BRAKING THE BABYLONIAN BARRIER

BREAKING THE BABYLONIAN BARRIER.
Jesus Christ, has changed the paradigm of the place of worship but Nigerian churches are still tied to going to a place for worship. Church is not a place you go to but who you're.
"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.   Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.   But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.   God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:20‭-‬24.
Where did we get the philosophy and the ideology of building cathedral, basilica and pyramid etc? Simply put from Nimrod. "God... said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." Gen.9:1. God has a worldwide PURPOSE for the whole earth. "Cush begot Nimrod and he became a mighty one in the earth." Gen.10:8. Nimrod brought another ideology of STAGNATION to counter God's Worldwide PURPOSE by localizing the people on earth. "And they said, go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Gen.11:4.
God said, fill the earth but counter idea says, don't let's scattered around the earth. Jesus said, go ye... but the building which we've idolized kept us to the local church. Have you ask yourself why Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry didn't erected any cathedral, basilica or pyramid? It's because God can't be worship is a building built with brick. What's the essence of building a cathedral that the worshippers hearts are not consecrated? It would not be in Jerusalem anymore nor Samaria but the true worshippers shall worship the father in the spirit and truth. BABYLONIAN ideology is the reason why global evangelism is not being propagated. You as a person is a church not the cathedral and our coming together either on Sunday or any of the week days to fellowship is what bible enjoined us not to forsake. The most important place of worship is your heart. If you go to Jerusalem, you're just going for picnic not for the purpose of worship. Am not against erecting a meeting place for fellowship but it is against God's purpose for church to keep building cathedral, basilica, pyramid etc when souls are perishing in sin daily. It's those who are redeemed that will be rapture not the building that used our lifetime to build. This is a clarion call for mental shift and paradigm shift to the churches in Nigeria.

BUILDING MENTAL CAPACITY

TO RISE BEYOND THE LIMIT OF YOUR MIND, YOU MUST ENLARGE YOUR MENTAL CAPACITY.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.  And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.  And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 1 Kings 4:29‭, ‬32‭-‬33.

Prior to king Solomon reigning, what kings does was to decide people's matter, be praised by people and to go to the battlefield. But during the reigning of Solomon paradigm shifted because Solomon was many things put together.
As a result of King Solomon largeness of heart he was:
1. Horticulturist - the art and science of cultivating gardens. Small-scale agriculture.
2. Marine engineer - ship builder.
3. Animal biologist - he understood and breed animals.
4. Creative/dramatic artist - he wrote plays.
5. Botanist - he understood plants.
6. He's a Poet - he authored 3000 proverbs.
7. Musician - he released 1005 songs (either singles or albums).
"The definition of madness, is to keep doing the same thing and expect a change." You can be pastor and still lecture or operate bank. You be a prophet and also be in government. What you need is largeness of heart and increase in capacity. Stop blaming satan for where you're. You can't go beyond your capacity, except you increase your capacity. Your capacity is your container measure.

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 54)

Sub-Topic: BACK TO SQUARE ONE FOR A PAYOFF.

It's time for you to become the da Vinci of your own new self-portrait. The great thing about New Year's resolutions, June weddings, and August Back to School is that it offers everyone a chance to clean their slate and start new beginnings. The self-portrait journal is designed to share the steps, methods and eternal truths that empowered me to discover my values, goals, purpose and ability to achieve results and experience profound fulfillment. Do them at your own pace. There is no time limit. They deserve your undivided attention. Creating your Owner's Manual will help you to understand how your life works and why parts of it may not be working. This exercise will help you achieve dramatic new levels of success in all areas of your life and to truly become rich from the inside out.
👉First, what does being rich from the inside out mean to you?
For me, being rich from the inside out is being aware of the great wealth and value that you possess naturally with or without material gain. It means recognizing your talents and putting them to work to attain what your heart desires. This is my real meaning of success. That doesn't mean it has to be yours, but remember: We often mix up the dream with what it takes to achieve the dream and that can sometime throw off the definition of success. Let's talk about dreams.

My dream is to… If I could have any wish come true it would be… I wish I were… I wish I had… The thought of living a dream life seems like a fairy tale to many people, but the reality is if you can live the life you have always wanted just by knowing your real purpose. Once you change your mind about what's possible, you'll change your life. Do a little soul searching.
👉How well do you know yourself?
👉Are you on the right path?
👉What are your values?
Your values are what you deem worthwhile or desirable. This is the key to your value system. These are the factors that will drive you to your purpose in life. Now let's talk about the less positive things. Let's ask:
👉What do you want to change in your life and why?
There's nothing wrong with wanting more. And there's nothing wrong with admitting that your life hasn't been a bed of roses. Everybody's got baggage!
👉But how much of that are you still carrying with you?
👉How big is your luggage?
👉Can it be seen from a mile away?
👉Is it a high end matching set?
A little bit of baggage is reasonable. By a little bit, I mean the size that can be stowed underneath the seat in front of you, not the size that takes over the whole overhead bin! Whether you are aware of it or not, this baggage is like an emotional vampire, sucking you of energy and success. Until you empty your luggage, you will never find that true prosperity, genuine happiness and a lifetime of success will never be within your grasp.

Know who you are from the inside. Your purpose is your passion. It is who you are. It is what you must and will do no matter what. It is what's going to allow you to commit to getting what your heart desires.
👉Who are you?
👉What scripts have society, family and friends written in your memory that you identify with or answer to?
👉Is this what you are?
For better or worse, the answer is yes. This is who you are. If you want to be something else, you have to change the script. Often, we define ourselves by what we do instead of who we are; yet who we are compels us to do what we do.
👉Is a great lawyer great because he is compelling or is he compelling because he is great?
When you define who you are, you will be able to align your vision with your true self, thus your true calling. You will be great because you will move in the direction that is native to your soul. So, here are the important questions: The three words I would honestly use to describe myself are… The three words I'd like to define me are… "You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself."
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 53)

Sub-Topic: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET THERE.

Grasping the reality of this current hard-hitting full-blown economic downturn and all-out crisis in your life is not an easy task. How you deal with it will determine your ultimate success. I am proud of my identity and root. For me, being poor was never a factor that confined the person, rather just a temporary circumstance of sorts. Each moment can change the rest of your life and the course of your direction. If you are not intentional with your actions, you will plan to fail. Successful people operate from the beat of their own drum, but they are intentional. Successful people don't become successful by accident-it's sheer, practical application of their talents and traits.

 1. Hard Working: Running a business requires a lot of energy and drive. This involves the ability to work for long hours when necessary, to work intensely in spurts and to cope with less than a normal amount of sleep.

 2. Self-Confident: To succeed, entrepreneurs have to believe in themselves and in their ability to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. This is often shown by a belief that "if you want something badly enough and are prepared to work at it, you'll usually get it".

 3. Builds for the Future: the goal for most successful business people is to build a secure job and income for themselves, which is based on their own abilities. This means entrepreneurs understand that it may take several years to build up business income to a reasonable standard.

4. Profit-Oriented: Interest in generating money is a clear indicator of an entrepreneur's suitability for being a business owner. This means recognizing that the business comes first.

 5. Goal-Oriented: Success in business depends upon being able to set realistic goals or targets and to work with determination to achieve them. This ability to set goals (for things the person thinks are worthwhile) and to work to achieve them is fundamental to being an entrepreneur.

 6. Persistent: All businesses have their problems and disappointments. Being persistent in solving a problem is one of the keys to being a successful entrepreneur.

 7. Copes with Failure: All business ventures inevitably contain disappointments and failures as well as successes. Coping with failures involves recognizing these failures, learning from them and seeking new opportunities. Without this characteristic, early failures may end a person's attempt at self-employment.

8. Responds to Feedback: Entrepreneurs are concerned to know how well they are doing and to keep track of their performance. Obtaining useful feedback and advice from others is another important characteristic of entrepreneurs.

 9. Demonstrates Initiative: Research shows that successful entrepreneurs take the initiative and put themselves in positions, where they are personally responsible for success or failure.

