Wednesday, November 25, 2009

WHO ARE YOU?: Defining moments in life

One of the most fundamental questions that men have asked over the ages is the question of self-recognition,relevance and significance.  Often you would hear : Who am I? Why am I here on earth? or What the Earth am I doing here?  These seemingly funny questions are those you should be able to provide an answer to by now...if you have been following this blog.  In a short statement you should be able to clearly tell somebody what you are all about, your assignment, your purpose and projects you've embarked on to carry these out. 

Giving an answer to the question of who are you?  is one of the defining moments in a man's life because it would henceforth determine what you do, who are your friends, what activities you indulge and generally your life path changes according to the defined adventures you've set for yourself.  It is very important that you decide to on your dominant definate goals.  You really need to have a sense of destiny.  You should be going somewhere, a miracle going somewhere to happen!

Who you are has alot to do with your goals, vision and purpose for life.  You should be doing something daily that is leading you to your destiny, to your desired future.  Who you are could be seen from your speech,dressing,walk,talk and choice of friends.  If you are an eagle you would stop hanging out with chickens, because your destiny is not to be pecking food from the ground but to be soaring in the skies to limitless lands beyond the sight of the ordinary man!

Come friends, get a life! Get something that drives your day, get something that makes you wake up in the morning and shout " God is good!".  Get goals, pick up your forgotten dreams, they are real!  I believe in your dream!  Listen friends, if God gave you that dream, be sure He will keep His part and deliver it to you...yeah, yeah...you might be going through the fire right now...but know that gold goes through the fire to be refined,purified and bring out it's real beauty!  You are a gold and you don't even know it!...You are blessed beyond expression and you don't even know it!...You are destined,configured and delivered to this Earth for success in all frontiers of life and you...don't...even...know...it!

It would be an utterly disgraceful thing if you fail to deliver the future!  How can I know who I am?  Thanks for asking that question.  The following are simple steps I recommend you follow and you'll be on your way to discovering the awesome individual that you are:

1) To know the purpose of a thing ask the manufacturer--God. So pray and ask God...He will tell you.  Most of the time He has already built into you ques to who you are. They can be found in your natural talents and dispositions, things that you can do easily.

2) Get a mentor.  Who do you admire in the business world? Who do you want to be like?  Who is that individual of great success that you dream to be like?  Make them your mentors by studying their biographies,listening to their tapes and books.

3) Pursue self-developement seminars and programmes.  Knowledge is the vital ingredient to self-discovery,so to discover who you are, attend motivational seminars, get tapes of reknown speakers,teachers and motivational speakers.  You can't avoid this on the path of discovering who you are.

4) Take Action!  This is the most vital part of self-discovery. You need to put into practise all the things you've been learning from your mentors,seminars and books because a statistic shows that we learn better when we practicalize what we learnt, they sink deeper into our subconscious mind when we act on what we know.  Remember that it isnot what you know that matters but what you do with what you know that counts.

Stay Connected!

Recommended Reading : Success Is Who You Are (Sam Adeyemi), Make That Move (Abiodun Mabadeje), Understanding Your Potential, In Pursuit Of Purpose (Myles Munroe), Seven Things To Get To Your Future (John Obuku)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

WINNERS NEVER QUIT & QUITTERS NEVER WIN!

This is one of the most motivating words we have heard throuhgout history and how true these words are!  I have come to know that life gives to the persistent man what he wants.  You'll never make any significant impact without having the winner's mentality!  Yeah, there is a mentality for the winner and the same is true for the looser!  What are the projects that you have been pursuing and have relented due to obstacles on your way?

The act of winning is one that the individual has to settle in his heart that he has gotten the victory already, that failure is not an option.  Disreali said "everything comes if only a man will wait,I've brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it and nothing can resist a human being who even stakes his existence for it's fulfilment".  The winner has a believing attitude while losers have the doubting attitude-they question their abilities to succeed in life.

Don't quit!...it might just be that last blow that would finally crack the nut of your success.  Don't quit!...It might just be that final dig that would expose the oil well you've been looking for all your life.  Don't quit because persevering is the only route to success!  You only get to your success by hanging on, holding on and keeping on!  Don't accept failure because you are destined for success!

On the road to success you'll find people and things that would distract and discourage you but know this, the fact that you are facing opposition is proof that you will succeed!  Get like-minds that have dreams, follow people that are going somewhere, know that God is determined to fulfill your destiny.  Afterall He's the giver of that destiny! You didn't create yourself, he formed you and custom-made you for your assignment. Know that your assignment is geographical and to a particular set of people.

Know this, you are unstoppable!  You are the best for your assignment! Nobody else can fulfill it better than you!  You are a solution to a problem that's why God located you where you are! Winston Churchill was called to a make a very important speech in an event he stood up said "never never never give up" and went back to his sit--that was one of his greatest speeches.

Keep holding on and never give up, you will succeed!

Recommended Reading: Winners Never Quit,Quitters Never Win! (Robert H. Schuller)

CREATIVE NEW YEAR RESOLUTION!

As the  new year draws closer, one thing constantly impresses my heart-- What are my goals for next year? What are my new year resolutions? How would I go about creatively making and acting on them? Because I have come to know that many people make resolutions on 1st January and by 31st January they've abandoned completely their resolutions for that year.  This I feel is very tragic.

So friends, how do we go about organizing ourselves and planning effectively for the new year?  Because you can be efficient in drawing out a plan but ineffective in its execution; efficient is doing things right while effective is doing the right thingsMy major definative goal for next year is to be efficient and effective about my new year resolutions and creatively execute them.

Now I have designed a simple plan to executive my goals for next year (because new year resolutions are actually goals for the year), and it goes thus:

1) Write out all my goals and plans for the year 2010

2) Divide the year into 4 quarters i.e. every 3 months- Jan. to Mar, Apr to Jun, Jul to Sept., Oct to Dec   2010.

