What is it that you are trying to achieve? Start a business, go  back to school, get that job or even get that promotion at work? It is within your reach. The world presents us with so many opportunities every day to achieve our dreams. Do we take advantage of these opportunities or we just allow them to pass us by? I believe you know the answer in your heart. Your answer is the exact reason why you are where you are today. If things are not unfolding as you would like, it means you have to take action and explore other possibilities.

Exploring possibilities is a personal task. No one can do it for you. While your parents (family, spouses, mentors etc) may be able to provide you with the platform you need, the main responsibility is on you. No one can help you to achieve your dreams. You know what you want and must be ready to pay the price to achieve it. People around you (mentors, boss, parents, friends etc) can only show you the way.They may be able to teach and advise you and enable you to become a wise and effective human being. But taking the actual steps is your responsibility.

“I do hope I have a mentor, but you still have to go through many things by yourself. The only person who can help you is yourself.” - Fann Wong

If you continually wait and hope for things to be different or for others to provide, then you will remain a victim of circumstances. And really, how much fun is that? And how much fun do you think it is for to be at the mercies of others? Believing that someone else is responsible, or making them responsible, for your happiness limits how far you will go. People can only do so much for you. Always remember that irrespective of what people tell you about being successful, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort. If you don’t have the drive to be successful, you are not going to succeed. So, here are some things that may help you move in the direction of your dreams:

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. You need to constantly remind yourself that nobody can achieve your goal for you. How committed are you to your goals?
2. Be prepared for change: Something are definitely not within your control. The foreign exchange flunctuation, radical changes in oil prices, inflation, interest rates, government policies etc. are things that you can not control.  Stick with your decision to move toward a goal – but be willing to change your direction to get there as conditions and circumstances demand.
3. Be accountable: Commit yourself to detailed accountability. Get a mentor that you know would be interested in you. Remember that the mentors are not there to help you achieve your goals. They are to ensure that you remain on the right track.
4. Give yourself no other option: 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. Join the league of the few that succeed because they did not give in. Give yourself no other option.
5. Hang around with successful people: Being around successful people will make you want to be successful as well. Look for people that you know are going somewhere and engage them. You might need to go extra miles to build relationship with this set of people but it is worth the effort. Just remember that “iron sharpens iron”
6. Get back to reality: Spending hours in front of TV, watching movies and even playing games is a great way to escape from reality. This may be fun but it will pull you away from your goals. While you may have immediate satisfaction, you may be sacrificing your future at the same time. Concentrate on your long-term goals and don’t get caught up in things that take you away from reality.
7. Stop thinking and start acting: There is a limit to how far thinking can take you. The best laid plans, the most comprehensive preparation, can still lead to nothing unless you endeavour to take the necessary action. No matter how strong and promising your thought, plans and preparation are, once you fail to act, you would still be heading no where. The action step does not have to be perfect but ensure you start acting on things.
8. Read success stories: There are a lot of biographies of successful people and case studies successful entrepreneurs (business start-ups) who went from rags to riches. Lay your hand on these materials and learn from their mistakes and secrets. Following these people would help in motivating yourself.

Above all, remember, 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. Start now to make your dreams happen! It is never late to achive your dreams… Go for it!

The journey actually started some years before 29 July 2006 but I will leave that story for another day. It is definitely part of the story and 29 July 2006 would not have come to past without the phase before it. As I type this now, everything looks like yesterday. Has the journey been totally smooth? No…but have I been better off by taking this journey? Definitely YES. Indeed, the experience has been mind-blowing

Are you still wondering what I am talking about? Hmm..It is exactly 3 years today that I invoked the power given to us as men to change names. Yeah… it was a priviledge to have the opportunity to fulfil God’s instruction to man.

“For this reason shall a man leaves his family and cleave to his wife“

I got married to the one that I love. And the result? I found a “good thing”. Indeed, I have obtained favour from God. Olayemi, knowing you is great but having the priviledge to join forces with you on this journey is greater. I have achieved more these past 3 years than I had achieved the years before put together. This is the effect of GRACE and I am not going to take you or this grace for granted for a second.

