10 UNIQUE STEPS TO SELF DEVELOPMENT

Do not get obsolete like an old technology, keep innovating yourself. - Sukant Ratnakar

FRIENDS 

Make friends with successful people and occasionally buy them gift and surprise them with lunch because successful people always give and hardly get, so when you give them, they value the gift a lot. 

Also make new positive friends as often as possible and ensure you keep the communication line open. Create a network of friends and not just connections.

LOVE AND KINDNESS 

Show love and kindness to everyone. Respect those above you and also those below you. Some small boys today will be big boys tomorrow. The biggest dog in the neighborhood was once a puppy. And keep the information/secret to yourself.

Also put control over your mouth, never say evil of any man, what you are not certain of should not be said. Say good of all men.

READING 

Make sure at every point in time you are reading a book. Any book, but mostly books about your field of study or work and inspirational books. If you spend 20 minutes reading daily, for 52 weeks you would have consumed 1,000,000 words.

Also make it a habit of keeping a pen and a writing pad handy because ideas come in the form of flashes. The smallest pen is bigger and better than the biggest brain.

TELEVISION 

Stay away from television as much as possible. You can watch educational channels. Men with big TV sits in front of them to watch men with big library. Remember anytime you are watching the television, the person on the TV screen is doing something better than you. 

LISTEN

Listen to speeches and messages from great teachers. Both religious and educational. Also attend seminars and training on any area you need to improve yourself. Train the trainer, personal development, public speaking, sales etc.

DEBT

Live a debt free life. What you can’t pay cash for is not your size. Give out loans that you can part with as gift, so that you don’t destroy your business and relationships over it. 

INCOME

Create legitimate multiple source of income. Save at least 10 percent of your income. Invest a portion of your income. And be patient to see it grow. If what you have in your hands is not good to be called a harvest then it’s a seed, sow it. Keep a good financial record of all income and expenses, so you won’t ask later “where did my money go”. 

MENTOR 

For everything you are about to do or achieve, there is someone who has already done it or achieved it. Great men in history all had mentors that made them what they are. 

So get a mentor and follow his instructions and respect the relationship. Never beg your mentor for money or disrespect his or her privacy.

EXERCISE 

Make sure you engage in exercise. Go for a walk or jog, engage in any sport activity, visit the gym. It keeps your brain alert and your body fit to enjoy your success. Also keep a good personal hygiene. For cleanliness is next to Godliness. 

PRAYER

The most important of them all - Prayer. Pray often, and know that for every success, there is a stronger being (God) that made it possible.

Am not all-knowing, I just laid out all I know and what is working for me. Please feel free to comment and add up any step you think i left out or even your own steps (what's working for you). 

For further reading, please download for free TALENT - THE BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN. 

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. WHO SAID YOU CANT?

Who said YOU CANT?

To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will. - Sugar Ray Robinson

Back in the Garden of Eden, when the world was still very young, just after our father Adam and our mother Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they hid themselves from God. In the cool of the day, God came to them and said, Adam, Eve, where are you? They said, God, we are hiding because we are naked. God immediately knew that the enemy the devil has been talking to them. So He said, Adam, who told you that you are naked?

God is asking the same to you right now, who said you cant be great, who said you cant be successful, who said you cant be rich, who said you cant be a blessing to this generation, who said you cant achieve that goal, who said you cant find true love, who said you cant be the best father or mother and husband or wife in the world?

Who said you cant discover and develop your talent, who said you cant preach the gospel, who said you cant heal the sick, who said you cant help the poor, who said you cant give scholarship to a community of children, who said you cant love your neighbor as yourself, who said you cant impact lives in a positive way, who said you cant drop those bad habits of yours?

Who said you cant write your name in the sand of time, who said you cant live a righteous life, who said you are not beautiful or handsome; who said you cant graduate with first class, who said you cant overcome that challenge, who said you were born a mistake or an error?

who said you wont travel to places or tour the world, who said you are lonely, who said you are suffering, who said you are sick, who said you are going to die, who said you cant be a hero, who said you cant be the best child or parent in the world and who said you are a failure? Who! Who! Who said it? If it is anyone, be it your father, teacher, pastor, doctor, friend, sibling, boss etc then it is a big lie from the pit of hell.

If it is you that said it then, am sorry my friend because it might just be true. We are the only ones that can define our lives, not any other person. Brian Tracy wrote You are the architect of your own destiny; you are the master of your own fate; you are behind the steering wheel of your life. There are no limitations to what you can do, have, or be. Except the limitations you place on yourself by your own thinking. You are confined only by the walls you build yourself. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.

If you are going to be successful, you need to give up the phrase I cant and its family members like I wish I were able to, People like me dont do it, Can I really do this? etc. The words I cant actually disempower you. They make you weaker than you were when you said it. Remember Success comes in cans'. Failures come in cants'. 

For further reading, please download TALENT - THE BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN. 

WHAT IS AN EDUCATION WORTH?

"Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one." - Malcolm Forbes

Now get this right, am not in anyway saying that education is not important or compulsory. It is very important and I can’t start stating the important of education here because it will take more than half the space provided in this book for other things. But am going to share with you what Brian Tracy said in his book “Create your own future”. 

