KNOW HOW: THE COMPASS OF DESTINY

Being successful at any endeavour in life requires a 'know how'. It does not matter how complex it seems, all you need to do is settle down and understand the 'how to' and then diligently apply yourself there in and you will become a star. 

To most of us, launching a rocket might come across as a mountainous task, why? We lack the 'know how'. But to an expert in the field, it is a basic operation. 

YOU CAN'T ASSUME A 'KNOW HOW'

You either know 'how to' or you don't. A wise man once said,

"a man without skill will kill"

Let us see what the bible says:

The Labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knows not HOW TO go to the city. Eccl 10:15

Diligence with little information is a labour that makes weary. Knowing your destination (the city) does not guarantee arrival at destination. 

For instance, as little children we all shouted what we will like to become when we grow older, whenever the question was asked, right?

Someone screamed 'a pilot' others said 'a captain' etc. That is knowing the destination but arriving at the destination will require 

1. the discovery of the 'how to' become...

2. the application of one's self to the 'how to'

All of these brings us to the following questions:

1. Where are you going in life (destination)?

2. Have you settled down to discover how to get there?

3. Have you been applying yourself diligently?

Older married couples always say, there is a lot of divorce in homes today because most young people ASSUME they know 'how to' run a successful home/marriage. 

Hence their assumption delivered its full package. 

Would you engage the services of a pilot who 'thinks' he can fly your plane? 

Would you engage someone as a legal professional who says he was anointed to be a barrister? 

When you visit the garage for your car to be fixed, stop arguing...if you knew what the problem was, wouldn't you have fixed it? You say, he charged too much, but in reality that's how much your ignorance on the subject is costing you. 

As a business man, how much are you investing in yourself so as to 'know how' to run a successful business?

As a potential parent, how much are you investing in yourself in order to 'know how' to raise sound and responsible kids? 

Knowing the city/goal/destination is not enough. It's time to sit down and discover 'how to' get there. 

I will leave you with this: 

a successful flight is achieved because every major component of the plane is functioning optimally. There are four basic component in an individual's life:

1. Relationship with God

2. Career/Business/Calling 

3. Family

4. Character Development 

If you fully comprehend how much you need to invest in all four areas, you will stop wasting time. Hence I say,

A successful life is a life that is successful in all four major components.

Remember you can not assume a 'know how'.

Till when next we come your way, settle down and discover 'HOW TO GET INTO THE CITY'.

EXCELLENCE: AN OUTCOME OR A CHARACTER?

 As a growing up child, my older sister used to always have a fight with me to clean up my corner...and this was a big struggle for me because I felt, it doesn't matter in as much as I wore nice clothes and took 1st position in my class. But she said something...

DON'T CALL ANYONE CLEAN OR TIDY UNTIL YOU VISIT HIS HOME. 

I asked why? She said, "out there, everyone is trying to give an impression because of eyes that watch, but who you are under less supervision is who you really are". So, everyone might call you wonderful kid because you performed well at school but I will tell them your corner is always untidy. 

Then, I had to change...was she mean? No! She thought me a basic principle: 

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO HAVE EXCELLENT OUTCOMES OR CHOOSE TO HAVE AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER

Let's look at the following scripture:

O Lord our Lord, How EXCELLENT is YOUR NAME in ALL THE EARTH...Psalms 8:1

Is God only excellent in Asia?

Is God only excellent in America?

I think he is doing phenomenal in Europe and average in Africa, what do you think? 

From the above text, God (his name) is excellent IN ALL the EARTH. 

It is about time we pursue all round excellence. If you don't get a pay cheque, would you show up on time? If not for your exams would you still spend time to read? 

Don't try to produce excellent outcomes...NO! BE EXCELLENT. Pay or no pay, recognition or no recognition, BE EXCELLENT!

Make a conscious effort to pursue excellence in EVERY area of your life. Now at work, because we get paid to perform even when there is a challenge or problem...we sit down, think and come up with solutions...and at home we walk away from unwashed dishes. 

I know we are all doing well "outside" it is time to do well "inside". Women submit to very ridiculous bosses at work yet they can't honour their husbands at home. Men speak respectfully  to their female bosses at work and yet at home they treat their wives with disregard. 

The pattern has to change.

Make a conscious decision to pursue ALL ROUND EXCELLENCE. 

I (your name), today make a renewed commitment to myself in the pursuit of all-round excellence even as my father in heaven.

I shall commit to an excellent lifestyle in ALL I do irrespective of appraisal or not. I simply choose to BE EXCELLENT.

