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  • 3 Reasons Why Success is in Your Hands

    “The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret to outward success.” – Henry Ward Beecher.

    You are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. You are in charge and responsible for your life. How far you go in life is highly determined by how far you are willing to go.

    If you want to achieve more you need to become more. To become more is no small feat. It requires that you put in the effort.

    It takes a lot of time, discipline, and courage to achieve above-average results.

    If you keep doing the same things and hope for different results, prepare for a wake-up call. Remember, nature reflects your actions. When you plant lemon seeds, you don’t just get lemons; you cultivate entire lemon trees. So, take charge—plant the seeds of your dreams and watch them grow into something extraordinary!

    You cannot expect to get good results if you are not putting in the required effort and doing the right things.

    Those who have succeeded have had to give up many of the short-term gratifications and this is the major difference with those who are still struggling.

    They like to eat dessert before the main meal and this makes them full. They eat without thinking about tomorrow.

    They live for the now and not for tomorrow. They live as if tomorrow will never come.

    In fact, most people I see around live to show off. They are always worried about what people think and say about them.

    The Bow and Arrow Scenario

    Let’s take an example of an archer. Let’s say your life is like an archer’s bow and arrow.

    For the archer to hit a target that is further, he needs to pull the arrow as far back as possible.

    This is the only sure way that the arrow will gain the required momentum and velocity to move through the air and hit the desired target.

    However, this is not a guarantee that he will hit the target as aimed. A good archer does not only pull the arrow backwards but also aims it in the sky so that it can withstand the force of gravity as it propels towards the target.

    That is how your life is. The pulling back and aiming of the arrow is the preparation. God is simply preparing you for the coming challenges.

    The more you prepare for challenges that lie ahead the easier they become to navigate. Like a hot knife piercing through butter.

    Yes, sometimes it will feel or seem like it’s impossible, but with God by your side, nothing is impossible. He makes a way where there is no way.

    I always say that what lies ahead is much more than what we have experienced or accomplished.

    There is much more to be accomplished than what we already have. The future is always better than the past.

    There is always a solution to every challenge that we encounter. Every challenge we have faced has been faced and resolved before.

    Take the above example about the bow and arrow again. Compare the distance the arrow travels towards the target versus the distance it moves during the aiming process.

    As can be seen, the forward thrust is much greater than the backward pulling. Yet it is the pulling that takes up a lot of energy.

    Your preparation will also determine how quickly and efficiently you will move forward. The more you prepare for a challenge the more confident you become.

    However, preparation can be time-consuming but if done well it yields wonderful results.

    Your Life is Like an Arrow

    Your life is like an arrow in the archer’s hands. God is the archer preparing your life for the journey. He already knows the target.

    Like the arrow, all you have to do is stay put and follow through God’s instructions and counsel and you will hit the bullseye.

    Since he is your creator he has already created a conducive environment for you to thrive in. He knows your weaknesses and strengths.

    The Bible says that before he formed you in your mother’s womb he knew you, before you were born he appointed and set you apart.

    So he knows your breaking point and will not let you break. If you pay attention and listen to him, God always provides a way when it seems that there is no way.

    He also opens up doors when one is shut because he wants to see you succeed. That’s his nature.

    You Decide What You Want

    The beauty with life is that God gave us the freedom to choose what we want. He does not force anyone to make a decision.

    He only provides the tools and environment for you to exploit. You are basically in charge of your choices and you make the final decisions.

    However, you should know that for every decision that you make there are consequences. It is entirely up to you to make the right decisions.

    Sometimes the consequences may be dire and sometimes they may be very favourable.

    That is why it is always important to seek the face of God before making life-changing decisions. Make sure you align your life with God’s plans.

    It is better to delay making the right decision than correcting the wrong one.

    Conclusion

    The decision to succeed and how much success you want to enjoy is entirely in your hands.

    The effort you invest today lays the foundation for your future. Every action you take is a step toward the rewards that await you. Remember, what you nurture will flourish; the choice is yours to make it happen.

  • Responsibility is a Source of Happiness

    “Happiness is not by chance, but by choice” – Jim Rohn. There is a very big relationship between taking more responsibility and being happy.

    These two things are intertwined – the more responsible you are, the more you enjoy happiness. Being responsible can be a source of great happiness.

    I have been doing a simple study on people who are seemingly enjoying happiness and have noticed that among the most common factors they share, is that they have taken up more responsibilities in their lives.

    These are the people who are in the driver’s seat of their lives.

    Following up on this study I decided to take more responsibility, firstly with my own life. Yes, my own life.

    Most of us are not responsible for our own lives. We live under the shadows of other people.

    We only want to take responsibility when the right outcomes are achieved, sometimes even for the things that should not even be credited to us.

    This type of behaviour is common especially with our friends in the political world. There is a tendency of wanting to be praised for other people’s efforts.

    Wanting to take credit just for showing up and reading a speech written by someone else.

    Also amongst my peers, there is this tendency of only wanting to take credit when things are right, but don’t want to take full responsibility when the actions are wrong. Always wanting to blame someone else or give excuses.

    Taking Responsibility Puts You in the Drivers Seat

    When you take full responsibility for your life, you simply take over the driving seat. You are in charge. You will accept when things are bad and enjoy when they are good.

    Being in the driving seat is usually a source of happiness. It gives me joy when a plan comes together.

    You are happiest when things go according to your plan. If you are in charge you will quickly put up corrective measures when things are drifting away. 

    “Action may not bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action” – William James.

    Taking up responsibility is also an indication of being a good leader.

    We are all leaders of our own lives and at some point you will be made to account for the actions you take in life. The quicker you realise it the better for you.

    Personal growth and development is all about taking responsibility for all your actions and not just some.

    If you want to achieve serious self-growth you need to start taking charge of your life. Do not let your mood be determined by other people, they may dampen it.

    This means taking control of your thoughts, as they are responsible for your emotions; taking control of your emotions as these may lead you to act on impulse. Usually, your predominant thoughts will dictate the state of your mood.

