insakanet

Personal Development

  • 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.

  • Explore the Power in You

    Everything in your life begins and ends with you. The choices you make directly shape the quality of the life you live.

    Whatever you choose to be is entirely up to you. If you want to make a difference in life “be the change you want to see in the world”.

    Our difficulties in are largely due to confused ideas and ignorance of our true interest. To avoid or navigate these difficulties you need to know that there is a world within us.

    A world of life and thought; of power and beauty although invisible its forces are mighty, and this world is under our control.

    This world am talking about is governed by the mind. The mind is the factory of all thought. Nothing exists on this earth without being imagined in someone’s mind. You are what you think.

    Whatever, success one wants to achieve starts with him taking the first step in the right direction. This step is thinking and doing the right things.

    You cannot achieve success if you believe you will fail. It is impossible to build riches when your thoughts are those of poverty.

    When you make the decision to become rich stand by your decision, see yourself and feel yourself being rich. Act rich even.

    Control What You Think

    The world we leave in is a direct reflection of what we think about most of the time. You are poor because poverty is predominant in your mind; you are rich or successful because that is what you think of most of the time.

    In order that we change our living environment we must change the way we think. Every thought is a cause and every condition an effect, for this reason it is very important that you control your thoughts so as to bring forward desirable conditions.

    To remove discord, we must remove the cause and this cause is found within us.

    Most of the things we think about are as a result of what we feed our minds on. The main source of which are; what we read, watch and our daily life experiences.

    If you feed your mind with negative things you obviously will think negatively and vice versa. However, you have the power to change and control what you think.

    The mind will obey what you want it to think. It is under your control. Remember that, what you think largely influences what you do in life.

    Since reading plays a greater part to our thinking, you must feed your mind with the right material. Always refuse to think negatively about your situation.

    In every difficult situation, there is always a silver lining. Focus on the positives and build on them.

    Improve Your Mind

    “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. – The Bible.

    In order to express life there must be mind; nothing can exist without mind.

    Nature compels us all to move through life. We could not remain stationary however much we wished.

    Every right-thinking person wants not merely to move through life like a gong, but to develop – to improve – and to continue the development mentally to the close of physical life.

    How can you improve your thoughts without improving your mind? How can you improve your physical life with improving your mind?

    Your thoughts are a direct result of what you feed your mind. Your outward results are also direct results of your thoughts.

    Nourish your mind with positive things and positive thoughts will manifest out of it.

    In order to achieve greater physical success you need greater mental success. You can achieve greater mental success by continuously improving your mind.

    Keep acquiring as much knowledge as you possibly can. If you are not in the habit of reading please develop one. At least 30 minutes a day of reading a good book will get you started.

    You Have the Power

    All growth comes from within. This is evident in all nature. Every plant, every animal, every human is a living testimony to this law, yet, we error by looking for power or strength from outside of us.

    We have the capacity to grow physically and mentally without outside interference. When we focus our energies and efforts on success we can surely achieve it.

    Thought is energy. Active thought is active energy; concentrated thought is a concentrated energy. Thought concentrated on a definite purpose becomes power.

    This is the power which is being used by those who do not believe in the virtue of poverty, or the beauty of self-denial.

    The failures of our lives are largely due to the fact that we cannot recognize and appreciate the power in us.

    We cannot express powers that we do not possess. The only way by which we may secure possession of power is to become conscious of power, and we can never become conscious of power until we learn that all power is from within.

    Conclusion

    The need for us to recognize the power built in our minds cannot over emphasized. Many people who have succeeded have realized and harnessed this power.

    You will not achieve your destiny until you fully understand and harmonize it within yourself. Remember, personal development and growth require effort and do not happen overnight. Stay persistent and patient for your progress to truly take shape.

  • Are You Happy?

    I have encountered people from all walks of life and every race. None of them wish to live a sad or miserable life. Everyone desires to live a good and fulfilling life.

    Every single one of them wants to lead a happy, decent and fulfilling life.

