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  • 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.

  • Motivation, the Heart of Self Improvement

    “Have your heart in your life’s work, and be stout-hearted. Do something, act always, and do it now. Don’t be afraid. Many a man has been defeated by his doubts—lack of confidence. Take your risks —you cannot eliminate them, you cannot escape them. You can diminish them by dominating them.” ~ Batten’s Wedge

    This article is an excerpt from the book “believe it and you will achieve it.”

    Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades makes us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income.

    Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassment.

    It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

    With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips prepared from A to Z.

    A – Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things, and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

    B – Believe in yourself, and in what you can do. You are the only obstacle to you success.

    C – Consider things from every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

    D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation your steering wheel.

    E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

    F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t lose sight of them. Embrace and enjoy their presence.

    G – Give more than what is expected. Motivation and self-improvement happen everywhere—at work, at home, and at school. True growth occurs when you put in extra effort and go beyond the minimum required.

    H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force. Your dreams will define the kind of legacy you want to leave behind.

    I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hate to hear about your success.

    J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone. The more you try to please everyone the more frustrated you will get.

    K – keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way for self-improvement.

    L – Learn to love yourself. Now isn’t that easy? Probable the easiest thing to do.

    M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes. Things do not happen without effort.

    N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game. The truth will always set you free. Build trust by being truthful.

    O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse’s attitude and sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

    P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

    Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter or a winner?

    R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within, telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

    S – Stop procrastinating immediately and take decisive action without delay. Procrastination only hinders your progress and prevents you from reaching your full potential. By overcoming the habit of putting things off, you can increase your productivity, reduce stress, and achieve your goals more efficiently.

    T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self-control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self-improvement.

    U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second. Communication is very key your wellbeing.

    V – Visualize it clearly in your mind. Motivation without vision is like a boat stranded on dry land, unable to move forward or reach its destination.

    W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self-improvement.

    X – X-Factor is what will make you different from others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” in your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

    Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks acts or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

    Z – Zero in with absolute focus on your dream and confidently go for it with determination and passion!!!

    Conclusion

    Zelda Fitzgerald once said “Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold”. That is why when you put your heart to something it stands out.

  • 5 Qualities of Leaders and Motivators Part 2

    This is the final part of a two-part series. If you missed out on part 1 please click here before you continue. In part one I talked about the first two qualities and these are vision and courage.

    We learned that we are all born with these qualities and that the difference between leaders and followers is the expression of them to the world.

    I also talked about the importance of vision and courage in leadership. In this issue, I will write about integrity; realism, and responsibility as the other qualities of leaders and motivators.

    Integrity

    “In the arena of human life, the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action “~ Aristotle.

    Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

    I believe integrity underlines all other qualities. The measure of integrity is determined by how honest you are in the critical areas of your life. How honest you handle other people’s finances for example?

    Can someone trust you with their valuable possessions? Can you be trusted with handling say public matters even when it means that you will lose popularity in the short term?

    Integrity means that you, as a leader, admit your shortcomings. It means that you work to develop your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.

    Integrity means that you tell the truth and that you live the truth in everything that you do and in all your relationships.

    Integrity means that your dealings with people are straightforward and that you do not compromise on what you believe to be true.

    “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ~ Thomas Jefferson.

    Realism

    “True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing” ~ Jean Cocteau.

    The fourth quality of leadership is realism. Realism is a form of intellectual honesty.

    It is a way of seeing, accepting and dealing with situations as they really are without being influenced by your emotions or false hopes.

    The realist insists upon seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This objectivity and refusal to engage in self-delusion is a mark of the true leader.

    A leader accepts situations as they are and transforms them to his advantage.

    Those who exhibit the quality of realism do not trust luck, hope for miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by themselves.

    These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a fantasy land. Yes, I know that miracles do happen but not without you playing a part.

    The part you play and the amount of faith you have will definitely be a determining factor in the general out.

    A good leader insists on seeing things exactly as they are and encourages others to look at life the same way.

    As a leader, you get the facts, whatever they are. You deal with people honestly and tell them exactly what you perceive to be the truth.

    This doesn’t mean that you will always be right, but you will always be expressing the truth in the best way you know-how. Thereby excising your integrity in the process.

    Responsibility

    It is said by Brian Tracy that “the happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility for every part of their life.” This is the mark of a true leader.

    The fifth of leadership is responsibility. This is perhaps the hardest to develop.

    It is the duty of a good leader to take and accept responsibility no matter what the outcome is. In the same manner, as when the outcome is positive he takes all the parting on the back. He should take the brunt when things have failed.

    If instead of accepting responsibility when things go wrong, you make excuses, blame someone else and simultaneously become angry and resentful and blow up, this may cost you.

