Life is A Risk

Life is a risk. It is only those who risk that live. Those who have not started risking have not started living.
Take a risk today.

Success Today!!

Many of life�s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
- Thomas Edison

Success comes before work ... only in the dictionary.

Success is only a matter of opinion. Failure is a cold hard fact.
- Peter Gent

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.


Failure comes only when we forget our ideals, objectives and principles.


Failure makes people bitter and cruel. Success improves the character of the man.
- W. Somerset Maugham

Success is a journey not a destination.


If you wish to gain success, do not stare up the steps-step on the stairs.

There is n deodorant like success




So WHat DO You Say? Success or Failure? It's Up To You!!!
Have a great day!

Laziness Doesn't Work!

Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind.
-Henry Ford

The average man doesn’t wish to be told that it is a bull or a bear market. What he desires is to be told specifically which particular stock to buy or sell. He wants to get something for nothing. He does not wish to work. He doesn’t even wish to have to think.
-Jesse Livermore

Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply, neglect.
-Jim Rohn

Count Your Blessings!

Today is a great day for me.It's my Birthday, and am very happy to experience yet the beginning of another year.A promising one!
I was sitting in my room alone yesterday (after a stressful day at work), and was trying to ponder on all the things i did/achieved, or couldn't achieve since Nov. 27, 2006-Nov. 26,2007. And to my utmost surprise, i couldn't believe what i wrote down.The year actually ended on a great note, with a lot of great things attached. Before i started writing, i could not see those things i had achieved(BY GOD'S GRACE THOUGH), but after the list was completed, i started singing and praising God.
Well, i'm just trying to say that whatever the situation might be inlife, there's always a reason to be happy, and to thank God. Like my mentor Tope Ogunfayo wrote sometime ago on his blog :www.pastortea.blogspot.com, "Count Your Blessings, Don't Discount Them", we must always learn to count our blessings. The mere fact that you are living is enough reason to give thanks. Some people are not happy with thier present jobs, but you still need to thank God because there are a thousand and one people out there who would do anything to get that same job you are complaining about. So
CHEER UP!
Well, i am expectant that this year would launch me out!!!!!! Watch OUT!

Work Is What Works!

If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you won't have to work. -Ogden Nash

I see many people these days who see work as evil. It is simple, they are LAZY. I have come to discover that lazy people are never satisfied with what they have. They are the ones that want the promotion, but never want to work for it. They want more money, but never want to do more, learn more, or invest more, to earn more. What are they? LAZY!!!
One important secret to success and a healthy life is a good attitude towrads work. I would define W-O-R-K as Worthy Opportunities Rarely Known.

My Advice:
Work while you can, so you dont have to do more work later to survive.

Excellence

We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then is not an act, but a habit.
Keep doing that thing you know will lead you to the actualisation of your dream.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.

Bill Cosby

Business Sense

Computing machines perhaps can do the work of a dozen ordinary men, but there is no machine that can do the work of one extraordinary man.
- E. B. White

Power To FInish

Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."

Friendship Has Bumps

"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."

Eat That Frog!

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Have The Right Spirit

The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. -Theodore Rubin

Courage Gets You Going!

