How Bad do you want it?

So there was this young man who approached a mogul said to him ''Sir I want you to teach me how to be successful'' the mogul replied ''meet me at the beach at 4am tomorrow''. The young man showed up 4am at the beach all dressed up with his suite and tie. The mogul went into the water and he called up this young man into the water. The young man dedicated to impress he got into the water waist deep the mogul said to him ''come in further''. The young man thinking to himself ''I said i wanted to learn how to become successful not to swim!!'' he gestured some irritation to the mogul. The mogul called up the boy to come further more. As the boy came, he quickly grabbed him put him face down into the water. The boy was drowning, he flapped, tried fighting but the mogul's grip was too firm. After a minute he took the young man out of the water. He asked him a question he said ''when you were down there, what was the only thing you wanted badly'', the young man replied ''I wanted to breath''. The mogul said to the young man ''the only time you are going to be successful in life is when you want to succeed as badly as you wanted to breath!''

How bad do you want it?

I came across this story at the hardest time in my life, it was a time when I saw myself as a failure in life. To cut my tale very short this type of story reminded me that as bad as your circumstances can be your success will only depend on one basic paragon ''how bad do you want it?''. It was then I thought of the guys that made it against all odds, guys like Stevie Wonder who became successful regardless of his blindness, guys like the greatest composer of all time Beethoven who composed the best classical songs of all time regardless of his disability of being deaf. It was then I remembered that the company Microsoft, their first capital was a vision and the company co-owned by a college dropout  at that time Mr Bill Gates which would count as huge disadvantage to investors who would invest in the newly found company. Don't get me wrong If you still in college finish your studies by all means, I'm not saying go drop out and try starting your own company just because Mr Bill Gates did it and became successful.The point is, regardless of all the challenges that were presented with all these great achievers they still made it. 

The difference in these people from an ordinary person would be, 'a sample of their desire' to achieve what they have set up for themselves versus yours. Some of us say we want to become successful but are not really willing to put up the required amount of work needed to be successful. We say we want to become the best but we do not want to even think like the best. This is what I want you to remember, your thoughts come first then your action will follow. Meaning you become who you think you are, you need to think like the best in order to become the best. Think big then you will become big. 

You need to want it bad before you can have it bad!! Just remember this You can do it, you will do it, it's done!!  

The threat of failure

We all have dreams but then not everyone achieves their dreams at the time they have set up for them-selves. In some cases some end up not achieving them all together. When you are persuading your dream the biggest threat you face is failure. As a dreamer you need to learn to live with that fear if you can’t live with it you will give up on your dreams and end up not achieving them and become bitter all your life.

It is important as well to have a strong value system in your life, that way you are able to separate things that are important and things that aren’t. You need to learn how to channel your dreams in the right direction. For example knowing myself I can’t really sing in-fact I’m such a horrible singer which means whether I like it or not I cannot be a singer, but I cannot deny my passion for music so to channel that I would translate it to being a Radio DJ or maybe become a  music producer. It makes sense doesn’t it?

In all that you do or dream about it is also very important to be realistic in it. Not saying you must cap your dreams and have limits, but in a content that your dreams should always be in line with your own abilities to make them possible to be achieved. I want you to know this today no dream is impossible to achieve but if you tell a fish to climb a tree it will be impossible. That’s what we do, isn’t it? In most cases we see someone do something in a very nice fashion and we try and in-corporate what we saw and end up failing to do it. Meaning that your dreams should be something that come to you naturally not something you saw someone who did it good then you’d also want to try it.

Your dreams are what you need to achieve something greater in your life. Your dreams alone should be a great inspiration in your life. You should be your greatest motivation day-day because there is no one who can ever want what you want. There cannot be anyone who can achieve what you can achieve in your life. There is no one you can dream the way you can dream. You are the best version of who you can become now embrace that. Achieve, achieve and achieve!!!!

No Bounderies

Sir Richard Branson is a very well known business guru. He is the founder of the multi-billion dollar organization Virgin group which is composed of more than 400 companies one’s you may be familiar with are Virgin mobile, Virgin active and Virgin money just to name a few.

He is known as one of the most spontaneous business people in the industry as his is always looking for innovative ways to do business. Sir Richard Branson has a different style of running a business but his way of running a business proves to be very effective as he has built himself a billion-dollar empire.