    Personal leadership and motivational leadership are very much the same. To lead others, you must first lead yourself. To be an example or a role model for others, you must first become an excellent person yourself.

    There is no dodging responsibility. Know also that you are responsible for your own life. Your very own life is in your hands.

    You are responsible for your actions. Wrong or right, good or bad they are your actions. If you want to become more, more of you is expected.

    “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” ~ Tony Robins

    Conclusion

    Finally, take action. You know that all mental preparation and character building is merely a prelude to action. You become a leader by motivating yourself.

    Motivate yourself by striving towards excellence, by committing yourself to become everything you are capable of becoming.

    You motivate yourself and others by continually looking for ways to help others improve their lives and achieve their goals; you become a leader by becoming the kind of person others want to get behind and support in every way.

    Remember that we all have the five qualities in us wake them up and see how far you can go.

  • 5 Qualities of Leaders and Motivators Part 1

    “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” – John Quincy Adams.

    This is a two-part series in which I am illustrating the 5 qualities of leadership and motivators.

    We are all born with leadership qualities regardless of our situation the difference is how much of it, we show the world. How much of it are we utilising?

    I thought to talk about these just so as to remind us about our leadership qualities. You may not be in a leadership position but you are the leader of yourself.

    If you are a parent like me then you are responsible for providing leadership to your family. Men and women are leaders and both possess diverse leadership qualities.

    This diversity of qualities between men and women complement each other. One cannot do entirely with the absence of the other.

    Find herewith, the five qualities of leaders and motivators.

    Vision

    The first quality is vision. All great leaders have a vision and they are persistently pursuing it. Whatever the vision maybe it becomes the driving force for success.

    Perhaps vision is the single most quality that, more than anything else, that separates great leaders from average leaders.

    The more clearer the vision you have the more likely you are to succeed.

    “All successful men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” ~ Brian Tracy.

    A good leader does not get caught up in the day-to-day activities this is the work for his followers. The Bible says “where there is no vision the people perish” ~ Proverbs. A great nation can also be seen from the kind of leaders they have.

    But remember that we are all born with this quality called vision. If you focus on your area of interest it does not matter what area it is, you will be a great leader in that respect.

    “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements” ~ Napoleon Hill.

    The best way to motivate others is to firstly motivate yourself. I have attended some personal development workshops and the first thing that strikes me is the level of motivation by the speakers.

    Believe me, if you yourself are not motivated and are trying to motivate others it will show. For example, you cannot talk to people about how to make money when you do not have the money to show for it.

    You must at least show some potential for earning the money or demonstrate that you are actually earning the money. I sometimes come across adverts in the streets, about how someone will give you some lucky charms for getting rich when they themselves are living in poverty.

    One of the most powerful tools for all motivators is the commitment to excellence. The best motivational vision you can have for yourself and others is to strive to be the best.

    Be it in business or in whatever area, you must strive to be the best. If you are not the best strive to be among the best at least standout.

    Courage

    “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” ~ The Bible.

    The second quality of a leader is courage and it is the distinguishing characteristic of a true leader. You can often see it in a leader’s words and actions.

    A true leader speaks with courage and boldness. It is always easy to set a vision and standards for yourself. But it takes a lot of courage and humility to abide by your aspirations.

    We all have what we want to be or rather archive in life. At least I have formulated my life’s purpose and am moving towards achieving it.

    The distinguishing factor is having the courage to make certain unpleasant decisions that will help us in the long run.

    When you set certain standards for yourself trust me temptations will come your way, so do not compromise with your standards. When you are tempted show your courage by resisting them.

    Remember when I said that we are all born with these qualities? It is the level of growth that differentiates leaders from followers.

    I believe that all growth comes from the inside. And that, what we are, is a result of what has developed from the inside. Or better still what we are is a reflection of what we harbour.

    The foundation of character is the combination of courage and integrity. The first form of courage is your ability to stick to your principles, to stand for what you believe in, and to refuse to budge unless you feel right about the alternative.

    Courage is also the ability to step out in faith, to launch out into the unknown, and then to face the inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompanies every new venture.

    I give the example of Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia. He became King at the age of 19 and managed to conquer great nations with mightier armies than he had at the time.

    Simply because he refused to remain at home when his soldiers went to battle instead he was the first one to charge at the war front. He leads by example by letting his men know that he believed in the outcome of every war or battle they fought and that motivated the soldiers to do even more.

    Conclusion

    For now, I end here. In the next series, I will mention the remaining three qualities of leaders and motivators that is integrity; realism, and responsibility.

    “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

  • 5 Ways to Improve Your Confidence

    This is one of my long articles. Feel free to bookmark it and come back later to finish reading it.

    Self-confidence is something that people find difficult to have. There are people who have low self-confidence and it influences the way they see themselves and their performance.

