WHY PEOPLE FAIL OR SUCCEED

 “Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success.”

~John Hays Hammond

Why do people fail in business and in life?

The answer is simply the lack of good characters- what Myles Munroe of blessed memory referred to as the quality of moral force.  Character is doing the right thing even when nobody is looking.

Attitude is everything in life. There is an attitude for failure, so also there is an attitude for success in life.  The attitudes of failure are gossip, lying, pride, laziness, gluttony, over indulgence. The list continues. While the attitudes of success are humility, integrity, hard work, forbearing, self control, respect, honesty, responsibility, fairness and so does the list goes on.

In essence, if you desire success in life or in business, you must choose your attitudes correctly. Your character defines you and how far you can go in 

TIME!

How important is time to you? What do you spend your time on?   There is a general axiom that says "Time waits for no man".  Successful entrepreneurs and businesses men invest their time wisely in things and activities that enhance their ventures and businesses. More importantly, they account for every time they spend each day to ensure they have judiciously used their most priceless possession - TIME. Successful people have not time to waste. Every second of the day is priceless.

To be a successful entrepreneur, watch what you spend your time on. Make sure to use your time, invest and focus on the goals and targets you have set for yourself. The time people waste on watching tv, playing video games, chatting with friends and playing around with their mobile phones etc can be properly channelled to more meaningful gains. To determine whether you will be successful in life, observe what you spend your 24 hours on. That way, if your are truthful enough to yourself, you will know where your life is heading to.

To begin a new leaf in managing your time to successful ends, start by at least spending 2 hours of your day on your goals and then gradually increase the time from 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 5 hours a day. By the time you know it, you are close to achieving your goals and would be happy knowing how you use and spend your time.

Invest your time in your future. You can be better!

~Don Nwokedi

ATTITUDE

ATTITUDE

Everything depends on attitude!

Napoleon Hill, one of the richest man of his days in wealth and wisdom- a great entrepreneur made this beautiful remark, "Our attitude shapes our future". After decades of this assertions, research has proven that everything including one's success, achievement as well as failures depends greatly on ATTITUDE- behaviour and opinion towards people and things. To make it simple,  attitude is good or bad and good attitude beget good life while bad attitude beget bad life and leads to suffering.

 Right/good attitude is important to any entrepreneur and anyone who seeks  success in life and business. To be able to have your own business and manage it successfully, for instance, you must have the attitude of saving. Ability to save money or resources and channel it to greater purpose requires much discipline- an attitude lacking in many young people today and the reason a lot of people are poor. 

An entrepreneur's attitude to his staff, customers and clients determines  how successful his ventures will be. Clients will always seek out business that care about their needs and feelings and patronize them so also your staff will take their jobs and roles seriously when they are given a sense of belonging and ownership of the venture.

Your attitude they say determines your altitude in life. keep the right attitudes. Jettison any attitude that does not go well with eople and your business. Learn discipline and apply them in your life and the sky will be your starting point.

SIMPLE STEPS ON HOW TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR (START & OWN YOUR BUSINESS)

Many people have wondered if they can ever make it in the business world. Some even think they can never be able to do or own a business- they simply don't know how to. Some think they can never own a business since they can never get the capital (money) to start up one. Well, anything is POSSIBLE if you believe.

 Here are a few steps on how to start and own a business.

1. IDENTIFY A NEED. Think of a need. Any good business must first and all solve a need. Ask yourself, what need do people feel around your environment? What is that thing people stress so much to have access to in your area that you can make it easy for them to reach. The person who started tying ice water in simple nylon bags saw the need for people to have access to chilled water especially during hot season and make it readily available anywhere. That's how pure (sachet) water business was born. Today sachet water business has generated employment for countless number of people.

2. PLAN. Start a plan on paper on how you can solve the need you have identified. Your plans should include more research on the need you have identified. You can begin by asking questions to get more insight. Never be afraid to ask questions.  Get information on what it will take you to provide the services or goods that will solve the identified need(s), what it will cost, and what strategy you will employ to make your business a reality. Be elaborate on your research and make sure to write them down for reference to assist you in finally making decisions.

