I have been spending the past few days to reflect and review my activities of the past and the plans of the future. I can boldly say that the future looks more glorious than before. Will the road ahead be smooth? Will there be any adversity on the way? Yeah…but everything is there to prepare you for what lies ahead. The truth that you are still struggling to achieve that goal confirms that challenges are meant to come. The odd against you succeeding is on the increase daily. The difference between the successful person and the one stalked by failure is not the adversity – everybody has that. The difference is how we all respond to the challenges we meet on our way.

What then is the way out? Do we regroup and hit it hard again? Or we just lay it down and quit? Many times we have made a u-turn when our success is actually around the corner. Calvin Coolidge said,

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

An average successful person has witnessed failures at one stage of their lives. Just name anyone and seek to understand their past. You would be surprised at how much of failures the person had been able to deal with. Failure is never an end – not the final destination. What do you do when you are consistently met with setbacks? Do you give in and just quit? Or you try one more time? You can either see setbacks as the foundations upon which you build future success or the final excuse for failure. The decision is yours. You make the choice to follow through or to quit.

“The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice – their choice.” Eisenhower

What a powerful truth. You can, and do, write your own history. The history you will leave behind, the legacy that you will leave for your children, is the accumulation of the choices you have made all along the way. I have realized that in life the ball lies in your court. It is all about the choices you make on a daily basis. I believe that:

• Anyone can have as much money as they choose to.
• Anyone can have the level of peace that they choose to have.
• Anyone can do anything they choose to do.

Every successful person makes the choice to use their setbacks as springboard through which they launch out. They never allow discouragement to set in. They keep working on their ideas and goals. They are persistent. And the end result? Success that we all dream of. If you must achieve your goals, you need this virtue. The dictionary defines persistent as: to continue firmly or obstinately. Persistence is a state of mind. In the words of Thomas Edison,

“Just because something does not do what you planned it to do does not mean it is useless… Reverses should be an incentive to great accomplishment. Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is just one more step forward… There are no rules here; we are just trying to accomplish something.”

It is therefore normal for someone to have obstacles before success. Even the dictionary puts the word obstacle before success. Obstacles are there to strengthen us and offer progressive measurement of our growing strength. Discouragement sets in when we misunderstand the purpose of obstacles. Persistence is a conscious decision. So, let us train ourselves to be persistent persons.

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Technorati Tags: persistence, Education

1. Make the commitment to reach your goal: “One person with a commitment is worth a hundred who only have an interest.” Mary Crowley. Your goal is worth nothing without your commitment to follow through on it. Lack of commitment is one of the reasons why many people do not [achieve their goals. Many have great goals and even wonderful plans to achieve the goals. But without a personal commitment, nothing will be achieved. You need to constantly remind yourself that nobody can achieve your goal for you. Your employees or your boss is only working at achieving his goals. So, how committed are you to your goals?

2. Be accountable: Commit yourself to detailed accountability. Look for someone that you respect and share your goals with the person. If possible, get a mentor that you know would be interested in you. Remember that mentors are not there to help you achieve your goals. They are to ensure that you remain on the right track. But I bet you this is worth much more than you can quantify. Also, develop the habbit of recording your progress toward your goals every night, and list the six most important things you need to do the next day. This daily discipline is not only key to reaching your goals but also gives you motivation to keep going.

3. Build your life on a sold foundation of honesty: A life and / or business built on strong character, integrity, trust, love, and loyalty is definitely going to succeed. The progress may not be visible but it will pay off. This foundation will give you an honest shot at reaching any goal you have set properly.

4. Break your intermediate and long-range goals into small bits: Imagine that your goal is to have a certain amount of turnover in your business within the next one year. While this is may be a great goal, the implication is that you will have to wait till the end of the year before you know if you achieve your goal or not. But if you break it down into monthly turnover, this is easy to measure. Moreover, you will be able to know on time if you are close to your goal or not.