    Contrary to what most people think, self-confidence is not something that only the gifted and blessed could have it is available to all.

    With the help of personal mastery, individuals could now start building on their self-confidence.

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

    Self-confidence is a requisite to personal development. Having an improved self-confidence can really improve your general work output.

    Personal mastery is about self-development and self-improvement. It is about loving yourself and accepting yourself as you are.

    You need to acknowledge your weaknesses and at the same time strengthen them. To improve your self-confidence it is important to know and accept your weaknesses.

    I believe that identifying your weaknesses is the first step to personal improvement. Many of the time we like to ignore our weaknesses and concentrate mainly on perfecting our strengths.

    I have written down my weaknesses and strengths and keep reviewing them time and again. I have found this very helpful and would recommend it to anyone.

    To attain personal mastery and confidence, it is important to believe in yourself. It is also important to be content with yourself.

    Self-belief and contentment leads to building a solid self-confidence. It is very difficult to achieve personal development without being content with yourself.

    To develop self-confidence, self-acceptance should occur.  Self-acceptance is about accepting not only the good things in life but also the failures in life.

    Failure is only failure if accepted. You must always treat failure as a learning curve.

    When you fail the first time re-organise yourself, analyse your failure and move on. Do not stop at failure.

    And now the suggested five ways to help you improve your self-confidence

    Understand Your Thoughts and Emotions

    Many of us find it very difficult to understand our thoughts and emotions, yet understanding these can unlock huge potential for improving self-confidence.

    Forgetting about a bad habit or behaviour would make us more aware of our thoughts and emotions.

    By becoming aware of our emotions and behaviour, then we will be able to overcome and correct our behaviour.

    Behavioural control and correction are some of the key important elements to improving self-confidence.

    I have noticed that a lack of confidence is mainly our negative behaviour and most of the time we are very aware of it.

    It is very rare that if you put on your positive behaviour you will experience low self-confidence.

    Understanding your emotions is very critical. Your emotions will usually dictate your mood.

    It is therefore important that we always try to replace our negative emotions with good ones.

    A few practical ways to know your emotions is to observe and write down the feelings and emotions you experience; observe and or write down the preceding events and duration of your emotions.

    I have noticed that with time my emotions are largely affected by my thoughts. Hence I always try to keep my thoughts positive.

    By knowing the root cause for your emotions you can learn to take control of them.

    Flee from sorrowful emotions and make the decision to improve your mood. You deserve to be happy.

    Self-discipline

    Self-discipline is perhaps the number one factor for self-growth. Without discipline very little can be achieved in life.

    I have not come across a successful person who is indisciplined. When we set our goals on achieving our intended purposes in life, discipline and focus is what keeps us from swaying away from them.

    We graduate with flying colours from school because we are disciplined to study and work hard.

    Changing attitude and behaviour, or even perspective might take a while.

    Change does not happen overnight. You need to gather enough knowledge and start learning and practicing the skills that you would like to improve and develop.

    To do this you need to be disciplined. This is an essential ingredient that is found wanting in many of us.

    Discipline comes through self-control. This means that one must control negative qualities.

    Have a Clear Vision

    To be able to move forward with your life, it is important to have clarity. Have your life’s purpose written down.

    Seeing what you want to have in a clearer image would encourage you to work for it. That is why it is important that you write down your intended purpose in life and read it every day.

    I would encourage you to read it every night. I read almost mine every night before going to sleep.

    Having a defined purpose in life acts as a guide and motivation for living.

    I know that most of us live by the day. If you do not have a defined purpose and vision for yourself, I encourage you to think about formulating one immediately.

    At first, your vision might not be as clear as you might want it to be, but just start working on it.

    You will begin to see a clearer picture of your destination as you take action to achieve your destiny.

    You will be amazed at how much self-confidence you can have just by writing down your intended purpose in life.

    You Have a Choice

    You can choose what you want to experience. Doing something important for you and something you love, would give you enough confidence to continue with what you have started.

    The beauty of being human is that God gave us a choice. You have the will to choose whatever you want to be.

    You can choose to be confident or not. We are made up of the choices we make in life.

    If you take a look at yourself you will realize that you are where you are because of the choices you have previously made.

    It is therefore wise to make choices that are self-building. I know that some choices are difficult to make but, remember that, choices are there to be made and they have to be made.

    You have a choice and the choice is yours. Bear in mind that the choices we make today have a direct effect on our tomorrow.

    We are continuously shaping our future by the choices we are making today.

    Commitment and Trusting

    To be able to attain personal mastery for development and growth, you need to trust that you can undergo the process and commit yourself to the process.

    When developing self-confidence through personal mastery, we would have to develop some characteristics.

