Excuses – The Trademark Of Mediocres

A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they are alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me’. Another said ‘I have just bought five yokes of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out, please excuse me’. Still another said, I just got married, so I can’t come.'

Believe it or not, I read this account from a book…the greatest book ever written. Before making my points, I need you to understand the story very well.

Can you imagine getting an invitation from the President of the United States for a dinner? How would you treat such invitation? Would you need a reminder before honouring it? I bet you won’t. You’ll probably hang the invitation somewhere that you’ll see it everyday. Everyone around you will also know you have a date with the President. Every other thing will take second place. All other appointments will be rescheduled. And many more.This did not happen in the story above. Here, the man that invited his fiends for dinner was kind enough to even send a reminder just before the party started. However, all his invitees began to make excuses. I did a careful analysis of their excuses and found out that they were really excuses. Nothing else.

Take for example the 1st guy. His excuse? ‘I have just bought a field and I must go and see it’. This guy must be a professional excuse maker. He didn’t just get the invitation the day before. Why on earth will he fix inspecting his field on the same day with the party? Afterall, the field is his. He can choose to go and inspect it the day before, or the day after the party! Besides, when do you go to inspect a field? Probably early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Right? The guy was invited for a dinner! He could still have made it if he really wanted to come! He was just making up an excuse to be absent. And that’s how excuses are. They are “made”.

Excuses are lies we tell ourselves to avoid dealing with unpleasant truths. But as long as we buy into those excuses, we can never move past them. Instead of addressing the underlying problem, we merely hide the symptoms. One of the most important steps in personal growth is to uproot excuse-making and confront the real issues behind the excuses with consciousness and courage. A wise man puts it right when he said “Excuses are the trademarks of failures and mediocres”

What excuses do you have that is preventing you from moving on to success? I can bet you that no excuse is good enough for failure. Will you please join me in examining the most common excuses people make and their underlying truths?

I don’t have the time

This is perhaps the commonest excuse I have heard in my life. How many times have you heard yourself or someone else make this excuse? There is nothing that can be farther from the truth. One interesting thing about time is that it’s the most evenly distributed of God’s gifts. Everyone on the planet has 24 hours. A rich man in his palace has 24 hours and so does a poor man on the street. Whatever happens to you in life depends on how you spend or invest the time you’ve got.

In all honesty, if you do not have time for anything, it simply means that thing is not important enough to get a chunk of time from you. You’re really saying, “That just isn’t important enough to me.” I don’t have time to exercise. I don’t have time for a relationship. I don’t have time to start my own business. Of course you have time. You have as much time as anyone else does, and other people are already doing these same things. The difference is that they make it more of a priority in their lives than you do. You aren’t a victim of circumstances. If you don’t like your circumstances, change them.

The real problem therefore is not lack of time but lack of will. Look at what you really devote time to everyday. People devote time to marginal activities like watching TV everyday and yet do not have time to do things they want us to believe they are committed to. No way. If you are really committed to a thing, and if it is very important to you, you will surely have time for it. You have 24 hours everyday. Go and make the best use of it.

I don’t have money

There are many people going about today fantasizing about what they’ll do if only they have the money. “If only I have money” is the common excuse of such people. In my opinion, our greatest problem in the world is not money problem. It is an idea problem. Money always flows in the direction of ideas.

If there’s something you want, “I don’t have the money” is no excuse for not getting it. You can always earn the money or find a way to get the item at reduced cost. The truth behind “I don’t have the money” is “I don’t want it badly enough.” If you want something real bad, you will think through how to get it. In that moment, ideas of how to get it will surely come to you.

Think of it for a moment. Have you ever had to get something by all means that you didn’t have the money at first to get? Did you eventually get it? I know most people will answer a “yes”. Not having money is surely not a tenable excuse.

Will you permit me to continue this in my next post? Please do.

Stay on top!

