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  • 5 Tools for a Successful Business

    We all want to have a successful business, don’t we? But, what tools do you need to have for a successful business?

    Many of us focus too much on the money part and neglect other important ingredients of a successful business.

    Yes, I know and understand that money is important so are the tools you use to generate it. There is no business that can generate enough revenue without tools.

    Lets discuss a list of key tools for a business to succeed. These are proven and I think they will be helpful to you, especially if you are just starting out in business.

    Time

    You must understand that time is money and it is of the essence. Time is an important tool in anything we do. In business, your main objective is to make money.

    How do you make money? You utilize time accordingly. But the question is how do you productively convert your time into money?

    Are you making full use of your time or do you just let the time pass you by? Time is a commodity that once lost it cannot be recovered.

    How much money you make depends on how good you are at converting time to money. The less time you spend the more money you can generate.

    If you are already productive, then you may want to ask; what are the things you can do to improve further. Remember time is the most valuable asset and once it’s gone, it cannot be recovered.

    Time is the most equal resource we all have in life. It’s something that God has graciously given every person in the same amount, regardless of their circumstances.

    Everybody on earth experiences the same hours of day and night; The same seasons in a particular area. I have never heard of anyone saying that they enjoy more time than 24 hrs per day.

    Human Resource or Human Capital

    The second tool for me is human resources or human capital. To be successful in business, you must have people connections.

    I mean you must have the right people working with you. People consist of customers, suppliers, partners, staff, and associates.

    I cannot imagine a business that is successful without people. If there are no people connected to your business I can guarantee you that you are wasting your time.

    One thing that you must not leave out is your mentor or coach. Having genuine mentors or coaches is very important and it can make a very big difference in your business.

    What a mentor does is that they will help you grow through your business. You will gain valuable knowledge if you have a good mentor.

    You should also have a mentor not just for your business but for your personal growth as well.

    A mentor does not necessarily have to be a person you know. You may not even be in a position to meet them physically. A mentor is someone you look up to.

    To make sure that you have more profit, you must serve people well. Organize your database of people connections. By simply knowing who does what, who supplies what, who needs what, where to get what takes you miles ahead of your competition.

    Even if you are doing affiliate marketing you need to know the needs of your affiliates.

    Knowledge and Skills

    The third tool you need is a combination of a set of knowledge and skills.

    When I talk about knowledge and skills, I am not referring to academic knowledge that you find in schools or colleges including universities.

    What’s more important to you is knowledge and skills that can bring you the kind of results you want and usually these are not found in schools.

    How many MBA holders, do you know of, that have become business owners and have made tons of money or are running successful businesses?

    That shows you that getting the right knowledge and skills is important. Don’t blindly go after the knowledge that will not add value to your skillset.

    Go for knowledge and skills that are universally tested and proven. Get knowledge that is relevant to your business. Study what other related businesses are doing and do it better.

    Examples of the right knowledge and skills are where to get what from who, money-making trends, marketing strategies, the art of dealing with people, negotiating skills, selling skills, skills of managing and growing money, investment skills, universal laws of success, and more.

    Don’t waste time on unnecessary knowledge. There’s only so much that you need to know and learn. Be sharp and focused when you acquire knowledge and skills.

    Don’t follow what normal people do. Above all put your knowledge and skillset to practice. Knowledge without action is equal to zero results.

    Personal Health

    You cannot make money when you are in bad health. My number 4 tool is good personal health. In fact, this is the most important tool of all.

    How can you run a business without a healthy body? In order to maintain optimum health, you have to provide your body with proper nutrition and sufficient exercise.

    And also don’t forget about your emotional well-being don’t let anger and other negative emotions control you.

    This is where positive and empowering attitudes come into play. Maintaining your body is just like maintaining your car. If you send your car to a workshop for regular service and pump petrol regularly, why don’t you do the same for your body?

    Go for medical check ups atleast once a year. Have a deliberate healthy living habit.

    It’s something for you to think about. Don’t be stingy over spending money for your own health because physical and mental health can cost you a lot of money in the long run if your body is not taken care of properly.

    Financial Resources

    Let’s face it. It takes money to make money even if all you need is a little. But you might not need a lot of money to start a business because there are many ways to start one with low capital, I recommend affiliate marketing programs.

    I meet a lot of people who want to be rich but are not willing to invest time and money. You must invest in something in order for you to get something out.

    The law of sowing and reaping is at work. Don’t expect something without investing anything. Money is one of the investments you need to make.

    Even though you don’t need to have a huge capital for your business, but at least you must be able to cover your expenses while building your business, and this costs money.

