The cause of the confusion prevailing in your mind that weakens your thoughts is the false belief that there is a power or powers outside you greater than the power within you. Stop and think about that. What keeps you from attempting greater things and reaching for the diamond ring in your life? What makes you take that great idea that could make your family financially free and bury it underneath a lot of reasons why it would never work? What stops you from that career change that would result in working in a profession you could really enjoy? There's only one thing that ever stops you from forward momentum and that is lack of persistence. When the going gets tough you quit.
James Allen expressed well what persistence is in his all time classic book called ‘As A Man Thinketh’ when he said "Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose, as he must until weakness is overcome, the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph."
From general observation you will notice that when most young children are given a puzzle to solve or put together that is especially challenging, most will make a good effort at solving it, but if unsuccessful will soon lose interest and abandon it. Some will even become angry at their failure to solve it and may throw a tantrum. Contrast that with the experienced puzzle player who proceeds to put the puzzle together with an air of certain confidence that they will complete it. They know that they have all of the pieces of the puzzle before them so it is only a matter of finding out which pieces work where and once that's done the puzzle will be complete. Putting a piece in the wrong place is not a cause for concern; it's simply another step toward putting all of the pieces in their proper place.
I think of all the times in my life when I acted like a young child in dealing with the current puzzle in my life. Instead of turning over and trying the next piece, I got angry and walked away from the puzzle, seeing the puzzle as a problem instead of as an opportunity. Napoleon Hill, author of the classic Think and Grow Rich, knew Thomas Edison and Henry Ford personally. He said of both men that the only thing that was different about them from everyone else was their persistence. This actually gives rise to an interesting thought. Where would our civilization be today if either man had treated his puzzles like the impatient young child and quitted? To the uninitiated, Thomas Edison invented the light bubble and Henry Ford invented the first automobile.
When you don't have all of the pieces of your puzzle on the table, you need to stop, identify them and get them on the table before proceeding. If, however, you've got them on the table, then take the approach of the experienced puzzle player. When they don't fit don't quit, try another piece or move them to another place. While you're at it, learn another valuable lesson from great puzzle players. They don't just enjoy completing the puzzle; they delight in putting it together.
Napoleon Hill thought persistence was a pretty important key to success that he used the word 97 times in his book Think and Grow Rich and he devoted an entire chapter to it. Some of his wisdom includes, "The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on despite all opposition, until they attain their goal. There may be no heroic connotation to the word "persistence," but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel." And that my friend is worth thinking about.
In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, is mainly attributable to their lack of persistence.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Friday, 21 November 2008
CHOICE your power to change destiny
Over the years I have met and observed many people and each and every one of them say they want some improvement in certain areas of their lives. In fact, most of them flat out confessed that they hated certain situations they were in. But after further evaluations, I discovered that they weren't willing to do anything about it with the exception of a very few. It seemed to be good enough for them to just sit there and wallow in their pain, anguish and misery. The most important thing that you should know is that your dreams and your destiny aren't determined by chance but by choice. Unfortunately, due to the current economic hardships besieging our beloved country, so many people haven't dreamed in so long that they actually don't even know what they want any longer. You have got to choose to continue stirring up that dream inside of yourself.
The power of choice is best captured in this story that I am going to narrate to you which goes as follows … One day a man was walking down the street on his way to work. As he walked down the street, there were dogs on just about every front porch and they all would bark as the man walked passed them. However, there was one dog that he remembered, because this dog was just sitting there and he was whimpering and whining and moaning, you know the little whimpering sounds dogs make when they are wounded or in some sort of pain.
Well, this particular dog was just sitting there on the front porch making those sounds. The man was curious as to why this dog wasn't barking like the other dogs and why he was whimpering. He couldn't figure it out, so he just kept walking to work. Well, this went on for the entire week and everyday when he passed by this house, the dog would be there moaning and groaning. So, finally, the guy got fed up, he said, "let me find out what's going on." So he went and knocked on the door and a guy came out and said, "Yes, how may I help you?" He said, "Sir, is this your dog?" "Yes, that's my dog." "Well, what's wrong with him?" The owner of the dog said, "What do you mean?" "Well, he's been sitting here moaning and groaning, whimpering and whining for an entire week. The rest of the dogs are barking, your dog should be barking too, why is he moaning and groaning?" The owner said, "Well, he's actually sitting on a nail." And the guy said, "What! Your dog is sitting on a nail. Why doesn't he get off?" To which the owner replied "Well, it just doesn't hurt him enough."
You know most people are like that dog sitting on a nail. I mean, sure, they would like to get off the nail, but instead, they just sit there on that nail because they're not sure what's going to happen if they get off. They never seem to stop to consider that maybe they would be able to move about and discover some new and exciting options for their lives. Even though it's not comfortable sitting on a nail, it kind of hurts, but at least they know what to expect. It is very sad that for most people if they can pay their bills and put food on the table and some clothes on their back plus a roof over their heads, that's enough for them. They just want to tip toe through life so that they can arrive at the graveyard safely and avoid facing any life challenges that are legendary in scope and have potential of advancing the well being of humanity.