Baby, I can’t say it enough…I LOVE YOU and I am glad you are part of my world. I just want to let you know that the journey has just started. We have not seen anything yet. Everyday that I wake up with you by my side comes with new strength to fulfil destiny. And I know that with God as the “third person” of our relationship, we will continue to experience HIS hand. I love you so much.

And to my “men in black” on the day – Idowu Opaleye, Dimeji Aboderin, Ayo Oladejo, Seun Olajide, Wale Akinbola, Yemi Adenaike, Toyin Daniel” – you are part of the story. I can’t thank you enough.  Your presence and committment added colour to the foundation. My driver of the day, Mr. Gbolade Shoyemi, what else can I say? God will reward your labour of love. I am waiting for the good news from you oooo. So, don’t keep boiz waiting for too long. My brother from another mother – Hammed Shittu – you have showed on several occassions that, indeed, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Thanks for the support pre & post-foundation laying ceremony

The Shittus, the Akinyemis (God understand why He brought us together as family), Uncle Toks, Big bros (Ghese), Ayoboye “Mr. Ogundiya”, Destiny Partners, Glo Colleagues (Bukenzo, Chief Lolu, Mr. Nasamu…), friends, My fellowship – Student Christian Movement “Generation of Lion”, Daystar Christian Centre and the name continues. Thanks so much. The seed of love you have sown has germinated and is growing fast. Our families (brother, sisters, uncles, aunties, nieces, nephews, cousins etc), thanks for the prayer and the support. God has definitely answered your prayers. The results abound. Our parents, on both side, this journey would not have started without your approval. Thanks for showing us the way to go. We are foreover grateful to God for giving us parents like you. God bless you and give you long life.

And to the one who agrees to go together with me on this journey, Olayemi, thanks for the support. You are trully a virtuous woman and our children will call you blessed. I will forever love you. How could I forget my little princess – ‘Mikun. You are God’s gift to us. We appreciate your presence and we constantly thank God for making you a source of joy to us. Finally to God who has given us strength, we join our voice together to say a big THANK YOU. Thank you for your mercy and leading. You are indeed our shepherd…

Do you just sit there and complain? Or do you take the initiative and act? The truth is that what you see around you today is product of the decision you made yesterday and the actions you took. The question now is “will you watch things around you to decay while you continue your membership of the complainers’ club?” Will stand up to act and be the change agent that we all look forward to? The choice is yours. And you need to make up your mind now which club you will belong.

Your complaints thus far has not changed anything. If you have witnessed any change, it is because some people have decided to act. Some people have taken it upon themselves to pay the price. Your complaint does not do any good to you except creating a negative magnetic field around you. And the result? You will keep attracting negative people and circumstances toward you. Our focus should be on working to create the environment that has only remained in our dream till now.  It can be done but it places a demand on you and I.

If you are really ready to create the change, stop complaining. Join the crusade. A life of complaining is the ultimate guarantee for failure.  Things will not remain as this if we act now. It will not definitely come easy, but it is achievable.  If you are ready act, signify your intention by clicking on “the future started yesterday” and “State of our nation“. Will you create the change we so desired?

Are you ready for your winter? Can you say that you are better equipped to face your winter? It is not a question of “if” winter will come but rather a question of “when”. What you do today will determine the kind of experience you will have in winter. I will like to share a story I read some years ago. The story may be old but I keep seeing new applications each time I re-read it. So, join me on this storylane…

One summer day, a lazy grasshopper was chirping and sitting and playing games, just as he did every day. A hard-working ant passed by, carrying a huge leaf that he was taking back to the ant’s nest. The grassshopper said to the ant, “All you ants do is to work all day. You should be more like me and play, play, play.”

The ant replied, ” I’m storing food for the winter season. You should be working, for just the same reason. What will you eat when the weather gets cold? How will you feed your hungry household?” The grasshopper laughed, “All you ants do is work and worry. Slow down, don’t be in a such a hurry. Just look around, there’s plenty of food; don’t give me advice, that’s just plain rude.”