He said researchers in the Department of Labour in USA found that a person who completes high school would earn about $600,000 over the course of his or her working lifetime. But a person with two-year community college degree will earn about $1,000,000 in his or her lifetime. This work out to an additional $400,000 more than a high school certificate, or about $200,000 more of lifetime income for each additional year of study. 

A university graduate with a four-year diploma will earn about $1,400,00 on average, over the course of his or her lifetime. A person with a master’s degree, equal to approximately five or six years of college education, will learn about $2,000,000 in his or her lifetime. A person with a Ph.D., which requires two to four additional years, will earn an average of $3,000,000. 

Every additional year of schooling after high school will increase your annual income from 8 percent to 25 percent per year, depending upon the relevance of the courses that you take. Brian Tracy wrote “Commit yourself to life long learning. The most valuable asset you will ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” 

 

Education has also made many men and women great and successful. But think about using both education and your God given talent. Think about discovering your talent now and going into the university to read a course that is related to your talent. 

Even if you are in the university now, think about developing your talent now and later using it to work and impact lives, then the sky will be your stepping stone. If you are out of the university, think about finding where your talent is needed and work there, I assure you getting to the top will be easy and smooth. 

Your talent gives you an edge in life. A career is where most people will end up using their developed talent. Can you imagine graduating with a degree in a course that engages your talent? You would be passionate and fully engaged at work because you’d love what you do. Why get a job just to earn a paycheck when you go to work to make a difference? When you are not in your talent zone, you are most likely not passionate about your job. 

The people who grow fastest and get the most done at work are those who love what they do and are good at what they do. This is their talent zone. 

If you know what your natural talents are, you can focus on developing them into strength. Any of you can devote your life to work that is congruent or in harmony with your natural talents and strengths. Most likely, this will be a much better use of your time and generally will make you happier, more effective and more successful. 

Incase you don’t know what your God’s given talent is, don’t worry that is what my book TALENT - THE BOMB is all about. Helping you discover and develop those talents of yours. 

EIGHT SIGNS YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR CALLING

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” - Martin Luther King Jr

1. IT'S FAMILIAR: A calling comes not just by looking forward to what you will do but by also looking back at what you have done. 

2. IT'S SOMETHING OTHER PEOPLE SEE IN YOU: Sometimes, our vocations are more obvious to people who know us best. It is something you must have received few compliments from people for. 

3. IT'S CHALLENGING: It must be difficult enough that not everyone can do it. It is said that what you can do better than 10000 people is your gift or Talent. 

4. IT REQUIRES FAITH: It cannot be something so obvious that you can easily explain it. It must be mysterious but at the same time, you are sure deep down even if you can't explain it. 

5. IT TAKES TIME: You have to fail your way in the right direction before you find it and this requires a lot of time and patience. 

6. IT'S MORE THAN JUST ONE THING: It integrates well with the rest of your life, not competing with but complementing your top priorities. 

7. IT IS BIGGER THAN YOU: The task must be so large that without a team of people,  you cannot complete it on your own. And it must be about helping a vast majority of people. 

8. IT MAKES YOU HAPPY: Finally, it must make you really happy, gives you a sense of belonging and fulfillment whenever you are carrying it out.

If you have found your calling, Please feel free to add how you came to be sure it was your calling. 

For further reading, freely download TALENT - THE BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN. 

What FEARS YOU need to FACE?

The first duty of man is to conquer fear; he must get rid of it, he cannot act till then. -Thomas Carlyle

One day, on the plains of Africa, a young buffalo named Walter approached his dad and asked him if there was anything that he should be afraid of.

Only lions my son, his dad responded.

Oh yes, Ive heard about lions. If I ever see one, Ill turn and run as fast as I can, said Walter.

No, thats the worst thing you can do, said the large male.

Why? They are scary and will try to kill me.

The dad smiled and explained, Walter, if you run away, the lions will chase you and catch you. And when they do, they will jump on your unprotected back and bring you down.

So what should I do? asked Walter.

If you ever see a lion, stand your ground to show him that youre not afraid. If he doesnt move away, show him your sharp horns and stomp the ground with your hooves. If that doesnt work, move slowly towards him. If that doesnt work, charge him and hit him with everything youve got!

Thats crazy; I will be too scared to do that.

What if he attacks me back? said the startled young buffalo.

Look around, Walter. What do you see?

Walter looked around at the rest of his herd. There were about 200 massive beasts all armed with sharp horns and huge shoulders. If ever youre afraid, know that we are here. If you panic and run from your fears, we cant save you, but if you charge towards them, well be right behind you.

The young buffalo breathed deeply and nodded. Thanks dad, I think I understand.

We all have lions in our worlds. There are aspects of life that scare us and make us want to run, but if we do, they will chase us down and take over our lives. Our thoughts will become dominated by the things that we are afraid of and our actions will become timid and cautious, not allowing us to reach our full potential.

So face your fears. Show them that youre not afraid. Show them how powerful you really are. And run towards them with courage and boldness, knowing that we are supporting you and cheering you on. May you always do what you are afraid to do.

What fears do you need to face at the moment?

For more tips on how to face your fears, read and download for free TALENT - THE BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN.