THE ONE THING!!! WHAT IS YOURS??

I am currently reading a book entitled THE ONE THING by Gary Keller (With Jay Papasan). I must say that this book is a must read for anyone truly serious about attaining great heights in any area of life and achieving one's set goals. However, the truth that this book teaches is nothing new. It is not a groundbreaking, recently-realised truth. It is a truth that has been around for ages and has been utilised by people of years gone by who have achieved great success. People like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and corporations like Apple, Coca Cola and Pepsi. These people and corporations realise that the attainment of resounding success is a function of the ability of the pursuer or seeker of success to focus on The One Thing. This is an incontestable truth.

The disciplined channelling of all your energies into one endeavour or closely-related group of endeavours is the surest route to the attainment of success. The only way to experience a Breakthrough is to keep hitting or chipping at an obstacle until you BREAK THROUGH. Focus and Persistence are key. Today, I read somewhere that 80% of what is needed  to achieve success is simply turning up, in other words Persistence. Publilius Syrus was of the opinion that "To do two things at once is to do neither" and this addresses the need for focus or concentration on a particular goal or objective.

Do you know your one thing; the one thing that you should be focused on and working towards achieving? The one thing that when done will set-up a chain reaction (domino effect) that will lead to the achievement of much greater feats (even things not among your goals)? As I read on, I will endeavour to share more insights - and remind those who already know these things - gained from this book. Seek out your one thing daily and have a lovely, fruitful day.

ENCOURAGE YOUR PARTNERS TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS




Credit: Deviant Art

  It is natural for us as  human  beings  to prefer the company  of people who are always - or  always seem to be - in  agreement with everything we say or do. I am talking about the kind of people who never object to our words, deeds or plans and indeed, seem more than happy to nod their heads in agreement and go ahead with our plans, even though they have much more than a gut feeling that we are wrong. The kind of people who seem to have a boundless ability to take the most horrendous of verbal insults we dish out to them, sometimes with a cheerful smile. I think we all know one or two of such eager-to-please-and-agree-with-everything-we-do people; veritable Yes-men and Yes-women.

Indeed, due to our innate tendency to seek and always crave the company of  sycophants, we human beings subconsciously erroneously make "the pronounced possession of sycophantic tendencies" one of the major criteria in our selection of partners. Partners in this context qualifies people we work together with towards the achievement of a common goal. Team members if you like. So in this context, the tag encompasses spouses, friends, colleagues (where senior or junior) and every other kind of aide (housemaids, drivers etc). The choice of such partner(s) (sycophantic partners) reduces the chances of the achievement of the desired objective(s). Usually, it is the case that even if short term objectives are achieved, long term aims or goals are usually scuttled as a result of the choice of sycophants as partners.

In the corporate environment, if an employee seems to always be in agreement with his manager and other colleagues - and is smiley and generally always nice - he could be keeping scores in his head and simply biding his time, waiting for his day of vengeance. Or he could be the passive aggressive type, secretly scuttling or sabotaging his manager's, and department's efforts, and consequently, his organisation's operations. You see, sycophants possess a keen understanding of the fact that people naturally have a preference for being around ever-smiling, upbeat people who are always in agreement with them, as opposed to the  ever-frowning, perpetually downcast, dissidents. Maybe we possess this preference because smiley, perpetually-agreeing people come across as "good", "safe" people, and "frowners" and dissidents as "bad" or"evil" people. Or maybe it is simply because moods are contagious, and adulation is mood-boosting, thus we seek out the smiley  sycophants in order to continually experience a mood boost. Whatever the reason, sycophants  understand that people love to feel real good about themselves; feel superior to others; feel like they can do no wrong, and sycophants most readily feed this craving for adulation and affirmation.

