Insight for today

2011-07-30T10:47:00.001-07:00

A Special Kind of Courage
By: Brian Tracy

There are several different aspects of courage. Perhaps the most important is the courage to endure, to persist, to "hang in there" in the face of doubt, uncertainty and criticism from others.

Practice Patience in Adversity
This is called "courageous patience," the willingness and the ability to "stay the course" in the face of uncertainty, doubt and often criticism from many quarters.

Stay the Course
In my experience, there is a critical time period between the launching of a new venture and the results that come from that venture. During this hiatus, this waiting period, many people lose their nerve. They cannot stand the suspense of not knowing, of possible failure. They break and run in battle, they quake and quit in business.

The True Leader
But the true leader is the person who can stand firm, who refuses to consider the possibility of failure. The turning points of many key moments in human history have been the resolution, or lack thereof, of one person. Courageous patience is the acid test of leadership.

To encourage others, to instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best requires first of all that you lead by example.

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Allow Honest Mistakes
The second thing you can do to help alleviate the fears of failure and rejection in others is to encourage them to take calculated risks and allow honest mistakes.

Build People Up
Give the people who look up to you regular praise and approval. Celebrate good tries as well as success, large and small. Create a psychological climate where people feel safe from censure, blame or criticism of any kind. Then do things that make people feel terrific about themselves.

Become Unstoppable
Courage comes from acting courageously on a day-to-day basis. Your personal development goal should be to practice the behaviors of a totally fearless person until you become, in your own mind, unstoppable.

Action Exercises
Here are two ways for you to develop courageous patience.

First, prepare yourself in advance for the inevitable disappointments and setbacks you will experience on the way to your goal. Don't be surprised when they occur.

Second, resolve in advance that you will bounce rather than break and continually encourage others to think and act the same way.

The law of planning

2011-07-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Every minute spent in planning saves ten minutes in execution. The purpose of strategic planning in a corporation is to reorganize and restructure the activities and resources of the company so as to increase the “return on equity,” or return on the money invested and working in the company. The purpose of “personal strategic planning” is for you to increase your “return on energy,” the return on the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual capital you have invested in your life and career.

Every Minute
Every minute that you spend planning your goals, your activities, and your time in advance saves ten minutes of work in the execution of those plans. Therefore, careful advance planning gives you a return of ten times, or 1,000 percent, on your investment of mental, emotional, and physical energy.

10-12 Minutes
It takes only about 10-12 minutes for you to make up a plan for your day. This investment of 10-12 minutes will save you time of approximately two hours per day, or a 25 percent increase in productivity and performance, in ROE, from the first day that you begin planning your day in advance.

Time Planner
The key to personal efficiency is for you to use a good time planner. Virtually any planner will work if you will discipline yourself to use it as the core of your time management system. Today, Palm Pilots and personal digital assistants (PDA), in combination with personal computers, can enable you to plan your time with greater efficiency than has ever been possible.

The Life Planning Process
"A Goal Without a Plan is Only
a Dream…"
If you dream of achieving great things in life, planning for making them a reality on paper is vital to your success.
Master List
Begin with a master list as the foundation of your time planning system. Write down everything that you can think of that you will need to do for the indefinite future. As new ideas, goals, tasks, and responsibilities arise; write them down on your master list. Don't trust them to memory. Plan each month in advance by transferring the appropriate items from your master list to your monthly list. This is best done the last week of each month. Plan each week in advance by transferring items from your monthly list to your weekly list. This is best done the weekend before.

Plan Everything in Detail
Plan every project, meeting, and goal in detail, before you begin. The very act of planning forces you to think better and more accurately about everything you do. The more you think about and plan something on paper, the faster and more efficiently you will accomplish it when you start work.

Regular Planning
Regular planning assures that you spend more time on activities of higher value. This increases effectiveness and your efficiency in everything you do. Perhaps, the most important rule of all if for you to “think on paper!”

Action Exercise
Discipline yourself to work only on those activities that have the most significant impact and influence on your life. Get them done quickly and well. Once you develop this habit of planning and prioritizing, your stress level will decline, your productivity will increase, and your career will take off.

About IWB CEO/FOUNDER

2011-07-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

FrFrank Olugbemi Omotayo Alajiki is a young dynamic speaker, Who drew his inspiration from people like Bishop David Oyedepo, David McNally and Pastor E.A Adeboye among others. Frank delivers keynote speeches, breakout sessions and runs half-day and full-day seminars. He received a mandate to help people develop and release their God-given innate potentials thereby providing a network of highly inspired professionals towards building the nations of Africa. Frank’s foresight and unique style of communication and insights; prompted him to launch a programme tagged “Discovery show” in 2006 when he saw a need for integrated and creative brand approach for motivating people towards all round success. He is a member of united nation for African development and also a member of African youth development. Frank will be publishing a book entitled ‘Change’ in early 2012. Frank honours invitations to speak at any corporate organisations, schools and Christian religious cycle. To book Frank as your guest speaker, please call +234-7042078905, +234-8036531203 or E-mail us at insightworldbuilders@yahoo.com

WORK TIPS FOR TOP HIGH-FLYING EXECUTIVES FROM THE CEO DESK

2011-07-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

Understanding corporate Culture.