    Make a Conscious Decision to be Responsible

    The best time to consciously make decisions is in the morning.

    I have made it a point that every morning before my day gets hectic a decision is made that I will stay focused, be happy, and be responsible for my actions.

    No one will make a decision for you unless you approve of it. If you live an unhappy life it’s your decision; if you are not in charge of your life it’s your decision.

    All in all the power to decide is within you. Learn to use it properly.

    There is something about doing certain things early in the morning. Your mind just remains focused on them.

    I usually read through my writing ideas every night before sleeping and every morning when I wake up. Ever since I started this practice, my productivity levels have just been going up.

    How I wish this had started this sooner. I am now writing and publishing articles on a regular basis.

    I have taken full responsibility for my actions both positive and negative. On the days that I am not writing I take time to improve my writing skills by reading; researching, listening and watching motivational videos among other things.

    Even though sometimes I have to force myself to do these things I have made it a point that they are done. This is all a result of a single decision I make in the morning and that is to be responsible.

    Sharing is Caring

    They say sharing is caring. Some people find it hard to share anything. If they have to share, it is those things that have no meaning and less value to them.

    In other words, they share what they call scraps. Well, I guess it’s human nature but I feel that it is wrong. I read somewhere that all habits are learnable good or bad.

    This is true. If you can learn bad habits you can also unlearn them and replace them with good habits.

    There is always something you can share. Sometimes people have lame excuses for not sharing. You will be amazed that the little you think you have, some people have nothing at all.

    I practice an open-door policy and have taught my children to always learn to share. I know that sometimes it gets too much, but we must share anywhere.

    Sharing does not necessarily mean giving out handouts in the form of money, it could just be sharing your time to help out someone in need of your skills.

    If we all developed and practised the habit of sharing, the world would be a much, much better place.

    Sharing is also a source of happiness. Let me ask you a question. How do you feel when you see the joy on someone’s face all because you shared something with them?

    Exactly, that’s why you must share unconditionally more often. When you share do not expect anything back, you are not in control of them. If you expect anything in return more often than not you will be disappointed.

    Conclusion

    “Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul” – Democritus.

    I would like to end by encouraging you to develop the habit of taking responsibility for your life and accept that you are the master of your destiny. Take charge and live a happy life. Learn to also take extra responsibilities and share your gifts with the world.

  • Being Open Minded and Flexible to Change

    We live in a society that is constantly changing and evolving very fast and therefore, it is important that we adapt to change in order to enhance our personal development and self growth.

    Change is inevitable especially with the continuous advancement of technology and information gathering. In this day and age, it is very unwise to have a rigid mind that does not easily accept and adapt to change.

    You should keep an open mind and focus on the things that will help you achieve your personal goals. Remaining in the same place might just delay your progress.

    Ensure that you make the adjustment as and when necessary in the processes you are employing to achieving your goals. However, stay focused on the ultimate goal.

    “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change” – Charles Darwin.

    The best leaders are those who realise when to make the change and implement it when necessary. In my journey for personal development and growth, I have had to make lots of changes in the way I do things without compromising on my personal values and I always keep my focus on my goals.

    I keep an ear to the ground and am always willing to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate the ever-changing environment.

    Flexibility does not mean you accept failure, it is just one way of doing things quicker and more effectively. Just like a few years ago posting letters was done mainly through the post office whereas now we are living in the advent of emails and other technological messaging systems.

    Today nearly everyone has a smartphone or a phone capable of messaging. Traditional telegrams are now obsolete.

    These have entailed that we drastically change the way we do business. Imagine if you remained behind and still just want to use the post office for sending mail to your clients as opposed to using the various platforms that are quicker. If you are into sales you will definitely be out of business.

    Nearly everything has evolved over the last decade or so and it is, therefore, inevitable that you have a flexible mind and change the way you conduct your daily business.

    Being a computer programmer myself who learned programming in a language called COBOL in the early 90’s I know how much the computer industry has changed. Although not complete obsolete its use has drastically reduced and remained mostly in the financial sector.

    If I did not move with time it would have been difficult for me to keep up with the industry. Some of you will agree with me that some of the things you learned at school a few years ago are no longer applicable now.

    The key thing about change is that it can either be for the better or for the worse. You should always understand what the pros and cons are for a certain change before initiating it. Take time to learn and appreciate it.

    Keep Learning and Improving Your Skills

    As human beings, it is very important that we are continuously learning and keep improving on our skills if we are to be relevant to the industry.

    I am always reading and learning new skills on a daily basis. My current target is to read 2 Books per month as a way of improving my skill set.

    I will keep reviewing this on a quarterly basis and see how much progress I am making. I also want my site to be one of the best personal development and self-growth websites in the next five years.

    To achieve this I have set out to keep reading and learning new techniques that will be of value to my readers. This means that for me to rank in the top bracket, the site will need to have regular updates in terms of articles.

    Not just articles but good quality articles that are helpful. I have also noticed that it builds my confidence to talk about the subject of personal development.

    Improving your skills set is one major way to improving your chances of achieving your personal goals with more pleasure and less pressure.

    I know for sure that in the coming months I will be more confident and motivated to write very meaningful articles. I am also currently learning article writing technics.

    Those of you who have been reading my articles will agree that there is a tremendous improvement in the content of my articles.

    With the new skills being acquired I also intend to do a major facelift of the earlier articles and bring them up to the desired standard. These are some of the goals that I have set for this website.

    I encourage you to take learning and improving your skillset very seriously regardless of what you are involved in. The most successful people are constantly reading and learning new skills as this is the only way to keep them above the competition.

    If you are in sales for example it will do you good to learn how to spend more time with your customers who are more promising, so as to close your sales more quickly and efficiently.

    There are lots of ways you can increase your knowledge. You could either decide to go back to school or have a deliberate habit of spending more time reading industry-related materials.

    An investment in your knowledge and putting what you have learned to practice is a sure way of improving your skillset. It’s time well spent.

    Be Willing to Pay the Price

    If your goal is a financial one, make sure you set a clear price of what you are willing to pay for what you want to earn. The more you want to earn the more the price to pay.