The ant kept working, the grasshopper kept playing, and winter soon came. The ant had prepared for the winter and had enough food stored in the nest to last through the cold, harsh winter weather. Now that winter had arrived, the grasshopper couldn’t find any food and soon became very hungry. He soon remembered the hard-working ant he had made fun of in the summer. The grasshopper went to the ant’s nest and asked for food.

The ant, who was still busy working at keeping the food clean and dry, said, “I toiled to save food for the winter freeze, while you spent the summer playing in ease. I stored just enough food for the winter, it’s true, but I can’t feed you all winter, or I’ll starve too.”

The ant, however, gave the grasshoper a few crumbs, but the grasshopper was cold, miserable, and hungry all winter. The next summer, the grasshopper worked hard to store food for the upcoming winter. That next winter, the grasshopper was well fed and happy! He learned to think ahead and plan for the future.

Can you pick any lesson(s) from this story? If not, I would suggest that you go back and read it again until the message sinks. However, I will like to share some of the lessons I have been able to pick from the story.

Lesson 1:

Winter is inevitable. Every human being and business will go through a winter period. The only difference is the timing. You might be going through your winter time while your friend’s winter is much later.  So, PLAN. 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. The ant’s main objective was to ensure that he had enough food in winter. This he planned to achieve. Likewise, you and I have to think things through, decide on the kind of lifestyle we want irrespective of circumstance, and write out our plan to achieve it.

“the depth of your plan determines the length of your success,” Rev’d Sam Adeyemi

So, if you really need to succeed, you need to embrace planning as part of your life. You need to plan very well so that you can sweat less. Only then can we do as Dr. Stephen R. Covey suggests, “begin with the end in mind.”

Lesson 2:

The  next important lesson is that the Ant prepared for the winter. There is no easy way out. There are basically two types of pain available – pain of discipline and pain of regret. So choose the one you want. You can either choose to be the ant or the grasshopper. The ball is in your court. Commit to learn new trade, study, practice, take that lecture, attend that seminar and go for that course.

Exercise, listen to those tapes, nurture a relationship, read that book (especially those written by people who have gone ahead in your chosen field). Someone somewhere has passed through your current path in your business or career. His/her experience has been packaged in a book / CD and is within your reach. Instead of you charting the course all over, grab the book/CD, digest the content therein and apply it to the situation at hand. You will be surprised at easy things will turn out to be. The important thing is to do something today that will make the path smoother tomorrow.

Lesson 3:

The ant did not stop at preparation. The ant performed. He worked every day during summer to gather his food. David Schwartz made this simple but profound statement,

“the only way to start, is to start.“

The simple fact is that the best laid plans, the most comprehensive preparation, can still lead to nothing unless you endeavour to take the necessary action. No matter how strong and promising your plans and preparation are, once ye fail to act, you would still be heading no where. The action step does not have to be perfect. They just  have to be taking you towards achieving your plan.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale observed,

“If you put off everything until you’re sure of it, you’ll get nothing done.”

One of my favourite passage in the Bible - Ecclesiastes 11:4 - even confirms this,

“He that observeth the wind shall not show; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap”.

The truth is that nothing would be achieved until you set out to act. We would only continue to make matter worse. The need to act the plans does not only become necessary but important. Nike – one of the top kit manufacturing company in the world – has the right idea in her simple slogan, “Do it!” So, I advice that you change your motto to “DO IT” now.

Lesson 4:

The ant was persistent. Discouragement came from grasshopper painting picture of a better way to live. But the ant did not let go of his goal / plan. Will the road ahead be smooth? Will there be any adversity on the way? Yes… The difference between the successful person and the one stalked by failure is not the adversity – everybody has that. What do you do when you are faced with obstacle on the way? 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 success is actually around the corner.

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

1st half of year 2009 will soon come to an end and whether we like it or not, year 2009 will come to an end like a breeze. Reviewing my activities versus my plan for 1st half of the year shows that there are still many things I wish I had done these past months. I didn’t fully match my actions with my words. One thing that became more obvious is that most of the people around me are still in the planning mood. They are still talking about what they would do in the course of the year. Are you ONLY a talker?