3. TAKE ACTION (decide). When you have your plans laid out after a thorough research on the need you intend to solve (the business), make a decision to act on your plans and discipline yourself to follow them through. You may meet challenges on the way but never quite. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Do not be in a haste to see progress. Progress should be slow but steady. Start with small wins. For instance, if you need to start your business with N5000 but you don’t have the money. Don’t be quick to throw the idea away, rather think of how you can raise the N5000 over a period of time. You can give yourself say, one month, a year or more to raise such funds by committing yourself to doing something that will earn you the money gradually till you reach your target.

4. SEEK HELP. As longs as you show yourself a responsible, determined and honest person (traits you need to succeed in the business world), do not be afraid to ask for help. It can be from friends, family members or organisations. Seek avenues that will aid you in reaching your goals. Use the internet where it’s possible to get information on people or organisation that might be willing to offer any kind of help in the areas of business you seek to venture. Use every legitimate avenue to actualize your dreams. Never be shy and never give up!

5. THINK BIG. START SMALL. Earlier I stated you should focus on small wins. It is important not to think that you must start big, rather think big and start small. Your idea may be a multi-million naira earner, but you can start with a few hundred nairas to get to your target. Many businesses today started small and then went on to expand. You must not start in a big way (mistakes many entrepreneur wanna-be make) learn to start from the scratch, one step at a time while focusing on other growth strategies.

6. NEVER QUIT. Don’t give up in the face of challenges or mistakes that may cost your goals a great deal. Many small businesses never survive beyond five years, research has shown. Those that survive are those that refused to give in to challenges and circumstances. Thomas Edison was asked why it took him 10,000 trials to invent a lightbulb, he said he only found 10,000 ways of making it happen. So, no matter how many times your new business is faced with challenges, learn to be strong and not give up. Challenges are part of the ingredients to the success of any business. They give you the required experience to survive the unknown.

Have a wonderful time in your journey to becoming your own boss.

You can be better!

10 SIMPLE STEPS TO FINANCIAL BREAK THROUGH AND FREEDOM

1.   Begin with taking the decision to succeed and break free from poverty and joblessness. You must decide. If it has to be, it's up to you.

2. Set goals. Determine what you can do to break free from poverty. It must be legal and must serve people's needs. Make it a goal then to satisfy that need people feel around you.

3. Plan. Have a plan. Write it down. Don't be afraid if you don't know where or how to start. Just keep a pen and paper around. Continue to think and believe in your goals...surely your instinct will pull through.

4. Be Confident. Trust your gut instincts. Be proud. Be bold. Even the most successful people were once naive. But be strong and keep your head high. Believe in yourself by believing in your goals.

5. Believe. If you don't believe in what you want to do, how then can you convince anyone of your idea, goals, or intentions? Your success begins with you BELIEVING!

6. Be Fearless! Fear is the greatest killer of destiny. Never be afraid, even to fail. Failure itself its part of the plan to your greatness and success. Every successful person today once had failure knocking at their doors. Expect failure but NEVER embrace it.  Keep standing...just as you would stand up whenever you trip and fall. Never give in to failure when mistakes hits you. Move on!

7. Learn to trust. When you meet the right people, you will know. Learn to trust people in your life. Make good friends, abandon the one's who poison your mind with negative energy and words. Learn to also trust yourself first. Do a SWOT (Strenght. Weakness. Opportunity. Threats) analysis of yourself and always be sincere. Never lie to yourself no matter the situation. Be real!

8. Ask. Never be afraid to ask for help as long as you are sincere about your needs. Every successful person today was once helped by someone and many still get help today. Never be shy to ask for help when you need it, but don't ever abuse the privilege.

9. Give up? No way! Your age doesn't count. It is immaterial how old you are. You can be and achieve whatever you focus your mind on. Your mind will always be younger than your body. Age should never be a barrier to your dreams. Don't give up!

