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.

The Animals Were Singing.......

What’s the big deal about Christmas? Why do we celebrate the birth of someone who died over 2000 years ago? Why does everything in the whole world have to come to a stand still to remember and celebrate this day? The interesting thing about it all is this – his birth wasn’t really celebrated. His birth sure didn’t appear on the national dailies of his days. Was it to happen in today’s world, you can bet it will be on facebook, twitter and other social media. But not then. There were no fun fares. No fire works. No special team of Doctors ready to help with the delivery. It was an ordinary day. Were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold. The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor. A more lowly place of birth could not exist.

Off to one side sit a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor, perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him—so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds.

Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can’t remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn’t figured it all out. The mystery of the event still puzzles him. But he hasn’t the energy to wrestle with the questions. What’s important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes, he remembers the name the angel told him to use . . . Jesus. "We will call him Jesus."

Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph’s saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel, “His kingdom will never end.”

Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility.

Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking. Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

The circumstances surrounding his birth however did not diminish the concept. A king was born. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6). In our world today, people are often remembered for the problems they solve. Of course, we know some people because of the problem they created (remember Osama Bin Laden?). However, they are not often remembered for long, neither are they celebrated. Solving problems is one of the ways that one can be remembered for a long time to come. Faraday is often remembered today for solving the world’s electricity problems. Jesus, the reason for the season today, solved the greatest of man’s problem – SIN

When God created the world, everything in it was good. There was no problem at all, until sin came in. The fall of man when he sinned exposed him to all kinds of things imaginable. Sickness came, Poverty got hold of him. Death overpowered him. Fear gripped him. Man entered into the “crisis” mode as a result of SIN. Sin is a sinker my dear readers. It sank the destiny of man, and still does till date. The greatest hindrance to enjoying a good life is Sin, and Jesus came to solve that problem. By hanging on the cross, he paid the debt he didn’t owe; all because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay! Celebrating Christmas without understanding this is just like celebrating a mass. Christ is what makes an ordinary mass become Christmas.

As you celebrate Christmas today, ponder on these things. Ponder on the greatest love story ever told – the story of a man who laid down his life for his friends.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Wanted: A Loyal Friend.

I recently heard the story of two young men, Jim and Philip. They were the best of friends. They did everything together. They went to high school and college together. They played sports together. Even after college, they both joined the marines. They were inseparable. And one day, they were out on the battlefield in Germany, in the midst of a very fierce battle. Gunfire was everywhere. Bombs were exploding. It got so bad that they were given the orders to retreat. As the men were running back, Jim noticed that his friend Philip wasn’t with him. His heart was gripped with fear, he panicked. He rushed over to the commanding officer and requested permission to go back to the battle zone. The officer said “Are you crazy? You don’t have a chance. I will be committing suicide going back in there”. Without missing a bit, Jim turned around and ran back, defying the orders. In a few minutes, the officer saw Jim hobbling back across the field, carrying the lifeless body of his friend Philip. He screamed at him “I told you not to go. You could have been killed. I knew your friend was already dead”. Jim said “No sir, you were wrong. He was still alive when I got there, and his last words were ‘I knew you would come back’ ’” Anytime I read or hear this story, I am always close to tears. Even as I write this, I marvel at the level of loyalty exhibited by a friend. Awesome!

Jim said “No sir, you were wrong. He was still alive when I got there, and his last words were ‘I knew you would come back’

We live in a world where selfishness seems to be the rule of the day, and personal gain the objective of most relationships and endeavors. One of the most honorable character traits a person can develop is the ability to be loyal, whether to family, friends, an employer, or clubs and organizations to which we may belong. There are too many fair weather friends these days! There are too many people who will only stick with you when things are perfect, when the going is good and when all seems to be going well with you. The next minute that things change, they take off. They bad mouth you. They join others to run you down. I can’t think of a better place that this plays out than in sports world – one moment you are the hero. A couple of weeks later, you have a couple of bad games and everybody is booing you and trying to run you out of town! We need friends who are committed to us for a long haul. We need people who will be by our side, committed to us through thick and thin. A true friend defends, a true friend restores and a true friend is committed.