Of course this will not be you simply because, instead of moaning and groaning, whimpering and whining about not getting the results you desire, you now know that you have the power of choice and today you will choose to get off that nail and create the conditions you desire for your future. There is great lesson I learnt from Alice in Wonderland an animated motion picture I once watched where Alice asked a cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" The cat answered, "That depends a great deal on where you want to go." Alice said, "Oh, I don't much care." He answered, "Then it really doesn't matter which way you go."
You owe it to yourself to periodically ask yourself the following questions: Which way do I want my life to go? What do I really want in life? Answers to these question gives you your choice and you are in control as well as endowed with the power to shape the destiny you desire based on the choices you make today. Quit blaming others for your disappointments. Make a quality decision to get up and get going. So until next time, remember you can have anything in life you want if you know what you want.
The power of choice is best captured in this story that I am going to narrate to you which goes as follows … One day a man was walking down the street on his way to work. As he walked down the street, there were dogs on just about every front porch and they all would bark as the man walked passed them. However, there was one dog that he remembered, because this dog was just sitting there and he was whimpering and whining and moaning, you know the little whimpering sounds dogs make when they are wounded or in some sort of pain.
Well, this particular dog was just sitting there on the front porch making those sounds. The man was curious as to why this dog wasn't barking like the other dogs and why he was whimpering. He couldn't figure it out, so he just kept walking to work. Well, this went on for the entire week and everyday when he passed by this house, the dog would be there moaning and groaning. So, finally, the guy got fed up, he said, "let me find out what's going on." So he went and knocked on the door and a guy came out and said, "Yes, how may I help you?" He said, "Sir, is this your dog?" "Yes, that's my dog." "Well, what's wrong with him?" The owner of the dog said, "What do you mean?" "Well, he's been sitting here moaning and groaning, whimpering and whining for an entire week. The rest of the dogs are barking, your dog should be barking too, why is he moaning and groaning?" The owner said, "Well, he's actually sitting on a nail." And the guy said, "What! Your dog is sitting on a nail. Why doesn't he get off?" To which the owner replied "Well, it just doesn't hurt him enough."
You know most people are like that dog sitting on a nail. I mean, sure, they would like to get off the nail, but instead, they just sit there on that nail because they're not sure what's going to happen if they get off. They never seem to stop to consider that maybe they would be able to move about and discover some new and exciting options for their lives. Even though it's not comfortable sitting on a nail, it kind of hurts, but at least they know what to expect. It is very sad that for most people if they can pay their bills and put food on the table and some clothes on their back plus a roof over their heads, that's enough for them. They just want to tip toe through life so that they can arrive at the graveyard safely and avoid facing any life challenges that are legendary in scope and have potential of advancing the well being of humanity.
Of course this will not be you simply because, instead of moaning and groaning, whimpering and whining about not getting the results you desire, you now know that you have the power of choice and today you will choose to get off that nail and create the conditions you desire for your future. There is great lesson I learnt from Alice in Wonderland an animated motion picture I once watched where Alice asked a cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" The cat answered, "That depends a great deal on where you want to go." Alice said, "Oh, I don't much care." He answered, "Then it really doesn't matter which way you go."
You owe it to yourself to periodically ask yourself the following questions: Which way do I want my life to go? What do I really want in life? Answers to these question gives you your choice and you are in control as well as endowed with the power to shape the destiny you desire based on the choices you make today. Quit blaming others for your disappointments. Make a quality decision to get up and get going. So until next time, remember you can have anything in life you want if you know what you want.
Friday, 7 November 2008
PERSUASION: the magnet of greatness
Nothing attracts success and greatness like the art of persuasion. Without mastering this subtle, yet very powerful tool your altitude of success is in jeopardy. This is one weapon that everyone who is serious about success must have in their arsenal. You do not need to look very far to see the co-relation that persuasion has with success. It is very evident in the lives of those who have mastered and effectively applied the tool. The whole volume of the bible is full of the Word of God persuading every reader and hearer of the Word to serious consider knowing and following God’s ways if they want to enjoy all the goodness that He has prepared for those that follow Him. Seriously think about this, with all His wisdom, mighty and power, God chose persuasion to reveal Himself to humanity, this should tell you something.
In America we are witnessing history being made by the charismatic US president elect Barack Obama, who has without hesitation fully utilized the art of persuasion with such tenacity that it literally begged for mercy. To appreciate persuasion at work here is an extract from Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, I quote “Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that's always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women; students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors found the courage to keep it alive”.
“Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach. These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land: Enough. This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight”. Who can blame John McCain for losing against such an opponent who ruthlessly uses the power of persuasion? It was through persuasion that millions of voters put their faith and the future of their country into the hands of a 47 year old black man who made history both because of his race and in spite of it.
I believe all successful persuaders are a result of having been successfully persuaded at some time in their lives. What a strange world it would be if there were no persuaders. Life is one continuous series of persuasions. At home it is the parent persuading the child, the child persuading the parent, the salesman persuading the prospect, the lawyer persuading the jury, the boy persuading the girl or the politician persuading his constituency.
To be a persuader you must be persuaded and in order to continue to grow we must practice the art of persuasion. The old saying, "Nothing succeeds like Success," fits the persuader perfectly. The earlier in life you begin, the fuller your life will become. It is only in sharing and giving that we realize what we have, and we can give nothing better than persuading others to worthwhile goals, right motives and eternal values.
I think it is safe to say that sometimes in our lives we will be persuaded to become positive persuaders seeking to give and share, or we'll not be persuaded and spend the rest of our lives waiting for a break, taking and keeping. I hope these thoughts on persuasion have increased your awareness of the great privilege and obligation of the persuader. The world needs one more positive persuader. Today let that person be you.
In America we are witnessing history being made by the charismatic US president elect Barack Obama, who has without hesitation fully utilized the art of persuasion with such tenacity that it literally begged for mercy. To appreciate persuasion at work here is an extract from Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, I quote “Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that's always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women; students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors found the courage to keep it alive”.
“Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach. These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land: Enough. This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight”. Who can blame John McCain for losing against such an opponent who ruthlessly uses the power of persuasion? It was through persuasion that millions of voters put their faith and the future of their country into the hands of a 47 year old black man who made history both because of his race and in spite of it.
I believe all successful persuaders are a result of having been successfully persuaded at some time in their lives. What a strange world it would be if there were no persuaders. Life is one continuous series of persuasions. At home it is the parent persuading the child, the child persuading the parent, the salesman persuading the prospect, the lawyer persuading the jury, the boy persuading the girl or the politician persuading his constituency.
To be a persuader you must be persuaded and in order to continue to grow we must practice the art of persuasion. The old saying, "Nothing succeeds like Success," fits the persuader perfectly. The earlier in life you begin, the fuller your life will become. It is only in sharing and giving that we realize what we have, and we can give nothing better than persuading others to worthwhile goals, right motives and eternal values.
I think it is safe to say that sometimes in our lives we will be persuaded to become positive persuaders seeking to give and share, or we'll not be persuaded and spend the rest of our lives waiting for a break, taking and keeping. I hope these thoughts on persuasion have increased your awareness of the great privilege and obligation of the persuader. The world needs one more positive persuader. Today let that person be you.
Monday, 3 November 2008
Profit from Adversity
It is easy to profit from the positive winds and seasons of favour. This does not take any effort. The real challenge in life is to profit from your disappointments. Every disappointment is an appointment with destiny. Every delay does not signal that the journey is over.
It is true that emotions will take their toll. Truly great people are able to get up and keep going even if they are hardest hit. The spirit of greatness is shown in one's ability to rise up and take another short in the midst of challenge and adversity.
I have had my own share of setbacks and disappointments. In fact I face disappointments on a day to day basis, but they are never enough to get me down and make me abandon my dreams. I know that every little blow adds up to something. Every bite of the cherry moves me forward. Every step in the right directions gets me closer to my goal.
Your adversity usually leads you to lonely places where you have to define and redefine many things in life. I like this little poem that I met in my reading:
"To walk down a path where great men have been is an honour itself,
For a few privileged men.
But to blaze one's own trail unequaled to thee;
Is a tribute to greatness that few men shall see."
Committed to your greatness
Milton Kamwendo
It is true that emotions will take their toll. Truly great people are able to get up and keep going even if they are hardest hit. The spirit of greatness is shown in one's ability to rise up and take another short in the midst of challenge and adversity.
I have had my own share of setbacks and disappointments. In fact I face disappointments on a day to day basis, but they are never enough to get me down and make me abandon my dreams. I know that every little blow adds up to something. Every bite of the cherry moves me forward. Every step in the right directions gets me closer to my goal.
Your adversity usually leads you to lonely places where you have to define and redefine many things in life. I like this little poem that I met in my reading:
"To walk down a path where great men have been is an honour itself,
For a few privileged men.
But to blaze one's own trail unequaled to thee;
Is a tribute to greatness that few men shall see."
Committed to your greatness
Milton Kamwendo
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
COURAGE: your spring board to success
The most important thing about a man is what he believes in the depth of his being. This is the thing that makes him what he is, the thing that organizes him and feeds him; the thing that keeps him going in the face of untoward circumstances; the thing that gives him resistance and drive. Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret is curiosity, confidence, constancy and courage, and the greatest of all is courage.
The importance of courage is best captured in the Holy Bible in the book of Joshua the first chapter when Joshua took over from Moses a great prophet of God to lead the children of Israel to enter and occupy the promised land. The Israelites had failed to possess the land for 40 years because they feared the giants that inhabited the promised land. God told Joshua to be strong and have courage three times since He knew that this was the most important quality that would enable Joshua to accomplish the challenging task that was before him. When you believe in a thing, and have the courage to carry out, implicitly and unquestionable, you will achieve it.
