THE WORLD GREATEST WINNER OF FRIENDS

“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and 

following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, and a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty”. - John Grogan

 Have you ever stop to think that a dog is the only animal that does not have to work for a living? A hen has to lay eggs, a cow has to give milk, a canary has to sing, a bee has to give honey and an ant has to work its ass off all day not even sleeping at night. How then does the dog manage to do this must be the question in your mind right now. Well the dog does this my being genuinely interested in man and being the best friend of man. The dog is the greatest winner of friends the world has ever known. 

When you met him, while walking down the street even when you are ten feet from him, he will begin to wag his tail. If you stop and pat him he will almost jump out of his skin to show you how much he likes you. You see it in his eyes that he genuinely loves you. And you know that behind this show of affection on his part, there are no ulterior motives. He does not want to sell you any real estate; he does not want to marry you and he is not expecting a bribe from you. But all these he does because he loves and is genuinely interested in you. 

Yes, the dog stays awake to guard you in the night while you sleep, comfort you when the world has left you, go on errands for you, follow you everywhere you go even when you don’t it to come along and protects you not because you are going to pay it at the end of the month. A dog won’t forsake its master because of his poverty. But because he is your friend and is genuinely interested in you. 

Dale Carnegie wrote "You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you" Another way to establish a good relationship with people and win them over to your side is to truly interested in them, to listen with the intention of really learning about them. Smile at them. Learn their names and how to pronounce them. Get the spelling and the titles right. Be curious about other people, what they feel, how they 

think, how they see the world, what are their hopes, dreams and fears? What are their aspirations? Notice what makes them happy and unhappy. When people feel that you are really interested in getting to know them and their feeling, they will open up to you and share their true feelings with you much more quickly. 

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT YOU DOESN'T MATTER

“In the end, people will judge you anyway. Don’t live your life impressing others. Live your life impressing yourself” – Alexander BusyBrain 

From the beginning of the world, men have been jealous of one another, men have criticized one another; so it is not a new thing to hear criticisms from your friends, parents, teachers, lecturers etc. But it only gets bad when you let these negative words and acts get to you. 

In fact, it should make you happy to know that people are even saying things about you because it means you are doing something. 2face in his song with MI “Nobody” said “If nobody talks about you, then you are nobody”. So, people talking about you, whether positively or negatively is good news. It means you are somebody. Cynthia Occelli said “When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom or criticize you, remember they are telling you their story, not yours”. 

Even Jesus, perfect in love and motives, was criticized and misunderstood continually. People called Him a glutton (Matthew 11:19), people called Him a drunkard (Luke 7:34), people criticized Him for associating with sinners (Matthew 9:11) and accused Him of having a demon (John 8:48). But, in spite of experiencing misunderstanding, ingratitude and rejection, our Lord Jesus never became bitter or discouraged. He saw every obstacle as an opportunity; an opportunity to heal the sick; an opportunity to show love to sinners; an opportunity to forgive sinners; Jesus turned every trial into triumphs. You should do the same. Be yourself no matter what other people say. God made you the way you are for a reason. Besides, an original is always worth more than a copy. 

Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe in you. Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all of the facts. Walter Gagehot wrote “A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do”. 

On how to discover those seed of greatness that God had planted in you right from birth, read and download for free TALENT - THE BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN.

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER LET FAILURE STOP YOU

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” - Robert T. Kiyosaki

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown. He could have quit many times – but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the United States history. 

Here is a sketch of Lincoln’s road to the White House: 

• 1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.

• 1818 His mother died. 

• 1831 Failed in business. 

• 1832 Ran for state legislature – lost. 

• 1832 Also lost his job – wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in. 

• 1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this 

debt. 

• 1834 Ran for state legislature again – won. 

• 1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken. 

• 1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months. 

• 1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature – defeated. 

• 1840 Sought to become elector – defeated. 

• 1843 Ran for Congress – lost. 

• 1846 Ran for Congress again – this time he won – went to Washington and did a good job. 

• 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress – lost. 

• 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state – rejected. 

• 1854 Ran for Senate of the United States – lost. 

• 1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention – get less than 100 votes. 

• 1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again – again he lost. 

• 1860 Elected president of the United States

Lincoln’s life could demonstrate that the only time you don’t fail is the last time you try something and it works. He proves to us with his life that failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. We can fail forward toward success. History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heart-breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat. Elmer Clark wrote “Great people are created by great mistakes that are learned from, not from great successes that are gloated upon”. 

Most of us will stumble and fall in life. Doors will get slammed in our faces, and we 

might make some bad decisions. But imagine if Lincoln had given up the first time he failed or the third time, am sure he would never had become one of the greatest presidents in the United States history. 

Thomas Edison said “Failure doesn't mean that we are off the track to success. It merely forces us to take a detour to success”. The moment you're ready to quit is usually the moment right before the miracle happens. So never give up on those beautiful dreams of yours, you are closer to your miracle, your breakthrough and achieving your goals more than you know. 

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

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. 

WHAT IS SUCCESS TO YOU?

“What is success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; That is to have succeeded”. - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

One way to know the dream of someone is to ask him “What is success to you?” This question helps you outline your dreams and if answered correctly,  would certainly give your life a meaning, help you focus on your core-genius and become better at what you are born to do. 

