AM BACK

Am back, almost ayear since my last post. Since I came to the United Kingdom in January of this year (2011), I have not posted anything. Too busy with other stuff and also forgetting my password. Anyway, I am back, and I promise to TRY MY BEST not to abandon you again for so long. Let's get back to the business of making headway.

TIME MANAGEMENT: BE A SELF-STARTER

I believe we all know a certain category of people. Those that always have a great idea, always plan to do something good-or plan to start something big- but never ever really get around to doing it. We definitely all know such people. Indeed, some of us are such people. We have plans to start piano lessons but never get around to doing so- even with the availability of finance. Just few days ago a friend of mine was complaining me about how he would love to get better at the organ(piano/keyboard), but just couldn't get around to practising. And he has the organ constantly staring him in his face right there in his abode. But he just can't get himself to get up, walk over to it, turn it on and practice for a few minutes. In fact, he was the major inspiration for this piece. I just had to tackle this vicious beast of procrastination once more.We plan to personally engage in football training-or training in whatever sport we love every morning so as to be good enough to play professionally some day- but never ever get around to going to the football pitch , how much more kicking a ball. We know we have to study that hard subject, that hard course at least an hour a day but never even succeed in picking up the textbook and opening it, how much more reading it. We love to PROCRASTINATE. To put things off. For us, procrastination is both our best friend, and worst enemy.

Then on the other side of the divide there is a totally different class of people. They always seem to be on top of things. They always seem to be doing and achieving. They always seem to be busy doing the right thing, things that make one a success. In fact them seem absolutely superhuman. They need no one to motivate them, to push them into action- like some broken down car or something. This set of people are called the SELF-STARTERS. They need no one to galvanize them into action. They look inwardly for motivation to do the things that they know that they must. Most of the people in this category slayed- well maybe not slayed, but at least tamed- the beast of procrastination quite early in their lives. That is why they were able to achieve a substantial amount of success relatively early in life. Self-starters are always leaders because they always take the initiative. The rest cannot but follow.Some of the people that fall into this category are Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, Richard Branson the vibrant Virgin guy, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and yes, my humble self. I believe you also know a number of people-or at least one person- who belong to this class of people. Some will definitely be famous individuals and some will not.

So it beggars the question. Why are some people procrastinators and non self-starters and why are others the opposite? Why is it that some just cannot extricate themselves from the clutches of the monster known as Procrastination. The truth is that at some point in everyone's life, he or she has procrastinated or been a procrastinator. But how come some succeed in mastering the demon of procrastination while others do not? You see,I believe that any psychologist worth his salt should be able to give you an expansive catalogue of reasons as to why people procrastinate. Here, I will give you the major reasons- with the exception of obvious reasons like ill-health and lack of seed capital.

1. It is human nature to put-off doing tasks or engaging in projects that we deem difficult or unpalatable. It is natural to want to seek the easy way out, to not want to have anything to do with unpleasantness and what easier way out is there than procrastination.

2. Funny as it might sound, it is also human nature to put-off doing things that we deem easy. When we feel that a task, or a job is a walk in the park, we tend to procrastinate, to postpone doing it simply because we feel we can get it done in no time whenever we want to. We feel that we have mastered a skill so well that we don't need to practice frequently. This is the trap many star athletes fall into and it causes them to fall from the olympian heights the have attained and hurtle to the bottom of the totem pole or hierarchy of their sport. As strange as my assertion might seem, a good analysis of it will prove it sound.

3. We human beings love to be entertained, either by people , things, vocation we engage in, and even by ourselves. We also love to be stimulated- mentally please- by the things we do. So when we are faced with the doing of a task that is not interesting or mentally-engaging, we tend to shy away from it. We tend to postpone the doing of the said task to a further date.

4. We are just not motivated. Some of us are just not passionate about much or anything. A man that lacks passion is a perfect candidate for devouring by the beast of procrastination.

5. As much as we don't like to acknowledge this fact, we often procrastinate out of pure laziness. Mental or physical laziness. Sometimes, both. We just like to laze around.

Again it beggars the question. What, for the love of God, can one do to extricate oneself from the stranglehold of the beast called procrastination? What can one do to kill this vicious beast and earn one the victory. Well, I will shortly proffer methods one can use to kill this vicious beast in one's life and get off the road that leads to penury and unhappiness. It is very advisable to not employ just one of the methods, but all of them. Why have an arsenal of weapons if you won't use all? The methods are as follows.

