EXPECT WHAT YOU PROJECT!

A great man once said we don't see the world as it is but we see the world as we are. Have you noticed that no matter how poor a village is, there is always at least one very rich person! Guess you may see in the city of the blind........ The point here is this, while every city boasts of some rich and comfortable individuals, there are also folks who live in abject poverty and squalor! Fact is, success has never been about a place, it is about the individual. My pastor would always say: "Any place can produce for a man..."

One important ingredient that success requires is a positive outlook to life. The holy book says a cheerful countenance works magic like medicine.

I tell you a simple story that sheds more lght on this.........

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

Dear friend, all the faces in the world are mirrors. We would always attract the personalities we project. Be positive about life and you will attract positive people. If only you will change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.

Keep happening!

THE BIGGER THE DREAM!

I am a strong believer in the FUTURE of this country. The 'FUTURE' is not just some imagination, vague picture or wish. To me, the 'FUTURE' is a people. Whenever I talk about 'THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA', I am talking about ‘MY GENERATION’. I believe in my generation and the lot we have to offer our country. Irrespective of our horrifying past and challenging present.

It is for this reason I do what I do; inspire, provide direction and guidance to members of my generation to ensure peak performance and all-round successful living...

For the next couple of days (maybe weeks), I will be talking about DREAMS! I will narrow down my focus on the subject: THE BIGGER THE DREAM! This is a excerpt of one of my recent presentations!

There are some basic facts that none of us can argue. One of them is: everything outstanding begins in dream form. It first begins in the 'seed' form before developing or growing into 'food' form. Many people are quick to celebrate the 'food' state, forgetting there was ever a 'seed' form.

What exactly is my point? You cannot succeed in life without a DREAM! A man or woman without a DREAM will die a slave! Wishes are for slaves, DREAMS are for masters, pacesetters and front liners!

Now to the basics! One thing is certain, we didn't all come from same backgrounds. While some of us came from average homes, others came from affluent backgrounds, while some others came from terribly poor backgrounds.

To my mind, your 'background' is your door to planet earth. The quality of your background does not count much. For instance, there are many doors into a beautiful hall, it does not matter much which door you came through into the hall. What matters is that you end up getting into hall and securing a seat in the hall! This is what counts! Friends, destiny doesn’t care much which ‘door’ you came through into this world; you are already here – make impact.

Here is another illustration.
If you put a gold wristwatch into a dirt bin, the dirt-bin does not turn into a wristwatch. Neither does the wristwatch become dirt. The wristwatch may not have increased in value, but the dirt-bin increased in value. Why? It had a gold wristwatch inside it.

What is the lesson? It does not matter which dustbin you were born into, you are created to add value to it. You must add value to your family; you must add value to your nation.

Stop holding unto or complaining because of your background. Do not tie yourself to your past. There is more ahead of you than there is behind you. You can be all you choose to be, irrespective of how you have been.
There is hope for the man that chooses dream, against all odds...

We will talk about the ‘START POINT’ on my next post!

Keep happening!

BEING FAKE IS HARDWORK!

I believe the hardest task anyone can saddle him/herself with is working towards being the perfect replica of somebody else. It costs and involves a lot.

Also, anyone who chooses to be like someone else should be ready for constant [and annoying] evaluation; people will continuously measure your 'transformations' with your ORIGINAL's identity. This could be very frustrating if whatever they say is a far cry from what you want to hear. It is cheaper being YOU. It is only a 'competitor' than stands the risk of being defeated...

On the other hand, nobody desires to ‘photocopy’ an ‘original’ that's a failure. Everybody wants to duplicate a SUCCESS. Obviously, pirates don’t go after artistes and albums that don’t sell. Thus, as an ORIGINAL, when you become successful in anything, there would always be someone waiting in the wings to ‘duplicate’ your style, approach and principles. While this may be the shortest route to ‘success’, it equally has its cons.

I can't argue the fact that some folks may have risen to fame and stardom through duplication of 'successes', one fact we shouldn’t downplay is the fact that the Almighty created us to be ORIGINAL - He equally placed in us all the resources required to make this possible. Without doubts, living life different from our Creator’s standard has its own disadvantages... There is a portion of the Holy bible that says: "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and LOSE HIS SOUL...”
In relation to this post, I think the above can be interpreted as saying: “what will it profit a man if he LOSE HIS SOUL (uniqueness, originality, conscience, individuality) in his attempt/desire to gain the pleasures of life!” The message is simple: Be ye ORIGINAL!!!

It is not out of place to be inspired by people. It only becomes tragic when you let their ORIGINALITY expire yours! I believe it is good to adopt the style and principles of others. However, we have the responsibility of developing ours and thereafter blend theirs with it. To my mind, the effect of other people’s uniqueness ought to make you a BETTER person! It shouldn't transform you into what you were never meant to be! You must make a conscious choice not to get lost in other people, especially in this crazy age that forces you to become what you don't have natural ability for!

Every time I get the privilege of speaking at University campuses and to young people, I never fail to tell them: “get inspired by me, don’t get expired because of me.” All too often, young people easily get carried away by the glittering ORIGINALITY of others, without necessarily focusing on how they can harness theirs. Be yourself, so someone else can adore you. You have a life – LIVE it!

When 2 persons are alike, one of them would certainly lose relevance. The 'photocopy' becomes a ‘spare’. Besides, why on earth should anybody buy 2 shirts of same size, same colour and same design?
Maybe one of the main reasons you have been losing fame, money and relevance is because you are the perfect replica of someone 'around.' Take note of 'around'!
Why should people come after you when your style, product and principles doesn't reveal anything UNIQUE? Nothing sells like DIFFERENCE! Today's leading organizations appreciate this fact, this is why they work assiduously on building a U.S.P - Unique Selling Proposition. They devote so much energy and resources in building and projecting their difference.

