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Religion

  • The 4 Keys to Success

    Everyone wants to achieve personal success. Every one of us wants to learn the ropes of being successful. We all have one common goal in life. To be successful and live a happy and fulfilling life.

    We all have a desire to make a difference in the world. But many of us struggle to triumph and live a below-average life style.

    Many have read on the subject of personal success. Many, if not all are students of the subject. Only a few are good students and are successful. While many fall in the category of bad students and are struggling.

    It is almost impossible to understand the subject of success in one attempt. However, in all the books I have come across, there are similarities. The presentations and presenters, may be different but most of them have similar themes and methods of achieving success.

    There are basically 4 keys that you need to help you achieve your success and these are:-

    Write Down Your Goals

    Without writing down your own goals, you will be shooting in the air; you will just be drifting and moving along aimlessly; you will be at the bottom of the park which is crowded. To have meaningful success you need to write down your goals and start working on them.

    This is the only way to measure your success. Your written down goals have to be measurable and specific. I like to personalise them by saying “I earn so much by such a date; I have done this by such a date.”

    You are the only person that can use the “I” for yourself. No one else can use it on you. Making such pronouncements helps to immediately know the exact target and the expected results. It also sets a deadline. Being exact with the goal gives motivation every time you read it.

    Since the goals are measurable, if, by the set date, I have not achieved the target, I simply adjust the date accordingly. However, I do not adjust the goal because by then my mind is already conditioned and working to achieve the set goal.

    Remember that the goals you set must be those that are in tandem with your overall life’s objectives. They must help you get closer to achieving your life’s intended purpose.

    Do not underestimate the power of writing down your goals. I usually carry around a notebook with me. Where I write down ideas and many other personal things. Don’t just rely on your memory, write down your goals.

    Set a Deadline

    Everything in life has a useful shelf life. Some things have a much longer useful shelf life than others. That is why deadlines are important. They make you work extra hard. We are always working to beat deadlines because we all know that time waits for no one.

    Setting reasonable deadlines is also key to ensuring that you achieve your success. Reasonable deadlines are those that give you ample time to be creative, work, and stay motivated. I have found that short deadlines can be a source of frustration especially if the goals are not achieved.

    Everyone has an optimum point when they give in their best. This is the time when you are full of energy and enthusiastic for life. The time when you can take on any challenge without much of a problem. This is the best time to ensure that you work extra hard to do the right things.

    If you are relatively younger this is the best time to ensure that you put your act together. Stop fooling around. Get to work and you will enjoy the benefits later. I know that a day will come when those energy levels will be a thing of the past. Ask those who are well advanced in age and they will tell you.

    The way I set my goals is that they include a deadline in the goal itself so am always in the know if am working beyond my expected deadline date. The thing with having deadlines is that your mind is tuned in and expectant to achieve a result at the set time.

    I have noticed that somehow your mind is constantly alert to your deadline and this keeps you working towards achieving or beating the set deadline.

    Take Action

    They say actions speak louder than words. Yes, it is important to set goals and having deadlines. But, setting goals and having deadlines will not achieve anything if you do not take action. Most of our plans die a natural death because we do not act on them. Taking action will ensure that you start moving towards your goals.

    Create a habit of taking action that will help you achieve your goals on a daily basis. Take one step at a time. If your goal is to make say US$200,000 by say 31 December, decide how you are going to make this money and get started with the process.

    We have a habit of just making good pronouncements and leaving everything to God. Look, God is not going to make you rich without you playing your part. God will open an opportunity for you and it is entirely up to you to cease it and make good use of it.

    You have a big part to play in God’s picture. I have noticed a tendency, especially amongst us Christians of saying “I receive in Jesus’ name” when a preacher makes certain pronouncements and we leave it at that.

    Yes, receive it and start working on actualising the pronouncement by taking action. Get up and go to work. The bible says “the Lord will bless the work of your hands.” Those who succeed are those who try and take action. It is better to die trying.

    Persist Until You Succeed

    Success does not come easy and does not come cheap. If it were easy, then we would all have been successful. There would have been no need to talk about it. But we talk about it because we know the challenges that people will face on the path to success.

    Yes, things will not always go according to your plan, and most of the time they never, but when you persist you will triumph over any challenge. Persistence is key to your success. Those who are successful are those who are resilient and persistent. They know that challenges have to be conquered.

    Without persistence, you are surely doomed to fail. Because along the way to success you will be met with many of them. Some of these challenges may look to be insurmountable. Your success will be largely determined by your persistence.

    The bigger your goals are the more hard work and persistence you need to have. Be prepared that on your journey to success you will be greatly tested. You will need to focus on the things that you have an influence on, as these are the things that will help you overcome your challenges.

    Conclusion

    “Successful people tend to become more successful because they are always thinking about their successes” – Brian Tracy.

    There are many ways to succeed but the above are key for me and they seem to work so far. You can devise what works for you but I reckon that they will not be very different from mine. We are all wired to succeed and the ball is in our hands.

  • 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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