The Greatest Thief Of All Time - Part III

My plan and desire is to complete this series with this post. I hope I succeed

Let me start with what I consider a very profound statement. “Life is NOT a dress rehearsal –it is a live show!” You owe it to yourself to put in your best possible performance. There may be no second chance to make a first impression. To do this really well, you’ll need to bid farewell to the bad habit called procrastination. Period.

How then do you break free from the grips of procrastination? Here are a few tips

Break down tasks into Bit-Sized Pieces.

I advice strongly that you should break down big tasks to small chunks so you can have an inertia to get started. By doing this, the task never has a chance to take on gargantuan proportions in your mind. Looking at the whole task something leaves you with an overwhelming feeling and this boosts your ego to procrastinate. Take writing a paper for example. You can say to yourself, "Right now, I'm going to write the introduction. That's all, just the introduction!" And you may be more likely to sit down and do that, than you will to sit down and "write the paper."

Think of starting one small piece of the task instead of mentally feeling that you must finish the whole thing. Replace, "How am I going to finish this?" with "What small step can I start on right now?" If you simply start a task enough times, you will eventually finish it.

Be realistic about time

Procrastinators tend to be heroic about time; they estimate that it will take them two hours to complete a task that would take most people four. Once you have determined that procrastination is hurting you, begin taking notice of how long it actually takes you to do a task. Make some allowances for interruptions and be clear in your mind how long the task will take.

You can also use the principle of time-boxing. Here's how it works: First, select a small piece of the task you can work on for just 30 minutes. Then choose a reward you will give yourself immediately afterwards. The reward is guaranteed if you simply put in the time; it doesn't depend on any meaningful accomplishment. Because the amount of time you'll be working on the task is so short, your focus will shift to the impending pleasure of the reward instead of the difficulty of the task. No matter how unpleasant the task, there's virtually nothing you can't endure for just 30 minutes if you have a big enough reward waiting for you.

When you timebox your tasks, you may discover that something very interesting happens. You will probably find that you continue working much longer than 30 minutes. You will often get so involved in a task, even a difficult one that you actually want to keep working on it. Before you know it, you've put in an hour or even several hours. The certainty of your reward is still there, so you know you can enjoy it whenever you're ready to stop. Once you begin taking action, your focus shifts away from worrying about the difficulty of the task and towards finishing the current piece of the task which now has your full attention.


Have fun – Rather “Want To” than “Have To”

When you tell yourself that you have to do something, you're implying that you're being forced to do it, so you'll automatically feel a sense of resentment and rebellion. Procrastination kicks in as a defense mechanism to keep you away from this pain. You need to realize and accept that you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Even though there may be serious consequences, you are always free to choose. No one is forcing you to run your business the way you do. All the decisions you've made along the way have brought you to where you are today. If you don't like where you've ended up, you're free to start making different decisions, and new results will follow.

Notice that there are certain areas of your life that you rarely procrastinate? Some people will never miss a TV show or a football game no matter what. Why don’t you procrastinate about this? I bet it’s because you enjoy doing it! You have fun doing it! You want to do and don’t have to do it! Procrastination becomes less likely on tasks that you openly and freely choose to undertake.

Set Realistic Goals

It is important you set realistic goals for yourself if you want to overcome procrastination. Setting goals that you cannot reach in the short term is a good way to put off things you need to do. Don’t try to do everything perfectly. Rather than perfection, aim for progress. Any small step towards completion is an accomplishment.

Just Do It!

Do I have to explain this again? Well….just do it. If it needs to be done, then go do it! Yes, do it….and do it now!

I think I will pause on the subject of Procrastination until another opportuned time. I strongly recommend that you read the Part I and II of this article if you’ve not already done so.

You can’t be stopped. You are a miracle going somewhere to happen!

