insakanet

Spirituality

  • How to Do More With Your Life Than Just Give Up

    This story was inspired by Mandy Harvey. I watched Mandy on America’s Got Talent a television program that searches and gives an opportunity to people to showcase their talent.

    She was a contestant in the music category and got a golden buzzer for her outstanding performance during the auditions. Although Mandy did not go on to win the competition she is a successful songwriter, singer, and motivational speaker.

    I find her life’s journey very inspiring and motivating. She lost her sense of hearing due to illness at the age of eighteen and, she almost gave up on her life.

    I can only imagine what she went through at the news of losing her hearing and that science and doctors cannot help recover her lost sense of hearing.

    But after some time and with hard work she discovered that she could actually continue singing, by using muscle memory and trusting her pitch and feeling the vibrations of the beat and temple through her feet. This is amazing.

    Today Mandy is a success in the music industry and inspires people not only with her music but also with her life’s story to never give up.

    Life can be tough and it is not easy to live especially when such “calamity” as Mandy’s be fore’s on you. Imagine the pain and the disillusionment the whole family went through when they learned that their daughter had become deaf.

    The thought that she will never hear their voices again is not nice at all. That the mode of communication with her would be changed forever.

    To me, Mandy’s life story is one of faith and courage. Look, to go up on stage and sing in front of so many people, without hearing your own voice but just trusting your pitch, takes a lot of faith and courage.

    There are very few people who can do that. Most of us are scared to even just stand in front of a small group of people and speak.

    It is a lesson to all of us who take life for granted and just want to give up when we encounter a few setbacks.

    Stop giving excuses and start making something worthwhile with your life. Yes, life will always throw things at you. But, I believe that everything that happens to us happens for a reason. There is always good that comes out of what is seeming a bad thing.

    Have a Never Give Up Mentality

    One would have understood if Mandy had given up on her life. At least she would have had an excuse for it, and a good one for that matter.

    But she did not, she decided to make use of her life and be a blessing to the world. Now instead of just singing and writing songs she also inspires and motivates people with her story.

    Who knows, she probably would not have been successful without going through what she went through.

    She realised that in order for her to be happy in life she must continue doing more of what makes her happy and that is singing.  Hence her doing everything in her power to achieve her dream.

    Do you realise that if she had not done anything about it, she might probably have been complaining all her life about her situation.

    She would have been another statistic, but instead, she is not, she is flying high like an eagle with what she is doing. Thank God for her life. She is such a blessing.

    You see to be more you need to have more and never give up on your dreams. To achieve greatness you need to do things differently. You need to change the way you do things and adopt methods that will bring out the best in you.

    If you sleep at 8:00 pm and wake up at 07:00 am you may need to adjust. Successful people spend most of their time working hard and not sleeping.

    When you are faced with adversity, look for the good in it. There is always something that you can get from your troubles.

    Most of the time when we are faced with challenges it means that God wants to move us to the next level. He is preparing us to handle what is coming our way. But it will never come until you are ready for it and usually it is something much more than our current situation.

    If you keep your trust in God, he always makes a way where there seems to be no way. When one door is shut God opens up many more doors. Mandy’s hearing door was shut but God opened up other doors to help her continue with her music.

    Be Prepared For What is Coming

    Like I said before when adversity comes it is usually a sign that good things are yet to follow. Because after the storm there is calmness. You must always be prepared to take on the next challenge. Be ready when the heavens have opened up for you.

    Look, don’t just sit and give excuses that you cannot do anything because you have no opportunities. Do not live life by chance or by luck. Luck finds those who are prepared and are ready. In our country, we have a tendency of complaining about how successful foreigners are than the local majority.

    We must actually be ashamed of ourselves. We have people who came in as refugees and now they are doing well in business yet we complain that there are no opportunities.

    This is a person who came with nothing and now he has a successful business in your own back yard and you say there are no opportunities, come on guys, we can do better than that.

    If you have dreams and do not take action they will always be but dreams. Those who succeed are those who put their dreams into action.