Talkers are those people that have great ideas or great intentions, but just never follow through. Anyone can be a talker, but to make a change in your life, you need to take solid action and follow through 100%. If you don’t, you will never see the results that are ultimately in your grasp. As this first half comes to an end, revisit your plan. Dust off your plans from where you have kept them and review everything you have written down. And if you don’t have any plan for this year, it is not too late to get down to work.

“if you do not know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.“

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. Then make a personal commitment to follow through.

If you want to succeed, you need to embrace planning and commitment to action as part of your life. It is one thing to determine the things that you have to do in order for you to achieve your objectives, it is another thing to commit to work on everything. Forget about what you have not done in the past months but choose now to act on what you have written down. If you don’t know where to start from, seek counsel. Attend a “How To” seminar. Pick up a book and listen to that message.

Someone somewhere has done something similar to what you plan to do. Some people have passed through similar situation as yours and have packaged their experience in books and CDs. These are within your reach. Instead of you charting the course all over, grab the book, digest the content therein and apply it to the situation at hand. It is time to  to do something today that will make the path smoother tomorrow. So, make a commitment to follow through on your plan(s).

Why would a bank that is laying off some staff announce payment of bonus to the remaining staff if indeed the focus is on cutting cost?  The response of the CEO was shocking. He said, “the only way to keep their best staff is to pay them high bonus“.  What is the difference between the ones laid off and those that received bonus? The difference? The people who are seemed to be successful – those living their dreams – are those that have learnt to manage their future. They live not at the mercies of others. They are in charge of their destiny.

How do you take charge of your destiny? Manage your future and mind your business. I am not not saying that you should resign from your job or rather that you should start your own business now. Very few people are cut out for business. So, I will definitely not advise you to take that route if business is not passion. The challenge is for you to really be in charge. You don’t have to keep worrying that your job security depends on the whims or moods of your current boss. The kind of live you have always wanted to live is within your reach. You can even transform your current job into that dream job.

The starting point is to control what happens in your career. You must take charge of your work life. You will have to fire your boss mentally. You will have to determine your own value. You will be setting your own goals. You have to be in charge of selecting the skills you wish to attain. You will also have your own personal work plan.You may need to do the following:

• Write your own job description: Write a brief description of your job. However, do not align yourself with a certain company, profession or specialization. Reflect on what you do each day and each week.
• Give yourself a performance review: Find out what other people with the same job description earn. Also find out the skills that are valued in this certain field.
• Define alternate courses: After you have done the two steps above, you will realize that there are alternate courses available to you. Brainstorm about all the other fields and occupations that would suit the job description that you created.
• Put your plan into writing: Develop your own plan for your work life. Remember that your future plans should not hinder the alternate courses you have defined. Note down the new skills you need to acquire.

Where you are today is a direct reflection of the words, thoughts and actions you took days, months and years ago. No matter how much you continue to blame your parents, teachers, where you grew up, television, the government or anything else, the truth is that nobody got you where you are today but yourself. The longer you choose not to take responsibility for your live, the longer you will be living uninspired lives that you do not love.

Technorati Tags: start your own business, job security, dream job

These are however interesting times, in fact, the best times to be alive! While many are already getting half salaries, while some are losing their jobs, and while some are yet to find, many unknown of and unheard of will keep prospering. Everybody wishes to be successful. Many want to be successful but few people really desire to be successful. The proof that you desire something is that you pursue it! The test of pursuit is commitment to paying the price. Are you ready to pay the price? The choice is yours.

If you are ready to take the next step and you live in Nigeria, I will invite you to join us at our weekly business opportunity meeting. All you have to do is to fill this form and enter my name (Emmanuel Oluwatosin) in the”Referred By” space. if you don’t live in Nigeria and want to take part in this business opportunity, we have you in mind. Do click here and you will have access to the same information. You will be able to attend the meeting online. If you need further clarification, you can send me an email and I will reply with further information that will enhance your understanding.

We are in an information age, and what you know can make a difference in your life. At these business opportunity meetings, you get information that can radically change your paradigm and your life. You are the same person you were 10yrs ago, but for two things

• The New People you have met
• The New Information that you have got

At these business opportunity meetings, you get to meet new people and get new information. These meetings are currently free, but you must book your seat ahead. Please complete this form (and remember to enter my name – Emmanuel Oluwatosin – as the referral) if you are interested in booking a seat in any of the Saturday meetings. You can also send me an email as soon as you book a seat so that I can confirm that you are booked. Take the first step now…

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. ‘I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.’

