GET A LIFE. (A must Read)

Do you have your life? Please think about this question, do you really have your life? I've heard statements like ‘get a life’ on many occasions said to people who appear to be different and unconventional especially in matters of socializing. Many also think the whole concept of life and living is about fun, leisure and enjoyment. When an individual is having a great time, you hear remarks like he's enjoying life, when an individual is conservative and somewhat antisocial we conclude he doesn't have a life. Hmmm.

What is life? I believe life is a season or a duration when an individual is conscious, aware and involved in matters of this world. It is a period when an individual is expected to fulfil a purpose, serve a purpose, make something great happen, impact the world and influence things positively. I believe we all exist and are in this world to improve things and make better the condition of this earth. We are all here to make the world a better place; to create value, not destroy value, to make people happier, mankind better and humanity more purposeful. We are here to improve the world.

This, though being a collective purpose and objective for all mankind, as individuals our place, roles and assignments vary. That's why we are created and gifted differently. Our gifts and talents are indicators of our place, our projects and assignments in this world.

The ability to recognise your place, your gift, your sphere and your assignment makes you truly relevant in life. The ability to act on who you're created to be, what you're created for, perform your duties, achieve your aim and do your assignment well makes you successful in life. Having a life is knowing why you exist and doing that for which you exist effectively.

Sadly, many do not know anything about their own lives, they are too busy focusing on the world and life in general, they are so unconscious of their own personal lives. They are too busy studying, watching and getting entertained by other people's lives they are wasting theirs. They are too busy emulating other people's lives they are doing nothing with theirs, they are busy trying to catch up with other people's achievements they lack personal achievements of their own.

What they do is what they see others do, what they believe is what they think others believe, the way they speak, dress, their values and belief systems is an adaptation from the life of people they admire, respect or envy, they have no minds of their own, they have no lives of their own.

So I ask the question again, do you have your own life? Answering the question correctly is not from the top of your head. A valuable life comes about by a deliberate act to design one. You ought to be the architect of your life. You should sit down, pick up a pen and paper and design a life for yourself.

An undefined life is a life out of control. A life not designed can't lead anywhere, a life undefined cannot profit its owner or anyone for that matter.

When your life is not defined, you feel so out of control, you're most of the time confused about what to do and what not to do and you're most of the time seeking for counsel and advice because you lack that sense of purpose and direction.

When you're not clear on what your life is about you can't be happy, you will be afraid and insecure, you'd lack self-esteem and will be desperately seeking after the approval of others.

The people around you, your friends, colleagues, relatives and the media will keep making decisions for you and leading you on, in this your journey through life.

You will not feel free or independent, you will lack peace and be subjugated in life. You would always want to know what is reigning, what is trending, what are people doing now? How are they speaking now? How are they dressing now? Where are they going now? And you will be-devilled by the ‘I don't want to be left out’ syndrome. Always chasing, always wanting to catch up with other people's lives.

What is your own life about my dear friend? What are your personal dreams, vision and assignment? What are you here to do? What do you need? Who do you need? Where do you need to be? Where do you have to go?

Who is really in charge of your life today? Are you so afraid to live and of living you've given up your life for others to use for their advantage? Who controls you directly or indirectly?

Who is your master? Who masters your life? Who makes your decisions? Who is planning your life for you? Who tells you what to do and what not to do? Do you have a mind of your own, a life you do control? Hmmm.

Daddy says, mummy says, my friend says, my boyfriend says, everybody has something to say and they expect you to do what they say because you've given them the total control of your life. Listen my dear friend, if people truly love you they will respect your choices and decisions, they will know you are unique and designed differently from them and wont expect you to live your life like theirs.

But you must ensure the choices you stand for a not self-destructing but self-actualising. When you chose to stand for something, stand intelligently.

There is a differences between caring and manipulating. It's time to get your life back my friend. Let's do this this year. It's time to be happy, free and in charge of your own life, subject only to God and not the desire and will of any human being. Don't let that tricky emotion called love make you a slave to anyone, love yourself enough to deny your body of a longing that can bring about abuse and destruction consequently.