The key to having everything you want lies in expanding your definition of what’s possible and focusing on what you want. That’s it! Once you believe in the possibility of anything and focus in on exactly what you want to have, exactly what you want to do, then your mind can take you there. Your minds will believe whatever you convince it to believe. So, why aren’t you living out your dreams? What’s stopping you? Courage is what you require to awaken your dreams and start living the life you’ve always wanted to live.
There are several different aspects of courage. Perhaps the most important is the courage to endure, to persist, to "hang in there" in the face of doubt, uncertainty and criticism from others. There is need to practice patience in adversity. This is called "courageous patience," the willingness and the ability to "stay the course" in the face of uncertainty, doubt and often criticism from many quarters.
In my experience, there is a critical time period between the sowing of a seed which could be embarking on a new venture and the harvest which is in this instance the results that come from that venture. During this hiatus, this waiting period, many people lose their nerve. They cannot stand the suspense of not knowing, of possible failure. They break and run in battle, they quake and quit in business. But the true courageous person is he who can stand firm, who refuses to consider the possibility of failure. The turning points of many key moments in human history have been the resolution, or lack thereof, of one person. Courageous patience is the acid test of leadership.
To encourage others, to instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best requires first of all that you lead by example. To help alleviate the fears of failure and rejection in others is to encourage them to take calculated risks and allow honest mistakes. Give the people who look up to you regular praise and approval. Celebrate good tries as well as success, large and small. Create a psychological climate where people feel safe from censure, blame or criticism of any kind. Then do things that make people feel terrific about themselves.
Courage comes from acting courageously on a day-to-day basis. Your personal development goal should be to practice the behaviors of a totally fearless person until you become, in your own mind, unstoppable. Here are two ways for you to develop courageous patience. Firstly, prepare yourself in advance for the inevitable disappointments and setbacks you will experience on the way to your goal. Don’t be surprised when they occur. Secondly, resolve in advance that you will bounce rather than break and continually encourage others to think and act the same way. Dare to go forward. Courage is the mark of greatness in leadership
The importance of courage is best captured in the Holy Bible in the book of Joshua the first chapter when Joshua took over from Moses a great prophet of God to lead the children of Israel to enter and occupy the promised land. The Israelites had failed to possess the land for 40 years because they feared the giants that inhabited the promised land. God told Joshua to be strong and have courage three times since He knew that this was the most important quality that would enable Joshua to accomplish the challenging task that was before him. When you believe in a thing, and have the courage to carry out, implicitly and unquestionable, you will achieve it.
The key to having everything you want lies in expanding your definition of what’s possible and focusing on what you want. That’s it! Once you believe in the possibility of anything and focus in on exactly what you want to have, exactly what you want to do, then your mind can take you there. Your minds will believe whatever you convince it to believe. So, why aren’t you living out your dreams? What’s stopping you? Courage is what you require to awaken your dreams and start living the life you’ve always wanted to live.
There are several different aspects of courage. Perhaps the most important is the courage to endure, to persist, to "hang in there" in the face of doubt, uncertainty and criticism from others. There is need to practice patience in adversity. This is called "courageous patience," the willingness and the ability to "stay the course" in the face of uncertainty, doubt and often criticism from many quarters.
In my experience, there is a critical time period between the sowing of a seed which could be embarking on a new venture and the harvest which is in this instance the results that come from that venture. During this hiatus, this waiting period, many people lose their nerve. They cannot stand the suspense of not knowing, of possible failure. They break and run in battle, they quake and quit in business. But the true courageous person is he who can stand firm, who refuses to consider the possibility of failure. The turning points of many key moments in human history have been the resolution, or lack thereof, of one person. Courageous patience is the acid test of leadership.
To encourage others, to instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best requires first of all that you lead by example. To help alleviate the fears of failure and rejection in others is to encourage them to take calculated risks and allow honest mistakes. Give the people who look up to you regular praise and approval. Celebrate good tries as well as success, large and small. Create a psychological climate where people feel safe from censure, blame or criticism of any kind. Then do things that make people feel terrific about themselves.
Courage comes from acting courageously on a day-to-day basis. Your personal development goal should be to practice the behaviors of a totally fearless person until you become, in your own mind, unstoppable. Here are two ways for you to develop courageous patience. Firstly, prepare yourself in advance for the inevitable disappointments and setbacks you will experience on the way to your goal. Don’t be surprised when they occur. Secondly, resolve in advance that you will bounce rather than break and continually encourage others to think and act the same way. Dare to go forward. Courage is the mark of greatness in leadership
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
THE ART of earning money
This is a very topical global subject marred with controversy and complexity. Earning money is what is at the core of any profitable business establishment whether big or small. Since earning money is the very reason that millions of people jump out of the comfort of their beds at dusk and only to return home at dawn, I am heavily compelled to talk about this very captivating subject that had kept sages awake trying to understand how money has turned the wheels of commerce and revolutionize humanity. There is a very real possibility that everything you and I have been taught about how to earn money is so far from the truth that it's almost comical. The first thing that I want you to know concerning what you heard about money is that you don’t make money, you earn it: earning money is virtuous whilst making money is a criminal activity.
