The Sure Route to Personal Development and Enhancement (Part 1)

Today, we will meditate on a Bible-based strategy on how to achieve personal development and enhancement…

So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up…

– Acts 20:32

The late Jim Rohn once wrote: ‘if you want to be wealthy and happy…learn to work harder on yourself than on your job…What you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, “What am I getting?” Instead, you should ask, “What am I becoming? “ Getting and becoming are like Siamese twins: what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are today….Income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle….It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development.’

This underlines the importance of developing oneself in the process of becoming a high flyer. The truth about birth is that it is two-fold: the one that happens through a biological process in the labour ward, and the one that each individual does to his/herself through a process of re-creation, not necessarily physically, but in the covert realm of the mind, in the way of reasoning or looking at things, in a change in attitude and behavioural patterns.

The second birth process is usually done consciously and with as equal, if not physical, pain as the first one. In the first mode, the woman in labour bears the pain physically; in the second, the person undergoing a process of rebirth experiences the inner pain of tearing off old habits and modes of doing things.

But the fact remains to be all that you can be in life, you have to take the painful decision of pursuing self-development. It is to the extent that you master the self and steer it in noble directions that your greatness is manifested. It is all in the knowledge, analysis and management of the self.

From the passage above, the Bible is a blueprint you need to achieve self-development. Following its various instructions, albeit how inconvenient they may seem, is a big step in disciplining yourself to make a better choice contrary to the dictates of your flesh, societal or peer pressures. Virtually all the self-help books around are expositions of Biblical tenets. Why not make it your own companion henceforth, so that it can build you up and make your life a worthy testimony for people to read?

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Finding Peace and Fulfilment

 

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:41-42

Fulfilment is achieved only by fitting into the slot where you belong. That is another way of saying filling the hole you are cut out for, or that is customised for you to occupy in the socio-economic scheme of things of your environment. A better way of putting it is saying that you meet the pressing needs of people and corporate concerns around you.

Although your doing that may not be financially rewarding at the beginning, the gains and other gratifications that come from doing what you are cut out for would certainly come with time, that is in addition to the fulfilment you derive from doing what really matters and making a difference.

Then, the more you sharpen (develop) yourself to enable you fit into your niche more perfectly, the better and the more valuable you become such that you not only develop in your niche, but you are further empowered to offer greater value to more people at a higher level nationally or globally. This comes when you are patient, diligent, industrious, and you look at the big picture.

Most people usually consider the immediate picture and thus jump ships so frequently, moving from place to place without taking time to settle into one thing to explore the depth of it and see if that is where they are really called. By being thus shifty, they subject themselves to a lifetime of frustration and an unsettled spell.

You find peace and fulfilment by filling your own hole in your vocation, career, business, marriage, ministry and so on.

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

How to Excel in the Workplace

How to Excel in the Workplace

The anecdote below captures the essence of going the extra mile as a necessary ingredient to excel in the workplace and marketplace:

Ezra and Thomas joined a company together a few months after their graduation from university. After a few years of work, their Manager promoted Ezra to the position of Senior Sales Manager, but Thomas remained in his entry-level Junior Sales Officer position.

Thomas developed a sense of jealousy and disgruntlement but continued working anyway.

One day Thomas felt that he could not work with Ezra anymore. He wrote his resignation letter, but before he submitted it to the Manager, he complained that Management did not value hard-working staff, but promoted only the favoured!

The Manager knew that Ezra worked very hard for the years he had spent in the company; even harder than Thomas and therefore he deserved the promotion. So in order to help Thomas to realize this, the Manager gave Thomas a task.

“Go and find out if anyone is selling watermelons in town?”

Thomas returned and said, “yes, there is someone!”

The Manager asked, “how much per kg?” Thomas drove back to town to ask and then returned to inform the Manager; “they are N100.00 per kg!”

The Manager told Thomas, “I will give Ezra the same task that I gave you. Please pay close attention to his response!”

So the Manager said to Ezra, in the presence of Thomas; “Go and find out if anyone is selling watermelons in town?”

Ezra went to find out and on his return he said:

“Manager, there is only one person selling watermelons in the whole town.