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He kept watering and fertilizing the soil. He really wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim tried to hide in the back. ‘My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,’ said the CEO. ‘Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!’ All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, ‘The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!’

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, ‘Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!’ Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed.

‘How could he be the new CEO?’ the others said. Then the CEO said, ‘One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!’

Lessons: Can you identify some lessons from this story? If your answer is NO, you may need to re-read the story again. I have identified some lessons and I will list them below:

1. Honesty Pays:
2. Be accountable to someone
3. The fact that everyone is doing something does not make it the right thing
4. Before every promion comes a test

Can you identify ANY other lesson(s) from the story? Share them below using the comment section.

‘Parties who want milk should not seat themselves on a stool in the middle of the field and hope that the cow will back up to them‘. Albert Hubert

Are you going after what you want? Or you are just complaining about your present situation without making any effort to change? Do you still think it is the responsibility of your employer to make you happy? Then, you need to have a rethink. What you become today is your responsibility and the outcome of the choices you made yesterday. You owe yourself a living. So, now is the time to take charge of your life.

You can live your life the way you want it. Believe it or not, it is now very easy to rule your world. Waiting for something just around the corner is merely reacting to life. If you are going to be a difference-maker, a maximizer, you need to be assertive and proactive in your thoughts and actions. You need to make things happen and not just wait for them to engulf you! You need to take responsibility for your life and future.

Your decision to take charge of your life is the starting point. Don’t just sit there! Do something! You need to focus instead on those items you can control: right attitude, right beliefs, and right commitments to action. By so doing, you will use your emotional energy in a positive way and actually move forward more quickly. Reactive people focus on the result. Proactive people focus on the principles.

Do you think you want that thing bad enough? But why do you still place your life at the mercy of others? I bet you will not henceforth… Make a commitment to living your the way you want it. Get started today. This is YOUR season if ONLY you will decide to face your challenge and go for your goal. Remember, excuses will take you no where. Take ACTION NOW.

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The training comes with the following advantages:

• It delivers more than the 35-hour PMI contact hour requirement to qualify for the PMP exam;
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• Practical Project Management tips including practical pointers on how to develop project management documents;
• Post training support in the form of a PMP community to help develop your project management skills.

For further details, visit adroyte’s website.

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.

Technorati Tags: persistence, Education

An elephant came to the edge of a stream of clear rushing water as it was thirsty. The elephant leaned over, dropped its trunk into the cool water and… plunk! “What? What happened?” the elephant cried. What the elephant fears most has happened. “I can’t see! My eye… it fell in the water! Oh nooooooh,” the elephant wailed in a panic, “I lost my eye!”

The fact is that the elephant’s right eye had popped out of its socket and fallen into the stream. The elephant searched frantically for the eye, groping with its trunk along the bottom of the stream. The more he groped, the cloudier the water became. That made him panic even more, and he started churning up great piles of sand, until he couldn’t see anything. Then the elephant heard the sound of laughter. This made the elephant to be more annoyed. Many of us find ourselves in this situation and we will do the same. Furious, the elephant looked around to see who it was, and saw a little green frog sitting on a log laughing.

“You think this is funny?” the elephant shouted. “I just lost an eye and that makes you laugh?” “Do you think this is funny?”

“What’s funny is to see how upset you are. Calm down and everything will be fine,” the frog replied.

The elephant felt a bit ashamed and took the frog’s advice. He stopped moving his trunk around, and soon the water became clearer as the sand sank to the bottom. And there in the stream lay his eye. He reached for it with his trunk and popped it back into its socket. And then he thanked the frog.

Lesson:

This may sound like a normal story but it contains great wisdom. There’s nothing funny about losing an eye. But what of the sudden panic, thrashing around in murky water, desperation? That’s exactly what happens when we lose control and panic. Our haste makes us blind to open doors around us. We become temporarily incapable of seeing the world around us objectively and rationally. But there is an antidote to panic: wait, calm down. Calm down and allow the situation to become clear. And the black clouds will disperse.

