Me...Smiling!

THERE ARE NO MISTAKES.

Mistakes come in various shades and colours.

A ruined relationship.

Wrong choices in the past.

A failed exam.

But believe me,there are no mistakes:only opportunities.

You see,life is not one straight,smooth ride.

A ride that smooth is seen only in our dreams and fantasy.

Definitely,not in reality.

Funny to think that even the smooth roads in developed countries have road signs that tell you to slow down.

And traffic lights that order you to stop.

Life is indeed a journey through a rugged terrain.

Through hills and valleys.

Every up as important as every down.

All working towards one goal:to make you a better person.

An experienced fellow in the school of life.

So what we do call mistakes are in fact essential ingredients of life.

Golden opportunities for our growth.

Our expansion.

Our evolution into better beings.

Growth is naturally painful.

And stretches you beyond your limits.

Only to set new limits.

New frontiers.

Remember the hustles of examinations?

They were necessary for you to move to the next class.

Remember the pains of exercise and keeping fit?

They were necessary for you to have that trim,healthy body.

Remember the stress of that degree exam, those unending days of project work and project supervison?

They were necessary for you to become a graduate.

In a movie I watched some time ago,the gym has a sign that said "What does not kill you,makes you stronger." 

So excellently put.

Our so-called mistakes are there to empower and embolden us.

They are opporunities for learning.

Learn from them and move on.

Life is too short to be spent in one class.

The past is there only for one purpose:to instruct us.

Not for us to dwell in it.
So when next you feel you have made a mistake,don't cry unceasingly.

Yes,be sorry for it temporarily.

But then,wipe your tears.

Force a smile.

And say out loud:

"There are no mistakes...only opportunities. Opportunities for growth."

And move on.

LOVE YOURSELF.

In a country where love is preached in every street corner and even from rooftops, everything around us bear imprints of hatred and animosity: broken homes, burnt churches, decapitated bodies, abandoned children, ravaged lands.
The irony bears testimony to one truth: We have not learnt to love.

Not our neighbour and surely not God.

We just enjoy talking and singing about 'love'.

In learning how to love,there is no better place to begin than from within.'Charity',they say,'begins at home.'

And we've been told to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

So for a start: Love yourself.

Most of us hate ourselves.

This is a truth many deny persistently. If not,how can we explain the palpable frustration on most people's faces? 

Or self-deprecating remarks like 'I'm stupid...I'm a big fool'?

Or the rising prevalence of depression and suicide attempts?

Why will you wish to be someone else if you love yourself?

Huh?

Granted some things about you may not be superb.

You may not have wads of loose cash to spend or have the height or size of your dreams.

But so what?

Love yourself.

Appreciate your uniqueness and what sets you apart.

It is a testament of the wonderful nature of your being.

And remember,you are a co-creator.

So if your circumstances ain't right, go and create the ideal circumstances!

Work hard and make more money.

Get a degree.

Exercise daily till you get that trim body.

Change what you can,enjoy what you can't.

It is quite true that many of us have made terrible mistakes in the past.

And done many things we are not proud of.

But still I urge you: Love yourself.

Those mistakes are necessary components of your life story.

Believe me, unpalatable as they may seem, they've made your life interesting.

And here's the good news: They've been locked away in your past now.

You future does not depend on them, it depends on your present.

So dear, love yourself...

Now.

Loving yourself does not mean lying sprawled on the sofa sixteen hours daily watching TV.

Loving yourself doesn't mean emptying your bank account and spending everything today.

NO!!! 

Loving yourself means appreciating every moment of your existence and developing yourself to full capacity.

Loving yourself means being joyful and happy and passing the same joy and optimism to others.

Loving yourself means recognizing your unique role to humanity and striving to fill it.

Loving yourself means seeing yourself as part of a whole and doing your best to preserve that whole.

If we learn to truly love ourselves, our eyes will be opened.

Then,we can look sideways and love our neighbour.

And together, we will all look up, and come to love our God...the epitome of love.

PLANNING vs. DOING

Many of us love planning.

We are usually thrilled by elaborate plans of the future or an event. Some call it 'positive dreaming'. Others call it 'goal-setting'.