3) Divide these goals into 4 parts and allocate them to each of the quarters for the year.

4) Concentrate all efforts on the goals for a particular quarter so as to ensure effectiveness in execution.  To allow maximum use of time.

5) Monitor and measure progress at the end of each quarter and note areas of accomplishment, improvement and correction.

The Creative New Year Resolution is to ensure that goals-setting and attainment is more interesting and simple to implement. It also ensures that these goals becomes a part of the individual.  A wise saying goes, I think its Albert Einstein that said it--" to continue to do the same thing the same old way and expect a different result is one of the defination of insanity".  It's very important you try and work on making goal-setting and goal-execution your habit, because a saying also goes " we form our habits and our habits form our future".

Happy goal setting and execution! Take Charge!

Recommended Reading: Goals! (Brain Tracy)

Monday, November 23, 2009

THE POWER PRINCIPLE OF POSSIBILITY THINKING

Hello friends, another wondeful week, though it's billed to be a brief one, due to the upcoming holiday. I wish you all a stress-free and fun-filled week.  There is another power principle that I want us to deliberate about today,it's the power of possibility thinking.  Throughout these series you would by now be acquinted with the power of your thoughts, the power of visualization and having a goals or dreams for your life. 

This power principle of possibility thinking has it's roots in the strangest secret in the world which is " you become what you think".  This means we are guided by our thoughts, because our thoughts originates from our ideas.  So I ask : what are your ideas, what are the dominant thoughts that rule your mind?  Your present realities are as a result of the dominant thoughts in your mind.  Earl Nightingale said "you are where you are because that's where you really want to be, even though you deny it". 

Possibility Thinking is seeing the good in everything that happens to you.  It is looking for opportunities in the obstacles.  It looking for creative ways to go round a present challenge.  Possibility thinkers then to look for the good in everything that happens to them, and they do find them!  On the other hand, Impossibility Thinkers do exactly the opposite!  No wonder they always see negativism being reflected in their lives.

Your thoughts becomes your realities.  You become what occupies your mind most of the time, because actions originates from thoughts in our minds that becomes so strong that we eventually act on them.  Remember the words from the Bible, "as a man thinketh so is he", this is at the bottom of the principle of possibility thinking.  The possiblity thinker ponders on the realization of his dreams, he has hopes and expects to get the results he's looking for, and eventually he carries out actions, and things most of the time falls into place to give him exactly what he desires.  Remember the strangest secret in the world.

So friends, what are your dominant thoughts? Becareful because you might just see them in your life!  Instead of thinking negative, think positive.  Instead of saying "I don't think I can become rich", say "I know I will definately become rich". There is power in positive confessions, because the Father will confirm the words of our mouth.  The ancient text also says "death and life are in the power of the tongue and he that loveth it will eat of it's fruits"...so be careful on what you say and think about, this is very vital, very very vital.

Just believe and succeed!  You can get that goal you are pursuing, it is possible.  You can get that admission it is possible, people that have gone ahead of you and that have it, are humans like you.  In order to develop a possibility thinking mentality, the following are my suggestions:

1) Listen to mentorship tapes daily.  Intense listening to motivational/inspirational tapes cannot be over-emphasized.  It is said that intense listening to motivational and self development tapes is equal to university education.

2) Read personal development books daily.  The principal ingredient for empowerment is knowledge.  Personal development and leadership books form an important part of your personal library.  Books maketh the man, books shapes the man and books gives drive for your goals and aspirations.

3) Make positive confessions to yourself everyday.  Wake up everyday and pray to God then bless yourself by saying positive things to yourself.  You can look in the mirror and beginning to say to yourself "I am blessed, I capture what I picture, I picture success and possibilities to all my endeavours and I'm blessed by God".  These are powerful internal motivators that would spur you to peak performance for your day.

4) Believe that all things will work together for your good.   Believe that your life is in the hands of the Supreme Being, our Father, and He has good thoughts for you, thoughts of peace, of  hope and that He will give you an expected end.  Have this settled deep within you that God desires the good for you out of every situation.

5) Develop your personal relationship with God.  He is our manufacturer and He alones holds our future in His hands.  God is not worried about your future, infact, your future is God's past! He is in control.

There are so much possibilities for you if only you can see them...think and act positive in all situations knowing that ultimately YOU WILL WIN!  S-T-A-Y  C-O-N-N-E-C-T-E-D!

Recommended Reading : Moving Ahead With Possibility Thinking (Robert A. Schuller)

Friday, November 20, 2009

DREAMING ON PAPER: Unlocking the power of visualizing

All through these series on Inspiring Moments we have been talking about dreams, goals, vision and having clearly written down plans for our life.  In this 21 century, we cannot survive and make meaningful impact if you don't have a direction for our life.  You need to have specific,measureable,achieveable,realistic and time-bound goals and plans for your life...you can't escape this if you are really thinking about making any meaningful impact with your life.

Dreaming on paper is simply taking a good note book or journal and clearly writting down your plans and visions for your life.  There is a Law of Visualization which gives birth to the Law of Recognition, the Law of Visualization says anything you visualize for a long time and have pictures of it around you that you look to always will eventually manifest in your life. It may sound strange but people that have applied it in their lives has seen results that amazed them,all because they had pictures of their dream cars, houses, places they want to visit in life around them always. 

You can practice it by having a scrap book where you paste pictures of your dream cars, dream house places you would love to visit in life. Pray about this to God because it's Him that would make them come to pass, remember what the scripture says,"commit your ways into the hands of the Lord , delight yourself in Him and He will bring it to pass" also " the heart of a man deviseth his ways but it is the Lord that directs his paths".  Let me state here categorically that you cannot achieve good success without God!  You can't because ultimately all your goals should be used to glorify him.

The next step is the most important one, TAKE ACTION, nothing you know will be of importance if you fail to take action. Nothing!  Go ahead now and pick a paper (a notebook and journal is preferrable) and write your Life Goals, your vision for next year, your new year resolutions! You can do it!  Success is a journey, take my hands as we go along together.