However, it has to be understood that the partner who is ever in agreement  might not be a sycophant in the true sense of the word, but might just be a team player trying exhibiting his team spirit by being patient and understanding (hallmarks of maturity). The problem is, there is only so much a person can take, and he or she is likely to reach their limit and explode in their manager's face.
Finally, he or she could be the truly patient type, but humans have a mental facility called MEMORY. Having taken so much nonsense from the errant partner over the years, in future, and in a position of power, they could recall all the hurt and anger they had been made to suffer and decide to seek revenge. Remember, the desire to seek revenge is part and parcel of the human nature.

For this reason, I would rather have a partner that speaks his or her  mind quite harshly, than the one who never speaks and seems to have an infinite capacity to take insults. The former can be advised to "calm down" or be more gentle when speaking their mind, but the latter might believe that his ability to remain calm and quiet even in the face of the most horrible of treatments and insults is the hallmark of a disciplined individual. However, I am of convinced that the latter usually already has his or her  mind set on revenge in the future and is just biding their time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to unleash their vitriol.

WHEN LAST DID YOU MAKE A NON-MONETARY INVESTMENT?

Credit: SafeForex.co.uk

Most people associate the word "investment" with financial investments like stocks, real estate and the like. True, these are very popular forms of investment. However they are not the only forms of investment. Buying books that can build you up, both career-wise and in other areas of your life is an investment. Even  monetary aid given (not loaned) is an investment and usually yields dividends in the long run. 
However, not all investments require the movement of money. Basically, an investment is a seed sown into your life or someone else's life. As usual, the seed will take some time to germinate, but in due course you will reap the harvest in the form of dividends. Sometimes all that is required is burning desire to be of help, some of your time and  your effort. 
Helping people in need of help is an investment, in people. Providing a listening ear and a word of advice to a troubled or depressed person in your neighbourhood is an investment. Sometimes, a listening ear is sufficient. Relationships have always been key in the human experience and that definitely will not change any time soon. Sean Covey opines that we as human beings open up a Relationship Bank Account (RBA) with the people we meet. Giving help to people in need of it is simply making a deposit into your RBA, thus increasing the amount of withdraw-able capital in your RBA. The more the solid, positive and progressive relationships you build with people, the more likely you are to survive harsh, unpleasant times (with the help of people). I read the story of a young man who took it upon himself to visit a lonely, seemingly financially poor (or average) elderly lady who lived in his neighbourhood almost daily. Unbeknownst to him, she was an heiress to a grand fortune, and when she passed on, she left most of her money to him in her will. 
The sayings One good turn deserves another, What goes around comes around and Do unto others what you would have them do unto you still hold true because they are eternal truths. Now seek to make an investment in your life and that of others today, being cognisant of the fact that that an investment in the lives of others is actually an investment in your life.

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF RICHES/WEALTH (continued)

The character rich possess attitudes/behaviours or personalities that most people find attractive and irresistible. These attitudes and personalities could include amongst others: a penchant for hard work (industry), a good disposition, kindness, geniality, a great fashion sense and an outgoing, sociable personality. People who possess this particular type of  wealth usually have loads of people in their lives who love nothing better than to be in their presence, and among them could be financially wealthy folks ever-willing to bestow financial riches on them. Wealthy people who will not hesitate to invite them to events where they could meet other financially-endowed people thus expanding their circle of influence. 

Their lives are usually a testament to the truthfulness of the saying Your attitude determines your altitude. Due to the wealth they possess, they rise to the top in whatever venture they turn their minds to in life as people are easily drawn to them and end up being under their influence.

I really hope that with this well thought-out albeit hastily written piece, I have been able to convince you all out there that we are all endowed with riches that can be transformed into financial riches. All we have to do is recognise what riches we are blessed with - the more the better-  and set to work converting it to financial wealth. Go on then, embark on a little soul-searching and self-discovery, unearth the riches you possess and begin to plot and scheme on how to convert it to financial riches.

THE END (for now)

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF RICHES/WEALTH (Part 1)

I find it extremely difficult to agree with people when  they say that they are poor. This is because I believe that there are different kinds of riches and consequently, different kinds of poverty. I hold the belief that it would be more accurate if they said that they were financially poor or lacked financial riches, instead of just poor.