10. Act! If you don't act on your dreams, plans and goals you are like a lion without a heart. Acting on your plans is all that makes the difference. If you want change, you must act for it to come. Take action today and all will be well.!


Thanks and have a fulfilled week!

SET YOUR MIND ON YOUR GOALS

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up, your problems or your goals?

Decide that you are going to start each day thinking about your goals, your dreams and your positive possibilities. As soon as you wake up in the morning, start throwing out those nagging doubts and worries. Concentrate, instead, on the things you have decided to accomplish in your life. Whatever you think about long enough and intently enough will become a reality for you. That is because your thoughts direct your actions from moment to moment and day to day.

If you spend a lot of time thinking about your problems, they will grow bigger and stronger. Is that what you want? Of course not. Instead, focus on your goals. Keep them in the forefront of your mind from the moment your wake up, throughout the morning, the afternoon, the evening, until you go to bed at night. Your thoughts are yours. They are completely under your control. So you might as well use them to benefit you. Because, what you think about, you bring about. You have GREATNESS within you!

Renew Your Mind and Blossom

Would you like to be happy, successful, fulfilled, rich, remembered as a hero? I bet you would and i am telling you now that it is VERY POSSIBLE for you to become and actualize all those dreams you have for yourself. You don’t have to envy anyone. You can become even better and greater than the person you envy by understanding one simple principle about who you are. I know some of you would be in doubt already, and asking, how is this possible given my circumstances? My parents are poor, I didn't have an education, I don't have money to start a business, my family is against my career, I don't have good friends I can trust and share my ideas and feelings with, am no good for anything, am blind, am deaf am dumb am this am that and the excuses keeps heaping up.

Pic by Don

The reason why people fail to actualize and achieve the dreams and goals they desire in life is because of SELF DOUBT- the one single phenomena that has led many to die horrible deaths and take to the graveyard all the great things they could have given to life and to the world. Now let me share one truth with you, and this truth is the only secret to success in life. It is the only truth to self-actualization and the secret to being happy and having all that you desire. Here it goes: Ephesians 4:23 "..and be renewed in the spirit of your mind."

Everything you are today or will be tomorrow begins and ends in your mind! Let me give you a definition of what mind is before I try to explain why and how you need to renew the spirit of your mind to become what you desire or aspire in life.

Mind: (1) the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons.

(2) The conscious mental events and capabilities in an organism.

 Following the above definition by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it is possible to conclude that your existence and purpose as well as your achievements are all embedded in your mind. Your mind is the you in you without which you are not you. If you take a closer look to understand the first and second definition of the mind, you will come to the realization that without your mind, you cannot feel, perceive, think, will or reason. Without your mind, you are simply not living or alive. You are unconscious. So, for you to want to be rich, successful, and happy is in the first place your ability to use your mind. So if you can feel to want to be happy and think about it, you can as well through the same mind create those things you desire to make you happy and successful in life.

Now, if you are not happy with your life or who you are now, it’s simply because your mind is telling you something differently and you are not in control of it. You have only allowed it to sway as the wind without a destination or control. Maybe you have allowed someone else to control your mind for you but now is the time for you to take over your mind and steer it in the direction you want. This is the process of renewing your mind. Take charge and control your mind by feeding it those things that you want by believing in yourself that you have the power to create your circumstances and not allow anyone do it for you. By understanding that you can, through your mind control your external environment gives you unlimited powers and sets you on the path of actualizing all your dreams.

The bible was written many years ago, this secret has been there in the open but many have not been able to come to terms with it. Many people today are born and raised with a mindset. Some have been told they can never be better, they can never read, that they can never be rich because their family will always be poor since their great grandfather was poor, or think for themselves, that they are incapable to do things other people do because of   their biological makeup, but history has proven this to be wrong... some people has been told that they can never survive a particular ailment or disease, but by the renewing of their mind and believing a different report they have surmounted all challenges and have doomed those who said they cannot be better, survive or think.

