THANK YOU

I would like to say "thank you" to everyone who read and followed my blog,i am thankful to God for you,thank you for finding time to read and to make comments.
Your words of encouragement have been my motivation,your kind words have gone along way to help me write even more.
I would also like to you this opportunity to say to you as the Holy Spirit has led me to,that as you enter this month of August,I dare you to enter with a renewed mind,with an "Attitude of Thanksgiving."
I know when you look at the world right now,we see very little to be thankful for,remenber Jesus said,"in the world is tribulation but be of Good cheer,i have overcome the world"John 16:33
In Christ Jesus our victory is sure.
As we give thanks,we will see the manifestation of victory this month of August;
I dare you to do the following;

• GIVE THANKS ALWAYS

Be thankful for what you have and you will end up having more.When you concentrate on what you don't have,you will never have enough.

Don't spend time worrying about what you can't control,be grateful.If he can take care of the sparrows he sure can take care of you.

Also be thankful to those who have helped you,those who have added something to your life,don't be ungrateful,give a call to someone who added to your life either physically or spiritually.

Giving of thanks is the secrete to increase and opened doors.

This month don't make any requests,just spend all the days of this month thanking God and he will give you more than you even want. Thessalonians 5:18

• REST IN GODS PROVIDENCE

Don't worry about your needs,just trust that its all provided for.We are already provided for by our heavenly father.

Even before you asked the provision was made.

Know that all things are working together for your good,don't fret or be afraid.

Go out to your business knowing that its all taken care of by God.Romans 8:28

• BE SATISFIED WITH LITTLE

Learn to appreciate the little you have.In appreciating the little that you have,you give God the reason to give you more.Because if you can't handle little you have no right to ask for more.

Take time to look at the little things,you know sometimes we run after money that we forget the gift of love and family.Spend sometime with your family this month,a special time with your wife and kids if you have and your parents.

• SHOW SOME LOVE

I would like to encourage you to show love to those if have non of it.give shelter to someone homeless,help a hungry child,be a hand to some one this month.Be kindly affectioned to others,buy a gift for someone,give someone a surprise.Do something out of the usual and finally

Don't worry about anything.

"Be anxious about nothing,but in all things by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,let your requests be made know to God." Philipians 4:6

The product of this is the peace of God will garrison your hearts and minds.

• MY PRAYER FOR YOU

I pray for you that as you spend time to develop that attitude of thanksgiving in this month of August,the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds,may his presence fill you up to overflowing,may all your needs be met and may the love of guard fill your hearts like the water covers the sea.

I speak Gods blessings released on you to overflowing and grace.You will swim in success this month.

I declare Grace to your life.

In Jesus Mighty Name,

Amen.

BE CONTENT 1

"Be thankful for what you have;You will end up having more.If you concentrate on what you don't have,you will never,never have enough" 

Oprah Winfrey

Contentment is a word that has been misunderstood.
when something happens to you,you are told to take it as Gods will and do nothing about your life.
We confuse being content to mean,do nothing about your present circumstance,accept things the way they are,its your cross,so carry it.
Contentment in my opinion means,to be satisfied in your present state,while you press on with your life.That means don't get carried away with your problems,be thankful about the things you have.
A lot of times,and this is the problem most of us have,we spend time worrying about what we don't have that we should,and forget what we have.You look at what others have that you want.This is the reason why people spend so much time trying to get too much and then loose the important things in life.I have been there,when a man, in trying to satisfy his family,eventually looses his family.
To be content doesn't mean,just accept it the way it is and do nothing about it.Very wrong,of course,accept that,this is where i am but make efforts to get better,while you are thankful for where you are.
You don't have a job,you sit at home and say i am content,thinking magic will happen,no.Go out there and drop your application and be positive,expecting its only gonna get better.
Don't walk out just yet on that job,because you don't get good pay,be content,be thankful,(think about the time you didn't have a job) while you take steps to get another.
I have seen folks who walk out on their present jobs,when they don't yet have another,that isn't smart and its not faith either.
Contentment is appreciating where you are on your way to where you dream to be.If you don't appreciate where you are and learn all you got to learn,you will never get to where you dream to be,even if you get there you wont be there for long.
Sometimes God allows us to be in very uncomfortable situations,don't rush out, be patient and learn all you got to learn.He is a God of Process and Principle,he is concerned about building character in you,so you can become a better person.
Jeremiah Burrough author of the rare jewel of christian contentment,defines contentment as the "Sweet inward,quiet gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in Gods wise and fatherly disposal in every condition,he reflects on trusting God in all circumstances"
Paul in his letter to the Philippians puts it better according to the amplified Bible version; Philippians 4:11-13;