    It is quite interesting to note that a significant number of people are not as happy or content as they truly wish to be in their lives. Does this observation resonate with you on a personal level or make you reflect on your own experiences?

    Before we continue, take a moment to ask yourself these questions: Am I truly happy? What factors shape my happiness? Is it driven by luck or good fortune? Does it rely on money or material possessions? What is it that genuinely brings me joy?

    Happiness is a state of mind. It is a decision you make and its a personal choice. Gasping for happiness is a matter of the will of wanting and learning to be happy.

    Happiness is an emotion so if you want to be happy get the happiness consciousness. We know that all emotions are under our control. Why is it then, that most people do not live a happy life?

    A great deal of happiness depends on the desire to be happy, a consciousness, and a firm decision to reach that state.

    As described before happiness is a personal decision, here’s a few things that could help enhance your happiness:-

    Good Friends

    A lively and positive social circle could be a great source of comfort and happiness. Choose your friends carefully. Choose people you can be open with and still feel protected.

    I don’t mean that you should discriminate but be careful with the people you hangout with. Choosing the right and positive set of friends is very helpful.

    Concentrate on the positive side of things. Helping out a friend is another source of happiness. Have you ever noticed that being of service to your friends just makes you feel loved and wanted?

    Having a Good Sense of Humour

    Try as much as possible to develop a good sense of humour. They say laughter is medicinal.

    Having a good sense of humour and laughter are causes and consequences of happiness.

    I know that you will encounter situations that will go against the principles of happiness, such is life. But always know that in every situation you have a choice to make.

    Make sure you quickly switch your mind to decipher the positives out of every situation. Mostly things happen for a good reason and it is our duty to know and find those positive reasons.

    Family

    Spending time with your family is another source of happiness. It is important to find a member of your family you, can share your feelings with.

    It could be your spouse if you are married or any other close relative.

    Try helping out a family member sort out their problems. There is more satisfaction and happiness in helping out the needy.

    You could even go further by doing charity work. You will be amazed that just you presence could make a huge difference in someones day.

    Decide to Be Happy

    You were created to live a happy life make the most of it. Also make a firm decision to be happy every day, you deserve it.

    Forget the hassles and bustles of life, live a happy life. Tell yourself in the morning that this is the day the Lord has made for me and I shall rejoice in it.

    Weeping may come in the night but joy comes in the morning.

    The way you begin your day greatly influences what you will experience throughout it. If you want to be happy, choose to be.

    Once you make your decision, you will need to face and overcome the numerous obstacles and challenges that stand firmly between you and the ultimate happiness you seek.

    Be Satisfied With the Past

    Your life and the wide range of experiences you encounter along the way have the power to bring you either immense joy or deep pain. These moments shape who you are and influence your emotions profoundly.

    Depending on how you judge them, they may build or destroy your happiness. Look at your past with satisfaction, contemplate the future with hope and decide to live in the present.

    A lot of joys and positive moods are directly linked with our past events. Avoid regrets from past events because nobody can change them.

    Instead, reflect on past experiences as valuable lessons to prevent future challenges. Cherish the joyful memories, share them with your loved ones, and hold them close to your heart.

    Live in the Present

    “Enjoy the here and now” this is very important. Why dwell on the past when it cannot be changed?

    However, cherish the good memories. To find happiness in the present, learn to appreciate the simple joys of today: people, nature, and children.

    Playing with children brings immense joy. You’ll be surprised by how much you can truly learn from them.

    Conclusion

    Being happy is very important to personal development and growth. You cannot attain your full personal development and growth without happiness.

    Being happy is a personal decision and choice. Make a firm decision and choose to be happy. We live in a world full of sadness.

    Everybody is busy with their own things. Make a difference by making at least one person feel loved and happy every day.

    Have a happiness consciousness. Happiness is God-given always start and end your day with a prayer. Prayer can move mountains.

  • You are What You Think

    We undoubtedly live in a thought world, which is part of a thought universe. Thought is the only power that can produce tangible results from the formless substance.