5. Be prepared for change: Something are definitely not within your control. The foreign exchange flunctuation, radical changes in oil prices, weather, inflation, interest rates, government policies etc. are things that you can not control.  So, you have to consider this when setting your goals. Stick with your decision to move toward a goal – but be willing to change your direction to get there as conditions and circumstances demand.

6. Share your “give-up” goals: I can not over-emphasise the importance of sharing your goals with people. While this will help you stay on your toes, it will also do you much good. Assume that your goal is to give up drinking, being rude, or even procrastinating, you will surely see people that will encourage you. They can even help you track your action towards achieving your goals. So, don’t keep your goals to yourself only. Share it and get the help that you need.

7. Become a team player: Nobody is created an island. If God could create Eve and bring her to Adam, then you definitely need people. I have not seen any person who became successful alone. Just take a look around you. The people they are working with may not be visible but I bet you there is little they can achieve without the support they get from their team. One thing you need to consider when in working in team is what you are going to add to others. Focus on how you can help others achieve their dreams. The people you may be working with may even be your employees. Just have it in mind that they have their goals that they are trying to achieve. And if they can’t get to achieve their personal goals working with you, they will leave you and you might have to start over again. Always remember: “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar”

8. See yourself reaching your goal: The main reason why you set your goals is because you want to achieve them. It is, therefore, important that believe in yourself. Constantly put the goal before you.  In your imagination, see yourself achieving whatsoever goal you have set for yourself. Can you see yourself receiving that diploma, getting that job or promotion, making that speech, moving into the home of your dreams, achieving that weight-loss goal, hitting that turnover target? This is necessary if you will achieve your goals.

9. Document your achievement: One reason why you have to do this is the effect it has on you. Every time that you reach a goal, your confidence will grow. See your achievement motivates you to work towards achieving bigger and better things. After accomplishing any goal, make it a habit of recording it in your Journal, Weekly Planner or Palm Pilot.

10. Give yourself no other option: Challenges will come on the way. They are there to refine you. But whether you will achieve your goals depends on how you respond to tough circumstances. Most people give up when all that they need is just to try one more time. They give up when they would have hit their target in the next attempt. Join the league of the few that succeed because they did not give in. Give yourself no other option.

Above all, remember, what you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals – what you will become is the winner you were born to be! The first step is to know where you are going. If you do not know where you are going, you will undoubtedly end up somewhere else. You can do better, you can achieve more, you can be the best God has created you to be. So, start now to make your dreams happen!

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Technorati Tags: goal, business, achieve your goal, accountability, mentor, team player, dreams

My congratulations, therefore, go to everyone who still believes in hope and especially those whose dreams have been brought back to life. While we are still celebrating, I believe this is a good time to examine some of the lessons from this history-making victory. We all need to look beyond the euphoria and see the values that we can replicate in our lives. So, what are the basic lessons that are available to us all?

1. Obama had a dream: What is it that you want to do? Every major achievement in life starts with a dream. The whole world started with a dream by God. There is nothing in existence today that has not passed through the dream stage. Obama started the race to “White House” with a dream. Today, he did not only achieve his dream but also create history.  He became the first Black American president of the United States. There is nothing you can achieve in life without starting with a dream. DREAM is an important foundation upon which all achievements are built. Through dreams, we determine indirectly what our future becomes. We pick our future with our dreams. The question now is, what pictures are in your mind? You can start today to determine the course of your life by dictating the pictures you allow to stay in your mind.

2. Obama had a plan: If you do not know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. Obama did not only have a dream, he was clear in his mind of how he was going to achieve his dream. His plan was so clear that many would have been surprised if he had not achieved his dream. Everybody could easily identify with his dream and plans. As such, people knew exactly how to come in. The saying that no one plans to fail is not really true. Once you fail to plan, you are definitely planning to fail. No one can effectively achieve an objective that he or she does not have clearly defined. We have got to think things through, decide what we want, and write out our plan. Dr. Stephen R. Covey suggests, “begin with the end in mind.”