    We would develop self awareness, which is about our readiness to look at our past, accept it and the same goes for the present.

    Aside from this, we also develop self-knowledge which is about understanding our past and our attitude.

    Not only should we understand them but also be able to comprehend the basis for such attitude or experience.

    Last, we develop self-discipline.  Self-discipline is about how we make sure that our goals and vision are translated into action and are achieved.

    We need self-discipline to make sure that we do not back out just because of simple and little disappointments and setbacks.

    Conclusion

    Building self-confidence can’t be done on just a snap. Self-improvement is a never-ending process.

    Self-improvement is a lifelong commitment. Sometimes, we can only say that we are fully masterful of our life if we have reached our dreams and goals.

    Improving our confidence can help with growth and eventually with success. We just need to continue with our dreams and be patient.

     

  • Believe in Yourself

    Everyone has that earnest aspiration to succeed. One’s ability to establish and accomplish goals will mold one’s happiness and success over and above any skill, one can ever realize.

    You cannot hit the target when you cannot see it. In order to succeed, you must set yourself goals and targets to be achieved.

    It is very important to set out a vision and an intended purpose for your life. Success is not a destination but a journey.

    The foundation and point of origin of success is when you decide exactly what you really and truly want, in all aspects of your life.

    This is the starting point of your success journey. The journey to success is indeed a difficult and bumpy one.

    You will need to believe in yourself and continue to build on that belief.

    One of the pillars that make me continue with my journey to success is self-belief. I strongly believe in myself and what I do.

    Yes, there are times when I feel it’s not going right, but that’s what makes it even more interesting and challenging.

    If every individual has that yearning for winning which we all have, and if success is accessible to everybody which it is, why then, only a few succeed?

    I guess this is a million-dollar question. This is because only a few have believed in their potential, and most of all, only a few started by defining and acknowledging a goal, and truly believe in their spirit and minds that they can achieve that goal.

    Belief is perhaps a driving force to success. You cannot succeed without belief.

    Take a look at the Barack Obama’s of this world. Who would have thought that an African American would one day rule one of the most powerful nation of the world?

    When you listen to or read Obama’s speeches, it’s clear that he possesses a deep confidence in himself. Similarly, Henry Ford was another individual known for his strong self-belief, and countless others share this trait.

    Just wishing for something is so much different from being able and prepared to accept it.

    Nobody is ever truly prepared to accept or embrace anything until they genuinely believe deep down in their heart and mind that they have the ability to obtain it and make it a reality in their life.

    One way to believe that you can obtain something is to conceive it in your mind. See your success and live a successful life in your mind.

    The belief to succeed begins with the transmuting of your mind. “You are what you think of most of the times.”

    The mind must first be in a state of believing and not just hoping or wishing for something.

    An open mind is important in believing and a closed mind never inspires courage, faith, or the power to believe.

    Almost everyone has gone through difficult life encounters and experiences.

    These experiences and encounters usually define one’s existence, becoming important educators on life’s course.

    However, the enemy, which is that negative force within often would recognize these difficult experiences as symbols of thyself that one is not “good enough” in order to succeed. Simply put, this is fear from within.

    Fear, according to psychologists is normal and a natural line of attack focused on life’s adjustments and changes.

    Fear is what prevents one from doing “crazy or stupid things”; but it may be carried to a great extent.

    When a person fears nothing, they may be seen as “mad” or “foolish.” However, fearing almost everything, especially the fear of taking risks, can make one appear a plain coward.

    The enemy inside of you will tell you that your fear is reasonable when it is transitory.

    As the mind dictates your fear, it also dictates your thoughts and your actions.

    When you believe in your mind that relationships are complicated and demand so much effort, you will indeed attract those individuals who will cause difficulty in the relationship or demand a lot of effort from you.

    More significantly, when you worry regarding something that you essentially believe in negative outcomes, then so the results of your actions will be.

    Of course, it does not occur every time that you think and believe negatively, because although there is worry and apprehension inside you, there is still, in that little corner of your heart, of your mind, that you hope for a positive result.

    So then, that power prevents disaster from happening. Yet worrying through and through, without a small spark of hope, then beware, disaster is sure to come!

    However, there is so much more to faith and believing than simply creating beliefs.

    Possessing “positive beliefs” in the mind is the initial step towards making a positive outlook, resulting in a successful life.

    Believing, taking note is something entirely different. For instance, you have “positive beliefs” with regard to money; at the same time, you believe that many ways are offered in order to acquire money.

    Yet if for any reason, you do not believe you will be able to make money, then you will not make that amount of money that you want.