The Greatest Thief Of All Time - Part II

Although it’s quite obvious that every action has a reaction, it’s a little less obvious that every in-action also has a re-action. It is not just what you do that makes the difference in your life, but also what you fail to do. Procrastination is that strange (lack of) behaviour where you want to do something, but still you don’t

It is natural to avoid things that are unpleasant, tiring, difficult or anxiety provoking. Although it is natural and understandable, procrastination is the greatest threat faced by most aspiring successes. Procrastination will poison your productivity and maim your chances for tenure. It is the virulent disease that annihilates success. You need to get yourself inoculated from it

This habit chips away at the life you COULD be living, right now. It stifles your potential to make the money you deserve... it holds you back from enjoying rewarding personal relationships... And it prevents you from achieving your true potential! Can you even put a price on the opportunities and potential this bad habit is holding you back from -- right now? Of course not! Because your goals and dreams are priceless!

Can you remember the relief you experienced the last time you completed something that took forever to get done? "That wasn't so bad after all," is usually the sentiment. Procrastination is a habit, not a fatal flaw. It takes persistence to change, but you can do it.

So, why do people (you and I) procrastinate?

Cause and Effect #1: The Fear Of Failure

The fear of failure is a major cause for procrastination. In fact, all forms of procrastination have some kind of fear at its roots. The fear of failure is a common fear that we all share. As human beings, we are not designed to fail. We are designed to consistently progress and improve. This fear then keeps you locked up in procrastination as a way of keeping you from failing. The effect of this form of procrastination then is quite obvious: failure to utilize opportunities. If you don’t act on opportunities they aren’t really opportunities are they? It is never a case of whether opportunity is knocking, but rather a case of whether you are acting on this opportunity and utilizing it.

Cause and Effect #2: Feeling Overwhelmed

We all have a limited mental and emotional capacity. Just like your physical capacity, you have a limit to what you can take on at any given time, and only you know what that limit is. When you overload yourself physically, your body usually breaks down in some form or another. When you overload yourself mentally and emotionally, your mind will intervene, usually in the form of procrastination, to keep you from a ‘mental overload’. The effect of this form of procrastination is that you start to avoid tasks, especially the important ones that you know you ‘must’ do.

Cause and Effect #3: Postponing Important Tasks

Procrastinators are actively seeking out diversions, not because they are lazy, but because at some level they fear the task that they are avoiding. By postponing a task you actually ‘lie’ to yourself. Instead of giving up or quitting – all you are doing is to make yourself feel a little better by saying ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’. By postponing important tasks, you postpone important results. Remember that for every cause there is an effect and when you postpone the actions you also postpone the results.

Cause and Effect #4: Perfectionism

A type of erroneous thinking that leads to procrastination is perfectionism. Thinking that you must do the job perfectly the first try will likely prevent you from ever getting started. Believing that you must do something perfectly is a recipe for stress, and you'll associate that stress with the task and thus condition yourself to avoid it. You then end up putting the task off to the last possible minute, so that you finally have a way out of this trap. Now there isn't enough time to do the job perfectly, so you're off the hook because you can tell yourself that you could have been perfect if you only had more time. But if you have no specific deadline for a task, perfectionism can cause you to delay indefinitely. If you've never even started that project you always wanted to do really well, could perfectionism be holding you back?

Cause and Effect #5: Poor Time Management

Procrastination means not managing time wisely. You may be uncertain of your priorities, goals and objectives. You may also be overwhelmed with the task. As a result, you keep putting off things for a later date.

Do you know any other cause/ effect of Procrastination that I have not mentioned above? Please feel free to share…before I take you through the practical steps to break free from this habit.

Stay on right on top! That's where you belong!

The Greatest Thief Of All Time

Recently, I came across a story that detailed the greatest robberies in history. Let me share with you two of the documented robberies that caught my attention.