3. Obama Prepared:- God believes in preparation. Obama run the most sophisticated election campaign in the world. Things didnt just emerge. A lot of efforts went into preparation. The campaign machine put into place didn’t appear from no where. It was the result of hours put into preparation. If Jesus Christ had to spend 30 years in the carpenter’s workshop preparing for a 3 1/2 ministry, we all have no excuse. We have to take this value serious if we are to turn our dreams into reality. God appreciates preparation and it shows in everything HE does.

4. Obama Performed: David Schwartz argues, “the only way to start, is to start.” The best laid-down plans, the most comprehensive preparation, can still lead to nothing unless we endeavour to take the necessary action. Obama followed through on the plan plans. He followed the months of preparation with corresponding actions.  No matter how strong and promising our plans and preparation are, once we fail to act, we would still be heading no where. The action step does not have to be perfect.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale observed, “If you put off everything until you’re sure of it, you’ll get nothing done.” The Bible confirmed this in Ecclesiastes 11:4 “He that observeth the wind shall not show; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap”.  History was not in favour of Obama but he still went ahead to pursue his dreams. Nobody gave him the chance of becoming Democratic Presidential Nominee not to talk ot becoming the 44th President of the United States.  So, do like NIKE suggests…Just Do IT.

5. Persist: – Will the road ahead be smooth? Will there be any adversity on the way? Obama’s road to white house was full of so many rough times. There were definitely challenges on the way but he persisted. The difference between the successful person and the one stalked by failure is not the adversity, everybody has that. The difference is your response – your attitude to the challenges you meet on your way. Do we regroup and hit it hard again, or do we just lay it down and quit? Many times we have made a u-turn when our success is actually around the corner.

Calvin Coolidge said, ”

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Failure is never an end. It should be seen as a bend towards another destination. Setbacks should be seen as the foundations upon which we build future success or the final excuse for failure. The decision is yours. Nearly everyone who develops an idea works it until it looks impossible and then gets discouraged. That is not the place to become discouraged. It is often at this point that many only see the obstacle and no longer sees their idea. They give in to discouragement, opposition and obstacles not knowing breakthrough is on the horizon. If only they were persistent.

It is therefore normal for someone to have obstacles before success. Even the dictionary puts the word obstacle before success. Obstacles are there to strengthen us and offer progressive measurement of our growing strength. Discouragement sets in when we misunderstand the purpose of obstacles. Persistence is a conscious decision. So, let us train ourselves to be persistent persons.

These are just some of the lessons I am applying to my life. Have you learnt anything? Use the comment below to share your thought and let’s us put hand together to create the world we all can believe in. We will succeed.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, Obama, Stephen R. Covey

Against all odds, they rise above the difficulties and land up scaling greater heights than before. They do not merely survive the adversity, they thrive. If you are really serious about living your dreams, you have to continually conquer adversity and, amidst the chaos, look out for new opportunities to undertake and excel in. Most people miss out on opportunities, thereby remaining POOR (Passing Out Opportunities Repeatedly), because they cave in at the sight of slight challenges. Many give up without even trying. Some even have enough reasons why they feel they could not overcome the challenges.

Are you giving up before trying? Or even tried and concluded that the obstacle is too high for you? You need to reconsider your position and you will be surprised at what you can achieve. Like the old mule in a fable that I read some years back, once we have set our minds to clear all the obstacles, we will succeed in any endeavor.

A farmer once owned an old mule. One day, the mule fell into the farmer’s well and brayed loudly so as to catch the farmer’s attention. The farmer, upon assessing the situation, ruled out any possibility of a rescue as it would simply be too much trouble for him to lift the mule out of the well. However, out of sympathy for the animal, he enlisted his neighbors’ help to haul dirt into the well to put the mule out of his misery.

The old mule was hysterical upon learning that his life would thus end. As the farmer and the neighbors shoveled the dirt into the well, a thought struck the old mule. He realized that if he could shake off every dirt that landed on his back, the dirt would hit the floor and he could step on the dirt. Shovel after shovel, he continued relentlessly to shake off the dirt and step on top of it. He fought the sense of panic and distress and just went on shaking off the dirt and climbing higher up the well.