Are you an executive in a corporate organisation? Here is one of the crucial tips you need to be in a frontier role.
Every corporation, company, industry or even small office has a culture. Knowing what that culture is gives you the edge. The culture is how their people do things. This culture is sometimes company led, but mostly people generated – it grows organically and without plan or strategy. If you don’t know this culture – or fail to make use of it – you can end up looking foolish and are then easy to take advantage of, or be belittled.
Bear in mind that around 70 percent of all dismissals are not because someone couldn’t do their job properly, but because they didn’t know the corporate culture – they didn’t fit in.
Consider this advert for a pretty big prestigious design studio – the BMD. When Bruce Mau, the owner of this company, wanted to recruit new staff, he put out a quiz with some 40 questions, including, ‘who made a film consisting of nothing but the colour blue?’
Bruce headed the advert, ‘Avoid fields. Jump fences’. As a result of this, he lured some of the best, most talented top designers to come and work for him – or with him, as he describes his working relationship with his staff.
Now what sort of corporate culture do you think Bruce expects, wants, gets? How would you fit in? What do you think Bruce would expect of you?
You don’t have to buy into the corporate culture – you don’t have to believe in it – all you have to do is fit in. If they all play golf, then you play golf. I know you hate golf, but you will play golf – if that’s what it takes to fit in. You may question whether playing golf is where you want to be. But if you are a Rules player and you want to get on and be successful and you also want to be part of a particular company where playing golf is the corporate culture – then play it you must.
Culled from The rules of work by Richard Templar

TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

2011-07-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Manage Your Time Well

To achieve all your goals and become everything you are capable of becoming you must get your time under control. Psychologists generally agree that a "sense of control" is the key to feelings of happiness, confidence, power, and personal well-being. And a sense of control is only possible when you practice excellent time management skills.

Choices and Decisions
If the front side of the coin of success is the ability to set clear goals for yourself, then the flip side of the same coin is the ability to get yourself organized and work on your most valuable tasks, every minute of every day. Your choices and decisions have combined to create your entire life to this moment. To change or improve your life in any way, you have to make new choices and new decisions that are more in alignment with who you really are and what you really want.

The Right Thing to Do
The only way that you can determine that is right or wrong, more or less important, high or low priority is by first determining your aim or goal at that particular moment. From that point forward, you can divide all your activities in to "A" activities or "B" activities. An "A" activity is something that moves you toward your goal, the faster and more directly the better. A "B" activity is an activity that does not move you toward a goal that is important to you.

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Begin with a List
The basic tool of time management is a list, organized by priority, and used as a constant tool for personal management. The fact is that you can't manage time; you can only manage yourself. That is why time management requires self-discipline, self-control, and self-mastery. Time management requires that you make the best choices and decisions necessary to enhance the quality of your life and work. Then you follow through on your decisions.

Use Advance Planning
Begin today to plan every week in advance, preferably the Sunday before the workweek begins. Plan every day in advance, preferably the night before. When you make a list of everything you have to do the following day, your subconscious mind works on that list all night long. When you wake up in the morning, you will often have ideas and insights to help you accomplish the items on your list.

Separate the Urgent from the Important
In the process of managing your time, you must separate the urgent tasks from the important ones. Urgent tasks are determined by external pressures and requirements. You must do them immediately.

Action Exercise
Make a list of everything you would like to be, do, or have in the months and years ahead. Analyze your list and select those items that can have the greatest possible consequences in your life.

Tapping the promises of personal growth

2011-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about working on your personal growth is that when you make a concerted, dedicated effort to improve some part of your life, there’s an excellent chance that you will succeed in the long run. You may have a lot of gunk to clear out in terms of limiting beliefs, and you may be starting from a disadvantaged position, but given enough time, it’s entirely possible to completely rework some part of your life for the better.

For example, you have the potential to go from rags to riches, from shy to socially confident, or from unhealthy to vibrant and fit. It may not be easy to make such transitions, but there are numerous successes to model. These are transitions that many, many people have already succeeded at, and they’re often more than happy to help out people who are interested in taking similar journeys. You certainly don’t have to stumble forward blindly.

This, of course, is the grand promise of personal development — that you can consciously remake some part of your life, re-sculpting it from what it is now to what you desire it to be.

But there are two very common problems that prevent many people from receiving the full delivery of this promise.
Getting Clear About What You Want

First, most people never get clear about what they want.

Since they don’t decide, there’s nothing for them to move towards. Moving away from where you are now is not a specific heading. An “away from” mindset is like a bunch of crazy, chaotic arrows pointing off in all different directions, but in most cases that isn’t enough to get moving with any consistency. “Not here” isn’t a goal.

When I ask people what they want out of life, most of the time I get a very vague answer. They can’t tell me. So of course their lives aren’t going to change much. They have no direction. If someone asks you what you want out of life, offer up a clear and specific answer.

