Killing the Dream Killers

Dream Killers

I woke up today only to realise it is the 1^st of October, 2012- two more months to the end of the year! Suddenly my countenance dropped, I failed to see the rising morning sun that greets  me when  I open the  doors, nor did I even hear the birds sing, not to talk of singing along with them in recognition of what lovely day my maker has bestowed on me. “What happened to all those dreams, those beautiful plans I drew out during the start of the year with so much excitement and hope?” I said. What about you, what happened to your dreams? Or didn’t you have a dream? Everyone has a dream at one point in their lives, days go by, but there is just this one thing that you want to do before the end of the year, that thing that you want for yourself and believe would make you happy. Do you remember it? Have you been able to accomplish it?

Today, I would like to help you achieve those dreams even before the clock strikes 31^st December, 2012.Join me, as we identify some of the major dream killers in our life and kill those dream killers. Yes, we don’t just want to point out the dream killers, but we want to know how to get rid of these dream killers. By sharing with you, it would give me the impetus to achieve those dreams I set out for myself before the beginning of the year, so let’s go along and kill those dream killers

Below are some of the most common dream killers I have found and how to get rid of them

• Fear

William Allen White said,” I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today” Fear of the unknown, fear of failure is one of the major reason people do not accomplish their dreams, they are afraid that when they step out and walk , they would fall on the first step. They are afraid of what people might say if things don’t go right, hence they never try. Fear is only false evidence that may become real if you permit it. So how do you kill fear? Rise up and do, the only way to know if that dream is possible is not in contemplating on the dream but by taking action, once you take the first step, all false evidence seizes completely.

• Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are group of people particularly friends and close relatives who specialise in quenching every little spark of fire in our life. You have a dream, a desire you want to see accomplished, immediately you talk to these people about your plans, they talk you down. They would give you 101 reasons why that dream cannot be achieved, and even cite examples of those who tried following that same path you want to go and failed. How do you kill them? Avoid the fire extinguishers, be careful the kind of people you share dreams with. Only share dreams with people you trust would be of immense help.

• Low self –Esteem

People with low self esteem don’t dream, even if they do they have a very low image of themselves that, they do not see how “they” can accomplish those dreams. They come out with great plans, ask them to implement it and they think they can. They would normally say, “me, how can I do that, I am too…” and bring out a pile of reasons why they can’t. Kill your low self esteem, no one is better than you, smarter than you or more intelligent than you, change the picture you have of yourself and achieving dreams would be second nature.

• Laziness

At last, the biggest dream killer: laziness! Laziness comes in many forms –it may be losing your inspiration, procrastination, tiredness, lost of motivation. You put things to be done now away, hoping that there would be a more convenient time, and they never get done. Success has no room for lazy people; you need to find ways of staying focused and inspired. Whenever you feel lazy about doing something, just pick  piece of paper and ask yourself, “Do  it now?”, if you feel a strong urge to procrastinate, it is an indication  you are becoming lazy get up and do that particular thing and you would realise you would achieve your dreams much easier

What Next?

Do you know of any dream killers in your life? How were you able to go pass them to accomplish your dream s? Share with us

What Does it Take to be Enterprising?

What does it take to be Enterprising? Well, read this interesting article by Jim Rohn, an Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker and you are sure to get the answer.

• An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture.

• An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

• To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It’s to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves… regardless of the economy.

• A person with an enterprising attitude says, “Find out what you can before action is taken.” Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation of what’s to come.

• Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And enterprising people aren’t lazy. They don’t wait for opportunities to come to them, they go after the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

• Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what’s out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach, to be different.

• What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise is the second requirement: the courage to be creative. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, courage to choose activity over inactivity.

• And lastly, being enterprising doesn’t just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self worth to want to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future.

• And by doing so you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth, your enterprising nature. 

WHAT NEXT?

Tell me what you think  about this article.

