A Brand New Start.....

Let me start by joining the rest of the world to wish you a Happy New Year! May it be to you, and yours, a splendid year.

Some years back, after having to write the UME (University Matriculation Examination) again (I wrote it twice before I nailed it), one thought flashed through my mind. What if failure was perpetual? What if, once you failed, you have failed forever? What if there was no opportunity to start again? What if once you made a loss in business, you continue to make losses? What if, once you repeated a class, or a course, you will continue to repeat it eternally! What a chaos our world would have been!

What if failure was perpetual?

God, in His infinite mercies divided our lives into tiny bits – so, we have centuries, decades, years, months, weeks and days. If you have failed in a particular year, you can look forward to another year, to try again. If a particular day isn’t going to well, you wish the day would be over soon, so you could have a fresh start. If you have failed once, or twice, you look forward to another opportunity to try again, or start again. In my opinion, a new year is God’s wonderful opportunity, given to us, to start again….howbeit, more intelligently. And that opportunity is not only available to those who didn’t do well the previous year. It is also available for those who did well, so, they can even do better. The New Year is an opportunity for a fresh start.

The greatest definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different result!

So, my question is this – What will you do differently this year? Your result is always a function of your inputs. If your inputs are wrong, do not wonder if the results are in the same direction. Let me say this categorically – the year 2011 will be very much like 2010 to you, if you do things the same way you did last year. I guess that’s a no brainer. I can guarantee that your output will be exactly the same if your inputs do not change. So, do you like the results you turned out last year? If your answer is NO, then, something about you has got to change. The greatest definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different result!

Here are a few things you need to look at changing /improving to get better result.

Change your thoughts

No one can rise above the level of his thoughts. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. Your life will never go beyond the level of your thoughts. So, the Bible has a nice advice for you.

“Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. “

(Philippians 4: 8-9, The Message Bible)

No matter how long you pray, if you harbor in your heart, things contrary to your prayers, the prayer will be a mere exercise. You cannot be praying for health and be thinking like a sick man! The thought of sickness will nullify your prayers. You cannot be praying for success and be thinking like a failure. God is able to do much more than you ask or think.

Change your Association

A wise man once said this. “You will be where you are today in another 5 years, except for 2 things – the books you read and the friends you keep”. I have found this to be very true. If you want to improve your results, then you’ve got to improve on your association/relationships. In my quest for financial freedom, I discovered that there is a fundamental difference between the way the rich and the poor think. Their thinking patterns are worlds apart. As a result of this, associating with the group you want to belong will give you accesses to their perspective.

In our environment (Africa), there is so much emphasis on the enemy. People spend a whole night vigil praying against their enemies. May I say this to you – your friends are more strategic to your destiny that your enemies. You had better have the right ones.

Change your attitude

Attitude more than aptitude, determines altitude. Look, things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out. During the course of the year, you will definitely have challenges. How will you face them? Will you be optimistic about life and it’s opportunities or bend your head in pessimism?
To achieve more this year, I challenge you to be an incurable optimist. This way, all things being equal you will always win. All things not being equal, you will still most times win!

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

Go for Information

I have realized that there are no mountains anywhere. Every man’s ignorance is his mountain! Nobody suffers from a special problem, only from special ignorance. Every outstanding accomplishment rides on the hub of information! If you know better, you will shine brighter

There are no mountains anywhere. Every man's ignorance is his mountain

No matter what your vision this year is, I can bet it will end in frustration, except you have the right information to match. Read books. Listen to tapes. Read newspapers. Most importantly, get information from the greatest of all information sources – The Bible- The Manual for Life!

May the year be to you a year of years!

Enjoy.

2010 Vs You - What's The Score At Half Time?

One of the most unimportant statistics in a football match is the score at half time. I remember watching the final match of the Confederation Cup at about this same time last year. The United States team was two goals up by the break. If the game had ended then, they would have been champions then, and for the next 1 year. All that changed in the second half when the almighty Brazil scored 3 great goals to win the tournament. Last night/early this morning, the half time whistle for this year sounded on all of us! The referee has called for a time out, and it provides a wonderful opportunity to review the strategies of the first half, and decide if we will still continue with it, or make some changes.