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. -T.S. Eliot

Overcoming Nerves - In Public Speaking And Entertaining - Part 1

By: Johnnie Gentle
Many people often assume that those of us who stand up to perform or take part in any form of public speaking are not troubled by nerves and that their own attempts would only be doomed to failure because of their feelings of nervousness and fear.
These thoughts only exacerbate the feelings. When they do attempt to speak, their mouth goes dry, the hands begin to sweat, the stomach churns and a feeling of nausea takes over. Very often they begin to tremble and the brain seems to stop working.
In this confused state they just ‘freeze’ and yet another negative experience is added to their memory banks, with the certain declaration of – "Never Again".
First of all, we need to understand why we feel this nervousness. Let's face it, - we know we can speak; we’ve rehearsed and practiced well, the family thought the act or the tricks were great, or the speech was amusing, so there's really nothing to be afraid of there.
We've checked our 'flies', - so nothing to worry about in that respect. If you have prepared what you want to say and rehearsed your act well, then you should be 'home and dry' and it should be a breeze. I can assure you, if you have done the preparation, it will be a breeze, but you will still feel nervous.
During my entertaining days I suffered badly from nervousness prior to going on stage. As a matter of fact I still do to this day. My act always went down really well and I was inundated with bookings and re-bookings, so my confidence was always high. However, the nerves were always a nightmare prior to starting my act and I could never understand why.
An old experienced entertainer once told me that all good performers, whether in show business or sports performance or even academic or business performers, - feel nerves to varying degrees, and usually the higher standard of performance, - the greater the feeling of nerves and apprehension.
He explained that it's not the fear of not being able to perform, or of forgetting your lines, (or in the case of the sportsman, of not being able to run the race), it is actually the fear of not quite living up to your own high standards.
You see the good, conscientious performer sets his sights and standards as high as he possibly can, and so even as he improves, he keeps pushing his standards that little bit higher. You can therefore see why he will never free himself of these feelings of nerves and apprehension. It’s simply a concern that you will not live up to your own high standards.
So how do we overcome nerves? - Well, you don't. You simply learn to understand and nurture them as your friends and your guides, which help to ensure a really high standard of performance.
You could of course lower your sights, but this would surely lead to lowering your performance and eventually no performance at all. Yet, this is what most people do. They lower the standard of their performance, taking on only the easy stuff, the things they are confident they can do.
However, lowering the standard of your performance is not the way. It may just help decrease nerves, but it will eventually kill your performance completely. You see, when speakers or entertainers get a bad reception or "die", as we say, they very often never perform again. "Finished!"
http://www.talktactics.co.uk
and http://effective-speaking.talktactics.co.uk
Article Source: www.isnare.com

Live For Greatness!

Don’t live just to survive (or get by), you may end up losing both.

GREATNESS HAS A PRICE

The price of greatness is responsibility

SUCCESS & RESPONSIBILITY

I have personally come to discover that the Reward for
Responsibility is More Responsibility. This is a vital
Secret to success.
If you desire success and promotion in whatever form,
Then you need to be RESPONSIBLE for something good.

Image by FlamingText.com

__________________________________________________
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TeamWork

The better the players (team), the better the leader (achievement).

What Great Leaders Do

Great leaders never set themselves above their followers, except in carrying out responsibilities.

Determine To Succeed

The will to succeed is important, but the will to prepare is much more important.

Act Now!

Man who says ‘it cannot be done’ should not interrupt the man who is doing it.

Success Management

If you are doing big things, you attract big men. If you are doing little things, you attract little men. Little men usually cause big trouble.

TEAM BUILDING

Team building involves getting the members to feel a sense of ownership in
what they are doing as a group.

ORGANISATIONAL SUCCESS

“Success is a factor of who you are- the inner you”.

Who you’ll be and where you’ll get to is a factor of what drives you from within. Success in all of life and work is a function of your attitude towards life. Your attitude is a function of what you give to life, and not what life gives to you.
How do you respond to life’s challenges? When life’s situations throw pebbles and junk at you what do you do with them? Your attitude is a function of how you respond to life

I have discovered that top-rated organizations that have led various industries from centuries before and even now have been exceptional in one particular area, COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY -taking action is not particular to just one individual. Organizational success is dependent on how members of the organization respond to organizational challenges and how they handle daily affairs.

There’s this story of KPK Investments that had four employees namely: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Over time, the organization had been seeking and praying for an opportunity to launch out big, and this time, it came.

At the news of the opportunity, Everybody rejoiced and felt the time to enjoy has come. But WORK needed to be done.

Let me mention quickly that the flaw that had plagued the organization all the while is that Nobody ever wanted to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, and this time also, the opportunity for greatness was lost.

WHY?……..it is simply because: Everybody thought Somebody would DO what Anybody could have DONE, and Nobody DID.
Lesson:

DO what all you can do to make things work well, we will all enjoy the rewards.

Success

It is a great waste of life to be successful in the wrong thing or endeavor.

‘I’ MAKE ‘ME’ RICH

Writing after a very long period of time makes me feel great again – thank God for the little break from work. It is very true that the world of an employee is full of hustle and bustle, which leaves you with little time for other things (especially if you are in the banking sector in a place like Nigeria).

I was on a six-hour journey some days ago and I discovered yet again why the 90/10 rule is still operative. Why is it that 10% of the world’s population control 90% of the world’s wealth, while the remaining 90% grapple for the remaining 10%? Very simple, although wasn’t quite until a few days ago.

It is true that there’ll always be poor people around, and the truth is that they will always be in the majority. Even the Holy Bible says it “there’ll always be the poor amongst you”. I have observed that anywhere there’s a gathering of people, the majority would always be in the lower cadre – there’s always that 90/10 difference.

A lot of people will remain poor for the rest of their lives simply because what they say with their mouths will keep them poor. Every man has to steer the ship of his life by himself; and until you learn to use your tongue to say what you want to see, you cannot get anywhere other than where you are. There’s what is called the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. That I will explain to mean that which you have thought and meditated on so much that is now a part of you…it has become a reality in your life. I’ll love to ask you then ‘what are you thinking about that has occupied your mind and all of you? Wealth, promotion, academic success, failures, failed relationships, popularity, prominence, financial freedom, etc? What? I dare you to think about it long enough and you’ll see it become a reality in your life.

I was in the bus traveling with 14 other passengers like me and there were all sorts of topics discussed throughout the length of the journey. But to my amazement, the majority had the mindset that has kept them in poverty for a long time – the mindset of failure. They believed that to be rich is evil. Little wonder they are suffering from acute poverty. They have believed it long enough and have lived it such that it has become a part of them.

The truth is many ‘GREAT’ people will die unfulfilled, never realizing how great they could have been had they changed their reasoning. It’s quite easy to identify an individual who’s going to be successful and one who will not. While the former would always be optimistic in what he does, the latter will be pessimistic. You can always find it in what comes out of their mouth. What they say (what you say) is what they are (what you are) and will continue to be unless there’s a change.

Lesson:
Your life is in your hands, or rather your MOUTH. Say it, See it!

Leaders & Dreams

 People do not follow a dream in itself, they follow the leader who has that dream and the ability to communicate if effectively.
A good leader must possess tthat ability to sell the dream to the followers...this ensures effectiveness and builds passion in them.

Great Leaders

 All great leaders possess two things: they know where they're going, and they are able to persuade others to follow.
Without these two important element, you might need to examine yourself again.

Knowing People

People are divided into 4 classes:
-those who always do less than they are told
-those who will do what they're told but no more
-those who will do things without being told
-those who will inspire others to do things

Money & Value

Money Is A Reward For Service Rendered.
People Pay For The Value You Add To Their Lives.
You Want To Increase Your Earnings?
Then Increase The Value You Give To People.
Equip Yourself To Be Able To Render Service And Make Yourself Indespensible.
Make People Thirst To Have More Of You.
This Brings About Repeat Business

Something About Life

Getting started on this actually was to an extent difficult for me, as I thought of what to title it. I guess something will come up before the last sentence.
There’s something about life which I have come to discover, and it’s important we all settle it early enough. It became clearer as I was discussing with a friend of mine yesterday. I decided to write about it when today, another friend of mine mentioned the same issue and we started discussing. What then is it?

I have come to discover a mystery in life – that at a point in life when we lack a particular thing, we long for that thing ceaselessly, we think of what we’ll do with it and always have an urge to enjoy it. But when we eventually get it, especially in a huge measure/quantity, we tend not to know what to do with it again. In no time we exhaust and explore (at least to the best of our limited knowledge) that opportunity.
For example, when one has not started working, he longs so much to find a good job so as to keep busy and earn a living. He desires this so much so that he feels that he can do any type of work. But it’s funny that when he finally gets one, in no time he becomes worn-out and exhausted and he’s looking for something else to do. If she/he is not careful, he will eventually misbehave.