Don’t look to life to tell you what you want. That’s your burden — and your privilege — to decide.

Not deciding is still a choice. If you can’t decide, then you’re deciding to continue the status quo, and you’re broadcasting the intention that more than anything else in the universe, you want to continue experiencing what you’re experiencing right now. And so essentially that is what you’ll get. So when you keep getting what you’re already getting, be grateful that the desires you voiced are being fulfilled. You are simply receiving what you’ve been asking for.

Don’t pretend that your life will change until you first make a clear decision about where you want to go next. You can bitch and moan about the burden of having to make that choice, but there’s no point in that. It’s better to celebrate the honor and privilege of having the freedom to make that choice. Be grateful that you can choose. Appreciate the fact that you get to decide where your life goes next. Consider yourself lucky that you have a choice.

Making a choice is really, really simple. Most people overcomplicate the process tremendously. Ask a child what they want for their birthday, and they’ll probably rattle off a number of specific items. How do they decide? They just decide. They don’t worry so much about making wrong choices. They voice intentions based on what experiences they feel drawn towards. It’s that simple. If you feel drawn to a certain experience, then that’s an excellent candidate for a new decision.
Real Decisions vs. Fantasy Decisions

Secondly, when people do finally decide, they usually don’t make a real choice. They make a fantasy choice instead.

There’s a major difference between a fake decision and a real decision. Let me ‘splain that.

A fake decision is when you get clear that you desire a certain experience, but you don’t accept the far-ranging consequences of that experience. This is like deciding to pick up one end of a stick while denying or ignoring the existence of the other end of the stick. Whether you acknowledge it or not, the other end of the stick is coming along for the ride. If you resist the true nature of the stick as a whole, you cannot pick up the front end of it. If you resist the consequences of your desires, you block your desires from becoming real.

For example, you may set a goal to have a million dollars, but if you do not invite, welcome, and accept the consequences of becoming a millionaire, then your goal is a mere fantasy. It isn’t a real goal. It’s just a delusional waste of time.

A real decision is when you get clear that you desire a certain experience, and then you do your best to predict and understand the likely consequences of that experience, and you decide to invite and welcome those consequences too.

Think of it this way: Either you desire the entire stick, or you desire none of it. To desire one end of the stick but not the other end is to create a block that translates to desiring nothing but the perpetuation of the status quo.

In order to set a real goal or hold a real intention, realize that you must intend and accept its consequences as well.

So in our example of desiring a million dollars, a real decision includes accepting how you’ll manage that money, how it will alter your relationships with others, how it will impact your lifestyle, and so on. This includes accepting any likely effects you may perceive as negative — and welcoming them into your life.

Understand this: If you cannot accept the likely consequences of a decision, then you have not yet made the decision.

I.e. if you cannot accept the likely consequences of a new relationship, then you have not yet made the decision to attract a new relationship. If you cannot accept the likely consequences of doubling your income, then you have not yet made the decision to double your income. If you cannot accept the likely consequences of being at your ideal weight, then you have not yet made the decision to reach your ideal weight.

Quite often people claim to know what they want, but the truth is that they’re stuck in fantasy land. For example, they’ve decided to reach their ideal weight, but they fail to accept and invite the possibility of getting more attention from the opposite sex, buying different clothes, maintaining more disciplined diet and exercise habits to maintain that weight, etc. Mentally they understand that these are the natural, logical consequences of reaching that goal, but they aren’t yet there emotionally. They don’t really “get it” yet.

In order to achieve a goal, it’s important to listen to your logical predictions about what the consequences may be and to accept those predictions. Even more important than that is to integrate those predictions into the goal itself, so your goal represents the total package of what you’re going to create, not merely some isolated element of it.
Goals as Growth Experiences

How can you invite and welcome the consequences of a desire? Perhaps the best way to do that is to view your goals as growth experiences. Every goal, desire, or intention is a growth experience, and every growth experience is a package deal. Along with every desire you get a pack of free bonuses. Those bonuses are called life lessons.

Along with money, you get bonus lessons in money management, scarcity, abundance, and generosity. Along with new relationships, you get bonus lessons in communication, negotiation, and compassion. Along with a better body, you get bonus lessons in self-discipline, self-awareness, and self-esteem. Along with a successful business or career, you get bonus lessons in responsibility, productivity, and life balance.

These bonuses are awesome! You just need to recognize them as such. In many cases the bonuses are worth more than the initial desire. When you can regard the consequences of every potential goal or desire as a valuable pack of personal growth bonuses, it gets much easier to desire the whole package instead of obsessing over the front-end offer.

So in summary, we have two key hurdles to overcome in order to begin realizing the promise of personal growth: 1) Decide what you want, and 2) Identify, accept and invite the likely consequences of what you want.

Now… have you completed both steps yet? Of course you have. Either you’ve done this for a new desire, or you’ve done it for the status quo by default. Either you’re actively creating something new, or you’re actively perpetuating what you already have. Regardless of your choice, you are succeeding, so celebrate that! :)

Tapping the promises of personal growth

2011-07-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Be our patner today

2011-07-15T12:32:00.001-07:00

Cast Your Lots Once

2011-07-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

A State of Mind Called Time

“In all our deeds, the proper value and respect for time determines success or failure.” –El Hajj El Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X)

Have you ever met somebody that’s always late for class, work, and everything else, but has the nerve to be mad because he or she didn’t get to leave on time?

Please tell me that’s not you. Are you one of those people that likes to be “fashionably late”?

I know this violates proper nightclub etiquette but…

In the real world, consistently being late is deplorable. It’s irritating or infuriating for the person that’s waiting on you and it’s detrimental to your reputation.

When was the last time you went to a meeting, graduation, concert, or conference that actually started on time? If your answer is: “recently”, I’m jealous.

Of course things happen, but for most people and organizations the “things” that cause them to consistently start and show up late or waste time are the result of disrespect.

Just look at the incidents involving several of the major airlines recently. Literally millions of people—unfortunately I was one of them—were stuck on runways and thousands of flights were canceled because of egregious errors in judgment and flat out disrespect for passengers’ time.

WARNING: Respect Time…or else.

If Father Time could talk he would be outraged. He’s had his civil rights violated more than anybody. If he had legs, people would be getting their butts kicked on a regular basis.

What causes people to engage in the gross misappropriation of precious moments in one instance, while pleading for “just five more minutes” in another?

It’s ALL mental. It has nothing to do with your planner, Trio, or Blackberry. I know people with all types of time management gizmos and they still waste time or show up late.

The way you treat Time is a state of mind that manifests in the form of a habit. Habits are the physical manifestation of your thinking—conscious or non-conscious.

Instead of changing their thought patterns people play ridiculous head games trying to trick themselves into being on time.

Here are some popular ways that people, including myself, have tried to cover up their disrespect for Time.

1. Set your clock or watch 5-10 minutes early.

I used to do this religiously. A lot of people do. So, I know somebody is going to swear up and down that this works. Here’s a clue:

It doesn’t.

If you don’t respect Time this little game won’t change a thing because it’s actually an excuse to be late in disguise.

You know what happens.

One day you’re running late and you realize that you really have an “extra” ten minutes because your clock or watch is fast. Or maybe you wake up and sucker punch the snooze button; after all, the alarm really went off ten minutes early, didn’t it?

So instead of being twenty minutes late you’re only going to be ten minutes late and ten minutes isn’t that bad, is it?

Garbage.

Note: The thing that really messed me up was the creation of cell phones. Does anybody know how to set a cell phone 10 minutes early?

2. Underestimation and the Idiot Driver Excuse

This is when you know it’s going to take an hour to do something or travel somewhere, but you end up convincing yourself that you can do it in thirty minutes.

Just because it took you thirty minutes during non-rush hour traffic does not mean that’s how long it takes. Of course, this has nothing to do with your disrespect for time. It’s all because of the stupid, idiot driver that was in front of you, right?

Garbage.

3. They don’t start (or leave) on time anyway.

People constantly show up late, meetings rarely start or end on time, and on-time flight departures and arrivals are endangered species.

But none of that is a viable excuse for you to disrespect Time.

You should respect Time even when they don’t respect Time because Time and Opportunity are blood brothers. Mistreat one and the other will make you pay…dearly.

Some of my most profitable business deals and quite a few a good relationships are the result of me being early when everyone else was late.

4. I work better under pressure.

Garbage.

That statement is the master procrastinator’s most powerful—or should I say weakest—excuse. I hear it from people all the time and I love it because then I get to respond with:

“Oh yeah? Well, why don’t you put some pressure on yourself to do what you need to do and get where you need to go in more timely fashion?”

The look on their faces: priceless.

Pressure can be the result of...Pressure can be the result of procrastination or the moment. Successfully dealing with the pressure of an important moment will help you grow. It will elevate you to a new plateau and strengthen your self-confidence.

Pressure that results from procrastination, however, perpetuates your disrespect for time and keeps you in a rut.
This type of pressure is an excuse for your inability to focus on the task at hand. People try to use “the last minute” as a tool for focusing because they have yet to develop the willpower to focus on their own.

Think about that.

5. It’s Up to God.

I grew up in the church. I love me some Jesus. But I hate these kinds of excuses:

“If God wanted me to be on time, I would have been.”

“It’s out of my hands now.”

And what about this one? “Sorry I’m late y’all…but the Devil is a liar.” (A woman really did say that at a meeting I recently attended!)

That’s just more garbage.

Have you ever heard of a little thing called free will? You should use it to make sure you do whatever you have to do to be on time and to stop wasting time.

The Million Dollar Question: What should you do if you or someone you know is consistently disrespecting Time?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any self-development voodoo that you can sprinkle on someone to make him treat time in a respectful manner. It requires something that people seem to be short on these days—self-discipline.

The only way to develop self-discipline is with resolve and consistency. If you are consistently resolved to respect Time eventually your self-discipline in the area of time mastery will improve.

One of my mentors gave me some guidelines that are very useful:

To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable. Disrespecting Time is guaranteed to cost you opportunities and relationships.