Earning money has nothing to do with age, formal education, gender or geography. It has nothing to do with past experience or your formal years of education or your level of intellect. The world is full of examples of individuals who are functionally illiterate who become multi-millionaires, while there are others who are absolutely brilliant and very broke. Virtually anyone can be taught how to earn millions of dollars and yet the sad truth is that most people are born, live their entire lives, and die without ever learning how to earn money. To perpetuate this ridiculous problem, their ignorance is passed along from one generation to the next. There has always been a small, select group of our population, who clearly understand that prosperity consciousness is the primary cause of wealth and their prosperity consciousness, like ignorance, is also passed down from one generation to the next.
Our school system has been designed as an environment to enlighten young minds, to replace ignorance with understanding and thereby improve the quality of life. Our educational system has obviously been successful in many areas. However, it has woefully neglected one important subject, "How to Earn Money." You can earn a doctorate degree in economics and have little or no knowledge of how to earn money. A lack of understanding in this area is the cause of numerous unwanted and unnecessary problems, since money is the medium of exchange that is used worldwide to access products and services.
Let's us now look at what money really is. Money is a reward you receive for the service you render. The more valuable the service, the greater the reward. Thinking of ways you can be of greater service will not only help you earn more money, it will also enable you to grow intellectually and spiritually. Money is also an idea. The paper you fold and place in your purse or pocket is not money. It is paper with ink on it representing money. The earning of money has nothing to do with the paper notes you see, but has everything to do with consciousness. This explains why so many people who embark on a quest to collect the notes have failed since such a mindset makes money as elusive as a mirage.
To accumulate wealth, a person must become very comfortable with the idea of money. That may sound strange, however most people are not comfortable with the idea of money, which is why they do not have any. The cause of poverty is poverty consciousness. A poverty consciousness will cause a person to see, hear, smell, think and feel lack and limitation. The late Mike Todd said, "Being broke is a temporary situation. Being poor is a mental state." I believe he was very correct since there are wealthy people who lose every cent they have through a series of mistakes in judgment, but they will have it all back in a short time because of their prosperity consciousness.
There are three income earning strategies. Firstly there is trading time for money, by far the worst of the three income earning strategies. An inherent problem with this strategy is saturation. You run out of time. If a person accumulates any degree of wealth employing this strategy, it will be at the expense of a life. You compromise on the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you choose and the vacations you take. You rarely, if ever, get what you want.
Secondly is investing money to earn money. This strategy is used by approximately 3% of the population. The number is small for the obvious reason that very few people have any money to invest. Many people who effectively employ this strategy follow the advice of a trusted, knowledgeable advisor. Last but not least is leveraging yourself to earn money. This is where you multiply your time through the efforts of others by setting up multiple sources of income. This is, without question, the very best way to increase your income. You must make a decision to have many sources of income; it's the strategy that wealthy people have used dating clear back to the ancient Babylonians. Unfortunately, this strategy is only used by approximately 1% of our population, yet that 1% earns approximately 96% of all the money that is earned and you are only a decision away from membership. Money is the ultimate servant. The more you earn, the more you can help others.
Earning money has nothing to do with age, formal education, gender or geography. It has nothing to do with past experience or your formal years of education or your level of intellect. The world is full of examples of individuals who are functionally illiterate who become multi-millionaires, while there are others who are absolutely brilliant and very broke. Virtually anyone can be taught how to earn millions of dollars and yet the sad truth is that most people are born, live their entire lives, and die without ever learning how to earn money. To perpetuate this ridiculous problem, their ignorance is passed along from one generation to the next. There has always been a small, select group of our population, who clearly understand that prosperity consciousness is the primary cause of wealth and their prosperity consciousness, like ignorance, is also passed down from one generation to the next.
Our school system has been designed as an environment to enlighten young minds, to replace ignorance with understanding and thereby improve the quality of life. Our educational system has obviously been successful in many areas. However, it has woefully neglected one important subject, "How to Earn Money." You can earn a doctorate degree in economics and have little or no knowledge of how to earn money. A lack of understanding in this area is the cause of numerous unwanted and unnecessary problems, since money is the medium of exchange that is used worldwide to access products and services.
Let's us now look at what money really is. Money is a reward you receive for the service you render. The more valuable the service, the greater the reward. Thinking of ways you can be of greater service will not only help you earn more money, it will also enable you to grow intellectually and spiritually. Money is also an idea. The paper you fold and place in your purse or pocket is not money. It is paper with ink on it representing money. The earning of money has nothing to do with the paper notes you see, but has everything to do with consciousness. This explains why so many people who embark on a quest to collect the notes have failed since such a mindset makes money as elusive as a mirage.
To accumulate wealth, a person must become very comfortable with the idea of money. That may sound strange, however most people are not comfortable with the idea of money, which is why they do not have any. The cause of poverty is poverty consciousness. A poverty consciousness will cause a person to see, hear, smell, think and feel lack and limitation. The late Mike Todd said, "Being broke is a temporary situation. Being poor is a mental state." I believe he was very correct since there are wealthy people who lose every cent they have through a series of mistakes in judgment, but they will have it all back in a short time because of their prosperity consciousness.