He is quoted saying: “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by trying and falling over”. This is one of the philosophies this billionaire approaches how he does business and how he lives his life through out. Meaning there are no distinct rules you follow that will make you successful, in life you make your own rules and you allow your imagination take control and never be afraid to try something that has never been done before, that how he got to the level he is at the moment.

The greatest thing you can take from this business mogul is the passion and determination to do things outside boundaries. Do not be afraid to be different. Don’t be afraid to have fun in anything you do and take life as an experiment.

This is it! Life is all about what you make of it. As challenges come let them make you stronger. If you can live through all the challenges you face then you can make it through anything in life. Nothing would be beyond your reach. You destiny is in your own hands!

Self Belief

What is self-belief?

Believing in yourself is having confidence in yourself, and having to trust yourself and support your own ideas. Meaning you will have self-esteem which is another way to display believing in yourself. Having self-belief is one of the things in the world that nobody else can do for you. The greatest beings to ever grace the earth had that one most common feature in them and that is to trust them-selves and willing to die for what they believe in, which in some degree is a great display of confidence and self belief. It is very important for one to believe in them-selves, in order to achieve a lot of things in this world. People with low self confidence find it hard to become successful, because for them their success depends on a lot of people and things.

Why do you need to believe in yourself?

Your level of self belief can be easily spotted by how you carry yourself, how you respond to criticism and in your body language as well. You need to have self believe in order to take risks and be able to achieve things better then the one's you already have. Having confidence gives the will power to do things which you believe are right even if others are mocking you. Having self believe will generate a much needed positive energy which will enable you to succeed regardless what other people may be thinking.

How to build self confidence?

The thing is there is no distinct method that one can guarantee to build your-self belief. However knowing your weakness alone is strength. 

Step One to building self confidence

Write down your 5 strengths and 5 weaknesses. Doing that will help you spot on the things you lack and the thing you have. This will give you a direction you’d need in order to start with your journey.

Step Two to building self confidence

You need to know who you want to become before you become. Take a list of 10 features you like in the most successful people you know. Jot those down and make it a point that you try and apply those things in your life. 

Step Three to building self confidence

Write down your goals and get a mentor that would help you achieve those goals. Ensure that the person you make your mentor would be one who has already been successful in that field or a field that would somehow relate to yours.

In everything you do believe in yourself you'd be surprised how much you will achieve. Success is at your own reach, strive for it then it will be yours!!!!  

Being Motivated

Your key to motivation depends upon why is it that you're doing whatever it is that you're doing. In most cases we as people apply ourselves on doing something whistle in the middle of that we loose interest. What would be the cause of that?The people that are millionaires today, the well known sport people of today, the famous artists, the popular dancers and well respect business people all have one thing in common. They were motivated. Being motivated is like having a backup engine on stand by, because the people that are more motivated achieve a lot more things then the less motivated individuals. The loss of interest is mainly caused by the individual forget ''WHY'' they were doing it anyway.

 It is through motivation that we see other individuals achieve things at an unimaginable scale.
There are three questions you need to ask yourself in order to channel your motivation
1. What is it that keeps you looking forward to the day ahead?
2. Who am I doing this for?
3. Why is what doing important for you to do?

Answer those three questions then you'll know why you doing what you're doing. Another thing that may add to ones lack of motivation it is fear. Fear is the biggest factor in most people giving up in their dreams, the only problem is most individuals don't even know that it is the fear that robbed them their dream which came in the form of doubt and excuse.''You must realise fear is not real, it is the products of thoughts you create. Now, do not misunderstand me, danger is very real.But fear is a chioce'' - Will Smith. Do I need to say more? It is through your thought process that you may fear or not, it is whether or not that you believe for it to become real.Your motivation and your fear will only depend on what you bring to your attention.

 ''Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know avoiding the trap of thinking that you have something to lose''- Steve Jobs
Give everything you do everything you have then you will be almost guaranteed success.
You are God's very own engineering you can do anything you put your mind in. Just stay motivated! Do not give up! Push until something happens!

Success Outside Your Own Bounderies

Sir Richard Bronson is a very well known business guru. He is the founder of the multi-billion dollar organisation Virgin group which is composed of more than 400 companies one’s you may be familiar with are Virgin mobile, Virgin active and Virgin money just to name a few.

He is known as one of the most spontaneous business people in the industry as his is always looking for innovative ways to do business. Sir Richard Bronson has a different style of running a business but his way of running a business proves to be very effective as he has built himself a billion-dollar empire.