Let's do this now, please what do you want in your life? Forget what people have said you need or is good for you, this is your own decision; what exactly do you want and love and desire?

For example if you want to be a nurse go to a nursing school or go study nursing at the university, don't let anyone tell you it's better to be a doctor because they think it's more prestigious, if nursing is your passion and what you want to do, be a nurse!

If teaching is your passion, if you want to be a primary school teacher please go be a teacher. Don't let anyone persuade you to go do something you won't enjoy because of perceptions on reward.

Every profession can make you a millionaire if you're in your place and you do it well. As a primary school teacher you can eventually own the best and most respected primary school in Nigeria, it's about what makes you happy. If banking is your passion, no matter what people feel or say about banking, go be a good banker if that's what would make you happy. What do you want? Don't be ashamed of whom you're designed to be, make your calling and election sure and attractive, exciting and prestigious, ignore what others think especially if its malicious and condescending. Stop subjecting your life to popular postulations and opinions, most times the majority is the convenient not the correct.

Sit down today, design your life and stop living another person's life. Think deep, connect with the original you and don't be clouded by the very many voices telling you different from what your spirit is telling you.

For long I've always known I'm designed to be a teacher, teaching comes natural to me, I love it, I enjoy it, and I'm never tired of teaching. Now who I teach, what I teach and where I teach is a matter of choice and details but I'm a teacher and I'm very proud of my profession and I think I'm a successful teacher. To take charge of your life you must know who you are and what you want to do.

Secondly you must determine where you want to function. What do you want to influence, who you want to influence, who are your targets, what do you want to improve, where do you desire to add value, the people and situations you want to make better? You must choose where you want to manifest, you must know your sphere of influence and coordinate your efforts in that direction.

It could be a community, a state, a country, a continent or the whole world. Know who and where you're sent. In recognising who and where you're sent, you'll have a natural sensitivity towards such people or places. Matters affecting people or places like that would matter to you. You will care about the place and the people within the context of your passion and assignment.

Having defined this you must then know what you want from it, your expectations in terms of fulfilment and material reward. Our desires vary from person to person and what appeals to us differ.

Being rich is relative, for some people 10 million naira is their dream income and for some other person with ten million their dead broke. A man's dream could be to build his own home and another could be dreaming of owning estates in major cities around the world. A 5 million naira car someone may think is outrageous and another person may collect cars and the cheapest in his collection may cost as much as 18 to 20 million naira. The point I'm making is we all vary in our desires, expectations and dreams. A man may desire to become an MD of a conglomerate and another wants to run a small business or an NGO. One man may desire to live a very private life and another wants to be the president of the federation.

We are wired differently even in terms of desires and expected returns in life. What someone believes is in excess another believes is moderate. A man may think a private jet is an outrageous purchase and another is thinking of collecting private jets.

Where do you want to live? What do you want to eat? What cars do you want to drive? How well do you want to dress? How wide do you want to travel? What's your projected net worth by the end of the year?

It is your decision to make. Focus on your own dreams, desires and expectations. As no one has a right to question or judge what you want you also have no right to question or judge what another wants or expects. What excites me may not excite you and what delights me may not delight you. We can't all want the same things or have the same taste; should that be the case the world would be so boring. Variety is indeed the spice of life.

This year you need to set yourself free from floating in life, it's time to focus on your life and handle things the way you like. Stop competing, stop the envy, stop the rivalry, it's so distracting and unprofitable. Stop listening to people who keep setting you up for contests and competition with others – people with news about who's bought the latest car, built a new house, won a huge contract, travelled the world and got a new appointment. If such news get to you, disconnect from the informants and stay focused on what you want, what you like and what delights you. Never let anyone look down on you because what you love and want appears less prestigious than what they love and want. It's not about the cost, it's about what you like. Love yourself and be happy and satisfied with your life. That's how to be in control. Don't let any gossip or slanderer make you miserable, life is no competition, it's about personal goals and accomplishments. You're not in a race against anyone, you're in a race against time.