A friend of mine manages a Cyber Café business and he has 24/7 access to the internet. Let me take you back to just one month before now. This same guy had no job and because he loves surfing the net, he invested a minimum of 600 minutes (at # 1/ min) every week in net surfing. Even though his finances were dependent on his brother, he still invested that much in browsing, transportation not included! But today, after just two weeks as the manager of an internet café, he doesn’t know what else to do on the net.
I am sure there have been times in your life when you wished you had more time to yourself. But eventually when you got more spare time, you couldn’t find what to do with it. Can you relate with that?
Even as regards money, you’ve always wanted more, but when it comes, there’s a problem of what to use it for. It happens in all areas of life. You might then be wondering “why does this happen?”. I’ll explain with three points.

We Fail To Plan
It would be surprising to know that 8 out of every 10 persons have no plan for their life (immediate or long term). This is a major reason many people fail even before starting out. A life that has no plan/direction goes anywhere. Like Dr Myles Munroe says, ‘If a man doesn’t know where he is going, any road will take him there’. That is absolutely true. It is better for your plan to fail than for you not to have a plan at all. I’ll rather be a failure at something than a success in nothing (at least I tried!). Those who never try are most likely those who never planned at all. Those who never try always become nothing and are always insignificant.
Planning for every phase of our life is paramount. Since time is the measure of life, then time wastage is life wastage. Don’t waste your life!

We Never Put It On Paper
Another reason for the mystery of life discussed above is: many who plan plan in their head alone. This is wrong and is no different from not planning. Your plans should be written out. This helps you to keep on track and also helps your memory. Remember, the faintest ink is better than the brightest memory, and the shortest pen is better than the tallest brain. It’s that simple!

Purpose Is Yet Unknown
I once heard Dr Myles say “ where the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable”. Abuse is a combination of two words ‘Abnormal Use’. Many of us abuse our lives simply because we do not or have not yet found out why we are here. The question of purpose is an important one. Check www.pastortea.blogspot.com for more on purpose. Until we discover the purpose of our existence, we won’t stop living a wasted abnormal life.

Many people who are misbehaving today are doing so because of these reasons. Someone who has never considered these three points before and who recently landed a job that increased his salary from $1000 to $5000 a month would misbehave. Since he never had a (i) WRITTEN (ii) PLAN and he really doesn’t have a (iii) REASON for living, then he must misbehave.
The crux of my post today is that we must prepare adequately for the ‘better days’ which we are expecting. We would be the better for it and the world will remember us generations to come.

GOOD INVESTMENT

Do Not

Hire Excellent People

To Do

Excellent Work

With

Average Tools!

ENJOYING EVERY PHASE OF LIFE

There are phases in the life of every living being, and there are special features and characteristics peculiar to every stage; if their peculiarities are not maximized, they cannot be enjoyed again.

The Butterfly, representing how every living being has its own stages of development, has four stages: Egg, LArva, Pupa, Butterfly. Each of these stages has its own peculiarity. To go to the next stage, the egg needs to completes its own course, and likewise the other stages.

Every stage/phase of life is important as no two days are the same, no two opportunities are the same, and no two individuals are also the same. It is thus paramount that one maximizes the various stops and points in every phase.

I remember there was a time when I was in the elementary school. That phase of my life was one which was primarily governed by my parents, tutors and other grown-ups. Whatever happened in that phase did not really depend on me, but whatever I did or failed to do cannot be recovered or reversed. That was a phase.

There was also a time when I was in the High school (or Secondary School as is known here). This stage was jointly managed by me and my parents. Though I had a bit of freedom, they also still had a great deal of influence over me and my decisions. Then I met a lot of different people, learnt from different types of tutors, and made decisions that would affect my future; positively or negatively. At this stage, which also coincided with adolescence, a lot of my friends took liberty for freedom as they engaged in all sorts of personal and social vices; I won’t blame them now, they were just enjoying that phase.

My days in the University were also very interesting. It was a stage in my life where a lot of things about me were exposed to me. I discovered in myself a great deal of abilities and talents. I met a lot of people who I know will rule the world in our days. I participated in all sorts. In the true sense of it, I had control (90%) of my life and I could do anything I wanted with it. It’s a phase I’ll never forget.