Planning is important. A good plan serves as a map, a guide. 

But planning should be a means to an end, not the end itself.

Planning is good,doing is better.

Your plans do not count as much as what you do.

Having all the maps in the world does not guarantee your getting to any destination.

You must move.

Humanity does not judge you by your plans but by your actions.

Hitler may have had some good plans, but what we remember is his extermination of six million Jews.

Some tips that will help in 'Action-Oriented Planning' includes:

1. Plan with 5% of the time,Execute with 95%: 

Most of us spend the bulk of the allotted time planning, only to find out that we have little or no time to execute those beautiful plans.

Some spend up to 6hrs planning their day!

Spend more time doing than planning.

2. Keep your plans simple: 

Complex,complicated plans usually paralyse every muscle fibre in our body thus inhibiting action.As a rule,simplify,simplify and simplify.

3. Make your plans breakable:
Your plans should be such that you can break it up into simpler,doable pieces.

4. Always measure your progress:
A good plan enables you to measure your progress.

Vague plans like 'To be happy','To be rich' are really not good plans, but good ideas.

Be specific. And measure your progress.

5. Stick to your plan: 

Don't deviate. Don't procastinate. Just execute your plans to the letter.

To the last drop.

Christ had a very simple plan: To do the will of His father. 

He spent each day doing things: healing, teaching, doing good. 

He stuck to His plan to the very end.

He concluded with the definitive statement of a master planner and doer,'It is finished'.

Plan and execute like Him.

Good plans do not work by themselves.

You must make them work.

Plan less,do more.

And you will leave a lasting trail of achievements.

MAKING DREAMS REAL.

Most of us have beautiful dreams. Series of ideals we aspire to. Goals. Ambitions. Beautiful plans about the future. But to our chagrin and utter dismay, many of these plans don't happen. Why? Do we have a cruel fate dealing us an unwanted hand? Or do we not try hard enough? The ensuing frustration has made many lower their expectations or abandon dreaming or goal-setting entirely.

From time immemorial, great thinkers and great achievers have acknowleged the wide chasm between our various ideals or dreams and the reality. And only few persons have mastered the art of making their dreams and ideals come true. Consistently. This same art can be learnt. In some reproducible steps. But let me warn you before hand. Making your dreams come true is a continuous, non-stop process. Just as you take your bath daily to feel good, and begin to stink when you stop bathing, frustration may set in if you deviate from these simple steps.

Making your dreams come true is central to your happiness. It makes your self-esteem grow. Knowing how to do this consistently makes you the perpetual achiever and co-creator with God who has imbued you with countless abilities to make all your dreams come true. And learning this art is simpler than you think. Just follow me up these five steps.

1. HAVE UNSHAKEABLE FAITH: Faith in God, your ever-present guide and faith in yourself is the starting point of every achievement. Believe in your dreams and their relevance. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

2. BEGIN: Beginning a task is half the job. Once you have dreamt and planned, leave that stage and DO! Remember, the world remembers you by what you DID and not by what you planned to do. Start it. Do it. Or forget it.

3. GAIN GROUND EVERY MOMENT: Every masterpiece was accomplished on little step at a time. Brick by brick. Hour after hour. Your dreams, whatever they may be, is composed of parts which make up the whole. Accomplishing each of the parts leads to accomplishing the whole. Keep pushing steadily until one part is done then move to the next. Don't pause. Any break diffuses previous efforts, making the job harder the next time.

4. FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND: Once you've started working on a project, put your whole mind to it. Don't deviate from your plan. Other interesting side projects calling for your attentions are simply distractions. Focus on one thing and do it perfectly.

5. WHEN IT GETS TOUGH, STICK!: Every worthwhile goal has some element of difficulty embeded in it which we are sure to encounter sooner or later. And this is when many abandon their dreams or projects. Unknown to many, these difficulties present themselves just when success is lurking around the corner. Only those who stick to the task and bring it to completion receive the ultimate reward.

Put these steps into practice. Remember that excellence is not an act but a habit, what we do repeatedly, constantly. Keep dreaming. And then do your best to make those dreams real.