He took some steps further and he discovered a lake that was bigger again. The frog eventually came to the lake and all he could see was water. It dawned on him just how limited his thinking had been. He thought everything he needed was down in the well, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to the things that were out there for him to enjoy.

Are you living today in your own little “well”, reluctant to leave your comfort zone, settling for a limited and safe existence while God has rivers “deep enough to swim in”? Wouldn’t you like to step out in faith, experience new depths and go where you’ve never been before? Do like the frog…Step out of your little  well and explore the world around you.

The enemy will do everything he can to keep you focused on your background, your lack of formal education, your appearance and your limited resources. But Bruce Wilkinson says,

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re short of money, people, energy, or time. What God invites you to do will always be greater than the resources you start with.”

You don’t have to let fear limit your vision when God is your source, because His supply is unlimited! One idea from Him, just one, can change your life and the lives of others. He’s got great things in store for you today – so start living outside the box!

This is an official press release… Advertfarm, a mobile content network, has emerged today from private beta and launches to the public. This start-up is privately funded and based in Lagos, Nigeria. Advertfarm, as a stand-alone company, focuses on delivering mobile contents to users across Africa through Short Message Services (SMS). Our services include but not limited to SMS marketing, SMS Recruitment, Events Broadcasting, Sponsored Mobile Services and Mobile Alerts.

Advertfarm provides advertisers with permission-based targeted marketing. These advertisements are delivered to subscribers based on specific interests and demographics. Advertfarm only sends its network members localized subscribed mobile content that matches their interest, and gives them total control of when they want to receive it, and how frequently they want to receive it through settings available on the Advertfarm platform.

With over 200 million mobile subscribers in Africa, Advertfarm allows advertisers to target a specific base of consumers in a meaningful way while allowing them to see a much higher rate of return on their investment. The system is developed to fully ensure that advertisers do not waste money on a demographic target that is irrelevant to their goals.
The Advertfarm network has a strict privacy policy on all data collected from its members.

The Advertfarm mobile content delivery solution is the first of its kind in Africa as they not only deliver permission-based content to their subscribers but also pay their subscribers for subscribing. Meanwhile, Advertfarm rewards its subscribed members through a revenue sharing model. The income earned by members of the network is automatically sent to the ATM cards attached to their account.

Advertfarm is currently running its pilot mode only in Nigeria and will launch it 2-WAY SMS interactive system by July 2009. This system would include features such as “SMS Service Un-subscription” where subscribers to a particular service could un-subscribe for certain services without having to visit the web portal. We will be launching services in other African countries in the next quarter.

To take part in this pilot phase, do visit Advertfarm.com to sign up.

Is time ever enough? Do we need more than 24 hours in a day to get things done? Have you found yourself in situations in which you wished you had more time? You are not in this alone. Many people have gone through this same phase. Some are still experiencing the same now. You wake in the morning, look at the tasks that you are meant to complete that day and you just tell yourself to forget it. You can’t see the way you can accomplish those tasks that same day.

This cycle continues everyday. The result? You keep pushing till tomorrow what you should do today. You told yourself at the beginning of the year that you are going to start that business part-time, go to school, take that course or even volunteer with that project. The reality now is that you are far from achieving any of your set objectives. You still live in the dreamland and you wonder how some people seem to be achieving results while you don’t.

The differentiating factor is how both of you use your time. Take out a sheet of paper now and try to document everything you have done from the time you wake up. Write down everything that you feel has taken part of your time. Are you proud of what you have written down? Do you think you can achieve your goals by keep doing what you have written down? When it comes to being as efficient and effective as possible, the obvious starting place is to make the very best use of your time. If you use your time carefully, you will have more of it for things that make the difference.

The fact that you finding it hard to combine your work with executing that business idea or that project means that you need to watch closely how you use your time. Look at the lists you have written down on the list. What can you stop doing, or do less of? Can you make more use of your time? For example, listening to audio messages or important podcasts on the way to work? Learn to prioritize, schedule and control your workload.

When you do these things well, you will be more efficient and better organized. Not only will you get more from your time, you will also get to implement some, if not all, of your business ideas.