1. Think of the major thing(s) or project(s) you would really love to accomplish in life. Then imagine the happiness, the peace of mind that you would derive from the accomplishment of these things.

2. Whenever you are faced with an unpalatable or stressful, yet necessary task, think of the feeling of guilt you will have if you do not do the task. Then imagine the feeling of happiness and accomplishment that will accrue to you when you do the task.

3. Write an anti-procrastination statement boldly on a piece of paper and post it somewhere where you will be able to see it as soon as you wake up and frequently. It can go something like: I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO NEVER PROCRASTINATE AND DOOM MYSELF TO A LIFE OF POVERTY AND UNHAPPINESS. I WILL ALWAYS TO WHATEVER I HAVE TO DO WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY AND PURPOSE SO THAT I MAY BE SUCCESSFUL AND HAPPY.

4. Read books on time management. You have to realize that I am typing from experience and as I receive inspiration. None of this is written down. So read books on the subject matter. But don't just stop there. Implement what you read.

Doing all this will go a long way in making you less of a procratinator and more of a self-starter. I guarantee you that. This last sentence will definitely be a huge source of shock and consternation to a good number of my readers, but in it can be found a universal truth. No matter how good you are at managing your time, no matter how much of a self-starter you are, you will definitely procrastinate once in a while- regardless of how infrequently you do so. As the saying goes, no one is perfect. The good thing is that as one learns to manage his time better, he procrastinates much less and hardly ever puts-off doing really important stuff. That is the hallmark of a self-starter and the major thing that separates him from the rest.

So I've have laid it all bare. I think I have demystified the phenomenon of the self-starter, that rare breed of humans who always seems to get things done and more efficiently. That one in a thousand men and women that dares to succeed where others fail. Now it's up to you to decide. Do you want to be like the old battered jalopy car that needs to be pushed by the owner's friends and strangers before it sputters into life or do you desire to be like the brand new tear-rubber car whose engine majestically revs into life just at the turn of the key in the ignition by the owner's hand? Like I said, it's up to you to decide. The ball is in your court.


P.S : Doing all I have suggested will go a long way in creating a better you.

TIME MANAGEMENT-DON'T PROCRASTINATE, DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.

Sometimes, in fact, in most cases, the major difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is the ability to do the things they need to do immediately. While the unsuccessful are masters at putting off whatever they need to do to get ahead- for one or all of a number of reasons- the successful people, the achievers, the go-getters have the good habit of tackling whatever assignments or projects immediately. There will always be a catalogue of reasons why one cannot do whatever he or she has to do to make headway in life and the unsuccessful are highly skilled at finding them. They say to themselves- and sometimes tell people- "I will start it when I have enough money." Or, "I will do it when I have enough time." Or, "I will do it later, when I am much older. Right now I am too young for that. I have a lot of living, a lot of partying to do." Some say, "It is too strenuous, why should I go through all that stress? No one has to go through that kind of stress to make it in life. The food that is meant for me won't pass me by." Others say, "I don't feel I am ready to do it yet."These and much more, are just plain excuses. Excuses of the poor and the unsuccessful.

The successful are acutely aware that you don't have to have all the money you need to commence a project. They are aware of a certain kind of momentum that a begun project acquires which leads to the successful completion of the project. They are aware that there is always time to do the things that one truly wants to do. To create time, they rob inconsequential arrangements and engagements of the time formerly allotted to them.They are aware that you are never too young to take the first few steps toward the acquisition of a great future. They are ready to forgo parties and women and all the other things their mates are engaging in for a better tomorrow. That's the sacrifice they are willing to pay and they deem it worth it. The great have the understanding that no matter how strenuous or distasteful a task is or seems to be, avoiding it or putting it off won't make you feel any better, it won't make it disappear, nor would it make it less distasteful. In the contrary, the task usually seems much more distasteful when you decide to tackle it much later and you feel much worse when you decide to tackle it. It's life the task has added a few more kilogrammes, has become much heavier.

