In sports, sometimes you win sometimes you lose. It is the name of the game. Winning feels better. Winning triggers positive emotions such as happiness and excitement. Losing on the other hand causes disappointment, anxiety and even depression. How you conduct yourself after winning or losing determines your long term level of success. This is especially true in life, more than in sports. (more…)
What cannot kill you can only make you stronger. The team at the top had to beat the toughest competition. The guy who made it through the tough times came out stronger. Seeking the easy path in life, avoiding making tough choices only makes one weaker.
My friend, do not fear competition, embrace it as a necessary evil for your success journey. Today we look at how to use competition and obstacles to your advantage. (more…)
Do you set goals and find yourself not achieving them? Today we look at ways of improving your success rate, to help you win more and achieve your set goals.
Just like in sports, life rewards winners. Top athletes attract sponsorship deals and have more fans. Winning and achieving your goals will have a cascading effect on other areas of your life. Success breeds success. Let us look at 10 simple truths about goals and winning. (more…)
Who wants to work hard when there is an easier way out? Not me. Who wants to remain average when they can achieve greatness? Not me. Who wants to break their back for the sake of success in life? Not me.
I have previously admitted on this blog that I am lazy. With time there will be a population explosion of a lazy man’s guides to success on this blog. I will feed you with what I eat. I will not preach water to you before I head out to Margaret River for a wine tasting tour. (more…)
The first time I went for an orchestra performance I got bored and slept within the first 10 minutes. It was at Perth Concert Hall in a sold out concert. It was “a bit” different from the Hip Hop and RNB clubs that I was used to. My friend who was sitted next to me must have heard me snore. He elbowed me on my ribs and hissed in Swahili “Wewe amka!”. I woke up startled.
Then I started paying attention. I opened my eyes and heart and started enjoying the performance. It was a masterful teamwork performance. The performers worked together to entertain their clientèle in ways they would not have done as individuals. I quite enjoyed the show. You can use teamwork to propel you to greater heights in life. (more…)
A gun man approached Andrés Escobar outside a bar in a Colombian suburb and shot him. The gun man shouted “Gooooooooooooool!”, then shot him again, and then shouted again. He shot him 12 times in what was seen as punishment for scoring an own goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup causing Colombia to be eliminated in the first round. That criminal act sent chills to players who feared accidentally scoring an own goal, especially in crucial matches. No player wants to score an own goal. It negates all the good done on the pitch. It makes fans and team mates go mad. Scoring an own goal for football players is a cause of shame and is not easily forgotten. (more…)
Every four years billions of people worldwide are transfixed on their TV sets to watch 22 grown men kick a piece of leather at the world cup. For a magical 90 minutes, billions of eye balls including mine will be watching the world cup finals in South Africa in July 2010. The city of London will spend £9 Billion to host the 2012 Olympics games. People love sports, love it, love it, love it. Welcome to the brand new series that will use the power of sports to illustrate life changing lessons. (more…)
Like dormant volcanoes, we all have passions that are just there; not active, not extinct.
Dormant passions take away a piece of us. We sit and think how things could have been. We sit and wish we had taken a different turn in life. Unfortunately, wishing alone will not ignite the fire within, or awaken the giant in you. Today’s blog post is dedicated to inspiring you to find satisfaction in your soul by rekindling your dormant passion. (more…)
Research has shown that Mike will be more successful than Robert. They both have the same level of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) but Mike has a higher EI (Emotional Intelligence) than Robert.
In 1998, a smart guy by the name Goleman made some claims about Emotional Intelligence that helped people understand why Mike will be more successful than Robert. He said that emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize one’s own feelings, and those of others, for motivating oneself, and for managing his or her emotions and relationships. (more…)
For the last couple of months I have been writing on various aspects of success and how to attain it. Today’s post is different. We look at a more direct way of being happy. The previous blog posts have been seeking happiness through determination, effort and hard work. (more…)
I recently saw two old ladies fighting. The smaller lady told the big one: “unclench your buttocks and release the bitterness”. It got me thinking, we need to unclench our negative emotions in order to enjoy success and prosperity. We need to release the emotions of fear, anger, insecurity, anxiety and many other negative emotions. Let freedom ring in your heart today. Unclench, release and be free of negative emotions my friend. (more…)
You can use the power of positive emotions to propel yourself to success. I have learned to harness some positive emotions with good results in my life. Understanding positive emotions can help you bring more of them in yourself and others. Emotional state management is a powerful skill to add to your success arsenal.