Finally and presently, the stage I’m in now is also peculiar. After the compulsory one year National Service for every Nigerian graduate, my life is completely a factor of what I do with it. What I do now or fail to do now will determine what I’ll meet in the future.

What I am really driving at is this: there are peculiarities to every phase of life and if you fail to enjoy that phase, exhibiting certain behaviour in a higher phase would be seen as immaturity, lack of focus, underdevelopment, etc. For example, there were times in my high school days when I used to join other young lads of my age to play soccer on the street, especially on days when movement is restricted. Everybody could understand then that it was a phase when children played a lot and displayed a lot of youthful exuberance. But if today I choose to do the same thing, I’ll be a disgrace to adulthood, and everything that is me.

Another example is this. In my university days, I participated in a number of the many student protests against the University Authorities. Many times we postponed exams for selfish reasons, we stopped movements in the school by force, we took over the power house of the school, took over the school gate, did a lot of lecture boycotts, etc. All these were peculiar to that stage, and anyone that did not participate then would have missed a great part of ‘education’. Although today am counting the losses caused by the delays and interruptions of the academic calendar due to our protests, I still feel good I did those things then. I possibly cannot do them now, I’ll look miserable.

During my National Service, I was involved in a number of projects and community development activities. The Nigeria Christian Corpers Fellowship which I belonged to also carried out a number of life-changing outreaches to the very rural communities, where a lot of humanitarian activities were done. I’m happy I did. Who knows, I might not have that sort of free time to do all that again. So, enjoying it then was the best option. This is what I mean by Enjoying Every Phase Of Life.

Lesson:
Whatever phase of life you find yourself, enjoy it. Do everything possible to make your impact felt at every stage of your life. Enjoy the leisure times, the hard works, the people you meet, the trying times and challenging periods, the moments of joy and increase, and so on. You cannot have it exactly the same way again- if at all you have that opportunity again.

Life is Good, enjoy it, but make sure you are making positive impact.

Train Your Staff

Growing Employees Make Growing Companies; Train Your Staff.

TEAM WORK

It is better to train ten people to work than to do the work of ten people,

but it is harder.

TEAM WORK

In a team, coming together is the beginning,

but working together is success.

TRUE LEADERSHIP- The Donald Duke/Tinapa Experience

TRUE LEADERSHIP
The subject of Leadership is a widely discussed one, but the truth is that a lot still needs to be said about it. The fact still remains that with the increase in Leadership thoughts and lessons, the world is still in serious crisis which is traceable to the ineffectiveness of world leaders. This has prompted my developing this series on my blog where my thoughts can be expressed. It is a unique one in the sense that I will use practical examples of people who have been exemplary leaders in their fields, communities, countries, and in the world at large.
A little on the subject of LEADERSHIP:

“Leadership” has been given different meanings by different people at different times. A few are listed below, although the list is endless.

Leadership is the ability to obtain followers – James C. Georges, ParTraining Corporation

Leadership is Influence – John C. Maxwell

My definition of a leader . . . is a man who can persuade people to do what they don't want to do, or do what they're too lazy to do, and like it- Harry S. Truman, 1884-1972, Thirty-third President of the United States, Miller, More Plan Speaking
Leadership occurs when one person induces others to work towards some predetermined objectives - Massie

Leadership is the ability of a superior to influence the behaviour of a subordinate or group and persuade them to follow a particular course of action - Chester Bernard

There are other thoughts that have been expressed by various people too, let me take an excerpt from Chris Clarke-Epstein, in his book, 78 Questions Every Leader Should Ask & Answer -
· “Leadership takes on different meanings depending on the person who leads and the people being led. On any given day, leadership can mean teaching, coaching, assigning, cheerleading, counseling, guiding, correcting, protecting, explaining, and observing. Leadership asks you to fill out forms, chair meetings, hold hands, explain decisions, think about the future, and resolve conflict. None of these actions or tasks will happen discretely; usually they’ll happen all at once. If you thought becoming the boss would give you more control of your time and tasks think again. Like the new entrepreneur, you’ll discover that you have less control over your daily activities as you work to help and support the people you lead”

