Lesson #6 –People may initially seem to express their talents, gifts and calling in a negative way, but leaders should help steer them towards the right course.
I recently read the first mail we sent out to our subscribers on 13 April 2003 and could not believe the number of typos I found in it. I recall that in the first five years of Christ Lifeline operations, we sent many articles to our subscribers without properly editing them. In the last 5 years however, most of the weekly devotional messages we have sent out have been edited by Ijeoma Onyenobi (Ijay) – one of our Partners. Why did we make the switch?
The first time we pleaded with Ijay to review a weekly devotional write-up, I vowed never again to send out any more without passing them through a second or third level review. Ijay almost “tore that article apart”. She has a way of first understanding the message you want to pass across and then upgrading the articulation admirably. She reorganizes ideas into perfect sequence and sometimes, deletes the “rhymes” that you hold dear. By the time she is done with her review, you almost feel like doing a course in Linguistics. In fact, there are times she spins my articles into excellence that I feel guilty to consider myself the author. I’d like to share with fellow leaders a good lesson from our “discovery” of Ijay.
Ijay and I worked together in the same organization at one point. This company believed in displaying the highest standard of ethical values. One of the ways they constantly reminded us of these ethical principles was by sending out emails containing “ethical dilemmas” and requesting comments on how we would deal with the issues. One of such emails was sent on 23 July 2007 to all staff and comments started pouring in from left, right and centre. After a week of receiving several “off key” comments, Ijay sent a mail to the over 600 staff picking holes in both the question and responses. When I read her mail, it made a lot of sense, but I can tell you that she had to attend some top management meetings after that mail. A few months later when Christ Lifeline executives started searching for an editor, that event kept recurring on my mind, and today, Ijay does not only pick holes in our articles, she helps us restructure syntax to develop more edifying messages that bless lives. Her talent was initially perceived as rude by some of our Directors, but God was steering her towards a right course.
As leaders, we must remember that some people are like Moses; his assignment was centred on stopping the injustice of the Egyptians to the Israelites. But the first time he attempted to give expression to his assignment, he killed an Egyptian for maltreating an Israelite. Such people usually give indication of their gift / calling by way of something they claim to hate, something they constantly complain about or wish they could put an end to. People may misunderstand their intentions and even criticize their actions but Christian leaders should see the real intentions of their heart and appreciate the connection to their assignment on earth and, the expansion of God’s kingdom. Looking back, I recall several stories like the one described above; God has helped us discover many great people around us, even though the initial expression of their talents, gifts and callings may have been misconstrued by many.
Nevertheless, in assisting to provide guidance, we are learning to apply Jesus’ teaching in Luke 16:10 (GNB) “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones”. In the past 10 years, we have violated this principle from time to time and have experienced similar situations like the story below, a pastor shared with me in 2004:
A brother came complaining bitterly to the pastor that their church had neglected evangelism – the heartbeat of God. He said he felt grieved to see much attention being paid to frivolous matters when God’s original design was for all believers to be committed to the ministry of reconciliation. The pastor, determined to correct the situation, appointed this brother (the “complainant”) as head of the evangelism unit. A few weeks after this brother was appointed, he absconded from the church and never returned.
May we always rely on God’s wisdom to sieve the wheat from the chaff as we steer others towards maximizing their God-given gifts because not every “complaint” is an indication of a “calling”.
– Tope S. Aladenusi
Lesson #5 –Sow in your wife what you want to reap in your life.
We were wrapping up our Christ Lifeline May 2013 leaders meeting when I informed the team that I planned to write this series on 10 leadership lessons in 10 years. Pastor Gabriel Ajibade immediately said – “Sounds good. I hope one of the lessons will discuss the importance of having a very good and supportive wife like yours?” There were chimes of “yes” and some nods across the room. I took a surreptitious look at my wife and then I asked with a negative tone – what gives us the impression that I have a supportive wife? I could imagine her thinking – “do you mean I am not supportive?” Pastor Gabriel then said reassuringly – “well, I think from all I can see, she has been very supportive.” At this juncture, I had to come into agreement with Pastor Gabriel and also say a few words on how wonderful my wife has been – and still is! When I turned to look at my wife this time, she was beaming with smiles.