Personally I love to study, read and teach, I'm not so into sports, I'm more into music than sports. I love cars, German machines, I hate flying so I don't travel until it becomes really important. This is me and I'm happy with me, I'm sure you may not be like me in some ways, love you the way you are too, but whatever you do, take charge of your life and make good success with it, touch your world, create value, create happiness and bring solution always. Life is really beautiful, that's if you've got one. Do you have a life?Enjoy your day.

Written and Compose By: Muyiwa Afolabi (CEO Frontiers Consulting)

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8 Daily Habits That Will Change Your Life

The new year is here and most entrepreneurs are looking at how they will raise their game in 2015. Many of you may want to ramp up your personal development and productivity to a whole new level to reach some major goals.

When it comes to finding success and achieving your goals, many times the most important struggle is the one that you encounter in mundane daily life.

To truly find success in your life, it is important that you take the time to do the little things that matter most. Small changes to your daily routine can translate into monumental success in all of your endeavors.

Here are eight things that you should be doing, if you aren't already, habitually.

1. Get up early.

Getting up early is about more than just getting up on time. When you get up early, before most people, you have a quiet and relaxing time to get things done. Imagine being able to sit down and go through emails or handle daily tasks without your message notification buzzing or your phone going off.

By getting up early, you are not only giving yourself some extra time in the morning, but you are giving yourself some extra valuable time that will allow you to get even more done.

Related: The Secret to Successful Goal-Setting (And Having Your Best Year Ever)

2. Read.

You should be reading every single day. Never let a day go by that you don't grow in some area of your life. This doesn't necessarily mean crushing an entire novel in a few hours, but put aside a little time to read, preferably 20 to 30 minutes.

When you read you help stimulate your thought processes, and may be surprised by the ideas that you come up with. Reading things such as magazines or newspapers can also help you stay abreast of the world around you, a trait that can only be helpful, no matter what industry you work in.

3. Exercise.

Even if it is just for 30 minutes, it is important to start exercising daily. Exercise can help release endorphins that can naturally boost your mood and your energy levels. Not only will you feel happier and more energized but those who work out regularly report lower levels of stress.

4. Practice gratitude.

This can be a hard one for some people and it's something that unfortunately many of us need to consciously practice. When our lives get consumed with work and personal demands it can be hard to remember to show gratitude to those that we interact with. Try to make a conscious effort to practice this.

As it starts to become more natural, you will be surprised by how many doors open and how many new relationship you can form by showing sincere gratitude to those around you.

Related: 6 Purges Every Entrepreneur Should Make This New Year

5. Schedule your day before it starts.

Having a set schedule is a powerful tool when it comes to making the most of your day and being as productive as possible. To have the biggest impact with your time, try making your schedule the day before. This way the moment you wake up you will know just what is ahead.

6. Focus on high-priority tasks first.

Many people actually often put their high-priority tasks on the backburner and end up saving them until the last minute. This may be because the task is daunting, or because they think they will have more time to dedicate to the endeavor.

No matter what the reasoning is, challenge yourself by starting with focusing on your high-priority task. Get it done first and then focus on smaller things. After being in the mindset of tackling a high-priority project, your less demanding tasks will be easier to complete. It's a small change but one that can improve your effectiveness drastically.

7. Always go the extra mile.

Do a few extra (meaningful) tasks every day that go beyond what your actual requirements are. This can mean just a few extra sales calls beyond your quota, or working for an extra 30 minutes before shutting down.

By putting in a little more effort than required you can start getting the attention of your superiors or clients, get more done during the workday and feel a new energizing sense of motivation and satisfaction.

8. Improve in one area each day.

This area can be something small or large and it can be in your personal or professional life, but make it a goal to improve in one area of your life every day. This can be improving your jogging speed while you work out, getting more emails done in a certain time period or improving on your elevator pitch.