Perhaps the most familiar story in the Bible about loyalty is found in the book of Ruth. Really, the whole book is the story of Ruth's mother-in-law, Naomi. She, her husband and two sons had traveled to the land of Moab to escape a famine in Israel. Naomi alone survived and with her were the two Moabite widows of her sons. When she decided to return to Israel, the women embarked with her on the journey. She, however, urged them to return to their birth families. One did. The other, Ruth, swore to go where she went, to die and be buried where Naomi was buried, and to adopt Naomi's God. As a result of this commitment to be loyal to Naomi, Ruth found a new and affluent husband and became the grandmother of King David and a direct ancestress of Jesus Christ. Her loyalty booked her a place in history books! Chances are that you don’t even remember the name of the other woman, do you?

We need friends who are committed to us for a long haul. We need people who will be by our side, committed to us through thick and thin

Another story of loyalty in the Bible that really moves me is the story of David and Jonathan. Jonathan knew that God had chosen David to be the next King of Israel after Saul (Jonathan’s father). To his father’s surprise and dismay, Jonathan was still very loyal to his friend David. Infact, he schemed severally to save his friend David from being murdered by his father Saul. Now, that’s interesting. Jonathan knew that only David stood between him and the throne of Israel. He also knew that God had chosen David. He decided to be loyal to him, even till his death! What an absolute show of loyalty. He was with David all the way – during the good times and the bad times, during the time of war and the time of peace. I like the way his loyalty was summarized.

Jonathan, Saul's son, visited David at Horesh and encouraged him in God. He said, "Don't despair. My father, Saul, can't lay a hand on you. You will be Israel's king and I'll be right at your side to help. And my father knows it." Then the two of them made a covenant before God. David stayed at Horesh and Jonathan went home.

1 Samuel 23: 16-18).

A friend strengthens. A true friend lifts up. A true friends stays with you, in your low moments.

In the New Testament we have the moving account of Peter's failure to be loyal to Jesus in his final hours. At the supper in the upper room Peter had vowed to lay down his life for Jesus. Jesus, however, knew better; and later that night outside the temple court Peter denied not once but three times that he even knew Jesus. When he realized what he had done, he wept bitterly. The story has a happy ending, however. For, although Peter failed in his loyalty to Jesus, Jesus continued to be loyal to him and after his resurrection entrusted his mission to him once again. There are several people today who will behave like Peter. They are with you only when everything is going on smoothly. They deny you vehemently when you are in the midst of troubles. Unfortunately, that is the time that you really need them the most.

Loyalty is unwavering in good times and bad. (Proverbs 17:17)
Loyalty is what you do, not what you say.(Matthew 26:33-35 and 26:69-75)
Loyalty is in your heart. It is willing and not reluctant. (Psalm 78:8)
Loyalty can be demanding.(Exodus 17:8-13)
Loyalty may involve sacrifice.(2 Chronicles 11:13-16)

Everyone needs a true friend, especially when you are down. It’s easy to cheer people when they are on the mountain top. It’s easy to cheer people up when things are going their way. But a loyal person, a true friend, is going to be there cheering you on, even when nobody is around. That’s the type of friend we all need! That’s the type of friend we should all be!

Laws That Made Nations Great (Part II)

If nothing else, the responses I got from those who read the 1st part of the write up will definitely compel me to finish it up. And I intend to do that – not sure I will complete it in this post, but maybe the next

There has been a lot of debate, before and after our (Nigeria’s) 50th anniversary celebrations. While a number of people feel strongly that there is nothing to celebrate, a number also feels we have a lot to rejoice about. I am not about to join the debate. No matter which side you belong to, at least one thing is clear – Nigeria cannot be referred to, today, as one of the world’s great. While me might have made some strides, we are still way behind other nations of the world. In my last post, I started sharing some thoughts on the laws that made nations great. No nation or individual has achieved greatness without them. They are simple but profound laws, and they hold sway anywhere and everywhere in the universe.

The Principle of Hardwork – Rewarding Excellence and Merit and not Quotas

The Principle of Integrity

The Principle of Frugality

Frugality is the practice of minimizing waste. It can be related to the idea of being conservative or conserving resources. It is getting more done with less.

Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality, nothing will do, and with them everything

. Benjamin Franklin

One of the greatest problems we have in our nation today is that people live beyond their means; they spend more than they earn! I have worked for a multinational for the past 7 years. Despite the fact that I feel that the company pays fairly and competitively, I am always amazed whenever the month is drawing to a close. People are constantly checking their emails for payment notifications. Most are waiting anxiously for their salaries. They’ve even finished spending it before the earn it! Most times, it is even spent on frivolities, liabilities and things that are just status symbols. This is a major evil. No one becomes great without learning to spend less than he earns!