With much determination and perseverance, the old mule eventually stepped out the well, battered and exhausted, but otherwise triumphant that he had survived the ordeal. Through the way he handled the situation of adversity, the act of burying him in fact saved his life. I am sure many of us have found ourselves in this kind of situation but decided not to do anything about it. The morale of this story is that there is always a solution to every problem if only we can think enough.

What is it that you are going through? What dream do you have that you have lost hope of achieving? Start a business? Get the job of your dream? Going for further studies? You may even be in debt right now… Whatsoever situation you may find yourself now, there is a way out but the ball lies in your court. You have to rise up to the challenge and give yourself no other alternative. One failure should not discourage you from trying again. It should be the catalyst that will spur you to more actions.

Walt Disney had a marvelous business idea and needed funds to start up his business. He approached the banks for a loan and every one turned him down. He did not give up and after several visits to hundreds of banks, he got the loan he wanted approved and brought the World of Disney characters into our lives. Sir Winston Churchill had speech impediment when young and took three years to get through eighth grade. He overcame all that to become the British prime minister and a recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. These are just examples of people who have overcome obstacles to live their dreams. Look around you and you will see countless number of people who have gone through this phase before. Does anyone comes to mind? Why not share it and let’s all learn from the lives. Never give up and remember always that “Adversity creates Opportunity“.

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Technorati Tags: opportunities, succeed, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill

The difference between the successful people and the failures is not adversity. Everybody has a taste of that. In fact, the successful people have heard a lot of NOs in their lives but never give up. Then, what is the difference? The difference is your response – your attitude to the challenges you meet on your way. How do you react when you receive a call from that recruiter telling you they had given the offer to someone else? Your bank account manager just called you and told you that you have just been refused that loan. The success of your business may even depend on you getting that loan.

But what do you do? Do you regroup and hit it hard again, or do you just lay it down and quit? Many people have made a u-turn when their success is actually around the corner. Calvin Coolidge said,

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Failure should never be an end. It should be seen as a bend towards another destination. I have failed before but I did not pack my bag and cave in. I bounced back and I believe you can do the same. Setbacks should be seen as the foundations upon which you build your future success and not the final excuse for failure. Nearly everyone who seeks to develop an idea encounter problem on the way. There are enough reasons why the idea may seem impossible to implement. Someone that you respect so much might even have failed at doing the same? That is not enough to discourage you from pursuing your dream. Some people gets discouraged at this stage and give up. That is not the place to be discouraged. This is not the time to see the obstacle. Focus on the positive and keep seeing the fulfilment of your idea. Keep seeing the problems that the execution of your idea is going to solve. This alone will give you enough encouragement.

The dictionary defines persistent as: to continue firmly or obstinately. Persistence is a state of mind. In the words of Thomas Edison,

“Just because something does not do what you planned it to do does not mean it is useless…. Reverses should be an incentive to great accomplishment. Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is just one more step forward…. There are no rules here; we are just trying to accomplish something.”

It is therefore normal for someone to have obstacles before success. It creates a better platform for you to appreciate God when you hit your target. Even the dictionary puts the word obstacle before success. Obstacles are there to strengthen us and offer progressive measurement of our growing strength. Discouragement sets in when we misunderstand the purpose of obstacles. Persistence is a conscious decision. So, train yourself to be persistent persons and stop giving up at the bend. Are you still seeing an end or a bend?

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Technorati Tags: persistence, success, attitude

“Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We now that there are thousands of elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.“

Wait… you do not have to make all the mistakes yourself. You can learn from the mistakes of others. That is why you are not the first person going that route. Some people have gone that route before you. Whatever you want to do in life, you will surely find someone who has done it before or someone who has done something related to what you set out to do. Your responsibility is to study their story to see how you can avoid their pitfalls and then apply your lessons to your situation.

Some years back, I joined 3 other guys to setup an ICT company. Each of us had different skill sets which we aimed to harness. We were bringing different values to the company. We set out to offer quality and affordable services. The start-up phase was great. We completed our company registration with the Corporate Affair Commission and got an office space which was renovated. Each new day brought us enough reasons to believe that the company was meant to be real.