Before I got married, a man once told me that woman means “the woe of a man”, but I believe that is one of the greatest lies ever told. Contrary to this man’s statement, I dare say: if thou shall succeed in life and ministry, never underestimate the importance of women, especially thy own. The bible admonishes us in Ephesians 5:28 (CEV) that “a husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. A husband who loves his wife shows he loves himself.” The reason is simple – in the mind of God, a man is one flesh with his wife. They are so joined together that whatever he does to her, he does to himself directly. Our wives can be likened to the stomach and digestive system in the body; the food you feed it doesn’t remain there but gets broken down and circulated to the entire body. In like manner, whatever you sow in your wife (good or bad) will soon get ‘circulated’ to you. That is why I like The Message translation of Ephesians 5:28 which reads – “And that is how husbands ought to love their wives.They’re really doing themselves a favour—since they’re already “one” in marriage.”
Beloved brothers, we are so connected to our wives such that “whatever we type on their keyboard appears on our own screen”. If we make them unhappy, we end up unhappy. If we make them fulfilled and productive, we end up getting excellent results. Whatever we sow in our wives, we reap in our lives (Galatians 6:7, Ephesians 5:31). Sometimes I think that any man that downplays the importance of having and caring for a good wife is operating at a lower level of intelligence. The devil’s trap is to make us see women as complicated and unimportant as possible, because he knows how pivotal they are to our destiny. I once saw a picture that tried to depict the Manual of Understanding Women – Volume 1 as containing millions of pages. But I see that as the devil’s trap, and believe a ‘one pager’ manual would do for a man that has the mind of Christ. Stop listening to the devil’s description of a woman; follow the Word!
I have heard many men complain that women seek too much attention. Some even ask how I am able to find time for my wife despite my very busy schedule. Well I don’t know the exact estimate of time a woman needs daily, but I know that they begin to feel you are not there for them if they are unable to share that pressing issue on their minds or the latest “gist of the day” because they love to communicate. The conversation may seem to start with complaints, but over time they will glide into sharing ideas. Therefore, giving a regular listening ear and sharing your thoughts (if necessary) about what they have to say with a lot of encouragement where necessary, may be a very key aspect of satisfying their need. I cannot be prescriptive as to what amount of time to share on this but the importance of doing this daily (until it comes naturally) cannot be overemphasized. A man should also strive to meet his wife’s need spiritually, emotionally, sexually and physically, or communicate effectively if (and why) you will be falling short in any aspect for some time.
I’m aware there are many women in leadership positions and I do encourage it, but I’m inspired to focus on men on this write-up. Men should do themselves a favour by providing leadership in the home and bringing out the best in their wives. I have also realised that intelligent wives also avoid provoking their husbands to sow the wrong seeds even when they are angry, because they know that if things don’t augur well for him, it will definitely rub off on them directly or indirectly. As leaders, this is an area where we must daily strive to see that we are not found wanting. 1 Timothy 3:1-2 (MSG) says “If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife …”
– Tope S. Aladenusi
Lesson #4 – A man of God is still a man; if he acts like God 7 million times a year, and acts like a man 7 times a year, thou shall not crucify him.
The phrase “man of God” (popularly referred to as M.O.G in our day) appears 73 times in the King James Version of the Bible, with just 2 occurrences in the New Testament. M.O.G seems to have different meaning in different quarters. In some Christian gatherings, M.O.G refers to the Pastors and church leaders while in other circles, it is used to eulogize anyone who is fervent in the service of God. As at the time I became born again over two decades ago, M.O.G was widely used to describe brethren that appear to be holy in deeds, without visible “spot or blemish”. Many believed this definition without knowing they did; which is why it was common to hear things like – “That brother did that wrong thing, yet he calls himself a man of God” or “No one can convince me that he is a man of God after that wrong he did”. Interestingly, many believers rate themselves and others, not based on the Spirit of God dwelling in them, but on the number of exceptions (or wrongdoings) in their lives. This “exception-based” rating is one of the devil’s traps to stop believers from manifesting the life of God.