    Here are three things to help you get through fear and help develop your self-belief:

    • Your belief should be superior, exceeding fear. It will entail a lot of effort, but as much as you can, try to closely observe and listen to the inside of you.  Look around and see what is functioning well in your personal or business life and what is not. Small or great, profess your successes.
    • Believe that you can reach great things and as early as now, begin counting your blessings. Remember the bible says “do not despise the days of your humble beginnings.” Success does not come at once. You work through your success. God does not bless abundantly if you cannot even manage the small things that are in your possession right now. To work through your success you need to learn how to manage the current situation positively.
    • Only believe in you, in the things that you can do, and not in the circumstances. You have to believe in only yourself because there will be times when you will be tempted to put your belief into something else such as a job, a friend, or a particular opportunity. Although this could be nice, note that people and circumstances are changeable. Your success should be created by only you, and you alone can decide whether to change it or not.
    • Keep in mind that success will take some time and if ever you do fail, take it as an opportunity to learn and reassess your beliefs and your goals.

    Conclusion

    The power of believing is very strong and affect our decisions, feelings, and actions.

    And although you have been depending on a specific set of suppositions regarding your life for so many years, those particular beliefs can be adjusted or changed. Start changing them now and live to reap the rewards.

  • 7 Steps to Boost Your Brain Power

    Most of us, especially those of us who are not as intelligent as Albert Einstein, would want to have a boost of our brainpower.

    If you are one of those people who want to think better like me, your brainpower boost might be just a few steps away.

    These seven steps might help you in your quest to keep your brain working perfectly fine. They surely work for me.

    Exercise Regularly

    It is rather surprising to note that most of the people I have associated with do not take any form of exercise. You will be amazed at how many of your friends including your family members do not take any form of exercise.

    Yet we are taught even from an early age in school how important exercising is.

    I have personally taken it upon myself to ensure that each and every member of my household do a bit of manual work on a regular basis. Be, it cleaning the house, gardening, or anything that involves them being manually active.

    Do simple exercises like a simple walk or jog. It may not be as intense as a full-blown workout.

    You just have to keep your body physically fit and active. The best is to set out a weekly schedule for this.

    I like exercising early in the morning. This keeps me alert during the day.  Simple work-outs may trigger the release of neurochemicals known as endorphins.

    These chemicals are responsible for making us feel happy and by feeling happier; a more positive effect on the brain can be observed.

    In addition, physical exercise compensates for the effects of anxious and depressive thoughts.

    Supplement Your Diet

    I am not an expert in nutrition but I know that our daily diets need to be supplemented. A good diet is one with a lot of vitamin-rich foods especially those rich in Vitamin C and E.

    For more information on food, supplements click here. Eat foods that are as close to their original state as possible. Variety is a sure guide: grains, fruits, vegetables and not forgetting nuts in their many forms.

    Natural supplements are believed to have a good effect on the brain. These supplements not only keep your body healthier, but they also maintain the fitness of your brain; thus resulting in better brainpower!

    These supplements are so popular that they can be found anywhere, from your local health and food store up to the web pages of the internet.

    Exercise Your Brain

    If you are to exercise your body, you should exercise your brain as well.

    Use your brain muscles more often – think and learn. You may read, talk with other people or even play educational games.

    Any activity that can keep your brain working effectively may be tried out.

    Play Games

    Choose games that will definitely have a good effect on your brain. Refrain from playing games that are “no-brainer.”

    Nowadays, most computer games are designed to exercise your brain, so all you have to do is to choose well, the games that you will play.

    Gaming consoles are also following the fad into increasing brain function. So, do your part in boosting your brainpower, play games that will increase your brainpower.

    One of my favourite games is chess. I like playing it either on my laptop or challenging a friend to a game of chess. It has been my hobby since my high school days.

    I really get satisfaction from playing any other strategy games as well because they make me think and thinking stretches my brain muscles.

    Enjoy an Educational Hobby

    Choose a hobby that will give you some lessons at the end of the activity. This will not be such a difficult task since most of the time, we learn something from our experiences.

    Just be sure to do things that are not monotonous. Your hobby should be something that will help you learn new things every time you perform it.

    This way, you will be able to use some parts of your brain which are not used most of the time.

    This is very important especially as you choose your career. Choose one that teaches you something every day. One such career is computer programming you are always faced with challenges to resolve.

    There are many other great careers that you need, to continuously learn new things especially those that are technology-oriented.

    Do Not Neglect Rest

    Because of the complexities of our society today, your brain is exhausted just as much as your body.

    Thus, you should take the time to relax and cleanse your mind of the worries and stresses that might overwhelm your thoughts.

    You may want to try on spas or meditations to give your mind a break from all the hassles of life.

    After the relaxation, you will feel that you are prepared to take on another complex day! This is how you better your brain’s health and performance.