In March 2003, on several occasions beginning on March 18, the day before the United States began bombing Baghdad, nearly US$1 billion was stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq. This is considered the largest bank heist in history. Approximately $650 million was later found hidden in walls in Saddam Hussein's palace by US troops. It is believed that this was the bulk of the stolen money. The remaining money is currently unaccounted for. Diyaa Habib al-Khayoun, general manager of the state-owned al-Rafidain Bank, claims that $250 million and 18 billion now worthless Iraqi dinars were also stolen, but by professional robbers unconnected to Saddam. Later, a hand-written note surfaced, signed by Saddam, ordering $920 million to be withdrawn and given to his son Qusay. Bank officials state that Qusay and another unidentified man oversaw the cash, boxes of $100 bills, being loaded into trucks during a five hour operation. Qusay was later killed by US troops in a firefight.

The Brinks Mat Robbery occurred on 26 November 1983 when six robbers broke into the Brinks Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, England. The robbers thought they were going to steal £3 million in cash; however when they arrived they found ten tonnes of gold bullion (worth £26 million). The gang got into the warehouse thanks to security guard Anthony Black, who was the brother-in-law of the raid's architect Brian Robinson. Scotland Yard quickly discovered the family connection and Black confessed to aiding and abetting the raiders, providing them with a key to the main door and giving them details of security measures. Tried at the Old Bailey, Robinson and gang leader Michael McAvoy were each sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for armed robbery. Black got six years, and served three.

I can share with you the names of several other robbers and thieves that have made world headlines. The list will surely be long. However, none of them can stand side by side with a thief that I know. In my opinion, it is the greatest thief of all times. It has stolen from Presidents as well as Chief Executive Officers. It has stolen from business men as well as entrepreneurs. It has stolen from the executives and legislators. It has stolen from the rich as well as the poor; from the young as well as the old; from cities as well as from whole nations. The interesting thing is that it is still at large! It has managed to stay out of the public glare. It has been smarter that the CIA, FBI and other security outfits. It has probably even stolen from them- right in their offices! Guess who/what I am talking about – Procrastination! Procrastination is the greatest thief of all time, and it is still at large! Guess what? It has stolen from you several times even without you knowing!

Everyone procrastinates. We put things off because we don't want to do them, or because we have too many other things on our plates. Well, we all suffer from procrastination at some point (often many points in our lives). Sometimes we can get completely paralyzed when we think of just how much we have to do. But however busy and well-organized we may seem to the outside world, most of us have things lurking around that stubbornly don't seem to get done: learning a new skill, sitting for an exam, clearing out the attic, defrosting the freezer, going to the dentist, reading a book e.t.c. Putting things off -big or small- is part of being human. Isn’t it?

Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt are just some of the symptoms.

In the next couple of posts, I will be sharing with you the causes of procrastination and practical steps to overcome it. Watch out

You will succeed!

Organize or Agonize

Something simple but profound struck me this morning. Our bedroom looks much more spacious when everything is in order- in its place and well arranged. Are you familiar with this? Try arranging your office table and you’ll discover there’ll be room for more things. Try arranging the clothes in your wardrobe properly and it will be evident you can still handle a few more clothes. The message is then very clear and simple – order makes for increase. The more organized you are, the more ready you are to handle more!

Let me start from what I hope to conclude with – It takes far more time to be disorganized than it does to be organized because disorganized people loose so much time to inefficiency.

Have you ever been looking for something you misplaced of late? You know the thing is somewhere around you…maybe in your bedroom. You are dead sure you kept it there the last time but you can’t seem to just find it! The experience can be very frustrating (I get really frustrated) and can make you loose quality time. Worse still, you will most time eventually see the thing in a place that will not take you 30 seconds to locate it if you had known it was there at the very beginning! Can you relate with this situation…or even worse ones?

It’s important to note that order makes for increase. A simple illustration to prove this is when you are packing for a trip. If you decide to dump all your clothes and personal effects in a suitcase just like that, the suitcase will be full in no time. However, if you take your time to neatly fold your clothes, and arrange your personal affects in an orderly manner, you will be amazed at how much space you still have more! If you want to increase in your life, business, career and what have you, pay attention to order. If your life is in order, then increase is guaranteed. If your life is surrounded by clutters and you don’t just seem to get organized, you will have no room for more.