Back then, I heard so much about this mode of rating believers to the point that I became a backslider from the faith. One day, I counted about 2 attitudes in my life that I felt were consistently wrong, and I concluded that this “man of God thing” did not seem to work for me. The next day, I stopped every effort towards being a Christian and attempted to return to my old ways. I was restored in the faith after some years but that “exception-based rating” still had a strong hold in my heart. It manifested strongly when we were to commence operations in Christ Lifeline. I recall one of the reasons I gave God to prove I wasn’t fit for the job was that I was not perfect in my deeds. If I didn’t overcome that mindset, Christ Lifeline would have remained a dream at best because as I write this piece, I still travail daily to measure up to the standard of Christ in my lifestyle.
However, Romans 6:14 says “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” This means sin should not control you. When we rate our fellow believers based on a sin we find in them or when we decide we are not good enough to do God’s work because of a shortcoming we haven’t dealt with in our lives, then we let sin have dominion over us. Beloved, God sees differently. He sees you just the way he sees Christ (1 John 4:17) and He knows that as you continue to work with Him, you will eventually look exactly the way He wants you to. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is one of the two places M.O.G appears in the New Testament and it reminds us that a man of God is still a man striving towards perfection. It reads – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” The scriptures are meant to help the man of God to be perfect! A man of God still faces temptations and challenges like all other believers do. We are men of like passion.
Refusing to act on God’s instructions because of “sin consciousness” has never worked. I saw a picture on Facebook of a woman who became a skeleton because she was waiting for the perfect man and I believe that picture also applies to ministry. When we in Christ Lifeline stepped out in faith and focused on doing God’s work and fulfilling His will despite our imperfect state, we got so busy walking in the Spirit that we rarely had the time to even think of gratifying the desires of the flesh. We were unconsciously obeying Galatians 5:16. The devil must know how this works that is why he keeps pointing fingers (and using other believers to point fingers) at our wrongdoings.
I am not attempting to encourage the M.O.G to continue in sin by writing this. God forbid! I believe we know better – that those who are born of God do not make a practice of sin. In fact, if you feel encouraged to continue in sin by this write-up, then it may be a clear indication that you are not born again. I’m only trying to implore you not to join the devil in his ministry of accusing the brethren. As leaders, let’s stop crucifying ourselves because of wrongdoings. Let’s stop the exception based rating of believers. See the God in men even as you support them to live wholesome lives. And “if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
– Tope S. Aladenusi
| Lesson #3 –Whatever you excuse today is likely to accuse you tomorrow
Many believers talk about the consequences of their actions – both positive and negative. However, inaction can have a very devastating effect on our lives, as much as negative action would do. Imagine you are standing in the middle of an expressway on an election day when cars have been banned from moving. But suddenly, you see a car racing towards you. If you refuse to take off from that spot, your inaction may cost you as much as your life. Similarly, in ministry, we face several challenges where inaction could cripple our effectiveness. Surprisingly, such problems show up like tiny earthworms and we often overlook them due to their initial size, but overtime they grow up to become like pythons, and are able to give everyone sleepless nights.
Many leaders claim they are problem solvers, but the question is – what kinds of problems are we solving? Christian leaders often find it easier to solve secular, electrical, mechanical, educational or technical problems. But when confronted with people issues, we cringe. How do we handle it if the man who pays the fattest offerings in church goes about insulting the ushers? How do we handle that rebellious deacon who goes around spreading negative news about church members? How do we handle workers who know they are accountable to God but neglect their duty posts? What do you do when your assistant pastor starts preaching false doctrine in your new branch and tells the congregation that you are a false teacher?
For many leaders, we are quick to say – let sleeping dogs lie; after all, everyone will give account to God. Some will only preach against it on the pulpit. We rarely confront people issues and prefer to sweep them under the carpet but it seems as though those sleeping dogs usually wake up in future to hurt everyone. Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough (Earl Wilson). Therefore, we must learn to crush the problems when there are still in the form of earthworms, because when they become like pythons, we have a more difficult job to do. 1Timothy 5:20 (CEV) says “But if any of the leaders should keep on sinning, they must be corrected in front of the whole group, as a warning to everyone else.” This verse forbids inaction on people issues.