In most cases, financial riches are the product of other forms of riches. These other riches include anatomical (physical fitness, health and stature), mental, emotional, talent and character riches. For this reason, I believe that NO ONE IS TRULY POOR. No one is absolutely poor. You could be financially poor, but are you also mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually poor? I find it really hard to believe that anyone could lack all the above forms of riches. Even the less-fortunate ones born physically and mentally disabled or incapacitated could possess spiritual riches which no one can see, and they could become financially wealthy if God wills it. I must however admit that the odds are greatly stacked against these ones and would explore this subject further in future posts.

Having stated the fact that everyone possesses some form of riches or wealth, I must say that it is the onus of those lacking financial wealth to develop and parlay their other riches into financial wealth. For example, the exceedingly mentally rich should find it easy to think up and develop money-making strategies for not just themselves, but others- I the capacity of consultants and advisers. They will naturally not find it hard to convince those who are financially endowed to invest in them and their business ventures.

The anatomically rich are usually endowed with the strength to work hard and attain financial riches. The exceptionally physically fit, body-beautiful and muscular ones tend to have numerous admirers amongst who are likely to be financially wealthy people. These wealthy people just want to associate with them, to be seen with them and also get to know how they achieved such a great feat of physical beauty. The body-beautiful can make a fortune out of ventures such as modeling, pageants and even acting – as we all know, becoming a famous actor/actress has never been all about talent.

The mentally rich are endowed with great minds that stand them out in their area of human endeavour. They can produce great works of science, art and other fields, thus enriching humanity and their pockets too. They are the brilliant ones. They see opportunities where others see challenges- if they see anything at all- and these opportunities can be parlayed into money. Entrepreneurs/inventors fall into this category of the mentally rich.

The emotionally wealthy have the ability to understand and tap into other people’s feelings. They find it easy to make emotional connections with others. They are the ones that people tag “understanding” and “accommodating”. They tend to be very good at consoling, comforting and counselling (especially with regards to emotional issues). If they build on this ability of theirs, they could make some financially-wealthy friends having provided them with emotional support. 
The entrepreneurial and enterprising ones could become consultants/advisers and make some good money in that capacity.

The talent/gift wealthy are people that are either blessed with numerous talents, or immensely blessed with a particular talent or gift. It goes without saying that these talents/ gifts can be parlayed into financial wealth with time. All it takes is the continuous honing of the talent, the showcasing of the talent and the acquisition of a patron that will invest in the talent.

TO BE CONTINUED…

JUST GET ON WITH IT (DISCIPLINE YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS SAKE) continued

In my last post on the subject of discipline, my main focus was on the role of discipline in the achievement of success in the pursuit of physical fitness. This post will focus on the part discipline plays in the attainment of success in academic pursuits and in other areas of life.

Being educated to the level of a Master's degree and having achieved  good grades in almost every subject I have taken, I can say without any iota of doubt that I have a very thorough understanding of the relationship between discipline and academic success. I know what it feels like to truly hate a subject- mathematics for most people, further mathematics for me- and never want to pick up a textbook on that subject and read it. I have been there, and on the occasions that I failed to pick up the further mathematics textbook and do some practice, and I paid dearly with low scores in tests taken on the subject. It took a great deal of desire to want to be good at further mathematics, a great deal of effort (hard work) and determination  to attain the level of discipline needed to pick up my further mathematics textbooks and do some studying even when I did not have any assignment on the subject to submit in a week or two or any imminent tests. This eventually paid off as I passed the further mathematics examination which I sat during my secondary school leaving examinations. 

It is important to note that it took discipline to sit down study subjects which I found  easy, such as Chemistry, Biology, English, ordinary Mathematics, Economics and Geography. It took a whole lot of discipline as- naturally- I felt immensely confident in my ability to pass whatever tests were set on them regardless of whether I read or not.

