Jonah had just bought a piece of land near Nazareth and needed extra tools to till the land. One day as he was going to the market he saw a sign “Joseph & Mary Carpentry“. He went in and started chatting with the carpenter, a young man named Jesus. (more…)
I grew up in Kenya in the Nyayo era. This was the period in which the then president, my namesake, Daniel arap Moi ruled supreme. Though he sat comfortably on the wrong side of perfection, he had a unique philosophy. Some may call it unique in its simplicity, but nobody said your belief (philosophy) has to be complex. In fact his philosophy was only three words. (more…)
If there was ever the need for a paternity test for the positive thinking movement, guess who the daddy would be? My money would be on Napoleon Hill; and for good reason. (more…)
There are a handful of people who have touched me at at critical junctions in my life. They have inspired me to fight the good fight even when I felt like giving up. They instilled the burning desire for success even when I was slacking off. They gave me what I lacked when I needed it most. They gave me renewed hope when I was down and out. You may know some of them while others are unsung heroes. I will be shinning the spotlight on these heroes in this new series. (more…)
Does positive thinking and motivational talk turn you on? Does it activate your mind to imagine the possibilities? Unfortunately, motivation alone does not bring success. You will only progress in life if you take action. Learn to take action even when you feel bored. Utilize the power of discipline to get more out of life. Discipline means doing the right thing, at the right place, at the right time, for the right purpose, to achieve the desired goals. It means following through with your commitments regardless of your emotional state. (more…)
On Valentines Day, my heart went out to King Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines. If they were still alive, they would have got lots of Valentines Day presents, yes, but the closest they would have got to him would have been a quick handshake. Have you ever shaken hands with1000 people, leave alone given them tender, loving care? (more…)
I have found solace in the Big Book this year (The Bible). It is an ocean of lessons on life, lessons that I would love to share with you. I know that not everyone who reads this blog is a Christian. Please bear with me. You do not have to be a Christian to apply these lessons anyway. (more…)
What would you do if you only had six more months to live? Who would you call more often? How would you spend your free time? How would you spend your money? (more…)
Today we continue looking at my lessons in 2009 and how they will influence the direction of this site in 2010. (more…)
In January 2009, I set out on a public self improvement journey on this blog. Through blogging, I was able to re-connect with old friends and make new friends. I was able to meet many of my goals and establish my path to success. Was it easy? No it was not. But I am glad I did it. (more…)
A prudent construction company will not start building a house before designing the blueprint for it. Many people set out to be successful without planning exactly how they are going to get there or even have a way of verifying that they have arrived. It is like setting out to sea without a compass. You may get to your destination, but it may take a long time. You will get there a whole lot faster if you have a compass. Likewise to succeed you need to have a blueprint or framework. (more…)
I will start today’s post with a confession: I have a ravenous desire for success, hence this website. I am passionate about inspiring my friends to be the best they can be. My path to freedom and happiness is tied to how well I can inspire you. I am starving for success that is intricately tied to your success. Do you have a ravenous desire for success? Are you really hungry for success? How so?
We previously talked about what success means, and how to create a blueprint for your success. I truly believe that your success or failure is all in the mind. If you really need success and purpose it in your mind then you will succeed. But you need to be hungry for it.
A story is told of a shy young man who wanted to succeed. He saw an older man from his home town fishing. He mustered some courage and approached the highly successful old man and asked, “What is the secret to your success?”. Without saying as much as a word to the young man, the old man grabbed him and pushed him down into the lake.
The young man struggled to free himself, but the old man was strong and held him down. After a few minutes of a shockingly fierce struggle the old man pulled out the young from the water. The young man was belligerent and held the old man by the neck. “Why were were you trying to kill me?”, he asked.
The old man looked at the young man straight into his eyes and said “You see how much you wanted to breath while under the water. If you shall desire success with such intensity, then my son success shall be right there waiting for you.
CALMNESS of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought. (more…)
THE dreamers are the saviours of the world. As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as they realities which it shall one day see and know. (more…)
ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. In a justly ordered universe, where loss of equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must be absolute. A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man’s. His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains. (more…)
UNTIL thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is allowed to “drift” upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction. (more…)
THE body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty. (more…)
This is Continued from Part 1 of the topic of Sex, Power and Success.The emotion of sex is an “irresistible force,” against which there can be no such opposition as an “immovable body.” When driven by this emotion, men become gifted with a super power for action. Understand this truth, and you will catch the significance of the statement that sex transmutation will lift one to the status of a genius.