In the last 10 years of Christ Lifeline’s existence, we have had people issues where we let sleeping dogs lie. But when we saw little dogs become monsters over the years, we began to learn to confront issues as they showed up. Some people are like Jonah; as long as they are in the boat, there will be no peace and progress. It’s not necessarily because they are bad people; it’s just because they have a different assignment. So you have to assist them into the belly of a whale so they can reach their own mission station in peace. John Maxwell once said – “a great dream with a bad team is nothing more than a nightmare”. Surprisingly, just one man can cause that nightmare. In Galatians 5:7,9 (GNB) – the bible says “You were doing so well! Who made you stop obeying the truth? How did he persuade you? It takes only a little yeast to make the whole batch of dough rise”. The Galatians were doing great with the gospel of redemption. When they had issues, Paul did not ask what was wrong; he asked – WHO did this to you?
So I say to you today – Who are your fellow workers in God’s vineyard? Who are your friends? What actions and inactions are you excusing today? – Tope S. Aladenusi
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Before you consider making more money, you have to first of all be a good steward of your current income. Apart from having an efficient system of personal financial management that leaves you richer each month rather than poorer, you also need to become your banker of first resort. By maintaining a healthy cash reserve through prudent saving, you can fund your dreams rather than go from bank to bank, telling the story of your life and getting turned down in the process.
Before you start to invest, invest in your personal financial education. Invest in knowing what you are doing before you do it. If you know what you are doing, you become empowered to take the right decisions. If you do not know what you are doing, you may think that what you need is more money. If you cannot control your current expenses, you will remain perpetually in trouble no matter how much your income increases. Your expenditure will increase to catch up and overtake your income. It is like trying to fill up a bucket with gaping holes. If the rate of water outflow is greater than inflow, the level of water in the bucket will keep going down despite the inflow.
The same principle plays out in your personal finance. If your cash outflow exceeds your cash inflow, your savings (if you have any), keeps going down until you run on empty. Basic common sense dictates that you spend less than you earn. The only acceptable reason to break this law is when you are investing in assets; assets that will increase your cash inflow, and eventually pay for itself.
The best source of capital for your business start up is your savings. This is within your control. Approaching friends and family for a loan is not tidy, and in some cases jeopardises relationships. Friendship and borrowing don’t mix. It is a recipe for heartbreak and recriminations. Most people nowadays do not borrow amounts higher than what they can give away or afford to lose. You gather enough courage to go tell an acquaintance the story of your dreams, and ask for a N200K loan for example. After you are done, he offers to chip in N10K as a gift. He is saying that he does not want the hassle of being owed, with the likelihood of not seeing his money again. He has had his fingers burnt so many times, he has become credit shy. To show his support by the way, here is N10K. Besides, he has his own business plan too. He did not come to Lagos to admire the flyovers.
The best place to borrow from is your savings, followed by the banks. We are all familiar with the story of borrowing from banks, even before the global credit squeeze. They withhold credit when you need it most, and beg you to have some, when you don’t need it anymore. They are just being cautious. Bad loans is a nightmare to banks, so when your track record is not known, yes comes very slowly.
To be able to save, you have to control your expenses. You have to stay on top of your personal finances. You need to have a plan for your personal finance, and work towards it. You have to cut your coat according to your cloth, not according to your size. You can downsize to fit your cloth. You have to learn how to do long term planning, rather spend on impulse fuelled by peer pressure. You can also time your purchases to coincide with when the item goes on sale or are cheaper. For example, air fares are much cheaper when you purchase online months ahead, rather than some days before. You have to spend on good books that will put you through the paces. There are excellent resources on the internet too.
If you cannot control thousands and decide to shoot for millions, in the unlikely event that you make it, without the capacity to manage it, you will soon be back to square one. Get the foundation right before you start building. Invest in your personal financial education.
– Usiere Uko is editor of www.financialfreedominspiration.com and author of Practical Steps to Financial Freedom and Independence – www.amazon.com/Practical-Steps-Financial-Freedom-Independence/dp/147006832X .