No matter what it is, take the time to really try to improve one small thing, and before you know it the improvements in your personal and professional life will surprise you.

Read More

8 Daily Habits That Will Change Your Life

The new year is here and most entrepreneurs are looking at how they will raise their game in 2015. Many of you may want to ramp up your personal development and productivity to a whole new level to reach some major goals.

When it comes to finding success and achieving your goals, many times the most important struggle is the one that you encounter in mundane daily life.

To truly find success in your life, it is important that you take the time to do the little things that matter most. Small changes to your daily routine can translate into monumental success in all of your endeavors.

Here are eight things that you should be doing, if you aren't already, habitually.

1. Get up early.

Getting up early is about more than just getting up on time. When you get up early, before most people, you have a quiet and relaxing time to get things done. Imagine being able to sit down and go through emails or handle daily tasks without your message notification buzzing or your phone going off.

By getting up early, you are not only giving yourself some extra time in the morning, but you are giving yourself some extra valuable time that will allow you to get even more done.

Related: The Secret to Successful Goal-Setting (And Having Your Best Year Ever)

2. Read.

You should be reading every single day. Never let a day go by that you don't grow in some area of your life. This doesn't necessarily mean crushing an entire novel in a few hours, but put aside a little time to read, preferably 20 to 30 minutes.

When you read you help stimulate your thought processes, and may be surprised by the ideas that you come up with. Reading things such as magazines or newspapers can also help you stay abreast of the world around you, a trait that can only be helpful, no matter what industry you work in.

3. Exercise.

Even if it is just for 30 minutes, it is important to start exercising daily. Exercise can help release endorphins that can naturally boost your mood and your energy levels. Not only will you feel happier and more energized but those who work out regularly report lower levels of stress.

4. Practice gratitude.

This can be a hard one for some people and it's something that unfortunately many of us need to consciously practice. When our lives get consumed with work and personal demands it can be hard to remember to show gratitude to those that we interact with. Try to make a conscious effort to practice this.

As it starts to become more natural, you will be surprised by how many doors open and how many new relationship you can form by showing sincere gratitude to those around you.

Related: 6 Purges Every Entrepreneur Should Make This New Year

5. Schedule your day before it starts.

Having a set schedule is a powerful tool when it comes to making the most of your day and being as productive as possible. To have the biggest impact with your time, try making your schedule the day before. This way the moment you wake up you will know just what is ahead.

6. Focus on high-priority tasks first.

Many people actually often put their high-priority tasks on the backburner and end up saving them until the last minute. This may be because the task is daunting, or because they think they will have more time to dedicate to the endeavor.

No matter what the reasoning is, challenge yourself by starting with focusing on your high-priority task. Get it done first and then focus on smaller things. After being in the mindset of tackling a high-priority project, your less demanding tasks will be easier to complete. It's a small change but one that can improve your effectiveness drastically.

7. Always go the extra mile.

Do a few extra (meaningful) tasks every day that go beyond what your actual requirements are. This can mean just a few extra sales calls beyond your quota, or working for an extra 30 minutes before shutting down.

By putting in a little more effort than required you can start getting the attention of your superiors or clients, get more done during the workday and feel a new energizing sense of motivation and satisfaction.

8. Improve in one area each day.

This area can be something small or large and it can be in your personal or professional life, but make it a goal to improve in one area of your life every day. This can be improving your jogging speed while you work out, getting more emails done in a certain time period or improving on your elevator pitch.

No matter what it is, take the time to really try to improve one small thing, and before you know it the improvements in your personal and professional life will surprise you.

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PREDICT YOUR FUTURE

Another powerful influencer of our decisions and style of life is the fear of the future.

As humans we are usually intimidated by the unknown. What we do not know really overwhelms us and destabilizes our confidence and coordination.

What we can't correctly predict tends to overpower the strength of our minds and capacities of our being and we fret and become afraid.