My philosophy about time is simple:

If you disrespect me, I MIGHT forgive you. If you disrespect my family or my time, we’re done. End of story.

BUILDING MOMENTUM FOR LASTING SUCCESS

2011-07-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

Like Champagne, Make Your Life Sparkle

Stuff happens. What happens is neither good nor bad. It merely IS. But we, in our attempt to understand everything, stick labels on things. We call things big or small, hot or cold, smooth or rough. These descriptive words can help, but where we go astray is when we label things as `good' or `bad.' These two words (and other negative and positive words) do not describe reality; they merely describe how we FEEL at the moment.

For instance, as I write this, it is raining and the sky is grey. Suppose a friend calls from another city and asks me what the weather is like. If I were to answer, "The weather is lousy," that does not describe what is happening outside (the weather), but what is happening inside (my feelings). We cannot master life until we master how we describe it, for the words we use determine how we feel. Does it make sense to describe a rainy day as `lousy'? Why would I want to feel bad?

Suppose I had answered my friend's question differently. If I had stuck to the facts and said, "It is raining and the sky is grey," then I would have been detached from the events (rain and grey sky) and free to go on enjoying life. The way we see things is not based on reality but, on a choice we make. Why not choose to see things pragmatically. That is, pick a viewpoint that works for you, empowers you. Why spend time choosing a viewpoint that works against you and prevents you from getting the most out of life?

Suppose you lived at the foot of a mountain. Would you see the mountain as a glorious opportunity for adventure by conquering it and yourself? Or would you see it as requiring too much effort to scale and just an inconvenient barrier? I believe the perspective of G. K. Chesterton (1874~1936) is the correct one, "An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered."

A mountain is whatever we say it is, inconvenience or adventure. So it is with life. The choice of how we look at it is a switch that fills our lives with light or darkness. Why is it that many people still don't realize that it is THEIR FINGER that is on the switch? I choose to see life as a magnificent adventure, not a struggle that I have to put up with. As a result, I have known and continue to experience many adventures.

Today, many of us work with computers. Although I love computers, every now and then something goes wrong, such as misplacing a file. But when something goes amiss, it is not because the computer doesn't like me or life is unfair, but because I did something wrong. I try to learn from my mistake and avoid making similar errors again. I'm sure you behave in the same way.

Yet, when it comes to managing the greatest computer of all (our brain and mind), many act differently. When they get bad results, rather than trying to learn from what they did incorrectly, they search for scapegoats. Instead of seeking solutions they search for excuses.

Many computer users are familiar with the term GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out), which simply means that the results we get are only as good as the input. The same is true for the computer that controls my life (my brain and mind). If I put garbage in my mind (negative thoughts), the output will be garbage (an unhappy life).

It is essential that we clearly understand the relationship between our thoughts and the life we experience. If I insist on dwelling on negative thoughts, I will feel negative, which will lead to negative behavior, which in turn will bring about negative results. Of course, when I choose to focus on the positive, the opposite happens. In a word, what I choose to think about acts as a switch that either opens the blinds, flooding my life with light, or closes the blinds, shutting out the light.

Since we have a choice, doesn't it make sense to look at life as an exciting adventure? Many have already done so, and here are two examples:

1. "Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle." (Annie Besant, 1847~1933).

2. "What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for." (George Leigh Mallory, 1886~1924).

Before we can make the right choices, we have to be aware of our choices. The great writer Joseph Epstein contrasts what we can and cannot choose:

"All men and women are born, live, suffer and die; what distinguishes us one from another is our dreams, whether they be dreams about worldly or unworldly things, and what we do to make them come about... We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, WE DO CHOOSE HOW WE LIVE."

Thus far I have been emphasizing the power of choice for good reason, but in all fairness, not everyone is equally free to make the right choices. You and I will choose to cross the street when the light is green and choose to wait when the light is red. But what if you are blind? Well, depressed people are blind. They cannot see the joy, wonder, and glory that surrounds them. Not because they are lazy or stupid, but because they suffer from a mental disorder. So, if you know some very negative people, try not to judge them harshly and wish them well.

Adventure is the champagne of life. Like champagne, make your life sparkle. But what of those who have not yet discovered that life is an adventure? What can they do to bring themselves closer to this empowering point of view? Developing the curiosity, courage, and commitment of a child would help.

Children are filled with insatiable curiosity. Each step they take is a step into the unknown. What will they discover next? What will they encounter around the corner? They lead the life of an adventurer and explorer. They don't understand the meaning of `boring.' You were once that child and you have the right to reclaim that inquisitive spirit.

It's not hard to do so. Start by shifting your attention away from that empty, banal chatter that clutters your mind and focus on what is happening around you now. What do you hear? Can you tune in on something enchanting or fascinating? Be curious. Search for it. Find it.

Do the same with your other senses. For instance, how many of the surrounding odors, aromas, or fragrances can you identify? How many of them were you ignoring or overlooking? Let's try the other senses. What about touch? Can you feel the warmth or coolness of your environment? Where do you feel it most?

