WHAT'S YOUR MISSION? 3

When I see the size of your commitment, I will know the size of your dream. 

Some people commit to things "verbally", some people commit "less than is required" and others commit "whatever it takes". 

A big dream, will demand the same degree of commitment. If you are chasing something "phenomenal", if you are up to something "outstanding"...ensure your effort can be qualified by the same adjectives with which your goals are described. 

The problem with most people is not that they don't dream, neither is it because they aren't working...they are simply putting less than is expected. 

Just anyone can articulate an idea: talking about the house you will like to build, does not amount to laying down a brick? 

If you know what you want, and you are very sure about it...I dare you to start talking with your hands than talking with your mouth about it. You need to decide to commit maximally to its pursuit. 

If something requires 60 hours of dedicated effort weekly; 50 hours won't cut it. Yes, it looks comparable but it won't fly. 

That task was meant to last 2 weeks, if you don't give it what it takes...it might as well last for 2 months.

Has it also occurred to you that sometimes once you engage, what you thought will require 6 hours now appears to require 8 hours? Yet, you can't even put in the initially anticipated 6 hours?

It's time to wake up!

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

SET YOURSELF

No one arrives anywhere by chance. Show me a man who is about to embark on a journey, I will show you a man who is consciously making preparation. 

Have you seen a man who suddenly arrives at work without any CONSCIOUS preparation? Permit me to say therefore...

If you do not set yourself to go somewhere, you will never arrive there.

If you do not set yourself to do something you will never get it done. 

No man leaves his house for work unconsciously and then sees himself suddenly on his desk; I may not know your destination but when I see your direction, I could predict your destination. In the same vein every journey to success is a function of a CONSCIOUS ENGAGEMENT. 

Success and failure are very predictable, because those who desire them leave traces. 

The truth is, if we don't set ourselves to be great we are already setting up ourselves to end average. 

As a business man, if you don't set yourself to be successful you are invariably setting yourself to fail. Same applies to every other endeavour in any area of life. 

                                            

Let's see a man called Abraham in the text below...

...and they (he and his household) went forth to go (set themselves) into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came...Genesis 12:5

Where did they set themselves to go? Canaan.

Where did they arrive? Canaan. 

Did they set themselves for Canaan and later arrived at Canada?

Did they set themselves for Canaan and later arrived at Cambridge? 

Where you are today, believe it or not was your set up. If it must change, then you need to reset yourself. 

Every failed endeavour (career, business, relationship, marriage, health, finances, etc) failed because we consciously set it up to fail. If you would be sincere, you knew when it started. 

The good news is, it does not matter what has failed or what is not working, if you are genuinely interested to arrive at a better destination then you can reset yourself to arrive  there. 

Stop complaining about the past failures, stop complaining about people, you are the captain of your ship (life) and only you can set the sail.

Hey! Look ahead, what can you see? Do you see Canaan? Then it is time to SET YOURSELF to arrive.

Till when next you visit this blog, SET YOURSELF for greatness.

YOUR KINGDOM

...For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mothers' womb; and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men; and there be eunuchs, which HAVE MADE THEMSELVES eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake... Matt. 19:12 KJV

Every glorious destiny will place a personal demand on its owner. It is therefore no coincidence that some will end up as huge successes and others end will up average. 

The 'c' part of the above text is so instructional. In every individual lies the power to make relevant changes for the sake of their dreams, purpose or goals. Success is deliberate and its pursuit is very intentional. No man can guess his way to any destination, neither can a driver assume a route to a location. 

The question is 'What are you making yourself'

A wise man once said, 'Failure to plan is planning to fail'. This simply implies that our activity or inactivity is a preparation for a destination or an outcome (positive or negative).

If a student studies, S/he is planning to pass their exams and if a student refuses to study, S/he is also planning to fail their exams.

If you decide to read one book a month, listen to tapes and CDs relevant to your assignment, What would you have made yourself in the next one year in relation to your dreams?

If you decide to work-out 30 minutes a day for the next 6 months and keep an eye on your diet, What would you have made yourself in relation to your fitness dreams?