A matter as trivial as asking a girl out on a date can make a man sweat so much, bring anxiety and sleeplessness simply because he's not sure she would say yes or no.

Waiting for your turn in a job interview session, waiting for a list of shortlisted candidates for admission or even waiting for an examination or medical test result can be very intense and disorientating for most of us.

A meeting with your MD/CEO, high powered decision making delegation or even the owner of your place of employment can make you sweat so much in tension and apprehension simply because you can't predict correctly or precisely how that meeting would turn out.

You need to observe a group of die-hard football fans waiting for the final whistle in a crucial football encounter. These guys become everything but themselves because they lack the power to see the future and know exactly how the game would end.

As mankind, we do not have the power to tell what will happen even within the next 60 seconds, this, I must say is one of the powerful control measures nature has put over mankind, if not mankind would be as God.

Many of us today have made decisions, choices, and conclusions based on our fear of the future. We settled for much less than we are entitled to because we weren't sure the future could have anything better in store for us.

In fact the whole concept of risk is predicated on the unpredictable nature of outcomes and the future. If you can tell outcomes correctly, the concept of risk would cease to exist.

Many of us daily keep living lives that are basic, non-interesting, boring and bland. We wake up go out seek for subsistent living, return home and thank God for that day. There is nothing in and about our future that brings excitement, enthusiasm and delight. Our lives curve is on a downward trend. The graph is not spiking or climbing at all. We are somewhat boring.

Based on upbringing and previous disappointments in life we have totally relinquished the handle of our life possibilities and prospects to the dictates of the immediate.

We are reactionary in our ways and judgments. We rarely initiate any interesting life ambition or adventure purely out of the unpredictable nature of outcomes.

To bring it home, many of us today are in employment purely to make ends meet, many are in marriages to raise off springs, many are in friendships and relationships to address loneliness and enjoy companionship and benefits. If there are no essential gains in any venture in life we wouldn't bother with it. Our lives run purely on essential needs not ambition or adventure. Consequently we are bereft of the excitement, joy and satisfaction that come with achievements.

We attempt nothing hence we get nothing in reward.

In my submission, life is a whole bundle of opportunities, adventure and accomplishments. There is so much to do, gain learn and develop. Across sectors, structures and strata both in human interaction and natural or cosmic phenomenal, there abounds so much to do, unravel, build and conquer.

A life of fun is in attempts and discoveries; discovering your capacities and true potential as well as unraveling the mysteries of life and the world's system.

A life unfolding purely for survival can never be free from the worship of money. Incidentally, money is a terrible master but a wonderful servant.

If your perspective in life is limited to surviving and the quest for cash flow, your income, not you will determine where you live, your income not you will determine what you eat, your income not you will determine what you wear, your income not you will determine the car you drive and hey, your income not you may even determine the kind of spouse you settle for.

A life mode that is hoping for what tomorrow would bring may not achieve greatness and accomplish any phenomenal task.

A life lived under the theme of ‘no one knows tomorrow’ could be an irrelevant life.

It's really unfortunate that in life you can't really miss or truly appreciate what you've never experienced.

I often say to my friends who delight in purchasing fairly used cars that the day they buy a good brand new car, they will never want to invest in fairly used cars again.

If you've always lived in an apartment where you share the compound with many neighbours, you may never really appreciate the peace and privacy that comes with having the compound all to yourself.

If you've never lost a real and true friend, you may never appreciate all the good friends you have right now. If your parents are still alive and with you, you may never appreciate their presence until they're gone.

As humans, we hardly miss what we've never experienced.

Many of us today believe were living the life, enjoying the best life has got, all because we are somewhat comfortable financially. But beyond money is there anything more interesting, exciting and fulfilling for mankind? Yes of course, it's simply the ability to live a life of purpose, A life of reason a life with meaning.

If suddenly we're all being asked why we think we deserve to see tomorrow, do you have any convincing argument or reason why you should remain alive? Would your number one reason be ‘who will look after my kids?’ laughs, So African. Can I say to you that in some cultures outside of Africa, having children and raising offspring have become optional in marriages?