There is a mystery about order. Order makes for increase. Anywhere you see order, increase will not be far off. Have you noticed something about developed countries and economies? There is a high degree of order. You’ll see order everywhere. The opposite is true for developing countries and economies. Little wonder why we are still where we are!

Getting organized is a process and it doesn't happen overnight! It's like quitting a bad habit. In the beginning it is very difficult but it gets easier until one day....you've begun the new habit of "being organized" without even thinking!

One of the greatest lesson I have learnt about order and organization is this “A place for everything; everything in its place”. Let me share with you some tips that I have learnt about getting organized. Some of these tips will work for you, others won't. You don't have to do everything; you just have to do something!

- Have a plan for each day

Before you leave for home each day, take the time to review your calendar for the day and prepare any documents that you might need during that day. The truth is that you will most times not follow this plan 100% but you will be more organized and get more done when you have a clear plan.

- Give every object a home

Assign a home to each item. Where will you put those old bank statements? Where will you keep the magazines? Where should all those design notes go? If you had a box for trash, go through those items and note what should have been thrown away. If you assign a convenient home to every item, you will be much more inclined to put them away.

- Put it away!

It’s very important that you act fast on things that you do not need. Put them away as fast as you can. Throw away junk mail without even bothering to open it! If there is a trash bin close to the mailbox, dump junk mail there and don't even bother taking it to your office. Touch each piece of mail only once. This means you need to make a decision on what to do with it. You can:

-POST it wherever you post information
-DISTRIBUTE it to the person who should have gotten it in the first place
-TRASH it
-FILE it in the appropriate file (Not a "to be filed" file!)
-ACT upon it.

- Prioritize

This is not as easy as it sounds but it is a vital point in creating order around you. It’s not likely that you will be able to do everything you want to do every single day. The chances are that you won’t! When your list of “to do’s” is quite long, you will be more organized of you learn to prioritize. This simply means putting the most valuable items on your “to do” list at the very top of your list. Schedules should follow a progression of priority, energy, and natural setting. My priorities begin with the Lord, then my wife, then my daughter, then work. When I have time left over, I can dedicate it to items lower on my priority list.

I am not an expert on this one, so, if you are, or have any other idea, the floor is open. Shoot!

The Greatest Of All Investments - Part II

What's the most profitable investment you can make?

Some people would tell you it's the stock market. Other people would point to mutual funds, precious metals or municipal bonds. Make no mistake, all those investments can offer you a great payback. But there is another investment that promises far greater rewards. I am talking about investing in yourself. Dollar for dollar, investing in yourself promises vastly greater benefits than any other investment you can name.

When you invest in a savings account, you can draw on that account when necessary. Knowing the money is there provides a sense of confidence and security. It's just as important to invest in yourself, so that the resources are there to draw on when necessary.

The best money hedge or inflation hedge is not gold, real estate or stocks. It's investing in yourself. So, my question to you is this – what will you do today, and the day after, to invest in yourself and in your future?

I started sharing with you some thoughts on why and how you can invest in yourself the last time I posted on this blog. Permit me to continue from where I stopped.

5. You Can Achieve Your Goals

Investing in yourself dramatically increases the probability of achieving your goals and is a real demonstration of your commitment to achieving them. When you invest in yourself by improving your skills for example,or taking a certification course, you at least double your chances of meeting and exceeding your goals.

6. You Create Your Own Future

Your career and future is yours to mold. Investing in yourself gives you the clarity, power and tools to create your own future and take the path less traveled. Sometimes, investing means taking a risk, but that's the price of entry for success and happiness. When you consciously invest in yourself and in your skills, you are better prepared for the future.

7. The World Is a Complex Place

Life is complex and you’ve got to be wise. You cannot know everything you need to know or do everything you need to do alone. You can't be your best without help. Find and invest in those who can teach you, show you the way and help you achieve your goals.