The same is true for our nation and continent. Do you know that Africa has 40% of the world’s natural resources, despite the fact that it has only 10% of the world’s population? Amazing! We need to ask how these resources are being managed. What happened to the gold mines of South Africa? How are the rich oil wells in Niger Delta managed? Aren’t we a prodigal nation? Any wonder why we export crude and import it back as petroleum products?

According to a recent report in a national weekly newspaper, the country currently spends about $1.7 million (N200 million) to maintain a senator, while about N150 million is spent on each member of the House of Representatives annually. For instance, a former Senate president had 32 cars in his official quarters! When a state governor is travelling within the country he moves with a large convoy of vehicles — mostly bullet-proof cars — and a large retinue of officials who are usually quartered in the best hotels in town at the expense of taxpayers. According to the report, a former governor had three different houses on one street in an expensive suburb of London, whereas John Major, former British prime minister, left No 10 Downing Street, his official residence as prime minister, and went to rent a flat somewhere in the same neighborhood.

Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality

.John Tyler

What % of your income are you saving? From my experience in the school of success, you are not yet ready for greatness, until you are able to save/invest about 20% of your income on a consistent basis. This is what great individuals and great nations do. Despite having a net worth of $62 billion and being the world’s richest man, famously frugal investor Warren Buffett still lives in the same home he bought for nearly $31,500 some 50 years ago! I am not sure you can say anything close of any Nigerian!

The Principle of Respect For Credit

A couple of months ago, the whole nation was startled by the news of distress in our banking sector. After an audit by the Central Bank of Nigeria, it was discovered that many of the “big” banks were practically at the brink of collapse. Amongst other problems, there was the issue of people not returning money they had borrowed from the banks. People were borrowing large sums of money, and were not fulfilling their commitments of returning it back as at when due. The list of “big” debtors was published in many dailies. I was awed by our lack of respect for credit in our nation.

This of course makes it very difficult for Nigerians to get lines of credit outside the country. Our fellow Nigerians has proven, time and time again, that we lack a culture of respect for credit lines. I heard that in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Nigerians schooling in the UK had easy access to credit. You could practically walk into any bank, and without any collateral, borrow money to pay through school with just a promise to pay back. Your word/promise was enough security for the loan. By the mid 80’s, it was almost impossible to even open an account in the UK if you carry a green passport, not to talk of applying for a credit line! What happened? You guessed right – majority of Nigerians who too loans never paid back!

Disrespect for credit is a killer. It is one of the reasons we are backward as a nation. Most people will not do serious business with Nigerians except you are paying cash! You can’t imagine how many wonderful business deals passes us by because of this limitation.

Even at individual levels, this cancer eats deep. Have you borrowed someone money lately? What was your experience? I sure do hope that your experience was better than mine. People come back to you with all manner of reasons and excuses why they can’t pay back as at when due. Of course, this eventually limits what they can get from you in future. It’s very difficult to borrow people money today without signing a legal agreement. You may never get the money back.

For any individual or nation to become great, we must have a deep seated respect for credit.

Phew.....i have to pause now. I'll complete this series in the next post. Till i come your way again, keep shinning!

Laws That Made Nations Great

Last weekend, I had the privilege of listening to Professor Osibanjo (former Attorney General of Lagos State, and a Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God). He was speaking passionately about the laws and principles that made nations(like America, Britain, China e.t.c) great. I sincerely wish that I could force them to listen to his thoughts at the next Federal Executive council meeting in Abuja. I wish I had the power to force every State house of Assembly not to seat until they have listened to his teaching 3 times over! He was so spot on. Most importantly, I remember thinking to myself “All future leaders of our dear country need to start thinking of this now, even before they get into office”. This is what is motivating me to write this, sharing some of his thoughts, and spicing it with what I have learnt and seen about these principles. I know that most of you reading this will one day, not too far from now, be playing key roles in the leadership of this country. Most importantly, these laws and principles will work for individuals as much as it will work for a nation.