You need to get away from that mindset that you have followed and allowed to control you for many years of your life and begin a new thought process that will usher in a cleansing of your mind. First, you need to know that earth, this place we all are, does not belong to any one but to all of us and that earth's resources both the visible and invisible ones are available for us to tap into, use and control to our benefit and glory of the creator. No one came to earth with anything. Those who have achieved one thing or the other are those who early enough understood the secret of the mind and were disciplined to control it and use it to pursue their dreams to a logical conclusion. 

Renew your mind and blossom. Begin another journey of your life, change your circumstances, and decide your destiny by simply being in control of your mind - what you feed it and what you allow it to feed on.

Have a wonderful journey in your new endeavour!

9 Essential Habits of Remarkably Effective People

There’s a huge biggest difference between being efficient and being effective.

Efficient people are well organized and competent. They check things off their to-do list. They complete projects. They get stuff done.

Effective people do all that … but they check the right things off their to-do list. They complete the right projects. They get the right stuff done.

They execute and produce what makes the biggest difference for their business … and for themselves.

Here are some of the traits of remarkably effective people, and why they’re so successful:

1. They always start with goals.

Effort without a genuine purpose is just effort. Effective people don’t just know what to do–they know why. They have a long-term goal. They have short-term goals that support their long-term goals.

In short, they have purpose–and that purpose informs everything they do. That’s why remarkable people appear so dedicated and organized and consistently on-task. They’re not slaves to a routine; they’re simply driven to reach their goals and quick to eliminate roadblocks and put aside distractions that stand in their way.

Remarkably effective people set their goals first. So decide what success means to you. (Your definition of success is and should be different from everyone else’s.) Success has been defined as the continuous realization of a worthy objective.

You’ll find it’s easy to stay focused and be effective when you truly care about what you hope to achieve.

Even so, once they establish a goal, remarkably effective people don’t focus solely on that goal; instead …

2. Then they create systems.

If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal is to build a successful business. Your system consists of your processes for sales, marketing, fulfillment, operations, etc.

A goal is great for planning and mapping out what success looks like; a system is great for actually making progress toward that goal.

Remarkably effective people know a goal can provide direction and even push them forward in the short term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win.

Everyone has goals; committing to a system makes all the difference in achieving that goal.

3. They believe in themselves.

Diligence isn’t easy. Hard work is hard. Pushing forward when successes are few and far between takes optimism and self-belief.

That’s why busy people quickly give up and effective people keep going.

Remarkably effective people embrace the fact (and it is a fact) that the only way to get to where they want to go is to try … and keep on trying. They know that eventually they will succeed, because …

4. They believe they are in control of their lives.

Many people feel luck–or outside forces–has a lot to do with success or failure. If they succeed, luck favored them; if they fail, luck was against them.

Luck certainly does play a part, but effective people don’t hope for good luck or worry about bad luck. They assume success is totally within their control. If they succeed, they caused it; if they fail, they caused that, too.

Remarkably effective people waste zero mental energy worrying about what might happen to them–they put all their effort into making things happen.

They know they can never control luck … but they can always control themselves.

5. And yet they also embrace “random.”

When your nose is to the grindstone, all you can see is the grindstone. And that means you miss opportunities to spot something new, try something different, or go off on a fruitful tangent.

Effective people stay almost totally on-task. Remarkably effective people build in time and opportunity to experience new things, try new methods, and benefit from happy accidents.

They’re not always trying to reinvent the wheel. But they’re more than happy to adopt someone else’s perfectly functioning wheel.

6. They find happiness in the success of others.

Great teams win because their most talented members are willing to sacrifice to help others succeed.

That’s why great companies are made up of employees who help each other, know their roles, set aside their personal goals, and value team success over everything else.

Where does that attitude come from? You!

Focus only on yourself and ultimately you’ll be by yourself. To be remarkably effective, find fulfillment in helping other people succeed. In the process you will succeed, too–in more ways than one.