    You also need resources to buy products to stock up and other stuff. So, you must at least come up with whatever amount that you have to start a business.

    Conclusion

    These are the five basic tools you need for business success. I call them tools because you need to use them in order for your business to succeed.

    Do your best to acquire or grow or invest in these personal tools. These tools have worked for me even in the area of personal development.

    But the good thing is you don’t need to have a perfect combination of tools to get started. You can still perfect the tools along the way.

  • Business Unusual

    “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” ~ Vince Lombardi.

    I am sure that most of us have heard the saying “business as usual,” am also pretty sure that the heading to this article does not make much sense to some of you.

    Maybe you are thinking the title should have been “unusual business” or something related or maybe you think it is a mistake, NO!!!.

    The title is perfect and suits the article very well as you will see. The quote by Vince Lombardi basically sums up the activities of what, successful people do.

    On the contrary, though I would like to disagree with the phrase “business as usual” to me it simply means business without improvement.

    If you are in the habit of the business-as-usual syndrome, then chances are that you are stagnant and not improving in whatever you are doing. You need to change.

    Do Things Differently

    To succeed in life you need to do things differently and in a smart way. If you are in business making an improvement on a frequent basis is what will distinguish you from others.

    Especially if you are in the service industry improvement is very cardinal. Well, I have learnt that some things cannot be changed and thus are better left like that.

    But most of the things we do in life can be improved upon. Improving on the smallest of things in your life will result in a total change in your outlook.

    An improvement in your waking up could result in you having more time for other things; an improvement in your eating habits will result in a healthy life.

    These small changes when put together result in big changes. And this is what distinguishes success from failure.

    To do things in an unusual ways means to have a heart and love for what we are doing. If you have a love and passion for whatever business or work you are doing believe me you will always try to improve on it.

    I will give an example of the computer industry; see how computers have evolved from big mainframes to miniature computers with so much power and flexibility.

    This of course is as a result of the passion and dedication the men and women in this industry have put in. The notion that “business as usual” should not be the one for you if you want to be a success in life. Your business should not be as usual it should be different and smartly done.

    Learn the Tricks of the Trade

    “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.

    You cannot improve on anything without learning the ropes. By this I mean you cannot improve your business or your personal goes without learning and knowing how things are done.

    Learning is perhaps one quality that needs to be improved upon on a very regular basis. I learn a new thing on a daily basis. Never stop learning. The moment you stop learning you will have closed the door to growth.

    You need to have an open mind for learning new things and tricks of the trade. In every niche there are norms, “the dos and the don’ts” learn them and improve on them. This will be your guide to success.

    Even in your quest to succeed I believe that you have a written down life’s purpose, use it as your guide and keep improving on it. There is no limit in acquiring knowledge but, also know that it must be put to use. Knowledge without action is useless. Learning must be followed with action.

    There is no point in learning how say, foreclosure is done in real estate and not put it to practice. Imagine how much time would have been invested in the learning process just to be wasted without being put to use.

    If you have to learn ensure that you will put to use what you have learned. Napoleon Hill says “KNOWLEDGE will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical PLANS OF ACTION.” This is how important action is. Action is the most important of all success principles.

    Having a mentality and doing “business unusual” has many more positive credits than negatives. Just the fact that you are motivated to do something differently gives you an added advantage against your fellow employees if you are in employment.

    Your boss or supervisor will be very pleased with you when he sees the effort of improvement being exhibited. It also goes the same for people running their own businesses. The little efforts being applied will definitely be noticed and appreciated by both would-be customers and current ones.

    Conclusion

    “Business is a combination of war and sport” ~ Andrea Maurois. I would like to encourage you to have a mentality of doing things differently.

    It may be difficult at the beginning but remember that Rome was not built in one day. Start with the small little things that are easy to do and continue on that path for say 3 weeks and see if you will not make a difference.

  • It Pays to Start Small

    “Do not despise the days of your small beginnings” ~ the Bible. “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still” ~ Chinese proverb.

    Some translations of the Bible say “humble” beginnings. I am sure that we all want to succeed in all areas of our lives more especially in the financial area.

    It is only normal and nature permits it. I believe that all normal human beings have the desire to want to do something that will make them excel and succeed in all endevours’ of life.

    The biggest problem, however, lies in the desire to climb the tree starting from the very top. It is the wish to enjoy the fruit before even taking the necessary step of planting the tree.

    It is like wanting to eat dessert before having the main meal, rushing to experience the rewards without putting in the essential groundwork first.

    We always want to ignore the basics. Many of us do not want to build a solid foundation for our success, be it in business or personal development. We want the easy way out.