Life is governed by laws and principles. When these laws and principles are followed, then you have no choice but to reap the reward of it. When they are not, the same happens – you reap the reward! Principles are no respecter of persons. They are true anywhere, anytime and to anyone wherever you are in the world. Take the principle of gravity for example. Anything that goes up must come down. It doesn’t matter if you are the President of America or just a poor wretch by the road side. If you jump up, you will come down! Except overpowered by a greater law (law of aerodynamics, the law of gravity hold true for everyone, everywhere. You can pray more than praying mantis. You can speak multiples tongues, but all these will not are subject to principles that govern life

Most of us are not progressing as individuals, and our nation is backward compared to others, because we have little or no respect for life’s principles! An average Nigerian will rather pray than obey simple principles. Permit me to share with you some of these simple, yet profound principles that will certainly catapult us, as individuals, and as a nation, from where we are now to where we have always wanted to be.

The Principle of Hardwork – Rewarding Excellence And Merit And Not Quotas

I've always worked very, very hard, and the harder I worked, the luckier I got

Alan Bond

Many people think that hardwork is a curse. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Hardwork is the only substitute to a hard life. Either your work hard or you live hard. The choice is yours. Golden opportunities are nothing to laziness but hardwork makes the commonest chance golden. Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top. Believe me.

The dictionary is the only place in the world where “success” comes before “work” just because of the alphabetical arrangements of things. Work always comes before success, anywhere in the world. Show me a lazy man and I will show you a man who has kissed success goodbye. A wise man puts it in a wonderful way “show me a man who is diligent in his work, I will show you a man who will stand before kings and not before ordinary men”. The diligent and hardworking hand will always bear rule.

As a nation, we breed laziness! Research shows that a Chinese worker is about 6 times more effective that a Nigeria worker! I am sure you will believe that even without any research. You can see it all over the place. Have you been to a government Secretariat lately? Have you tried getting a 1 page latter signed from any ministry? You just wonder what the people there are doing and why it will take 1 week to get a letter signed. I am afraid to say that our nation will not change much until we adopt the pay by the hour culture. This is what happens in the developed nations of the world. They pay according to the hours of work you put in! Here, once you are on the payroll, you get paid for working 8 hours per day even if you don’t show up. It’s a shame.

I took statistics of public holidays in Nigeria in 2007. The ratio of work days to holidays between Jan and April is approximately 8:1. It’s like having a holiday once every 2 weeks! For me, that is an invitation do disaster. It’s a reflection of the state of our economy. Our over-dependence on oil gives us liberty to declare public holidays at will. Whether people are at work or not, the oil wells are producing oil!

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious

Vince Lombardi

To worsen matters, excellence is not rewarded. We will rather reward people according to quota system instead of merit. In a football team, we MUST have representations from all geopolitical zones of the country, whether they merit it or not. I am tempted to mention names but i won't. Lol! We must obey federal character. Have you seen the list of those that were honoured with national awards of late? You will cry – governors disgraced out of office, politicians with integrity issues, and people who have spent a very long time in service (their contribution is immaterial). Until we start rewarding excellence and merit as a nation, we are not yet ready to become great! It is that simple.


The Principle Of Integrity

This is perhaps the greatest bane of our nation. Our nation is in short supply of men and women with personal integrity and honesty. With more sophistication, it’s even easier to throw integrity to the garbage bin. From the salesmen on the street to the CEO of multinationals, from the Student Union Executives of our colleges to the National Assemblies of out nations, people have underestimated the importance of consistently living up to a set of ideals. What a tragedy!

We live in a world that has become so obsessed with success and material wealth at the expense of all else. It’s very rare to see men and women of integrity who would hold on to their righteousness by all means. “The end justifies the means” is now the motto of several people, all in a bid to amass wealth.

As I write this, I can remember an old Ghanaian fable that I read some years back. I think I should share it (again) to drive home my point. Here….

“An aging king woke up one day to the realization that should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male could succeed to the throne - and he was aging. He decided that if he could not give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place, but he insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter what their background.

Ten boys made it to the very top. There was little to separate these boys in terms of intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them, "I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne." Then he said, "This kingdom depends solely on agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed of corn for each of you. Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent. "

The boys took their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next kingpin one home, the boy and his parents were almost heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive.

Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that. "After all," they said, "how can anyone tell one seed of corn from another?" But his parents who had always taught him the value of integrity reminded him that, if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he would have asked them to go for their own seed. "If you take anything different from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty. Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it be but don't be found to have deceived the king," they told him.

The D-Day came, and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager boys and asked each of them "Is this came out of the seed I gave you?" And each boy responded, "Yes, your majesty." And the king would nod and move down the line. The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up. The boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown into prison for wasting his seed.