There are three income earning strategies. Firstly there is trading time for money, by far the worst of the three income earning strategies. An inherent problem with this strategy is saturation. You run out of time. If a person accumulates any degree of wealth employing this strategy, it will be at the expense of a life. You compromise on the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you choose and the vacations you take. You rarely, if ever, get what you want.
Secondly is investing money to earn money. This strategy is used by approximately 3% of the population. The number is small for the obvious reason that very few people have any money to invest. Many people who effectively employ this strategy follow the advice of a trusted, knowledgeable advisor. Last but not least is leveraging yourself to earn money. This is where you multiply your time through the efforts of others by setting up multiple sources of income. This is, without question, the very best way to increase your income. You must make a decision to have many sources of income; it's the strategy that wealthy people have used dating clear back to the ancient Babylonians. Unfortunately, this strategy is only used by approximately 1% of our population, yet that 1% earns approximately 96% of all the money that is earned and you are only a decision away from membership. Money is the ultimate servant. The more you earn, the more you can help others.
Friday, 10 October 2008
The Madness of the Stock Market
The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange is currently rated as the best performing exchange in the world. Zimbabwe's inflation is also rated to be the best (worst) there is currently standing at anything between 2million - 500 billion % depending on who you are, how you are measuring and why you are measuring. It is not uncommon at present to have a share rise by 50%, 200%, or 500%. That is just how things happen in a hyper-dynamic market.
A friend sent me the following story that I found interesting and instructive. It typifies the irrational exuberance that stock markets sometimes exhibit. Here we go...
Once upon a time in a village in South-East China , a man (or it could have been a woman) announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10. The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts. The man further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to $25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it! The man now
announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: ' Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50. '
The villagers squeezed together their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they never saw the man or his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!
Welcome to WALL STREET or better still, The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange! (ZSE).
A friend sent me the following story that I found interesting and instructive. It typifies the irrational exuberance that stock markets sometimes exhibit. Here we go...
Once upon a time in a village in South-East China , a man (or it could have been a woman) announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10. The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts. The man further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to $25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it! The man now
announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: ' Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50. '
The villagers squeezed together their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they never saw the man or his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!
Welcome to WALL STREET or better still, The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange! (ZSE).
THE THREE PILLARS of your success
There are three primary aspects of your life that will determine whether or not you are successful in your endeavors. You will not be successful if you have only one or two. You must have all three working together. Consider them like the three legs of a "stool of success." These are ability, attitude and motivation. Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. Engaging in any business endeavor lacking any one of them is similar to driving a vehicle that has one of the plugs not firing. To those who have never driven such a vehicle, I can safely tell you that it’s not fun. Not only does the vehicle shake you and vibrate like a cellphone, but it also consumes fuel in a fashion you have never seen before.
Lets take a closer look at the three aspects starting with ability. This is the level at which you are able to actually do things, it is your skill level. If you have a high level of skill, that's good. And the better you get, the better it will be for you. To the degree that you can perform your actions at higher and higher skill levels, the more and more success you will find in your chosen field. On the other hand, motivation is the level at which you are able to find "a reason to act." This is the internal drive that you find that enables you to exercise your abilities. To the degree that you can find a way, or ways, to keep yourself motivated, you will see yourself right in the thick of things, carrying out your actions to the best of your abilities and succeeding accordingly.
Your third pillar for success is your attitude. This is the mental state that you have while carrying out your actions to the best of your ability. It is the way you view the world around you and choose to see it, either positively or negatively. To the degree that you can maintain a positive attitude about yourself, others, and the circumstances you find yourself in, you will see yourself achieving greater and greater things.
Never delude yourself into thinking that you can get away without any one of these three aspects. Yes you can achieve success, but it will be very temporary since it will be built on a weak foundation. The greatest teacher of all times, our Lord Jesus Christ, taught on the importance of building on a firm foundation and emphasized that anything built otherwise will neither withstand nor pass the test of time.
If you have high skills and motivation but a rotten attitude, people will stay away from you and your business and this will hinder your success. With a good attitude and motivation but poor skills, people will like you, maybe even befriend you, but go to someone else with the skills they need. What if you have great skills and attitude but no motivation? Well, you'll be sitting on the couch like a lazy slug while the go-getters are out there making your money and achieving your dreams. You see, it takes all three. To conduct an audit check on how you are fairing on the three pillar of success, there is need to ask the following questions on these three aspects.
Ability: How highly skilled are you? Is your skill level holding you back? How so? What could you achieve if you just took your skills to the next level beyond where they are right now? How would improving your skills improve the bottom line of your success?
Motivation: How motivated are you? Why do you answer that way? What would your spouse or close friends say? Would they say you are as motivated as you say you are? Why or why not? Why do you have the level of motivation that you have? What could you do to find a higher level of motivation? What would happen if you became super motivated for the next period of your life? What great things would happen?
Attitude: Do you have a good attitude or a poor one? How would you rate yourself? What about when things go wrong? Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? What would happen if you took your attitude to the next level for the next month? What if you just chose to have an incredible attitude? What would be the ramifications?