See you at the top! Take Charge!

Recommended Reading : The Principles and Power of Vision (Myles Munroe)

THE LAW OF RECOGNITION

Hello friends, it's a beautiful day! And thank God it's Friday!  The world is full of mysteries,principles and laws that governs how well we live.  You might be wondering by now, why does John loves talking about principles, laws, secrets and formulars for success? Hmm, worry no more because I've found from research that by asking the right questions, you will get the right answers.  You are where you are today because of the questions you've asked so far. 
Life will give you the answers if only you ask the right questions.
The Law of Recognition states that "everything you need in life is already around you waiting for your recognition".  Everything you will ever need to succeed in life and to achieve whatever goals and plans you've set for yourself is already around you waiting for you to recognize and utilize them.  Most of our needs and wants are already built into the people and things that surrounds our daily lives, you just have to recognize and maximize them.

One of the mistakes we make is judging a book by it's cover, that is to say, we overlook and underestimate the abilities and capabilities of things and people around us.  Built in that your friend is a great leader,partner and supporter of your vision.  You have people around you that can be very good business partners.  Around you are great music talents that you can develop,refine and harness for mutual benefits in terms of impact,fame and fortune.

One of the latest happenings that buttresses the law of recognition  is the current demands for antique materials like old pendulum clock-believed to have magnetic value of some sort that could avoid radar and sensor detection;old coca-cola bottle-believed to be made of pure crystal; Nokia 3310-believed to have same magnetic properties etc.  All these attest to the fact that we have gold around us but we don't know it.  I believe in your family house there are antique items of immense economic value, if only you can recognize them.

This law is far reaching than we could ever imagine, there are businesses that are around you waiting for your recognition.  One way of making money is by solving a problem for someone, there are problems in Nigeria, which one of them are you solving? Look at a problem and create a business out of it by providing a solution to it, then you will be on you way to wealth and success.  There is no crowd at the top because only few men are willing to pay the price of success.  The price of success is hardwork, risk and leap of faith called action!

Stay Connected !

Recommended Reading: The Law of Recognition (Mike Murdock),Start With What You Have (Sam Adeyemi)

Thursday, November 19, 2009

THE STRANGEST SECRET IN THE WORLD (Part 2)

This world is governed by principles and governing laws which are true all the time, they are inflexible. Examples are the Laws of Gravity-anything goes up must come down, Achimidie's Law of  Floatation-anything that has an hollow can float on water and Isaac Newton's Quantum Theory -an object will be in a state of rest until an external force is applied to it.  There are several of these laws that are time-tested.  So is this strangest secret it in world.

This strangest secret is - You Become What You Think AboutThis is the key to success and also the key to failure.This secret was even started by the greatest speaker that ever lived and He is alive, the young Jewish teacher Jesus, he said "when you pray believe that you have received what you ask and you shall have them", "out of the good treasure of the heart a good man brings out good treasure...and out of the bad treasure in the heart a bad man brings out bad treasure...", all these points to what you think about!  The Bible also states "as a man thinketh so is he"...Mark 9:23 if thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth"..."as ye believe so shall it be done unto you". You cannot rise about the level of your thoughts.

The human mind is the last unexplored continent, it is a standard equipment from God that reproduce to us whatever we plant into it.  Haven't you imagined why we go through school and various trainings to acquire skills that would form the foundation of our future endeavours-- your mind is your greatest asset!  If you plant thougths of failure into your mind, it would take it and yield failure in your life!  If you plant thoughts of courage,faith,lofty goals and great achievements, these would be birthed into your life in just a matter of time.

One of the newest definations of success I've found is this : Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal.  If you plant thoughts of success in your mind, and meditate on that continually and it becomes a dominant thought in your mind, friends, it will come to pass in your life, and the same goes for thoughts of failure.  This Strangest Secret In the World has being ignored by men throughtout ages, maybe because of it's simplistic outlook...you may wonder, how can my thoughts affect my life?  Your actions are as a results of meditated thoughts, that's why the ancient text but it this way "if you lust after a woman in your heart you've already committed fornication".  See, thoughts are that powerful !

Throughout all the ages, wise men, teachers,great minds and philosphers have disagreed on many things but it's on this one thing they've all have similar conclusion. Check this out : Marcus Aurelius ,the great Roman Emperor said "a man's life is what he's thoughts make of it". Disreali said "everything comes if only a man will wait,I've brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it and nothing can resist a human being who even stakes his existence for it's fulfilment".  Ralph Waldo Emerson said " a man is what he thinks about all day long". William James said that "the gratest discovery of my generation is that men can alter their lives by altering their attitudes...if you only care for a result, you will almost certain attain it...only if you wish it strong and long enough".

To apply this secret only believe and succeed.  Remember, we become what we think about most of the time...if you think about nothing, you will become nothing!  If you think about being wealthy, you will be wealthy in due time because, your mind would think on how to device strategies to achieve your dominant thoughts.

Stay Connected !

Recommended Listening: The Strangest Secret In The World-mp4 ( Earl Nigthingale)

DREAMING BIG

One of the principles of life is the power of a dream, it has been said that what we become in life has alot to do with our dominant dreams for our lives.  All  through history, great achievments have been born as a result of outstanding dreams in the minds of men.  One very vivid example of a dream is the great I Have A Dream speech by Matthew Luther King Jr.   Dreaming Big is really about having high and lofty goals, worthy ambitions and a direction for your life, having an audacious objectives and life visions that actually need only God to bring to pass.