One of the most unimportant statistics in a football match is the score at half time

Every new day, new month, or New Year, provides us with an opportunity to start again, but more intelligently. Today presents such wonderful opportunities. It is a great opportunity to look back at the last 6 months and evaluate how far, or how not far, we have gone. I encourage you to take time out in the next few days to do a thorough evaluation of the last 6 months. I can predict to you what will happen at the end of the year if nothing changes now. You will get exactly the same results that you have got in the last 6 months! Remember the definition of insanity. It is “doing the same thing in the same way, and expecting a different result”. My question to you as you read this is – do you like the results coming your way in the last 6 months? Are you satisfied with the level of success you have enjoyed in the 1st half of the year? If your answer is NO, then, something needs to change in the 2nd half. Once this happens, the result at half time will be immaterial.

Take Stock
May I encourage you to balance your account for the last 6 months? Take stock of the important things in your life. How have well have you done in your relationship with God? How well is your finance doing versus your budget? Are you making considerable progress? Sometime earlier in the week, I took stock of my spending/expenses for the last 6 months. I was humbled. I saw areas where I didn’t believe I was spending as much as I was doing. One of the smartest ways to progress in life, is to take stock at intervals. That’s what a smart football team does at halftime.

Focus on your strength
When people evaluate themselves in this part of the world, there is a great tendency to always focus on their weaknesses. Let me explain using this example. If you have a child that came home with the following scores - English Language (85%), Mathematics (92%), Physics (87%), Biology (50%) and Chemistry (90%)- which subject teacher are you likely to recruit for him/her soonest? My guess is that you will be recruiting the best Biology teacher in town to help your ward become “all rounder” by improving his/her Biology scores. This may be far from being right! While I am not advocating that you close your eyes to obvious opportunities in your life, I am insisting that you should also place close attention to your strengths. In the example above, the ward in question can go on and become the best engineer we have ever seen, without improving much in his/her Biology scores! What are the things you did so well in the 1st half of the year? What are the things that brought you’re the best results? Plan to focus on them and repeat them, even in a better way, in the 2nd half of the year.

The greatest definition of insanity is this - doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different reslut

Improve your opportunities
Like I said earlier, I am not asking you to close your eyes to your opportunities. You will need to do something about them too. Write down somewhere the list of things that didn’t go your way in the 1st half of the year. Write down the things that didn’t work so well. What are you going to do about them? What skills are you going to acquires to do better? What relationships are you going to cultivate to improve in those areas? What seminars are you going to attend to bridge the knowledge gap? What habits are you going to bade farewell to in order to reach your goals? My advice is that you pick 1-2 opportunity areas that you want to focus on and deal with them squarely.

Adjust Your Sail
Have you ever wondered what goes on in the dressing room at half time? Anyone who has played a team game will remember those half-time discussions with the coach when things have gone badly and everything depends on going back out for the second half and turning the game around. It’s like being on the sea during a stormy weather. Survival depends largely on how well you can adjust your sails accordingly. Sometimes, you change strategies in the dressing room. Sometimes you change people or players. Sometimes you change the pattern of play. Sometimes, you just motivate the people to use the same strategy in a better way. Eventually, for any change to be effected in the 2nd half, something has to change in the dressing room. Do you need to change your strategies? Maybe it’s your association that needs to change. Maybe it’s just down to your attitude. Adjust your sails accordingly

Give Thanks
Many times, we think about the things we do not have and forget to appreciate God for the things we have. Someone who doesn’t have a car yet is angry. He is not thankful that he a pair of legs to walk! He is taking the ability to walk for granted! Someone is angry that he doesn’t have a job yet. He should be thankful at least that he has an opportunity to go to school and get a degree. I know you are behind on your dreams and your goals but be thankful for the ability to dream in the 1st place! Don’t forget the many things that the good Lord has done for you. He gave you life, and that alone is worth every other thing in the world. Count your many blessings. Don’t discount them! When you learn to thank God for what he has done, you compel him to do what is left. Have a thankful heart.

As we begin the 2nd half of this year, I comment you to the hand of his Grace. May the almighty God add the “extra” to your “ordinary”, so it becomes “extraordinary”. Remember that you have another opportunity to start again- albeit, more intelligently. All your sins/mistakes/errors of the 1st half of the year are hereby forgiven. Go and sin no more!