    We would rather start reaping from what we have not fully sowed. However, what we do not realise is that ignorance and avoidance of basics is one of the major contributors to our failures.

    Yes, you may experience temporal success but the end is very catastrophic. Cutting corners may just prolong your journey to success.

    Starting small gives you the opportunity to learn the trade. You grow slowly but steadily learning and avoiding big losses.

    This gives you motivation, as you are able to see the small achievements that you are scoring along the way and you keep building on them.

    The Building Blocks

    To succeed at anything you need to have the building blocks put together. In fact, you must first acquire the building materials and then put them together in the right order.

    Most of us have acquired the building blocks and I can assure you that a good number of us have better building materials than successful people.

    The major difference is that we want to jump the gun. We want to start building the house from the roof.

    Simply put we do not appreciate our small beginnings. I like this Chinese proverb that says “a journey of three thousand miles beginnings with one step.”

    For sure every step taken simply means that you have covered a distance. In this case, your building blocks are the steps you are taking.

    As an individual, I have learned to appreciate that for anything that I want to succeed at, the small efforts and inputs that I put in are greatly appreciated and treasured.

    For I know that it is these small little things that give birth to big things. Know that Rome was not built in one day.

    Remember if you are planning to start running your own business do not be discouraged at the amount of startup capital you have.

    Just start and grow with your business. The more you learn how to handle small amounts of money, the more you are training yourself to handle large amounts of money.

    They say “it is the cents that make the dollars.” Put the cents together and you have a dollar. The more cents you put together the more dollars you have. The more dollars you have the more money you accumulate.

    It’s just like the human body; it is made up of small cells. These small cells when put together make each and every tissue, organ, and finally, the whole body is complete.

    When you focus on the composition and makeup of the human body you will appreciate that all growth comes from within; you will appreciate that those small things when put together they add up to something big.

    Start Small

    I know we all want to start big and quickly move in the comfort zone.

    The reality is that even the biggest corporations of today started small.

    A lesson learned from starting small is that you grow with the business and develop a discipline for managing it.

    Nature is such that you will hold dear what you have worked for and have seen grow from scratch. You become emotionally attached to it.

    It is very different to be given a lot of money that you have never handled before in your life, the likely hood of mismanaging the funds is higher than when you have toiled and sweated for the same money.

    They say easy come easy go. Have you ever wondered that most of those who win the lottery quickly become bankrupt?

    Starting small and ensuring steady growth also gives you a sense of pride and satisfaction.

    I am not against anyone who starts big, experience has shown that those who grow their businesses from a small scale are more likely to succeed than those who start big.

    I feel more comfortable starting with something I can handle and improving on it as it grows. It is much easier to handle small things and learn from them.

    Even in the area of personal development, change will not come like manna from heaven. The change will come through the small everyday efforts that you put in.

    Conclusion

    In order to succeed, we must appreciate the days of our humble beginnings. We also appreciate that all forms of living things are made of small components and remember that it is the cents that make the dollars.

    Learn to cherish those days and thank your creator for them. The days of your small beginnings are your learning curve and building blocks for your success.

  • The Secret Source of Power

     

    “The possibilities of thought training are infinite, its consequence eternal, and yet few take the pains to direct their thinking into channels that will do them good, but instead leave all to chance” ~ Marden.

    Before we go further let’s define the word power “it is the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality.”

    We all possess the unique ability to take various actions. Each of us holds the power to make choices, whether those choices are positive or negative in nature.

    Everyone has some unique ability or talent; no one can truly claim they can’t do anything meaningful at all in life.

    Since all human beings have the ability and quality to do something one would then expect all of us to lead very successful and fulfilling lives.

    This is not meant to happen; the key is understanding the secret and where it comes from: POWER. It’s about how to use this power, apply it, and truly realize its potential.

    The Source of Power

    The question to ask then is, what is the true source of this power? As you read along, you will begin to understand the concept of the source of power more clearly.

    The mind and its attitudes are by far the most important elements of achieving success and fostering personal development.

    What your mind thinks about most of the time, is what you eventually become. In other words, you are in your current position because of the thoughts you entertained.

    The thoughts you harbour in your mind are key to your success. If you want to make lots of money, have the money consciousness.

    The ability to eliminate imperfect conditions depends upon your mental action, and mental action depends upon consciousness of power.

    The more aware we become of our deep connection to the source of all power, the more effectively we will be able to manage and positively influence every situation we encounter.

    This mental attitude is our personality and is composed of the thoughts which we have been creating in our own minds. You see the mind is such a powerful tool.