Someone once said  "if God is your father and partner in business, then dream big!".  Friends, if you are really dreaming big, then your plans should be so big that they scare you because you did not create yourself, He created you and gave you a purpose to fulfill on this Earth.  That purpose is usually found on things you love doing, on things that aggravates you and want to correct.  Dreaming Big is wanting to achieve something significant in your life, it's about living a fulfilling and impactful life not just the old "being born, go to primary school, University or Polytechnic, serving your country (NYSC for Nigeria),getting a job, getting married, giving birth to children, raising children,retire at 65 and then wait for death!  I believe God created us for something more significant than this.

The life you are living now is as a result of the dreams that were in your heart some years ago. The type of clothes you wear, the car you may drive, the house you're living now etc these things were once in your mind.  Haven't you noticed that somethings happened in your life and you said " exactly what I dreamed about! my dream has come true!".  Does that sound familiar?  Where you will be ten years from now is exactly where you are in your dreams today!  If you don't dream it, it won't see it!

There's only one place where you are not limited and that is in your mind.  You can be limited by space and time but never in your mind.  You cannot be imprisoned (physically) in your mind.  The only limitation an individual experiences in his mind are self-inflicted.  So friends, never underestimate the power of your dreams, remember the saying " dreams can come true".

Don't be afraid to dream.  You might have the solution to a crucial problem in the world.  You might have the solution to AIDS, the Niger Delta Crisis in Nigeria, corruption in the corridors of power!  Just dream big!   I ask once more : what are your dreams for next year?  Dreams have the power of giving you new meaning for living, bring happiness into your life, a new pitch to your voice.  Keep dreaming, dreams do come true!

Stay Connected !

Recommended Reading: Dream Seeds for Destiny (Rev. Matthew Omodiagbe), Live Your Dreams (Les Brown)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

THE STRANGEST SECRET IN THE WORLD

There is a secret I have just discovered through research.  By now you must be very familiar with the phrase " the world is full of mysteries", how many of those mysteries have you uncovered?  The search for purpose,reason and value for life is one that is age long gravings of men throughout history. This secret is called The Strangest Secret in the world  because it is something every human is gifted with...everybody!

The reason why it has remained a secret for so long and even till now is because men overlook it and see it as a common place thing that has little or no value.  Have you not imagined why things that are freely given to us by God are not easily replaceable?  Things that we get for free are not easily replaceable!...any good man might loose all his wealth and in a couple of years he could replace everything and even become wealthy but can he replace his sight if he looses it? If one of his legs is amputated can he grow another one?...Hmm...I don't think so. Heart transplant, Kidney transplant and eye transplant are evidences that we can't really replace these seemingly free gifts from God!

This secret is the power of the human mind, and it says "you become what you think about most of the time",  in the words of Napoleon Hill, "whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, it can acheive".  The wonder of our GSM phones and the amazement and resourcefulness of the Internet were ideas that started in the minds of men!  Men first saw these things in their minds before they birthed  them in real life.  Please, don't forget this secret, you become what you think about most of the time, it is one of the power principles of successMike Murdock said "you will only became successful in something that has become an obsession", meaning for you to succeed you must have that mental picture with you all day long, for most part of the day, you should dream about what you want to become, all the time!

If what you think about is what you eventually become then it's a very wonderful gift from God and at the same time very dangerous!  If what a man thinks about negative things all the time, then he will be seeing negative results in his life, and imagine if he lives for 70 years and all he does is pessimism ?  What a tragedy!  That means you should be very careful about what you think about most of the time.  You can achieve anything, go anywhere,be anything you want to be and build the greatest wealth yet seen (after King Solomon) but it all starts with what you think about most of the time.

So what have you been thinking about  most of the time all year round? Hmmm...I'm so sure some of them would be manifesting in your life as you read this....think about this!  If what you are seeing is not what you want, then change your thoughts! 

Please post your comments about this post and every other one you read, this blog is actually for me and you.  Tell us if you are being blessed and inspired.  Hoping to hear from you soon. Take Charge!

Recommended Listening: The Strangest Secret In the World-CD (Earl Nigthingale),Where Will You be 10 Years From Now?-CD (Sam Adeyemi)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

THE PRINCIPLES OF WEALTH (Part 4)

The Millionaire Formula goes like this:
1) 10% of your income goes to Tithing.  It is very important that you give 10% of your income to your partner on the road to success-God.  Your business is to give that which belongs to Him and not being bothered about what is done with it, afterall, you've got 90% to yourself!  Some folks prefer to give it directly to the poor or to support the less priviledge, whatever, but make sure you give out 10 % out of your income to God...it is one of the secrets to increase!

2) 30% of your income goes to paying your living expenses.  It is important that 30% of your monthly income goes to your upkeep.  That means, budgetting is a vital part of your life henceforth! Any expenses that goes above this mark should be shifted into next month's budget,see friends, believe me, you cannot acquire everything at onceTrying to get everything done at once is one of the reasons for failure, dissappointments and debts--heavy debts!  Like one of my fathers would say, "anything I don't have now in my life, I am not qualified for it yet ".  I think that's a sound financial prudency advice.  You've got to be frugal and avoid instant gratification of your wants or needs.  Think, plan and budget for every expenses, you should have a budget for your expenses for the next 90 daysAvoid impulse buying!

3) 30% of your income goes to fun and adventure.  Yeah, you heard me right, fun and adventure, building financial wealth doesn't have to be a "save-and-die affair" .  Fun and adventure means you reward yourself today while saving and investing for the future.  It has been discovered that people would gladly save for tomorrow if they know they can enjoy some comfort of life today and also save and invest for tomorrow.  It's like this, you enjoy yourself today and put some money away into your savings and investment plan for the tomorrow (the future).  This is important because, you would have been enjoying the fruits of your labour today while building for tomorrow, which a saying goes thus "today is the only guarantee we have, tomorrow may never come".  God will protect us to see our tomorrow, Amen!  Make sure you give equal amount to fun and adventure as you give to savings and investing, it is one vital principle. It serves as enjoying equal amount of what you are putting away!

