Don’t hope, friend. DECIDE

Don’t hope, friend... decide!

Here is a story from Michael Hargove. 

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life changing experiences that you hear other people talk about. You know, the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly? Well, this one occurred a mere two feet away from me!

Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jetway, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

First, he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long and movingly loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, diverted his eyes, and replied softly, “Me too, Dad!”

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe 9 or 10) and while cupping his son’s face in his hands he said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug. His son said nothing. No reply was necessary.

While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one and a half) was squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, “Hi baby girl!” as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder and remained motionless in total pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, “I’ve saved the best for last!” and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed, “I love you so much!.” They stared into each other’s eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant, they reminded me of newlyweds but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t be. I puzzled about it for a moment, then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm’s length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I were invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?”

“Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” he replied without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well then, how long have you been away?” I asked. The man finally looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile and told me, “Two whole days!”

Two days?! I was stunned! I was certain by the intensity of the greeting I just witnessed that he’d been gone for at least several weeks, if not months, and I know my expression betrayed me. So I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend),

 “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling. He looked me straight in the eye, and with an intensity that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me, “Don’t hope friend…decide.” Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!.” With that, he and his family turned and energetically strode away together.

I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What’cha looking at?” Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”

Shalom (Peace)

By Ayo Daniels

Why Me?

Arthur Ashe, The Legendary Wimbledon Player was dying of AIDS which he got due to Infected Blood he received during a Heart Surgery in 1983!
He received sympathetic letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:
"Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease?"
To this, Arthur Ashe replied:
50 Million children started playing Tennis,
5 Million learnt to play Tennis,
500,000 learnt Professional Tennis,
50 Thousand made it to Circuit,
5 Thousand reached Grandslam,
50 got to Wimbledon,
4 crossed to the Semifinals, only 2 scaled through to the Finals and when I was holding the Cup in my hand, I never asked God
"Why Me?"
So now that I'm in pain, how can I ask God "Why Me?"
Happiness keeps you Sweet!!
Trials keep you Strong!!
Sorrows keeps you Human!!
Failure keeps you Humble!!
Success keeps you Glowing!!
But only, Faith keeps you Going!
Sometimes you are unsatisfied with your life, while many people in this world are dreaming of living your life..
A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead & dreams of flying.
But, A pilot on the plane sees the farmhouse & dreams of returning home.
That's life!! Enjoy yours...
If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets.
But only poor kids do that.
If power ensures security, then VIPs should walk unguarded.
But those who live simply often sleep soundly.
If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages but they hardly do.
Live simply.
Walk humbly.
and Love genuinely..!
Wish you a great day and a beautiful day.

What book are you currently reading

There is a saying that your life only gets better when you get better. And 

also you will agree with me that the difference between someone who is doing 

better than you is not because he/she has more money than you but because the 

person knows something that you don't know. Also human beings are not perfect 

so we have areas in which we are not good and need to work on them. It could 

be on communication, marketing, sales, man management, project management, 

negotiation, self discipline, self confidence, public speaking, business 

management and so many others. 

So the question is what book are you currently reading to help you in any area 

you are not good at or even in areas you are good at and want to become better 

. Interestingly, they are so many books, ebooks and audio books that help us 

address this areas of our life. It is also said that if you read 30-60mins 

everyday for a full year, you would have spent about the same time and have the same knowledge a Ph. D or 

Masters holder spends in their education.

Below are some of the books I have in my library

-----------------------------------------------

1. You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen

2. The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy

3. The Science of Self Confidence by Brian Tracy

4. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

5. The Power of Self Discipline "No Excuses" by Brian Tracy

6. What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam

7. Think Big by Ben Carson

Below are some of the books I will add to my library in 2015

------------------------------------------------------------

1. To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink

2. Negotiate This by Herb Cohen

3. The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo

4. The 30-Day MBA by Colin Barrow

5. The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself and Transform 

Your Career by Reid Hoffman

6. Brilliant Time Management by Mike Clayton

7. Its Not Over Until You Win by Les Brown

What books do you have in your library? What books do you intend to add in 

your library in 2015? Do you think your life will just get better by itself 

without you putting in any work? So what book are you currently reading?

Remember that YOUR LIFE ONLY GETS BETTER WHEN YOU GET BETTER

There is no Success without Struggle

Be motivated and never say never. Your dreams may seem impossible but its 

better to say I tried than what would have been....

Now read this...

MTN came to Nigeria at a time when nobody wanted to invest in Nigeria, at a 

time when Nigeria did not have phones. Even Zenith bank refused to loan MTN 

cash to operate, UBA rejected MTN's offer but today see the difference.

At least, we all know the story of the only civilian unelected President in 

Nigeria - Goodluck Jonathan. We know how the people said he was not going to 

be President; they even made him acting-President. Today,  the rest is 

history.