Emotions determine our mood, our mood affects our choices, our choices affect our actions and our actions determine our success. I would like to encourage you to harness positive emotions in your life. (more…)
A few years ago I went to Bangkok on my way to Kenya from Australia. Bangkok is one of the largest cities in the world. It has a registered population of 8 million people, but is said to have as many as 15 million people, most of whom are unregistered workers from neighboring countries. It is a heavily urbanized triangle of skyscrapers and busy people. The problem was, I did not know anyone there and most of the people I met did not speak English. Looking outside at all those people walking up and down, and not a soul that I could talk to over coffee made me feel lonely. It got me thinking; how many people are lonely yet they are surrounded by people? (more…)
Happy Easter my friends! I have just been reading the story of Judas Iscariot. He was one of the disciples of Jesus in the bible. His job description was to watch the money bag. Unfortunately he got tempted with a few pieces of silver and betrayed Jesus. This act assured him a place in history books as the most famous betrayer. He betrayed Jesus with a Kiss hence the phrase “the kiss of Judas”. The poor guy felt so bad for doing it that he committed suicide. Betrayal is a sad act for the person betrayed and the betrayer. It is not easily forgiven and has the tendency to end friendships, tarnish reputations or turn friends into enemies. (more…)
We never think of ourselves as blackmailers or extortionists. We never think of ourselves as victims or potential victims of blackmail. But when you scratch deeper than the surface, you realize that blackmail is alive and well in many relationships. Emotional blackmail is a common form of blackmail that has serious consequences. Unfortunately, very few of us understand it. Today we dissect this silent killer.
I remember sitting down with my friends at various points in life for sessions of “Mchongwano”. I always laughed my head off. Mchongwano was a way of Kenyan kids making fun of each other using parody. Some of my friends were masters of it and always left us in stitches. I love jokes, I love laughter. I enjoy reading jokes and humor online. I enjoy listening to funny people and comedians. Laughter is surely the best medicine for me. Can we have a laugh today? (more…)
I am not a music connoisseur, but that does not prevent me from recognizing the potency of music in changing emotional states. Today’s post is an interactive post, to hear from readers what kind of music is best for what emotional state. What music do you listen to when you are lonely? What music do you listen to when in love? What songs do it for you when you have a broken heart? (more…)
Conscience is a powerful guilt-meter. When someone has a conscience they feel guilty for doing things that do not conform to their moral code of conduct. On the other hand, they get feelings of integrity when they do the ‘right thing’. Conscience is often referred as the little still voice within. Many people are deaf to this voice and lead a guilt free life. Guilt is a powerful emotion that has its place in human survival and success. (more…)
In 2001 at the age of 21, my planet stood still. I was engulfed in a tide of darkness for a while there. My heart was paralyzed. I was in severe emotional pain and the pain was real. I would not wish that pain on anyone; the pain of a heartbreak. No matter how hard I tried to forget her, my efforts seemed futile. (more…)
According to the late Mother Teresa “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread”. The greatest human need is the need to be appreciated. Showing love and appreciation to others implies abundance on your part. When you have an abundant mindset, you attract love and success to your life. (more…)
If I was to start a massage parlor, I would focus on massaging broken egos. My guess is that my clientele would be successful people who let their success get into their heads. I reckon I could say a few nice things to make them feel better. But since I do not own such a business I can freely talk about the dangers of inflated egos. I have no incentive for waiting until your ego is broken. (more…)
After my accident I could not work for a while so I spent a lot of time as a couch potato watching movies. One day I went to a video store in Subiaco, Western Australia to borrow some DVDs. The store staff member at the checkout was a lovely, truly lovely girl in her early twenties. She looked at me and started smiling, smiling flirtatiously I suppose. I smiled back with my eyes and lips tightly closed. (more…)
Charley Reese said that if malice or envy were tangible and had a shape; it would be in the shape of a boomerang. A boomerang is a curved piece of wood; when properly thrown it returns to its thrower. It returns to its initial position after going ‘full circle’. The word Boomerang comes from the Aboriginal language of Australia. I have thrown a few boomerangs in Australia, and if envy or jealousy is like a boomerang, we better watch out. (more…)
For four years in high school, we sang about riding in pride in our school anthem. Moments after the school anthem we would go to the school chapel where the chaplain would preach about humility. It was instilled in us that we were a great school and we should be proud boys; but were constantly reminded that humility is a virtue, the opposite of pride. It was hard reconciling the idea of riding in pride whilst being humble. More than a decade later, I still have not got the answer. (more…)