11  Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.12  I know how to be abased  and  live humbly in straitened 
circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty  and  live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency  and  enough to spare or going without  and  being in want.13  I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers 
me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].
Paul here said,i have learned contentment;this tells you that you learn contentment,so its not a gift that you just receive from the Holy spirit,you deliberately learn,you discipline yourself to focus on what makes you content.
The amplified defines the word in a beautiful way "Satisfied to the point where i am not disturbed or disquieted" isn't that beautiful?
We worry so much about the things we don't have that we ought to have,but you can develop contentment and be at a state of satisfaction when others are running up and down hustling and you are at peace.
"When they say there is a casting down,you declare there is a lifting up."
Contentment is not an assumption that you have everything,no!you still have wants unmet but you decide to be glad and not disturbed.
We sometimes find ourselves in very bad situations like brother Paul,who had experience both good and bad times,i have learned to be content,when i have and when i don,t have.
Good and bad situations.I have seen folks who used to have plenty but suddenly a storm comes that takes away all they have,then they commit suicide because they can face it anymore.
Life will not always give you what you deserve,whatever situation you find yourself,be content,be glad,don't take your life because if you can manage the bad situation,it will get better soon.
i always tell people,the problem is not your problem but how you handle the problem,your attitude in that bad situation will determine how soon you get out of it.
I love Paul,he doesn't just leave us without an explanation,sometimes when you rejoice in bad situation people wonder why,Paul had to tell the secrete for this attitude,he said "I have strength for all things through Christ who empowers me"
The reason for my contentment is because my faith and hope is on Christ who strengthens me,he empowers me,he is the reason i still stand in the midst of the storm he is the reason i smile when i am broke,he is the reason i hope for the future "Christ in me the hope for glory."
The amplified further explains "I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency."
Bear with me,if i say hallelujah;say that to yourself right now,"I am ready for anything and equal to anything through him who infuses iiner strength into me;i am self-sufficient in christs sufficiency".
You need to say this when you go to sleep and in your sleep and when you wake up,you need to print this and hang it on the walls of your hour.
"I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Christ who infuses inner strength into me,i am self-sufficient in Christ sufficiency"
 People of this world teaches that contentment is been self sufficient in your self,but our sufficiency is not enough until its in Christ sufficiency.
How can i do that? through the expression of your faith."In Him we live and move and have our being."He is the one that constantly infuses,that is a present continuous tense,that means,its a continued thing as far as your sufficiency is in Christ.
When you are weak and feel like giving up,he infuses your inner man with strength and you know he is a source that never runs dry,when you are broke,he gives you strength and you say to yourself,I am rich in Christ,when you feel sick,he infuses you again and you say,"By his stripes i was healed"He is our sufficiency.
Sufficiency means "A quality or state of being sufficient;An adequate amount or quantity" in other words,when you say you are sufficient in Christ sufficiency,it means in Christ we are adequately provided for,in Christ we have complete supply.
That's why Paul said "And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Christ Jesus."
 The supply is from His riches in Christ Jesus,so if you are in Christ,you are adequately supplied for.
That makes us ready for anything and equal to anything,not because of our sufficiency but Christ sufficiency.
I am ready for anything and equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me;i am sufficient in Christ sufficiency.


Watch out for the continuation in my next post.

BE PROACTIVE VS REACTIVE - OWN YOUR LIFE

some people want it to happen,some people wish it to happen,others make it happen

 ( Michael Jordan)

Our life is a product of our choices,we are what we are today by the choices we make yesterday.we choose to be happy.we choose to be sad,we chose to be successful.we chose to be failures.we chose courage.we choose fear.we chose decisiveness.we chose ambivalence.were we are today,how our lives are today is a product of our choices.
we need to take charge of our lives and stop giving excuses,one way to get out of the problem is to accept that you are responsible and then face the problem by taking steps to get out of it,rather than blaming others for your misfortunes,sometimes we blame our parents,blame your teachers and even blame the devil,for our misfortunes,but we must take charge.
Just know that every moment,every situation provides a new choice,and in doing so,it gives you the opportunity differently to produce positive results.Its madness to think doing the same thing all the time will produce a different result,sometimes you need to change that attitude,change that method and you may get a better result.
To be .Proactive means acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty.To be proactive means to think ahead.proactive people recognize that they are response-able,they do't blame  parents,grandparents,genetics,condition for their behavior,they take charge of their situation,they face it and create means to deal with it.
I try not to spend too much time feeling sorry about my bad situation,i have learnt to wipe my tears quickly and learn to figure out a solution,i always ask OK,whats the next possible thing we can do to deal with this situation? i am very proactive and focused.
Reactive people on they other hand,are always affected by their physical environment,find external sources to blame and these external sources act as stimuli that they will respond to,when the weather is good they feel good,their mood is dependent on some condition.they smile when things are ok and sad when its a bad situation,they don't have charge over themselves,they are reactive.
Your greatest power lies between the stimulus and the response,you have the freedom to chose your response.one of the most important things is that you choose what you say,your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself.
The bible says ,out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" our mouth is just a channel to speak out what we really are.
A proactive person uses words like "I Can,I will, and so on,a reactive person uses words like i can't,i have to.With your words you build or destroy your life.Reactive people don't take responsibility for what they say or do.
proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control,they don't spend time worrying over what they can not control.
Stephen Covey divided all our problems,challenges into two; circle of concern and circle of influence.
Proactive people focus their energy on their circle of influence,that's those things they can control,problems at work,relationship problems children,health etc while Reactive people focus their energy on they circle of concern,they worry about those things they can't control,such as terrorism,the weather,national debt etc.
Successful people are proactive people,you make the right decisions when you are proactive.This is where setting of goals and preparing yourself for the situation before it comes,don't be like the reactive person who waits for the outcome before he does something at that moment.
 God is a very proactive person,he has everything planned out,nothing takes God by surprise,nothing that happens in this earth.been proactive is been prepared for any situation,be ready.
Paul in the bible said i have learnt to be prepared for anything at anytime,that should be our attitude to life.To be proactive develop the following character;

• Be Responsible : Don't blame others for your misfortunes,take charge of every situation.in every situation don't spend too much time worrying but immediately be positive and avoid procrastination.what you must do today,do today.
• Be Prepared: proactive people are always prepared people,they prepare themselves for the worst thing that could likely happen in any situation.planning is vital for success,prepared people sit down and have a plan and follow their plan up till they achieve their goals.
• focus on the positive and learn from the negative: Don't spend your energy crying over the negatives,but learn what you must learn and don't allow guilt rule you,learn what you must learn and move on with what you have learned,that would be a tool for success tomorrow.
• Be Decisive:Dont drag your feet about decision.be action oriented.
• Goal oriented and solution minded:set your goals with deadlines and follow them up till they are achieved.

you achieve more success when you are proactive and successful leaders are usually proactive people.

Be proactive about your health,don't take the pain for granted,go see a doctor about it,do exercises to keep fit,don't wait till you are too fat before you drop on intake of fatty foods,work hard now and invest,put your money to good use,don't wait till you have nothing.

TAKE OFF THE LIMITS

                                           

A boy gathers material for a temple,and when he is thirty,concludes to build a woodshed.   