· “Leadership is more than a skill set. Real leadership is a combination of well-honed skills combined with an open and gracious spirit. How you feel about being a leader will always influence how you act as a leader. People who believe that leadership is their right, who believe that their title demands the respect of others, or who believe that leaders should always have the final say are carrying feelings about leadership that will constantly get in the way of their effectiveness as a leader”.- Chris Clarke-Epstein (78 Questions Every Leader Should Ask & Answer)

A leader I respect, Bill Clinton also said:
“I believe the job of a president (Leader) is to understand and explain the time in which he serves, to set forth a vision of where we need to go and a strategy of how to get there, and then to pursue it with all his mind and heart”

Let’s now take a look at my leadership model for today Mr. Donald Duke
(The Donald Duke/TINAPA Experience)
My leadership torch today focuses on the man behind the TINAPA Project, Donald Duke. For those who do not know what TINAPA is (most especially on the African Continent), you probably have been on vacation in Mars! But I’ll try bringing you to the knowledge of it.
When you think of TINAPA, think of a Business/Leisure Paradise, a place you want to be.

Tinapa is Africa’s Premier Business Resort & Free Zone; it’s a new trading hub of West Africa. It has over 80,000m2 of gross lettable area for retail and wholesale shopping, restaurants, leisure land, a hotel, an eight-screen digital cinema, a casino, a movie studio and a lot of other world class infrastructure. It will satisfy over 300million consumers.

Tinapa is located on the Calabar Rivers in the rubber plantations of Adiagbo Community and contiguous to Calabar Free Trade Zone (NB: Calabar is the capital city of Cross Rivers, one of the states on the south coast of Nigeria).

A little more about Tinapa; the resort complex will provide –
International Standard wholesale emporiums, integrated shopping complexes and product distribution elements supported by business tourism.

Leisure and Entertainment facilities; International movie studio and 8 movie theatres, world class restaurants and food courts, games arcade, water-world theme park, children’s play area, fisherman’s village, bowling alley, casino, studio, amphi theaters.

300 room international standard hotel

A fast track monorail transportation from Tinapa to the airport in about 15mins making four (4) stops within Tinapa.

Artificial lake created by dredging the Calabar River;

Tinapa which was declared open on the 2nd of April 2007 by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, offers outstanding opportunities for investors (you can contact me for more investment details). It promises a high economic growth and prosperity for her people and for Nigeria.

All these explanations are there just for you to have an idea of what Tinapa is, an even more to appreciate the visionary and courageous effort of Mr. Donald Duke, my leadership icon for this week, the executive Governor of Cross Rivers State, and the brain behind it all.
In a world and at a time where true and effective leadership is lacking and hard to find, it is without doubt /fear that I make bold to say that there are still few individuals who understand the concept of TRUE LEADERSHIP. Many so-called leaders see leader ship as:
an opportunity to be served instead of an opportunity to serve,

an opportunity to gather resources and be made rich rather than an opportunity to invest in the lives of the entire populace of followers and help the get to the state of self-actualization,

an opportunity to victimize rather than an opportunity to mend broken relationships,

an opportunity to make a name rather than an opportunity to help others become relevant….

The list is actually endless and varying as much as human beings vary in perception. A whole lot of people get it all wrong. Leadership is a privilege and not a right! Perhaps if we understand that, we will help make the world a better place in our respective positions as leaders.

Mr. Donald Duke has showed the world that “everything good can come out of ‘Jerusalem’, but in this case NIGERIA”. His exemplary life and leadership style has transformed Cross Rivers state and the life of her citizens. Mr. Donald Duke has showed the difference between a visionary leader and one who is just there to acquire wealth. His concern for his people and their welfare, the image of the country, and his concern about his protecting his own name have helped him achieve these feats. Like the Holy Book (The Bible) says, “A good name is better than riches…” so Donald Duke has done. His name will forever be recorded in history as one of the few men who stood for ‘Real Service to Humanity” when in a position of authority. If you doubt me, then visit the capital city of Calabar, and you’ll find the cleanest city in Nigeria, maybe Africa!

Those who fail in leadership are:
those who never had a vision for leadership
those who had a vision but either lost it along the way or neglected it
those who have a wrong perspective of leadership

Perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt from this is that ‘leadership is a privilege and an opportunity to serve’. Where this is not realized, then there is a crisis.