The cost is N500.00 for each watermelon and N300,00 for a half melon. He sells them at N100.00 per kg when sliced. He has in his stock 93 melons, each one weighing about 7kg.

He has a farm and can supply us with melons for the next 4 months at a rate of 102 melons per day at N350.00 per melon; this includes delivery.

The melons appear fresh and red with good quality, and they taste better than the ones we sold last year.

He has his own slicing machine and is willing to slice for us free of charge. We need to strike a deal with him before 10am tomorrow and we will be sure of beating last year’s profits in melons by over N2,300,000.00.

This will contribute positively to our overall performance as it will add a minimum of 8.78% to our current overall sales target.

I have put this information down in writing and is available in a spreadsheet. Please let me know if you need it as I can send it to you in fifteen minutes.”

Thomas was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Ezra. He decided not to resign but to learn from Ezra.

Let this story help us keep in mind the importance of going the extra mile in all our endeavours. You won’t be rewarded for doing what you’re meant to do, you only get a salary for that! You’re only rewarded for going the extra mile; performing beyond expectations.

To be successful in life, you must be observant, proactive and willing to do more, think more, have a more holistic perspective and go beyond the call of duty.

May you be blessed with a better perspective to do your work this year and beyond.

The life ahead needs this mentality of going the extra mile. In ministry, career, as husbands, mothers, children, etc.

Let’s learn to carry extra oil like the five wise virgins. So that even in sudden situations and circumstances, we can meet up. Don’t be like the five foolish virgins who are just about normal situations and circumstances. Life is more than normalities.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

Top 10 Predictions

 

Top 10 Predictions

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.

2. Prayer will still work.

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8. There will still be room at the Cross

9. Jesus will still love you.

10. Jesus will still save the lost.

God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind. Sometimes when you don’t have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at you. It’s your choice: Listen to the whisper, or wait for the brick.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away”. – Matthew 24:32-35

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

The Man In The Glass

 

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your father or mother or wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass;
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest.
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed the most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years.
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be the heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

– Dale Wimbrow

Meditation: As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. – Proverbs 27:19

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

Rules for Happiness

 

Rules for Happiness

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

No one can go back and make a brand-new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Disappointments are like road bumps, they slow you down a bit, but you enjoy the smooth road afterward.

Don’t stay on the bumps too long. Move on!

When you feel down because you didn’t get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God has thought of something better to give you.

When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There’s a purpose to life’s events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard.

You can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth.

It’s better to lose your pride to the one you love than to lose the one you love because of pride.

We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love when instead we should be perfecting the love we give.

Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his place. Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older.

May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. “I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”

— Author Unknown

Meditation: And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. – John 8:32

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

The Guardian Angel

 

There was this little girl sitting by herself in the park. Everyone passed by her and never stopped to see why she looked so sad. Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak. She never said a word. Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.

The next day I decided to go back to the park in curiosity to see if the little girl would still be there. Yes, she was there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the same sad look in her eyes.

Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl. For as we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone. As I got closer I could see the back of the little girl’s dress was grotesquely shaped. I figured that was the reason people just passed by and made no effort to speak to her.

As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes slightly to avoid my intent stare. As I approached her, I could see the shape of her back more clearly. She was grotesquely shaped in a humped-over form.

I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to help, to talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple, “Hello.” The little girl acted shocked, and stammered a “hi,” after a long stare into my eyes. I smiled and she shyly smiled back.

We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty. I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me with a sad face said, “Because I’m different.” I immediately said, “That you are!” and smiled. The little girl acted even sadder and said, “I know.”

“Little girl,” I said, “you remind me of an angel, sweet and innocent.” She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got to her feet and said, “Really?”

“Yes, you’re like a little Guardian Angel sent to watch over all those people walking by.”

She nodded her head yes, and smiled. With that, she opened the back of her pink dress and allowed her wings to spread, then she said “I am. I’m your Guardian Angel,” with a twinkle in her eye.

I was speechless — sure I was seeing things.

She said, “For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job here is done.”

I got to my feet and said, “Wait, why did no one stop to help an angel?” She looked at me, smiled, and said, “You are the only one that could see me,” and then she was gone. And with that, my life was changed dramatically. So, when you think you’re all you have, remember, your angel is always watching over you.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. – Hebrews 2:16

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!