In Jesus name! Amen!

Till when next you visit this blog...MAKE EXCELLENCE A LIFESTYLE!

YOU CAN DO MORE

Self appreciation is a very good tool for inspiration; it is great to look at how far you have come and then take time out and digest that feeling of accomplishment. The biggest challenge is dwelling there for longer than necessary. 

It is time to think a step ahead of your last success...it is time to DO MORE! 

You can choose to be a Conqueror or "more than a conqueror" 

You can choose to be just an employee or be "more than an employee"

You can choose to be just a student or be "more than a student"

The key is DO MORE! 

...By faith Abel offered unto God a MORE EXCELLENT sacrifice than Cain,  by which he obtained witness...God testifying of his gifts...Heb. 11:4

O boy! Did you see that? 

They were both excellent but Abel was MORE excellent...and God also attested to it.

When God attests to your DOING MORE, your promotion will be unstoppable. Can a man (boss/manager) stop an employee whom God has approved from being promoted?

It's time to do more...

In your business...DO MORE

At your work place...DO MORE

In your relationship...DO MORE

With your Children...DO MORE

With your keeping fit...DO MORE

With your Personal Discipline...DO MORE

With your drive for excellence...DO MORE

In your relationship with God....DO MORE

Till when next you visit this blog...keep DOING MORE!

PUT YOUR LIFE IN YOUR HANDS 3

There is this group of guys that I keep learning from all the time; interestingly, we all know them for something not commendable, however, God in his infinite Wisdom still acknowledged the potency of their mentality. 

I call them the "Babel Masterminds"

Let's check how it all started:

"...and they said one to another...LET US MAKE...LET US BUILD A CITY and A TOWER, whose top may REACH UNTO HEAVEN...and let us MAKE US A NAME (make an impact whiles we are alive)..." Gen. 11:3-4 KJV (paraphrase are author's). 

Oh wow!...very clear goals...if you are talking about BIG DREAMS, no one has broken this record yet. 

God had to literally come down to stop them...NOT THE DEVIL...they didn't need to fast about it, of course they don't come across as though they had any relationship with God. 

Now, let's put that in perspective...these were men with a very HIGH RESOLVE to maximise their stay on earth. 

A City and A Tower? 

Interestingly, they didn't talk about money, not capital...When God said they can't be stopped he didn't say so because of the size of their Bank statements...No...

They had a possibility Mental Framework that will translate into Real time Hard Work that will deliver their objective. [Gen. 11:6] 

They were not just talkers...they were doers. They were willing to PUT IN THE AMOUNT OF WORK necessary to make that happen. 

Friends, I have great respect for spirituality and spiritual exercises...I also engage to build up myself spiritually...however, these were men that will not Fast or Pray about this size of dream...they were ready to DO IT...WORK IT...WORK IT! 

Even Money or the lack of it couldn't stop them.

If God came down to stop them...it meant they were unstoppable! 

I need you to begin to see life as warfare...where laziness is the enemy. This is an enemy that needs to be conquered every minute, every day, and every week...this enemy never dies...and so the battle is for life. 

Sleeping for 8 hours is not in your best interest, you can ask any achiever out there...but underachievers will say otherwise. 

Success is never owned...It's Rented..and the Rent is due EVERYDAY.

Greatness never goes on Sale...The Price Is The Same All Year Round.

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

BUILD UP YOURSELF 5

Nothing is built unconsciously; you cannot suddenly speak a skyscraper into existence. Muscle  don't jump on people...he that desires to be built physically will of necessity commit in doing so consciously. 

It's time to consciously BUILD UP YOURSELF. Build up your Faith, Your spiritual life, your family, your relationship, your career, your business, your finances...build your Health. 

STOP LIVING ABSENT MINDEDLY! 

Stop over estimating your self, your results tell it all, your account statement don't lie. Can you really see the situation with your business? Can you see how much you are indebted? 

Right now...you struggle to go up a flight of stairs, your breathing ain't normal anymore. You don't fit in your own clothes...and still you don't want to give  up those poor habits. Are you building or tearing down?

Can you see how much you have blown by hanging out weekly with your "guys/girls"? Why is that friend of yours feeding his/her irresponsible lifestyle by milking on your hard earned cash? Stop sabotaging yourself! Who are you impressing?

You said you are thirsty, but you bought a drink instead of water; you have good clothes you haven't worn for close to 6 months and yet you say, you want to change your wardrobe? And you blame your employer for a meager pay? 