    Therefore, if we desire a significant change in our current conditions, all that is necessary is to actively change our thoughts and mindset.

    This will, in turn, change our mental attitude, which will, in turn, change our personality, which in turn, changes the person, things, and conditions, or, the experiences with which we meet in life.

    This, however, is no easy matter, but with persistent effort, it may be accomplished.

    The source of all this power is the universal mind, from which all things proceed and which is one and is invisible.

    The Secret of Power

    Now that you understand the source of power, the next crucial step is to learn the deeper secrets behind harnessing that power effectively.

    Like I always say knowledge without action is useless. You need to be conscious of power because whatever we become conscious of is invariably manifested in the objective world; it is brought forth into tangible expression.

    Put simply your thoughts are transmuted into reality. Have you ever realized that even the earth was first a thought according to the bible? “In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth.”

    Correct me if I am wrong but, I believe that GOD thought and visualized what the earth would like before creating it.

    The secret of power is in the consciousness of it. The secret of success is one of the methods of organizing victory, one of the accomplishments of the Master-Mind.

    A person who thinks big possesses a creative mind and often finds it significantly easier to manage and tackle big challenges effectively.

    The mind is just as much present in the infinitely large cosmos as it is in the infinitely small particles of matter that compose our universe.

    Conclusion

    There is a wealth of information available on this blog, and I would highly encourage you to explore various topics that may pique your interest.

  • 3 Reasons Why Leaders Fail

    We are all born leaders in one way or another. If you are not leading people, at least you are responsible for the leadership of your life.

    A good leader takes calculated risks and sometimes fails, the distinguishing factor is that an effective leader learns from his or her failures and moves forward.

    A good leader also takes responsibility for the failures of his team members just like he takes credit when they succeed.

    It is not realistic to assume that all forms of leadership are a success. Leaders are human beings and people make mistakes and they sometimes fail.

    In this article, I outline some of the reasons why I think leaders fail. There are many factors though but I feel that the ones outlined below are the major reasons.

    Not Sharing and Understanding the Vision

    If you want to lead you need to have a clear understanding of your vision or plan as it maybe.

    A good leader will clearly share his vision or plan. This will allow his followers to understand him and see how they can fit in his vision or plan.

    I have noticed that most of our leaders, have no clear-cut vision to share, especially amongst our African politicians. They have a tendency of not having a clear vision for their people and hence end up failing when they are in leadership positions.

    Actually, most of them are not in these positions to serve the people. They get into public office for their own benefit. The first thing they look at is enriching themselves.

    Sharing the vision of the company or any other venture is very important. For the young manager, it is very important that you understand the vision of the company before you get into leadership positions.

    A leader who does not know or understand the company’s vision and goals will be leading a team without goals.

    I want to liken this to a sports team. The manager of a football team knows that the vision and objective of the team are to produce positive results in this case beat every opponent in order to lift the first prize.

    He will then prepare his team accordingly and impart the vision to his team members, in order to achieve the set goals.

    If you are a CEO of a company and your company has no vision for the future. Please formulate one and pass it on to your team and see how they will take it.

    Most likely they will quickly realign themselves to fit in. It is the responsibility of the leader to identify among his member the qualities he is looking for.

    A good leader will help improve the skills of his team members by providing them with the necessary tools and an enabling environment.

    The Arrogance of Not Listening to People

    Real leadership requires that you spend time listening to your team members. Listening is a skill that needs to be developed. If you want to be a good leader do more listening than talking.

    I have worked with a CEO who did most talking than listening and I can tell you he was not an inspiring leader.

    We had a high labour turnover at work and even the ones he really thought would stay longer did not.

    The reason was he was always talking and not listening and taking in criticism. He was a Mr. Know-It-All.

    The only way you can know how you are progressing is to allow people to speak and you do the listening.

    Giving a deaf ear to your team members’ suggestions and observations is a very good recipe for failure.

    A good and progressive leader will encourage his team players to speak out and give them an opportunity to be heard.

    By not listening and taking constructive criticism the leader will end up having to make wrong and catastrophic decisions.

    Here is what I have come to learn if you do most of the talking and criticism people will not be willing to help you make the right decisions. In fact, they will be glad to see you make decisions that are not good.

    I want to believe that if you cannot listen then you are not a leader you are a boss. Only bosses make final decisions without listening to other people’s inputs. There is a big difference between leaders and bosses.

    Leaders who are successful over the period have mastered the art of listening and allowing all the stakeholders to candidly express their opinions. Bosses on the other hand impose their decisions on the team.