VISION & OPPOSITION

Opposition To Your Vision Is Not To Destroy It

But To Confirm It!

Every True Vision Must Be Tested For Its Authencitity

GOOD COMPANY PAYS

Never Keep Company With People Who Don't Make You Grow.

Befriend People Who constantly Make You Think.

The Moment You Discover You Are The Smartest In Your Group,

Then Is The Right Time To Get Out!

Always Strive For More Than Good.

Go For "Excellent".

PEOPLE RELATIONS

People want to be appreciated, not impresesed;

they want to be treated as an end in themselves,

not as a means toward the gratification of another's

vanity.

IMPACT

You Can Impress People AtA Distance,

But You Can Impact Them Only Up Close.

Faithfulness&Fruitfulness

It Doesn't Matter Much How Hard You Work As How Much You Accomplish.There's A Difference Between Faithfulness(Hard Work) & Fruitfulness (Accomplishmens).
Where Do You Belong?

HARDSHIP

HARDSHIP
(Life’s Training Camp)
My view of life and way of doing things changed when I discovered a very important fact & truth about life – “principles don’t change”. This is absolutely true because all that we see and experience in our daily existence hinges on certain principles. For example, there’s the principle of seed & harvest, or sowing & reaping, also called cause & effect by some others. It simply states that without you sowing/planting a seed, no harvest should be expected. When you multiply zero by 100million, the result is still zero. For every effect, there’s always a cause. Principles such as this govern the universe.
Building on the premise above, I make bold to say that in order to emerge strong and victorious from life’s training camp, some periods of tough challenges cannot be bypassed. An army General never becomes one in a day, nor a year; it takes long years of training and testing. He must have gone through both bad and good times and emerge on top. This period of “HARD” training cannot be escaped. Testimonies from various Olympic Champions reveal that they spend two-thirds of their time practicing and training. Most of them would have felt then that their trainers were wicked, but it was for their good. No one has ever won an Olympic medal without sweating. It requires rigorous daily, focused and disciplined exercises.
The period of preparation in life (often appearing as hardship), is as important as the period of actual performance and manifestation. In fact, success during performance is tied to discipline, diligence and dedication (the 3Ds of peak performance) in training. This period is often not an enjoyable one, and many individuals are not patient enough to pass through the training. This is an error. It is the same as saying a child should move from the Primary School stage straight to the College/University, leaving out high school. You’ll agree with me that such a person is headed for failure in a grand style.
Lesson:
Never give up in the face of adversity, hardship or tough times. Robert H. Schuller said “tough times never last but tough people do”. Always view periods of hardship as training periods in Life’s Training Camp. Those who are committed to emerging gold from the camp are always patient enough to go through it. Remember, Generals are not made in a day. Put up the right attitude and heart-ti-tude every time life throws you darts – catch them and make them useful for you. Many people ask “Why Me?” I ask them: who else if not you?
A man’s greatness is measured by the weight of troubles he’s had and has come out victorious. laoluojed
You can write your own story.