Lesson #2 –If God gives you a dream, wake up and work with the dream team
At one of our monthly executive meetings mid last year, Emeka Ofia, our Mentoring Director, made a remarkable comment. He said, “I don’t think God is going to take Christ Lifeline Ministry beyond where the Executives and Partners are willing to go.” There was a brief silence as those words reverberated in our minds. I’m sure every other executive member was doing what we have been trained to do over the years i.e. checking to see how that statement aligns with Scriptures. As I pondered more on that statement in the following days, I could not help but appreciate the importance of teamwork in fulfilling divine mandates. I also recalled how God put together the current team in the Ministry.
The first 3 years in Christ Lifeline were very passive because the team was not vibrant. During this period, I always gave excuses to God for why I thought I was not the right leader for the mission and why it would be better for me to work with established ministries. At the time, we only shared monthly electronic messages to a few friends via Yahoogroups, and this was done chiefly in a bid to “quench” that constant yearning God had placed in my heart. By 2006, the “palliatives” weren’t working anymore as I began to get not only yearnings, but warnings. The particular warning that got me scared happened in Asaba, Delta State ofNigeria. In the bathroom of my hotel room, I heard God say – I gave you an assignment and you neglected it, yet you keep asking me to lead you to where you will be of service to the body of Christ. So out of frustration, I started to think about teamwork.
Who should I discuss the vision with? Who would understand the enormity of this task and be willing to work with God in this capacity? Who would not laugh at me or take me to be a joker (after all to some, I cracked more jokes than I quoted scriptures back then)? These were some of the questions I pondered on. The first person that came to mind was my fiancée (Busola) who is now my wife; the minimum I expected from her was to believe me. Then I thought of two pastors on campus that I believed were very good Christians and very unlike some other seeming “vainglorious” campus pastors. They are Ifelayo Ojo and Adeyiga Awomuti. I had separate meetings with them to share the vision of Christ Lifeline and also invited them to join me in the execution and it appeared that the best days of my life started then. There was this joy and fulfillment I experienced whenever I pondered on the way they believed in the vision and promised to work with God in executing it.
By January 2007, we had our first outreach program tagged “Mission Exhibition” and there were about 50 people in attendance. Surprisingly, 40 of them decided to partner with the Ministry and completed our Partner’s form. This was a critical turning point in the Ministry; we had a bigger and better team to do the work. Since then, we have had hundreds of Partners from 5 continents join this team of men and women that extend the help of Christ to nations and support platforms that attract others to Christ. We do not underestimate the work of God in putting the Christ Lifeline team together because like John Maxwell once said – “a great dream with a bad team is nothing more than a nightmare”. Please join us in giving glory to God!
– Tope S. Aladenusi
Join us at our 10th anniversary celebration taking place at Bellus Court, 7A Akin Adesanya Street, Off Town Planning Way, Ilupeju Lagos by 2pm on 20 July 2013. If you would like to attend, please send an email to info@christlifeline.org so we can send you an invitation letter.
| Beloved,
Christ Lifeline Ministry clocked 10 years on 10 April 2013 and we will celebrate this anniversary on Saturday the 20 of July 2013. As we plan towards the anniversary thanksgiving and celebration, we can’t help but go down memory lane. From the revelation of a vision in the heart of an ordinary school student to the coming together of 4 young university graduates for the public take-off; from using the only affordable platform (Yahoogroups on the Internet) to the establishment of several platforms of extending lifelines to humanity; from tagging our first convention as “world outreach convention” even though it was only held in a small ward in one city, to actually going to other continents of the world; from having just 4 partners in a city to having hundreds of partners in 5 continents; we cannot help but admit that God is the source of every progress in Christ Lifeline Ministry.
As the President of Christ Lifeline, I have been so privileged to work with God in this capacity and, together with other executives, have learnt several leadership lessons over the years. We would like to share ten of them with you ahead of our anniversary celebration for two reasons:
I encourage you to spend time meditating on these lessons we will be sharing in the next couple of weeks, and also encourage your friends to join you as well. Our 10th anniversary celebration will take place at Bellus Court, 7A Akin Adesanya Street, Off Town Planning Way, Ilupeju Lagos by 2pm on 20 July 2013. If you would like to attend, please send an email to info@christlifeline.org so we can send you an invitation letter.