Technorati Tags: business, idea

One day, he boasted that he could walk on water. Everybody in the village thought he had gone mad. Not only because they believed it would be an impossible task for the guy but also because nobody had done it before.

The fact that nobody has done it before does not mean that it can not be done.

The man made-up his mind that he would do it. He then went ahead fix the date when he would be able to show everybody that he could actually walk on water. The deal day came and to everybody’s surprise, the man walked on water. The village head later called the man aside and asked him how he was able to achieve this feat considering the fact that the river was deep. What the man said shocked everybody…

Anybody can walk on water if only he knows where the stones are.

The man told the village head of how he laboured almost every nights for many days to ensure stones were placed on a particular route he had carved out in the river. While everyone was asleep, this young man would go to the river and continued his work. He hided these stones on this route in the river but he was able to trace the path. So, the only thing he did on the day was to just place his legs on each of the stones and marched on as if nothing was happening.

This may sound like a story but the same can be applied to our lives. This is exactly the reason why some people succeed in whatsoever they do. They have not only been able to identify where the stones are placed on their path, they have also been able to harness the opportunities this presents to achieve their dreams. So, what is your dream? What are you trying to achieve? Set out to work NOW. And you will succeed. Give yourself no other option.

Do you think you have got what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Then, our world needs more of you at this time. Entrepreneurs are the ones that will turn things around for good. If things would change, we need more entrepreneurs who are ready to face all odds and create solutions that we all have been waiting for. Entrepreneurs are known for their self-confidence, energy, flexibility and opportunism. They are accustomed to getting involved and expect positive results from their involvement. In other words, they are prepared to use energy and mental effort because they expect, and often receive, appropriate rewards.

If you are still thinking whether you are a born entrepreneur or you should venture into this route, I have identified some characteristics. These are often found amongst people who have successfully started a new venture:

1. drive and energy; 
2. self-confidence; 
3. high initiative and personal responsibility;
4. self-believe;
5. low fear of failure; 
6. risk-taker;
7. prepared for long-term involvement; 
8. seeing money as a measure of success;
9. effective use of feedback; 
10. pragmatic problem solvers;
11. Disciplined;
12. clear focus

Successful entrepreneurs have high self-believe. They believe that, to a large extent, what they do today determines the results they will get. Although luck may play some part but they believe that they can create their world. Are you ready to create your world? Do you think you have the traits required? Our world needs more of you. We need people who can take charge of their destiny and create the solutions that we have been waiting for. So, I will ask the question in another form…Are you ready for this experience? Do you have what it takes?  Stand up and be counted. We need to affect our world…

A lot of things are happening at the moment. Companies are folding up. Jobs are being lost. People are loosing money. No investment vehicle can give you guaranteed returns again. But in the midst of things, some companies are still making money. People are still getting the kind of jobs they want. A lot are living the kind of life they want. So, what is their secret? They took charge of their lives. If you must succeed in your business or in your career, you have to take responsibility for your life. This is a choice you can’t do without.

“If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.”  Les Brown

Where you are today is a direct reflection of the words, thoughts and actions you took days, months and years ago. It is a matter of “Input and Output“. What you put in determines what you get. No matter how much you continue to blame your parents, teachers, where you grew up, television, the government or anything else, the truth is that nobody got you where you are today but yourself. The longer you choose not to take responsibility for your live, the longer you will be living uninspired lives that you do not love.

We are currently in a free society. So, you are at liberty to live your life at our own will. I challenge you to draw a switch board for your life right away if you don’t have any. Indicate all your right and wrong buttons – your positive and negative habits, your creative as well as time wasting activities etc. Then, make a firm commitment to yourself today that you will never again push the wrong buttons. Cross out all the wrong buttons from the switch board of your life.

Concentrate on the right buttons and let the doors of success open for you. Look for reliable people who are also taking charge of their lives then you can share your views with them. You can both encourage and motivate one another to work on the success plan of your lives. Above all, dare to succeed. Walk the pathway of success. Remind yourself that the responsibility lies with you. Start working on YOURSELF.  Sharpen your axe. The world does not owe you anything and the earlier you understand this truth, the better.

