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)

THE ART OF WAITING (continued)

• Engage in some serious networking. You just might meet someone who would be instrumental in your meeting and even surpassing your goal.
• Finally, convince yourself that you are able to get to your destination. In fact, convince yourself that you have already achieved or arrived at your desired destination and all that remains is the physical manifestation of that arrival. This puts you in the right frame of mind to achieve your desired goal.

Hope this post helps in some way no matter how little. See you at the top.

THE ART OF WAITING

Everybody has a place, a destination he or she wants to get to in life.  Everybody has a dream he or she wants to realise. Some destinations, some dreams are bigger than others. Sometimes, the journey to this destination could be a very long and arduous one. Sometimes, the traveller begins to question if he or she will ever get there. If his or her dream is a realisable one. Often, he or she is forced to ask,why the long wait? Why the never-ending delay? Should I just give up?
If you are currently in this position, permit me to encourage you not to give up. Delays and waiting usually plague every journey to a great destination (or destiny if you like). These delays actually serve to help you build the ever so important attribute of patience. It also gives one the opportunity to learn and perfect the ART OF WAITING.
What you do when you encounter delays and setbacks on the journey to greatness matters a lot. In fact, what you do while you wait `can either make you or break you. It can determine whether you succeed in getting to your desired destination or not- and also determine how long you stay there (how long you remain on top) when you get there.
So what are some of the things you can do while you wait or experience delay? Below are just a few suggestions.

• Acquire skills that will equip you for the position you seek to attain. These may be communication skills (both verbal and written), project management and other transferable skills (skills that can be taken from one discipline and used in another).
• Develop other talents and gifts that you have. These could come in handy on your road to greatness or when you get to where you are headed. Get better at singing if you like to sing (and CAN SING), write more if you have  a flair for writing, hope you catch my drift. 
• Get inspiration and motivation from inspirational books (paper and audio books), videos, etc.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

IT'S THERE FOR THE TAKING,GO GET IT

You say you are tired of being just a number

You would like to make a name, inspire others

Live in big houses and drive a hummer

It's there for the taking,go get it

You dream about being a world-acclaimed actor

Having fans globally

PERSONAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM PART 1

Today I want to talk about living well within your means, or as the saying goes, cutting your coat according to your cloth. Over the years, I have come to understand that a great number of people on this earth lack the discipline to lead a lifestyle that they can not just afford, but afford with ease. During my secondary school days- at least 13 years ago- I had friends who regularly borrowed money from their friends just to buy the latest shoes, clothes or gadgets. They just did not understand the concept of buying only what they could afford and living within the financial provisions and capabilities of their parents/wards. They also did not seem to possess the save-to-purchase attitude of individuals who are good with money. Many of those friends of mine still possess this attribute of being unable to live within their means and are currently entangled in various financial troubles. They are proof that old habits really do die hard. These guys own some of the most expensive mobile phones currently on the market, buy only clothes that come with designer labels and splurge considerable amounts of cash when they go clubbing, yet they run to me almost every week for some kind of financial aid. I am sure we allm know these types. Probably, one or two of the readers of this piece belong to this category of people. We call them the Posers, fakers or Wash Wash people.
If you belong to this class of people, I have just one admonition for you: GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS CLASS! How do you go about extricating yourself from this class? Well the following steps should help a great deal.
1) Change your mindset (way of thinking). The most expensive and fashionable things are not always the best that money can buy. You do not have to wear the most expensive clothes or drive the most expensive car oruise the latest iPhone to be respected or more loved. You don't need to do these things to be a TRUE BIG BOY! Let your character and your abilities (the real you) earn you respect. That, in the final analysis, is the true kind of respect. True respect is earned an  This is not so easy and I agree it will take some time and doing. But it is worth the effort.
2) A change of friends may be needed. If most of your friends are wash wash people like you, then you need to trade them in for 'real people'. The people you associate with matters a lot in life. Associating with these 'real' people will go a long way in helping you change your way minset.
3) Budget a certain amount of money for shopping for your wants (those pretty shiny stuff that you don't really need)- an amount which you can easily afford to spend on shopping- and by all means stick to it.
4) If you are the shopaholic that is easily moved to buy whatever flashy thing is advertised by the shops, then reduce the frequency of your window-shopping. Try as much as possible to avoid your favourite shops.
5)When you go shopping for your wants (clothes you don't need, gadgets and the such), make a point of going for the most affordable that will still serve the purpose adequately.
6) If you live in the US, UK or other western countries, learn to take advantage of the regular Sales that the shops indulge in. During these periods you can get some high-end stuff dirt-cheap.
I could go on and on, but I will end here. I am not trying to write a textbook here. Catch you real soon.
For personal feedback, you can get in touch with +447423653056. Or 22cf2cfe for those on blackberruy messenger.

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.