    If you want to earn a certain amount of money say $5K every month ensure that you begin giving society the equivalent of $5K in value every month. Nature is neutral it gives back what you give it. You cannot reap what you have not sown.

    In other words, be willing to pay the price. Start with one or two streams of income and broaden them as you get comfortable with the current ones.

    Be very honest with yourself and do not cut corners by doing illegal things. Having multiple streams of income is a very good safeguard as when one stream dries up due to various reasons, you will still have another one generating income as needed.

    On this website, my major source of income is google adsense. There are a few other affiliate programs that I recommend but currently, google adsense seems to be doing much better than all of them.

    I intend to include more streams as time goes by and as the site starts to generate more meaningful traffic.

    I am also pretty sure that as the traffic increases the google ads will generate even more revenue than what is currently being generated.

    I hope to publish the income figures in the future. Currently, it’s really nothing to talk about. The encouraging thing is that if I can generate $1 per day then I think it is possible to generate $2, $3, $4 per day, and so on.

    I just have to keep working hard, until I get the desired results before moving on to implement the other streams.

    Those who are financially sound do not just have one source of income but they have learned to have multiple sources of income doing what they love most.

    It takes time and effort to build something worthwhile, I am determined to achieve and very motivated to see it come to pass.

    As I said in my earlier articles this website is just one of my biggest contribution to the world. It is my intention to keep distributing articles for free.

    My prayer is that everyone who reads my articles at least gets inspired by them. So far there are more than 148 articles averaging 1,000 words per article this is a whopping 148,000 words on this website, Wow.

    Experiment with Change

    Human beings are always fearful of change and usually do not like it. Change always brings with it a lot of uncomfortable things and mostly we are reluctant to change for fear of failure.

    Failure is just an opportunity to do things differently. We must learn to embrace change and be able to adjust accordingly. It is also important to experiment with change and focus on the opportunities it brings along.

    We are always fearful to change especially when we think we do not have adequate knowledge and expertise to go along with it. Instead of appreciating the fact that it is an opportunity to increase knowledge.

    Sometimes it is just that we are accustomed to doing things in a certain way and a sudden need to change our habits is usually uncomfortable. I know how frustrating it may be. I have been there before.

    Change always requires us to learn new things and puts a challenge on our abilities. Let’s face it life would have been very boring without change.

    Embrace the opportunity to explore new technology before fully integrating it into your daily tasks. This proactive approach will deepen your understanding of the changes ahead and clarify what is expected from you. Take the leap and discover the potential that lies in innovation!

    At the rate we are going in the field of technology I am always one of the last people to jump on to the new changes. I rather take my time before the switch.

    As human beings, we need to accept mistakes and make the necessary adjustments. Experimenting comes with a lot of mistakes and the only way we can quickly move on is to accept them.

    It does not help much to start pointing fingers at who is wrong and who is right but rather focus on correcting the mistake. This is true especially if you are in a leadership position.

    Besides the success or failure of a group is all credited to the leader. A good leader takes responsibility especially for the failures of a team, he will give credit to the team for its successes.

    Conclusion

    “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” – Serenity Prayer.

    You cannot stop the wind of change when it blows in your direction regardless of what you are doing. If you want to grow exponentially you need to learn how to embrace change and work to improve your skills.

    Change always comes with various opportunities and you should always be on the lookout to identifying and exploring them.

    A good leader always reads ahead of his followers and is quick to give direction in the advent of the ever-changing environment.  I hope you will keep an open mind and be flexible enough to embrace change.

  • Do Not Allow Fear to Hold You Back

    Courage is not the absence of fear. Fear is an emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger.

    The emotion of fear usually triggers negative thoughts and feelings. We all have experienced fear before and continue to do so every now and again.

    For some it could be the fear of heights; the fear to tell their story because they are scared of being embarrassed or being laughed at.

    The fear of failure to venture into something new. Does this sound like you? Fear comes in many ways. For some, the sheer thought of living in their comfort zone sends chills down their spine.

    We fail because we lack enough courage to overcome our fears.

    Although fear can help us make necessary preparations to avoid certain calamities, it can also be quite devastating to our lives. It can have long-term negative effects if not properly managed.

    It can lead to physical and psychological challenges. Fear has stopped most of us from fully enjoying our God-given lives.

    “To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong” – Joseph Chilton Pearce.

    Many studies that have been conducted reveal that “Fear causes worry. Worry makes you tense and nervous and affects the nerves of your stomach and actually changes the gastric juices of your stomach from normal to abnormal and often leads to stomach ulcers.”

    This means that fear can eat you alive without you knowing. Dr. Joseph F. Montague, the author of the book Nervous Stomach Trouble, says “You do not get stomach ulcers from what you eat. However, you get ulcers from what is eating you.” This is how much you can be destroyed by fear.

    Let Go of Fear

    “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure” –  Marianne Williamson.

    If you want to accomplish much in life, you need to let go of your fears. Especially the fear of failure and fear of the unknown.

    Those who have accomplished beyond average are those who have learned to overcome their fears. It does not necessarily mean they are not afraid, they have just learned to have more courage and less fear. The more courage you develop the more fearless you become.

    One of the ways to let go of fear is staying positive and true to your goals. Focusing on the benefits and achievements that will accrue with your goals.

    When you start to feel anxious remember that it is normal. It only becomes abnormal when you let anxiety stop you from your goals. This is what has killed most of us. We have allowed anxiety to take centre stage in our lives.

    Focusing on your goals makes you motivated to achieve them. Yes, you may not achieve your goals the first time and neither will you the second time.

    But every time you take a step you move towards achieving them. With every step and effort that you make you become less and less fearful.

    At times it can be very difficult to stay positive, but that is the essence of personal development and self-improvement; that is life. It is to always find ways and means to overcome your limitations and challenges.

