as you learned to walk. You were fearless. Get back that attitude and start overcoming your current situation. Bye, and remember to conquer your challenges.

  • The Importance of Committing to a Cause

    When you commit to the people and things that are important to you, your family, or your career, for example, the result is that your relationships will greatly improve. The more stable your relationships are, the easier it is to achieve your goals. The more you achieve your goals, the happier your life will be.

    Therefore, committing to improving your relationships will largely determine the quality of your life.

    This website has become a huge part of my life. It is one of my most treasured assets. Most of what I do is tailored to have a trickle-down effect on improving this website.

    I commit my time and effort to improving and transforming the content regularly. The relationship I have built with it over time makes me want to do even more. Such is the commitment I have pledged to see this website succeed.

    However, committing to its success has not come easy. It has come at a great cost. I have had to pay the price by cutting down on so many activities and dedicating my efforts and energy to this cause.

    When you want to advance a cause, something has to give way. You cannot keep enjoying life and expect to advance your cause.

    “Cause change and lead; accept change and survive; resist change and die” – Ray Noorda.

    Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to it; not by what life brings us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.

    By committing to improving my ability to generate valuable content, I have learned so much in the process and have seen my writing skills improve. If you have been following this site, you will notice improvements in the presentation and quality of the content.

    I know there is still a lot of room for improvement, and I’ll keep pushing until I get there. As long as the commitment is alive, this will be one of my first go-to sites for personal growth and self-improvement.

    This year, I want to generate more content and publish it regularly. This means doubling my efforts and improving further on my writing skills. Right now, it takes me longer than I would like to create content.

    I want to reduce the time it takes me to write and publish an article without compromising content quality. So far, I think I am on the right track. Last year, I learned to write down ideas as they pop up. This has helped me keep track of them.

    This has led me to write down more ideas than I can imagine. Right now, I have more than 33 ideas that need to be turned into articles and published. This is more than a month of content if I have to write and post an article every day. And the list keeps growing rapidly.

    What has lagged behind is my capacity to turn ideas into content. This is the area I am working to improve now. Let’s hope a formula will be devised quickly that helps me translate ideas into content more regularly.

    If you have noticed, my articles have gradually increased in length. This is a deliberate policy and standard I have put in place. In fact, I intend to increase the length even further, to give me a better opportunity to drive my point home.

    This may be one of the main reasons I have lagged behind in delivering content regularly. The policy is to ensure every published article meets the minimum standard.

    To speed up my progress in improving my writing skills, I am taking lessons from “Writing 101: Building a Blogging Habit”; this little e-book has been an eye-opener. It has taught me many things, such as practising writing daily.

    Let’s hope we put what we’ve learned into practice for the eventual benefit of website visitors.

    There are many benefits to being committed to a cause. It entails dedication, the ability to work hard and infinite fortitude. The trust you build will surely be repaid. The world gives you back what you give it. You cannot expect to reap oranges from a guava tree.

    You cannot expect different results if you do the same things. If you want to adavnce change the way you do things.

    Committing to a cause ensures you give your very best. Because you are committed and believe in the cause, you will surely take the time to do your best. When you give your best, the best comes back to you. The Bible says that one gives freely, yet gains much more.

    Committing to this website has helped change my life. I have seen myself grow not just in years but also in character. Because I believe in what I am doing, I enjoy it. Yes, sometimes I have no motivation or inspiration to write, but I still do something that helps to improve my well-being.

    Conclusion

    I encourage you to make a serious commitment to any cause you believe in. It could be your family, a charity, or indeed your career. Committing to a just cause will help you discover many aspects of your life you wouldn’t have known about.

    I know that there are many things that you can dedicate your life to. Find something that really matters to you and try it. Success means committing to give your best, no matter the circumstances.

    “Commit yourself to a- dream. Nobody who tries to do something great, but fails, is a total failure. Why? Because he can always be assured that he succeeded in life’s most important battle; he defeated the battle of not trying” Robert H. Schuller.

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