    Our thoughts determine the way we live. Our way of doing things is a direct result of the way we think about things.

    Every thought we think makes it necessary for us to think another thought thus expanding our consciousness.

    Every fact we learn leads us to the learning of another fact thus we are continually increasing our knowledge.

    Your thinking has a direct and significant influence on the way you approach and execute various tasks in life.

    The bible says that “as a man thinks so is he in his heart.” You are what you think about most of the time. You general behaviour and character is shaped by what you think of most of the time.

    Most, if not everything we do is a result of what has been manufactured in our minds. Your mind is the thought factory.

    So then if our thoughts have a direct influence on us, then I would be right to say that “no one, therefore, is poor because nature is poor or because there is not enough to go round.”

    You are experiencing poverty because your mind is consistently producing negative thoughts focused on lack and limitation.

    Thought is Power

    You will agree with me that every action we make is a result of what we think. In other words your actions always precede your thoughts.

    We have within us the incredible power and ability to achieve and accomplish anything that we set our minds upon, no matter the challenges we face.

    Every invention that you see today was first meticulously visualized in the mind of someone before being skillfully transmuted into reality.

    Ask yourself this question if thought is power, why then are you poor or not successful, and yet you have the power and ability in you?

    Write down your answers and start working on resolving them as a matter of urgency. You have just identified the problem to your situation.

    The attitude of mind necessarily depends upon what we think. Therefore, the secret of all power, all achievement, and all possession depends upon our method of thinking.

    The preceding statement is true because we must “be” before we can “do“ and we can “do” only to the extent that we “are”, and what we “are” depends upon what we “think.”

    Think about all the things you have done in the past are these not the products of your thoughts?

    Whatever, you have done is because you “are” and you “are” because of what you “thought.”

    We cannot truly express powers that we do not possess, and we can never fully become conscious of our inner power until we learn that all true power originates from within ourselves.

    You have the power within yourself. If only you can change and tune your mind to think in a certain way, nothing will stop you from achieving your desired goals.

    If you live in a world of poverty, failure, frustration and all the negative things, this is a direct reflection of your mind, because all these things are governed and controlled by your mind.

    Do not underestimate the power of your thoughts. See related article for more.

    Live Consciously

    “Would you bring into your life more power? Get the power consciousness. More health? Get the health consciousness. More happiness? Get the happiness consciousness. More riches? Get the riches consciousness.”

    The preceding statement brings out the fact that all possessions are based on consciousness which is a product of the mind.

    “He who thinks to illuminate the whole range of mental action by the light of his own consciousness is not unlike the one who should go about to illuminate the universe with a rushlight.” – Professor Davidson.

    Mind is creative, and conditions, environment, and all experiences in life are the results of our habitual or predominant mental attitude.

    To truly realize your dreams and aspirations, you need to live consciously and purposefully each day.

    Conscious living is directly induced by the mind. When you live consciously you will be amazed at how much detail you will have even of the seemingly small things in life.

    To truly become more, you must first possess more. You cannot effectively give what you do not have. It’s essential to accumulate resources and knowledge before you can even think about sharing or giving to others.

    You must seek wisdom from within you and as you become conscious of the wisdom in the world within, you will mentally take possession of this wisdom, and by taking mental possession you come into actual possession of the power and wisdom necessary to bring into manifestation the essentials necessary for your most complete and harmonious development.

    Conclusion

    Personal Development is not an easy task; it requires consistent dedication and the determination to eliminate certain habits that no longer serve you better.

    The mind is very key to achieving a higher level of personal development and self-improvement. You must train your mind to think positively and maintain good health always live consciously.

  • How Having More Knowledge is Key to Success

    “Success is about living the life of your dreams whatever that might mean for you. It’s about being perfectly content and honestly saying to yourself that you would change very little about your current existence.”

    I believe that the definition for “success” is as unique as an individual’s fingerprints. If you think that being successful is only about having a hefty bank balance then you are wrong.

    You could have a lot of money and still live a very miserable life. Take for example Mother Theresa of India, who knows how much money she had? 