    You can use breathing methods for relaxation. Breathe deeply two or three times in a row, two or three times each day and breathe out slowly, have no misgivings about the relaxing efficacy of such a simple remedy.

    Sleep Well

    Sleeping is the time when your body rebuilds and recharges itself. Most professionals believe that you should sleep for at least six to eight hours a day.

    Aside from these hours, you should also try to take ten-minute power naps. I personally do fewer hours than recommended.

    I am not sure of the long-term effects but it seems to work better for me at present.

    After these refreshing periods of sleep and naps, you will surely feel energized to take on more activities for the day.

    Do not deprive yourself of sleep, and you will then realize that your brain will function better with more hours of sleep.

    Remember that your body recharges when you are asleep it’s like a battery.

    Conclusion

    There are many ways to boost your brainpower I have only outlined 7 as these are the ones that I practice and have been beneficial to me.

    I believe that personal development cannot be achieved without growing the power of the brain.

    The brain is the engine for personal development and as such should be given the due care and attention it surely deserves.

    You must always take care of your brain as you move towards achieving your personal growth.

  • You Are Naturally A Good Leader In Waiting

    Leadership begins with you. We are all born leaders. It doesn’t matter where you are or what kind of work you do, you are born a leader. Our lives are governed by the small things that we do every day.

    “One of the responsibilities of leadership is to seek out and develop the latent talent of those members who, for various reasons, have never had a real chance to demonstrate their ability.” – Clem Renouf.  

    I like to define leadership as the “ability to influence.” We all have the ability to influence. In you, there is the ability to “influence” waiting to be awakened. 

    Most people have not awakened their leadership abilities; some may say they have never been given the opportunity to do so. I want to encourage those in this bracket to create the opportunities themselves. 

    There is no better opportunity than that created by you. I have created this blog as an opportunity to help someone out there. 

    I believe that this is a perfect opportunity and forum for me to show my leadership qualities and I am improving on them on a daily basis. I am neither a guru nor a perfect human being but I strive just like everybody else to become a better person every day.

    If you take the time to improve just 1% of your everyday life, say your work, imagine how much you would have improved after a single month.

    Improving ourselves is the beginning of showing leadership qualities. There are many ways in which to improve our leadership qualities but I live by the following four principles:-

    Learn

    I know that one of the most powerful tools for leadership is the ability to learn. This ability is in all of us.

    Read and read and read. Read books that motivate, inspire, and strengthen your character; books that remind you of other greatest leaders of the world.

    Some of my favorite books are the Holy Bible, the Master Key System by Charles Haanel, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, and The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles.

    Knowledge is paramount to whatever we do in our lives. The more knowledge you gain the more you increase the ability to do something even better.

    I have a target to read at least one new book alongside one of my favorite books every month. But I read the Bible every single day. The bible is a wealth of motivational quotes.

    I encourage you to do even more by reading two books every month. I have written an article entitled “Knowledge is Key to Success” where I outline the importance of learning and acquiring more knowledge.

    Learning never ends. Each day we are alive we are continuously learning new things.

    Apart from reading you can also learn by listening to audiobooks on various subjects such as team building, personal motivation, and relationships.

    Attending seminars on motivational topics, team-building talks, and many other subjects will uplift you.

    Make a point to have a continuous learning life. You will also realize that you are a student of yourself. Some of you do not know yourself very well.

    Have an open mind and a keen interest in learning new things. Do not resist change but embrace it.

    Most of the time we as human beings are always resisting change. Explore the change being introduced for opportunities to express your leadership qualities.

    Usually, change brings with it new and different opportunities, explore them, don’t be content with what you have.

    Visualisation

    Perhaps at the centre of all human development is the state of the mind. Our outer achievements are a direct reflection of our inner achievements.

    What we think results in our actions. If your thought is constructive the action is good, if your thought is destructive so are your actions.

    Everything that was created was first conceived in the mind before being given birth to the world. This also is true about you and me.

    Before you can be, visualise yourself to be. You cannot be without seeing yourself to be.

    To awaken the leadership quality in you, you must realize that all achievements begin in the mind. Your dominant thoughts have a direct bearing on your character.

    One common attribute of great leaders is that they spend most of their time thinking positively and remain focused.

    We all have dreams and it is entirely up to each and every one of us to keep them alive and bring them into reality.

    To be a leader you must find time, especially in the morning to visualize yourself achieving your goals. Have time for yourself.

    Find the most appropriate time during the day when you can spend at least an hour to yourself. Mine is usually early in the morning at about 5.00 am.

    I also encourage you to be an early riser. This gives you time to read, meditate and exercise. I know that waking up earlier is not easy for some people but it gives you the early push.

    The start is always difficult but once you make it your way of life it becomes a part of your routine.