 Henry David Thoreau 

The words second-place,average,ordinary,inferior,common-place,are they familiar to you?according to Thomas Carlyle "the world is a republic of mediocrities and always was"
Mediocrity is a state of been a mediocre; A mediocre is someone who is lacking exceptional quality or ability,he is average,ordinary,inferior,common-place.
A mediocre is not necessary a person who is not gifted,but a mediocre is someone who is gifted but has refused to maximize his or her potential to the fullest,hence he becomes ordinary.
Every extraordinary man today was once ordinary,extraordinary is a combination of two words,extra+ordinary,when you put some extra on the ordinary you become extraordinary,but mediocre refuse to add that extra,hence they live inferior lives.
We must realize that we are all gifted people,God gave us talents,each and everyone of us,talents come natural,there is something that you are better at than the rest of the world.There is no one without a talent at least,in this world,its our responsibility to discover our talents and begin to maximize it to the fullest.
Nelson Mandela said,its not what you have that matters but what you do with what you have.Men who are successful today made good use of what they had.
Imagine gathering materials to build a temple and instead build a woodshed.There are so many people in this world, that have so much potential,but put limits on themselves and never become the best that God would have them become.
According to Joseph Heller, some are born mediocre,some men achieve mediocrity and some have mediocrity thrust upon them" 
You may be one the above mentioned but you can breakout of it and start to live life to its fullest and achieve your dreams.
Average is the greatest enemy of success,settling for the less,refusing to stand up and go for what you believe.


Gideon in the bible,in the book of Judges 6,already had settled for less,because of his condition,the  had sinned against God and he was angry with them, so God gave the israelites unto the hands of the philistines,the philistines took hold of the city and took everything the lsralites had,so out of fear gideon was  hiding,a man who though a giant,but fear made him loose confidence in himself.
Fear is one of the reasons why we settle for less.Gideon,a giant who didnt recognise his abilities because of the fear of the philistines.That's the story of some of us,we need to awaken the giant in us,the sleeping giants in us.we need to rise up out of mediocrity and say enough is enough.
Mediocres are full of excuses,reasons why they cant do anything about their potential,Gideons excuse when confronted by the angel was "if the lord has not forsaken us" sometimes we sit down and wait for God to come down and turn our situation around,but God is actually waiting for us to make the move.
God is an action God,a God more concerned about his purpose,the angel didn't respond to Gideons complaint.God doesnt respond to excuses,but he responds to faith.
What are your excuses,i am sure you have alot,why you are where you are,why you are poor and broke,why things are the way they are,but you need to lift your eyes above your limitation and hear the word,GO! that was what the angel told Gideon,and God is saying it to you also,Go in this thy might,you dont need extra grace or anointing,the ability that you have is enough to get this job completed.We need to stop hiding and come out of our shells and begin to make the most use of our God given abilities.


Another interesting story was the story of the four leprous men,in 2kings 7;they were shut out from entering the city,because they were considered unclean since they were leprous,and there was a famine in Israel at that time,but they refuse to die ordinary,they had been in the gate all this while. They asked themselves a very important question i want you to ask yourself "why stay we here till we die?" they realised that if they stay out of the city they will die,if they go in the city they will die,well they chose to go to the camp of the enemy,can you imagine that? sometimes in life you must take some level of risks to achieve your dreams,fear will always hold you back.when they got to the camp,they met more than enough,the bible never said they were healed of leprousy,but you need to know that they had mental leprousy and they were healed of that.
The battle is in the mind,your limitation is in your mind,your condition have held you down and you have restricted yourself to a particular life.You say to yourself, "I can never be better than this" i have heard people say that they were born to suffer and struggle.Dont allow your condition determine your decisions,decide today to move,stop giving those excuses,get up from your slumber and start living your dreams.
Your ability to turn your obstacles as stepping stones is what will give you succsess.Be courageous,brace yourself up and make that move.you have been thinking about, but you never took,now is the time to do that,rise up and take charge of your life.The top is a place for you.The road to greatness is not without troubles,check out the story of any great man,they had to overturn obstacles to succeed.
The great Nelson Mandella,was locked up in prison for many years and maltreated but he didnt give up,he kept fightinh till he achieved the dream.
The late Martin Luther king,fought for the dream till he died,today that dream has been achieved.
David in scriptures though he was anointed king but he had to overturn the giants to finally be made king.
Dont be a mediocre,refuse to settle for less,refuse to be ordinary.If there's anytime to start living your dreams its now,its better to try,than not to have tried at all,you may not achieve the dream in your life time but generations after you will remenber you.
The dream is achievable,you have all it takes,dont give up on yourself,like the woman with the issue of blood,press forth and get a hold of the garment even if its with your last breath,she thought if i could but touch the hem of his garment i will be made whole and she struggled through,even when the disciples tried to stop her.
sometimes you dont want to try again,because you failed before,i have failed before too,but i am not giving up as far as i have got breath in me,let that be your decision.The disciples had given up on fishing for that day but at the word of Jesus,they tried again,i DARE YOU TO TRY AGAIN,dont give up,wipe the tears and get to work.
Life is not fare,it will not give you what you deserve,it will only give to you what you demand of it.
Its not over until you win.