    You could try the following tips to help you stay focussed and motivated:-

    • Showing gratitude to others – showing gratitude is a sign of appreciation. It is a sign of being thankful. I believe that it is just humane to say thank you when you have been served. It is appreciating the effort that someone has put into serving you.
    • Keep learning every day – This will take you away from your daily routine which sometimes could become boring. Besides, learning is the cornerstone for life. It is the holy grail of self-improvement and personal development. The more you learn, the more you become. If you want to achieve more you must become more. Be open-minded to learning. Knowledge is one of the very few things that you will be buried with. Knowledge is personal to holder.
    • Lend a helping hand – Humanity was created to coexist. We have just lost it along the way, because of our selfish motives and petty jealousy. I know for sure that many of us derive satisfaction when we lend a helping hand. There is goodness in every one of us.
    • Live for yourself – You are not in competition with anyone. You are your own competition. Move at your own pace and most of all learn to enjoy your life. Find something that you love to do and get on with it. Something that makes you happy.
    • List your positive things in life – We all have done some things that we are proud of. No matter how insignificant they may seem.  They might seem small but when you list them down, they add up. It’s important to list them and make reference to them every now and again. You will be amazed at the list you could come up with. This will always remind you of them and how it feels when you accomplish something you are proud of. You will more often than not try to replicate that feeling.

    Conclusion

    “Only when we are not afraid do we begin to live” – Dorothy Thompson. I would like to conclude by encouraging you not to let fear stand in your way.

    You can achieve whatever you set your mind on only if you can be less fearful and be more courageous. “Feel the fear and do it anyway”. Remember to be courageous and fearless. For more reading please follow this link.

  • Is Living Consciously Beneficial?

    Why is it important to live consciously or have a conscious mind? Do you live consciously?

    “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor” – Henry D Thoreau.

    Many of us live our lives on autopilot. We just flow with the wind. We let ourselves and our lives drift with the wind.

    One of the most important aspects of personal development and self-improvement is developing a habit of living consciously.

    This helps create a sense of expectation and builds confidence in us. Confidence also helps build motivation.

    Over the years I have developed a mechanism to do things consciously and this has really benefited me in my daily life.

    I have noticed a surge in my productivity and a major shift and uplift in my efficiency levels.

    I have also noticed that by living consciously, there is very little room for mistakes and surprises as most of the work and things are done with full alertness and knowledge of the consequences.

    Conscious living is one of my key themes for this website and as such I will be talking about it very frequently in the coming articles.

    Most of the things we do are done almost unconsciously but it is very beneficial to take control of your daily living by creating a conscious mind.

    You should develop an attitude of doing or carrying out your daily activities consciously as this allows you to take control of yourself and your inner being.

    Habits can be learned and unlearned. I can safely say that 99% of our habits are learned over time.

    I know that the only things that we are naturally born with as human beings are the fear of falling and the fear of noise. That is why you will notice that most babies get very uncomfortable when you take them to noisy places.

    The rest of the habits are learned over a period of time. When I say all habits can be learned I mean just that, including bad ones.

    Now, if all habits can be learned it is, therefore, very possible that you can learn the habit of living consciously.

    If you put your mind to it and practice the habit of doing things consciously you will notice an improvement in your daily life and execution of your work.

    Practice Makes Perfect

    To help with living consciously you must tell yourself in the morning that I shall endeavour to do things consciously today and keep reminding yourself.

    Somehow the brain keeps checking and alerting you when it is conditioned to carry out tasks in a certain way. I am always reminded by my subconscious every time I am performing a task.

    Being a conscious person has really helped me in the execution of my daily tasks.

    I have also developed the habit of writing down my daily tasks as a way of remembering what should be done at a particular time.

    I take a review of my to-do list every night. This I do mentally and believe me my success rate has dramatically improved over time.

    Practice living consciously for the next 21 days and it will become a habit for you. If you do something for 21 days continuously it becomes a habit.

    They say practice makes perfect but I say practice creates room for improvement. If you end at perfect you cease to improve.

    Conscious living is one of the best ways to improve your personal growth and increase your productivity.

    As I said before you will reduce your proneness to surprises and errors. You will do tasks with peace of mind knowing that, what you have delivered is actually what you intended to deliver.

    It may not be the correct delivery as required but, then it is what you as an individual intended to deliver.

    When you have developed the habit of living consciously you will also enhance the spirit of expectation.

    It is good practice to always double-check your work as this will ensure quality production.

    Now don’t get me wrong there are times when my work has been terribly below par. The only comforting thing with me is that I have also developed a habit of accepting criticism no matter how hard it is.

    Accept Criticism

    I believe that there is a lot of positiveness in accepting criticism. A good leader is one who accepts both praises and criticisms.

    If you are in a leadership position, which we all are, you should learn to tolerate and accept criticism.

    A leader has a responsibility to the people he is leading. If you are a husband then you are a leader for your wife, children, and your entire household.

    In fact, we are all leaders of ourselves and all work for ‘Me Company Limited.’ You are solely responsible for your life and the direction you take.

    Most of us are still waiting for someone to lead our lives. Now if you are a Christian like me you will say, but God is my shepherd yes he is but he is not responsible for the decision you make.

    Most of the time he leads us to certain places but we are always making the wrong decisions and end up in the wrong places.

    If you are directly responsible for leading a group of people the more reason why you should have a big heart for accepting criticism.

    After all, we do not have the monopoly on knowledge. Some of the criticism will be as blunt and as direct and sometimes may seem like an insult but that is what leadership is all about.

    It is about taking in all the criticism and providing solutions and hope to the team.

    You may not have the answers right away but people should have the confidence that you will guide them through the storm. Leaders must learn to create a sense of hope and trust in their followers.

    Those in leadership must learn to take responsibility for both positive and negative outcomes. I believe that criticism helps us grow as individuals.

    It is very important that we analyse it and make a deliberate effort to improve.

    As human beings, I have noticed that we do not take criticism very well and mostly we just want to take only the positive aspects of the praises.

    If we have to grow as individuals we must take responsibility for all our actions both negative and positive.

    Leaders must realise that they have more on their shoulders than their followers. With more, there is more that is expected of you. 