    Set Targets

    Setting and reconnecting on a regular basis with your targets is a good success discipline. Good leadership ability demands that you set goals that are achievable.

    I have one philosophy, set goals that are achievable but over-deliver. Exceeding your goals gives you a sense of good feeling.

    You must try as much as possible to set yourself targets, maybe on a yearly basis and broken down into smaller bits that will help you monitor your own progress.

    Target setting is helpful in whatever area of your life. One must learn to set reasonable and achievable goals.

    Yes, I know that sometimes we set goals that are difficult to achieve but we must try and reach them anyway.

    One of the best ways to monitor your goals is to write them down, say in a diary. Review your achievements on a regular basis and compare them with your main goals.

    Remember that your life and character are made up of the small things that you do every day. Try and improve on your weaknesses say by 1% every day and see how much improvement you will have made in one month.

    Stay Healthy

    Leadership is influenced by what you eat. Staying healthy is also influenced by your diet and your way of living.

    One sure way of staying healthy is having a good diet and regular exercise. Try as much as possible to eat a healthy and balanced diet.

    I must be very honest, I am not as disciplined as I should be when it comes to diets but I exercise on a regular basis.

    There is no point being a leader and not in good health. We must try by all means to keep our bodies in good health and enjoy the days of our lives.

    If you have noticed “what you eat determines how well you will perform.” Avoid overeating and train yourself to eat at the right time. Also, eat in moderation. Staying healthy is key and beneficial to us all.

    Conclusion

    Leadership is a very wide and difficult subject. What I believe is that we are all born leaders and it is the ability and willingness to take up challenging roles that differentiate us. Many of us think being in high offices is leadership. 

    I want to believe that we can all be leaders in whatever spheres of life we choose.

  • The 5 Building Blocks of Good Character

    “I am not made or unmade by the things that happen to me but, by the things that I do.” Unconsciously we are forming habits every moment of our lives.

    Some of these habits are bad by nature and some are good. Your character is not determined by the things that other people will say or do to you. It is determined by the reaction to the things that are being done or said about you. 

    Your reaction comes from deep inside of you. It is this reaction that determines your character. The traits of your character are engraved inside you and can only be seen from the reaction to the environment.

    We all have a character that is either good or bad and in fact, we all have both good and bad characters within us.

    The difference is the dominating character that comes out. I believe that with persistence, practice, and God’s help, we can all develop our characters to whatever, we want them to be.

    In my quest to improve my life, mentally; physically; spiritually, and financially, I have learned that the following traits are some of the building blocks of a good character.

    Thoughts

    Your every conscious act is preceded by a thought. Your dominating thoughts determine your dominating actions which form your dominating character.

    “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” ~ Lao Tzu.

    As human beings, we are gifted with a very powerful mind that needs to be controlled and tamed. We have the ability in us to control what dominates our minds see related articles for more. 

    Thoughts are parents to our character, acts, and habits. If you harbour thoughts that are of bad intent, chances are that you will act according to your thoughts; if harbour thoughts are of good intent you are most likely to act according to them.

    There, we must always endeavour to entertain good thoughts; thoughts that promote good life and help improve humanity.

    I believe that I will be what I will be with the right frame of mind and positive thinking.

    My thoughts are currently focused on writing blogs that are beneficial to anyone who reads them. Mind control is a result of self-discipline and habit.

    Humility

    Humility is golden. It is second only to non. Humility is humbleness; meekness; modesty. The quality of being respectful is humility.

    I believe that each and every human being has some level of humility within them, again it is the quantity and quality of it that will determine your character.

    You see, to build a good character you need wisdom, and humility is a large part of wisdom. Wisdom is basically illuminated reason and it leads to humility.

    When we are humble and accept our mistakes and take responsibility for them, our humility grows and leads us to be of higher integrity.

    Our character also grows to new levels. I have noticed that most of us rarely want to be associated with mistakes or failure, we want only to be associated with success, forgetting that taking responsibility for our failures is a pathway to success.

    Integrity

    My third block for building good character is integrity. Perhaps an area that most of us lack. Integrity is honesty; truthfulness; uprightness. The most successful leaders are of higher integrity. 

    You cannot be of good character yet with low integrity. Good character and low integrity do not mix.

    The law of success is service and is built on integrity. We make money through friends and enlarge our circle of friends by helping them make money, and by being of service to them. 

    Integrity is not easily acquired it comes with time just like trust. The possession and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles is integrity.

    Ensure you build your integrity and make sure you everything in your power to hold on to it. It is not easy to regain integrity once lost.

    Discipline

    The final thought and definitely not the least is discipline. Without discipline, no one can succeed. Discipline is necessary to think correctly, yet most of us are lacking in discipline.