8. Life Is Too Short for Mediocrity

You don't have the luxury of being mediocre -- period. Or do you? Whether you opt for self-improvement or outsourcing your weak areas to someone who can do them better, determine where you are mediocre and get help. And do it quickly! Time flies away fast. You had better be it’s pilot!

9. It's a Cliché, But on Your Deathbed...

The reason we hear this often is that it is so true. The passage of time will provide a perspective we don't have now. One day, you'll look back at your problems and successes and see them as bumps in the road. Your focus will be on the big picture: the life you led, opportunities pursued or abandoned, how happy you were, and the legacy you left behind. Investing in yourself will give you the courage and determination to be happy and do your own thing.

10. Who Else Can You Count On?

Let's face it: You're alone on this. No one has as much to gain or lose as you do. No one else is going to make those consistent investments in your development to maximize your career and life. Others can surely help, but definitely not as much as you. You need to lead this move to better your life and your career. Who else can you count on?

Invest in understanding yourself better and developing your goals, plans, professional skills, knowledge, career management skills, networks, and your personal brand and profile. Do it yourself or pay experts to do it for you (try www.deoluakinyemi .com)

Try thinking, planning, self-assessment tools, goal development, reading, consulting experts, getting coached, taking courses, upgrading or acquiring skills, and proactively marketing yourself. Recognize that investing in yourself often requires that you don't play it safe.

See you at the top of the topmost top! That's where you belong! You are sure to meet me there!

Ciao

The Greatest Of All Investments - Part I

In the last few years, I have taken conscious steps to know more about investments and investment opportunities all around me. I have also gone ahead since then to make some investments. So many people I know have also done same. In the middle of it all, I discovered the greatest investment you can ever make in this life – it is an investment in yourself; an investment in a company called “You Inc”. While it is great to invest in shares, real estate and what have you, nothing comes near to investing in yourself. You reap the fruit now and in the future.

Not investing in yourself is like floating down a fast river without a paddle, map or knowledge of what's around the next bend. Things may go fine for a while, but at some point, you're going to realize you made a giant mistake. To avoid such unforeseen disaster, you need to make a proactive and thoughtful investment in a plan for achieving your career -- and life -- goals.

Permit me to share with you my thoughts on why and how you can invest better in yourself…and in your career.

1. It's the Greatest Return on Investment, Anywhere

I have seen investments giving returns of over 500% percent and this is exciting. The return on investing and improving yourself is astronomically higher than any financial investment you could make. Believe me. From increased lifetime earning power and unimagined opportunities, to protecting yourself from unemployment and the satisfaction that comes from personal growth and success, the returns are enormous. You can’t beat the offer. Can you?

2. You're the Boss of You

If you're the president and CEO of You Inc., then it's your job to ensure you don't go out of business. It's your job to nurture growth and prosperity. You do this by planning carefully, performing consistently, operating true to your mission and investing in You Inc. If you use yesterday’s ideas to do business today, be sure that you won’t be in business tomorrow! For this reason, you need to constantly invest in yourself in order to stay current.

3. You Become More Valuable

Draw up two balance sheets for yourself. On the first, list your financial assets and liabilities. On the second, list your skills, ideas, knowledge, marketability, personal networks, passion and ability to make things happen. It will be great and helpful to do this exercise. Then, increase your personal net worth by investing in your second list -- that's how you'll increase the assets on your first list. That’s the way it works. That’s how to climb to the top. Your financial assets will most likely sky-rocket as you pay attention to increasing your skills, knowledge and marketability.

4. You Can Become Great

There is greatness within you and around you. Investing in yourself will bring it into the open. You are capable of greatness. Most of us settle for just getting by, using a fraction of our capabilities. This is tragic. Realize your greatness by identifying your talents and investing in your potential.

I'll continue from this point the next time. Till then, stay right on top!