A Life of Excellence

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.

There are so many definitions of excellence but i would like to take the one by the great philosopher Aristotle,he defined Excellence thus:

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

Success,growth,abundance,Excellence.These are things we set to achieve in our lives,we just don't want to achieve peak results,we want to be the very best at what we do,in our  work places,our assignment,our purpose,we want to be the very best.

The one thing that might irritate you about me,is my advocacy for excellence,anyone who has worked with me,knows that my principle for life is anything worth doing is worth doing well.We must give the utmost attention to any responsibility placed in our hands.

Excellence is possible,but like Aristotle said;we are what we do repeatedly,what are the things you do daily,just confessing i am an excellent man,does not guarantee excellence,excellence is an art won by training,how much training do you give to your talent?how much good habits have you developed in the last few months?

Take your time to check out men who show excellence in their work that we appreciate,you will see a man,who has worked tirelessly to be able to deliver such finesse in their brand.

Stop wishing and dreaming,i would like to show you a few tips to achieving excellence:

• Have the End in Mind

"without goals and plans to reach them,you are like a ship that has set sail,with no destination" . . . F. Dodson

Imagine you are in such a ship,the end would be a place called No Where.

Without the setting of goals excellence is not achievable.

In a football,how can you score without an idea of where the goal post is,practically impossible, that's how it is with a man that does not have set goals.

Make your goals progressive,make them step by step and make sure it leads you to your end.
To achieve excellence you must set goals that you are ready to put all effort to realize.Don't set goals that are just too easy to achieve,set goals that you are excited about and work hard to achieve them,goals that inspire you.

Set big,bold and audacious goals.

• Learn from the Best

What are you working on right now? check out men who have done it before and was successful at it and learn from them.
To become a man of excellence,you should keep your eyes and follow after men of excellence.

Its only a man that has been where you are trying to get to,that can take you there.
Study the lives of successful people,you cannot be a success by hanging out with failures.A poor man can not teach you how to make money.

Is your target to be the best in medicine,study those best at the field,a musician,study those best at that field and so on.To get up,you must keep your eyes looking up.

Paul in the bible said,follow me as i follow Christ, Paul was best at what he did,because he learnt from the master himself.

You can not be a man of excellence,when you spend your time more with lazy and focus less people,individuals without goals or drive to achieve those goals.

Have you not noticed the friends of the great are usually great people.Over time you become,who and what you study,you become what you keep your gaze on.

• Believe that you can do it

Its not who you are that is holds you back,but who you think you are not. Hanoch McCarthy.

without self confidence,success is not achievable.If you don't believe in your self,no one will believe in you.
To be a success in sales you must believe in yourself and your product.
Confidence is a very essential key to being successful in life.

There's no successful man today that,did not have obstacles on his way to success,but your ability to succeed will be determined on how you see those obstacles,as stepping stones or hindrances.

A successful person is one who can lay a foundation with the bricks others throw at him or her.  David Brinkley.

Build a success slogan and keep saying it to yourself daily,like the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama,during his election campaign,built a success statement that is now used all over the world 
"YES WE CAN",if you don't believe you can,you certainly can't.
Build a NO GIVE UP ATTITUDE,and keep saying to yourself,ITS NOT OVER TILL I WIN. 
Dont let the words or negative statements of other people get you down,the bible says "we are snared by the words of our mouth" not by the words of your haters,the words of your haters will have effect,when you begin to accept them and believe in them.
Your confession affects your belief system,start saying it, I AM A SUCCESS,stir yourself up,by your confessions daily,this will help your self confidence.
You can do it,if you believe.....

• Have a Concrete Strategy

what do you want to achieve or avoid?the answers to this question are objectives.How will you go about achieving your desired results?the answer to this you can call strategy. 

 William E. Rothschild.

A plan is simply what you intend to do,but strategy is your blue print for success,your strategy states how you will achieve your plans.
Just having a plan is not enough,you must have a strategy,you don't leave your goals to fate,you must have a strategy carefully thought out.