So it's all up to you really. Do you want to join the ranks of the few millions who are well-to-do, rich or stinkingly rich- and the others who are successful though non-financially- or do you want to belong to the category of the poor and chronically unsuccessful? It's a choice you have to make by yourself for yourself. You can decide right now to always tackle your important tasks, projects and assignments as soon as possible instead of procrastinating. No matter who you are, and what you do, you will find that doing what you have to do as soon as possible will make your much easier. If you are a student, you will find that doing your homework as soon as possible will make your life easier.Reading that hard, that disgusting subject- could it be maths or chemistry- when you get home or during prep will make you do better in the upcoming test or examination. As a worker, you'll find that immediately tackling a project your boss gave you will make your life in the office much better. Tackling the project at once will signal to your boss that you take your job seriously and that you don't shy away from work or procrastinate. Even tendering an apology to someone you hurt as soon as you do the deed- or as soon as it occurs to you to apologize- usually increases your chances of obtaining forgiveness, instead of putting off the apology because you find it distasteful.

So once again, I say it's all up to you. Only you can choose to either be a doer or a procrastinator. In conclusion I will leave you with a most popular saying and one of my favourite: A stitch in time, saves nine.

BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO PAY THE PRICE(PAY THE PRICE)

Sometimes I really wish evryone knew
That success was their God-given portion and due
But all that God and life requires
Is that for them they pay a price

Just a little,indeed,extremely little price life demands
Work hard,believe ,and do whatever you have to do on time
Yet people choose to do otherwise and so go through life
Bemoaning their lot like they deserved otherwise

But sincerely how I wish,oh how I wish
That their eyes of understand could be opened so they can see
That they suffer,struggly and experience needless strife
Because they refused to pay the price.


My bobos and babes,I believe you were inspired by the poem above. I would strongly advice you to go over it again and again and again, for in it lie seeds of astounding success. You see the poem just wrote itself,like all my write-ups seem to do.This is because like every other thing I have ever written or said, the words came from the innermost recesses of my being, and the moral of the poem is simply this:you have to pay the price for success in life.Especially when it is great success you desire.Just like athletes have to life a somewhat regimented life and make a whole lot of sacrifices-like cutting down of fatty foods ,alcohol and redmeat-to achieve success,every other person has to do the same.We all have to give something in exchange for success,that is what paying the price is all about.It is about making sacrifices.The sacrifices may come in different forms depending on the walk of life you are in. If you are a student, the price to be paid to be the best in class will be to spend more time in your room or in the library studying,while your friends are outside playing football. Believe me,that can be a very hard one. An employee who wants to climb the corporate ladder real fast might have to show a readiness to do jobs for his boss other employees refused to do either because they felt it was not part of their job,or out of pride.How about the pastor?Any pastor who wants to always preach a good sermon that lifts the soul must devote a substantial amount iof his time to reading the bible,meditating on it and preparing his sermon.This is generally what paying the price is all about.
I could go on and on,giving you more examples with people in different walks of life, but why bore you with that. You go ahead and apply the principle of paying the price to other walks of life and see if it does not apply. You can also consider the lives of the great men and women of different walks of life who have graced the face of the earth. From William H.Gates to Nelson Mandela.Their stories have one common denominator:They paid the price-and guess what,the ones alive are still paying the price. So tell me,honestly now, ARE YOU PAYING THE PRICE? No,honestly.

WHO AM I EH?

You really wan know who I be? You wan know why I feel say I go fit teach you how to live your life and be successful(or more successful if you already are successful). Well,sorry to disappoint you, I am not a doctorate degree holder,neither do I advice the president-at least not yet-on issues bordering on the economy and how to rule successfully. And honestly, I don't need to be all this to have the requisite knowledge and experience to advise you. Being what I am,a young business man in his twenties ,who tried his hands on his very first business venture at the tender age of seven-when most of my mates did not even know anything about how money was made,not to talk of thinking of owning a business-and have made very good money from the stock exchange and owning a string of small businesses-,I believe I have the requisite skills and experience to make you a financially healthy person. Also,given the fact that almost everyone who has crossed my path has either said-since my secondary school days- that I affected their lives tremendously or I ought to be a life guide(a sort of teacher), and for numerous other reasons, I deem myself fit to teach you how to live a life that will be utterly fulfilling and successful.That said,welcom to MAKING HEADWAY!