4) 30% of your income goes to savings and investing.  This percentage should be shared equally between savings and investing.  Decide on the amount of savings you want to be having monthly as a buffer against emergencies and work on keeping away consistently that same amount.  Look for viable investment outlets to put the other part of the 30% , you can invest in instruments like shares, mutual funds,use your stock broker for speculative trading on the stock market, real estates etc.  Get information on these areas of investing because investing is really about how much you know.  You have to invest in your personal development in terms of financial education.  Your goal is to become a professional investor and not just a passive investor that commits your money into the hands of financial experts, attend seminars,read books, listen to tapes and build your library on financial educating materials.  Jim Rohn  said "income rearly exceeds personal development". I agree.  The amount of income you would be able to generate has alot to do with your level of personal development!

In concluding this for now, you must do what 90% of people who read this financial information would not do, TAKE ACTION! ACT! Start with the level income you have and your expenses and work towards making them align with these target percentages! It would work for you, it has worked for others!

Please visit http://www.ronhenley.com/ for full dose of  The Millionaire Formula. Take Charge!

Recommended Reading: If You Want To GET RICH You've Got To BREAK THE LAW! ( Ron Henley)

THE PRINCIPLES OF WEALTH (Part 3)

Research has shown that only 10% of people who get this information ever act on it, the remaining 90% goes on living their lives the same way and continue to get the same results--financial lack.  My goal is to get you into the 10% percent that would get these principles and act on them, if you get into the acting on these principles, my aim would have been achieved.

There are many principles of wealth creation, we'll be going through several on these series and I pray that you'll pick the one that would be suitable for you and work on it  till you get the financial results that you desire.  Note, from my studies I have come to notice that these principles do more than just give you financial freedom, they change you, they change how you deal with money, your spending habits and your savings and investments culture.

I'll be giving out some websites that has to do with Financial Education and some materials on personal finance---see friends--- the journey to financial freedom is lots of work, because with more power (financial power) comes more responsibility ( disciplined spending ,savings and investing).  More so, these brief blog posts are not enough to adequately deal with the issues of money.  My aim over here is to give you the needed push to make that move so that you'll experience maximum impact  in your finances, family and life goals.

I want to share in this post The Millionaires Formular, it's one of those Priniciples of Wealth  that is bound to change you and your finances.  It is divided into four parts, they are:

1) 10% of your income should go to Tithing
2) 30% of your income should go to paying your living expenses
3) 30% of your income should go to fun and adventure
4) 30% of your income should go to savings and investing

Each part of the millionaires formular  is very vital to the actualization of the goal of financial freedom.  The formular is 10-30-30-30, this is one formular you really want to remember...because obeying it quarantees your becoming a millionaire over time!...yeah...you heard me right, a millionaire!  See, these is a formular applied by a millionaire and he gave it out, it worked for him, it will work for you. Remember that success has it's tracks.  If you follow this formular you will end up where they ended up--being a millionaire!

Stay with me...the journey has just begun!

Recommended Reading: If You Want to GET RICH You've Got To Break THE LAW! ( Ron Henley)

Monday, November 16, 2009

THE PRINCIPLES OF WEALTH (Part 2)

In the financial world, there is a popular saying that goes " the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer", this saying is what I have come see as a principle not just a mere saying but a concrete principle that is time tested and remains true for ages to come. Then one would ask, why? The answer is that the rich work with a mindset that is way different from those of the poor. So, what mindset do you work with? Hmm?

The rich are getting richer because they don't work for money but they work for assets that in turn produce money for them, so even if they go to work or not, their assets are working for them and they still get money.  The poor are getting poorer because they work for money and if they don't go to work, their income reduces or they don't get paid at all

Robert Kiyosaki, our guru on Financial Education, in his book, Increasing Your financial IQ, he said that having a small business or being self-employed is having a job, which means when you don't work your income decreases or ceases,that's one of he reason they remain at the poverty threshold.  To build wealth one have to operate of source of income that is sort of self-generating and that can be taxed very little.  Money you earn from employment are easily taxed and bearly sufficient to meet your needs, you need to have more than one source of income,that is, having multiple streams of income.

The principles of wealth is a well researched area of knowledge and the information there is growing by the day, infact there are so many rules of success, rules of money, laws of wealth creation etc but basically they all point to one simple fact: to be financially free and build great wealth, one should be able financially literate and disciplined.  That means you should seek knowledge on money matters, buy books, attend seminars, both free and ticket events, get magazines and journals, infact acquire all materials you can lay your hands on, and most importantly ACT! Take action on what you would be learning, take action! act ! act!! act!!!

I've said times without number that it's not what you know that matters but what you do with what you know that counts.  My suggestion to you in going about this wealth building thing, yeah, it's a building thing  not an instant millionaire stuff, is that you take a set of these "rules of wealth" and apply them for the next one year or six months and see how your finances would take shape!  One thing I can guarantee is that these laws of wealth would change you, yeah, it would change how you see money, how you spend and how you budget money.  We will be sharing some of these laws that I have been able to uncover from painstaking research and study on this matter of financial education, and there's still more to learn.

Stay with me...it's a journey to financial freedom. Take charge!

Recommended Reading: Why We Want You To Be Rich ( Donald Trump & Robert Kiyosaki), Increasing Your Financial IQ,Rich Day Poor Dad, CashFlow Quadrant (Robert Kiyosaki),Power to Make Wealth (Abiodun Mabadeje), Parable of the Dollars(Sam Adeyemi)

A PERSON OF SIGNIFICANCE

Hello friends, thanks for all your comments and contributions to my blog posts, I really appreciate your inputs, they are invaluable.  A thought was going through my mind recently, and actually it forms the core of what this blog space is all about : Am I a person of significance?  Am I living to the utmost of my true potentials?  Why am I a Nigerian and not an American?  Why was I born in Africa and not in Europe?