"What did you do with the seed I gave you?" the king asked."I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but alas it failed to sprout." the boy said tearfully, as the crowd booed him. But the king raised his hands and signaled for silence. Then he said, "My people behold your next king." The people were confused. "Why that one?" many asked. "How can he be the right choice?" The king took his place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, "I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test. If a king must have one quality, it must be that he should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout." ”

The single most important quality you can ever develop that will enhance every part of your life is the value of integrity. Integrity is the core quality of a successful and happy life. Having integrity means being totally honest and truthful in every part of your life. By making the commitment to become a totally honest person, you will be doing more to ensure your success and happiness in life than anything else you can ever do.I mean that in every sense of it!

Will you stand up to be counted with men of integrity?

I have 4 more principles to share with you. Can I ask you to be patient until my next post…..?

Till then, keep on winning.

Living On The Coke Side Of Life (Part II)

In my last blog, I started sharing the story (and lessons to learn) from a product that has become one of the most powerful brands in the world – Coca-cola. I shared on how this brand has travelled to more parts of the world than any other product known to man. Go to any nook and cranny in the world, and you are likely to find a bottle of Coca-Cola there! It’s amazing. This brand is sustaining several glass industries in the world. It is sustaining thousands of sugar plantations all over the world. How did a recipe from a relatively obscure part of Atlanta turn into a global brand, enjoyed by over 1 billion (yes, 1 billion) people every day? How did this brand become the most recognized product in the world, as well as a common link between cultures and countries, people and places?

In the last post, i shared two of the lessons to learn from this brand (please refer to the last article posted) and in this post, i will be sharing two more.

Add value and get value back

This is one of the most basic rules of success. There are many young men and women today who go into business, looking at what to get! Getting value (monetary or otherwise) is not difficult, if you know the right thing to do. And the right thing to do is “Add Value”! May I say that your current level of income is a function of the value (either real or perceived) that you bring to the table? The more value you give, the more value you get.

One of the striking things about Coca-Cola is the value they seek to bring to their consumers and customers. A look at its renewed vision shows clearly why it’s the leading brand in the world

• To refresh the world...
• To inspire moments of optimism and happiness...
• To create value and make a difference.

What value are you bringing to the table? What value do you want to be paid or compensated for? What problem are you solving for people that they should pay you for? Coca-Cola is refreshing the world. They are inspiring moments of optimism and happiness. They create value and make a difference…..and we are all rewarding them with market share!

May I say that your current level of income is a function of the value (either real or perceived) that you bring to the table?

Ideas rule the world

I recently read a story about Bill Gates, perhaps the richest man in the world that interested me. He was traveling through a particular airport and was asked by the custom officers if he had anything to declare. “Nothing, but a billion dollars worth of ideas” he declared. Interesting, isn’t it?

Take a moment and look around your environment. Everything you see from your laptop computer to Post-It Notes® started as an idea. The universe itself started as an idea in God’s mind. The software in your two and a half pound brain spends twenty-four hours per day producing and processing ideas. When your brain is in sleep mode we call the idea production "dreaming." When you are awake and looking out the window, we call it "daydreaming." When you are awake and focused on a task we call it "thinking."

The greatest problem faced by developing countries is not money problem. It is not power problem. It is an idea problem. Ideas are superior to money. They bring in money. Ideas are more powerful that the best currencies in the world. Infact, permit me to say that ideas are becoming a currency of the future. For example, exchange an idea with an associate at lunch. You both walk away with two ideas. If instead, you just exchanged one dollar bills at lunch, you'd both walk away with one dollar. Ideas rule the world.

The greatest problem faced by developing countries is not money problem. It is not power problem. It is an idea problem.

The brand Coca-Cola started as an idea in someone’s mind. In 1889, a man, by the name Asa Candler, bought a formula and a 3 legged brass kettle containing a mixture of lime, cinnamon, cocoa leaves, and the seeds on a Brazilian shrub from a druggist, Dr John Pemberton. Together with an idea he had about marketing, he turned this formula into a money spinner! Ideas indeed rule the world.

I hope we can take a cue from these great lessons from the Coca-Cola brand, and also line on the Coke side of life! It’s an interesting part of life to live!