TOP 5 Things You Would Never Be Taught in School

Many wonder why there are so many colleges and universities in Ghana, yet the products from these institutions cannot make significant impact in the society. Whilst others blame it on the Government, some manage to shift the blame to the educational system and a few think the individual is to blame. For instance, the question of why there is a high level of graduate unemployment in Ghana is being debated in every corner of the country. Some say, the Government should provide more jobs, others think the average graduate does not prepare himself adequately for the job market and some are of the view that, the courses taught in schools have do not have direct link with the job market as it is too theoretical . What do you think? Well, today, I am not going to talk about graduate unemployment. But I believe our educational system especially the universities need massive upgrade to help students cope with real world experience. During my High school days, we were being taught to memorize information and to regurgitate it back to our teacher, only to completely erase the information from our mind the moment we walk out after taking the test. We used to call it “CHEW BABA” At the universities, we follow this trend of chewing lecture notes alongside developing our analytical and problem solving skills; even with that graduates learn so much from the real world compared to all the years spent in class rooms. As I look back, I can capture five things I was never taught in school, which are very essential for life after the school. Hope you would identify with me on these things so let’s get started:

• Personal finance

personalfinance

One important subset regarding personal finance that you would never be taught in school are the  “intangible” things, such as learning to differentiate between  assets and  liabilities ,need and want, knowing how to delay gratification, and having an inner sense of value. You would never be taught how to invest the little money you have so could have something to rely on when you get out of school. Our teachers encourage us to learn hard to get high paying jobs but never teach us how to save the money we would get from these supposedly high paying jobs. So we earn more, spend all and get more and more in debt at a young age.

• Effective Communication

I’m not necessarily talking about giving speeches and presentations (which we only do getting to the last year of our studies).I'm mainly talking about being able to clearly take what’s in your head and to put it into words so the other person clearly understands what you’re saying the first time.At school the teacher does all the talking and all we have to do is to give him our ears, jot some few notes and hurriedly get out of class? We never get the opportunity to ask questions, even if we do, it is nonsensical.

• Social Skills

Closely related to communicating effectively are social skills in general. It is important to note that after you graduate, you’re not going to be dealing with your high school or college buddies anymore.

You’ll be dealing with many people from different backgrounds, countries, and top corporate executives, so it would be wise to learn how to socialize and cut off the slang. I once had a conversation with a young graduate who kept referring to me as “DUDE”, should I be surprised if he calls his Boss “dude” when he enters the corporate world?

Learn the art of networking – that’s key. Networking is a big skill that’s not taught in schools but is the sure way to land your dream job after school, learn how to approach people and how to start a conversation. For you would never be taught in school.

• Values

The last time I learnt about moral values was in my primary school days. Schools do not put much emphasis on values no wonder there is so much corruption in our world today. The average graduate does not know how to distinguish between right and wrong and everything is normal to him. The principle of integrity is lost in our world; people say one thing and do the exact opposite. They would go any length to get what they want even if it demands knocking others off the road.Our school is killing our innocent world. What a pity!

• Practical real life situations

We are all thrown into the schools of hard knocks, were we find what works and what doesn’t after so many years of trial and error. Vital things that makes the world worth living like marriage and family, finding your passion  in life, starting a business, money management  and adding value to the life of others is thrown into space. 

WHAT NEXT?

If all these are not taught in school, why then did I spend all these years in school? Please help me

MAKING YOUR DREAMS A REALITY

Everyone is a master when it comes to dreams, or should I say almost everyone? Yes, we all have great visions of the future, we were all born with creative prowess  that allow us to make the world a better place but  just like learning  how to ride a bicycle  it may take constant falling off the bicycle to master it. The box of crayons we all used in our kindergarten days were not limited to those who possessed potential; because the truth is, everybody has potential. What makes one piece of sketch stand out from the other is what we do with each piece of crayon in the box. First we decide, "I am going to draw a baby,"and with each crayon we work our way out into the reality, which is how life is designed. I have great dreams and with every single crayon in the box, I design and color my vision until it becomes a reality. Wouldn’t you want to do the same? Today, I would share with you some practical steps I am taking to make my dream a reality. I hope it help you too. Let’s begin then:

Close your ears

• Don’t listen to the voices of others: Everybody tries to add one or two beats to the drum that is set into motion, but follow the beat of your own drum. Allowing for the input of other people will only bring cacophony to the music you are trying to make. If you have an original idea, don’t waste your time and effort trying to make people understand, they would never understand you. Even if they do, the only help you get will be in the form of negative feed backs. If all those geniuses listened to their peers, we would probably still be living in the middle ages.

• Nurture those ideas: Seeds of greatness at first glance do not look much fulfilling, but once faith is injected into it and sown, it begins to blossom to the amazement of many. Spend time on your dream, see it as a little baby who needs much attention and love to grow into an adult. Master the words of this song by R.Kelly,” I think about it every night and day”

• Record your thoughts: I have been keeping a note pad by my bed for more than a year now; my PC has sticky notes placed on  it. Why? Because ideas keep flowing around me and I have some few seconds to capture them else they are gone forever.  So jot down those notes it may just create an innovative spark in you.