Setting a goal and not following through with proper planning is like a man,who enters a car and drives knowing his destination but not knowing how to get there.Many people fail in their goals because they have no strategy.
Most people,businesses and organisations fail in their goals because there is no proper strategy on what to do,when faced with obstacles,what is the best action to take,when faced with problem?how can i achieve this goal better?how did those who have gone ahead of me achieve their goals?
Questions are vital for developing a strategy,ask yourself very important questions.Strategizing will help you to achieve your goals with ease.

• Put All you Got To It

One of the reasons why we don't achieve our goals or run toward it,is that we wait for others to help us do it.Don't wait for anyone to come help you,check yourself and find out what you have,use what you have to get what you desire.

Put all your available resources to its actualization,the first resouces that must be put into any dream should be yours,nobody wants to help a man who has not started something first.The key to getting others to help you is to start with what you have.

Think big but start small,don't neglect the days of small beginnings.When you set your goals, put your available resources to work.
Bishop T.D Jake's,said he had to close his bank account to be able to publish the book WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED,that was all he had at that time,and today that book sold millions and its a best seller.
What are your dreams and how much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve it?
When i speak of resources,i mean money,energy,time and all you have at your disposal,you must be the first one to invest in your dreams,stop waiting on someone else,start now.

• Keep reading

To be a success in life you must give time to reading good books,books that will help you get better.Knowledge is very needful for execution.The difference between the rich and the poor is in what they know.

According to Abraham Lincoln,"the things i want to know are in books,my best friend is the man who'll get me the book i ain't read"

Myles Munroe said" the best place to hide a treasure is in a book" we must discipline ourselves to read books.Every successful person,is a product of the books they read.
The more you read,the more knowledge you gain.Seth Godin,the best selling author on Business week and New York times,buys 400 new books every year and probably reads a lot more than that.
Make goals for yourself,read at least a book once in a month,develop the desire to read,read the biography of successful people.The time you spend on other unfruitful thing,increase your knowledge and increase your potential to be successful.

"when you sell a man a book,you don't sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue-you sell him a whole new life" 

         Christopher Moley.

• Work Hard and Smart

Some people say work smart and not hard,but i say work hard and smart.when you work hard,it doesn't necessary mean to toil or sweating or dreading what you do.

when you love what you do,it's not stress but fun.If you don't love what you are doing,then you can't be a success at it,then you toil and sweat.but when you love what you do,you don't toil,but you enjoy doing it.

I love to write and read,so for me,when i have to write i am always excited and the best gift you can give to me is a new book.My best gifts to my friends are books,i love reading and i buy books a lot.

Put all of your effort and energy doing what you do,and you will see progress and recognition.

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well. 

Martin Luther King Jr. 

Put your very best at achieving your goals.You put your best to get your best.You reap what you sow.If you sow excellence you will reap excellence.When you put your best at your work,the best will always find you.Stop been lazy,start focusing your energy on the achievement of your goals and give it your best shot.

• Get Feedback

Feed back is vital for achieving success at your work.I always ask some of my friends to go through my blogs and tell me their candid opinion,its important so i can better on my work.

Look for at least 3 or 5 persons that can criticize your work,so you can hear other peoples point of view.Before i start to write on any matter,i always find out other views about that matter,i read materials from other great bloggers and make my conclusions.

Every successful company,always ask for feedback from clients and customers,on their customer service,so that they can better their services.Also feedback from the staff on how management can improve their treatment of staff to increase productivity.

As an entrepreneur i am very concerned about my staffs and how they are doing with work,so we used to have feedback days on Fridays and we called it "Happy Friday" that's the time where the staff and directors get to hang out and discuss about how work has been through the week.

Feedback,helps you to hear other peoples views and opinions,this way you can add knowledge to what you already have.

Feedback will not only increase your knowledge but will increase productivity,when the new information is applied.

Character over Reputation

Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open

Elmer G. Letterman

This is a very important subject to me, because we live in a world where we are very concerned about how people see us. A world where people would do anything just to keep up man’s idea of him. Businessmen and organizations inflate their financial records to keep up in the eye of the public; individuals go to any extent to make others see them the way they seem.