Within weeks, we got some contracts to setup local area networks and internet services in some companies both within and outside Lagos. On a particular occasion, we got a contract to supply 50 computer system units to a company. It was a dream come through. Things were working as planned. The god of business was really smiling at us. Suddenly, we lost it. Within one year of existence, the company collapsed. It was like a dream but it was so evident that something was missing. Something was wrong with the company structure we had put in place.

Our technical skill sets failed us. We did virtually everything wrong. Then, it hit me that you need more than technical skills to run a successful business. You need a combination of so many skills. I learnt my lessons and I do believe the other 3 learnt theirs also. The whole experience was a very painful way to learn but I am glad I took that step at that phase of my life. You miss a lot of opportunities by not acting. The steps you did not take today because you are afraid of mistakes may be gone forever. I am glad to let you know that you are not shut out forever, and that there is a goal you still can reach. Start today…Dare your fear and take those steps.

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Motivations to hold on came from the pictures of future I carry within me and the desire to succeed. What will happen to all the dreams? The great plans? My aspirations for the year? My community development work with the youth – led initiatives I was working on before the start of service year? The questions were countless and it was as if I would not be able to provide the solutions. Almost everybody around me at that time did not know the solution either. Nobody, I mean, really knew what lies ahead.

Waking up the following morning, I discovered that I had joy unlimited – the joy of seeing my dreams achieved. There and there, I decided to effect the change that would lead to the fulfilment of my dreams. I made up my mind to secure a placement first within the city and then sort out things with the State Director much later. He was the only person everybody believed could do anything to the posting.

My dreams paved way for action and the actions to the result – redeployment to the city. In a matter of days, I got a new place in the city and was able to effect the desired change of location. The roads seemed too far but the passion derived from the dreams saw me through. This experience taught me two great lessons as regards life. “If you want the rainbow in life, you have to be willing to put up with the rain!” and “If you really want to live, you would better start at once to try!”

Sometimes, patience, perseverance and time are the simplest ingredients to achieving your personal success. If you really think about it, most great achievements were not born until lots of time, enormous patience (with yourself) and unwavering perseverance prevail. So, let us now consider few people whose simplified formula for success: “P.P.T.”, (Patience, Perseverance and Time) spawned great products! Every minute somewhere in the country a “Tantalizers’” fast food centre is satisfying people’s need. Can you imagine a business which opened its door (or “Arches”) some few years ago still so strong today with so many outlets across the nation? Well, its founder Bose Ayeni, sure did. Mrs. Ayeni, was no inventor. But she recognised a great idea when she saw one.

From being a mother and no job in view, she started packaging few businesses with a monthly allowance she got from her husband – Mr. Folu Ayeni. She discovered an opening in the Fast Food Business and that happened to be a meeting of interest and opportunity. Tantalizers did not take off on a easy as funding became a hard nut to crack. Finally! It took a loan from a friend to kick start the dream eventually. But the truth is that Tantalizers would have started anyway though it would be more painful. Bose Ayeni is a simple woman with a simple plan to achieve huge success. Today, Tantalizers is being listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Chances are you are reading this article in a room with the use of lighting. Well, you can thank Thomas Edison for that. Did you know that history had it that Edison failed over 9,000 (that is thousand) times before perfecting the light bulb! How many of us would have thrown in the “proverbial” towel at 20 failures, 150 failures or at the 8000th failure? In my opinion, Thomas Edison’s picture should be under the definition “perseverance” in Webster’s dictionary! I believe you are in agreement with my suggestion. After Edison had invented and produced the light bulb, a reporter asked him how it felt to fail over 9,000 times. Edison replied, “I was glad I found 9,000 ways not to invent the light bulb!” From this point forward Edison went on to receive 1,093 patents, more than any other person in U.S. history. Wow!!!