 We all might have asked this same questions some time in our lives and I ask, have you found an answer to that? I believe that the greatest gravings of the human spirit is the search for significance and relevance.   I believe that being born a Nigerian or whatever country you may come from is not an accident...never, God saw a problem that's why He created you and custom made you for our country.  I am so glad am a Nigerian, am so glad because corruption is in trouble!

Being a person of significance is actually living and dying for a course and that shows someone who has discovered his purpose for living and is willing to pay the price to make a difference.  Are you ready to be a difference to your generation?  What would be your significant contribution to your country of birth?  See friends, you are not just born into Nigeria by accident, you are not just some haphazard creature of God that He sent here because He has nothing else to do, you are a deliberate work of His hands sent here to make a significant contribution to your immediate family, your village,your tribe, state and country. You are a solution to a problem!

The ultimate joy you will ever experience in life is the joy of discovering and fulfilling your purpose! It sets your heart at peace with men and yourself,you'll have a new drive for life, a new zest for your work and a new spring on your feet.  Purpose gives you joy that words cannot describe, it gives a sense of direction that you are truly going somewhereA man with purpose will overcome every obstacles that usually comes on the road of successWhen you have a purpose you don't go everywhere, you don't hang out with everybody or anybody, you only hang out with those that are going the same direction with you.  A wise saying goes that "stop hanging out with chickens if you are an eagle!".

Being a person of significance means you have discovered who you are, what you are called to do and you are busy fulfilling it...believe me friends, nothing you do will ever count, nothing!  You are more powerful and gifted than you think! Take Charge!

Recommended Reading: Releasing Your Potential,The Glory of Living (Myles Munroe), Make That Move (Abiodun Mabadeje),Seven Keys to Getting To Your Future (John Obuku)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

THE POWER OF IDEAS : Unlocking the greatest power in the Universe

Everything you see around you is as a result of an idea.  The world we live in, the vast expanse of space and the beauty of the oceans and the depths of the sea, are all products of an idea in the mind of God!  You see, to change your life, all you really need is an ideaThe difference between you and your desired future in an idea.  What is that million dollar idea that you have been nursing for so long?

It may be an idea to establish a school.  It may be an idea to establish a business centre or a cyber cafe? It maybe for you to go to the studio and wax your own CDs and VCDs of your song or movie! Funny enough, most ideas look foolish when they first come to your mind, or they look somewhat impossible to achieve given the present circumstances; but believe me friends, you only need a working idea to turn your life around. 

I have come to notice that God speaks to us most of the time through ideas. The air planes, the telephones, electricity and the automobile are all products of ideas in the minds of men that they gave them chance to be nutured and birthed into lifeThe ideas in your mind could actually be the solution to critical problems of our world, but are you bold enough to nuture them to life?  Be bold. God gave it to you and He will make provisions for their fulfillment.

Imagine Bill Gates kiling the Microsoft idea through inaction, imagine Thomas Edison giving up on the idea of the incandescent light bulb, imagine the Wright Brothers killing the idea of the aeroplane, imagine Isaac Newton giving up on his wonderful inventions,imagine Wale Adenuga giving up on his Super Story,Papa Ajasco and PEFTI ideas, imagine Larry Izamoje  not giving the idea of Brila FM a chance to be born?  I wonder what the world would be like by now... I just wonder!

So please friends, wake up to the ideas that God has given to youTake a chance and give birth to your dreams.  Nothing is as satisfying as a brain child...absolutely nothing.  Seeing your idea come to life and blossoming is one of the greatest fulfilment that surpasses monetary compensation.  A wise saying goes that "it is more honourable to try and fail than never try anything and succeed at it"

Stay connected!

Recommended Reading : Ideas Rule the World, Start With What You Have (Sam Adeyemi)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

PRINCIPLES OF WEALTH : Taking the right steps to financial freedom

Like we said earlier on, there are principles that guides the operation of this universe, like the law of gravity. There is a principle that guides the planets that makes them revolve round the sun and keeps each planet in its orbit so that no one clashes with each other and that they maintain the right distance from the Sun. Principles work the same result wherever they are applied.  The Principles of Wealth I want to share here will work for you because they are time tested principles that yield's the same result everywhere.

I was listening to several messages that has to do with Financial Education and Personal Finance, and I have come to understand that the principles of creating great wealth are actually learnable. All it takes is a very serious level of discipline to implement them.  Most people want to be rich but don't want to go through the rigours of financial discipline and learningThe rich have a mindset that is different from the poor that's why they keep on getting richer.  The poor obviously operates with a mindset that keeps them at the poverty threshold.

The poor have a way of thinking about money that is tailored towards "spending" all the money they earned in a month while the rich thinks of how to "multiply" their income by savings and investing it in ventures with propensities of increase, like businesses, shares and real estate.  I have never seen a rich man without a business or a company he is running; I have never seen a poor man who has a company or a business that goes beyond subsistence level.  See, your wealth starts from changing your thinking. Think Big! Think Money! Think how to multiply your wealth! Stop reckless spending! Stop spending all you have and try keeping some part for tomorrow!

If you really want to be rich you should be ready to go the extra mile...develop the hard worker attitudeYou should be thinking of having your own business, you cannot get rich working for somebody else...you may say, are we all meant to be C.E.Os? Yes, I can tell you because not everyone has the courage to be one, if you have the courage, you take that risk! Not taking the risk is a risk in itself! There many principles of wealth creation so we are going to dwell on this topic for sometime. The challenge I have for you is to take these various principles and apply them in your life. You can implement one for the next six months or one year, and see how your finances have actually changed.  Remember it's not what you know that matters but what you do with what you know!

You can be financially free...it starts with a single step and apply certain disciplines! It involves changing your ideology about money and spending. Investment and savings should become important words in your dictionary. Get books on personal finances, shut the door, sit down and read! Get some financial education and improve your financial intelligence.

Stay connected and take charge!