7. They use their goals to make decisions automatic.

In a podcast, Tim Ferriss described how Herb Kelleher, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, makes so many decisions every day. Kelleher applies a simple framework to every issue: Will this help Southwest be the low-cost provider? If so, the answer is yes. If not, no.

Remarkably effective people apply the same framework to the decisions they make. “Will this help me reach my goal? If not, I won’t do it.”

If you feel like you’re constantly struggling to make decisions, take a step back. Think about your goals; your goals will help you make decisions.

That’s why remarkably effective people are so decisive. Indecision is born of a lack of purpose: When you know what you truly want, most of your decisions can–and should–be almost automatic.

8. They don’t multitask.

Plenty of research says multitasking doesn’t work. (Some research says multitasking actually makes you stupid.)

Maybe you don’t agree.

Maybe you’re wrong. Try to do two things at once and you’ll do both half-assed.

Remarkably effective people focus on one thing at a time. They do that one thing incredibly well … and then they move on to whatever is next. And they do that incredibly well.

9. They freely ask for help.

Busy people ask for help getting something done. Remarkably effective people ask for help not just because they need help but also because by asking they show respect for the other person and trust his or her experience, skill, or insight.

Mutual respect is the foundation of every solid relationship–and the best way to create mutual respect is to first show respect.

Want to be remarkably effective? Surround yourself with people who trust and motivate and inspire you–and in turn are inspired by you.

Even if you don’t achieve all your goals, your life will be infinitely richer.

Have a great week ahead!

Culled from the Time Blogs: www.time.com

YOU CAN BE BIGGER

You have the power to live a bigger life. Challenge yourself. Take the risk! Become daring. There are things in your life that are no longer you and you know it in your heart. There is no law that says you have to carry the whole world on your shoulders. And the emptiness and lack of fulfillment inside is getting too much to bear.

It’s time to take care of you. Live your dream. Take off the cape. Do what you know and not what you feel. You deserve to live too! You have needs too! Give yourself a mental break and take time to get centered, grounded and reconnected with your spirit. Allowing your time to be wasted with people who are not serious is not fruitful and it’s stressful. Staying in a job where you are not appreciated or valued or validated is draining and toxic. Hanging on to a relationship that has been dead a long time ago takes a toll. Take a deep breath and tap into the courage to make the tough decision. Things might be difficult for a while, but don’t underestimate yourself.

You will survive. You always have! Life is on your side. You’re more powerful and stronger than you give yourself credit for being. No guts, no glory. You have one life to live, live the life you love and love the life you live. Family and friends may attempt to discourage you. Tell them thank you, I got that, and move on. At the end of the day, it’s your life. Keep in mind, it’s lonely at the top, but you eat better! You deserve to be happy. You deserve to make your life a daring adventure and to manifest your GREATNESS!

....Excerpts from Les Brown

5 WAYS TO GO FROM UNEMPLOYED TO BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR

Entrepreneurs have been variously defined to mean several things that sometimes it becomes hard for some people to really understand in a layman's term what entrepreneur is really all about. Well am about to make it easy for you and give you few steps on how to become one yourself.

The reason why most people suffer effects of unemployment today and dwell in poverty could be found in simple answers such as lack of information, knowledge and inability to take action.

You can get out of your situation today, now just by doing some of the things you will learn here today.

First, let me define entrepreneur in the simplest way any one could understand it. Entrepreneurs or an entrepreneur is someone who is able to identify a problem, provide a solution to the problem and make money doing so. Yes, it’s that simple! For instance, the guy who started the sachet water business saw the problem (need) that people get tasty and needed water outside their homes and he thought of a good way to package water and sell to the public, and that’s how sachet water –“pure water” birthed. Today sachet water business is one of the thriving businesses in the country.

So, here are a few tips on how you can become a problem solver and earn money doing it – becoming an entrepreneur:

1.  Task yourself: Task yourself on a daily bases to be a problem solver, by so doing look out for problems or services that are needed in your community, village or area and think of how to provide solutions on them. You can begin by taking daily walks around your vicinity, listen to what people complain most about and once you have identified this need, you are sure on your way of becoming an entrepreneur as soon as you can solve those needs by providing services to it.