So, as a young able bodied parent, with degree to show some form of mental soundness; You have decided to be lazy today because you think "my children will take care of me when I am old". Can you see how you are mortgaging your children's future to pay for your irresponsible life plan today? Your kids don't owe you anything...it is commendable for kids to provide for parents...but to bank your whole destiny on that is grossly irresponsible. Who says you can't leave wealth behind for them? Can you see yourself?

When you look at the path you are currently on...does it lead to your intended destination? 

You can't book a Mexico bound flight and expect, hope and wish, pray and fast that it will take you to Turkey. 

"You can't put a crown on a clown and expect a king"

BUILD UP YOURSELF!

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

BUILD UP YOURSELF 3

Years ago, I learnt a fundamental principle that has turned my life around; I call it the Parameter for success. It's so simple, we talk about it but we still don't understand it. 

It's called "Numbers".

Life is a Numbers game

Success in certain aspect of life could mean improving your numbers and Success in other areas could mean decreasing or moderating your numbers. 

When you look at your facts sheet (scoreboard, results, account statement, percentage profits, list of Clientele, Academic results, etc.), what can you see?

Numbers!

Before you start laying blames or making excuses pay attention to your numbers. Your numbers reflect your discipline, talks about your work ethics and most importantly where you are today.  

Your account balance does not bear your friend's name; if it is in red, no one is to blame. When you step on a weight balance, what you see does not belong to your boss nor your colleagues, it's yours...it's all yours.

Do you remember the Parable of the talent? Growing numbers. 

If you don't like your numbers, it's time to improve on your numbers. Build up your daily hours of Productivity; are you a sportsman? Increase your hours of practice; are you a business man? Develop strategies to improve your Clientele. 

You might be smarter than your competitors, more established than they are in the business but if they are better in the control of the numbers, it's just a matter of time, they will soon be your Consultant. Better still they will either buy you up or you will seek for a merger. 

Can you truly account for your 24 hours? Can you truly account for your last pay cheque? How have you been managing those customers? 

Jesus said something profound

"...those that thou gavest me, I have kept, AND NONE OF THEM IS LOST..." Jn. 17:12 (KJV, paraphrase are author's).

What you cannot successfully manage, you will fail to grow.

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

BUILD UP YOURSELF 2

''...Woe to the, O land, WHEN THY KING is A CHILD and thy princes eat in the morning...'' Eccl. 10:16 (KJV, paraphrase are author's)

Everything rises and falls on Leadership - John Maxwell. 

Your life is like a Nation and everything you are involved in are like institutions of that Nation and guess what...You are the Prime Minister or the President. 

If your Nation is failing economically it is because you have not built that sector of your Nation. If your industries are failing it's as a result of lack of working knowledge. 

Haven't you observed...an underdeveloped Nation attracts less investors...so also an underdeveloped individual attracts less opportunities. 

There is a place for prayer, there is a place for fasting, there is also a place for miracles but none of these will be a substitute for practically building up your life. 

The Tower of Babel didn't go up by Prayers, yet they were so pragmatic in their approach that God came down to stop them. [Gen. 11:6].

It's time to settle down and look inwards...see areas of your life that needs attention. Go for relevant trainings, go online and educate yourself...do whatever it takes to build yourself. 

An underdeveloped CEO will ruin his business venture. Next to a system that appears not to be working is an ignorant/underdeveloped operator. 

When you build up yourself, the things around and the things you are responsible for are also affected; when you decide not to commit to continuous Personal Development, soon everything around you begins to experience stagnation. 

What you are yet to see in your life is what you are yet to grow into; and what you are yet to grow into is what you don't deserve. 

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

BUILD UP YOURSELF 1

A future that is not prepared for is a future that will never be experienced. A house that remains a plan on paper is a house that will never be inhabited.  

Every student who wants to pass an exam in one seating must build the capacity to sit for a minimum of 4 hours daily.

Show me a man who wants to become an effective leader tomorrow, I will show you a man who is committed to building effective people skills today.   

It does not matter how big or how small your next goal/dream in life is; you will always need to build up your capacity to deliver that goal or dream. 

It's time to focus on building up the relevant skills, competencies, abilities and capabilities. I know you have the ability to sing a song, how about producing an album? I know you have the ability to mend clothes, how about sewing a dress and moving up to owning your fashion line? 

Stop congratulating yourself that you have laid the foundation, a foundation cannot accommodate anyone...it's time to build beyond the foundation. 