 10. Willing to Listen: The successful entrepreneur is not an inward looking person that never uses outside resources. Selfreliance does not exclude the ability to ask for help when needed from such people as bank officials, accountants and business advisers. Being able to listen to the advice of others is a key characteristic of an entrepreneur.

11. Sets Own Standards: Setting standards of performance and then working to achieve them is another indicator of a successful entrepreneur. Most entrepreneurs want to do better each year, to set and achieve higher standards from year to year.

12. Copes with Uncertainty: Being an entrepreneur is much more uncertain than employment. An ability to cope with this uncertainty without becoming too stressed is a necessary trait of being an entrepreneur.

13. Committed: Starting and running an enterprise demands total commitment by the entrepreneur in terms of time, money and lifestyle. It has to be a major priority in the entrepreneur's life.

14.Builds on Strengths: Successful business people base their work upon the strength(s) they have, such as manual skills, interpersonal skills, selling skills, organizational skills, writing skills, knowledge of a particular product or service, knowledge of people in a trade and ability to make and use a network of contacts.

 15.Reliable and has Integrity: The qualities of honesty, fair dealing and reliability in terms of doing what one has promised to do are essential traits of an entrepreneur.

16. Risk-Taker: Being an entrepreneur involves some risks. Entrepreneurs have the ability to take measured or calculated risks. Such risks involve working out the likely costs and gains, the chance of success and the belief in oneself to make the risk pay off.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 52)

Sub-Topic: NOTHING BEATS A FAILURE BUT A TRY.

How do winners win? How did they do it? How did they get where they did? Certainly not by complaining about their lot in life, or by crying about how tough life was or about the conditions they faced. They just went out and did it. And in so doing, they were successful. One of the most telling things about chronic whiners is they complain about their woes so much that they tend to sap the energy of others who are trying to get on with their lives. When one of these habitual whiners leaves, you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the others in the area! Another trait one sees in people, who find it hard to succeed, is that they have an excuse for their lack of productivity. Whiners make excuses why they weren't able to do something; winners just get on with it and finish the job!

In every aspect of life and in every career path, there will be hurdles and pitfalls to overcome. Even the best will knock over a hurdle or fall into a pit occasionally. Also we all have our downward spiral days, days on which things are just getting too much for us. It is these days that we have to have the fortitude to get through. The fixation should be on the goal, not on the troubled path we walk on. To get on with it and get where we want to be demands the right attitude. And, this is something we cannot switch on and off at will. Attitudes need to be good all the time and this entails some degree of persistence! Attitudes are your filtering mechanism for everything that affects you directly or indirectly. How you see the world around you and the world within is what is important. There is too much going on to be sure that everything is going to go your way every time and this because you are not in control. What is important is how you view these happenings and how you feel about them because these will help you to deal with the downs as well as the ups!

Building a positive attitude will make you happier, more successful and collect happier and more positive people around you. Doing this may seem difficult, but these pointers may be of use. The best way to distract yourself from your own personal and mind-swamping problems is to plunge into helping others with theirs. People are always ready to accept a helping hand, and as you begin to help them, you will find that your own problems recede into the background. Often, in the course of your helping, you will find a solution to your own tribulations! Selflessness is always rewarded by untold peace of mind! Have Happy Goals! Look forward for something good that you expect to happen! It could be anything, a letter from a friend, meeting an old flame, a college reunion, anything, just the anticipation of something exciting can trigger a release of adrenaline that will bring the glint back into your eyes! Being in a pleasurable state of excitement will spur you to view the task you have before you with winning confidence! Sometimes, taking a step back or going onto an off-planet mode is not enough, especially if you are deeply affected by the problem. The best thing to do in this case is to go away and chill! I don't mean you drop everything and run away from your problems, nothing could be more fatal! No, what I mean is to get up, go out for a walk or a drive to blow away the cobwebs in your mind so that you can mull the problem and come up with an innovative solution to the problem. There's nothing better for traffic jams than an open road! Remember that failure is not the line of least resistance; it's the line of least persistence! Success is a long uphill journey, but once you're there, you can coast merrily, all the way to your own self-set goal!
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 51)

Sub-Topic: YOUR TIME IS MONEY.

It is easy to say, difficult to practice. Most small business entrepreneurs have difficulty controlling their time. It is fundamental to organize your tasks and schedule. Let's start from the goal. With more time available, you will be able to exercise innovation, develop "out-of-the-box" thinking to see what is wrong and what can be improved. You will be able to be more connected and updated with trends, opportunities and threats. You will be able to have a more balanced life with leisure and with your family.
So, what should you do? There is no magic. But the best solutions for the worst problems are often the most simple. Start with writing down the daily tasks that you need to do every day. Examples: read the news, read e-mails, reply e- mails, pay bills, verify bank accounts, verify stock, call suppliers, check with the staff if everything is ok, and so on. Estimate how much time you need to accomplish those tasks. Verify where you can optimize your time, and organize the schedule to get it done. Start with only controlling the time spent. It is already a great step. Resolve first the easiest and shortest tasks. If in some task, you exceed your time limit, stop, go to the next one. Return to that one only after finishing the "round" and use your "spare time" for so doing. Try to reduce 10% to 30% the time of some less valuable tasks. With other tasks, develop a worksheet (a simple control) and try to empower yourself to accomplish and control it.

Try to reserve, at least, one or two hours to creative thinking, to research new products, new approaches and new markets, depending on your core business and always with focus on strengths. Keep in mind not to lose touch with the "big picture" of your market and competitors. Creative time is defined as taking a certain thought (such as getting rich or finding that one special love), thinking about it in a determined fashion and then holding that thought strongly enough to impress that thought onto motion implementation. This will cause the creative thinking process to accomplish the circumstances you wish to achieve whatever it is that you desire. With time management planning, we have a scope enlarged, a little more of variables, an expanded timeline, defined methodologies (tools) and usually, we need to write it down. But it continues to be an extension or an improvement of what we are accustomed to do. Speak with focus on startups and small business ideas; your time management is a fundamental tool to avoid "losing the path in the middle of the running". Maintain your focus on using positive thoughts to overcome the mental barriers that most people have to face making money and becoming wealthy. When you get stuck in a particular situation and don't find a solution, go for a walk, have a coffee, do something that makes you disconnect completely and quickly from the problem and return to it later after gaining new perspective. To manage a business, to develop a business plan or to improve our competitive business efficiency, we need to have a knowledge framework of some basic concepts and practices, and even if we know them, it is always interesting to revise them by using our time management tools. When we talk about time management, sometimes, we associate with paperwork, theories, old school works, a boring and endless time consuming task, and so on. But actually time management and planning is a natural embedded activity that we practice every day. We plan the best route to go to the office. We plan when we go shopping. We plan our vacations. And, so we do with other diverse actions of our daily activities (professional and personal).

Don't try to only memorize everything that happens or that you will need to accomplish that day. You will lose time in struggling with the effort to remember so, why not write down items in a notebook, Outlook calendar, Palm Pilot, smart phone or whatever. When you are involved with a complex problem that needs immediate resolution and you need to concentrate, don't let anyone interrupt your thoughts, close the door, don't answer the phone and concentrate on finishing your task first. You will economize valuable time. You will have a more efficient focused process utilizing your time results. Time, it's not only money, it's your Life!
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 50)

Sub-Topic: BUSINESS FOUNDER.

Today, we see an entire generation of new leaders and entrepreneurs alike struggling to make an impact. This is the age of social networking with Facebook, Twitter, Google and mobile technologies enabling people to connect with millions in geographically dispersed locations worldwide. Enterprises from home-based startups to Fortune 500 companies are restructuring workforce and productivity models using efficient collaborative network tools. Whatever your profession-you will never be able to stand idle or underutilized.
Dynamism is the new catchword and anyone who deals with the problem of constant upward mobility needs being ‘fit' to keep up. It isn't enough to be merely ‘good' at one's work, field or trade; one requires excelling to make the difference. To do so, one has to be totally up to date with the latest that is happening in one's chosen field. The biggest issue facing the people today-it is immaterial what your discipline happens to be or how old you are. Yesterday's skill-set and yesterday's knowledge has no value. One doesn't have to be necessarily ‘with it' but aware and current. You need mental aerobics and skill-set calisthenics to stay ‘in shape' for the future. Doing this is not the easiest thing to do, but one's options are limited to progress moving forward. It is not the high-tech world that is changing; it is the happening thing in every field and trade. New methodologies are shooting up in every area. Don't become susceptible to obsolescence. Your need to stay ‘fit' is far more urgent than anything else. What you learned in school or otherwise has little validity in today's world of quantum leap changes.