    Preparation can take many forms and it is usually not easy. Take sportsmen and women, for example, the time and sacrifice they take in preparation is something I really admire.

    How can you attract opportunities if you are not prepared for them? You attract opportunities by the things that you do every day.

    Sometimes opportunities come in disguise. They come in the most unexpected manner. But you need to be prepared when they come around otherwise you will miss them and call yourself cursed or something like “I have bad luck.” No, man you were just not ready.

    If it’s a job you are looking for get the necessary qualifications, and go out there and knock on every door for the opportunities. Don’t just sit at home expecting that a job will come on a silver platter, do something about it, anything that will keep you busy.

    In everything that we do, preparation is key to success. If you want to achieve anything meaningful with your life, you need to continuously upgrade your skills set. Believe me, opportunities are always there to be pursued. I have personally missed out on many good opportunities because of not being fully prepared for them.

    And equally I have embraced many opportunities when am prepared for them.

    Conclusion

    You have more to offer and give than what you are currently doing. If you are going through a rough period in your life fight until you make things right simply do not give up.

    The fact that you have seen the break of dawn means you still have a chance to fight and win. Trust God in everything you do and he will surely come through for you.

  • Why It Is Important to Do What You Love for a Living

    Work is important for both physical and mental expression. We work so that we can earn a living. The kind of work we do is what puts food on the diner table.

    Without work, we do not expect to get a paycheck. The kind of work you do should be an expression of yourself.

    Human beings were created for work. It doesn’t matter whether you are self-employed or are employed by someone else, the fact is, you do what you are doing because you love it or because you have to earn that much-needed paycheck.

    The kind of job you do can be a great source of happiness and or sadness. If your current job does not satisfy your desires or let’s just say does not motivate you, consider doing something else.

    If you do not take pride in what you do, for a living, I suggest that you leave it, you are in the wrong field. Find something that you are happy with or that makes you happy. Something that you will do with all your heart.

    Your job should be enjoyable. After all, you spend most of your time working. You must always be looking forward to getting up early in the morning and going for work.

    Nine out of ten a person who is motivated by what he does achieves more with his job than one who just looks forward to a paycheck.

    Look, I know that at the end of the day we are all expecting a paycheck. But the difference is how effective and efficient you are that will prime you for advancement.

    If you want to make a significant contribution to humanity you must be able to give more of yourself.

    To easily give more, you must be in a position to enjoy the process.

    You Get What You Give

    Life gives you back what you give it. You cannot expect to get oranges out of a guava tree. Neither can you expect to get guavas out of an apple tree.

    You give life mediocrity, you get exactly that out of it. You give it your best, expect to get the best out of it. If you want to get happiness, give it happiness.

    Your productivity is highly increased when you do what you love. You are more at peace and more confident when you stick with your lane.

    It is easy to express yourself when you’re at peace. When you are not struggling. When your mind is focused.

    I love writing. I tell my stories through this blog. Most of the content on this site is a result of my personal experience.

    I currently do not have any formal qualifications in personal development and self-improvement. Everything I write is a result of the passion and love I have for personal development.

    If you want to get maximum rewards for your efforts you need to put in extra. It is much easier and better to achieve your goals by doing what you love.

    You are Full of Confidence

    Believe me, when you love your work, you ooze with confidence. It shows even in the quality of your end product.

    Confidence ignites an increase in productivity. When you are confident with yourself you are more likely to enjoy happiness. Which is fundamental to living a better life. Which I also think is what we all want to achieve a better life for ourselves and our immediate families.

    Those who are confident are even more motivated to conquer the world. They are never satisfied with their latest achievements. They have the zeal and energy to go even further.

    Confidence is also a source of motivation that is needed to keep you going. Even when you fail the first time you will rise up and move forward because you simply love what you do. You refuse to accept failure.

    If you are an employer you will agree with me that your most productive employees are those who are confident and love their work.

    The more you achieve your targets, the more confident and motivated you become. There is a feeling of joy every time you achieve something. I always experience a sense of satisfaction every time I hit the publish button.