    Not Widening the Circle of Involvement

    My last observation for leaders’ failures is a lack of widening the circle of involvement. It’s just “me that makes the decision and nobody else.”

    As a company grows a strong leader will realise that there is a need for more players to get involved. Most of us think that when more people are involved it takes away our power.

    This is not the case nowadays as most companies want to maximise profits and spend less on the much-needed team players.

    There is something that most people in leadership positions forget and that is you are made successful by your team and not yourself.

    Your team is capable of making you succeed or indeed fail. Having a widened circle of participants is good for company growth.

    Great leaders continuously engage and involve more people in their vision. This will bring about change and support will grow both naturally and organically. With support from most of your team members, the sky is the limit.

    You can widen the circle by promoting or giving some of your responsibilities to people within your team. You can then concentrate more on making sure that they make the correct decisions that align with your objectives.

    Conclusion

    Ultimately, there is no formula for leadership success. You can only find suggestions and how you apply them entirely depends on the kind of organisation and team players you are handling.

  • Communication is Key to Success

    In any relationship be it business or intimate, communication is cardinal to making it work.

    You will agree with me that many relationships especially intimate ones break up mostly due to a lack of communication.

    I am not sure of the statistics but I am very certain that most relationships lack proper and good communication.

    Many times our messages are misinterpreted or misunderstood.

    I have found myself in situations where I needed to apologize because my message was misunderstood, either due to the words I chose or the tone of my voice.

    I must admit my admiration for people who know how to put across what they want with clarity.

    Over the years, I have learned to use clear and straightforward language, especially when communicating or giving instructions, to improve my life.

    If you are a devoted follower or regular reader of this blog, you will agree that the language is straightforward and easy to understand.

    I try as much as possible to use everyday words that are straightforward. I also want to believe that most of these world conflicts are due to a lack of proper communication.

    In work or business environments, it is very important to have a precise and clear-cut communication strategy to avoid conflicts.

    If you are in leadership the following tips may help you pass on whatever it is you want to be achieved.

    Desired Outcome

    As a leader, you need to decide what the desired outcome should be. Have a vision and ensure that you put yourself in the shoes of your subordinates when giving instructions.

    You may need to repeat and structure your words in simple everyday language for all your subordinates to understand.

    Sometimes it helps to explain what your vision is to a smaller group or better still on an individual basis to your desired target group.

    Some people may not be free to ask as many questions as needed when in a large group. If you are to succeed at anything your desired outcome should be understood and taken seriously.

    Goals and Expectations

    When setting the stage for discussing what is currently happening, it is always a good idea to start the conversation with your goals and expectations.

    It is very important that each and every member of your team knows what is expected of them and the overall goals to be achieved by them.

    I would once again strongly emphasize the immense importance of conducting a thorough one-to-one briefing, as this personalized approach often uncovers even the most critical and underlying issues that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

    One-to-one discussions are more fruitful than group ones. Most of us are not very comfortable with large group discussions.

    There is often a tendency to feel intimidated, which can hinder effective communication. As a leader, it is important to take the time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each group member individually.

    Current Happenings

    The next important tip is to explain what is and is not currently happening.

    This will help send a message to the group about what you think is currently obtaining on the ground.

    If your communication levels are at the right pace your team members will let you know exactly what is on the ground if they feel you are misinformed.

    You as the leader, spell out in detail what you think is happening and what is not happening. Remember always that the backstops at you.

    Your responsibility is to provide guidance and encouragement which can only be achieved by proper and good communication.

    The Input

    The next and final tip is what I call the input. You can have all the brilliant ideas in the world but without the final act of implementation, nothing can be achieved.

    After all the hard work and brainstorming. A proper, concise and clear communication strategy has to be implored.

    As a leader, it is very important that you devise a simple and clear communication strategy outlining what input is expected from each and every member of your team.  

    This way all members will have a clear understanding and deliver accordingly.

    Conclusion

    Communication is perhaps the key to success. Good communication ensures that every member the team knows exactly what they are supposed to do.

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  • How to Learn From Failure

    One of the major reasons why we do not succeed is the refusal to learn from our mistakes and challenges.

    People do not realise that failure can be a very powerful tool to assess your performance and find meaningful ways to improve yourself.

    Ask yourself about the day’s failures and successes and what can be gleaned, then hold yourself accountable.

    Take note of those factors that contributed to your day’s failure they surely will not go away without you taking action.

    “I don’t know the key to success but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.”  – Bill Cosby.

    The above quote just summarises everything about our failures.

    Many of us have never attempted to venture out in business or indeed pursue something that we have always longed to do, held back by the fear of failing.