The emotion of sex contains the secret of creative ability. (more…)
The mind is a powerful tool at our disposal. Napoleon Hill, in his classic text, Think and Grow Rich, opined that the transmutation sexual energy can lead to success in other areas of life. People become really creative when looking for sex or sex partners. If that drive and creativity can be directed, deliberately, to another pursuit, one can improve his or her probability of success. (more…)
In the last series, we were talked of Getting Ahead in life. From my experience, the fastest way of succeeding and sustaining success is growing and nurturing relationships. Be they business, social, family or dating relationships, how you relate with others determines how high you ascend or how low you sink.
The people you interact with have a deep impact on how you feel and who you eventually become. No matter what stage in life you may be in, you need other people. Cultivating relationships is a powerful skill to add to your success arsenal.
This series will be exploring various relationships and aspects of relationships. But before we do that, let’s get clear on why relationships matter. Why do we even need to bother fostering great relationships? (more…)
Kaizen is the process of reaching your goals in life by harnessing the amazing power of baby steps. It is a simple concept imported from Japan, that can transform your life if you apply it.
According to Wikipedia, “Kaizen (continuous improvement) is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the assembly line workers.”
Instead of focusing on giant leaps towards your life goals, you can apply the principles of Kaizen to better yourself each and every day. Kaizen is all about making small changes and monitoring results, then adjusting. Instead of big overwhelming goals, you can have smaller goals, which can be rapidly adapted and accomplished. (more…)
Stockbrokers have been known to commit suicide when the going gets tough. When the markets nose-dive, some prefer to jump off skyscrapers rather than face the consequences. Do you attach too much meaning and personal involvement in your material possessions? (more…)
I had a friend in high school, let us call him Alexander. He wrote on the toilet wall “Alexander was here 1994-1997”. The next day they painted the school toilets. They wiped out his contribution.
How relevant are you? What do you do that has enduring value? Bill gates can say his dream of having a personal computer in every home and every office has largely been realized (in the developed world at least). What are you going to be remembered for? Your legacy is directly proportional to your contribution. (more…)
Today has been a very humbling experience for me. I stepped back and reflected on the last eight months since launching this blog. I re-read some of my earlier blog posts, and the dear readers’ comments. The support from my dear family, friends and readers has been nothing short of amazing. I really appreciate everyone who has joined me in this journey of personal growth and discovery.
This year, I have been unshackling myself from mental slavery. I earmarked 2009 as the year of unparalleled professional and personal growth. It has meant getting rid of some beliefs that were royally screwing my life and preventing me from getting ahead. (more…)
You are a unique person, with unique experiences and unique talents. You can get ahead in life faster by embracing your uniqueness. Spending time and money trying to be like someone else may seem like a good idea at times, but it robs you of your authenticity.
Someone once said “find that which you love to do and you will never have to work a day in your life”. There is truth in that statement. When you do things you love, though you may physically or mentally get tired, you will enjoy what you do, and it will feel less like work and more like fun. (more…)
Influence is like a magic wand for getting ahead in life, politics and business. But how many times have you ever sat down and thought… “I need to be more influential”? I bet not many times. Not many people consciously focus on becoming influential. Very few will admit to having contemplated buying influence. We are talking of “getting ahead” in life, in this series, so I will endeavor to leave no stone unturned. (more…)
THERE is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, penetrates, and fills the interspaces of the universe.
A thought in this substance produces the thing that is imaged by the thought. Man can form things in his thought, and by impressing his thought upon formless substance can cause the thing he thinks about to be created. In order to do this, man must pass from the competitive to the creative mind; otherwise he cannot be in harmony with the Formless Intelligence, which is always creative and never competitive in spirit. (more…)
MANY people will scoff at the idea that there is an exact science of getting rich; holding the impression that the supply of wealth is limited, they will insist that social and governmental institutions must be changed before even any considerable number of people can acquire a competence.
But this is not true.
It is true that existing governments keep the masses in poverty, but this is because the masses do not think and act in the Certain Way. If the masses begin to move forward as suggested in this book, neither governments nor industrial systems can check them; all systems must be modified to accommodate the forward movement. (more…)
WHAT I have said in the last chapter applies as well to the professional man and the wage-earner as to the man who is engaged in mercantile business.
No matter whether you are a physician, a teacher, or a clergyman, if you can give increase of life to others and make them sensible of the fact, they will be attracted to you, and you will get rich. The physician who holds the vision of himself as a great and successful healer, and who works toward the complete realization of that vision with faith and purpose, as described in former chapters, will come into such close touch with the Source of Life that he will be phenomenally successful; patients will come to him in throngs. (more…)
WHETHER you change your vocation or not, your actions for the present must be those pertaining to the business in which you are now engaged. You can get into the business you want by making constructive use of the business you are already established in; by doing your daily work in a Certain Way. And in so far as your business consists in dealing with other men, whether personally or by letter, the key-thought of all your efforts must be to convey to their minds the impression of increase. (more…)