• Get to know your passion: Your dreams will not work without passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame burning? What is the one thing that you’ll die for? Sometimes people with talent are overtaken by the people who want it more. Remember the hare and the tortoise story? Ellen DeGeneres once said that if you’re not doing something that you want to do, then you don’t really want to do it. And that’s true. Sometimes you just want something so bad you become a virtual unstoppable. And that is passion. Passion will keep you going.

• Finally, find your own style. You can always tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse. You’ll know Hemingway wrote something by the choice of words on the paper. So it is the same with you. People will appreciate your dream more because it is uniquely yours and that no one else would have thought of what you were thinking. That will let people see how valuable an asset you are.

What Next?

What did I leave out? Drop me your comment and let’s get going

30 Questions You Should Get Answers to Before the Year Ends

What questions do you ask yourself on a daily basis?

When you wake up what is the first question that keeps ringing in your mind,and desperately need answers to?

Believe it or not, the kind of questions you ask determine the kind of life you lead. That’s because your questions trigger its own set of answers, which lead to certain emotions, which then lead to certain actions (or inactions), followed by results. If you ask yourself limiting questions, you’ll get limited results. If you ask yourself mind-opening, forwarding questions, you’ll gain a lot more out of them.

Some people like to ask questions like “Why am I so unlucky?”, “What if I had done this earlier?” and “Why am I always in such a situation?”Because these questions are backward looking, the answers you get with them are naturally dis-empowering. On the other hand, questions like “What can I learn from this experience?”, “What can I do differently to move forward?” and “What am I grateful for?” are empowering. They provoke you and get you thinking, putting you on the path to a better life.

I have come to believe questions are keys to self awareness and personal growth, anyone who does not question situations in life rarely get answers and live in a life of low self esteem. Questions are intriguing; imagine being met by a mad man on your way to work; only to ask you what the time is. Won’t it set you thinking? As I enter the world of work and begin to make right choices for myself. I have a lot of question staring me on the face that definitely needs answers to. Such as, is it the right job for me? What career path am I creating for myself? Where would I be five years from now?

In this month of February, I want to challenge you to ask intriguing questions. Questions that would not make you  rest until you find the  answers. In this post, I intend to share with you 30 question you should ask yourself before the year ends. Answers to these question would definitely provide the impetus to have a more fulfilling 2012. So if you are ready, here goes the question:

QUESTIONS TO ASK

1. Who are You? 
2. Why are you here on Earth? 
3. What are you passionate about? 
4. What has been your greatest achievement in life? 
5. What do you love to do? 
6. What are your values?
7.  How would you describe yourself? 
8. If you had one month to live what would you do? 
9. Do you love yourself? 
10. What is your vision? 
11. Where would you be five years from now? 
12. What would you do today if there is no more tomorrow? 
13. Are you living your dreams? 
14. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in life? 
15. What advice would you have given yourself 3 years ago? 
16. What motivates you?
17.  Who are your friends? 
18. Do my friends add to me or take away from me? 
19. What opportunities are you looking for? 
20. How can you create these opportunities? 
21. What would you do if you had 1 million dollars?
22. How would you live your mark on the shores of this Earth? 
23. What is the biggest lesson life has taught you till date? 
24. What one thing would you do, if you are sure you would not fail? 
25. What are your biggest goals and dreams? 
26. If you were to be the President for a day what would you do differently? 
27. What has been your worst experience in life? 
28. At what age do you want to die? 
29. Who would you love to die with? 
30. How would you live your life if you know there is no Heaven or Earth?

WHAT NEXT?

I think I have been able to set you thinking, so what Next? Send me your comments

Credit: For more intriguing questions click Here

WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU INDISPENSABLE

In this fast moving and highly competitive world, what makes you stand tall in the mist of similar products? After landing that  dream job what provides the momentum to keep going and  to move up the corporate ladder? After asking myself these and many similar questions; I keep hearing the sound of this words echoing all around my heart- BE INDISPENSABLE! Dare to be the one everybody wants to associate with.

If a man can really become indispensable, what would it take? Today, I share with you some great tips to become indispensable and move up the corporate ladder than it seems possible.Enjoy

the future is now

1) Don’t think about now, think about the future. If you concentrate on skills that are being taught in our school systems, you will not become indispensable, but rather, just another Ghanaian Graduate. You need to become a thought leader  such that you are years ahead of your colleagues at the workplace. Think about what is likely to happen in the future in your chosen field and prepare for it.This sometimes means that you have to make guesses or assumptions,good do it and remember to  back them with research (educated guess).