    I know that failing is part of life. The difference between successful people and the average guy is the way failure is handled.

    The successful guys always make it a point to learn from their mistakes and failures, whereas most of us just stop at failure.

    If you don’t make it point to sit down and analyse the causes of your failure you will not succeed at whatever you do.

    Learning from failure is therefore an important aspect of being successful so is taking time to analyse your daily failures (no matter how small).

    The following tips may help you learn from your failures and help to improve on them.

    Ask Yourself Questions

    I encourage you to take a few minutes each day to reflect on your day. This simple habit is highly beneficial and requires just about 15 minutes.

    If you can, get a piece of paper and a pen and write down the points. You will realise that most or some of the important decisions are made in the serenity of your home or just before bedtime.

    When your mind is relaxed. Some useful questions to ask yourself would be:-

    • what failures did I experience today?
    • what are the lessons to be learned from them?
    • how do I change them or improve on them?
    • is there any need for me to have external help?

    At first, it may seem cumbersome to review your day but you will agree with me that every time you have an important decision to make, you will usually sleep over it, and in most cases, decisions are made just before sleeping and reviewed in the morning.

    That’s just how the mind works. You may also want to take note of your successes made during the day.

    Have a Plan and be Accountable

    Draw a plan of action. Remember that those attributes that contributed to your failure will not go away until action is taken.

    If there is one thing I believe in, it is making decisions. They have to be made wrong or right and action taken.

    By taking action you are moving a step closer to successfully achieving your intended goal or purpose.

    In your plan include what behaviours you think you need to improve on or change.

    Secondly, be accountable. If you are in business find a very responsible partner and be accountable to them.

    In my years of work experience, I have observed that accountability is lacking in many individuals.

    You can also be accountable to yourself but please be honest.

    One of the best ways to be accountable to yourself is to put yourself on the other side.

    Imagine that you are the leader and expect results from your subordinate. What quality of results do you want from your junior?

    How would you react if the results are not as you expected and what would you have done?

    Answering these questions may help you be more accountable.

    Let Your Plan Guide You

    Stick to your plan. Let your plan be the guide. If you have a partner you are accountable to, ensure that he is strict on you until you change your daily patterns that contribute to your failures.  

    It takes time patience and repetition to improve. One of the best ways to succeed is by sticking to your plan. Ensure that you have a good plan and keep improving on it.

    Do not be rigid as to not realise that plans can be revised to make improvements.

    Conclusion

    We all fail a little every day. We can learn from those small failures as well as daily successes when we reflect.

    I know that there can never be success without failure. I have not come across a successful person who has never failed.

    Do not feel discouraged when you fail the first time, after all, success is synonymous with failure.

    We all have failed at some point in life and will keep failing every day but always be accountable for your actions and above all “standout be counted.”

  • Count Your Blessings

    “Count your blessings” – Og Mandino. This is perhaps one of the most common quote I have come across without really digesting the meaning. As simple and popular as the quote may be, very few of us have actually sat down and done what it says.

    That is counting our blessings. With the fast-changing and demanding world of today, people are busy with the hussle and bustle of life. Some have turned into perpetual complainants. “I should have this and that; I am not this and that; maybe I should be this and that.” Well, maybe you should stop complaining and count your blessings.

    Start by counting yourself lucky that you are alive, which is the most important thing. The fact that you are alive gives you a chance to have a go at anything.

    The fact that you are alive is testament enough that God still has use for you. Count yourself lucky. Some people went to bed last night and never woke up.

    Even more is the fact that if you have a roof or shelter over your head and your family is standing beside you, means you are even more blessed.

    Perspectives on Circumstance

    Have you ever realized that there are more people in a much worse position than you are in? If you are able to read this article on the internet I would consider you very lucky and privileged. The fact that you are going through a difficult situation does not necessarily mean you are not blessed.

    Thank your creator that; you are alive and not dead; you are better than the man who sleeps on the streets and does not know where his next meal will come from, later on know where his going to rest his head.

    No matter what your circumstances may be, be rest assured that someone out there is in a worse situation than you.

    I am not trying to condemn your position nor encourage you to stay in your current position but merely trying to uplift you so that you look to the brighter side of life. Also, know that some of those who have succeeded in life have come from much worse situations than yours.

    The difference is that they turned their difficult circumstances and seized the opportunity and moved on from there. So every challenge comes with hidden opportunities.

    If you are in a position of need I believe that “necessity is the mother of invention” – Proverb.