The sky is the limit-why limit the possibilities of gaining business exposure by staying confined to a stationary expensive fixed office overhead. Get out there and make it happen - all we really need is a cell phone, laptop and Wi-Fi Internet connection to launch a viable startup from any geographic location worldwide. It was different back in the mid of 90's. In every walk of life, the emphasis is placed on getting into your gym-shoes to redefine your mental and physical fitness. Pointers to stay ahead should include the following regimens to enhance and reinvent yourself. Insure yourself by continuous learning: Most professions have courses going on all the time. Online seminars and workshops are held all the time; attend them as you might to your fitness regime. The self-learn programs do actually help...it just depends what you personally gain from them. They are, like your daily physical workout, repetitive perhaps, but they help keep you from a system's failure! Keep your eyes and ears open: Never neglect to pay attention to anything new that is happening in your profession. Online and industry magazine research will prove invaluable.  This helps you to clarify your thoughts on the innovation and it helps to extract information that they may have, which perhaps would not have come to you any other way. Invest in the future. Networking is the new mantra that has become the chant of developmental gurus. Attend industry events listed in the local Chamber of Commerce web sites, read the latest from the best sources, in short, be seen and be noticed! Look at what's happening outside your window! You may not be affected by changes happening in other agencies and other industries. This is the time for you to apply the lessons from what you can see happening outside your workplace. Figure out ways and means to be a jump ahead of the curve to start a business venture of your own. When you apply your mind to it, you will see that obsolescence is an issue that you need to factor into your career plans. Changing jobs is no answer; studies have revealed skills learned on a job can be more successfully transferred to start your own business venture as a career-alternative.

A fresh mind enhances your personal economic outlook and income generation strategies. You need to have that edge, that knowledge base that puts you on the cutting-edge. If you ensure that you will not merely survive, you will thrive!
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 49)

Sub-Topic: DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL! TAKE CONTROL.

Uncertainty about this country's and your own personal economic survival is anything that gives us a sense that we have lost control of our day-to-day means of survival. The end result is fear, anxiety, stress, depression and developing poor self-image. How often have you looked at yourself in the mirror feeling depressed? Did you also realize that you end up carrying over this feeling for days on end and go into a deeper slump, that even your health gets affected? The final outcome you constantly feel discontented, frustrated and dissatisfied with the blame sitting squarely on our shoulders or rather your body. We often let negative perceptions of our self-image last our entire lives for years. It's rather perplexing how we end up creating a self-image that is so negative and unproductive! Most of our conceptions about us are often a result of our surroundings, of how our family, friends and peers and the immediate society view us, and even the media for shaping our views and attitudes. The influences can be harmful that we begin to equate our self image with what is expected of us or with what is being projected. However, reality is another ball game altogether. A myriad of things affect your circumstances which you can do little. So, don't let all the negativity hypnotize you. Take a hard look at yourself; you'd be surprised at the amazing potential housed within. Firstly, stop punishing yourself! Whatever you're obsessing about; stop it right now, whether it is finances, debt or job loss.

Rediscover your personality what gives you joy, makes you sad and motivates you to give your best. Everyone is endowed with some talent/ aptitude that can be used productively to overcome your mindset. However, the most difficult thing to do is to be able to cure that feeling of being out of control. Often, when you're out of sync with yourself, a nagging sense of something amiss or lacking engulfs you. We periodically tend to get so preoccupied that we lose perspective of the real issue. Remedy the situation. Pay attention to how you are faring in life rather than how your neighbor is. ‘Always wanted to, but never got around to doing it...' is the most common affliction.
Be kind to yourself, just do it. Someone once said that ‘the fear of suffering is greater than the suffering itself.' How true! Our perception of having to face any pain, embarrassment, hurt or suffering is often exaggerated than what the proposed action would normally cause. Give up the excuse; you're just giving in to the urge of self-abuse, a crime greater than any. Or if you're becoming lazy, remember that you're shortening your life span by five minutes for every moment of laziness. Only when you live is life worth the living. Maximize your life. Take every moment as it comes and cherish it. Adopt a positive attitude. Treat yourself to occasional spells of extravagance, buy yourself something nice, reestablish your ties with your family and friends, and refurbish your wardrobe. Focus on living a complete, fulfilling and wholesome life. Take a reality check. Understand that we rate most people on the basis of their personality and not just their physical attributes. Revamp the way you function and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Stay in tuned to your body needs and celebrate the joy and freedom it gives you. Enrich your mind through reading and free your spirit through giving, help someone out or take-up a cause close to your heart.
Finally, pay attention to the important facts of life that have realistic aspirations, adopt an attitude of gratitude, eat when you're hungry, take up some form of physical exercise/ activity, believe that it is normal to have periodic fluctuations in weight gain/loss, learn to forgive, don't be embarrassed to ask for assistance from family, friends, peers or a professional helper, and ultimately, look at the whole picture, you'll find there's much to smile about now and in future ahead!
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 48)

Sub-Topic: DOT-YOU.

 Today billions of people visit the Internet around the world. Although many talk about Internet websites, just how effective is it? The answer is: a website can be very effective, if done right, it generates sales leads by expanding your market reach through "search engine optimization" (SEO) and social networking techniques. Have no fear-most web design software and online applications walk you through the initial development stages therefore, it is not necessary that you learn programming such as "Hyper Text Markup Language" (HTML) or "Extensible Markup Language" (XML). As an entrepreneur, you should decide at some stage of your business plan whether it makes sense to build a website.  If you are working your local neighborhood-person to person referral sales strategy, then a website may not be necessary. However, if you are selling products or consulting services, it is valuable to consider building a website as a portfolio of your product or work samples. As you proceed with your website development one of the first steps is to secure a "Domain Name". For example, www "Insert domain name".com, auto detailer.com, catering.com, nonprofit.org. Be creative in selecting your unique domain name that will service as a calling card to define your small business to potential customers.  Get to know your customers better by posting an outline of your professional skills and experience with a formal photo introducing yourself. To start, try using a pencil and paper to visually sketch out a drawing of your new website prior to any online design. Visually organize the necessary website sections, such as the home page online menus, about us, services, products, contact us, shopping carts, and press releases. Most web design applications offer pre-set templates that make the development process much easier by instantly suggesting appealing fonts, graphics and background color combinations. Your website content should grab people's attention communicating clearly and uniquely the business mission. The website user interface includes button menu link options in a logically placed fashion for quick website navigation.  It is valuable to insert hyperlinks to external websites that offer additional information resources enhancing your products or services. Keep the website font sizes readable in consideration of people with poor eye-site. Brightness, color and lighting all play a factor in appeal that ultimately can affect generating business leads online. Clearly post in the website footer or header, the business contact information such as address, phone number and email address for customer questions. This is critical for customers that may visit your website and want to contact you with questions. As small business entrepreneurs make time to be available by phone, there's nothing more annoying than endless voice messages.  Make yourself or an assistant accessible to quickly answer customer questions and build sales relationships. Why would a customer want to spend money getting your product or service? Does your small business support any worthy local community efforts, such as kids after school programs?  Draw a clear picture of how your business not only benefits the customer, but also adds value to the local community.  People are much more likely to support your small business particularly with our current economic crisis, if they know their money will really make a difference in the community. Spend time writing articles, press releases, blogs and other social networking media that will highlight your small business using tags or key words that enhance your company's listing in search engines such as Yahoo, Google and Wikipedia. Use key word titles that reflect current trends and news enabling wider audience customer exposure. Effective small business websites offer consumers the ability to sign-up for FREE e-newsletters.  A monthly marketing e-newsletter is an available marketing tool that is emailed to your database of customers updating the 20 on new business or sales offers and other valuable information.  E-newsletters are a low cost way of advertising to build long-term sales relationships.