Recommended Reading : How to Increase Your Financial IQ (Robert Kiyosaki), Mastering Money (Praise George),Multiple Streams of Income (Robert G. Allen)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

PLAN YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

Everything of outstanding beauty and success requires detailed plans.  Imagine the process of drawing the plan of a house by the Architect before the actual building is constructed.  It involves the various dimensions of the rooms,living room, toilets, kitchen and other areas of the proposed building, including the various cost of materials needed. So your road to success should be one that is a planned process.  Success is not an accident, you don't just stumble and find yourself successful.  I have come to know that success is alot of hardwork.  Someone once gave the formlar for success as Preparation + Opportunity = Success

Mike Murdock said "quality preparation leads to quality performance".  The amount of planning you put into whatever endeavour your entering would lead to the amount of success you will experience.  Even the good book said " the heart of a man deviseth his ways and the Lord directs his paths", you just have to give God something to direct.  Some of us are telling God to "bless us", but He answers saying " with what?", we tell Him, "Oh God bless me with money" and He says " to do what?".  In other words, God is looking for our plans so that He can commit great wealth into our hands.

Brian Tracy in his award-winning book - Goals! said that "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance ".  The planning process forces you to organize your thinking in order to identify all the key issues that must be dealt with if you are ultiamtely going to be successful. Planning helps you to take time to do careful thinking before you commit resources and people so as to avoid wastages. Planning is a discipline and skill that can be learned.  The next time you want to embark on any project ensure that you've properly put everything on paper, make a list of all you'll need and keep on adding to that list and adjusting it as situations demands.  Before you finally embark on it make sure you've thoroughly thought it through, it's very vital because it is easier to get into something than to come out of it.

As the year runs to an end, have you started making plans for next year?  What are the things that you want to achieve in the first quarter,second quarter, the third and fourth quarters of next year?  Start now to plan!  Do not wait till December 31 night in church or mosque before you pick a piece of paper and hurriedly scribble some things down that you've not really thought about...those are things that you'll unlikely pursue with passion.  Trust me... it pays to plan.

So start now!  Take a paper now,as you are reading this and start making plans for next year, write down your vision for next year, your new year's resolution!  It gives your life direction and drive!

Stay connected and Take Charge!

Recommended Reading: Goals!, Eat that frog! (Brian Tracy), The Principles and Power of Vision (Myles Munroe)













 

Monday, November 9, 2009

YOUR GIFTS YOUR PROFIT: Turning your natural talents into income streams

I was reading a book recently and it sparked off a brilliant thought in my heart and I want to share it with you.  I believe that wrapped in every human being is the purpose of God for this Earth,every human is gifted in an area that is of global significance. I believe every human is gifted, have talent and has something to sell in the market.  You have within you gifts and talents that can be turned into commercial value and that can make you your own boss.  The question is have you discovered your gifts?  Have you found something that can make you resign your current employment and then pursue it?

Your gifts are those things that you naturally do without much effort.  They are what men recognise you with, they are what you are all about.  When I say Jay Jay Okocha, you'll say master dribbler and great footballer, when I say Tiger Woods you will say golf superstar, Micheal Jackson you'll say king of pop,2face,you'll say R & B Superstar and the list goes on.  You will see that these individuals are known for something that has nothing to do with what they studied at school.  They discovered and maximized their talents.  What are you naturally gifted with?  See, friends I cannot really over-emphasize the importance of your gift to your ultimate fulfilment and success in life...I can't.

Your gift is your only protection against economic melt down.  Isn't it wonderful than despite the economic melt down, those that are working with their gifts like musicians,athlethes and sportmen are still ranking millions in their respective profession.  God can get you out of your paid employment to bring you down to your gift.  He does that because He alone knows the wealth stored inside of you, it's amazing that when man is pushed against the wall, that's when he turns inside and starts to draw from the treasures within himself, that's why my favourite books says "out of the treasures of the heart a man speaketh". 

You might be singing in the choir, but really you are supposed to have your CDs and VCDs out there!  You are not just a church keyboardist but you should be a Music Director with your own studio producing Gospel Artistes!  You are not just a sunday school teacher but a best selling author and a speaker of high repute!  There are businesses in you! There are songs in you, yeah, you...am talking to you! Those songs you've played with, they are real songs that should be out and blessing lives!  That publication or magazine you are thinking about should be published, climb over every obstacles and setbacks and comeback to the original idea given to you by God.  I believe in you.

In concluding for now...going to the grave with what you have is robbing humanity of what God sent you to doYour gifts are capable of bringing into your life the greatest streams of income  you will ever experience, your gift will make people from all over the world to look for you! Your gift is valuable.  Seek it, develop it and refine it...it is for your profiting and blessing to the lives of others.

Stay connected !

Recommended Reading : Power to get Wealth (Abiodun Mabadeje), Maximize Your Potential (Myles Munroe)

Friday, November 6, 2009

INWARD ANANLYSIS: How knowledgeable are you today than Jan 1st this year?

Hello friends, as part of our self-evaluation exercise as the year pulls to an end (actually, it doesn't really matter what time of the year in which you are reading this)  one of the greatest exercise that would be most beneficial to you and your dream is the process of taking specific time intervals during the course of the year to re-evaluate and re-assess our progress so far as regards our goals and objectives- this is what I call The Inward Analysis.  It is very vital. So I ask again, are you more knowledgeable now than you were January 1st this year?

How many books have you bought, how many have you read and how  many have you practicalized? If I should look at your library, what type of books will I see there?  How many professional exams have you taken, have you up-graded yourself beyond your Bsc,HND  or whatever you degree you started with this year? Are you a better person than you were at the start of this year that is running to an end?


These questions might jolt you to thinking real hard and deep, and truly that's my motive.  I want you to be true to yourself and assess all the "new year resolutions" you made as at 31 December last year and line them up with your achievements for this year...How much progress have you made?  Now, many contigencies and dissappointments might have occurred at certain points during the year but the most important thing I believe is how much consistency and persistence you showed inspite of these setbacks.  Persistence is defined as the consistent insistence that you deserve what you desire.   The reason why people fail in life is because they give up too soon, at the point of hitting the jack pot, they quit.