    Every product has its purpose, a reason behind its creation. Think about it! Instead of waiting for opportunities to come to you, take the initiative. If you’re hungry for success, seek out work, earn your rewards, and invest in your dreams. Don’t sit idle; take action and make things happen!

    Count it all Joy

    Maybe you are in a job that does not pay you enough; well, first and foremost money is never enough and secondly, thank God, you at least have an income to count on. Life is such that the more you earn the more you spend. The more money you make the more financial challenges you will face.

    Maybe your business is not doing fine; at least you are trying and doing something. Count it all joy in everything you are doing because your blessing is on the way.

    Keep the faith and always remember to give thanks to your creator for whatever little you have. Growth comes from the small things that we get and when put together they become big.

    Learn to be happy with what you have and thank God Almighty for it. Have you ever given a small child a gift, even though it is not enough and they say thank you dad for the toy with a smile on their face? How does that make you feel? It is exactly the same with our creator but, he has more compassion than you and I can comprehend. I just feel that it is polite to say thank you for any gift you receive.

    Do Not Despair You are Blessed

    Why do you despair for it is written “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes” – the Bible. Instead, take time to appreciate what you have.

    Many times we do not realize that half a loaf in your hands is better than none. Appreciate the children that you have; thank God for your wife or husband; thank him for your life, there is so much to be thankful for even in your current situation.

    Take a minute to think that right now as you are reading this article there are some people gasping for air in hospitals yet, you are freely taking in the same air without a gasp. Forget about your worries and start counting your blessings.

    Conclusion

    I hope this article has helped you realize that you are such a blessed human being and that if you are going through trials and tribulations consider them as challenges. Imagine life without challenges. Wouldn’t that be boring? I believe that after every storm comes calmness.

  • Is Knowledge Key to Success?

    “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” ~ The Bible. “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest” ~ Benjamin Franklin.

    The fact is that knowledge is married to success and that there is no success without knowledge.

    I like to compare the co-relationship between knowledge and success with a mobile phone and a sim card they are inseparable.

    In my endeavour to achieve my life’s intended goals, I have discovered that I need to acquire knowledge to achieve them.

    I have also come to understand that knowledge is the key to success. Without knowledge chances of you achieving your intended life’s purpose(s) are very slim if not bleak.

    In this article, I outline why knowledge is key to achieving your success.

    What is Knowledge?

    “The result of man’s ability to think is knowledge” ~ the master key system.

    Put in another way “man’s ability to think is as a result of his awareness; know-how; understanding and intelligence.”

    The Oxford English dictionary defines knowledge as “the information and skills acquired through experience or education; the sum of what is known; awareness or familiarity gained by experience.”

    According to the definitions given above knowledge is gained through experience and education.

    By the way, education does not need to be formal you can be educated informally.

    I believe that not all successful people are “educated.” They have just acquired the right knowledge and experience needed to achieve their personal objectives.

    “There are no secrets to success it is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure” ~ Colin Powell.

    Using Knowledge as a Yardstick

    Knowledge helps us prepare ourselves for the oncoming obstacles as we move towards achieving our objectives.

    It is therefore imperative that you continuously acquire knowledge and improve on your skillset.

    As I have mentioned before in my previous articles that success is a journey and not a destination you will come across many obstacles on your journey.

    The difference between successful people and the rest is that they prevail over obstacles. They have developed the tenacity to overcome obstacles.

    They never give up even when they fail the first time around.

    I am pretty sure that the knowledge and experience gained when faced with different challenges comes in handy at some stage in life.

    I want to encourage you to acquire as much knowledge as you can as you go about working through to achieve your intended life’s purpose. You just never know when you will need to call upon it for help.

    Knowledge can then be best acquired through reading books and experience. These two are some of my best ways of acquiring knowledge.

    You could also attend seminars, listen to recorded messages, and many other ways that are available to you.

    When it comes to acquiring knowledge do not limit yourself. Remember that one of the very few possessions that can never be grabbed away from you even in your death is knowledge.

    I have never heard anything like they downloaded his knowledge to a storage media before he died, never before.

    How Does Knowledge Fit In?

    If knowledge is the awareness gained by experience, I would be right to say that success is achieved by experience and this takes time.

    Clearly, from the definitions of knowledge described above, I can safely say that without knowledge; experience; awareness, or education there is no success. Experience does not come overnight, it takes time to come.

    In my opinion, knowledge is the driving force to success without which it is very difficult to walk down the road of success.

    If you have to succeed in life you will need to spend good quality time acquiring knowledge and skills needed for your intended purpose.

    If it is the driving force, then you must therefore learn to put it to good use. Knowledge acquired without being used is a waste of time.