I am sure of us would say that the examples do not apply to you. What about Ubong Essien (Achievers’ manual), Austin Okere (Computer Warehouse Group), Biodun Shobanjo: Jewel of Advertising, Fola Adeola (Guaranty Bank & Fate Foundation), Jimoh Ibrahim (Global Fleet Group and NICON Group), Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State and the Sweet Sensation Stories? As you can see, the common traits between Bose Ayeni, Thomas Edison and all the people mentioned above is simple and direct: Belief, Perseverance, Patience and Time. Whatever it is you are trying to achieve in your precious and valuable life, I am convinced these traits must be present. Especially, belief! If you do not believe, you will not achieve. So, don’t give up now. Give it one more trial and you will succeed. Push the right buttons.

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Technorati Tags: dream, success, Thomas Edison

The story has been told and retold countless times about the battle of Waterloo. Poems have been written and songs have been composed detailing every conceivable aspect about it. History and legend have it that after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army and victory of the Duke of Wellington over the French, Napoleon was taken away and imprisoned. Even though Napoleon was in prison, he carried himself  with dignity.

Some years later, he was asked the great question by some reporters.  Why did the English won at Waterloo? Is it that they have a superior army or weapons? His response was revealing. Napoleon’s eyes slowly swept across the room. The silence was so deep that it was almost deafening. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop. Then he replied, “The English fought five minutes longer.” From the mouth of the great general himself came the answer, “The English fought five minutes longer”. Many times, five minutes longer is all that it takes. Though times have changed from the days of the Emperor Napoleon, many things still remain the same.

Victory, sometimes, is just a few minutes away. You may be saying that you have a peculiar case. Yes, I know, we all go through terrible times. In today’s world many are faced with crisis after crisis. For most, there is never enough money, no jobs, poor relationships, ill health and the list could go on and on. Of course, there are good times too, but the hard times usually block many people’s vision of the good times. You need to keep reminding yourself that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. When things get really bad is not the time for you to give up. That is the time to pursue your dream. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. Anything will do – a kind word from a friend, a paragraph from a good book, an inspiration from the word of God, even a stray piece of music from the radio.

Some people will always be there for you. Others will turn and run from you, fearing for their own well-being. Still others may throw you a crumb of money, or food and hope you will not ask for more. Be grateful to God. Your job is to just keep on keeping on. When you are down in the arena and the dust is in your mouth and you can hear the screaming of the crowd, remember, “The English fought five minutes longer.” Sometimes it is so bad that one day at a time is too long. So go one hour at a time. And if that is too long, then how about five minutes at a time?

Success is sometimes just yards or minutes away. There are times when the last few yards may seem like miles and the last few minutes may appear to be hours. But if you keep on keeping on, if you do not let hope die, if you have faith in the goodness of the universe and the Force that created us, you will win in the end. So, just before you give up, remember that your dreams can become your reality…

Tags: success,, persistence,, decision

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Technorati Tags: Success

Whenever you think of doing something new or different and your first reaction is “I can’t”, you automatically block yourself from getting the ideas or the resources that you need to achieve your aim. You will start to think of all the reasons why such a thing is not possible for you. Everything around you will point towards failure rather than success. And before you know it, that is what you will get. This is what many people do.

Many want to improve their lives, increase their income and accomplish much more that they do today but they constantly respond with the words “I can’t” as soon as the new goal pops into their mind. Before they even try something new, they will talk themselves out it. They will then begin to think of reasons why it is impossible for them.

Are you giving up before you even try the first time? Have you been told many reasons why you can get what you want out of life? Do you believe that the successful are just a selected few? I used to think this way and I have to unlearn the words “I can’t” and delete it from my dictionary. The most important habit you can develop for great happiness and success is the habit of repeating to yourself and believing “I can do anything I put my mind to!”. The most important words you can repeat over and over to yourself are “I can do it!”.

When you set out to do something and doubt sets in, instead of giving up, repeat the word to yourself several times. This has worked for me and it still works. You can do anything you set your mind to. You are only limited by what your belief system. So, what is it that you want to do? Starting that new business? Getting that job? Or going for that course? Take the first step today…Move beyond your doubt. Believe that you can do it and then set out a plan of how you would achieve it. You would soon be doing things that you thought are impossible if only you will make up your mind not to give up now.