It is important to view your website as a long-term investment in the success of your business. This may mean building a long-term relationship with a website developer, who will manage all of your updates, or it may mean hiring your website developer to integrate a content management system into your site, so you can manage it yourself or have a virtual assistant manage it. Whichever route you choose to take, most entrepreneurs should integrate an effective website into their business plan.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 47 +2)

Sub-Topic: SMALL STEPS TO GET ON TRACK.

Fear is a primary obstacle that prevents people from becoming entrepreneurs. Many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. Fear is a disease. It cripples effective decision-making and most of the time accounts for the illogical actions that ensue. Our country is now deep into a historic financial crisis that has most people in fear of losing their jobs, healthcare and life savings. Learning to manage your fears can help you weather negative situations during hard times. Many aspiring entrepreneurs have the dream of finding security by starting their own home-based business but maybe 2-5% of these people will actually apply their knowledge and unique talents. We should begin to discuss some of the techniques for entrepreneurs to learn how to manage and conquer their fears. Think about what you want. When you doubt yourself by spinning the wheels in your mind on a worst case scenario, turn it around and focus on what you DO want. Visualize yourself building the new business. Create a new truth. Your mind will play powerful tricks, if you let it, so stop being your own roadblock and get back on track. See yourself talking to the interested person as they become a part of your business. You get what you focus on. Change the voice. When you hear yourself telling you that you're not good enough-you're going to fail. Just change the voice from yours to that of Mickey Mouse or something silly that would hold little weight with you anyway! Who cares if Mickey Mouse thinks you're not good enough? Is Mickey Mouse an entrepreneur? Voice fears to a trusted friend or associate. Hopefully, you have been able to find some level of support from at least one other entrepreneur. Ideally, you have a significant other that supports you. If not, then you should have some kind of support network from your team or community association groups that you can get advice. However, don't go looking for support to all those people who doubted you and told you it was crazy to go out on your own. They will rarely understand the entrepreneur.
Build a personal development library. I draw tremendous support from my library. It is not just filled with how to resources, but also stories of others who conquered their fears. You should begin to email your friends that might recommend sources of personal development something based on your own description of your circumstances. Take baby-steps to build confidence. Sometimes, just making the smallest step will help get you back on the right track enough that the fear of not doing something can go away. Just starting the process can create enough momentum to see it through. Visualize the result, but make the action the goal. There is a subtle difference here for the entrepreneur. Of course you want the result, but maybe that's not in your direct control. Visualize the result in your mind, but make your goal the consistent and persistent action of the entrepreneur. The action will eventually produce the result and you can certainly achieve that goal. Entrepreneurship and the dream of owning your own business is a powerful concept. As a business owner, you are in charge of the decision making process, the direction of the company's products and services realizing the benefits of your own hard work. At the same time, the factors that drive entrepreneurship can be equally frightening for many potential self-employed people. To get your own business going and growing, it's necessary to overcome your fears. Many fear a personal lack of knowledge. While not everyone is an expert in public relations, sales and marketing, accounting, law, production and distribution, these seemingly lofty skills, can be learned or contracted. Books and Internet research resources are FREE at the public library and courses are readily available that teach hands on practical skills. Lack of knowledge and information is only limited by your imagination. You may even discover that you know more about business than you had previously thought possible.

Never, ever quit. I hate to even use that "q" word. Keep seeking new ways to solve challenges. Listen and learn from others' experiences. If you do quit in fear, you cease to be an entrepreneur-otherwise you're not beaten, you are moving ahead living your dreams of building your own successful business.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 47 +1)

Sub-Topic: ADAPT AND COMPENSATE OR ELSE.

 Getting into healthy habits, when it comes to money, is step one. Imagine not having to actually think about putting your financial house in order, because knowing what to do to reach your goals comes naturally. Wouldn't life be so much easier (and less stressful), if you didn't have to focus so much on making sure you are doing the right thing day in and day out to support your dreams? I like this to be going on a "diet." Diets are for people who haven't transformed their minds to automatically think a certain way that makes healthy living instinctive. The vast majority of those who have achieved optimum health and who maintain their ideal weights year after year don't think all that much about what they eat and how often they need to exercise. Why? Because they practice a lifestyle that supports their health and fitness; they don't need the structure of a "diet" as they are already programmed to live well.
The mind is a powerful place, which is why we need to start there, if we're ever going to see results in the real world. Given the fact money issues prevail when it comes to many people's stresses, I'd venture to guess that we spend the greater part of ours days thinking about money from a negative perspective-money is evil, money is too hard to make, money doesn't like me because I can't get enough of it to feel at ease and "accomplished." Sound familiar? Well, let's see if we can't turn that negative thinking around by shifting how you perceive the role of money in your life. We all can agree that money is the means of freedom, education and comfort. It allows us to grow, achieve autonomy, learn and provide a value and service to the world at large. Having a positive relationship with money is often the first step in lessening financial stress and making the changes necessary to open new doors to opportunity, to victory, to success.

So how do you change your way of thinking? Start by making positive affirmations about money every day, just as you are doing about yourself. Tell yourself that money is good. Money channels achievement. Money facilitates whatever it is you want to do in life. Don't get me wrong, money is by no means a measure of success; but it's an instrument with which we can get what we want out of a fulfilling life. And as I've already pointed out, getting what we want starts with the first money. Live below your means because it means you won't go broke. If there's one piece of advice we hear more than once, but tend to continuously ignore, it's this one. Ignore it no more. Getting a handle on your finances entails a varied collection of mini-steps, some of which may make you slightly uncomfortable at first. If you've gotten used to living above your means, I understand it will be difficult to change your lifestyle and habits. But you must. Start by making small shifts in how you use your money on a daily and monthly basis. Make a journal of all expenses and income for 60 days. Write down everything you spend from vending machines to car payments. Then after those 60 days, take a look at your record. You will see where you are wasting money; it's not rocket science. We all have an innate understanding of what's truly necessary and what's not. From there, you can formulate a realistic budget, putting extra money toward credit card bills and savings. You want to be able to meet all of your most critical financial needs while also addressing your debt and establishing a savings cushion.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 46)

Sub-Topic: BE THE NEXT YOU.

Ask a group of people why they aren't rich and chances are many will say something like, "Well, I'm not a movie star and I'm not in the NBA." Do only celebrities make money? Why is the association of wealth so strongly tied to celebrity-dom? It is because our culture-with its ubiquitous fascination for the glossy entertainment and pro sports world-perpetuates this fallacy on a daily basis. One doesn't have to go far to be hypnotized by this lie; celebrity news magazines, talkentertainment.com and other the media in general keeps "celebrityd-dom" alive. The truth is that celebrities' bank accounts pale in comparison to the richest people in the world. And, I wouldn't call many celebrities "rich" if they are unhappy, unsatisfied, and constant tabloid gossip for their unscrupulous acts. The number one reason most people don't get what they want is that they don't know what they want. At the same time, they don't know what they're passionate about. So they haven't a clue what they are supposed to be doing. Now is the time to really conquer this lie that runs too deep in our consciousness and shoves us off course from the roads we should be taking.
Pop quiz:
1. Who is Ingvar Kamprad?
2. Who is Ursula Burns?
3. Who was John H. Johnson?

Answers: 👉Ingvar is the founder of Ikea and the fourth riches person in the world with a net worth of $28 billion. He turned a love for peddling matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager to an empire selling furniture and household goods.

At this writing, 👉Ursula Burns is ranked as the 27th Most Powerful Woman on Fortune's renowned list. As a top executive at Xerox Corporation, she helps bring in billions of dollars in revenues a year for the company and is one of the most respected business women in America. A member of the Xerox team for more than 20 years, she calls the company her family and she wouldn't still be there, if she didn't love what she does. By now she may even be sitting at the helm of the entire company.