Booker T. Washington expressed it best when he said “The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts." This is so true. People will judge you on what you accomplish, not what you know or what you talk about. In fact, if you know a lot or talk a lot but do not accomplish anything, people will wonder what happened. So the question is whether or not you will take the actions necessary to deliver on your potential. To do so, you will need to focus in on the three legs of the stool of success: Your ability, your motivation, and your attitude.
Take some time this week to give some serious thought to these three areas. Your success depends on it! And when you have done some reflection, put the conclusions you come to into action. Make a decision today to go all the way to the top.
Lets take a closer look at the three aspects starting with ability. This is the level at which you are able to actually do things, it is your skill level. If you have a high level of skill, that's good. And the better you get, the better it will be for you. To the degree that you can perform your actions at higher and higher skill levels, the more and more success you will find in your chosen field. On the other hand, motivation is the level at which you are able to find "a reason to act." This is the internal drive that you find that enables you to exercise your abilities. To the degree that you can find a way, or ways, to keep yourself motivated, you will see yourself right in the thick of things, carrying out your actions to the best of your abilities and succeeding accordingly.
Your third pillar for success is your attitude. This is the mental state that you have while carrying out your actions to the best of your ability. It is the way you view the world around you and choose to see it, either positively or negatively. To the degree that you can maintain a positive attitude about yourself, others, and the circumstances you find yourself in, you will see yourself achieving greater and greater things.
Never delude yourself into thinking that you can get away without any one of these three aspects. Yes you can achieve success, but it will be very temporary since it will be built on a weak foundation. The greatest teacher of all times, our Lord Jesus Christ, taught on the importance of building on a firm foundation and emphasized that anything built otherwise will neither withstand nor pass the test of time.
If you have high skills and motivation but a rotten attitude, people will stay away from you and your business and this will hinder your success. With a good attitude and motivation but poor skills, people will like you, maybe even befriend you, but go to someone else with the skills they need. What if you have great skills and attitude but no motivation? Well, you'll be sitting on the couch like a lazy slug while the go-getters are out there making your money and achieving your dreams. You see, it takes all three. To conduct an audit check on how you are fairing on the three pillar of success, there is need to ask the following questions on these three aspects.
Ability: How highly skilled are you? Is your skill level holding you back? How so? What could you achieve if you just took your skills to the next level beyond where they are right now? How would improving your skills improve the bottom line of your success?
Motivation: How motivated are you? Why do you answer that way? What would your spouse or close friends say? Would they say you are as motivated as you say you are? Why or why not? Why do you have the level of motivation that you have? What could you do to find a higher level of motivation? What would happen if you became super motivated for the next period of your life? What great things would happen?
Attitude: Do you have a good attitude or a poor one? How would you rate yourself? What about when things go wrong? Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? What would happen if you took your attitude to the next level for the next month? What if you just chose to have an incredible attitude? What would be the ramifications?
Booker T. Washington expressed it best when he said “The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts." This is so true. People will judge you on what you accomplish, not what you know or what you talk about. In fact, if you know a lot or talk a lot but do not accomplish anything, people will wonder what happened. So the question is whether or not you will take the actions necessary to deliver on your potential. To do so, you will need to focus in on the three legs of the stool of success: Your ability, your motivation, and your attitude.
Take some time this week to give some serious thought to these three areas. Your success depends on it! And when you have done some reflection, put the conclusions you come to into action. Make a decision today to go all the way to the top.
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
The Unbreakable Will of the Zimbabwean
There is a problem up ahead. Marjorie has been waiting in the queue for an hour now. The customs officials are taking their time to check every vehicle as it goes past the Border post. The Beitbridge heat is overwhelming. Pea sized beads of sweat roll down the side of her face, leave a cool trail down her neck and moisten her blouse.
There is a bus to her left, in a separate queue for buses. The bus and the trailer it is towing are jam packed with groceries, fridges, stoves and other appliances. The passengers jostle about as they help unpack the bus so that the customs officials can check the packages one by one.
Arduous.
She hears crackling laughter behind her. A woman and a man in an open pick are sharing a pack of french fries bought on the South African side, and a joke, probably inspired by the Zimbabwean side.
She is reminded of the contradictions in this country. Despair and hope live side by side like rival siblings. She smiles to herself and sighs, "Zimbabwe."
All of a sudden a surge of strength and possibility rises up inside her.
Like Marjorie, I too sometimes have to sigh in resignation. Sometimes I am angry, sometimes I am frustrated, sometimes I am left wondering "why".
But on the other hand, I have woken up every morning for the last five years feeling inspired by the Zimbabwean people. Here's a nation that refused to be broken by 11,2million percent inflation (Now allegedly at 531 billion percent), by joblessness, by six month power outages in some areas, by water cuts, by having no teachers for their children.
Here's a people that refused to bow down to hunger and fuel shortages, who would rather walk 15km to work than sit at home and give up, who would rather stand at a street corner and deal in forex than to rob and murder.