    If you enter into the discipline necessary to bring about a radical change in your life, you must do so deliberately, after giving the matter careful thought and full consideration. Stepping Into the Unknown.

    You then must allow nothing to interfere with your decision. Click here to see the “five d’s of success part 2” for more on discipline.

    Discipline comes with self-control. Before you can control conditions, you must control yourself. Self-discipline is very important and should be earned or learned at all costs.

    Everything we do in life requires us to have self-discipline in order to succeed. It is, therefore, important to master the power of self-discipline.

    Conclusion

    The above building blocks are just but a scratch to having a better and good character. Humanity must endeavour to live in harmony with each other.

    I know that the earth is endowed with endless natural resources waiting for us to utilise for the benefit of us all. Humanity can only benefit from us when we develop a good and appropriate character.

    We must learn to control our minds so as to preoccupy ourselves with good thoughts that will translate into good habits that will form good character. A good character should definitely be a target for us.

  • Decide What You Want to be and do With Your Life

    Your current life is a total summation of the choices you have made. The choices you make in life are a direct reflection of the life you are leading today.

    Albert Camus said, “life is the total sum of all your choices.”

    This clearly means that you are responsible for the type of life you are leading today. No one but you should take the blame for how you are living your life. You also have the power to change your life if you put your mind and energy into it.

    We continuously choose our way of life every day, breath by breath and choice by choice. I have come to appreciate that the way I lead my life is my own choice.

    Every day I choose what to wear; what to eat; whether to be happy or sad etc. It is entirely up to me to choose. Perhaps this is the greatest gift that has been given to me. The freedom and ability to choose. 

    No one will come and make a choice for me they can only offer suggestions. Look, quit blaming someone for what did not happen or what went wrong life always gives us a second chance.

    Some people may have an influence on the choices I make but, ultimately the choices are made by me. They are mine and not someone else’s. Am not going to allow anyone to make my decisions.

    Choose Wisely

    Since our lives are a summation of our choices it is very imperative that we make wise choices. A well-lived life is not an accident. It is a summation of good decisions and choices. It is not an accident that you are living where you are. 

    Some of the challenges we will face in the future are unprecedented therefore, we must be prepared to make good choices. For example, the choice to save for the future is in your hands. You can decide to spend everything you earn today or leave some for the future.

    We will always make choices and will have to live with the consequences as a result. But the good thing is that we have the ability and power to change them under new circumstances and new knowledge.

    You must learn to make decisions while remaining flexible to change. This does not mean you must have a weak mind. Remember that life is dynamic.

    Make the decisions you think are right even when they are not popular. You are living your life and not someone else’s.

    Make sure that before you decide you are convinced that the choice you have made is the best one available.

    In life, every situation presents us with a good alternative choice to take.

    I know that some situations may be very difficult and precarious but there is always a better choice to make.

    You may not have all the information to make a good decision but I believe that decisions have to be made anywhere, good or bad.

    I say indecision is a disease, a bad one for that matter. Failure to make decisions stagnates us. We remain in the same place while we watch our friends progress.

    Indecision is what has stopped most people from achieving their intended purpose in life.

    Take Responsibility

    “We do not generally suffer from others; we suffer from ourselves. I have shown you the way to liberation, now you must take it for yourself” – The Buddha.

    Most of the people I know do not want to take responsibility when something they are in charge of goes wrong. But, when it is time to be praised they take full responsibility, this is typical human nature. You see we are responsible for our lives period.

    We are responsible for what we think, eat, drink, dress etc. We are responsible for our success and failure.

    Until you understand and take responsibility for your current situation you will never improve it.

    Taking responsibility is key to improving our well-being. When choices are made they are made by us.

    We, therefore, have a huge responsibility to enforce our choices. Remember they are ours made by us.

    I have come to appreciate taking responsibility for every situation I find myself in. I find it very helpful when I take responsibility for the situation and most of the time I see the situation improve or completely disappear.

    I do not blame myself or anyone for it whether good or bad I just take responsibility for it. Yes, sometimes am tempted to put the blame on someone but I have learned to tune my mind to take responsibility for every situation I encounter in life.

    You may ask why should we take responsibility for the choices we make. The reason is simple you want to be associated with them because they are yours. You own them.

    When you succeed at something are you not proud of it? Yes, you are happy about it because you associated yourself with the success.

    The more reason why you must take responsibility even for the bad choices so as to make better choices next time.

    Conclusion

    We live a life of choices. Every day poses a great challenge to our lives. You should learn to prepare yourself for the next decision to be made when you are faced with a difficult one.

    The choices we make shape what we expect to be in the future. Search yourself deeper when confronted with a difficult situation that needs you to make a wise choice.

    Always make choices that best suit your life and preserve your integrity. Choosing wisely for your life depends on the choices you make.

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