What about Cowbell? When they came to Nigeria, they made milk in a sachet, 

Peak was laughing at them - they said Cowbell was milk for the poor - but they 

were right! 3million poor people could afford N10 a day for a sachet of milk. 

When you do the math - 3million people buying milk at N10.00 that was N30 

million every single day. In a month, they grossed N900million(almost 

N1billion). Even Peak, had to make sachet milk in order to survive the market.

Another intresting story is the founder/CEO of WhatsApp who was turned down 

from a job in 2009 by Facebook and decided to start WhatsApp. Facebook bought 

WhatsApp from him in 2014 for $19billion and made him a Vice President. As of 

October 2014, he is worth $7.5billion.

So what have people told you? What have they said you cannot do or you do not 

qualify ? They told Cowbell, they told Goodluck, they told MTN, they told Jan 

Koum, but today the story has changed. I have a feeling something is changing 

for you today! They will change their strategies just to keep in step with 

you. Don't listen to what people are saying or what life is showing you. YES, 

YOU CAN. Success is not about where you graduated from, or what grade you 

graduated with, but what graduates out of you.

Keep the spirit UP.

Be Inspired as we dey inspire.....

4 Very Good Reasons For A Man To Hit A Woman

Lately, there has been much discussion about violence against women by the men in their life. Many have said there is never a good reason for a man to strike a woman but I disagree and today I am speaking out! I have six sons and I have taught them what my father taught my brothers and I: there are four good reasons for a man to hit the woman he loves;
1. Fire. If you look over at the woman you love and discover flames have overtaken your girl, you should absolutely knock her to the ground and start rolling her around.
2. Spider. If your princess discovers a spider wandering across her shoulder and with sheer terror in her voice says “GET. IT. Off! You should smack that 8 legged sucker right off of her.
3. Choking. If over dinner she begins to laugh at another one of your amazingly funny stories and in the process, lodges a bit of her steak in her throat, you have my full support to yank her out of her chair, spin her around and start squeezing her beneath her rib-cage until she spits up!
4. Train. If, while enjoying a peaceful, after dinner walk with your lover, you notice she has wandered into the path of a quickly approaching oncoming train, by all means, grab her by her arm and like the strong man you are, yank her backwards aggressively.

In the absence of the presence of fire, spiders, choking or trains, dad taught us boys there is never, ever, ever, ever, ever a justifiable reason for a man to strike a woman. Period. He said real men don’t do it. He then added this important definition about being a ‘real man’ which I want to share with all men today;

“Real men don’t allow other men to hit women either.”

I call upon my brothers-in-manhood everywhere to join with me in ZERO TOLERANCE for violence against women. Don’t hit and don’t tolerate hitting. That woman you see getting abused by her “man”, at the club or in the parking lot or even, oh let’s say, an elevator; intervene. Put yourself between the abuser and the victim. Is that dangerous? Could be. But it’s what a real man would do. Always remind yourself when you witness violence on a woman- that is somebody’s mother, daughter or sister. 
Just for the record, it IS your business if you decide to make it your business. In the Dunn household, my sons know we consider the safety of other women, our personal business, whether the abuser likes it or not. 
Lastly, a note to the abused women of the world- do not take one more punch, slap or kick from any man. There is NOTHING that makes it okay. Stop making excuses for him. He is a broken man and needs to be repaired before he is worthy of spending another second in your presence. Insist on it.

5 Bad Reasons Women Let Men Hit Them;
1. “He was drunk”. So what? He will be drunk again. And although I have personally never been drunk, I know many people who do occasionally get intoxicated- NONE of them hit their women. Your husband or boyfriend is not NORMAL. Stop trying to convince yourself he is.
2. “He’s under a lot of stress”. Real men deal with stress by hitting the gym, hitting a golf ball or even hitting the buffet. They do NOT hit women. Stress is not a gateway emotion to violence for healthy, normal men.
3. “I deserved it”. What???? No. There is nothing you or any woman can do to validate violence against you. Maybe you have done something so bad he leaves you, but violence is not on the list of options for him to choose from when he is upset. NEVER AN OPTION.
4. “His dad abused his mom. It’s all he knows.” When I hear that statement, it makes me throw up a little in my mouth. So what if he witnessed abuse as a child?? If anything, he knows better than others the hurt and pain that comes from abuse. In life we witness lots of things that are bad but we don’t then go integrate them into our own lives. If your man abuses you because he witness abuse, let him go witness therapy. Let him go witness a support group. Let him go witness life alone without you and the children. 
5. “It was only once. He apologized.” Statistics say that where there is a “first time”, there is a second time. Your response to the “first time” needs to send an incredibly clear message to your “man” that there will be no second time. Send that message so clearly it haunts him. Make a bold statement with action attached. It is the ‘action’ that will signal the level of your seriousness. That might be calling the police, it might be moving out for a week or two, it might be telling him to leave for a week or require immediate counseling. Your words to him after being hit MUST be followed up with immediate action to reinforce the true level of intolerance you have for violence against yourself.