    Just the experience of that joy can be a major boost of energy and motivation for you to do more with your life.

    Learning is Easy

    When you love something you will do everything in your power to get it. When you get it you will be more careful in ensuring that you keep it for the longest period possible.

    You will be motivated to acquire new skills that will help improve your output.

    In this case, learning will not be so much of a challenge for you. You will be more focused knowing that you are acquiring useful knowledge and skills that will naturally pay off in the long run.

    Failure is Easily Overcome

    One of the biggest reasons why we do not succeed is being overwhelmed with failure. We fail because we allow failure to breed fear.

    This fear is even worse if the process of achieving success is not aligned with our natural talents and calling.

    However, when we align this process with what flows naturally from within, failure is not an option but a stepping stone.

    There is a natural tendency to repel failure when we are in “our zone.” There is always a way of overcoming failure by persistently pursuing our calling.

    Failure is easily overcome when you are busy loving to push for results.

    It Makes Life Easy

    Life, as it is, is already complicated. There is already so much stress on us as individuals. There are so many things that need to be done in a very short period of time.

    There are so many things that need our attention every day. Because of the nature of what life has become now, we ought to reduce the pressure on ourselves by enjoying our work.

    This can only be achieved by finding our God-given calling and talents that we can utilise to the fullest to achieve our life’s purposes.

    Conclusion

    The importance of doing what you love for a living cannot be overemphasised. Life is much more bearable and easier to handle when your living is mainly derived from doing what you love.

  • Stop Taking Life for Granted

    Life is precious. God has blessed us with life so that we may achieve and enjoy the talents he has given us. So that we may play a part in helping humanity.

    The fact that you woke up this morning simply means that you still have a lot to accomplish. God has given you another chance at life. Everyone who has the breath of life has a chance to make it in life.

    Stop complaining and stop taking your life for granted. Do what has to be done now otherwise you may live to regret it. Do not postpone what has to be done.

    Things can change in an instant. If you keep postponing your ideas to a later date you may not just be there. Who knows when your time on earth will be up?

    The best time to implement your ideas and goals is now. It does not matter how old or how young you are, now is the best time. For as long as you have the breath of life you have a chance to succeed.

    If you keep pushing your ideas forward you are taking your life for granted thinking that you are in control of your time. Only God almighty knows how much your time is on earth.

    Look, time is the only commodity I know that cannot be quantified on a living person. Why? simply because no one knows when they are going to die.

    It is also a commodity that is not renewable. Time always moves forward and does not wait for anybody.

    We have no absolute control over how long we will live on this earth. Hence we are all visitors and no one is entitled to have more life than the other. No one individual is superior to the other.

    Be Grateful

    Gratitude is a way of acknowledging and appreciating the gift of life. Whether you like it or not, life is a gift.

    Learn to be grateful and you will definitely learn how to not take life for granted.

    Especially now with the advent of the COVID 19 pandemic. It is just right that we are grateful for being alive.

    It is time, now more than ever to be grateful and live at peace with one another. Life has taught me to be more appreciative even with the small things.

    Complaining does not solve problems, hatred does not help either. But being thankful and cheerful is probably the best medicine for your soul.

    You lose nothing by being polite and accommodating to other people. The bible says “do unto others what you would want them to do unto you.”

    If you want peace, give people peace. If you want happiness, give people happiness. Nature gives you back what you give it.

    You will agree with me that the COVID-19 era has made humanity realise that there is a very thin line between life and death. The rate at which we have lost people to the pandemic is very scary.

    Worse still it continues to be even more scary as the pandemic seems to have come to stay. This is definitely a good reason to be thankful for being alive and not take life for granted.

    Sharing Is Caring

    “Money will not last. Fame will not last. But how you touch others’ lives will always stay behind!”

    They say sharing is caring. Don’t we all love to see a happy face?

    If you have lived long enough like me, you will definitely understand that we all need each other in one way or the other.

    Our lives are intertwined. You may not realise it but we are all one big family. Red, yellow, black, and blue we are all one family.