The late 👉John H. Johnson was born in Arkansas in 1918, the grandson of slaves. He went on to become one of the richest men in America as founder of the Johnson Publishing Company, an international media and cosmetics empire headquartered in Chicago. Today, it includes Ebony and Jet magazines, Fashion Fair Cosmetics and EBONY Fashion Fair. Johnson was the first black person to appear on the Forbes 400 Rich List and had a fortune estimated at close to $500 million when he passed away in 2005.

👉I'll give you one more example: Janice Bryant-Howroyd, the founder of Act-1 Group Staffing and Professional Services. She went out on a limb when she started the company in 1978 from a single office in California and now it's a multi-million dollar business spanning the country with a network of more than 70 offices. Black Enterprise magazine named the company the third largest African-American owned business in the U.S. In 2014, it boasted $ 1.8 billion in sales revenues.

What do these four individuals have in common?
They are celebrities in their own right. They are highly respected and admired. They set the bar for so many others in their industries and communities at large. But they aren't routine newsmakers in the entertainment reports; the paparazzi don't follow them and they don't always get to walk a red carpet. In other words, they aren't "celebrities" in the usual sense of the word. They are men and women, who are celebrated for what they have done-what they have shown up to accomplish. And, that's the truth!
The Celebrity Truth-" A celebrity is someone who is celebrated-someone who shows up to do something well, which may have no relation to the entertainment or sports world."
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 45)

Sub-Topic: WHERE'S THE BREAD?

I came across a Wendy's fast-food commercial called "Where's the Beef?" on YouTube recently. I started thinking about bootstrapping entrepreneurs, who may believe that "there's no money out there" during this turbulent economic downturn. There is money out there! You want a potential investor to "show you the bread?
Get a plan first. Although many sources of capital never read business plans and those that do seldom read them cover to cover. However, this does not let entrepreneurs off the hook. In fact, the first request entrepreneurs will hear is, "Show me your business plan." When you're an entrepreneur seeking to market your business, it's not enough to have a great idea. You need to have a plan to back it up. And not just any plan will do; in most cases, you need a solid, well-developed business plan before you can raise your first nickel.
Plans may come in all shapes and sizes, but when you get to the meat of them, they all include the same basic parts:
👉a description of the company and its business;
👉a marketing analysis;
👉marketing operations;
👉key personnel;
👉the financial analysis and
👉projections; and
👉the executive summary.
According to some sources of capital who claim they read plans all the time, the following are the points that will make or break a plan.

While money play a big role in a deal so too does personal chemistry between an investor and an entrepreneur. Unlike a banker, who will not break lending protocol no matter their personal feelings, an angel investor can be convinced to do almost any deal, if they develop a bond with an entrepreneur. Crucial to forming the bond that is so vital to closing the deal is to understand the basic personality types of investors. Although private investors come in many different shades, there are four basic types:
👉Corporate Angels;
👉Entrepreneurial Angels;
👉Enthusiastic Angels and
👉Professional Angels.

1. Corporate Types: Corporate angels tend to make a single investment. They also tend to invest all their risk capital at once and get jumpy when the hat is again passed their way.

2. Entrepreneurial Angels: The most prevalent of the investors, these angels frequently own and operate highly successful businesses of their own. They tend to invest more capital because they have another source of income, and sometimes significant wealth from advancing their business or a buyout. Entrepreneurial angels hardly ever take on any kind of management duties; rather they take a seat on the board of directors. However, because of their agenda, when the synergy or the potential they initially perceived disappears, often times so do they.

3. The Enthusiasts Angel: Unlike the calculating entrepreneurial angels, enthusiast angels simply enjoy being involved in deals. Most are over 65 years old and independently wealthy from success in a business they started and have abbreviated work schedules. Investing to them is a hobby, so they typically want no role in management or on the board. However, because they tend to invest in so many companies, the size of their investment is generally small-anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000. The upshot is that enthusiasts have a hard time saying "no" and will frequently bring their friends in on the deal.

4. The Professionals Angel: The occupation of the investor is how these angels get their name. They are doctors, lawyers, and in some instances, accountants. They like to invest in companies that offer products or services compatible with their own. Professional angels will invest in several companies at once, with capital contributions ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. Although they are good for initial investments, they are unlikely to make any follow-on contributions. However, they operate within loosely-defined but clear networks and tend to have more comfort investing alongside their peers than any other category of investor. They can also add value by bringing to bear legal accounting or financial expertise for which the company would otherwise have to shell out hefty fees. Whatever angel personality best suits your needs; don't categorically rule out the others. Remember, you want to know "where's the bread?"
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

FIVE R'S IN REBRANDING

FIVE R'S TO REBRAND YOUR BUSINESS.
There are many reasons to consider evolving, refreshing or retooling your brand. These reasons could include reflecting a subtle shift in focus of the brand over time, maintaining a current look and feel, or reflecting a broader change in business strategy. Each catalyst represents a point along the branding spectrum that requires different levels of insight, introspection, and, ultimately, investment.

This spectrum is not unlike evaluating whether your home meets your current needs: Does your living situation call for a renovation, a total rebuild or a move across town?

When you’re thinking about the steps you need to take to evolve your brand, use the following spectrum as a guide:

1. Revitalize: Breathe new life into a brand through a fresh, compelling creative message or narrative.

2. Reposition: Change perception or reframe your purpose or unique selling proposition.

3. Rename: Change the name to better reflect business or shed any negativity.

4. Redesign: Modernize the look and feel.

5. Rebrand: All of the above.

Healthy brands continually pay close attention to the attributes that define them in the minds of their constituents. It is essential to understand brand attributes such as identity and essence as they are the proof points for brand positioning for constituents and, ultimately, a brand’s position in their category. Combining this knowledge with business metrics will help determine where you are at any given time along the branding or rebranding spectrum. This is not a “set it and forget it” exercise. This requires ongoing monitoring, evaluating and taking appropriate actions.

1. Revitalizing: Revitalizing a brand is a little like stoking a fire when the flames start to wane. It is still burning but just needs a little boost. The first step in this process is looking at your communications plan and messaging. Is it the same thing you have been saying for a while? Have you not been doing anything lately? Is your message relevant and compelling? I have had many conversations about a desire to rebrand where we discovered that the communication approach was the issue, not the brand — a much more cost-effective proposition.

2. Repositioning: Brands are alive, therefore, they evolve. Repositioning a brand requires a detailed understanding of the current space you occupy and a clear vision of the space you want to occupy. If those things are different, you are a candidate for repositioning. This requires much more than just a new positioning statement or tagline, although that is a good start. In my experience, developing a credible, concise positioning statement is one of the most difficult things in branding. Armed with this, there are a variety of ways to begin repositioning your brand. The most obvious way is to develop a new creative campaign with visuals and messaging consistent with the position you want to own. Another is to consider well-placed sponsorships of events or personalities that move your brand towards the desired positioning by association. To be successful, you must look, act and sound the same at every touchpoint.

3/4. Renaming and redesigning can be mutually exclusive. It can be tempting to go down this path because it is something new and exciting, but I have found the most appropriate catalyst for this is to address confusion, reflect a changing business focus, maintain appeal in an expanded geographic footprint, or to shed a negative halo from an undesirable event. Some famous examples include Confinity renaming to Paypal after it discovered how to send payment by email, BackRub changing to Google when it outgrew the servers at Stanford University, or ValuJet reemerging as AirTran after an unfortunate crash. Also, if your teenage nephew designed your original logo because he knew how to use a computer and your business is now taking off, you are a candidate for a redesigned corporate identity.

5. Finally, there is the complete rebrand. It generally involves all the previous elements mentioned. However, rebranding is not a standalone business strategy. It can be a necessity, but it should not be your only thought when looking to address declining business metrics. An understanding of brand equity, both positive and negative, built over time must also be considered. The saying, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” comes to mind.