How about taste? Lick your lips. How do they taste? Why do they taste that way? Is it because of something you ate or drank or because of the environment (the rain or a sea breeze)? Look around you. What do you see that is interesting or different? These exercises help to draw us out of the fantasy world of our imagination and replant us in reality. How can we enjoy life if we are unaware of its presence?

Also, be curious about your own mind. Explore it. Rather than ignoring the chatter of your mind, observe it. What are you usually thinking about? Are your thoughts helpful or harmful? If harmful, what thoughts should you replace them with?

Because every step a child takes is a step into the unknown, it takes great courage to continue on its journey of discovery. Courage is the second trait of a child that we need to reclaim. For without it, our journey may come to an abrupt halt. Johann Friedrich Von Schiller (1759~1805) put it well, "Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing."

And Patrick Overton's Faith Poem offers artful encouragement:

"When you walk to the edge of all the light you have And you take the first step into the darkness of the unknown You must believe that one of two things will happen There will be something solid for you to stand upon or you will be taught to fly." (http://www.insightworldbuilders.com/)

Here are two more lessons about courage:

1. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." (Anais Nin, 1903~1977)

2. "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." (T. S. Eliot, 1888~1965)

As young children explore their world, they may slip, stumble, or stagger, but if they fall, they simply pick themselves up and go on again. This is the third characteristic of children that we need to reclaim, commitment. Those who are committed, never give up. Their mindset doesn't allow it. To them, there is no such thing as failure, only lessons to be learned. Of course, we are free to ignore our lessons and drop out of life's school, but at what price?

Let's turn again to Anais Nin for wisdom:

"It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers.

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Within you is a bud waiting to blossom. It is a little child with curiosity, courage, and commitment, that is eager to participate in the adventure we call life. Are you willing to embrace that child, take it by the hand, and join it on its remarkable journey?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES

2011-07-12T02:33:00.000-07:00

1. Identify the behaviour or response to be changed.

This is usually, 'I want to do something, but something stops me.', or 'I don't want to do something, but I seem to end up doing it just the same.' When working with another, it isn't necessary to know what the behaviour actually is, they can keep it secret, if they like.

Acknowledge the good that the behaviour, or at the least the intention behind the behaviour has done for you in the past. Make clear you aren't going to get rid of it.
2. Establish communication with the part which is responsible for the behaviour

Go inside and ask the part if it is willing to communicate with you in consciousness? Notice the feelings inside of you. This is an unconscious response, so ask yourself: Can you reproduce that signal consciously?

If you can this it isn't it! Because if the response were conscious then it would be easy to turn it off. You could just decide not to do it. For example, when you hear that another has got the job you really longed for, and you want to be decent and congratulate them, but when you do so you feel that sense of discomfort. Can you turn that off? Can you help feeling that way even though you don't want to feel that way? That is the unconscious signal. Establish a communication system. Ask the part to increase the signal for 'Yes' and decrease it for 'No'. Get it to do this several times so you get a 'Yes' and a 'No' signal that are quite clear.
3. Separate the positive intention from the behaviour.

Thank the part for co-operating.

Ask, 'Will the part which is responsible for the behaviour let me know what it is trying to do?' You will get a clear intention which may be a surprise to your conscious mind. Think whether you want the part to do that.

If you get a 'No' signal, you can just assume a positive intention and continue. Or you could ask under what circumstances it would let you know.

Ask the part, 'If you were given ways to accomplish this intention, at least as well, if not better than the present, would you be willing to try them out?' If you get a 'No', your signals are scrambled - no part would turn down an offer like this!
4. Ask your creative part to generate new ways that will accomplish the same purpose.

Ask your creative part to generate as many solutions as it can - you do not need to know what these are consciously. Ask the part being negotiated with to select at least three of these for it to try. Ask it to give you a signal each time it has selected one. Take as long as you need on this part of the process.

Thank your creative part when you have finished.

5. Ask the part if it will agree to use the new choices over the next few weeks, rather than the old behaviour.

This is future rehearsing the new behaviour. There is no reason why the part should not agree to do this. If you get a 'No', then tell it it can still use the old behaviour - only use the new behaviour first. If you still get a 'No', then reframe the objecting part (By going back to step 1).
6. Ecological Check

Go inside and ask, 'Does any part of me object to the new choices?' If there are objections then check them out by asking the part to intensify the signal. If there are objections then you can reframe the part or ask it to get together with the creative part to find more solutions.

Ensure that there are no objecting parts, otherwise they may try to sabotage.
Summary

1. Identify a problem
2. Identify the part, and get different signals for 'Yes' and 'No'.
3. Get the part's positive intention, and ask it 'If you were given ways of achieving this intention just as well or even better than now, would you be willing to try them out for a week or so?'
4. Ask your creative part to generate many possible solutions (it does not have to find only good ones!) while the part in question gives a 'Yes' signal when there is a solution it thinks it might use. Get at least three.
5. Ask the part if it will try these in the next few weeks.
6. Check that there aren't any objecting parts.

Copyright © 2011 Frank O.Alajiki,
All Rights Reserved.