A yound boy once acted Socrates,our world reknown greek philosopher, he said "what is the key to success?".  Socrates told him to meet him close to a particular river early the next morning.  So the next day they met there. Socrates told the boy to follow him side by side into the river, as they move further into the river and the water got deeper and deeper up to their neck level, Socrates then submerged the boy into the water and held him in a vice-like grip.  The boy struggled and struggled for his life but Socrates was very strong.  The boy struggled till he was turning pink and white, then Socrates released him.  When they got out of the water. Socrates then asked him, " what was on your mind when you were underneath the water?", the boy answered " Air, I wanted to breathe air". Socrates then said "there is no secret to success, you will have success when you wanted it as desperately as you wanted air".

The story above is a classic demonstration of persistence and drive, if you really want to achieve your goals, you must be very passionate,persistent and a feeling of I-need-it-like-air attitude, because life gives you what you demand not what you wishWishes are in our minds, dreams are in our minds and clearly written down on paper.  The successful man is the man who refuses to give up on his dreams.  No matter how many failures you have encountered, you will only succeed if you stay on and keep on holding on your dream.  You have a dominion spirit that is from God that can soar like the eagle over any circumstances.

When you keep on with your dream, even angels will come over and stop all obstacles on your way and tell them to give you what you want because you are desperate about it like you need to breathe air!  The top is not  crowded, there is space at the top!  Common let's climb the ladder of success there is no competition at the top! You can make it ! Only believe! Take action ! Make that move! You're a champion!

Stay Connected! T-A-K-E  C-H-A-R-G-E!

Recommended Reading: Goals!, Eat That Frog! (Brian Tracy), Inspiring Moments,Seven Keys to Getting To Your Future (John Obuku),Make That Move (Abiodun Mabadeje)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF WEALTH?: Redefining our wealth mentality

Hello friends, I hope you are having a good day just as I am,I want us to ponder on a very crucial issue that affects our lives as humans, and the issue is this: What is the essenCe of wealth? Why do we want to be rich?  What's our real purpose for wanting great wealth?

The motive behind doing something is the true reason why an act is done.  If a lady marries a man because of money, we would say she is greedy and her lust for the wealth of the guy is the major reason why she's married to him not because she actually loves him, which implies that if the money was not there she wouldn't be married to him,furthermore, if the money is no longer there she will leave him.  That is true also for your reason for wanting more money.

I believe that the true reason  for having wealth is to bless lives,to be a person of influence and positive change because you can do alot of good things with lots of money than you can do without it.  You should term this reason your Money Mission.  Pst Matthew Ashimolowo said in his Wealth Creation teaching series, The Mindset of Kingdom Millionaires, that you must have a money mission, you must have a reason why you want God to bless you with great wealth. He said a believer should have at least 3 money missions which are :

Money Mission 1: To build the Kingdom of God
Money Mission 2: To bless your family (but do not spoil them)
Money Mission 3: To bless your community by building orphanages,hospitals and other community services

So, you cannot break into real wealth if you do not have a money mission in mind,because a money misison is meant to make us have a focus and a direction for our finances.  According to my favourite book, "money answereth all things...wealth is a defense".  You have to re-assess your motive for wanting wealth.  I know having lots of money means control over our circumstances. Money gives power. Money is a magnifier of what we really are. If you are a proud man, having money would make you more arrogant. If you are humble, money will make you more humble, if you are a free giver, more money will make you to give more. If you are a reckless spender, more money will mean more reckless spending.

So building a right personality is very important so that when the money comes it will reflect the great champion that you areCharacter development is more important than wealth creation,a sound character can create great wealth. If your character is well developed and okay, when the money comes things will be fine. If there is a character flaw, more money means disaster,oppression and doom.

In concluding for now...your motive for having great wealth will ultimately determine your fulfilment in life, because true happiness comes from impacting lives and making a difference in your generation.  Stay Connected!

Recommended Reading: The Law of Recognition (Mike Murdock), The Burden of Freedom, In Pursuit of Purpose (Myles Munroe), You Can Win (Shiv Khera)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

PENULTIMATE MONTH, PENULTIMATE ANALYSIS!

As 2009 gradually draws to an end, something fills my mind, it's a concern,and it's this-- How much of my goals and visions for this year did I achieve? On a scale of 1 to 10, how would I  rate my success this year? Because one of the definations of Success is the ability to achieve what you've set out to do for yourself.  Have I really been successful this year?

Well, first of all, I will have to thank God for seeing everyone of thus this far and we believe He will take us to December 31 and we'll all shout Happy New Year for 2010, Amen! So, how have you been successful with your plans and goals for this year?  Are you finishing this year strong or your strength have actually fizzled out and you are bearly hanging on?  Whatever your answers to the above question is, I want to let you know that it's not too late to make a positive change. Not too late, remember the old wise saying, " it is better to be late than never".

So I want to inspire you to pick up your diary where you wrote those things down,dust them,roll up your sleeves and begin to work at them. Begin to work at being better than yesterday.  Everyday you should learn something new and be in a position of greater knowledge than you were yesterday.  In other words, self development and personal improvement should be your watchword for each day.  Commit yourself to life long learning.

One of the secrets of habits is that anything done for twice becomes easier, anything done for 7 consecutive days becomes an habit, anything done for 21 consecutive days becomes a lifetime habit.  So, the surest ways to make the change is to make your goals your daily habit because the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.  What are you doing daily that is taking you towards your dreams,goals and your desired future? Prioritize your routines!

Make that move...Change...It is possible...only change your thinking and your life will change!  You've got the power!

Stay Connected!

Recommended Reading: Goals! (Brian Tracy), Seven Keys to Getting Your Future (John Obuku)