You might be shocked to learn that someone in your life is an abuser, which means somebody in your life is a victim. Rather than guessing who it might be, just share this article with everyone so it reaches the ones who need to hear it most.
Abusers, be on notice- I’m watching. My sons are watching. And millions of other real men are watching. We WILL defend and protect your wife, your mother and your sister….even from you.

Troy Dunn

Are you giving life your best shot?

Are you giving life your best shot?

On friday night, I stumbled on a song "Do It by Pitbull ft. Mayer Hawthorne" and I picked three nice phrases from the song:

Everyday above the ground is a good day so I celebrate

She said "do you own Nike?"

I said "not yet", she said "then just do it"

"Give it your best shot"

I think the words in the sentences are very clear. Appreciate everyday and celebrate it because life is a privilege and a gift from God. Secondly, if you want to do something, DO IT. Everything will never be perfect for you if you want to do something, perfection comes when you are doing it and learning from your mistakes. Thirdly and most importantly, are you giving what it is that you want to do your best shot? Are you giving life generally your best shot? Is this the best you can offer life? Is this the best you can offer the people around you? Or do you want to be a mediocre for life? Are you the best at what you are doing currently? Do you believe you cannot be the best? If you die today, will you be happy and satisfied that you gave life your best shot? Try not to also be selfish and realize that your life can be an inspiration to someone whose morale is down and who has no hope again. So is your life inspiring people around you?

Remember and never ever forget that "ANY wage you ask of life, life would willingly pay" and "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but soon or late the man who wins is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!" The mind is very powerful.

So for everybody including myself I think we should constantly ask ourselves everyday especially at night and in the morning and in everything that we do

Am I giving life my best shot?

Happy Sunday! Have a wonderful week ahead!

8 Rules to A Positive, Happy Life

1. Be Optimistic - This is the first and most important rule. You have to constantly think and believe that good things will happen to you and if you do, it sure will. Even if a bad thing happens, believe that it happened so that something very good will happen as they say "If one door doesn't close, another one won't open". Also be mindful that bad things or experiences make you stronger, they also help you to learn to avoid it and sometimes there is a good thing inside every bad thing or experience. So next time try to discipline yourself to find the good thing in the bad and what you would do better next time.
2. Feed your mind with positive/inspirational/motivational materials first thing in the morning and last thing at night before you go to bed - When you do this it feeds your subconscious mind which works while you are asleep and helps you to wake up positive and work positive throughout the day. Remember your thoughts are very powerful... You can read this for more understanding and more tips in http://wikihow.com/control-your-subconscious-min
3. Stop asking How Far? How you dey? Or What's Up? Except for people that you know are very positive stop asking those questions as you would most likely get negative answers and in the process of trying to sympathize with the person, you may become or start feeling negative. So instead ask What interesting thing has been happening with you or has happened since the last week or last time we saw and if the person says none, you can bring up an interesting thing happening around you or to you and tell the person about it or a good moment you both shared together. The important thing is when you leave the person, you want both of you feeling positive vibes.
4. Always always remember that your life is a gift and your present situation is somebody's prayer point. So be thankful and be hopeful remember "When there is life, there is hope."
5. Smile Often - This is important as it releases endorphins which is a chemical in your brain that leads to feelings of happiness. It also makes you look happy and in turn attracts happy people to you and makes other people happy.
6. Laugh Often - This is very important as this is the best medicine you can give to your body. It triggers healthy physical changes in the body, strengthens your immune system, boosts your energy, diminish pain and protect you from the damaging effect of stress. You can just stay and force yourself to laugh or remember an incident that was really funny and laugh your lungs out. You can also watch comedy videos on YouTube and Instagram. For YouTube I recommend searching for Basketmouth, Dan D'humorous, I go die, night of a thousand laughs. For instagram follow or check iamkanmi, oluwakaponeski, dontjealousme, thefoxhimself
7. Practice Positive Self Talk - If you say to yourself, "I can't do this, I'm going to fail", you will fail. However, if you say "I can do this. I know I can!” you're more likely to succeed. This process is known as "affirmation". Say to yourself aloud. I will be rich, I am happy, I will succeed etc.
8. Find something you can do and like doing and work to be very good at it that everybody or at least a lot of people will know you for that thing which could be a profession/soft skill/talent or trade. It will give you unlimited amounts of self-confidence and you will unconsciously become so happy because you know that you are very good at doing something and people recognize and appreciate you for it especially when it meets a need. Search for Brian Tracy - The Science of Self-Confidence on YouTube.