What are you waiting for? Make that commitment to give everything a try no matter what people tell you or you feel. Choose today to live your dream. Remember, whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right.

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Technorati Tags: business

Networking helps you to offset the solitary working statuses you may be facing. In fact, working alone can be one of most difficult component parts of being an entrepreneur. You may never truly deliver the goods or services without the aid of others but remember that you will have to make yourself available to others as well. Mutual support is not only motivating but rewarding.

Easy way of connecting with fellow entrepreneurs is to look within your local community or online communities. Your focus should not be on what you will get from such relationship but rather on what you will give. Even when the motive is not business-motivated, it will always be a great platform for you to share ideas with other people.

Many successful entrepreneurs will admit that belonging to the right networking group was a turn point in the growing of their business. When you work together with other business men in a networking group, it can lead to more qualified sales guides. Sharing thoughts, expertise, and experience is also an invaluable facet of need and self-improvement. Your own personal network of business owners will help to re-energize you when you are over-weighed by the burden of running your own business. So, don’t wait till you lack motivation…Seek and stay connected to fellow business owners today.

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Technorati Tags: entrepreneurs, self-improvement, business owners

Thomas Edison tried thousands of different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained,

“All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing.”

Edison replied very confidently,

“Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know now that there are thousands of elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.”

You don’t have to go the Edison route. You definitely don’t have to make all the mistakes yourself. You can learn from the mistakes of others. Whatever you want to do in life, you will surely find someone who has done it before or something related to that. These set of people have put their experience down in books or in audio messages. Why not study their story to see how they have been to get to where they are today. If you wait till you make all the mistakes on your own, it might be too late for you to bounce back.

Just after I left school in 2002, I teamed up with 3 other former classmates of mine to start a company. Why 4 guys coming together to start a company? Each of us had different skill sets which we believed we would be able to harness. Our focus was to offer quality and affordable telecom services. We completed our company registration. We were also able to get an office space from the parents of one of us who believed in us and saw the reason to support us. We even got a senior colleague to pay for the for the renovation work that was carried out in the office.

Each new day brought us enough reasons to believe that the company was meant to be real. In fact, within weeks on incorporation, businesses start rolling in. It was as if the clients were actually waiting for us. You know what? Within one year of existence, the company collapsed. It was as if I was dreaming and only wished I could wake up to find out that the business still existed. I was wrong…it was so evident that we were missing it somewhere.

Something was wrong with the company structure we were putting in place. Our technical skill sets failed us. We just seemed to be doing everything wrong. Then, it dawned on me that you need more than technical skills to run a successful business. One needs a combination of so many skills.

I learnt my lessons and I do believe the other 3 learnt theirs also. The whole experience was a very painful way to learn. But without pain, the old saying is, there is no gain. I found that to be true in my life. You miss a lot of opportunities by making mistakes, but that is part of it knowing that you are not shut out forever, and that there is a goal you still can reach. The goal I could not reach with that company, I am gradually reaching with Nairahost…

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Technorati Tags: business, opportunities

The human mind is an amazing thing. It can store practically unlimited amounts of information. It can critically analyze the most complex of problems. It can distil millions of bits of information into a single thought or feeling. Yet, just like a sophisticated computer or a powerful machine, you must learn how it works to take full advantage of its potential. Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. That is just it. It seems rather simple, but then, so are most of the profound truths in life. The human mind, with all its amazing capacity, simply cannot concentrate on more than one thing at once. You do not believe it? Then, try this:

Think about sitting down in your office sweating profusely trying to solve a problem. Imagine joy in your heart immediately you got the problem solved, the neatly typed report, and the exhilarating recommendations that follows. Now, holding that image in your mind, think about the inside of your refrigerator at home. Try to hold both thoughts in your mind at the same time. I am very sure you would not be able to achieve this. You ca not! You can alternate back and forth, but you cannot think about the two things at once. This is good news for some people, I guess.

