WHAT ARE YOU INVESTING IN (PART 2) ?

Last week, we were able to establish that VALUE cannot be seen with the physical eyes, hence it is not same as acquiring all the gorgeously looking material things money can buy. This week we want to see another dimension to value. 

Jesus speaking told his disciples:

DO NOT gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures on earth (seen realm) where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal. BUT gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven (unseen realm), where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where THIEVES DO NOT BREAK THROUGH and steal. Matt. 6:19-20 (Amp).  

From the above permit me to say...

Real value CANNOT BE STOLEN. Which is pretty obvious because if it cannot be seen, how then can you steal it? 

IF WE ARE CHASING AFTER WHAT COULD BE STOLEN, IT IS VERY POSSIBLE WE ARE NOT YET CHASING WHAT IS VALUABLE. 

Does that mean, we can't acquire material things? No! It simply means we shouldn't place such cravings above TRUE value. 

Living in a material world could be very misleading; however achieving success and peace of mind comes from a mind set that is value driven. 

Think about this, material things cannot reproduce themselves. Can a car reproduce another car? Can a house reproduce itself? Now, you could argue and say, if both are used for business purposes then they can reproduce. Great! What if the car was stolen? What if the house was also stolen or a natural disaster occurs and the building colapses? 

But think about a mind that is resourceful (creating value for others), such an individual could buy as many cars and houses as he or she would please. Question: Can an individual's resourcefulness be stolen? Even when a man is physically challenged if his mind is working, I tell you he is UNSTOPPABLE! 

The question is, what exactly are we investing in? Things or value? 

Parents, give your children things that cannot be stolen from them. Give them values that can produce and reproduce anything they can ever desire.

What's most adult's biggest fear? Losing one's job...limited funds...retirement...etc.

An individual of value is never scared of the above, why? They can create value...hence they can never run out of job/funds. I'm not saying getting another job, I'm saying those who create value provide jobs. But how many people have taken time to invest in themselves enough to develop such mindsets? 

Remember VALUE is not THINGS. VALUE is not seen with the eyes (hence it cannot be stolen); VALUE is that priceless core of any system that keeps the system alive and functional.

It's time to shop for sustainable values.

Till when next you visit this blog, KEEP INCREASING YOUR VALUE!

WHAT ARE YOU INVESTING IN?

There is a word that unconsciously drives everyone to do what we do. It determines what we shop for and how we shop; it determines how parents treat and relate to their children; it determines the type of  Job we seek, etc. That word is called VALUE.

Contrary to most beliefs, I think value is perceived, it can not be seen physically. For instance, what makes you valuable as a human being is the air you breathe (true or false?) It is not your hair cut or your flashy car.,,it is simply the air you breathe. When you look at a plane, what makes it valuable is not its size but the quality of its engine. How? Every other thing that goes wrong, can be fixed and the plane would not be grounded but if the engine is faulty, the plane is definitely grounded. 

When you look at a tree, the value of that tree is not its leaves or stem, its value is in its root. Cut the leaves and the stem off, there will still be life in the tree, but when you take out the root, the tree dies. 

                              

So, one of the characteristics of VALUE is that, it cannot be seen. Permit me to say...

IF YOU ARE CHASING AFTER WHAT IS SEEN, YOU ARE NOT CHASING VALUE...you are busy chasing things.The interesting bit is, when you get VALUE you have ALL things. Get your priorities right! So, the question is

What are you investing in? It is time to start increasing your value.

Does it surprise you why certain children (even adults) can not survive outside home? Some times it is as a result of the fact that, their parents were busy BUYING THEM THINGS but not necessarily DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE VALUES, hence they can not survive independently. 

An employer is seeking for VALUE not a certificate.

Let me share some examples of values to invest in:

KNOWLEDGE: The conscious acquisition and understanding of relevant information.

DISCIPLINE: The art of temporarily depriving oneself of pleasure so as to be focused on the pursuit of one's assignment.

DILIGENCE: The art of sitting on a task and delivering an excellent outcome.

DETERMINATION: Staying focused on the task in such a way that obstacles literally surrender.

CREATIVITY: Injecting new and functional perspectives to existing cycles.

POSITIVITY: The discipline of staying optimistic in spite of prevailing negative circumstances.

GODLY CHARACTER: Honouring God in all you do as well as demonstrating love for everyone you come across.

The list is inexhaustible but as could be seen, these are virtues that can not be seen with the physical eyes. 

MONEY IS A REWARD FOR VALUE INVESTED. IF YOU THINK YOU ARE LOW ON CASH, SIMPLY INCREASE YOUR VALUE. 

Parents it is okay to get things for your kids, but much more...develop in them sustainable values. Remember, VALUE is not necessarily material possession, hence it can not be seen with the eyes. VALUE is that priceless core of any system that keeps the rest of the system alive and functional.

Joseph had value...he did not have a degree, yet he was sort after by a King.

David had courage (value), he did not have the height (as at the time), neither was he physically built, yet a physically built Saul lost the throne to a man of inestimable value.

Daniel was so VALUE-FULL to the point that he was relevant to the scheme of things under 9 different kings.

It's time to shop for sustainable values.

Till when next you visit this blog, KEEP INCREASING YOUR VALUE!

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. 

JUNE THEME: UP YOUR PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS

Dear Friend,

Congratulations and welcome to a brand new Month!

If you accidentally find yourself on the 3rd floor of a 7 storey building engulfed in a fire outbreak; what are some of the things that would come to your mind? 

Amongst alot of things...one thought will be so loud in your head "I DON'T EXPECT MYSELF TO DIE TODAY" and with such a thought, escape ideas will start flooding your mind. 

When you have LOW EXPECTATIONS of yourself, you will hardly push yourself; when you have HIGH EXPECTATIONS of yourself, you will amaze yourself.

In this new month we will be considering the theme, UP YOUR PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS.

Show me an Individual who is Driven, I will show you an Individual with High and Powerful Personal Expectations of Himself. 

Welcome to a brand new Month!

RELEVANCE: AN OFFSPRING OF VALUE

It is one thing to be heard and it is entirely something different to be valued; they both come with different demands. Actually one is a lot cheaper than the other, What does it take to be heard? Just speak. But to be valued will place a demand on our character, personal discipline, personal leadership, ability to be calm and coordinated in the midst of adversity, etc. The list is just endless. It's hard work, yes...real hardwork. 

A husband want to be  valued by his wife, parents want to be valued by their kids, employees desire their bosses to value them...but how many people do really want to pay that price? Value  is not cheap, it is perceived, it is most times reflected by the carrier of it.  The problem is that sometimes we want to buy a Bentley at the price of a Beatle which implies sometimes people want to be valued but think it's just about 'speaking' or voicing an opinion. It is very possible that you are the most vocal at your place of work and the person who is most valued is not as out spoken as you are.

It is not about colour, it is not about your sex or race. It is simply about VALUE. To have your say, to have your way, to be effortlessly influential, let us think about being valuable; because when we are, even when we are quiet, work coleagues will seek for your contribution.

''....sometimes we want to buy a Bentley at the price of a Beatle...''

Jesus was heard and was valued, Joseph (as a prisoner and a slave) was heard and was valued, you too...yes! I mean you too can be heard as well as valued. It takes a choice to be the one who is valued. Those who want to be heard, always complain and nag if their opinions are not taken but those who want to be valued, temporarily ignores every one and focus on developing and improving their values and it only takes time before the world starts to assemble at their office for relevant counsel.

You are a Bentley, stop settling for the status of a Beatle. Think becoming valued, not becoming heard. Remember, talk is cheap and just anybody can talk...but TRUE value is cultivated.