2.  Solve a problem: Just as the first nugget suggests, everyone on earth is created to solve a problem. However, some are also busy creating problems. In the end you are either solving or creating a problem, either way. So talk yourself into knowing what part you really want to play and begin to play that part, either as a problem solver or a problem creator, whichever way ensure to make money out of it.

3.  Take Action: The good book said “faith without work is dead” so also an idea without action is useless. You could have an idea that can save the world from so much chaos and trouble, but if you do not take steps to work on those ideas and bring it to fruition, then they are as good as useless. Your ideas should inspire you to act on them and have the courage to push through the challenges that comes along the way to success.

4.  Never Quit: Always have it at the back of your mind that nothing good comes or works easily. You are bound to face rejections and challenges including though times, but have it at the back of your mind that those situations are actually what paves way for success to follow. No pain no glory!

5.  Believe: The truth is nothing has ever worked in life without one first believing either in one’s self, ability or imaginations. God created the universe and all there-in believing. So also you can if you believe. The Wright Brothers believed. The men who went to the moon believed and ad infinitum. You must believe in something for it to work for you. So, believe you can succeed, believe you can make it, and believe nothing can stop you and that way you will fly higher than you ever thought. You may not have the money to start the business you are currently incubating the idea, but your simple believe in that idea and having the courage to share it to the right people might provide what you need to have it established. Keep believing!

Nwokedi Don Emeka is an entrepreneurial consultant, seasoned motivational speaker and advocate for youth leadership. He is the CEO of Swing Consult Ltd and the founder of Agape Leadership Centre for The Children and Youth- ALCCY

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LIFE

I have come to discover the reason why most people fail in life, either in their career, family, business or academics. Being successful in life takes just being responsible for your actions and its outcomes. This is just one of the simple secrets of succeeding in life that people over look, or don’t bother paying attention to.

Even the ants are responsible for their own survival

A lot of individuals today are entangled in a life of blame. They attribute everything that happens to them to someone else’s fault and thus go ahead to blame someone for the crisis in their life and for their failures. Some blame their parents for their poverty or even marriage crisis and the blame excuses keep heaping up for every single circumstance.

Your level of responsibility simply underscores your level of success in life. This is applicable to whatever you do or whatever venture you undertake in life.

To change the way things work in your life or to overcome the crisis in your life, whatever it may be, you simply need to take responsibility and begin to walk away from that situation.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: Taking responsibility simply means being the captain of your own ship. You determine the path your ship takes and not wait or allow any one shove you around or determine your purpose or path in life. Some people today have lived all their lives serving other persons purposes and allow them determine what course they take in life.

To be responsible and to be able to determine how your life turns out, you must take charge of your life. You must begin your life looking inward to know what you want and how you will get it. You MUST not allow external influences to affect or alter the course to your destination. Consider sailors in a vast sea with only a compass to direct their path. No matter how big or how life threatening the storm is, they still maintain their path sailing through the storm, because they know that drifting from that path will be catastrophic. They may never find their way home- they will simply be lost in the sea and probably perish at sea without help in sight.

The same thing is applicable to you, if you do not become responsible for your life and carve a purpose for it. You will be like a ship lost at sea. You will be simply lost in life. Living without purpose and waiting for death to come calling.

You need to take charge of your marriage or relationship and be in charge. Being in charge doesn't mean being domineering or bossy. It means recognizing your role as a partner and accepting where you have made mistakes, take charge, apologize (where you have to) and be more understanding.

WHATS IS YOUR IMPACT? In your career or business, you must decide what your impact is. You cannot succeed if you do not make any impact on your clients or customers. How well do you appreciate and offer your services to them. A great entrepreneur once said “the customer can fire the chief executive down to the last man by deciding to spend his money somewhere else”. It simply means you can be out of business if people decide not to patronize your business. So, to keep your business yielding, you must invest in your clients and be responsible for their happiness.