Best regards,
Tope S. Aladenusi For: Christ Lifeline Executives and Partners
Lesson #1 – If God sends you on a mission, never take a bend without Him
Few months ago, I was chatting with Segun Eshorun, one of the executives of Christ Lifeline Ministry. While talking, I looked steadfastly at him and said – “you have laboured in this Ministry for a couple of years. If someone asked, what would you say the number one secret of this Ministry is?” Segun looked to the sky and down, and in less than 10 seconds, he said –following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When he said that, I smiled and muttered the following words under my breath – for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father which is in heaven.
Over the years, we keep learning to thrive not based on good ideas, but on God’s ideas. The reason is simple; Christ Lifeline Ministry does not belong to us, but to God. Therefore, we must always remember that God has a way He wants to run His organization. This same thing applies to our lives as believers and every church or Christian organization in the world that is founded based on God’s inspiration. It would be a problem if we started out well with the Spirit of God, but later began to run with ideas of mere men or, imitating other fellow ministers. You don’t run God’s organization by imitation, you run it by inspiration – getting cues from God as you execute His agenda on earth.
I hope the point is driven home as we meditate on Galatians 3:3 (MSG) – “Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Hmm! Many believers are going crazy because they are not following the leading of God. There were times we also went crazy in the Ministry. I recall I once carried some finance permutations for running the Ministry in my head for a few days; for instance, if 500 partners give minimum of a thousand Naira per month, then we can do this and that project every month. But I stopped the craze the day God showed me that you execute divine plans based on God’s leading and not on our financial projections; in fact, the support of one man (through God) can outweigh that of 500. And we have never regretted every instance of following God.
For instance, when we first organized the World Outreach Convention (WoC) in Manchester, we didn’t spend a single dime from our accounts in Nigeria. God had spoken to me about going to Manchester and few days after the vision was shared with other executives, I received a mail that I will be sent on an errand to Manchester by an association I support. And that was the beginning of a miracle. Also, I was in the bathroom in January this year when God told me about holding India WoC in February. My first reaction was to protest. I said, “Lord, we just concluded our budget for the year, and it wasn’t budgeted for”. There was no response from Him and we had to swing quickly into action. A week later, a lady that God healed at our Lagos WoC in January 2013 called to inform us that she would like to financially support India WoC. This was just the beginning of another miracle. When we saw the awesomeness of what happened in India, we remembered the principle – when God sends you, He funds you.
We have got hundreds of testimonies. But we believe today you can thank God with us for His constant leading in Christ Lifeline. Also, stop saying you cannot start that ‘God-given mission’ because you don’t have money. You don’t start God’s work with money; you start with Him … and everything you need will follow. And when you have started, never take a bend without Him. It is a great lesson we learnt from Jesus Christ and he described it this way- “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do” John 5:19 (KJVA)
– Tope S. Aladenusi
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Roger Bannister, the first man to break a four–minute mile record, did so by breaking down his goal. He broke down the mile into four quarters of a full mile. He would dash off a quarter mile in 58 seconds or less and then jog the rest of the way. Bannister trained not only his body but also his mind.
He held the picture of the first four-minute mile in his mind; it was his predominant thought. He trained his mind by taking up mountain climbing. This taught him persistence and how to overcome any obstacle that gets in his way. When Bannister ran his great race on May 6, 1954, he joined four of his quarter mile goals together and ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.6 seconds.
I have come to discover that the reason why so many people don’t achieve their aim in life is that they want to do everything at the same time. They set a long term goal and fail to break it down. Do you think Bannister would’ve done the four minute mile if he didn’t break it down?
In some of my seminars, I asked my audience if they know it’s possible to get thirteen months in one year. That is getting an extra month in a year. Each time I asked this question, people will always want to take me up on it. Each time, I come out tops. It’s a simple thing. Here is how it works.