Fact is, as a PHOTOCOPY; no matter how much you may try, the credits always goes to your ORIGINAL. All attention shifts to your original, despite your sweat.
Question: why should anybody come for you when your ORIGINAL is still very much around and can be gotten very easily

Looking at a perfect example in the bible, Elisha never gained prominence until Elijah was taken away by the Lord.

Folks, it is too expensive and somewhat detrimental to be a PHOTOCOPY (this is different from being a PROTEGE). It takes away more than it brings.

In life, everybody likes variety. In fact, variety is said to be the spice of life. Thus, if you truly want to be a “spice” in life, be UNIQUE! Refuse to opt for 'pseudo' when you can effortless be a great YOU!

Work on your personal brand. Don’t be ashamed to be different. This is where your wealth and relevance is, celebrate it!

Let me end this post by asking you 2 very important questions:

· If we decide to separate your thoughts, style and principles from your friend’s and those you admire, what will you look like?

· Do you truly have a life you can call yours?

READING YOUR STORY FROM THE RIGHT LIPS....

Isn't it amazing how we most times go all-out just to win the approval of people? We do everything just to be on the good books of anybody and everybody, even when it is noticeable that some of them don't really give a damn about our person!!!

Over the years, I have discovered that many people lost their fire for life, their fighting spirit, their daring attitudes, their will to be and do --------- merely because of one form of rejection or for the reason that somebody somewhere registered his/her abhorrence and intense dislike for them.

I have always believed that anything good will be hated by anything evil; the best will always be hated by anything average...
On the other hand, people will always criticize what they don’t understand. Besides, it wouldn't be an act of wisdom for anyone to embark on a ‘you-must-love-me’ campaign... Life is too short to permit that luxury! We just have to live our lives the best way we can and trusting God for the grace to be the best person we should be!

I am tempted to believe that Jesus Christ was faced with a similar situation at one point of His journey, hence the remark: “all the people the Father has sent to me must surely come to me....” He was confident destiny had assigned some special people to His life and no matter what, they will surely come to Him and stick with Him. This ought to be our conviction also, we also need to have same perspective if we must enjoy our journey through life!

This is the reality of life: no matter how nice you are, there will still be haters around. While some will hate you for being 'too nice' - they will describe it as 'foolish', others will hate you for being 'too independent' - they will describe it as being 'rigid'.......... There will always be persons who have intense dislike for you merely because of your physical height or body built...... Some hate you for being 'too smart', whereas to others, you are just one dull chap! Some will say you are 'too rich' to be their friend, others will say you are too poor..........................

The truth of the matter is, most of these folks are people who envy/admire you and will do anything possible to be like you. Isn't it a shame that it has become a culture to us Africans to always criticize anyone better than us? This is why to the average man on the street, anybody richer than he is definitely got his money through shady means........ This attitude is what I like to describe as IGNORANCE ON RAMPAGE!

While it is important to sometimes hear/listen to what people think about you, don’t ever make the mistake of asking/listening to anyone who doesn’t have any ‘investment’ in your life to tell you your 'story'. You will never get the truth from their lips!
Imagine asking the devil to give you God’s resume? Everything you will hear from him will be lies and proof of his hatred/jealousy!
You will never get the true picture of your life from the lips of those who have not invested anything in you!

At another point of Jesus’ journey, He needed to know what people thought about Him, so He asked His folks: “What does the public think of me...?” He got some responses. But, as if to prove that what the ‘crowd’ think doesn’t matter much, He didn’t emphasize on what He was told their perspectives were. Rather, He went further to ask those who had invested their time, sweat and resources on Him: “who do you think I am....?” These were the comments He eventually held dear to His heart!

Don’t try reading your story from the lips of those who don’t like you; they've made no deposits in you, so they won’t speak right about you!
Refuse to fake just to win admiration from people; you are not a failure because some loser somewhere said so! Stay true to who you are and you will attract genuinely nice people.

You must happen!

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Self-imagery [HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF] matters a lot in the equation of success. There is no way you can be successful if you see yourself as ‘not-good-enough’ or a ‘never-do-well’. Our perceptions of life are what attract the circumstances of life to us... “AS A MAN THINKS IN HIS HEART, SO HE [and situations] SHALL BE...” This implies that Nigeria will NEVER be productive for those who think she is cursed!

From experience, I have discovered that over 88% of individuals in our generation suffer an esteem problem. Their lives have been wrongly shaped by the situations, suggestions and opinions of other people. In many cases, the opinions were intended to be a joke. But somehow, it had a negative effect on the person it was used on... Whatever goes into the mind must someday cry for expression.

Dear friends, the people around you are the ones who paint the picture you will have about yourself. This is why it very important you consciously hang around people who believe in you and who use good words on you. We are all made by words, what we hear and believe shapes us.... What we hear is what decides how we see ourselves...

The way you see yourself is what decides what you pursue. Your self-imagery affects your goals and dreams... This is why how you see yourself is as, if not more, important than how you see God. Ask the 12 spies and the 2 leprous men in the bible...

God never created an error. He never created a failure. Every man has a star, what matters is just SEASON. When Jesus Christ was born, it was His star that attracted the 3 wise men... Even Jabez had a STAR; he later became the one that saved his city...
Just as you have a unique STAR, you also have a SEASON. Make a conscious choice not to faint before your SEASON shows up. When your SEASON dawns, your success will be uncontrollable, uncontainable, overwhelming....

Against all odds, make it a deliberate decision to always see yourself in positive light as a great person and to always say good things about life and your Creator... Never create or allow room for regrets.

I am very confident that “THE-NEXT-BIG-THING-TO-HAPPEN” just read this piece.
You will succeed!