Your impact on people you meet or deal with, even your friends and family members determine your place in their life and how well they regard you. Every human being is what he is, based on his or her impact in the life of others.

THE 3 RULES OF LIFE: Someone wrote about the three rules in life. It states;

1.    If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it.

2.  If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.

3.  If you do not step forward, you will always remain in the same place.

I think this is apt in defining some irresponsible people. Irresponsible in the sense that they do not are not responsible for their lives. You have to go for what you want, ask questions, and take a step forward in your life to get to your deserved destination. Some people will never ask, and they will never learn or know, and thus remain where they are and sometimes a burden to other.

In the end, whatever is the outcome of your life, no one will be held responsible but you. Your failures and successes in life depend on how much control you have on your life. Thus how responsible are you in making decisions that affects your life positively or negatively.

NaijaEntrepreneur: TIMEIS LIFE- Investing time for a life of fulfillm...

NaijaEntrepreneur: TIMEIS LIFE- Investing time for a life of fulfillm...: TIME IS LIFE- Investing time for a life of fulfillment It’s been said many times in the axiom that time is money. For many business me...

TIME IS LIFE- Investing time for a life of fulfillment

It’s been said many times in the axiom that time is money. For many business men, women and entrepreneurs, this goes well to form the nucleus of the policies and principles that drives their passion and motivation.

For some, money may not be the ultimate goal of their lives. Then what does time entails for them? Knowing the place and import of time in your in one’s life will change everything one have come to know about time management, and set one on a new pedestal and how to value your time and invest it more wisely.

Photo by Swing Media

Well, what if you are to learn that time is not just money but LIFE! Wouldn't you value time just as you value your life, when you come to the understanding that your life is tied to time? And as much as you waste precious time you are wasting your life and the more you invest your time, you are investing richly in your life.

Ever wondered why people seek a second chance to make amends or perhaps do what they should have done but never did? Or why people regret some of the things they did or didn't do and simply wished they could rewind the hands of time to make it possible again?

Unfortunately, time, once it’s gone is never recovered. The reason why most people fail in life is simply because they didn't know how to invest the time they had, and they wasted a lot of their it, doing the wrong things.  The value of time in your life is tied to what you do with every single seconds of time.  What you give your time to, determines what life will give to you. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to invest in time doing what entrepreneurs do- innovating, solving problems and needs, breaking new frontiers and barriers. To be a loving husband and good father, you must spend time with your wife, your kids, to love and care for them. Successful leaders hardly had enough time. 24 hours is usually not enough for them. But see a loser he, doesn't know what to do with time. He simply waits it out driving himself to the pit of failure, sadness and an unfulfilled life.

Even the good book in Eccl. 3 vs. 1 expounded the importance of time in life

“There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot……”

God did everything in the principle of time even with creation.

BEGINNING A NEW LIFE OF TIME

What are you doing with your time? Are you simply waiting out your time doing the wrong things and driving yourself to failure and sadness? Here are a few words on how you can begin a new life of time.

Begin with the end in mind: There are no fast lanes or quick fixes in life. Whatever you desire to be or to achieve must be propagated and cultivated in time. (Eccl. 3 vs 2 ….…a time to plant and a time to reap). To begin with the end in mind is to create for yourself the future you deserve not desire. (People mostly get what they deserve, not desire) and then plant the seed(s) that will grow into your deserved future. Of course working through every details and goals you must have set for yourself to achieve this deserved future.

A step into time: A Chinese proverbs that has been communized says that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. If you have been wasting your life sitting around doing nothing for it, now is the time to step into a new life of taking responsibility for your time and life. Little drops of water they say makes a mighty ocean. Begin little by little. If you want to become successful, see beyond what you see. See opportunities in every problem you encounter or witness. Even your present situation is an opportunity for you to take a new course and change your destiny.

Invest time in thinking out ideas. Look around you and see what problems people face. Think of a solution to the problem and help people with the solutions. Become innovative, be different, there is no harm in it, but be positive.