And so when I, with my warm bed and Internet access, wake up feeling depressed I remember the man who has woken up from a cold floor, drunk a cup of black, breadless tea for breakfast and walked to work in the wee hours of the morning.
And like Marjorie I smile to myself and know that I am stronger than I give myself credit for.
Thursday, 2 October 2008
TIME: Your indispensable ally to success
Time is the ultimate equal opportunity employer. Time never stops to rest, never hesitates, never looks forward or backward. Life’s raw material spends itself in the now, this moment, which is why how you spend your time is far more important than all the material possessions you may own or positions you may obtain. Positions change, possessions come and go, you can earn more money tomorrow but time lost is irredeemable. You can renew your supply of many things, but like good health, that other most precious resource, time spent is gone forever.
Results are the best measurement of human progress, not conversation, explanation or justification. Lasting and meaningful results only come by the effective use of your time. If your results are less than your potential suggests that they should be, then you must strive to become more today than you were the day before by effectively using your time. You should always remember that the greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of whom and what they have become with the passing of time.
You must pause frequently to remind yourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment you drew your first breath will also someday cease. To succeed in life, you should aim to do all that you can, every moment that you can, the best that you can, for as long as you can. The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did you do with today’s opportunity? All too often you will waste tomorrow as you wasted yesterday, and as you are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude you, despite your intentions, until you inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from your embrace a single, unused day at a time. You must be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of your life that seem so insignificant that its loss often goes unnoticed.
Regardless of your current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive you into action now this very moment. For most people who are not acting, they are in a delusion which make them believe that they still have all the time, lots of chances, lots of opportunities they need to succeed since there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless you develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. Always remember that there isn't an endless supply of time. The fires of greatness in your heart can be kept aglow only after you develop a sense of urgency and importance for what you do.
The sense of urgency should be to the extent that you feel it is a matter of life and death; and it is actually a matter of life and death, for in growing you are alive and in quitting you are dying in a sense. If you don't believe this, talk to anyone who has lost the sense of urgency of getting things done and has been drifting in complacency, mediocrity and failure. If you are without a sense of urgency in your work, the only place you will experience success will be in your dreams and never in reality. A sense of urgency is that feeling that lets you know yesterday is gone forever, tomorrow never comes. Today is in your hands and you know that shirking today's task will add to wasted yesterdays and postponing today's work will add to tomorrow's burden. The sense of urgency causes you to accomplish what today sets before you. It is that sense of agency that will catapult you to your greatest success.
Your dilemma goes deeper than having a shortage of time, it's basically a problem of priorities. Most people leave undone those things that should be done, while they do things that they shouldn't be doing. Set priorities for your goals. A major part of successful living lies in your ability to put first things first. Most of your major goals are not achieved because you major in minor things. Starting today, start majoring in major things that will get you closer to your objectives with each passing day. Anything that is wasted effort represents wasted time, don't serve time, make time serve you.
Results are the best measurement of human progress, not conversation, explanation or justification. Lasting and meaningful results only come by the effective use of your time. If your results are less than your potential suggests that they should be, then you must strive to become more today than you were the day before by effectively using your time. You should always remember that the greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of whom and what they have become with the passing of time.
You must pause frequently to remind yourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment you drew your first breath will also someday cease. To succeed in life, you should aim to do all that you can, every moment that you can, the best that you can, for as long as you can. The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did you do with today’s opportunity? All too often you will waste tomorrow as you wasted yesterday, and as you are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude you, despite your intentions, until you inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from your embrace a single, unused day at a time. You must be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of your life that seem so insignificant that its loss often goes unnoticed.
Regardless of your current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive you into action now this very moment. For most people who are not acting, they are in a delusion which make them believe that they still have all the time, lots of chances, lots of opportunities they need to succeed since there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless you develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. Always remember that there isn't an endless supply of time. The fires of greatness in your heart can be kept aglow only after you develop a sense of urgency and importance for what you do.
The sense of urgency should be to the extent that you feel it is a matter of life and death; and it is actually a matter of life and death, for in growing you are alive and in quitting you are dying in a sense. If you don't believe this, talk to anyone who has lost the sense of urgency of getting things done and has been drifting in complacency, mediocrity and failure. If you are without a sense of urgency in your work, the only place you will experience success will be in your dreams and never in reality. A sense of urgency is that feeling that lets you know yesterday is gone forever, tomorrow never comes. Today is in your hands and you know that shirking today's task will add to wasted yesterdays and postponing today's work will add to tomorrow's burden. The sense of urgency causes you to accomplish what today sets before you. It is that sense of agency that will catapult you to your greatest success.
Your dilemma goes deeper than having a shortage of time, it's basically a problem of priorities. Most people leave undone those things that should be done, while they do things that they shouldn't be doing. Set priorities for your goals. A major part of successful living lies in your ability to put first things first. Most of your major goals are not achieved because you major in minor things. Starting today, start majoring in major things that will get you closer to your objectives with each passing day. Anything that is wasted effort represents wasted time, don't serve time, make time serve you.
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