They say we must maintain being at the top no matter the cost, steal if you have to, lie if you have to, but we must look the best in the eyes of the public. Political parties rig elections just to give the impression that they are the best. Pastors inflate the membership strength of their churches, to be named the largest church in their cities. Unnecessary competition is developed just to be at the top. People live false lives; they live pretentious lives just because they have to look good. People are not real because they are concerned about what others will say. People are dying secretly and living a double standard life because of this.

These two words are misunderstood, sometimes used interchangeably when they don't mean the same thing.

According to John Wooden “Your reputation is who people think you are, your character is who you really are.”

Let’s get it right, Reputation is how people see you, and this is the reason why we go out of our way to do things to please people. We care so much about what others think, much more than been real. We pretend and try to keep up just because of what people will say. We are living our lives but actually living other peoples thinking. If your decisions are 100% motivated by what others think then you are not living a life, soon you will die.

Sometimes i listen to people and you hear from them "what will people say”. The interesting thing about people is that they are very unstable. The bible says Jesus did not give himself to man, why? Because he knew something about man, that's very constant, that "man changes”, that man is unstable.

Living a life to please others is the best route that leads to failure in life and fulfillment. We must start living life understanding that there's only person we must ultimately live to please, which is God. He never changes; he is the same yesterday, today and forever. He loves us unconditionally; his love is not predicated on what you did or didn't do, he loves you before the foundation of the world.

Stop caring about what others think, do things because they are the right thing to do, and it pleases God, this doesn't mean you should treat people wrongly, no, but you don't spend time with people who are too negative and only sees the faulty side of your life, If you must grow, you need to spend time with those who critize you constructively and brings out the best in you, not those who only tell you how bad you are.

Character on the other hand is who you really are, no matter how much you pretend, you are what you are. We are told you can deceive others but you can’t deceive God and yourself, he knows you for who you are. Your character is Gods idea about you, start living your life on how God thinks about you, even if you have a fault in your life, the best way to deal with it is dwelling on the positive rather than the negative. My pastor always says "I am who God says I am" you are not what any man says you are, so stop dwelling and confessing what others have said about you “You are who God says you are”. 

1Samuel 16:7b;

"For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart"

Stop trying to impress men, stop trying to impress God, stop trying to be somebody else, be yourself. God is more concerned about who you really are inside. Most of us are more righteous than King David, but God blessed him more, because he was real before the lord. Some of us already are living to please another, stop! That’s not the life God wants you to live.

You will be more productive when you live your life, doing what you are best at, stop living someone’s dreams, what are your dreams? start living your life. I dare you to be yourself, and see how God will bless you. Spend all your time developing your character, how God sees you, you can find out from the word of God his thoughts about you;

Jeremiah 29:11 "my thoughts for you are good and not evil, that you might have a hope and a future" don't let anyone make you think otherwise.

If you have flaws don't lie about them, character is developed in tribulations, and tested in good times. Don’t run out of that situation develop that character, because it will distinguish you later in life.

Here are some good reasons to have good character and not worry about our reputations

1. God rewards character and not reputation: To care about your reputation means you care more about public opinion and not Gods opinion about you. In Matthew 6:1-6, Jesus clearly showed us about the man who cares about others opinion; he brags about his help to others, he wants people to know what he has done, because he is concerned about the opinion of others, Jesus said they received their reward already. When you do something for man and wait for commendation from them, then you don't need the reward of the father. God rewards character, over reputation. Be more concerned about pleasing God than impressing men. Focus on doing what’s right and what’s right is what God says is right; he will reward you for doing what’s right.
2. If you present yourself better than you really are, you can’t have intimacy. People who lie about who they really are are socially bankrupt and never have real and lasting relationships. They have a lot to hide; they can't let people know who they really are.
3. Tell the truth no matter what, there's nothing more healing, than telling the truth and presenting yourself as you really are. People who can’t take you for who you really are are not your true friends. When you are with people and you don't have that sense of freedom of been yourself you are with the wrong group of people.
4. Character is for eternity and reputation is for a time.

Don't live your life trying to impress others, there is freedom in pleasing God and been who you are. If you are living trying to please others then you are not living and you will not fulfill your purpose in life.