Think about it this way. Imagine you being the plant manager in one of the assembly plants of a Computer Manufacturing Company in the country. Perhaps one week the line will turn out Computer Motherboards, the next week your boss ordered you to re-fit the line to produce Computer Hard Disks, or maybe Floppy Disks.

What if the order given to you suddenly is to manufacture CD-ROM drive and ZIP drives at the same time by alternating between CD-ROM drives and ZIP drives, every other one, down the assembly line? What would be the result? It would be total chaos with few finished products, inferior quality, and a lot of wasted energy and time. The human mind is the same. If a multi-million naira manufacturing facility can not do two things at once, why then do you think you can?

Yet, many of us try to do just that. No sooner do we get our mind working on one thing, when we remember something else to concentrate on. Today we think of getting that job, learning a trade or starting that business and tomorrow, our thought pattern has changed. When we are at work, we think about home. At home, we worry about work. The phone rings, the boss calls a meeting, you remember a task that you forgot to do, and on it goes. Rare indeed is the man or woman who can truly focus his or her mind on a single task long enough to let the power of the mind work on it without interruption.

This is the key to unleashing the power of the mind. It can become a mighty tool when it is allowed to concentrate and focus. Imagine the increased levels of personal power and effectiveness you would achieve by simply learning to do this one thing: focus your mind on the important tasks and problems of the day. Here are three effective tips to help you practice focusing your mind . . .

1. Set a definite time to concentrate on a given task, project, or problem. Do not allow interruptions or stray thoughts to displace your thinking during that time.
2. Keep a note pad handy to jot down stray thoughts that enter your mind when you are focusing on something else. Once these thoughts are written, you can forget about them until the appropriate time.
3. If you get caught up in destructive thoughts such as guilt, worry, or fear, practice replacing them with positive, constructive thoughts.

Remember the oft-quoted success maxim, “do the most important thing now” Why not take it a step further and THINK the most important thing at any given moment. Do this, follow these suggestions, and you will be astonished at the exciting new ideas, innovative solutions, and dynamic successes that will naturally flow to you.

The human mind is like a stage. Only one performance can play at a time. If a competing cast enters the stage, they displace the existing performance. The good news is that YOU get to decide what is playing on the stage of your mind at any given time. God has given every one of us an incredible gift – the ability to picture within our minds something we want to happen.

Lying within the mind are two powerful tools – imagination and memory. Your memory keeps files of the past (both painful and pleasurable experiences). Your imagination is a machine given to you by God to create pictures. Both are God’s given gifts that can make or mar you. So, learn to replay the memories of past triumphs and pre-play the pictures of your desired future.

Download this free book – “Secrets of the science of getting rich!” It is my gift to you.

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Technorati Tags: Persistence, starting that business, science of getting rich

The difference is your response – your attitude to the challenges you meet on your way. Do we regroup and hit it hard again, or do we just lay it down and quit? Many times we have made a u-turn when our success is actually around the corner.

Calvin Coolidge said,

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.“

Failure is never an end. It should be seen as a bend towards another destination. Setbacks should be seen as the foundations upon which we build future success or the final excuse for failure. The decision is yours. Nearly everyone who develops an idea works it until it looks impossible and then gets discouraged. That is not the place to become discouraged.

It is often at this point that many only see the obstacle and no longer sees their idea. They give in to discouragement, opposition and obstacles not knowing breakthrough is on the horizon. If only they were persistent. The dictionary defines persistent as: to continue firmly or obstinately. Persistence is a state of mind. In the words of Thomas Edison,

“Just because something does not do what you planned it to do does not mean it is useless…. Reverses should be an incentive to great accomplishment. Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is just one more step forward…. There are no rules here; we are just trying to accomplish something.“

It is therefore normal for someone to have obstacles before success. Even the dictionary puts the word obstacle before success. Obstacles are there to strengthen us and offer progressive measurement of our growing strength. Discouragement sets in when we misunderstand the purpose of obstacles. Persistence is a conscious decision. So, train yourself to be persistent.

Tags: Emmanuel, Oluwatosin, inspiration

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Technorati Tags: attitude, Persistence, Thomas Edison