You that claim you have been praying for a life partner: as a man, have you really sat down to build  yourself to become a good husband...as a girl, have you built yourself to the point where you can be an effective wife? 

Ability might come natural but skill is built over time. You have the ability to run does not suggest you have the skill to win a race or a Marathon. 

A wise man once said "a man without skills will kill".

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

GROWTH METRE

Every time something looks impossible to us, every time something looks overwhelming to us, there is a simple explanation we give to such tasks: it is hard...it is too difficult...maybe it is not for me.

Give a 3 year old a 10 litre of oil in a jar to move for 100 metres. The child might not even be able to lift it up from the floor. Bring another child who is 12 year old to do the same task, he does it comfortably. Have we changed the task? No! So, what happened? The difference in the level of growth and development between both children. 

I tell you the truth, for everything you think is a problem, challenge or difficulty...someone somewhere is currently triumphing over the same situation. Challenges come to measure our level of growth in life (as it applies to that challenge); but most of us instead of RESPONDING to those challenges, choose to REACT to them. When we respond, we simply ask yourselves, HOW CAN I..? When we react, we simply give ourselves reasons to justify why we are in such difficulty. 

It is time to grow up!

Your negativity towards life and the challenges that come with life is definitely taking you nowhere. Enough of your complaining, enough of the self pity and endless reasons for you not being where you want to be or achieve what you want. Your level on the growth metre is just too low. 

In Numbers 13 (the story of the 12 spies): Every one of them saw giants, but 10 of them were REACTIVE and only 2 of them were RESPONSIVE. The interpretation we give to life's seeming challenges is a reflection of our growth level. If we feel overwhelmed it is an indication that we need some growing up to do. 

Every giant is kill-able; every mountain is surmountable. The question is ARE YOU READY TO PAY THE PRICE FOR GROWTH? ARE WE READY TO GIVE UP OUR CRAVINGS FOR PLEASURE AND FUN AND SUBMIT TO THE PAIN OF DISCIPLINE THAT MAKES US FIT FOR THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE. There is only one reason, why someone who is overweight would remain the way they are...not simply ready to give up their unhealthy but comfortable lifestyle for the pain that comes with working out, in order to keep healthy.

The pain of discipline is temporary but HIGHLY REWARDING, the fun of not accepting responsibility for growing up is also temporary but SPEEDILY DESTROYING 

I say to you today, that marital challenge, relationship challenge, financial challenge, career challenge, etc are all surmountable. Yes! They are surmountable. How?

Growing up is a DELIBERATE and CONSCIOUS action. GROWTH CAN NEVER BE ASSUMED. 

Here are a few basic steps: 

1. Stop justifying your current attitude towards the problem. Complaining and blaming everyone and everything does not solve the problem.

2. What new disciplines (reading, studying, working out, praying more, being more positive, etc.) do I need to commit to for a positive change in my world? List them.

3. GO ALL OUT AND DO what you have listed in number 2.

WE CAN NOT FIX THE WORLD, WE CAN ONLY FIX OURSELVES

What is your reading on the GROWTH METRE..? It is time to grow up a bit more. Every challenge is not there to kill you but an indication that there is some growing up to do.

Till  when next you visit this blog...keep WELCOMING CHALLENGES and BE RESPONSIVE not REACTIVE. 

PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER 1

Every great physical structure/system today, first began by a planning process yesterday; and all effective and robust planning procedures will always begin with a SITTING DOWN process. 

Jesus said...

"...for which of you intending to build a tower (Great Venture), sitteth not down FIRST, and counteth the cost..." Lk. 14:28 (KJV paraphrase are author's)

Success in any given venture is not by accident; if it comes accidentally, it will definitely leave you accidentally. Success in any given venture is a product of CONSCIOUS and DELIBERATE efforts. 

"Sitting down" is a conscious exercise. 

There is no special challenge any where...you only need to call yourself to a "personal board meeting" and then honestly sit down to map out a solution, after which you take necessary steps in the direction of your desired objective. 

You have been hanging out with everyone else...it hasn't profited you much, why not try to hang out more with yourself, look inwards, engage your mind and start digging for personal answers to your challenges? 

If it will be great it will not happen by chance.

If it will be successful it will not happen by luck.

If it will stand the test of time it will require the discipline of "sitting down first". 

It's a brand new week...have you sat down to map out in detail what you want to do this week?

Stop running around like everyone else...as a matter of fact, productivity is not synonymous with activity.

It's time to sit down and build working systems for your life. It's time to PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER. 

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!