Living On The Coke Side Of Life

About this time last week, while on vacation in Atlanta Georgia, I had the opportunity of following the story of one of the world’s biggest and most popular brands. Several things interested me about this brand. This brand has travelled to more places in the world than the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s in more hands than the Bible. It has penetrated into cities, towns and villages that the gospel has not dared! It is perhaps the largest consumer of glass in the world today. This brand is sustaining several glass factories and sugar plantations around the globe today – perhaps the largest consumer of both. I am sure you can guess the brand I am talking about now. I am talking about Coca-Cola. Coca Cola sells 1.4 billion servings each day. You could show someone a Coke can and they'll be able to tell you what it is, even if they live in Tokyo. No other brand is as recognizable as Coke is.

This brand has travelled to more places in the world than the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s in more hands than the Bible

A visit to the World of Coca-Cola Centre will be inspiring for anyone. You will practically see how this dream, and this product evolved to be a world brand and then you ask yourself – why not me; why not now? A friend of mine always put it in a nice way – if not now, when. If not me, then who!

It was in 1886, and in New York harbour,workers were constructing the Statue of Liberty. Eight hundred miles away, another great American symbol was about to be unveiled. Like many people who changed history, John Pemberton, a civil war veteran, and Atlanta pharmacist (yes, pharmacist!), was inspired by simple curiosity. He loved thinkering with medicinal formulas, and one afternoon, searching for a quick cure for headaches, he stirred up a fragmant, caramel-coulored liquid in a three-legged pot. When it was done, he carried it a few doors down to Jacob’s pharmacy. Here, the mixture was combined with carbonated water and sampled by customers who all agreed – this new drink was something special. So, Jacob’s pharmacy put it on sale for five cents a glass. Pemberton’s bookkeeper Frank Robinson named the mixture Coca-cola, and wrote it out in his discticnt script. To this day, Coca-cola is written in the same way.

If not now, when. If not me, then who!

About nine servings of the soft drink were sold each day. Sales for that first year added up to a total of about $50. The funny thing was that it cost John Pemberton over $70 in expanses, so the first year of sales were a loss.

There are a couple of lessons to draw out from the Coca-Cola story

Start with what you have

This is one of the prominent things in the Coca-Cola story. Sometimes, we are bugged down by trying to figure out all the tiny details before starting anything. We want to have everything ready to go before we take any step. Most times, we focus on what we don’t have rather than what we have. Pemberton started the Coca-Cola company with what he had – a formula. At that time, he didn’t have any business or marketing experience. He could have held back because of the many things he didn’t have but he didn’t.

There’s a story that explains this in a deeper way in God’s word. In II Kings 4: 1-7,there is an account of a woman that shows the power of starting with what you have. The woman, a widow, had a peculiar problem. He late husband left her and her sons huge debts to pay! And as far as she was concerned, she didn’t have the wherewithal to pay these debts. She did what was very logical to do – she ran to the man of God for help (since he husband was also a prophet when he was alive). I am sure she was expecting a display of a miracle. However, the man of God asked a very instructional question

“Elisha said, "I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Nothing," she said. "Well, I do have a little oil."

As far as she was concerned, she had nothing, except a little oil. Guess what? That little oil was enough to get what she wanted. This woman was focusing on what she didn’t have. The man of God drew her attention to what she had! What do you have? May I challenge you to start with that, and then see how you attract and get what you need.

Don’t be afraid to fail

In case you are not aware, Coca-Cola did not make any profit in the 1st year! First year sales closed at a loss. Infact, Pemberton, who invented the mixture, died 2.5 years after his discovery. However, the seed of greatness for this brand has been sown and just needed time to germinate.

One of the best lessons I ever learned was that it was OK to fail. It is OK to make mistakes. Failure has a wonderful way of teaching you lessons, sometimes very painful lessons, that you can use the next time you tackle a problem. You may not learn the lesson the first time, or the second, or fifth time, but eventually each failure will teach you something you can use later.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Every successful person has failed at some time. Everybody that plays it safe, they’re never going to fail, but they’re never going to be a big success,”

How did I learn this? By recognizing one crucial thing – no one starts off being the best at something. All the greats of anything did it through hard work, something you can read about in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers and his 10,000 hours idea (that to truly master something you need to spend 10,000 hours on it). And you know what? The first thousand hours were probably filled with failures.“Don’t be afraid to fail. Every successful person has failed at some time. Everybody that plays it safe, they’re never going to fail, but they’re never going to be a big success,” said Peter Kim, Hudson Jeans CEO, requoted from a Los Angeles Times article.

(To be continued)