2) Maximize your Strength : Everyone in the world has something he is good at, look at ways you can transfer that into your current occupation. Listen, if you are good  at creating websites or a techy person, allocate all your time to learning as much as you can. If you know what your strengths are, try to elevate those strengths into personal branding nirvana. Those strengths can turn into the skills you need to be indispensable.

3) Burry your head in Books: Not enough people read,especially in my country Ghana. This is a great advantage,if you get filled by the words contained in books and  absorb the lessons in it; you would be way ahead of people in your field.You would always find 101 ways to kill a Giant with a single stone just like David. The more you learn today, the better off you’ll be tomorrow. 

4) Be the Go-to Person: Be the one everybody want to go to. When they need help in finishing an assignment be the one they would turn to.When the computer is loading very slow and they can’t  get the work finished on time;be  the first person they would turn to for help. Let the word on everyone’s mouth be go to ……. . Do this any you would never be thrown out of a job for life.

Dare to be unavoidable and they would keep coming for more of what you have to offer. 

What Next?

Do you know any other ways, to be indispensable? Why don’t you hear it with me.

How to Make the Right Choices

Each day, we make countless choices. How can we be sure we are making the right decisions? As the new year unfolds, i want to assist you make the right choices.Here are a few suggestions:

choices

1. Be aware of where the road leads
Choose intelligence. Not every decision we make is a moral choice. Sometimes its just a matter of choosing between stupidity and intelligence. For example, if you are a young nonsmoker and your friend offers you a cigarette, don't take it. That would be stupid. If you're looking for the path to happiness, it is easy to find. Just avoid the paths with signs that say STUPID and follow those that say SMART. Easy enough to do, but you have to remember to check the signs before you start down a path. As Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote, "He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end."

Whenever we are at a fork in the road, we will find that one of the paths is easy to take, but that may be the only thing good about it. So, look carefully. You may find that one path tempts you and the other ennobles you. Choice the one that ennobles you. Learn how to withdraw from temptation. For as it is written in the Bhagavad Gita, "Even as a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise can draw in their senses at will."
2. Do what you can
Decide what you CAN do, not what you WANT to do. Our wants are insatiable. We want to do everything. But how can we become anything if we want to become everything? Choose worthwhile goals that you have time for. Set priorities and focus on the important issues. If you run out of time before getting to the minor tasks, at least you would have done the important ones.

Choose to carry out your responsibilities not because you HAVE to, but because you WANT to. Tasks that you HAVE to do create pressure and stress. Actions that you WANT to do, lead to the joy of accomplishment and freedom from inner conflict. Choose to learn how to WANT to do those tasks that you should be doing. For in the end, you will do only what you want to do. Similarly, when you cant have what you want, choose to want what you have.

3. Look for the good
Some of us may be undergoing great hardships. But no life is so difficult that it cannot be made better by improving our attitude. No matter how dire the circumstances, if you look for some good, you will find it. But how can we find anything good if we occupy our time complaining? The rule to remember is that we are certain to find what we look for. If we search for good, we will find it. If we search for something to complain about, we will surely find it. Choose to search for good. And choose to believe something good can and will happen. Choose to live with hope, rather than despair. Don't be a dope. Learn to cope. Live with hope.

4. If you cant change the circumstances, change yourself
We cannot choose what will happen TO us, but we can choose what happens IN us. That is, we can choose to have the right attitude, one in which we view challenges as opportunities instead of problems. Choose to be positive. For example, although he became confined to a wheelchair after his accident, W. Mitchell (author, TV host, and businessman) said, "Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do; now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 Ive lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left."

5. Be aware of your choices
When we act out of habit rather than conscious choice, the path were traveling on is a rut, perhaps even a slippery slope. If we don't want to end up at the wrong place, we have to be awake. We have to be aware and make our choices consciously. The best way to do this is to develop the habit of always looking for opportunities. Scout Cloud Lee also writes about conscious choice: "When we acknowledge that all of life is sacred and that each act is an act of choice and therefore sacred, then life is a sacred dance lived consciously each moment. When we live at this level, we participate in the creation of a better world."

PARTING WORDS
Look around you. There are great people everywhere. Champions, victors. And they're all rooting for you. They are voting for you because they want you to win. Unfortunately, you are also surrounded by losers, people who want to drag you down. They are voting against you. Half are for you. Half are against you. How will this closely contested drama turn out? It all depends on you because you will be casting the deciding vote. The ballot is the choices you make. Be careful how you choose!