What exactly are you offering this world great enough for this world to still make room for you tomorrow?

May I say to you this morning that there is something for you to start and finish in this life before you depart? What exactly is your mission in life, living for the now and wanting to remain alive? Is your dream in life about preserving your genealogy? About being survived by many children and great grandchildren? 

Is that all you‘re chasing in life? I don't suppose that's all your life should be about as even chickens are survived by children and great grandchildren effortlessly, no you're much better than that!

What do you want to achieve in life before you depart? What's your vision and mission? Are you a captive of your mission or your mission is still in the parking lot? When do you intend to activate your reason for being alive in this world? What are the rules of your mission engagement? What are you squandering your life for? Where are you going? How do you intend to get there? Are you on track? Enjoy your day?

Written and Compose By: Muyiwa Afolabi (CEO Frontiers Consulting)

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THE ASSUMPTION THINKING.

We all want to be comfortable. We want a comfortable lifestyle; that life that would give us the peace that comes with meeting obligations, responsibilities, fitting in and self-preservation and personal pride. We just want to make sure were socially and economically okay.

We work so very hard, search for new things, seek fresh opportunities and try to put in our efforts in ensuring we are…okay.

A good, enjoyable, peaceful life is not an illusion. Happiness is for real, joy is for real, peace is for real, fulfilment is for real; these are not things that are impossible, these are not experiences that are mere imaginations, some people are actually happy, contented, comfortable and fulfilled.

Please understand me; a happy life is different from happiness as in emotional state. You can have a very happy life but still occasionally feel bad and unhappy on the account of events that occur in and around you that make you feel bad.

You can have a very happy life and occasionally your husband or wife or friend or boss or colleague would do something that'll make you unhappy, it does not mean you don't have a happy life, you still have a happy life you're just momentarily upset on the account of an issue.

A happy life is the pleasantness of your journey through life. It is the totality of how far you have come; where you're at and where you're headed. If your life thus far is something you can smile about and be happy about and the future looks promising and fulfilling then you have a happy life.

On the contrary if you look over your life, your choices and decisions; where you're at right now and the future makes you afraid and insecure then you probably don't enjoy a happy life.

A happy life is beyond temporary upsets and unpleasant occurrences; as even when an individual is struggling and unhappy in life, there are still moments of happiness anyway.

A happy life is a great life, a life of success according to your own unique and personal definition of success.

Is your life today in alignment with your personal definition of success? Would you be saying your dreams and expectations thus far has been your experience? Are you living a life different from what you really want? Is there a difference between your dreams and your reality?

Why is it taking so long to marry your reality and your dreams? At what point would your dreams become your reality? For how long would your dreams and your reality exist as two parallel lines?

For how long would you keep observing others doing what you can only wish; other people like you achieving your wishes, experiencing your wishes and enjoying what only exists in your own dream land?

If it's possible for others, why does it appear impossible for you? Don't you suppose it's time to sit back and think about finding real solutions and answers? If many theories you've heard, read and assumed aren't working as expected don't you suppose it's time to try something entirely new? Or you're only hoping and assuming things would fall in place one day? Hmmm.

One of my colleagues began to share a business idea with me; for him it was novel and interesting, and appeared smart; it looked really good on paper and he was convinced many people would buy into it.

I asked him a pertinent question, if we invest so much in funds and man hours into the idea how much minimum returns are we looking at and when are we likely to deliver certain revenue in returns? He smiled and gave a common response; well he hoped people would like it and patronize and if they do; mark the words, if, then we should be able to deliver so so amount in numbers.

I smiled; he was missing something crucial in today's business environment; the terrene is too treacherous to invest money and man hours in an ‘if’ situation. Assumption is a great killer in today's business.

The excitement, speed, dynamism and operations in today's business world has become a situation of ‘get it right the first time’ If you want to stay ahead and enjoy good growth, you strategy, tactics, and decisions must be tight. Assumption is a risk too high to take in business today and guess what? it's too high to take in individual lives too.