If you keep listening to those who have failed marriages and relationship by keeping them as close allies, watch it, your relationship might just be on its way down. Interestingly, this is a circle I have witnessed a lot of times.

Those who push for higher degrees and Diplomas, if you look closely, their inner circle is filled with friends/family members with the same goals or have achieved the same goal.

Those (men and women) who eventually walked out of their marriages, most times have been in close ties with people who don't have value for qualitative family life, this could be through direct contact or TV Shows. 

It's the same for a man who hits his wife and a woman who shows disrespect to her husband. 

What are you making yourself?

I charge you today, to start being conscious and aware of the lifestyle you lead. Some people desire to be financially stable but they keep engaging in unhealthy shopping lifestyles. Would their dreams be realised? Your guess is as good as mine. 

WAY FORWARD

1. Keep your eyes continuously focused on the 'Kingdom of Heaven' (Your ultimate goal, vision, dreams and aspirations)

2. Consciously build habits that will enhance the actualisation of that Kingdom. 

The good news is, IT IS IN YOUR POWER to make the relevant changes you need. So why not accept personal responsibility and take charge of your destiny?

You will not fail!

Till when next we come your way...focus on YOUR KINGDOM.

THE DEMAND: AVERAGE OR GREAT?

The race of life comes one inch at a time; there are those who stay in the race just for the records and there are those who want to win the race; both parties think differently and hence they commit to different types of discipline.  

The question here is, are you just in the race FOR THE RECORDS or are you in the race so as TO WIN? 

In other to win in whatever race you find yourself, be it financial, career, spiritual or marital, all you need to do is to stay ahead of your competition. Competition does not suggest some other person in the race, it simply suggest staying ahead of what you consider your best. If 100% seem to be your best, stay ahead by giving 110%. You need to become your own competition. 

Someone said, it is not easy...Yes! I wish I could tell you living average is easy, I wish I could tell you being an underachiever is easy. Friends, there is always a price to pay, whether you want to live average or you want to be great. The only difference is one price comes before the other. 

When you live easy, life will turn our hard but when you commit to seemingly hard but rewarding disciplines, your life will turn out easy. 

If you choose to live average, you would enjoy pleasures today and get the pain tomorrow. If you choose to live great, you will get the pain today and have endless pleasure tomorrow. 

So in whatever way you look at it, you must pay something for whatever you decide to do. 

How do I then stay ahead of the Competition?

Get tough on yourself! Place the demand of greatness on yourself! Great people are ordinary people who just seem to put great demands on themselves and average people are ordinary people with average demands on themselves. 

Can you imagine an orange juice without the process of 'squeezing' of the juice? Can you imagine keeping fit without going through the rigors of exercising and working out? It is time to stay ahead of your competition. It is time to leave your average lifestyle and aspire for something more than average. 

You would amaze yourself if only you knew, how much of your potential that could be realised by placing great demands on your self. 

Paul Said:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown....therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly...I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize... 1Corinth. 9:25-28 (NIV)

Paul said, 'I strike a blow to my body...that I will not be disqualified for the prize'

It is time to place new demands on yourself...demands to make you stay ahead.

Do you feel overweight? Place a new demand on your lifestyle that would empower your being fit.

Do you feel financially down? Place a new demand on yourself for services that can generate income.

Are you struggling with that subject? Place a demand on yourself that would increase the number of hours you study which will in turn address the challenging areas of the subject. 

No matter what you do, do not just be in the race...STAY AHEAD of the competition and you can only do so, by placing the relevant demand as it applies to your objective. 

Till when next you visit this blog, place a demand on yourself FOR GREATNESS and NOT FOR BEING AVERAGE!

DRIVE YOUR DREAMS 3

A wise man once said 

"Success is a journey and not a destination". 

This journey is not validated by speed but by progress. 

Between your current location (situation) and your intended destination (dream) is a specific distance. How soon you will get there, is not down to your "Uncle" not down to your "rich friends" not down to your "connection"...No! 

You are the one who desires a change...you are the one with that intended destination as a goal...and so it's your distance to cover. It's all yours!

People can wish you well but your distance is yours to cover. An athlete can be cheered from the stands but his cheer leaders would not take his position on the tracks. 

It's important you start to think about "dream miles". 

Your dream and your plan might be so nice and attractive on paper; and yes, it is good you got it on your dream wall...but until you start doing your "dream miles" daily, that dream will only exist on a paper and on a wall. 

A "zero dream mile" covered in 3 months, implies you have been at the same spot for 3 months. 

In the past 48 hours, how many "dream miles" have you covered and how many "dream miles" are you committed to covering today? 

Don't let any day end with you owing yourself some  "dream miles". 

Do you want to lose weight? Do your ''dream miles''. 

Do you want to build your Business? Do your ''dream miles''. 

Do you want a great relationship with your partner? Do your ''dream miles''. 

The man you see at the top, didn't just arrive there over night....

Do Your "Dream Miles". 

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

THE QUALITY OF THE HARVEST

A wise man once said "if you do not like THE QUALITY OF THE HARVEST, check THE QUALITY OF THE SEED".

Our life is fundamentally what we make of it, it is not what the society makes of it as some would claim, it is not what our circumstances make of it, neither is it what those around us make of it. Everything God made responds to the law of sowing and reaping. 

Orange seeds will never produce Mango fruits.  If you sow seeds of Mediocrity, don't expect greatness. If you think and act like the poor, how would you emerge wealthy? By the way, how do the poor think, someone asks...POOR PEOPLE INVEST IN LIABILITIES, RICH PEOPLE INVESTS IN ASSETS. 

Liabilities take money out of your pocket CONTINUOUSLY, Assets put money in your pocket CONTINUOUSLY. 

The seed I want to be addressing today is THE QUALITY OF THOUGHT you put into what you do. 

Every great idea begins from a thought realm. The difference between an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 2 is basically the difference in the quality of thought process that goes into their level of production. 

Stop complaining about the outcomes in and around your life, start paying more attention to how you take the steps you take. Put some thought into it. 

Spontaneity a wise man said, is an action that lacks depth of thoughts but propelled by a desire for instant self gratification. 

Products can be improved because the processes are documented and thus reviewed once and again. 

Your thought life can not be greater than the quality of information you expose your mind to.    Zero exposure to relevant information, zero level of quality thoughts, which implies poor seeds which will result into poor out comes. 

I recently heard that AN AVERAGE BILLIONAIRE READS TWO BOOKS IN A WEEK. WOW! So, they basically renew their minds, to improve the quality of their thoughts (seeds). 

How many books have I finished in the past 90 days? What am I reading at the moment? 

This BOOK of the law, shall not depart out of your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For THEN  YOU SHALL  MAKE THY WAY PROSPEROUS and YOU SHALL DEAL WISELY AND HAVE GOOD SUCCESS. Joshua 1:8 (The Amplified).

...deal wisely...in all your seed sown (steps to be taken)

It's time for you to have Quality Harvest, till when next you visit this blog keep IMPROVING  THE QUALITY OF THE SEED!

WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE?

As children most of struggled with the multiplication table (Tables 2 to 12). Personally, I only got to master it when I was 13 years old. How did that happen? 

I was privileged to have an academic mentor who oversaw my learning. I didn't study anything new, he only made me DO THEM REPEATEDLY FOR LENGTHY HOURS (minimum 4 hours study after school and 8 hours study during weekends). Initially, I grumbled and complained but I always completed ALL THE WORK (academic) given to me. 

One day, he said to me "KNOWLEDGE IS IN THREE LEVELS"

1. Acquisition of Knowledge 

2. Understanding of the Knowledge acquired 

3. Mastery of Knowledge (applied knowledge)

He told me most people who claim they know, are most times on level 1. Very few, manage to get up to level 2. He continued by saying there is only one principle to change from one level to the next.

PRACTICE! PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!!!

The truth is, I left secondary school as a Mathematics Authority (at that level), no need to say how my school in my time worn trophies in Maths Quizzes. I Finished and immediately started making earnings as a Private Maths Tutor at age 17.

You can have a skill, a gifting or a calling...but until you commit to lengthy hours of Practice, it will not speak. 

Check all sports men who make headlines, find out about their WORK ETHIC. I will tell you what you will see...UNTIRING DEDICATION TO PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE! 