Remember: Life is too interesting to be lived halfway

SKILL

SKILL
(Your Tool To Great Fulfilment)
It is worthwhile to know that every man has a talent inside him. The only clause is that some men never discover theirs till they die (most times in poverty). But it is much more important to know that your talent cannot make you rich! Are you surprised? If talents make rich, then everyone on the earth’s surface should be rich since everyone has a talent.
The truth is that talent that is not developed is as good as unrefined gold which is worthless at that stage. It is only developed and treated talent that can make one rich when sold. This developed (or trained) talent is called SKILL. Men don’t pay to see your talent, they pay to watch you skillfully and beautifully display your talent in such a way that it meets their needs.
“Your earning is dependent on the level of professionalism displayed in the use of your skill” – laoluojed
Joseph had a talent inside him which he discovered early in life and as he grew, he developed his talent as his experiences taught him. Joseph had a way with dreams, and they were no small dreams; no wonder his brothers were angry at him. They hated him with a passion, such that they planned to kill him – thank God they eventually sold him. But Joseph didn’t call a pity party, he moved on. Even while in Potiphar’s house, he was excellent. Little wonder Potiphar gave him charge of everything he had but his wife. Even Mrs. Potiphar that wasn’t under him tried all possible means to put herself under him. That is a result of the display of excellence, skill and expertise by Joseph.
Joseph went a little further in developing his talent such that even while in prison (where he was the chief and most honorable prisoner), he became the dream interpreter. What more can we say to that? I’m sure you’ll have consulted him for interpretation to your dream if you were living in his days. Skill and expertise took Joseph from the prison to the most exalted throne in the whole world in those days.
Lesson:
Never rely on your raw talent (like a lot of people are doing today); there are probably over two billion individuals have it the same way too. Instead, constantly work on your talents to improve them. Make yourself irresistible, and indispensable. Put yourself in a place where you are in high demand. Make yourself a HOT CAKE in the market.
“Your contribution determines your reward; little contribution=little reward, great contribution=great reward” – laoluojed
Remember: Life is too interesting to be lived halfway

COURAGE

COURAGE
A wise man once said that courage is the capacity to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. This is absolutely true because you are not a failure until you accept defeat. Even when you are knocked down, it’s not a knock out. When life knocks you down, ensure that you land on your back ‘cos if you can look up, you can get up.

Joseph in the Bible exhibited this character trait continuously; little wonder he got to be the second most powerful person on the earth’s surface. In fact, he was the most powerful and influential individual in the world. Why? He never allowed his courage to die.

Joseph as a young lad had great dreams which he shared with his family members. But they rebuked and mocked him. They never saw anything good in him. They even hated him for it, but he kept at it. He didn’t stop sharing his dream, he moved from one level of rejection to another. But he never lost enthusiasm. That’s courage! He was courageous enough to resist Mrs Potiphar’s lure and seduction.

Lesson:
Whatever life throws at you doesn’t really matter. What matters is what you do with it. Can you make your stumbling blocks into stepping stones? Do you give up easily? Do you just sit and rot in self pity or do you get up and try again? Failure is never final; it only teaches you that that is another wrong way of doing whatever it is you are doing. Therefore, find the right way.
Abraham Lincoln’s popularity and achievement is not hinged on his being America’s president, but on his doggedness towards life and his determination to overcome failure and taste victory. His was a case of Courage.

“If your dream is big enough, then you’ll possess a great dose of courage. If you have a small dream, you’ll most likely be overrun by giving in to failure”- laoluojed

“Lives that make impact are lives of great dreamers. Though they die, but still they live, because their dreams never die” – laoluojed

Remember: Life is too interesting to be lived halfway

ENEMIES OF THE ORDINARY

ENEMIES OF THE ORDINARY
The world is run by those who possess the drive to move it. Greatness on the outside is preceded by greatness on the inside. The mountaintop is meant for those who have a high sense of Internal Locus of Control. Mediocre never have a place in the sphere of the mighty. Some prefer to say there's no track while Enemies of The Ordinary, who are World Changers, create a track instead. Trail blazers are those who see challenges and challenge them, thereby bringing out the best in themselves and others, to make the world a better place.
The difference between the ordinary and the extra-ordinary person is simply the extra that the ordinary person puts in. The world today needs men who are enemies of the ordinary; men who would never settle for little but aim for the zenith. Enemies of the Ordinary are men who do not see the sky as the limit but rather as the starting point, Men who see beyond the dark clouds.
Henry Ford once said 'whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right'. It is all about the determination and positive outlook of the man with right attitude.
Williams James, a world renowned Psychologist also said 'the greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind', thus it is all about the mind. Enemies of the Ordinary are men:
with the winning attitude
who would not take a no for an answer
men who would rather see the sky than see the mud
men who see the sunshine and not the shadow
men who do not ask 'why' but rather ask 'why not'
men who see opportunity in the midst of difficulty
men who would do the common things uncommonly well...
It is time to stand straight and allow men who would break new grounds take over the reigns of power. They are:
THE ENEMIES OF THE ORDINARY
Ojedokun Olaoluwa.
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