Gone are those days, when I am asked “What is success to you?” And I will reply saying “Success is making so much money that my wife will not be able to spend it all in one day”. But true success in life is not measured by how much you make, but by how much of a difference you make. The rap artist Rick Ross once said “By how many people you bless, that’s how you measure success”. 

I quite agree with him. Right now, if I am asked “What is success to you?” I will reply the person saying “Success is helping that young man and woman discover and develop his or her talent; success is telling that man or woman in the street that Jesus so love him or her that He came to die for him or her; success is motivating and inspiring the young generation to be better people; success is feeding the hungry, praying for the sick and providing home for the homeless.  

Success is becoming the best husband and father in the world; success is making the world a better place in anyway that I can; success is making my neighbor feel blessed for having me as a neighbor; success is blessing the lives of my people and not just the lives of my parents and family members; success is sending a whole community of children to school. 

Success is when that young man or woman can say “Thank God, a certain Alexander BusyBrain walked this earth, for he has blessed my Life. Remember, this is what success means to me and it does not have to be yours. 

Herschel Walker said “I still say that I am a little different because success to me is not having the most money, or having the biggest car or the biggest house. Success is just being happy.” 

My question to you reading this right now is “What is success to you?” 

I want you to sit back and really think of what success means to you and share it with me on the comments below. 

For further reading on this topic, please download and read for free 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. 

Do YOU have a FRIEND like BILL?

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the no mans land between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back. You can go, said the lieutenant, but I dont think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away.

 

The lieutenants advice didnt matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their companys trench. As the two of them tumbled together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend. 

I told you it wouldnt be worth it, he said.

Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded.

It was worth it, though, sir, said the soldier.

What do you mean; worth it? responded the Lieutenant. Your friend is dead.

Yes, Sir the private answered. But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him saying, Bill, I knew youd come. And thats true friendship. 

Friendship is a deep relation tied with a particular closeness based on love and sharing of common interest. An African proverb says A friend is a brother that one chose. A friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.

Do you have friends like Bill? Or can you be like Bill to your friends? If you dont have friends like that, drop the old ones and go get yourself new ones. If you are not like Bill to your friends, you better change before they drop you and find themselves new friends.

SEVEN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO LEARN FROM AN EAGLE

The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror! - Joyce Meyer

1. Eagles fly Alone and at High Altitudes.

They don't fly with sparrows, ravens, and other small birds.

MEANING Stay away from narrow-minded people, those that bring you down. Eagle flies with Eagles. Keep good company.

2. Eagles have an Accurate Vision. They have the ability to focus on something as far as 5km away. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

MEANING Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacles and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not Eat Dead things. They Feed only on Fresh Prey.

MEANING  Do not rely on your past success, keep looking for new frontiers to conquer. Leave your past where it belongs, in the past.

4. Eagles Love the Storm.

When clouds gather, the eagle gets excited, the eagle uses the storms wind to lift itself higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift itself above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the branches and leaves of the tree.

MEANING Face your challenges head on knowing that these will make you emerge stronger and better than you were. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers are not afraid to rise to greater heights. Achievers are not afraid of challenges, rather they relish them and use them profitably.

5. When a Female Eagle Meets a Male Eagle and they want to mate, she flies down to earth, picks a twig and flies back into the air with the male eagle in hot pursuit. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she drops the twig and let it fall to the ground while she watches. The male eagle chases after the twig and catches it before it reached the ground, then bring it back to the female eagle. The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a much higher altitude and drop the twig again for the male eagle to chase. This goes on for hours with the height increasing each time until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of picking the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then will she allow him to mate with her.

MEANING Whether in private life or business, one should test the commitment of the people intended for partnership.

6. Eagles Prepare for Training

They remove the feathers and soft grass in the nest so that the young ones get uncomfortable in preparation for flying and eventually flies when it becomes unbearable to stay in the nest.

MEANING Leave your Comfort Zone, there is No Growth there.

7. When the Eagle Grows Old,

His feathers becomes weak and cannot take him as fast and as high as it should. This makes him weak and could make him die. So he retires to a place far away in the mountains. While there, he plucks out the weak feathers on his body and breaks its beaks and claws against the rocks until he is completely bare; a very bloody and painful process. Then he stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, new beaks and claws and then he comes out flying higher than before.

MEANING We deliberately need to shed off old habit no matter how difficult, things that burden us and add no value to our lives should be let go of.

YES, NEVER GIVE UP,

BE AN EAGLE, NEVER EVER GIVE UP !!!

For more download TALENT - THE BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN 

WHEN LAST DID YOU SHARPEN YOUR AXE?

If I am given ten hours to cut down a tree, I will spend the eight hours sharpening my cutlass.  Abraham Lincoln

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. Congratulations, the boss said. Go on that way! Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. 

The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. I must be losing my strength, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. 

When was the last time you sharpened your axe? the boss asked. 

Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees... 

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we dont take time to sharpen the axe. In todays world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy that ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? Theres nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read etc. We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. 

If we dont take the time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.

For more reading about discovering yourself and those seeds of greatness that God had planted in you right from birth read and download for free TALENT-THE-BOMB by ALEXANDER BUSYBRAIN.