If you ultimately decide you need to rebrand, you must consider all the elements of your business that have contributed to this catalyst for change like growth, decline, shift in focus, etc. The brand is a representation of company purpose and consumer desire. To be successful long term, it must work for both.

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 44)

Sub-Topic: INVENTIONS AND INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this shouldn't come as a surprise: brilliant inventions and good intentions are not enough to make you rich. The missing word is ACTION. To that end, let me share my Great 8 Start-Up Essentials:  

1. An idea: It should be fleshed out because you've done the knowledge and have identified a potential market.

2. A business plan: Take this seriously, even if you don't complete a model plan worthy of publication and even if you don't plan to raise capital outside your personal savings and access to funds. You need a business plan to clarify the vision you have for your idea as well as for yourself.  
3. Bookkeeping and accounting basics: Because you'll likely have to wear a few hats in the first days of your business, you'll have to get comfortable with some basic math to keep track of your business's finances.

4. Me, myself and I: Few businesses start out with a full staff. You will add people to your core work force (which at the start may be just you), as you can afford them and as you require new sets of skills mastered by others. It's important that when you do hire others, find highly motivated people, who enjoy the dynamics of working for a small start-up business and who can perform their jobs well. Usually student interns with specific areas of specialization and work experience can be of great, inexpensive help.

5. Time management: This is another one of those easier-said-than-done tips. Some of us are better at managing our time than others. Regardless of which category you come under, it helps to chart out your tasks and check off your To-Dos on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Keep both a planning and an operation log.

6. Legal details: The entrepreneur has to be well-versed in local and state government rules and regulations governing small business concerns. This entails choosing the most appropriate legal form of doing business, such as being an "Inc," fulfilling those requirements, and filing tax returns-both personal and business. Getting incorporated, for instance, is as easy as filling out a few forms and filing them with the appropriate government entity and paying a fee. Once you have your business incorporated, you can then set up a bank account in its name and begin to conduct business from the account. For more help in understanding your particular state's rules, I recommend visiting your state's main web site (try www.yourstate.gov).  

7. Customers and clients: These golden gems usually begin knocking at your door once you've done some savvy marketing and advertising. Plenty of marketing strategies are on the cheap these days through the Internet and old-fashioned methods of advertising (think flyers, word-of-mouth and community events). Promote your business through a web site, which you can build yourself using any of the packages that typically come with setting up a domain name. When you establish an account at Yahoo Business, for example, they offer a free downloadable software program that guides you step by step through creating a web site using whatever domain name you choose to have for you company.

8. Backup Support: Okay, so when you start a business you are filled with excitement and energy. You are also probably experiencing some anxiety, fear, worry, hesitation, dread, panic, terror…. Need I continue? This is why it's critical to have a strong support system on hand, so you can talk out your biggest woes and keep your confidence in check. Most family members and friends can play this role, but be careful. Work on growing your support system, weeding out the toxic people when necessary, and don't give up your affirmations. When faced with a serious decision lately and feeling weak in spirit to make the right one, someone said to me, "Be your authentic self." That cleared the air up instantly. It's now an affirmation I use to remind myself that I've got what it takes to succeed if I just listen to myself, stay positive, and go with my gut. Develop a circle of associates you can all help each other find new, innovative insights for resolving problems. You'll be surprised by what else you can get out of such a group. The exchange of information will further support your enthusiasm, strengthen new talents, and reinforce YOUR determination to succeed.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 43)

Sub-Topic: FUTURE GENERATION: NO REWARDS WITHOUT WORK.

"Our business in life is not to get ahead of others but to get ahead of ourselves-to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterdays by our today,  to do our work with more force than ever before."  - Steward B. Johnson.
It bothers me that sometimes people make the assumption that personal achievements are the result of being born into the "right" family, by which they mean an affluent or famous lineage. Sometimes people will ask me, "Now, whose son are you?" This leads you to believe, that one can only become successful, if they have a foot up on the rest of the competition. Believe it or not, some folks also believe that success is a byproduct of luck. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Most people have achieved their success through sheer determination and hard work. Sure, it's easier to get to the mountain top, if you've got someone ahead of you giving you a hand, but you still have to do the climbing. The workload still belongs to you. Never rely on hookups, introductions, free passes or special privileges we receive in direct proportion to how much we give. I've been blessed with a tremendous opportunity to add value to the lives of others. I believe that's what makes every single human being's story so amazing. My story, though similar to a lot of other rags to riches tales, is still uniquely mine. There are no exact duplicates of my life. And guess what? That means you have something special to give to the world too. I accepted my gifts a long time ago and I've been flowing ever since. What about you? Will you cheat the world of your brilliance? Will you hide your greatness under a bushel? Or will you embrace your talents and contribute to this great world of ours?

Say the following out loud three times: 'Good work, not good luck.' Be your own master teacher. Opportunities are everywhere. You can rise above any circumstance with hard work, integrity, faith and especially persistence. Good work, not good luck. Great careers and successful lives start with small ideas. Don't be afraid to experiment. Keep your eyes open and your mind and body working and be ready to work with the opportunities that come your way. Good work, not good luck. You won't always hit a home run the first time. But you will never hit a home run, if you don't learn how to swing. You may make only fifty dollars on your first job or in your first "business". But it will probably be the most important fifty dollars you ever make. Take Action: Lay the foundations for success, even before you begin to plot your future. Find a mentor. Find a role model. Watch those around you. If you can't find a role model in your family, then find one in your community. They are there, if you look.

Make peace with your family. You may have family members, who can lead by example. You may not. Nonetheless, you need to make peace with your family. Let them teach you what to do and what not to do. Focus on the positive. Identify and congratulate yourself on your positive accomplishments no matter how small. Don't harp on the negatives. Don't listen to the negatives. Don't listen to those who say "you can't'. Don't let the negative people drag you down. Get away from them, if you have to. Hang out with good people. There are always good people who will welcome you and help you. Just keep looking for them until you find them. Don't give up asking for help. That's not begging. That's investing in your future. There are a lot of good people in this world. Find them and put yourself near them. Two quotes to give serious and careful thought to, "One doesn't become great by claiming greatness" and "Before a man eats, he must sweat.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 42)

Sub-Topic: YOU OWN UNDERVALUED CURRENCY.

It is interesting. I recently watched the report of a gentleman, who served as ‘Chaplain' for a cancer treatment ward of a major Los Angeles hospital. He said that he provided spiritual counsel too many people from many different faith traditions and from every economic strata…filthy rich to filthy poor. After further watching, I found it interesting enough to sit down and pick some point. The chaplain looked out of the window toward the Hollywood hills and referred to the disease of cancer as ‘the great common denominator'… bringing people, those who lived at the top of hill and those who lived at the bottom of it, together on one accord. I thought that was an interesting observation and listened on. The chaplain began unbosoming a sermon citing that he had made a profoundly great discovery about human beings. Being a perpetual student of life, I of course had to pay attention. So, I did. The chaplain then slowly took a deep breath, relaxed his eyes, steadied and said, we are all the same at death's doorway.' Okay, admittedly, I didn't immediately think that was ‘great discovery'. However, there was something in the man's eye that made me listen deeper to what he was trying to say. The chaplain continued, not one of these people that I have counseled on their potential death beds have ever once expressed to me that they wished they had spent time making more money or that they worked longer hours or that they had spent more time in the office. Not one. Not one. Yet in American life, hat is all that we do. We waste our life's time. And, the richer they are, the more filled with regret their face is.' He said no more and just left it at that. All my focus with crystal clarity was on the value and economics of Life-Time.