If your normal time of getting out of bed is 6:30am every morning and you decide to make it 30 minutes earlier. That means 30 minutes you can use to do whatever you want. It could be 30 minutes of reading, of writing, of exercising or 30 minutes of anything that you have been putting off. Now if you do this seven days in a week, that means 30 minutes times seven which gives us three and half hours. Then multiple it by 30 days and then by 12 months! What you will have is equivalent of one complete month.
What it means is that any of us can be able to do whatever we want to do without any excuse. Of course we all have agreed that there is no excuse for failure. This was exactly how Roger Bannister was able to break the four-minute mile. There is always a way to do whatever you want to do. All you need do is find it.
Some wait for the perfect time. There can never be a perfect time. The perfect time is now. I always put off exercising, because I was waiting for the perfect time. But the perfect time never came. In fact the perfect time came when I started doing what I thought was impossible: finding time to exercise.
I don’t know what it is you want to do. I don’t know what seems like you will never have time to do it. But I do know that if you start today to do a little of it, before you know it, the task will be completed. If you want to eat an elephant what do you do? One bite at time! It could be pretty difficult at the beginning, but consistency is the answer.
To our success!
– Uju Onyechere
When it comes to getting results, it is tempting to look for steps or formulas. This at first sight looks like the quickest way to get the results you desire. But the reality is, it is actually the longer route. Steps and formulas are fabulous, but if you lack the self discipline, focus, commitment and persistence to follow through, you will not cross the finish line. All you will have is a series of failed attempts.
Success in any field of endeavour is 80% behaviour and 20% head knowledge. This means the ability to do it constitutes 80% while the how to constitutes the remaining 20%. The ability to carry through has much more weight than the how to. Until you develop the pattern of behaviour or habit to take sustained action, head knowledge is not of much use. This includes developing the behaviours or habits in becoming rich.
Human beings love short cuts, taking the easy way out, following the line of least resistance. That is why it is never crowded in the extra mile. The minority will always control majority of the resources anywhere there is free enterprise. Attaining the level whereby we have the ability to follow through takes longer and is much harder work than learning a formula. You can get the steps in two days, but it will take months and sometimes years before you can actually follow through. That is why almost everyone knows what to do to lose weight but few actually lose weight and stay that way. Psychology is where we often drop the ball. The right formula with a wrong mindset is a recipe for failure and frustration. To develop psychologically, we have to pay the price in personal growth and development. Life is lived at levels, and the level you belong determines what you can do.
In an army, the private has different attributes from a Sergeant, Captain, Colonel, Brigadier General, full General etc. Each rank operates at a different level, has different attributes and expected behaviours. A private takes orders, a Captain can lead a Platoon etc. A General can command a whole Division, and in actual combat, a combined task force of Army, Navy and Air Force. The higher you go, the more is expected of you. To rise in rank, you have to take on more responsibilities and perform well. If per chance you become a General but behave like a Colonel, you will soon be demoted or worse, court-martialled if your actions inaction has dire consequences. It means the shoe is much bigger than you.
When it comes to getting rich, you have to be a millionaire before you can have millions. That means you have to become a millionaire on the inside before the millions manifest on the outside. It means you must acquire a millionaire mindset, think like one, act like one and ultimately you will become one. If you don’t think like a millionaire, you cannot act like a millionaire. If you do not act like one, you will not get the results millionaires get – millions of dollars.
Imagine for a moment that you bypass the process and become one, e.g. win the lottery etc. You can guess the rest of the story. The money will be gone pretty soon. A fool and his money soon part ways. What happened?
You do not have the ability to hold onto the money. You will relate to the money with a poor or middle class mindset, meaning go shopping, feel good, show that you have arrived. By the time you have finished indulging your fantasies, the money is long gone. A millionaire will make more money with that same money. That is the difference.
If you are not a millionaire, if millions come your way, you will give it away. It is not in your character to hold and multiply money. That is why you have precious little to show for all the years you have been working. You can now imagine the futility of trying to make more money when you cannot keep and multiply it. You would be like someone running hard on a treadmill but going nowhere. It is a vicious cycle. No wonder it seems like the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the gap gets wider.