2009 Vs You - What's The Score At Half Time?

One of the most unimportant statistics in a football match is the score at half time. I remember watching the final match of the Confederation Cup last weekend. The United States team was two goals up by the break. If the game had ended then, they would have been champions by now, and for the next 1 year. All that changed in the second half when the almighty Brazil scored 3 great goals to win the tournament. Last night, the half time whistle for this year sounded on all of us! The referee has called for a time out, and it provides a wonderful opportunity to review the strategies of the first half, and decide if we will still continue with it, or make some changes.

One of the most unimportant statistics in a football match is the score at half time

Every new day, new month, or New Year, provides us with an opportunity to start again, but more intelligently. Today presents such wonderful opportunities. It is a great opportunity to look back at the last 6 months and evaluate how far, or how not far, we have gone. I encourage you to take time out in the next few days to do a thorough evaluation of the last 6 months. I can predict to you what will happen at the end of the year if nothing changes now. You will get exactly the same results that you have got in the last 6 months! Remember the definition of insanity. It is “doing the same thing in the same way, and expecting a different result”. My question to you as you read this is – do you like the results coming your way in the last 6 months? Are you satisfied with the level of success you have enjoyed in the 1st half of the year? If your answer is NO, then, something needs to change in the 2nd half. Once this happens, the result at half time will be immaterial.

Take Stock

May I encourage you to balance your account for the last 6 months? Take stock of the important things in your life. How have well have you done in your relationship with God? How well is your finance doing versus your budget? Are you making considerable progress? Sometime earlier in the week, I took stock of my spending/expenses for the last 6 months. I was humbled. I saw areas where I didn’t believe I was spending as much as I was doing. One of the smartest ways to progress in life, is to take stock at intervals. That’s what a smart football team does at halftime.

Remember the definition of insanity. It is “doing the same thing in the same way, and expecting a different result”.

Focus on your strength

When people evaluate themselves in this part of the world, there is a great tendency to always focus on their weaknesses. Let me explain using this example. If you have a child that came home with the following scores - English Language (85%), Mathematics (92%), Physics (87%), Biology (50%) and Chemistry (90%)- which subject teacher are you likely to recruit for him/her soonest? My guess is that you will be recruiting the best Biology teacher in town to help your ward become “all rounder” by improving his/her Biology scores. This may be far from being right! While I am not advocating that you close your eyes to obvious opportunities in your life, I am insisting that you should also place close attention to your strengths. In the example above, the ward in question can go on and become the best engineer we have ever seen, without improving much in his/her Biology scores! What are the things you did so well in the 1st half of the year? What are the things that brought you’re the best results? Plan to focus on them and repeat them, even in a better way, in the 2nd half of the year.

Improve on your opportunities

Like I said earlier, I am not asking you to close your eyes to your opportunities. You will need to do something about them too. Write down somewhere the list of things that didn’t go your way in the 1st half of the year. Write down the things that didn’t work so well. What are you going to do about them? What skills are you going to acquires to do better? What relationships are you going to cultivate to improve in those areas? What seminars are you going to attend to bridge the knowledge gap? What habits are you going to bade farewell to in order to reach your goals? My advice is that you pick 1-2 opportunity areas that you want to focus on and deal with them squarely.

Adjust Your Sail

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the dressing room at half time? Anyone who has played a team game will remember those half-time discussions with the coach when things have gone badly and everything depends on going back out for the second half and turning the game around. It’s like being on the sea during a stormy weather. Survival depends largely on how well you can adjust your sails accordingly. Sometimes, you change strategies in the dressing room. Sometimes you change people or players. Sometimes you change the pattern of play. Sometimes, you just motivate the people to use the same strategy in a better way. Eventually, for any change to be effected in the 2nd half, something has to change in the dressing room. Do you need to change your strategies? Maybe it’s your association that needs to change. Maybe it’s just down to your attitude. Adjust your sails accordingly

Be Thankful

Many times, we think about the things we do not have and forget to appreciate God for the things we have. Someone who doesn’t have a car yet is angry. He is not thankful that he a pair of legs to walk! He is taking the ability to walk for granted! Someone is angry that he doesn’t have a job yet. He should be thankful at least that he has an opportunity to go to school and get a degree. I know you are behind on your dreams and your goals but be thankful for the ability to dream in the 1st place! Don’t forget the many things that the good Lord has done for you. He gave you life, and that alone is worth every other thing in the world. Count your many blessings. Don’t discount them! When you learn to thank God for what he has done, you compel him to do what is left. Have a thankful heart.