    The more or the larger the organisation being lead the more demands are placed on the leadership.

    “The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

    Conclusion

    “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living” – Gail Heehy.

    Living consciously is more beneficial to individuals as it gives us control of our lives and helps with productivity.

  • Life is Like a Seed that Needs to be Nurtured

    “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant” – Robert Louis Stevenson.

    Your attitude about the future depends on your ability to see the future.

    Every person has the inherent ability to dream, design, and experience the future through their hopeful imaginations.

    Whatever the capacity the mind has to imagine, it also has the ability to create. All human beings carry a seed to create.

    All growth comes from within. We all carry the seed to succeed and grow in whatever we put our minds to.

    In other words, life is like a seed. If you look around, you will realise that there is nothing that was not created. Believe it or not, everything you see was first conceived as a seed.

    The question you might be asking is if we all carry the seed of success why is it that only a few people are successful?

    Well the biggest challenge with most of us is that we let the seed go to waste. We do not take good care of it.

    You see for any seed to grow, it must be nurtured and nourished. This is the process that we do not want to undertake.

    Nurturing and nourishing a seed takes a lot of effort and time, discipline, and is hard work.

    Recently I started a small backyard garden. I have been growing plants from seeds. It has taken me close to 3 months to grow pepper, from seed to now almost harvest time.

    I have not yet harvested it and anything could go wrong before then. So not until we have enjoyed the first harvest, we have not yet enjoyed the benefits of our labour.

    So it is with life, it is like a tree. It starts as a seed and grows into a tree. Any seed has the potential to grow into a tree.

    However, whether the seed will grow into a tree and produce good fruit or not will depend on the quality of the nutrients.

    See for any seed to sprout and grow it needs dirt or better still soil otherwise if left open the sun will burn it.

    Now soil contains nutrients that are necessary for the growth of the seed. I believe it takes a lot of energy for the small seed to push itself up from underground to the surface.

    Better still it has to adapt to the different weather patterns and conditions to grow and start bearing good fruit.

    Nurture and Nourish that Seed

    Whatever it is that you want to do in life starts with planting a seed of it. If you want to be successful, you need to understand that it takes hard and smart work to achieve it. Plant the seed of success and begin to work on actualising it.

    Look, “somewhere in the Kafue National Park every morning arises an Impala that realises that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten and die that day, in the same National Park arises a lion that realises that it must run faster than the fastest Impala or it will starve and die that day.”

    The moral of the story is that no matter what you do in life you have to run.

    No matter who you are you have to run. The running symbolises the work that you have to do on a daily basis.

    If you’ve had the opportunity to watch national geographics and observed how both the Impala and the Lion run. You will realise that they do not just run in a straight line.

    Life will throw things at you. It’s, therefore, important that you learn how to navigate through those obstacles.

    Learning how to navigate through life is not the easiest of things to do. We are constantly learning and adapting to life everyday.

    If you are not changing with time then, you are not improving and are most likely to remain behind. It could be the reason why you have stagnated in life.

    The dirt or soil symbolises the foundation. This is the hardest part. Making the soil more fertile and conducive for the seed takes learning and discipline.

    This helps you build character. Now that you have character with time and endurance you will have nurtured and nourished your ideas and will give birth to your plans or project.

    Before you know it you will be reaping the fruits of your labour. The hardest part, however, is the nurturing and nourishing part.

    Every good thing takes time. Most of us do not want to endure the soil. We do not want the dirt being thrown at us. We want to skip from seed to fruit.

    Allow God to Be at the Centre of Your Plans

    The Bible says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” – Jeremiah 29.

    Allowing God in my life has been huge for me. To me, it is clear that whatever plans we have before we implement them we must put them before God.

    Ultimately the Lord knows what he has planned for us. It is, therefore, imperative that we conform to the plans of the Lord for our lives.

    Allowing God to lead is just wonderful. Yes sometimes we miss it and get off target and yes sometimes things do not go as we want them.

    The bigger picture is that God knows what is best for us. I am human just like you and sometimes I question God when things are not going as I expect them. But I have learned to let God to be God in my life.

    The comforting thing is that God always makes a way where there seems to be no way. He has better plans for my life than I would ever know.

    God is a teacher and accepts anyone as they are. The beauty of following God is that it is at your own free will. He will never force you to obey or follow him.

    I have made mistakes and some of the things I have done am not proud of. But I know that he accepts me just the way I am and he can accept you just as you are if you call on him.

    Conclusion

    “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” – Proverbs.

    Do not let those plans; those seeds that you have, go to waste. You have a duty or rather a responsibility to ensure that you do not deprive the world of them.

    Lastly, we should learn to give thanks and praise to the Lord because he gives us the opportunity to live and go on with our lives.

  • Why Having a Positive Mental Attitude is Important

    “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with a wrong mental attitude” – Thomas Jefferson.

    Attitude is everything. At the heart and core of personal development is mental attitude. Success or failure is largely determined by one’s reaction to their environment. The ability to react is a result of your mentality.

    How you react to adversity; your ability to grow and learn and your ability to overcome challenges are all factors that are largely influenced by your mental attitude.

    What determines your success or failure is your attitude towards life. If you have a positive mental attitude you are more likely to succeed. That is why it is very important to keep a positive mental attitude.

    For this reason, you will agree that one of the most important personal assets to continuously make improvements on, is your mental attitude. If you want to achieve more, you must ensure that you work on improving your mental attitude.

    It is the gateway to life’s opportunities. How you react to different situations will determine what course of action you will take.

    You may not realise it but, sometimes opportunities come and they pass you by, simply because of your negative way of thinking.

    The most successful people are those that have a positive mentality even when they are faced with adversity. I know that sometimes it is very difficult to stay positive, but if you want to succeed you need to have an attitude of positive mentality.

    They say “the only disability in life is a bad mental attitude.” We all have weaknesses. I always say that we are all challenged in one way or the other. But, the only disability is having a bad mentality.

    I have seen people who are physically challenged, yet are successful in life. A good example is one of my favourite preachers Nick Vujicic.