    I believe in sharing what we have. Sharing is the only sure way of creating personal security. Especially amongst family members.

    In this part of the world where I come from living in an extended family is what we grew up with and it’s normal.

    Sharing does not always have to be in monetary form. It could just be your time or anything that could add value to some else.

    They say one good deed deserves another. You never know what life has to offer to the next person.

    Don’t think because you are financially poor that you cannot share.

    You were created to contribute positively to the growth of humanity. It is your duty to share what you have.

    Help those in Need

    “The greatest happiness in the world is in helping the people you don’t know and seeing them happy.” 

    In addition to sharing, there will always be someone in need. Again I will say that help does not necessarily have to be in monetary terms.

    We all need help in one way or the other. No one can claim to be self-sufficient.

    Life demands that we help one another. We are encouraged to be our brother’s keeper according to the bible.

    Being a brother’s keeper entails looking out for your brother, which means you cannot run away from rendering help.

    There is also something I have learned about helping. It just gives me joy to be of help. It also ensures that I remain relevant in people’s lives.

    The more help you render the more relevant you become. You see, help can be in any form and not necessarily giving out money.

    Many of us have a wrong notion of giving help. We always think it is all about money. Yes l, I know that many people are in need of financial help.

    Enjoy Every Moment of Your Life

    Life is too short to be lived with worries. If you want to be happy, give happiness.

    Happiness is a decision and it’s entirely your choice. You choose what you want. You decide either to be happy or sad and not in the middle.

    Those who live a happy life are more likely to succeed at what they do. Look, nature is neutral, you get what you give it. If you give joy you reap joy.

    You can not expect different results from what you are giving. How do you expect to reap what you did not sow?

    Enjoy every moment of your life while it lasts. Do everything possible to ensure that you live a joyous life.

    You do not want to regret the things you should have done when you had the opportunity.

    I know that not all days are the same and that we do not have control over the universe.

    But we have control over our own thoughts and deeds. God will hold each and every one of us accountable for our deeds.

    Always ask God to help you deal with the things you can change and accept those that you have no control over.

    The decisions you make early in the morning have a great influence on how your day pans out.

    Conclusion

    There is definitely a thin line between life and death as has been experienced in the previous months when the COVID 19 was at its highest. We still have no idea what the future holds and no one has control over our lives except God.

  • My Prayer To The World

    Just when we thought the COVID-19 pandemic was under control. The world has just been hit with a second wave and more potent strain of the virus. We are told that the second wave is more contagious and very dangerous than the first one.

    I have already heard about a few people that have died from it. I feel very sad and my thoughts go out to the families that have lost their loved ones. I just want to encourage all of us to take extra precautions and follow the guidelines as directed by our health authorities.

    I would also like to thank our frontline health professionals for the courage, dedication, and effort they are putting in to help alleviate the situation. May the good Lord continue to keep them safe.

    In addition to following the guidelines as per WHO guidelines such as, wearing facial masks; keeping good hygiene by regularly washing your hands, and keeping social distances when in public I encourage you to site psalm 91 on a daily basis:-

    Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
    I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”
    Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
    He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
    You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
    nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
    A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
    You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.
    If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
    no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
    For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
    they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
    You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
    “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
    He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
    With long life, I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

    Conclusion

    Please stay safe. Go out only when it is necessary and remember to protect yourself and your loved ones by practising the recommended guidelines. This is no time for politicking but this is the time for the world to show unity of purpose. Together we can eliminate this pandemic. Remember the virus spreads only when you move. Stay safe and God bless.

  • Time to Change Relationships that Need to be Changed

    The year 2019 will be remembered as a year that came with a lot of change. It changed the order of doing things. We were all either affected and or infected by the virus that has continued to ravage the world, the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This change has been forced upon us. We have had to adapt to the new norm of doing things, such as wearing face masks, regular use of hand sanitisers, and taking extra precautions when going out in public. Social gatherings are restricted. But, like in every other challenge some people have thrived and some have, all but complained.