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” Albert Einstein

In case you are still looking for job, don’t get a job that gives you the highest pay but rather one that matches your passion and allows you to express yourself. And if you are currently working, seek to understand your company vision and mission statement and then identify how you fit in. This should be your starting point. Always strive to be a person of value in whatsoever you do. As long as you keep improving and adding value to the business, your employer will do everything to keep your service.

Shift the focus from your employer and work on yourself. Stop the blame game. Put in the extra effort and take up the responsibility to be the expert in your field. Your skills will soon stand you out from the crowd. As a business owner, seek to add values to your customer. Filling the needs of your customers will ensure that you stay in business for a long time. So, start today to take charge of your life…

Can you make money online? Are people even making money online at all. These are two of the questions that I am being asked on a daily basis. After reading a friend’s response to the question of making money online, I have decided to address some of the qualities you need if you will ever make money in any business. These are qualities found in an average entrepreneur. In case you are not too sure if it is possible to make money online, read Niyi’s latest write-up on this.

Have you got what it takes to be an entrepreneur at all? Entrepreneurs have self-confidence, energy, flexibility and are opportunist. I have not seen business owner who is not expecting positive results from their involvement. In other words, they are prepared to use energy and mental effort because they expect, and often receive, appropriate rewards. They have a mind who sees opportunities where others see adversity. If what you see  are constantly obstacles, you need to watch it. It is most likely entrepreneurship is not for you. 

In case you are still not sure if entrepreneurship is for you, take a look at the 15 characteristics below. These are often found amongst people who have successfully started and run new venture. Can you find anyone in expression in your life?

1. clear goal-setting.
2. drive and energy;
3. self-confidence;
4. high initiative and personal responsibility;
5. internal locus of control (that is, you believe your own behaviour determines what happens to you, more so than external influences);
6. tolerance of ambiguity;
7. low fear of failure;
8. moderate risk-taking;
9. prepared for long-term involvement;
10. seeing money as a measure of success;
11. not merely an end in itself;
12. effective use of feedback;
13. continuous pragmatic problem solving;
14. effective use of resources;
15. self-imposed standards

Successful entrepreneurs have high internal locus of control. They believe that, to a large extent, what they do determines what happens to them, more so than chance or the actions of others. This is linked to the need for autonomy and personal independence expressed by many entrepreneurs as their prime motivation for setting up their own firms. Now before you continue in your quest to start and run your online business, “do you have what it takes?“

I have been busy with my school work for some weeks now and this has reduced the time I have to update my blog. A thought came to mind this morning and I feel I need to share it right away. Many things have been happening in the world these past few months. A lot of companies are declaring losses. As a result, many jobs are being lost. Your job may not have been affected but you always live with the constant fear that your job may be taken away from you soon. Your situation may be different. You may be your own boss and feel this does not affect you much. I will like you to have a rethink…

The goodnews is that you are not in this alone. A lot of people are going through the same thing as you. But they have been able to ride on every challenge that comes their way. They now live their dreams. How did they move from where you are to where you dream to be? They took the first step. They stopped the blame game. They became disatisfied with what the world presents and decided to do something about it. This is about getting started. Taking that first step.

It is so easy to moan about our present situation and complain that things are not how we want them to be. How can we break out of that moaning habit and actually do something? Having a commitment to take responsibility for your life is the first step. Making the decision to do something is another vital step – but actually taking action is the most important one. Accept now that you are responsible for what happens to you.

Now that you have accepted responsibility for your life, it is time to take action. Do you feel the things you want to achieve seem too big or too far off in the future? Break down each goal into little steps which will lead you to your dream. Are the things you are doing today moving you towards achieving your goals? If you answer “NO”, then you need to ask yourself “what small thing (or big thing, if you like) can I do today that will move me towards achieving my goal?” Make a commitment to do it no matter what it will take!

Do not wait for some far-off time when you think conditions may be right before you go for what you want. That perfect time may never come. Have you ever thought of what would have happened if everyone in the world is waiting for the perfect condition? We would definitely not have anything today. Decide today that you would do something about your situation…It doesn’t take a minute to make a decision. Make the decision now and follow up with required action.