Do you want to be the best in your field?

Do you want to be a global authority in your discipline?

PRACTICE is the master key! 

There is NOTHING impossible to learn. It's a question of, how much we want to commit to the Practice of it. 

Hear Paul's advice to a young Preacher...

...till (continuously devote) I come, give attendance to reading...neglect (fail not to practice) not the gift that is in thee...meditate upon these things...GIVE THYSELF WHOLLY TO THEM...that thy profiting (success) may appear unto ALL (global success). 1 Tim. 4:13-15

How much time do you really devote to your skill? The above text suggests: GIVE YOURSELF WHOLLY...

It's time for the world to come to your business address. It is time your voice gets heard. The choice and the decision is yours.

What's your Practice and how have you been Practicing?

Till when next you visit this blog, KEEP PRACTICING!

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!

NO WEEKENDS 5

"The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest and have nothing". Pro. 20:4 (KJV).  

Anything that excuses you from being diligent today, will destroy your economic future tomorrow. I don't care if it is an inheritance gotten, a privileged upbringing, a loving parent, the weather, the Government of the nation where you reside, etc. 

If it excuses you from exerting yourself productively both physically and mentally, it will soon reduce you to a beggar.

Some people will tell you, "at your age, you should not be doing this"..."considering you are a Masters degree holder, you should not be working at such an establishment"...Friends ignore such counsels because soon, when you are in need..they will not be there for you...trust me...if you listen to them...soon you will be a beggar. 

I have one advice for you...you that think, you are over qualified for where you are today...

Whatsoever (Big, small, temporal, menial, casual, oil company, Government worker, hair stylist, barber, fashion designer, store keeper, painter, cleaner...job)...whatsoever (positive and value adding job)...whatsoever (your degrees and qualification notwithstanding) thy hand findeth to do, DO IT WITH THY MIGHT...Eccl. 9:10 (KJV paraphrase are author's). 

Stop being lazy...go out there and do something...go and get busy! Or else...soon...you will start to beg...look around you...take a careful look around...are you seriously happy with your finances? Those who advice you otherwise, when last did they send you money? 

For you spending hours online...burning useful cash on Data bundles...and yet you don't have a job, my prayer is you will lose your phone...so you can focus. How has Social Media helped you? What value has it added to you? How much are you earning and how much are you blowing on Data? 

Something might be cool...doesn't necessarily mean, it adds value to you. 

Before you start to beg with your swag...before...you start to blame everyone and everything...before it looks like you are under a curse...

Humble yourself now and tell yourself the truth! 

NO MORE WEEKENDS!

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!

NO WEEKENDS 4

 Average men work to produce fruit during harvest; Great men work to produce fruits all year round. 

Joseph didn't stand out because he made Egypt to profit during the days of plenty...No! Joseph stood out because he knew what it takes to be productive during 7 years of famine.

In today's world...when you build a ship or any automobile...it is tested in a "Test rig" before it is certified for use, but when Noah built his ark...there was no Laboratory, nor Rig for his ark to be tested...yet...it stood the storm for 40 days.

Friends, It's time to deploy yourself fully into your craft...because if you are giving just enough, there is coming a time...when 100% will become the new average.

Jacob was soooo good at his job, that he could literally determine what kind of offspring will be produced. 

They used to say...Isaac prospered in the days of famine...It's important to note that...in the days of famine, Isaac and his men dug wells...NOT WELL...WELLS...they produced their own water so they can sustain their crops. What you call Irrigation  today was first started by Isaac. Gen. 26:12-22. 

Let's put this in perspective: Abraham dug wells, the  Philistines seized it; Isaac dug AGAIN the wells: They dug the first well, it was seized; they dug the second well, it was also seized. By the end of the third well those who hated them knew they couldn't stop them. 

.

They dug those wells...manually, not with some digging or borehole technology. They dug those wells in the days of scarce rainfall (famine).

It's a shame without Technology, humanity was used to work ethics that out lived their existence...but these days, technology has heightened our laziness. 

Don't just "Dream Big"...but be ready and be willing to "Work Big".

You will not fail!

Good morning and Happy New Week!