Credit Chuck Gallozzi

LIFE's GREATEST GIFT in 2012

Once again we have experienced the dawn of a new year.As it is typical with every new year,resolutions is not uncommon."This year i want to do this and that", is the saying of many.Big dreams that seems never to materialize and fades away after a week or two. Whether you achieve those goals or not don't stop dreaming.A new year is one of life greatest Gift to mankind and worthy to be celebrated.Go ahead pen down those dreams and go for it. I Dare you to Dream Again! 

What really  is life's greatest gift this new year? It is free will or choice. Choice is the ability to select one course of action from a set of alternatives to achieve a goal. What is so great about choice? It transforms us from dumb animals into artists. Each of us becomes another Michelangelo, for choice is nothing other than the chisel we use to sculpt our life. The chisel doesn't come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility. But when we accept and carry out our responsibility, the reward is great. The reward is happiness.

Life is not static, it is a flow. Every choice we make leads us closer to or further from our goals. We constantly need to monitor where we are on our journey. We need to ask questions: Am I moving closer to my goals? If not, what corrective measures can I take? What action will I take now to realign myself with my goals? Choice is power. Choice is at the heart of life; it is the creative power of life.

You make choices every day, and your life becomes more convenient or comfortable because of them. For example, you decide which stores to shop at and which gas station to patronize. But the decisions we make that sculpt our lives are far more important than deciding where to shop. The more we appreciate the difference between minor and major decisions, the greater the likelihood that we will experience happiness and fulfillment.

All chess lovers realize that it isn't necessary to win to enjoy the game. The pleasure is in the playing. Life is like a chess game. Make the best moves (choices) you can under the circumstances. If you live by this rule, you will always enjoy the game of life, regardless of its outcome.
Have a very Prosperous New Year and See You at the End of 2012.
You are a Winner, Go out and Make that Difference.


GOD PRESERVE AS ALL.

Tips on making your own Decisions

After receiving so  many emails from my readers on help in making decisions and reaching their goals, I can not sit but to provide useful help to my cherish readers on how to make an effective decision. Whether your vision is to be the President of the world, you need to know how to go about it, without being discouraged.
I am therefore pressured to share with you my cherished readers and the whole world one of the most inspiring books of all kind by Napoleon Hills in his book,”Think and Grow Rich”
The majority of people who fail to reach their visions and dreams are easily influenced by the opinions of others.They always permit the newspaper and gossiping neighbors to do their thinking for them. Know that in this world we live in opinions are the cheapest commodities,every one had a bag of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who would accept them.If you are influenced by the opinions of others, you will have no desire of your own. Let me tell you one tip in making effective decision,Are you ready to learn something new? Then stay with me, and you would have made the right decision.

• Keep your counsel:Take no one into your confidence except member you really trust or are in complete sympathy and harmony of your purpose.Normally close friends and relatives,while not meaning to do so,often handicap one through “opinions” and sometimes through ridicule,which is meant to create humor the family can laugh about.Sometimes when you share your dreams with your close friends they believe it is not possible for you to achieve them ,but they forget ,you should not judge a book by his cover.Thousands of men and women carry inferiority complexes with them through all their life and you may be one ,this happen because some well meaning but ignorant person destroyed their confidence through ‘opinions ‘ or ridicule.Know that you have brain and mind of your own you use it wisely to reach your own decisions.If you need facts or information from other people to enable you to reach your own decisions as you will probably will in many instances, inquire these facts or secure the information you need quietly,without disclosing your purpose.

• Do not do much talking: it is characteristics of people who have but a smattering or a veneer of knowledge to try to give the impression that they have much knowledge.Such people do much talking and too little listening.If you need an friendly advice, hear this, keep your eyes and ears wide open and your mouth closed.If you talk more than you listen,you not only deprive yourself of many opportunities to accumulate useful knowledge,but you also disclose your plans and purpose to people who will take great delight in defeating you, because they envy you.

• Be modest and silence: Remember that every time you open your mouth in the presence of a person who has an abundance of knowledge, you display to that person your exact stock of knowledge,or your lack of it.Also,know that every person with whom you associate is like yourself,seeking the opportunity to reach that goal,if you talk about your plans freely, you may be surprised when you learn that some other person has beaten you to your goal by putting into action ahead of you.

What Next?

Well , I want to say all the best in every decision and goal you want to reach and remember to keep a closed mouth and open ears and eyes.You would do me much service if you can drop me a feedback or a comment on how helpful this article has been. Feel free to share this on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.God bless You.