A life time investment: The tree you see today was planted by someone yesterday. The secret of a successful life is in a life time of investment. An athlete invests time in training. An author invests time in writing. A professor, invested time in studying and researching. Successful entrepreneurs invest time and every penny to their ideas and ventures. What are you investing today? It took Thomas Edison more than a thousand times to discover the light bulb. It takes time to realize every dream. Success is redefined to mean a progressive realization of a worthy ideal. Success is progressive- thus time after time. If you need a million naira to start a business, begin now to save to realize that dream. It doesn't matter how many years it takes you, what matters is that you are working towards your dream and actualizing it. Once, my mentor told me that life is like a marathon race where everyone is a competitor. In this race so many will have excuses for not making it first to the finish line. Some will stop to take a pee, some to excrete, others to rest their legs. He said, to make it you have to continue. If you have to pee and excrete on your body do so. People will laugh at you for peeing and excreting on your clothes, but it doesn't matter. When you have made it first to the finish line, the same people who mocked and laughed at you are same people who will lift you high and celebrate your victory with you.

In sum, remember that the quality of your time will depend on the quality of time you spend. Spend your time being a couch potato the quality of your life will be that of an obese sad person. This as simple as it goes, your time is your life, spend it wisely!

Shalom!

Deserve: merit: to have earned or be worthy of something Desire: request something: to wish for and request something

THINK OF GIVING UP? REASON WHY YOU SHOULD THINK OTHERWISE

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

—Galatians 6:9

Are you on a precipice? Do you think you are losing it? Are you on the verge of giving up totally? You think nothing is working and your prayers are not being answered? Well, hear this; you may just well be close to your break through!

Perhaps, also you have been asking the wrong questions and doing the wrong things or not even doing anything at all; sure, that's why nothing seems to move for you. You need to know where you fall under the later questions and begin to move on the right paradigm. The solution to your predicament is not in giving up. The solution is in hanging on and changing your strategies and listening to the right words your heart

Photo by Swing Consult Media

s speaks to you.

History is rich with people, who today are life changers and multi-millionaires who once in their life time found themselves in the same situation you are in now, but decided to take action rather than let empathy, pity and their circumstances engulf them. As a matter of fact, their hopeless and helpless situation provided them a means (courage) out of their quagmire. Always remember that your destiny, your future, your purpose can only be shaped by you and no one else. First, you have to realize this fact and then quit blaming your parents, your friend, brother or whoever for being the cause or your problems. Look yourself in the mirror and say to yourself, " i am where i am because i choose to be there". Then ask yourself, do you really like where you are at the moment? If the answer is NO! Then move away from the position you are in right now and start moving towards where you deserve (not desire) to be. Only you can move yourself to that place, no one else can.

Well, you may be asking, how can i move myself to where i want to be? How do i even know which road to take to get to where i deserve to be? I will oblige to all these questions in the next part of this newsletter. but mean while, let us talk of you, yes you who is doing the good work and seeing no result. 

It doesn't matter how long you have committed to that good cause, job, idea, business etc and it's not working out and yielding the results you need. What matters is that you are doing something worthwhile. As an entrepreneur, one virtue you need is "PATIENCE". To know that before you begin to reap from any crop, you must first of all plant and the seed must die and decay, then start the process of growing to the finally stage where you can reap a good harvest. Take note of the words, die and decay. Yes, whatever seedling you put in the ground, must first die, decay to now have a shoot. It is the natural phenomena of life. Even the good book says, "unless a grain of seed falls to the ground and dies, it shall not bear fruit" - paraphrasing. Again, if you must gain your life, you must first of all lose it. Just as you can’t go to heaven without first dying.

So, your period of waiting is your period of dying and decaying and the beginning of the process of the maturity of the fruits your want to reap in your business, idea or venture. Be patience and in due time all things will fall it is place.

- Don Emeka Nwokedi

Chief Editorr, NaijaEntrepreneur.com

www.naijaentrepreneur.blogspot.com