    This is a man who is physically challenged yet with great charisma and a positive mental attitude towards life. I find his teachings amazing.

    The reality of life is that we are solely responsible for forming our own attitudes. God has given us the authority and willpower to be in charge and be responsible for our own characters.

    It Has an Effect on Your Life

    Your attitude is usually formed over a period of time due to your life’s experiences. However, your reaction and actions towards any given situation are but your choice.

    You have the power and will to choose how you are going to react to any given situation. Only you are in charge of the willpower to choose.

    Your reaction towards life also has a bearing on both your long and short-term achievements. The negative reactions will usually delay your success rate and increase your failure rate.

    What you want in life is to increase your chances of success, which can only be done with a positive attitude.

    The more positive your attitude is the more increased your chances of success is.

    As I have said before that life is enjoyed when you triumph. Winning can be addictive just as losing can be demoralising.

    It’s like in sport, the more you win, the more motivated you are and the more invincible you feel. However, the opposite is true, the more you lose the more demoralised you feel and the more likely you are to lose again.

    Am sure it takes more energy and a great attitude to reverse a losing streak in any situation.

    The effects of having a positive way of thinking on your life is the ultimate feeling you should be aiming for. You have better self-esteem and your confidence is enhanced.

    Confidence naturally reduces your stress levels and you develop a feel-good factor about yourself, that leads to more happiness. After all, the ultimate goal in life is to live a happy and healthy life.

    It Can Help Boost Your Self-Esteem

    As mentioned before having a positive mental attitude has many benefits among them is the improvement and boosting of your self-esteem.

    The quality of your life and the way you feel about yourself are all linked to your mental attitude.

    The more positive your mental attitude is, the better the quality of your life.

    “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy.

    If you think positively, you will feel happier. If you are negative, you’ll feel pretty dull. Boost your self-esteem by looking at yourself in a positive light and picking out the things you like about yourself. Also, turn any negative features or characteristics into positives.

    People will always have an opinion about you, it’s important not to let what others think, bother you, and to really try not to worry yourself about what they think at all.

    I have a personal rule, of not paying so much attention to things that I have no control over. One of which is that you will never have control over what people think or say about you. Make it a policy that they do not affect your happiness.

    Always remember that every action you take has consequences and it is basically a reflection of your inner being. Like I said before you have the willpower to make better choices.

    As mentioned above attitudes are formed through experience. They are learnable. This means that both positive and negative mental attitudes have been learned over time. Just like anything else that can be learned they can also be unlearned.

    According to a Stanford Research Institute study, the path to success is comprised of 88% attitude and only 12% education. This does not negate the importance of education but goes to show how vital a positive mental attitude is to success.

    Self-esteem can only be boosted by unlearning the negative way of thinking and replacing it with a positive one.

    It Can Improve Your Motivation

    You are motivated when you are sure of yourself. Motivation is a product of having a positive outlook. Motivation is key to achieving your personal development and self-improvement.

    When you are of good cheer, nothing can stand in your way. Yes, you will stumble but will turn adversity to your advantage. A person of good cheer will surely succeed in life because they will be razor-focused on achieving their goals.

    “When you change the way you look at things; the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer.

    Conclusion

    “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” – Brian Tracy.

    Having a positive mental attitude is what you should be working towards achieving.

  • Having a Transformed, Positive Mind is Powerful

    Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We speak what is in us. Your speech is directly linked with what is harboured in your mind.

    Life demands that we grow physically, spiritually, and mentally. Although these processes of transitioning from childhood to adulthood seem to come naturally, we have a huge responsibility and duty to ensure that the transition is smooth.

    Not only to see it happen but to ensure that it is done right. Even as small children we were responsible for ensuring that the food prepared for us was eaten. Our parents or guardians were only responsible for the provision.

    Just as the body needs nourishment to stay in good physical condition, the mind and the spirit which are mostly neglected also need to be looked after very well.

    Everything that we do starts with the mind. I cannot think of anything that the body does that is not controlled by the brain which houses our mind. If you want success you need to have a success mind. You need to change the way you think.

    Watch your thoughts they become your actions, watch your actions they become your character that defines you. In every situation or circumstance, the state of your mind largely determines the way you navigate through life.

    Stop doubting your ability to think big. You have more than enough capacity to achieve anything that you set your mind on. If you can think it then you can be it. If you have a negative state of mind you need to change your thinking habits.

    If it means changing the people you hang around with, do it. You are currently in your stagnant life mainly because you have not allowed your mind to provide solutions for you. You have created a box that you cannot think beyond its edges.

    Feed Your Mind the Right Stuff

    What are you reading? What are you watching? If you are not reading you are starving the growth of your mind. The Bible says “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformation of the mind is key to both your survival and your personal development and self-improvement.

    Your outward life is a reflection of the world within. You may wonder why your life is stagnant. Take a look at your predominant thoughts and bang! you have your answer. If you spend most of your time complaining you are most likely a complainant.

    Life gives you back what you give it. If you give it lemons, you get lemons out of it. You cannot expect to harvest apples from a mango tree, nor can you expect to harvest mangoes from an avocado tree.

    If you want apples, plant an apple tree, take care of it diligently and in due course you will harvest apples. If you want to achieve success change your thinking habits and have a success mind. Be successful in your mind and work towards achieving it.

    One of the ways I use to help stay positive is by reading motivational books and the Bible on a daily basis. Every day I spend at least one and a half hours reading. I have a deliberate target of reading at least two books in a month.

    I listen to podcasts, CDs and watch motivational videos. With the advent of the internet, there are lots of free sources for material, YouTube is one of them. I have also greatly reduced my TV time. Yes, I do find time to relax with my family but I spend most of my free time reading.

    The change has been immense. My thinking has greatly improved and is more positive than before. I am not saying I do not have negative thoughts, I do have them from time to time but I have also learned how to handle them.

    I do not allow them to take over my predominant thoughts. Getting rid of them quickly, once they surface is one of the techniques I use. I have also learned to be more focused and have become more productive with my work.