Let me take you back a bit to your days in school; as an undergraduate, you were told and you agreed and assumed if you did very well, study a good course and graduated with very good grades, your life would be okay, you won't have problems as such, it would be smooth sailing.

But if you observe, you may just discover that in the real world; after school life, your assumption may have been flawed. You will see many course mates with good grades from highly reputable universities struggling to get jobs and the ones with lower grades or less prestigious courses and less prestigious higher institutions getting the good jobs and earning good salary; faulty assumption, mistaken beliefs.

Even in social lives, it is assumed the serious, focused and moral young ladies are the ones who would eventually end up getting married in good time to kind, serious minded and responsible gentlemen.

But if you observe, it may surprise you, the playful, unserious, happy go lucky, fun, party and club girl could be the ones getting married in good time to the nice, gentle and responsible guys and the so called good girls, serious and focused ones are the ones still praying and hoping to be married one day. Hmmm. Faulty assumption, mistaken belief.

It is also a common thinking that if you get a well-paying job, you will be okay, but check it out, most employees in well-paying employment today have sub-zero account balances; most of them are in debt, they owe so much and are constantly broke. More money made them debtors not comfortable, for some, their drivers and other non-management staffs are building houses, senior managers owe, paying for cars and gadgets - faulty assumptions, mistaken belief.

It is also a common statement that good success would come to anyone who pours himself into his job or career. I have come across and counselled very many hardworking; practically toiling individuals who have nothing to show for it after many years, hard work is never equals to success, faulty assumptions, mistaken beliefs.

It's also popular to think if you have dreams, goals and aspirations and you listen to coaches, teachers and motivational speakers and read their books things will work out. But I know many people, who's read books and listened to speakers for many years and till now can only quote them and refer to what they said. In their personal lives and with their goals, they have nothing to show.

Dear friend it is futile to assume the answers to life's questions. You must know the answers to your quest in life. Don't just assume if you do this and do that things would work out, you must be sure. If it doesn't work out as planned, let it not be because you weren't sure, let it be that something unexpected frustrated your strategy.

Talking now of strategies, do you have a personal strategy for accomplishments in life.

Brands have strategies; companies have strategies, don't you then think you should have a strategy for accomplishing your own purpose?

Why do you set the kind of goals you set? How relevant are those goals to what you want and where you're going? Do you make up your mind to read two books a month because Muyiwa Afolabi said you should? Or in view of where you're going in life, reading two books a month is necessary?

Even if reading is important, what kind of materials or books should you be reading?

Goal setting must be purposeful. A friend recently called me and was lamenting seriously about his career. He works in the corporate affairs of a company and was hoping to become the public affairs manager someday; a very hardworking staff, committed, dedicated and studious. But year after year this dream keeps eluding him, he doesn't know why but I do and I've told him why.

Becoming a public affairs manager is not just about hard work or being committed or dedicated.

It's a craft; you must be charismatic, intelligent with words, have a good command of English and be a people person.

These should be the areas my friend should be focusing on; it's not just in working very hard and sucking up to the boss.

In achieving your purpose, you must be it, to have it. In life you really don't chase your dreams, you attract your dreams by becoming the dream, your dream is not ahead of you; it's on the inside of you. You manifest your dreams, you don't chase it. You grow and develop to become it; then the world would acknowledge you have what it takes and patronize you and pay you for it.

Many of us are anxious to improve our circumstances but not anxious to improve our selves. Our circumstances can't improve if we do not improve. Ability, not ambition, delivers dreams. Develop in you what it takes to handle and deliver your dream and the dream would naturally gravitate towards you.

It is you that you need to work on, it's not the school you went to, the grades you finished with, the money you're making or the man you think should be toasting you not the other not so classy girl, when you become it, all you want would find you.

Written and Compose By: Muyiwa Afolabi (CEO Frontiers Consulting)

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