It seems to me that at the beginning of life we are all (the poor or the rich) given something similar to a trust-fund inheritance. Not an inheritance of money but something of greater value; an inheritance of time. And this life ‘time' is like an account that we withdraw from until our time is done. But, it is how we manage and invest this account of time that determines the quality of each segment of our lives. And my questions to us is…are we sure that we are managing this account wisely or just simply spending this time haphazardly in pursuit of things that have no real value to us in the end? I am a businessperson like many. However, it is beneficial to us to remember that in our valiant quest for success and the acquisition of outer wealth, we supposedly do this only to increase the quality of our lives and the lives of our families. We say often that we want financial freedom that we may spend more time with family members. But guess what? You are financially free to do that ‘now'. Why? It is because it costs you no money. It only costs us a little of the undervalued currency that we spend most of our lives improperly investing, until it totally runs out, our ‘time'. And today, as I reflect upon the many millionaires that the chaplain said, he watched die alone and self-alienated from their families, I wonder if they felt the ‘means' justified ‘the end' of their lives. I wonder, if they felt rich as their money purported them to be. I earnestly remind us…to spend the currency of your life's time wisely. The outer-wealth cannot be taken with you. But the ‘Inner Wealth' will be the net-worth of your soul itself.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 41)

Sub-Topic: GET REAL ABOUT YOUR DAY JOB.

Do you like what you're currently doing? Do you see yourself doing this same job 5, 10 or even 20 years from now? If you still don't have a clear answer and vision for what you should be doing day in and day out, then you must keep asking yourself questions. No one starts out an expert in anything. And no matter what level you place yourself in this world, value the fact you have the freedom to change where you are. Nothing should stop you from knocking on new doors and risking a step inside, even if you stumble more than once. Lots of successful people have experienced this countless times-so much so that "extreme failures of the extremely successful" is almost cliché. And the venerable Oprah Winfrey, when fired from her reporting job at the start of her career, was told "You're not fit for TV." The lesson (which you'll most certainly hear me say again): You can't win if you don't play. If you don't take the dare, a subject you'll see highlighted in the next chapter, you're just going to sit there. Mega-companies that breed successes year after year have an acute awareness that breakthroughs depend on failure. They explore experiment, foul up occasionally and then repeat. They understand that being "the best" requires innovation, which requires risk-taking, which requires circumventing fear and doing what may feel unnatural at first. When they flop, they spring back up; scrape off whatever insights they can from the experience and say "Next!" On an individual level, you should be doing the same. Once you get a handle on your debt and credit issues, you'll find money you've never had before-even if your income doesn't change. I say, "Your money is already in circulation. You just have to access it." People need to stop saying that they need money to make money. You have to start out small. It's just that simple.

Most people who are thinking about starting a business fall into one of the two categories when it comes to the topic of f inancing their new venture:

1. Those who are terrified to borrow money and have a deeply held belief that even if they were willing to attempt getting a loan, few sources of startup capital are available.

2. Those who think getting money is a piece of cake and there's an endless source of money-most of which is free.

Both groups of people are half right. Contrary to popular belief, most business startups are funded by personal investment on the part of the owner. These people are not wealthy, do not have large sums of money, and are not given any special privileges when it comes to financing their hopes and dreams. These people-like most self-employed business owners-finance their dreams through dedicated work, creativity and a little help from friends and family. It's much easier to raise cash through your own resources, including savings, friends and family, than to go pitch your business idea to potential investors, who don't know you. This is why many times people's first deal is with family and friends. And guess what: it doesn't take money to make that kind of seed money. While it's true that some products and services do require a bit more money than others to explore, develop and deploy, especially if you invent something in a particular field like communication, you don't necessarily have to start there. Do things in stages rather than attempt to leap to the finish line. If you want to take common things that are around you and turn them into ideas based on your talent, you don't need a lot of money-you don't need any more money than what you get from your day job. Of course you need money to live, but that's my point: you don't need the kind of money that is imagined. It doesn't cost any more money than basic living expenses-eating and having a roof over your head. If you have that kind of money, you can launch something small and build on it.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 40)

Sub-Topic: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW WILL HURT YOU.

The old adage "what you don't know won't hurt you" is definitely not true when applied to starting your own business. Many people derive a false sense of security by plunging blindly into a business because they don't want to take the chance of being intimidated by potential barriers to success. There is no such thing as being too prepared. Proper preparation entails planning for success and planning for problems. Any task worth achieving will have challenges along the way. Most entrepreneurs thrive on the "challenge." In small business, the difference between a challenge and a barrier lies in the amount of preparation on the part of the business owner. If you take the steps to identify your potential barriers to success that's half the work in preparing yourself for success! The other half comes in developing strategies for overcoming the barriers. This, too, is relatively easy to do; it's a matter of using your common sense and resourcefulness! Financial and personal successes are rarely achieved by accident. A great deal of time and effort must be put into working through the "what if's." Most of us see that "what if's" in a negative light. If you are serious about succeeding in business, these barriers must be identified. With a realistic look at all the potential roadblocks, it doesn't take long to drive off a cliff - and lose out across the board!
Let's explore the potential professional barrier to your success before it becomes an insurmountable obstacle.

👉•Decision-making goals cannot be achieved without a series of decisions. Begin setting daily goals and identifying the specific decision points required for the achievement of your goals.

👉•Working under pressure at the end of each day, prepare a "to do" list for the next day. Include time frames for completing each item. Begin with the first item and do not proceed to the second until the first is completed.

👉•Working long hours since there is no such thing as a 9-5 business! In the early stages of entrepreneurship, you will find yourself thinking about your business all the time. Consequently, life as you know it may come to a halt. Begin preparing yourself for this shift in focus by carefully scheduling your time.

👉•Source of direction as an entrepreneur, you are the boss. If you do not provide direction for your business no one will! Carefully, observe your actions and analyze why you do things.

👉•Leadership may not come easy to you. There are numerous books on "how to" develop leadership qualities…so read! Visit your local library, bookstore or Amazon.com to search for products tagged leadership.

👉•Technical competence depending on the specific technical requirement of your business, you may be able to read books and other online materials related to your industry. However, there is no substitute for learning from people who are currently working in the field. Work for a related business to gain the technical competence in the art of running your own business.

👉•Basic reading, writing and math skills must be mastered. Your ability to succeed in business is greatly increased through effective verbal and written communications. And it goes without saying that you can't count your money, if you can't deal with numbers!

👉•Promotional abilities must consist of knowing how to ‘toot your own horn' or you will have a hard time in business. The ability to be enthusiastic and speak effectively regarding the attributes of your product and service (without bragging!) comes mainly from knowledge and confidence in your product or service.

👉•Negotiating abilities and skill can be learned! Find a good book of negotiating and learn the basic principles. Begin to apply these principles on a daily basis. The correlation between your success in business and your ability to negotiate is significant! It is said that the road to the top is lonely. This goes double for the road to self-employment. Most of us are used to working around others. Pay attention to the lack of interaction with people which affects your performance.
Once an action plan is in place to overcome the barriers you've identified, you no longer have barriers…only the challenge of carrying out your plans! As with everything in life, it is entirely up to you whether you rise to the challenge and overcome your barriers or allow your barriers to overcome you. Only you can make the difference…you are the difference!
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 39 +2)

Sub-Topic: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

Education and training are critical, as they are the second component to "doing the knowledge." What is required is root knowledge, not merely branch knowledge. You cannot master a subject by making a cursory glance of it. To obtain a comprehensive knowledge requires digging deep, even if you are ahead of the game because of a natural aptitude for a particular subject. There is no such thing as too much knowledge. However, you can have too little, and a little knowledge is usually dangerous. That's when you're likely to take uncalculated risks and enter a minefield ill-equipped and unprepared.
👍After defining your goals and vision, you need to learn what is necessary to achieve it. Take the time to study your chosen profession. Such knowledge can be obtained either in school or in life. Mentors and teachers come in to play here. They can provide you the information you need to move forward, especially in the beginning.