Utilization - using what you have to attain whatever you want!

2011-07-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Utilization is a key technique. It works magic.

With utilization you use whatever is available to attain your goals. Utilisation is the stuff of genius!

When we think and feel that we can't do something, this is something we are doing - not a negative. We are actually doing an inability. For example, if you forget something, you have actually done something. You have forgotten and you have succeeded in doing this.

For instance, you want to be self confident in a given situation but you can't do it. You can lack confidence. You can do that, but you can't be self-confident.

Let's utilize this. You have the ability to lack self-confidence, and you have the ability to 'not be self-confident.' That is you can think, do and feel non-self-confident things. You are actually doing this. You are not merely lacking self confidence, you possessing the skills of lacking confidence. Be sure to understand that we are not here talking about negatives but actual things that are said and done. For example, you might think, 'I want to give my opinion', then feel anxious, and think 'I'll just make a fool of myself.' You are doing things! You are succeeding in making yourself lack confidence. Utilization requires us to recognize that we have skills and abilities to not-do what we'd like. It doesn't merely concentrate on what we wish we could do. We recognize and acknowledge what we can do, even if it doesn't lead to our goal!

Now, utilising what we have, what would it be like if you used your ability 'not to be self-confident' to lack the ability to be not-self-confident? Now this isn't merely words. You can think of the situation and think 'I can't be self-confident.' Supposing you use these real feeling and thoughts and apply them to you 'lack of self-confidence' and you think about yourself lacking self confidence and think, 'I can't do that!' If you couldn't lack self-confidence, you would be self-confident wouldn't you?

1. Note the skills and abilities that you have in a given situation. The actual results of the skills might not be what you want, the skills themselves are useful. Note and acknowledge the skills you are using.
2. How can you use these skills to get what you want? For example, suppose you prevent yourself from being relaxed in a situation by feeling anxious. You can feel anxious. You can create feelings, in this case you are creating anxiety, but the same skill can be used to create any skill. You also have the belief that you can't feel relaxed. You can't help feeling anxious.
3. Utilise the skills and abilities which you have. For example, thinking I can't be anxious about feeling anxious.
4. Imagine yourself in that situation, thinking I can't be anxious. Just as you thought you didn't have the ability to relax, and you succeeded in not relaxing, what will happen now when you use this skill. Can you see yourself thinking and feeling I can't get anxious and as much as you try, you just can't do it. So are you relaxed?
5. Remember, this is not mere words. You must utilise the actual thoughts and actual feelings that you use.

This short article is written by Frank O.Alajiki
Copyright © 2011 IWB,
All Rights Reserved.

For more information please visit: The New Life Course

SUCCESS TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVING YOUR LIFE

2011-07-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Developing the Success Mindset

Most of us have an idea about what success means to us, and we have a mental vision of what it will look like when it arrives in our lives.

We might finally get the career recognition we've been working so hard for, earn a lot of money, find the man or woman of our dreams, start a family, purchase our own home, buy the sports car we've wanted since we were a teenager, or reach any number of other personal accomplishments.

Is this success? For some of us, it might be. Perhaps you have a different vision of what success means to you. Regardless of your personal definition of success, you likely have one thing in common with the rest of us: you are still seeking the level of success you want to attain. Maybe you've had success in certain areas, but not in others.
Your career might be going great, but your relationships are lacking. Or you've met the love of your life, but you just can't seem to earn the amount of money that would make you happy. Or everything else is great but you can't seem to lose those last 20 pounds and get into better shape.

It's a maddening position to be in, especially if you don't understand why it's happening. You may think you're doing everything right, but circumstances just won't bend to your will. You constantly run into obstacles, sabotage your own efforts, berate yourself for your 'failures,'- and the struggle continues

I have for you a manual culled from my "Discovery show" programme on how you can effectively develop yourself and be more happy.
place your order today send an e-mail to insightworldbuilders@yahoo.com or text I'm interested to +234742078905.

2011-07-01T02:55:00.000-07:00

"The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, will rise up to help you. The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help."
-- Napoleon Hill, Pioneer of Personal Achievement Philosophy
Goal planning in advance means that you'll know exactly where you are going-and how to get there. You start the habit of taking action toward how to achieve your goals everyday--instead of reacting to the world around you. Here are the benefit of doing this:
*Action-Orientated: You will constantly be working toward how to achieve your goals
* Intensely Focused: You will abandon distractions and time wasters and keep your focus on goal planning
* Solution-Oriented: You will always have an answer to your life's challenges

When you start "thinking on paper" with The Life Planning Process, you automatically will be able to:

* Clarify your goals and values
* Plan the action steps you must take to achieve your goals
* Set deadlines to keep you on track
* Take on your goals every day to achieve them
You will succeed!

2011-06-29T03:55:00.000-07:00

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE FOR PEAK PERFORMERS

2011-06-29T02:35:00.000-07:00

Create Your Daily Personal Growth Schedule
By Frank O.Alajiki

There are seven disciplines you must develop if you want to achieve all that is possible for you. You can learn these disciplines through practice and repetition until they become automatic.