As an undergraduate studying Chemical Engineering, the courses I had very little love for- if any- were Thermodynamics and Structural Chemistry. It took long afternoons of studying all by myself - in absolute solitude- in corners in the library where I would not be distracted and long nights of studying in my room- 80% of the time by candle light due to the poor power supply situation in Nigeria- to become good at these subjects and do well in tests on them. It was discipline that enabled me remain on the path to attaining a solid understanding of these courses. I believe I have said enough on the correlation between discipline and academic success. Let's move on to another one of life's endeavours.

Anyone who writes for a living or as a hobby would understand and agree with me that it takes a HERCULEAN amount of discipline to pick up the pen or the keyboard and begin a new piece or story or continue one that is already in progress. Regardless of how great the desire to write a writer has, or how much talent he or she has, it is often the case that he or she lacks the discipline to put pen to paper of fingers to keyboard. This is true for most writers I know, for some strange reason, myself included. Even after almost a score of short stories , a novel and a half and some poetry written, I still struggle occasionally to start a new piece or continue one in progress. I still struggle to put pen to paper and just get on with the task of creating a piece.And this has nothing to do with writer's block or a dearth of ideas, for those who have these in mind. Knowing how great my desire to write is, knowing how gifted I am at writing (at the risk of immodesty) and finally, being an individual who is always brimful and bursting with ideas, I can rightly adduce discipline issues as the major  reason- other than time constraints as writing is not all I do- why I do not write as often as I should, or want to.

Just as discipline determines the level of success achieved by writers, so does it determine the degree of success achieved in any other venture, be it sports, entertainment or whatever else.

In conclusion, let me state that the level of success we attain in whatever endeavour we turn our minds to is directly proportional to how well we can discipline ourselves to achieve the objective(s) of that endeavour. People often say that your attitude determines your altitude. This is true. However it is also true that the level of discipline you possess determines your attitude. So DISCIPLINE YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS SAKE!

JUST GET ON WITH IT (DISCIPLINE YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS SAKE)

Since my late teens I have had friends look at me and say "I am too fat, I wish I had a body like yours" or " See how skinny my arms and chest are. I wish I were big like you". I always told them- and still tell them- "All you have to do is start exercising and bodybuilding". What kind of answer have they always given me? "Oh I will definitely do that but I don't have time at the moment due to school work...... As soon as I graduate from the university I will start" After graduation what excuse do they give me? "Oh, I just graduated and I am busy looking for a job right now.  I will start after I get a job". After they get a job, the excuse predictably switches to "Oh I'm too busy with work right now. Maybe when I get promoted and have more time for myself" or "Maybe I will hit the gym when I start my own company." These are just the excuses of the lazy, of ineffective people, of failures. They NEVER START!
Success requires vision, commitment(dedication),  determination, hard work and a WHOLE LOT OF DISCIPLINE. Vision: You need to have a clear picture of the basic status you want to achieve (I say basic because it can be surpassed with time). You need to be committed to the achievement of the desired state of affairs and this commitment will most definitely breed determination to succeed regardless of whatever odds you encounter and enable you put in the requisite hard work for success. However, to stay on the never-ending path or journey which we call success (it is NOT A DESTINATION as there are always greater heights  and territories to be conquered), the traveler (the individual trying to achieve a goal) needs to be disciplined.
 It is discipline that enables an individual to drag him or herself to the gym in very terrible weather (having just gotten back from work a few minutes ago). It takes discipline to do a 40 minute session with your set of dumb bells when you would much rather watch tv. It takes discipline to forgo that burger and coca cola you would to have for a snack and choose the healthy option of a salad and mineral water. It takes discipline to pick up that mathematics or biology textbook and do some serious solving or reading when your friends are all going out for a drink or a game of football. On innumerable occasions discipline has seen me through and past challenges.
The importance of discipline cannot be over-emphasised on the issue of success.

(To be continued)