👉Even the best of the best have coaches, teachers and mentors.
👉Famous singers have singing coaches.
👉Olympic athletes have trainers and coaches.
👉Actors have acting instructors.
👉Bestselling authors have editors.
👉Dancers have choreographers.
👉Professionals like lawyers, doctors and scientists all have mentors-those senior to them who know have more experience, and can inspire new ways of thinking.
👀We all need someone who can help us develop our raw talent. We also need people who can challenge our thinking and get us to acknowledge a different perspective from time to time. As observers of the success of others, typically we only see the end result rather than all of the hard work and practice. When we watch a star perform on the stage or the football field, we forget to consider everything that went into that winning moment. We don't consider the hours upon hours of missed attempts and practice that helped that dazzling performance of talent. We are in awe of the outcome but fail to acknowledge and appreciate all the in-come leading up to it.
🙌For example, every singer has a sound check before a performance. So will you, before you go out, do whatever you intend to do.

For those who require greater structure and a process to handling decision-making, let me share with you my Practice Makes Perfect methodology. It can help you to mentally track your options and stay in tune with yourself:

1. Assess risks from an educated standpoint. Conduct the research necessary to learn all the potential risks involved in a pursuit. Don't overlook any of them.

2. Hear what enters your mind. Don't underestimate the power of gut instinct when weighing pros and cons and taking on honest look at risks.

3. Evaluate thoughts and potential solutions to problems. Take your time thinking through what you need to do in order to move forward. Think through every step and direction you decide to take. Consider other options along the way. Be open to circumstances that change your surroundings.

4. Act based on experience and self-examination. Make calculated moves. Like the game of chess, see if you can act with your third move in mind.

5. Discern between what's working and what's not working to continue forward. This is when you need to perhaps plan a new direction. We all hit walls once in a while. That doesn't mean we have to stop. We turn around and find another way onward. We have to be willing to let go of ideas and pursuits that clearly aren't working. They should be placed in the desire category instead of the known-skills category. If you hit a wall, but there's an open road to be taken elsewhere with another set of skills innate to you. You can employ the Practice Makes Perfect method at any time. It can be used for small-scale decisions, such as what to wear on a job interview or where to enroll in a class that will help you master a skill set. It can also be used for those larger, life changing decisions like where you choose to live, work and start a family.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 39)

Sub-Topic: COMMON SENSE NOT JUST COMMON PRACTICE.

We live in a world driven by money and ideals, but most notably by fears. Fear of change, fear of taking risks, fear of losing and fear of failure. Fear is why we can easily cling to false beliefs and let them control our way of thinking. In the middle of struggle, it's often difficult to stay convinced that success is worth the price that has to be paid. Something tells you that "there must be an easier way." There is an easier way, but not one that leads to success. It depends entirely on what you want. If you want to retain the option to choose, then part of the payment you make is to be true to your choice. You can't just bail out when the going gets tough. There may be a point, where you have to admit that you made the wrong choice or that you're just not up to the challenge. You have to turn yourself into the light to see what's written on each facet that goes into your potential success. Your personal strengths and weaknesses must be identified in order to recognize, where improvements are needed. Let's begin by taking your personal assessment as a way to generate the information necessary for you to create the best fit possible between you and your chosen lifestyle for success as you would define it. What's the key to creating this fit? Simply put the secret to mastering your universe, "Pay attention!" Look carefully at your lifestyle and work situation you're choosing. Will you be rewarded or penalized for being who you are? What characteristics result in rewards? Which ones bring penalties? Practice utilizing those attributes that bring awards and refrain from displaying those that result in penalties. By practicing this daily and having the courage to make the required changes, you truly can stretch the existing "good" fit to a "perfect" fit, on your journey toward successful self-employment can truly become a dream fulfilled. Accepting Responsibility Pay careful attention to how you respond when you see that a mistake has been made. Do you immediately blame someone else? Do you make excuses? It takes a great deal of confidence in you to admit that a mistake has been made. Self-Discipline Most of us think we are self-disciplined until we have to be! Think of something you have "been meaning to do" (losing weight, exercising every morning, etc.) For those things that require regular practice, set our sights on doing them for one week. Resourcefulness Observe how often you say to yourself or others, "I can't." Resourcefulness springs from developing an "I can" attitude! Ability to Delay Gratification Paying attention to how you respond when you are required to wait in line for a movie; for spouse or friend to get ready; or to purchase something you just can't do without! Ability to Sacrifice Give up something like no steak for a month; no shopping on the weekend, no break during work for a day. The stronger your attachment to the item of sacrifice, the better!

Accepting Criticism Do something you're not very good at! Then, seek the opinion of someone whose honesty you value. Pay careful attention to how you feel and respond when you are criticized. Flexibility in Thinking Choose three routines that you regularly adhere to (operational procedures under your control at work, the organization scheme of your garage, etc.). Develop new ways of doing things! Support Network Join a local business group or create your own. Include family/friends in the development phases of your business. The more understanding the people close to you have of your dream, the easier it will be for them to buy into it and provide the support you need. Energy level For one week, get up an hour earlier and go to be an hour later than normal. Observe how this affects your mood and your performance. Risk-Taking Ability The most important thing to remember in learning to take risks is to carefully calculate the up and down side to each potential opportunity. Begin slowly! Personal attributes are both the easiest and the hardest to change! They are easy to change in that we are the only ones who have control over who we are and how we behave. The difficulty comes into play when we take things so personally that we become defensive when change is suggested.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#

SUCCESS FORMULAS (Part 38)

Sub-Topic. CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR INCOME.

Every success story, whether large or small, can be traced to specific traits, habits and behaviors. And since successful people "do" things that render certain results, it makes sense for those actions to be replicated. Now, these essential actions weren't given to me in a manual, when I was six years old. The Great Oz didn't walk into my room one day and say, "Son, here are the rules. Read 'em. Digest 'em. Live 'em." (Although I wish someone had!). There were no classes, no audiotapes or seminar series on these powerful lessons-at least not that I'm aware of. Instead, I discovered these timeless riches over time. What I learned is that the path to success is universal but it's also expansive, so there are many ways to get to the same results. In other words, there are many ways to make spaghetti. If you talk to 10 different people, you're likely to get 10 different recipes. In the end, though, the dish is still spaghetti. And although each individual may have added his or her own signature style, at a very basic level, spaghetti is spaghetti.
That said, let's be clear about one thing: I said above that success can be large or small. Success can also be short and sweet or long and maintained. Different sets of behaviors and actions translate to whether or not your success will last a swift second or a long lifetime. Most people are aware, for instance, that those who receive sudden financial windfalls typically return to the same financial state as before and have even been known to declare bankruptcy. Why? Because they haven't changed their behavior toward money and spending to hold on to that newly acquired wealth. Evelyn Adams won the New Jersey lottery not just once, but twice (1985, 1986), to the tune of $5.4 million. Today, the money is all gone and she lives in a trailer. William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives on his Social Security.

People accustomed to having lots of money and who lose it, on the other hand, tend to gain it all back plus more because they think, act and behave in a certain way that promotes perpetual wealth. While learning the ropes to managing money well takes time and practice, anyone can do it.  A good starting point is getting what money you do have under control, including debt and credit. Once you get into the habit of managing money well, you'll never go back to being flat-out broke, no matter how much money you make in the future. And if perchance you do hit a little ditch, which is entirely possible out there in the real world, you'll be able to rely on the same techniques to climb out again. Getting into healthy habits when it comes to money is step one. Imagine not having to actually think about putting your f inancial house in order, because knowing what to do to reach your goals comes naturally. Wouldn't life be so much easier (and less stressful), if you didn't have to focus so much on making sure you are doing the right thing day in and day out to support your dreams? The mind is a powerful place, which is why we need to start there, if we're ever going to see results in the real world. Given the fact money issues prevail, when it comes to many people's stresses, I'd venture to guess that we spend the greater part of our days thinking about money from a negative perspective-money is evil, money is too hard to make, money doesn't like me because I can't get enough of it to feel at ease and "accomplished." Sound familiar? Well, let's see if we can't turn that negative thinking around by shifting how you perceive the role of money in your life. We all can agree that money is the means of freedom, education and comfort. It allows us to grow, achieve autonomy, learn and provide a value and service to the world at large. Having a positive relationship with money is often the first step in lessening financial stress and making the changes necessary to open new doors to opportunity, to victory, to success.
##SAM#WHATSAPPGROUPTEACHING#