Goal Setting
Every morning, take three to five minutes to write out your top goals in the present tense. Get a spiral notebook for this purpose. By writing out your ten goals at the beginning of each day, you will program them deep into your subconscious mind.

This daily goal writing will activate your mental powers. It will stimulate your mind and make you more alert. Throughout the day, you will see opportunities and possibilities to move more rapidly toward your goals.

Planning and Organizing
Take a few minutes, preferably the night before, to plan out every activity of the coming day. Always work from a list. Always think on paper. This is one of the most powerful and important disciplines of all for high performance.
Concentration on your Highest-Value Activities
Your ability to work single-mindedly on your most important task will contribute as much to your success as any other discipline you can develop.

Exercise and Proper Nutrition
Your health is more important than anything else. By disciplining yourself to exercise regularly and to eat carefully, you will promote the highest possible levels of health and fitness throughout your life.

Learning and Growth
Your mind is like a muscle. If you don't use it, you lose it. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.

Time for Important People in Your Life
Relationships are everything. Be sure that in climbing the ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building. Build time for your relationships into every day, no matter how busy you get.

Time for Important People in Your Life These seven disciplines will ensure that you perform at the highest level and get the greatest satisfaction and results from everything you do. Study these seven disciplines and then make a plan for how you can incorporate each of them into your daily life.

http://www.insightworldbuilders.blogspot.com

ABOUT SELF-MASTERY AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

2011-06-28T04:08:00.001-07:00

Change is characterized by persistence and conscious effort. To attain a peak level in one’s field of endeavour there is need for proper self-awakening programmes such as this self-mastery and development training programme which is designed to empower individuals towards developing unstoppable will-power in their quest to fulfil destiny in grand styles.

The totality of a man is measured by the value he derived from acquired skills and information towards developing his innate God-given potentials. Therefore, personal programming is daily self-improvement programme that one can employed to achieve lasting success in every areas of his life.

The board management of Insight World builders designed this life-enriching programme among other ones to foster young peoples’ knowledge of personal development which at the long-run stimulates their self confidence and in-built character which is the basis for success attainment in life. Therefore, an individual who is opportune to be part of this programme should consider him/herself lucky as its uniqueness among every other self-motivational programmes that people are conversant with, is incomparable.

African continent as a whole is suffering from decadence of self-value among other nations of the earth due to corruption and character deficiency. This among other ones is responsible for lesser number of efficient workforces at different sectors of the economy unlike developed countries. Thus, the need for proper re-engineering is of paramount important.

This self-mastery and development training programme has been researched and evaluated from psychological, theological and physiological points of view and have secured endorsements from authorities in each of these disciplines. It provides guidelines that an individual need to exchange the fears, guilt and anger of the past for a future built on a solid base and filled with hopeful expectancy. One interesting thing about this programme is that its people-oriented policy addresses core areas of life such as attitude and character where peoples’ progressive powers are evaluated and tested. Also, the introduction of an innovative programme tagged “Discovery show” with the use of latest audio visual facilities ; has its uniqueness(as it’s inspirational) among other self-help training programme.

Insight world builders is an international organisation fuelled with passion to serve the nations of Africa with the basic vision of providing broad network of highly influential professionals ,life coaches, and philanthropists as part of the contribution towards adding values to peoples’ lives.

The passion that birthed this programme is to positively impact the life of young individuals by persuading them that they are endowed with the seeds of greatness and that when they use what they have got, they can do great things. Frank. O Alajiki

ABOUT INSIGHT WORLD BUILDERS

2011-06-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

Insight World Builders (IWB) is a non-governmental organization in partnership with several corporations (as a network of change agents). The organization received a mandate to help people develop their God-given innate potentials thereby proving a network of highly inspired professionals towards nation-building in African continent.

The organisation with a board of directors of five persons is presided by Mr Frank O. Alajiki as the founder and the chief executive officer in charge. The commissioning of the organization will come up in October 2011(later in the year). The ceremony we feature keynote speakers around the world as it’s meant to foster young peoples’ education towards change and development in their lives and careers among other things.

IWB has momentum-based programmes for addressing peoples’ needs. These include

1. Introduction of self-mastery and development training programme with latest audio-visual facilities as an innovative strategy to motivate secondary schools’ students towards building-up their self values in the competitive world.

The programme has been researched and evaluated from psychological, theological and physiological points of view and have secured endorsements from authorities in each of these disciplines. It provides guidelines that an individual need to exchange the fears, guilt and anger of the past for a future built on a solid base and filled with hopeful expectancy. One interesting thing about this programme is that its people-oriented policy addresses core areas of life such as attitude and character where peoples’ progressive powers are evaluated and tested.

2. Career advancement programme for under graduate and young school graduate persons. This programme is designed to give individuals world class exposure in their choosing fields.

As it features annual summits with keynote speakers, life-coaches and top class professionals around the world for the purpose of fostering peoples’ education towards adding values to their nations and continents.

3. Scholarships award for less-privileged students at all levels.

4. Introduction of community projects such as street cleaning among others.