    The lessons taken from the preceding year are very valuable. The experiences of the closing year have taught us that we need to change some relationships going forward. There is need to readjust our lives to conform to the new order of doing things.

    Humans are well known for being social in nature. In Africa, we love large gatherings, be it social, political, spiritual, or whatever, we just love them. However, I don’t see this coming back in the shortest possible time. Surely for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic is around, life will not be as it was before.

    How to Make the Change

    A nice way to make the change, as we begin the new year is to identify your relationships and evaluate them. Clarify your relationships on how you would like them to affect the various aspects of your life. Then take the necessary action that you would expect to improve these relationships. You need to make rational goals.

    For example, the following relationships have a bearing on my life:-

    • Finances/money
    • Family
    • Work
    • Health
    • Friends
    • Spirituality
    • Website

    I will take the relationship with finances/money as an example. Am sure that most of us have a story to tell on this one. If your relationship with finances is not as good as it should be, maybe you are struggling to make earns meet or maybe your current job does not pay as much as you should be getting.

    List down your monthly expenses and compare them with your current income. Now, list down your desired expenditure and compare it with your current income. Your desired expenditure is what you would like to be spending on a monthly basis without stressing.

    Identify and cut down on unnecessary expenditure. Find more ways to improve your earnings to supplement your current paycheck. If your current job is not flexible enough to allow you to do extra work maybe, it is not the right job for you.

    Invest in your skills by getting an education that will help enhance your career and productivity. Read more about how to manage finances/money. Have definite, realistic, and achievable goals that will keep you motivated. Work on your goals every day.

    This year I have set a target to create passive income for myself. It seems hard work for now, but I think it will pay off as this will greatly improve my income and free up time for me. I have identified a few sources that I think are worth trying out. I will be sharing during the course of the year on the progress.

    You may be asking, what if you do not realise your goals within the time frame? Well, you can adjust the time frame, the most important thing is, you have a target you are working towards. You have something to work with.

    One of the reasons why we have a poor relationship with our finances is that we work for money instead of letting money work for us.

    Set Resolutions for the Year

    One way of keeping track of your progress is to have a set of written down resolutions and a habit of reviewing them on a regular basis. This year resolve to improve on your shortcomings. Resolve to improve on those poor relationships that are greatly affecting your life negatively.

    Make resolutions and work towards achieving them. Start with a few that can easily be managed. This will encourage and challenge you to move on to those that will take you much longer and are seemingly difficult to repair or manage.

    The best time for me to make resolutions is usually at the beginning of the calendar year. However, there is no rule, you can actually make them at any time of the year and begin to work on them as you please. But you must make and work them anyway.

    It is a good idea to have resolutions that are precise and measurable. This way, when you are reviewing them, you will be able to determine how much progress has been made and determine if there is need for adjustment. I normally review mine on a quarterly basis.

    Yes, I know that sometimes I lag behind. By, reviewing my resolutions on a regular basis ensures that am reminded of them and can easily get to work on improving those that have remained behind. I find it normal that there are always some that I carry forward into the following year.

    Be Optimistic

    To be optimistic is to be hopeful and confident about the future. Being optimistic is key in ensuring that you achieve the resolutions that you have set. It is an important ingredient to have when we have set targets for ourselves.

    Otherwise, there is no point in setting goals and resolutions that you are not optimistic about achieving. That is why it is important to set goals and resolutions that are fairly reasonable and achievable.

    That nice feeling you get when you have accomplished a task should be repeated more often. It should be what drives you to even greater heights. You must make it your driving force and leverage on it to push you in your quest for personal development and self-growth.

    Being optimistic is a great sign of confidence in what you are doing. It shows that you are in control and are expectant of positive results. Yes, sometimes results may not be as expected. But this should not make you give up.

    Conclusion

    If you want to succeed you must develop a habit of setting resolutions at the beginning of every year. This helps you set the tone and pace and what you are going to achieve during the year. It gives you a sense and purpose to live life.

    “For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent” – Tony Robbins.

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