    Get Your Hands Dirty

    Don’t just end at changing your thinking habits. To achieve anything you need to put in the time, you need to fold your sleeves and get your hands dirty. You need to work.

    Thinking without taking action will not put food on your table. Remember you have bills to settle and they are paid from your earnings and these come from your work.

    Get to work even when your plan is not as clear as you want it to be. It will become more clearer as you navigate through it. The most important thing is to just get started.

    When I was setting out to start this blog I had no concrete idea of the direction it would take. To be honest, even up to now I cannot exactly say what direction it will take. The only direction I pray and hope it will continue taking is the provision of free personal development and self-improvement materials.

    I keep getting more ideas on how to make improvements to the site and currently, I have been thinking of publishing an eBook. I know this is going to be hard work. I know for sure that hard work is not a guarantee to success, but it surely is the only chance I have.

    I believe that human beings were created to work. If you are not working, you are more likely living a life you do not enjoy. Work is also good for the health of your body. Working also makes you feel relevant in life as you are contributing to the growth of the world.

    The Bible says “a good man shall leave an inheritance for his children’s children.” Yes,  it is your responsibility to ensure that your children and your grandchildren have a heads start in life.

    You may say I never had a good start, well the fact that you are here, reading this article, means that you are privileged enough to make sure that those coming after you have a heads start.

    The Bible also says that “if a man will not work, he shall not eat.” A little sleep, a little slumber, and a little folding of the arms to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber. There is no substitute for getting your hands dirty, it has to be done.

    Conclusion

    If there is one thing you must possess it is having a clear thinking mental attitude. Having a changed and positive mind will surely give you a head start in all your endeavours. Your mind is the heart of your life, guard it against destructive vices. Do not neglect to nourish it well. Change your mind and change the narrative for your life.

  • The Power of Letting Go: Freedom Starts with Forgiveness

    Human beings are social by nature. We depend on each other. Whether we want it or not. Whether by design or not. Whether we like it or not. We need each other.

    We all depend on each other and even though sometimes if not most of the time we come into conflict with each other. We were meant to co-exist.

    Though there can be a lot of friction when people clash, the most important thing and most important lesson to learn in life is having a spirit of forgiveness.

    Harbouring bitterness is poisonous to yourself. When you hate you hurt and block yourself from God’s blessings. You shield yourself from his grace.

    The question then is, why do you keep hating even when the person you hate has moved on and most of the time they don’t even know that you hate them?

    You have no moral right to keep hate in your heart. It just burdens you. It hurts your feelings. It’s stressful for nothing.

    Allow your heart to be free and experience true freedom. God created you to enjoy a peaceful life. You can never have peace when you are hurting inside.

    Hate is bondage. Forgiveness is freedom from bondage. You will never be free if you have a heart of unforgiveness. You wiĺl never experience full happiness if your heart is burdened with hate.

    The reality is that most of the time we keep hate for no real reason. Ask yourself why you hate someone and the reasons will be flimsy.

    God Forgave Us

    We have no reason to keep hurting in our hearts because God Almighty already forgave us at the cross. Every whip and tear he shed at the cross was for you and me.

    So who are we to keep hating each other when the creator of heaven and earth, the one who knows us inside out, already forgave us? He bore our infirmities and by his stripes we were healed.

    The Bible is always encouraging us to live in peace with one another. In fact it commands us to “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Surely no one hates themselves. I have yet to come across a person who hates themselves.

    When we live in peace we are able to progress as humanity and we can help make the world a better place.

    The main source of conflicts today is people harboring hate against each other. People looking down upon each other thinking they are more superior than the other. People wanting to subdue each other.

    We can reduce wars and conflicts by sitting down on a round table and asking each other for forgiveness. In other words, sitting down and having honest conversations with each other.

    There is absolutely no need to fight both physically and mentally. Today, the world witnesses one of the bloodiest wars in the middle east in modern day history all for no real reason.

    It All Starts With You

    You have a huge part to play. The decisions you make today will definitely affect the outcome of so many things.

    You may not realise it but what you do today has an effect on the general well being of the world. You may be a small entity but you are part of the larger world family.

    If only you can do the right thing, you may just be one person but imagine if everyone of us did the right things. Just how much would the world benefit?

    Change starts with one person and it moves to the next and the next before you know it, it is all trending and the world is being changed and transformed.

    So don’t underestimate the power and the weight you carry. You are such an important component of the world at large.

    Remember that a population is made up of individuals that have an independent mind. Collectively we form a united population.

    It Frees You From Bondage

    You experience freedom and unburden your heart when you practice forgiveness. We all want to be shown love when we make mistakes. Why? Because we are human.

    It’s just human that we feel appreciated. Some need more love than others. It is our duty as human beings to forgive and show love to each other.

    This way we create a fertile environment and open our hearts for God’s blessings. There is nothing so soothing and refreshing than knowing that you have been forgiven.

    You cannot hope to succeed when you are carrying bitterness in your heart. Bitterness is poison.

    This is most common especially among us who call ourselves Christians. We like to have double standards. On one hand we preach God’s word on the other hand we are not living what we preach.

    Before you judge your friend, look at the life you are living. Give it a test by comparing it with the standard that has been set by the Christ you profess to follow.

    Does it fall short or is it in conformity with his standards then you have the right to judge your friend. Am sure that if we all did this we would not be judging one another instead we would be asking each other for forgiveness.

    To Err is Human

    If you are a human being you will always make mistakes. There is no one on this earth who is perfect. We all make mistakes.

    No one can claim to live a life that is without blemish. That is why we should all seek God’s help and guidance everyday.

    Believe it or not you get through the day by God’s grace. Without which you cannot make it. Whether you are a believer or not, God is so merciful and gracious to all. He lets the sun shine on all his creations. He has given each and everyone of us an equal opportunity.

    We have the opportunity to seek God’s guidance and forgiveness on a daily basis. He is not a God who forces things on his creation.

    He has given us free will to choose but remember that the choices you make have a large bearing on the results you desire.