The sustainable way to become rich is to first invest in your personal growth, development and financial education. When the knowhow meets the ability to follow through to the end, miracles happen. What is the point knowing what to do when you cannot do it? A pregnant woman needs strength to deliver. There is no caesarean section when it comes to success. You have to deliver normally. Knowing what to do gives you wings. Having the ability to do it successfully is the wind beneath your wings. Without the wind, you cannot go far.
Knowing how to do it is the easy part. Actually doing it successfully is where the rubber meets the road. This is what separates the men from the boys. Herein lays the missing link.
– Usiere Uko is editor of www.financialfreedominspiration.com and author of Practical Steps to Financial Freedom and Independence – www.amazon.com/Practical-Steps-Financial-Freedom-Independence/dp/147006832X .
Following the news nowadays can get quite depressing. It seems what qualifies as news worthy is news of the disaster variety. They come in different shapes and forms – job losses, corruption in high and low places, economic downturn, terrorist attacks, you name it. As the business climate seems to get more hostile, we tend to become more risk averse and retreat into our cocoons of security. We retreat when we ought to strike out, cut costs when we ought to invest more (we become accountants rather than entrepreneurs). We tend to retreat to the sidelines and watch how things will play out. That is a loser’s mentality. If you wait for everything to be okay, for all the traffic lights to go green, you often leave it too late. The future belongs to the daring.
I remember a hilarious story told by Bishop TD Jakes during the peak of the global financial meltdown some years back. The fear was palpable. Companies were folding up in droves, many were laying off staff the way a sailor would bail out water from his sinking boat. Homes were foreclosing, banks were in distress and it was like the great depression all over again. He had taken a ride to downtown Dallas when he came across a massive construction site with a giant sky scrapper reaching out to the sky. He pulled over and watched the scene for a while. He shook his head.
Are these guys crazy?
Which planet are they from?
Haven’t they heard?
Don’t they know?
…THAT THERE IS A RECESSION GOING ON?
Why is the property owner building when he could stick his money in a hole and wait out the recession?
Where did he get the money from by the way, in the middle of a credit squeeze?
The fact is that money is called currency become it moves, changes hands. It does not disappear. When money leaves your hands, it is entering another’s. When one market crashes, another booms. Money does not leave the planet in times of financial turbulence and melt down. It simply changes hands. The belief that there is no money is a fallacy. It simply means it is scarce in your neck of the woods. You are missing out on the action. The fact that you travel economy class does not mean that nobody is travelling first class. The fact that your watch has stopped does not mean that time has come to a standstill. For many, it was the worst of times. For some, it was the best of times. While some companies went down, some had their best years ever. Different strokes for different folks.
So what do you do in times of financial uncertainty? Get fixated by the news headlines or keep your eyes on your goal? One fascinating fact about the dove is that it has incredible focus. You can speak with a microphone in your hand, and the dove will look at the mike without seeing your face.
Good times and bad times are part of the cycle of life. Sure we do some dumb things to bring them on, but the rhythm goes on. Good times and bad times, boom and bust, ups and downs, joy and sadness… There is a time for everything under the sun. Experienced investors know that markets go up and they go down. They don’t expect it to go up forever or stay depressed ad infinitum. Their entry strategy is to go in when the market hits the bottom and their exit entry strategy is to go out when the market goes up. They ride in with the bears and charge out with the bulls (buy at discount and take profits). The rookie investor does the exact opposite. They enter when the market goes up, and run for the door when the market hits the bottom. They charge in with the bulls and crawl out with the bears (buy at premium and sell at a loss). Their entry is driven by greed while their exit is driven by fear.
If you watch the weather, you will not sow your seed. If you observe the wind, you will hold back. You need a single minded focus on your goals, no matter what is going on around you. You have to choose what you want, and look for opportunities to go for it. You have to decide which end of the cash flow divide you want to play – those who win or those who lose, those who acquire assets or those who cling to liabilities. If you decide to go with the crowd, you will get what the crowd has. You get to choose where your focus will be, as tough times and good times come and go.
– Usiere Uko is editor of www.financialfreedominspiration.com and author of Practical Steps to Financial Freedom and Independence – www.amazon.com/Practical-Steps-Financial-Freedom-Independence/dp/147006832X .