A successful person is one who takes the cold water dumped on his or her plans, heats it up with enthusiasm, and manufactures the steam that helps him/her push ahead.
– John C. Maxwell
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“IMPOSSIBLE” IS JUST AN EXCUSE!
I welcome you dear friends to the second half of 2014. My prayer is that it would be for you a better and more fulfilling half. You will end the year 2014 well! You will finish strong, in Jesus name!
My encouragement to you today comes from a book I’ve been reading the past few days. It is written by a very good friend of mine, Gbenga Sesan and it is titled In My Own Words.
“1 minus 2 is impossible until you know the answer. In my elementary school, we were told that it was impossible to subtract a higher number from a lower one. The unanimous answer, in the rare moments the questions was asked, was a loud “impossible!” But a few years later, in secondary school, I was taught that if a higher number is subtracted from a lower number, I will have a negative number. It was no longer deemed impossible simply because we knew better than when we were in primary school. How many times in life are we almost tempted to call certain things impossible? If you could just learn more about the problem, you will soon come to terms with the fact that “impossible” is just an excuse we give when we do not have enough knowledge to tackle a problem. The answer may be strange, but every problem has a solution…. 1 minus 2 is not “impossible”; you only need to gain enough knowledge to know the answer.”
What do you call “impossible”? Go ahead, acquire enough knowledge and tackle the problem. Impossible is nothing! And with God on your side, nothing shall be impossible unto you! I do hope you find this encouraging and motivating as I have, as we enter the final half of the year. You will succeed!
10 LESSONS I HAVE LEARNT FROM THE SCHOOL OF LIFE (pt 2 of 2)
My last post was on this same topic. In it I started by saying that life is a school. And every day, class opens and fresh lessons are taught. We’d be wise to pick up those nuggets and internalize them. To read the first five lessons, check here. Here are the remaining five lessons.
Lesson #6: I have found out in life that…
Every half-truth is a lie. Honesty has no degrees. So, “don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.”(Prov. 4:24 Msg.)
Lesson #7: I have found out in life that…
It pays to be a man/woman of few words. (Prov. 10:19 Msg.) Let your words be few. (Eccles. 5:2b) Always remember that the more you say, the less people remember. “Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.”(Prov. 21:23 Msg.) “Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think…the less you speak, the better.”(Eccles. 5:2 Msg.)
Lesson #8: I have found out in life that…
The best advice on how to live is best gotten from someone who knows he/she is dying. “Your death date tells more than your birth date. You learn more at a funeral than at a feast – after all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it.”(Eccles. 7:1b-2 Msg.) We must learn to live with the end in view. “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning…”(Eccles. 7:3-4)
Lesson #9: I have found out in life that…
There’s no surer way along the road to success than to follow in the footsteps of those who have reached it. Mentoring helps your quest for successful living. It pays to respect results.
Lesson #10: I have found out in life that…
To know the road, ask those coming back. We need the wisdom of fathers to help us go further!
Now, there you have them. have you also learnt some lessons from the school of life. Let’s hear it. To your success!
10 LESSONS I HAVE LEARNT FROM THE SCHOOL OF LIFE (pt 1 of 2)
Yesterday was my birthday. And I had a lovely day. I had a chance to reflect on where I’m coming from and where I am headed. And by the way I had some fun with my wife, kids and some friends. Consider this post my birthday gift to you. Enjoy!
Life is a school. And every day, class opens and fresh lessons are taught. Wise are we when we pick up those nuggets and internalize them. These are some ten simple but profound lessons I have learnt from the school of life.
Lesson number one: I have found out in life that…
Fame is sublime; popularity vaporizes; only character stands the test of time. “A good name is better than precious ointment…” (Ecclesiastes 7:1) Knowing this, I work on me, not on what you think of me!
Lesson number two is this: I have found out in life that Character is not made in crisis. Crisis only reveals a man’s character. It’s just like Solomon said, “If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.”(Proverbs 24:10 Msg.)
The third lesson I have learnt from the school of life is this: Stumbling blocks are stepping stones. Whatever impedes a man but does not succeed in stopping him, will aid his progress.
Lesson #4 is this: I have found out in life that…you either work hard or you live hard! “Sloth makes you poor, diligence brings wealth.”(Prov. 10:4 Msg.) It is either hard work or a hard life! If you “work your garden-you’ll end up with plenty of food; play and party-you’ll end with an empty plate.” (Prov. 28:19 Msg.) “Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table.”(Prov. 14:23 Msg.) Laziness is a sickness that will finally kill its victim! (See Prov. 21:25 Msg.)
Lesson #5 goes like this: I have found out in life that…
When you stop to progress, you start to regress.
When you stop learning, you start dying.
When you stop growing, you start groaning!
The road to success is always under construction. Success is a journey. When you think you’ve reached your peak, you’ll hit the pit!
I’ll finish this in my next post. YOU WILL SUCCEED!
EMPTY THE SACK ON YOUR BACK!
Today I want to encourage us to receive God’s mercy and move forward in our lives despite our past mistakes and failures. There is a story of three men carrying two sacks each. A passerby asked the first man what was in the sacks.
“The sack on my back is filled with all the good things that have happened to me,” he said. “The sack in the front is filled with all the bad.”
He was constantly focused on the bad things in front of him that he couldn’t even see the good on his back.
The stranger asked the second man the same question but received the opposite response.
“The sack in the back is filled with the bad things,” he said. “The sack in the front is filled with the good things.”
At the least he could see the good and not focus on the negative. But both of the sacks being so full still weighed him down and made life a burden.
Finally, the stranger asked the third man the selfsame question.
“The sack on my chest is filled with my accomplishments and victories,” he said. “The sack on my back is empty.”
“Why is it empty?” the stranger asked.
“I put all my mistakes, failures, guilt, and shame in that sack, and I cut a hole in the bottom to release them,” he said. “That way, I’m weighted in the front more than the back so I keep moving forward. In fact, the empty sack in the back acts like a sail in the wind, moving me ahead.”
We should all emulate the third man. We should let go of the bad, hang on to the good, and keep moving forward towards our God-given destiny. You will succeed!
Yomi Olufiade 