    Knowledge is acquired for a purpose and not just for the sake of it.

    Conclusion

    In whatever, endevours one may be engaged in, it is impossible to succeed without sufficient knowledge.

    It is therefore key that you strive to acquire the right knowledge for you to pursue your life’s intended purpose.

    Knowledge does not necessarily have to be acquired through established learning institutions such as schools.

    There are various ways and the main one being reading. I will end here and hope you have enjoyed the article.

  • 3 Things to Help You Improve Your Motivation

     “To succeed you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you” ~ Tony Dorset.

    Many of us have read a great deal on the subject of success and personal development and what it takes to be successful in whatever you are pursuing.

    There are countless books on success, self-improvement and personal improvement. It is therefore, important to pay particular attention to the core values and principles, as you strive to achieve success in your endeavors.

    I want to humbly contribute by giving practical experience on the subject. Success does not come without motivation and inspiration.

    Every successful person you encounter has a spark of inspiration and motivation fueling their journey. They embrace each new day as an opportunity, eagerly anticipating the possibilities that lie ahead.

    We are all motivated and inspired by something or someone. The difference is that those who succeed keep the fire burning whereas most of us quench the fire even before we get started.

    Outlined below are three things that will help improve and keep you motivated. Surely the road to success is definitely not an easy one. Success is not a destination but a journey. There will never be a time when you will say that you have arrived.

    Self-motivation

    To become self-motivated means to get out of the beaten path, out of the rut, because to achieve extraordinary results you require extraordinary means. You cannot expect different results by doing the same things.

    I describe self-motivation as the fuel to keeping your dream alive. The more motivated you are the more you keep working and getting closer to realizing your dream. You cannot achieve your dreams if you are not motivated.

    To keep your motivation high, write down your intended life’s purpose and keep it somewhere you can easily access and read it often. The more you read it the more it becomes a part of your thinking process.

    In Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich, he recommends reading it daily. Just like a car needs refueling when its fuel runs low, your mind requires regular nourishment to stay motivated and focused. Remember you become what you think about most of the time.

    Self-motivation is essential and must be nurtured. It serves as the driving force that keeps your dreams alive and fuels your efforts to achieve them.

    I have clearly defined my life’s intended purpose and refer to it on a regular basis at least three or four times a week. This way I consistently remind myself of what I should be doing on a daily basis in order to fulfil my purpose.

    Knowledge of Your Goals

    Surely, success cannot be achieved without a clear goal. I believe that everyone who has succeeded had goals deeply ingrained within them.

    I prefer putting my thoughts down on paper because I believe there is power in writing. When you write, you don’t forget because you keep a record that can be referred to when need arises.

    At first, your goal may not be as clear as you want it to be, but still, write it down anyway. Writing gives you a head start.

    As you move forward, embrace the adjustments you make along the way; they are key to refining your vision. Your documented life’s purpose is not just a target—it’s your guiding star, inspiring you to reach new heights and achieve your goals.

    You only make adjustments to the way you are going to achieve it. If your goal, for example is to raise $10m in 10 years you must state how you intend to raise this amount of money and start working towards achieving your goal. You need to start working and getting your hands dirty. Nature gives you back what you give it.

    The best way to achieve your life’s intended purpose is to engage in an activity that you enjoy. This will give you added pleasure and you will be able to produce your very best as you go about your activities.

    Remember it is easier to do something you enjoy more than what you do not. If your current work does not centre around your life’s plans rethink it. Find something that resonates with your life’s purpose.

    Being Dedicated and Focused

    My last piece of advice is dedication. How then can you succeed without being dedicated? Goals are achieved through dedication.

    The time you spend preparing for an exam will ultimately show when the results are released. Success does not come on a silver plate. There are a lot of sacrifices that are made for you to succeed.

    I will go back to the example of raising $10m in 10 years. If that is your goal you will need to adjust your spending habits and cut back on all unnecessary expenditure. You will need to learn the art of saving and living within your means.

    You will also need to be dedicated to an activity or activities that will help you raise your money and be faithful to saving on a regular basis. Dedication is no easy task. It requires that you die a little for you to achieve your dreams.

    When you are dedicated and focused on a task, nothing will come in your way of success. You will definitely meet with success at the appointed time.

    Conclusion

    Improving your motivation and better still keeping motivated is an important part of success. You cannot be successful without being motivated and inspired.

    The three things outlined above are just some of the ways I use to help improve my motivation. I believe that there are many other ways that can be used to help improve your motivation. I hope that you enjoyed reading my article and find it helpful.

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