    Yet she was admired and adored by presidents and kings around the world. Would you say she was not a success? Today her name still lives on long after she is dead.

    As a matter of fact, money should be used as a medium to help us continue with our purpose in life. They say money is good but the love for money is the root of all evil.

    Be careful what you want in life, is it to promote your God-given talents and gifts in order that you do not deprive the world of them, or is it riches you want to accumulate?

    I want to promote both my talents and acquire wealth. Let me mention here that I am not saying that you should stay poor no, nor am I stopping you from accumulating wealth no-no-no. 

    I am just emphasising the point that success does not necessarily mean having a hefty bank balance.

    I have read many books on success and have discovered that one of the most important ingredients to success is knowledge. 

    More Knowledge Means Improved Skills

    In order to have more, you must become more. “Your success is but a reflection of the value you bring to others and your value is a direct reflection of your skillset.”

    The more valuable your skillset, the better your chances for higher achievement. Every one of us wants more from life yet only a small percentage of us are willing to pay the actual price for it.

    If you are not willing to put in the effort required for success, then you do not deserve to be called successful and will remain exactly where you are.

    Success does not come easy. It is not a destination but a journey. If you want to make more, then you must start giving out more. The more you give the more you receive.

    The first part of the success formula is to make yourself more valuable by improving your knowledge and skills set. The world is willing to pay higher prices for better skills.

    How do you add value to your skillset, of course by acquiring more knowledge through obtaining an education. Now, education does not necessarily have to be formal. 

    If you want to succeed at whatever you want to do or are doing in life, you cannot escape the process of acquiring more knowledge, and one of the best ways of doing it is by reading relevant materials.

    Today, there is an abundance of reading materials available on nearly every topic imaginable. With easy access to books through various platforms, including the internet, there is no excuse for failure.

    Equally, important to the concept of improving your value is the avoidance of stagnation. Once you’ve taken the initiative to enhance your value then keep the fire burning by continuously working to improve yourself.

    There is always an opportunity to expand your knowledge. The more knowledge you acquire the more valuable you become and the better the service you provide.

    Remember that humanity is all about service regardless of what you are doing. I know for certain that there is more pleasure derived when you are of service. 

    Apply the Acquired Knowledge and Skills

    Acquiring knowledge is the first part of the success formula, applying that knowledge is the second and sometimes the most difficult part.

    Knowledge acquired and not put to practice or implemented is a waste of time and energy.

    Imagine, you decide to study brokerage as a part-time career. You attend seminars and read books about it. 

    Then after a while, your free time seems to have been overtaken by having to work late at your office so much that you cannot do anything after your work.

    In the end, your aspiration to become a broker has died and life has gotten in your way. Look at how much time and energy has been wasted.

    Am sure this story is familiar to many of us. The bare truth is that you wasted time in the first place and sadly the acquired knowledge will also go to waste as long as you do not make time to put it to use.

    Sometimes it could not be that life has gotten in your way but the fear of failure has crept in. Fear is also one of the most common detractors of success.

    Let me encourage you that whatever, obstacles you may encounter when implementing or putting your acquired knowledge to use, should be treated as a challenge.

    Life has so many challenges and it demands that you overcome them in order to succeed. Imagine a life without challenges, wouldn’t that be boring?

    When you triumph and succeed you will look back and say well I have come a long way.

    Remember that in order to have more you must become more. The more obstacles you overcome the more you become.

    Applying your acquired knowledge will propel you towards achieving greater heights of success be it in your career, business, or indeed your relationships.

    Conclusion

    There is no universal formula for success. This article serves as a guide based on what has worked for me, and I believe it can also support you on your own path to success.

    Personal development is not an easy task. It demands discipline, consistency and integrity in your life. You will always be compensated according to the value you are able to deliver to other people and nothing more.

    Every new level of income you wish to attain demands a new you. You alone hold the key to either thrive, survive or fail and you alone will determine the path to your own success based on how valuable a resource you are.

    I believe that life is about creating and value addition.

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