As we begin the 2nd half of this year, I comment you to the hand of his Grace. May the almighty God add the “extra” to your “ordinary”, so it becomes “extraordinary”. Remember that you have another opportunity to start again- albeit, more intelligently. All your sins/mistakes/errors of the 1st half of the year are hereby forgiven. Go and sin no more!

What Does The New Year Hold ?

Celebrations are taking place all over the world to mark the beginning of another year. We dealt with the old (2008) and took hold of the new (2009). From Sydney to Hong Kong, from London to Rio De Jenerio, from America to Africa, fireworks hit the midnight sky as the clock tickled past midnight. Some 400,000 people braved freezing temperatures in London for a fireworks display beside the Thames. In New York almost a million people packed a freezing Times Square as the famous Waterford crystal ball descended to cheers at midnight. It was, to say the least, breathtaking.

The year 2008 was a different year in many respects. America witnessed the election of the 1st black President, after several months of political maneuverings. We were told that the earth’s rotation in 2008 was also somewhat slower; hence one leap second was added to the clocks worldwide as the year drew to a close. Not only did the earth’s rotation slowed down, global economies were at an all time low. It is almost unbelievable how many established companies is either folding up or downsizing. Those who are not are running to the government for help. The stock exchange is not spared for this troubled times. Stock market in tumbling at an alarming rate. I mean some people practically lost all their retirement benefits to this fact. A barrel of oil that was sold for $147 in July is not sold for less than $40. Can you imagine what that means to the economies that are solely dependent on oil (like my dear country, Nigeria)?

A barrel of oil that was sold for $147 in July is not sold for less than $40.

The truth is that most people entered the New Year with lots of caution and pessimism. Unlike the promises that the New Year brings, this year promises tougher economic crises, tougher financial situations and a lot of uncertainties. Listen to speeches from leaders around the world, and the message can be summarized – The year 2009 won’t be an easy year. We will have to find new ways to solve the world’s overwhelming economic crisis. What then does 2009 hold for us?

All hope is definitely not lost. I believe strongly that one can thrive well even in the midst all these clouds. During the all night service I attended at Daystar Christian Centre to mark the New Year, the Pastor of the church, Rev. Sam Adeyemi, gave some keys to ride on the winds of the Season of Change that we are experiencing all over the world. May I share some of these points with you?

Put Your Trust In God –

The truth is that even our leaders are sort of confused about the economic situation of the world. They know we won’t pull put of it fast. The only one who has the solution at the tip of his fingers in the Leader of all leaders. You had better put your trust in him. The arm of flesh will fail. Formerly proven ideas and methods won’t work. Only God inspired ideas will thrive in the year 2009. Wouldn’t you rather bank on the one whose capacity to fail is zero? I will!

Formerly proven ideas and methods won’t work. Only God inspired ideas will thrive in the year 2009

Build Your Life On Scriptural Principles

Methods changes with time. Principles don’t. Whatever goes up must come down. That’s the principle of gravity. Principles have no respect for economic situations. They have no respect for location. They are universal laws that hold through, no matter what. In the year 2009, we need to build our lives on principles and not methods. As change occurs, we adjust our methods, but not the principles.

Act In Faith

Whenever there is a global recession, it always comes with a redistribution of wealth. Position yourself in faith to be on the receiving side of the redistribution. Step out in faith and take positive actions. Do not sit down with your hands folded, waiting for government to effect changes. Don’t cry over spilled milk. Yes, it’s going to be a tough year and it will take tough people, not only to survive, but to also succeed.

Pursue the Expansion of God’s Kingdom with a Passion

When you mind God’s kingdom, then he will appoint to you a kingdom. The purpose of this coming wealth transfer /redistribution is to promote God’s kingdom. It’s not just to make our bank account fatter or for show off. It is to propagate His course on earth. If you will not mind God’s business then do not expect Him to mind yours. What kingdom activity will you be involved in this year? This is what will compel God to act on your behalf.

If you will not mind God’s business then do not expect Him to mind yours.

Maintain Your Joy

Sometimes, things will not go exactly the way you have planned it to go. As such times, you need to keep your joy. “The Joy of the Lord is your strength”. If you lose your joy, then you have lost your strength. In high and low times, keep your joy. Even when you are behind on your dreams and on your bill, rejoice in the Lord your God! “Although the fig tree may not blossom, neither shall fruits be in the vines…..yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation”.

Here is wishing you a splendid year ahead. You deserve one!

Happy New Year.