    It is human to make mistakes. Don’t feel ashamed when you make mistakes, instead it is an opportunity to learn what not to do next time.

    We would never have learned as much without making mistakes. It is part of the growth process.

    It all Comes Down to You

    You make the final call. The ball is in your court. What you decide today has an effect on your future.

    The more good decisions you make the more influential you become and the more you impact the world in a positive way.

    Your legacy will be determined by the way you live your life; it is what people see that attracts them to you. You cannot expect to leave a good legacy if you are not good yourself.

    If they see negativity you will surely attract negative people around you. If you radiate positivity you will see positive people around you.

    The choice is yours to make. You have the final say of what you want to be.

    Conclusion

    The ultimate goal in life is to experience freedom. This can be achieved when you learn how to forgive.

  • 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Responsible For Your Life

    Life is what you make of it. If you make it happy you will enjoy happiness. If you make it boring you will definitely be bored; make it positive and you will live a positive life. You take out of life what you give it, nothing less and nothing more.

    In other words, you are responsible for your own life. You are responsible for creating the life that you want. You can chart the course of your life. No one has the right to prescribe what your life should be or look like, without your permission. This is your birth right and your responsibility.

    Quit blaming people for what you do not have or have not achieved and start doing something about it. If you are miserable you are solely responsible for ensuring that you change it.

    In the first place, you must realise that you are the one who got yourself where you are, based on the decisions and choices you have made.

    This is what many people do not realise, that it is everyone’s responsibility to make decisions that will help chart their own lives.

    Instead, they wait for someone to come and make decisions for them and they end up waiting for eternity or continue living a life that is controlled by other people.

    Do you realise that every decision you make has an immediate or future influence on your life? Your life is made of the small decisions and choices you make every day.

    That is why it is important to make the right decisions and choices that have a long lasting and positive influence on your life.

    As human beings, we have a tendency of turning a blind eye to facing the reality of making those tough decisions and choices. Especially, if the decisions will lead to some temporary setbacks. This is a bad habit that must be broken.

    If you do not make the decision to resolve certain problems, they have a way of showing up in the nearest future. It could just be the reason why certain things are going wrong in your life. Have the courage to make decisions and learn to live with the consequences.

    Do not shy away from making those uncomfortable hard decisions that could make or break your life. Do not allow people to take away your responsibility for your own life.

    Take Control of Your Destiny

    The results of being responsible for your life are many. When you are in control of your life, you also control your destiny. You decide what is good for you and what is not good for you.

    You decide what your life should look like, what direction it should take and what it should be. In other words, you are the captain of your life.

    Sometimes things will not go accordingly, but you will be absolutely pleased that you are responsible for everything that happens to your life because you made the decisions and choices yourself. The other thing you will take away is that you will have no one, but you to blame.

    Instead, you will find solutions to fix your current inadequacies and correct the situation. Equally, when you succeed you will take all the credit.

    Well, you know how it feels to be credited with success. This is what makes life worth living for, the ability to make adjustments and decisions that help propel your life forward.

    It doesn’t mean that things will be easy when you are in control, No. But it motivates you to do even more things that make you happy. You set your own goals and move at your own pace.

    Experience Personal Freedom

    Every good thing comes with a responsibility. Being responsible is a requisite for personal freedom. It’s an expression of personal freedom and signifies maturity. It is a good measure to use as a self-check to achieve personal development and self-improvement.

    There was a time son was learning about his rights as a child at school. One day when he came back home from school he was very excited to tell me about his rights, I asked him to list them down one by one.

    What I noticed is that he was not told by the teacher that to every right there is a responsibility. He was only told one side of the story.

    I got his list and also wrote down the responsibilities that go with the rights he had listed down. It then dawned on him that to every right he has, there is also a requirement to take responsibility in order to enjoy them rightfully.

    I think that is the way life should be. Personal freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. If you want to enjoy the freedom you must take responsibility for it.

    We must ensure that we put in place things that will enhance our freedom without infringing on other people’s freedoms. We must learn to coexist as human beings.

    Accountability

    Accountability is “responsibility to someone or for some activity.” If you are married you are responsible and accountable to your spouse. Yes, it is your responsibility to be accountable. I know that most men do not want to be accountable to their wives. But it is our responsibility and duty to do that.

    I believe that we are all accountable to one another not only to our spouses but to the community at large. How we live our lives is a reflection of how accountable we are.

    How then, can you be accountable if you are not in charge of your own life? I am a Christian and believe that one day God will ask us to give an account for our lives.

    Being accountable is being responsible. If you work for an Audit or Law firm you are taught to account for your time by way of filling in a timesheet on a regular basis.

    You have to be in control of your time because every minute you spend on a file is charged to the client. This is just one way of asking you to be responsible with your time. You do not want to overcharge a client and you also want to give the best advice or service possible.

    A Sense of Belonging

    You feel a sense of appreciation when you are contributing to a just cause. You can only contribute more when you are in control of yourself. Those who are totally in charge of their lives contribute more positively to society than those who are not in control of themselves.

    As you may well know, human beings are social by nature. Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion and identity for a member of a certain group. We all strive to be accepted socially because that is in our nature.

    Creating genuine feelings of belonging is a critical factor in improving engagement and performance. You should not trade your acceptance to a group by giving up your responsibility for your life. You have the power and will to choose what type of relationships to belong to.

    It Is Your Duty

    Your life is your responsibility. It is your duty to look after it and do what you feel is right with it. At the end of the day, it is you who will be answerable for it to your creator. You will stand in the “dock” and be answerable for how you spent it. What you did with it.

    Taking responsibility is acknowledging that you are taking control of your life, it is telling your friends and the world that you are in charge and not your spouse, father, mother, or anyone else.

    It brings out the best in you. It is your duty and your birthright to be in charge of yourself.

    Conclusion

    One of the most important aspects of taking responsibility for your life is that you will live your life according to your will. No one will live it for you and everything you accomplish will be duly credited to you.

    No one will take away the joy and the happiness you will experience. Make sure you are responsible for your life.

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