He is quoted saying: “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by trying and falling over”. This is one of the philosophies this billionaire approaches how he does business and how he lives his life through out. Meaning there are no distinct rules you follow that will make you successful, in life you make your own rules and you allow your imagination take control and never be afraid to try something that has never been done before, that's how he got to the level he is at the moment.

The greatest thing you can take from this business mogul is the passion and determination to do things outside boundaries. Do not be afraid to be different. Don’t be afraid to have fun in anything you do and take life as an experiment.

This is it! Life is all about what you make of it. As challenges come let them make you stronger. If you can live through all the challenges you face then you can make it through anything in life. Nothing would be beyond your reach. You destiny is in your own hands!

Leading from The Front

He has lived 95 years of purpose and determination. After gracing the earth with his warmth and charisma the African legend and international Icon Mr Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela has passed on. “He was a kind of person that makes me want to become a better man” President Of the USA Barrack Obama was quoted saying those words during the memorial of a great icon also first president of a democratic South Africa Mr Nelson Mandela which was held on the 10 December 2013 in south Africa.

What is worth taking from the great life of Nelson Mandela?

His compassion and humility towards other people is worth taking. The best term to describe him towards other people is the word Ubuntu. Ubuntu is an African word which describes a human spirit which is a greater degree of humility and respect to another.

His great purpose of serving people is another great trait this icon displayed. In most cases we complain about the people in power about their greed and their eagerness to be dominant in all areas at their boundary. After experiencing oppression all black people that were under the South African government(Apartheid) had a negative attitude towards all white people. But what this great man did was un-expected when he declared that they will not seek for revenge of their oppressors he responded by saying: “Never, never and never again in this beautiful country shall one experience oppression from another”. This what made him different from any other and it made him great!

His genuine charisma is one of his best traits. It is no doubt that Mr Nelson Mandela is amongst the most charismatic leaders in the history. He was poised to be savior in the apartheid era and he became more popular because of his great courage of standing for the rights of the black nation.

His focus and determination is one of the things that made him a great leader. He was sentenced for 27 years by the apartheid government charged with sabotage and plotting to overthrow the apartheid government. He served 18 years in a lonely prison at Robin Island. All his days in jail he was breaking stones and he was forbidden to wear sunglasses so that the sun may blister in his eyes. But what kept him going? He was driven by the legacy he will live for his people and his family as well. When things go tough he was kept by the desire to liberate his nation and the future he might provide for his children and the rest of the nation.

Mr Nelson Mandela’s leadership qualities were worth noting.  After he got to the presidential seat beating Mr W De Klerk he allowed him to continue living in his presidential accommodation even though he could have kicked him out as a new president and as one who had authority to do so. He not only did that but he made a peace rally between the oppressed (Black nation, Indian nation, colored nation) and the oppressor(White Nation).

He fought for what he believed in. Not a threat of a death sentence, not continuous beating from apartheid police, nothing stopped him   from persuading his dream of getting the freedom for his people.

Then the question lies in you, what then is stopping you from being a great leader, business person, sport man or musician? Let a life of this phenomenal human being inspire you to be great in every aspect of your life by just taking a hint of what he has done to be great in his!

Dreams that can't be dreamt

It is almost guaranteed that whenever you work towards your dream you will always find opposition which will cause you to doubt your abilities.The value of a dream to one is sentimental and should not necessarily make sense to anybody else but the pursuer of that dream.

But what is it that differs from one who has achieved their dream to one that hasn't? "What a mind can conceive, then the body can achieve it". If you do not believe it yourself it is almost impossible to achieve it. One of the greatest boxers of all time Mohamed Ali said he won all his fights before he got into the boxing ring. He would meditate and envision himself taking down his competition. To some who have seen his documentaries they know he even went to a point that he predicted some of his victories, he would speculate at which round will he knock out his opposition. He was confident on himself and he believed in what he said. However those guys who got beaten by him probably believed that he was better than them that why they got beaten. The lesson in this mostly is that the difference in the victor and the loser is self belief.

 Achieving a dream is very difficult and it requires a lot, however it is achievable regardless how big that dream can be. You will face opposition from all kinds of directions however if you keep focused you can achieve it.
There are a couple of steps and stages you will have to prepare for in order to be groomed and well ready to go for your dream. You will need to have:
 1. Goal
A goal gives a map and a direction of the steps you should take in order to achieve your dream

2. Get a mentor
Getting a mentor would help you go through the challenging parts of your goals

3. Never Give up
In life you will fail in a couple of things, you won't get it right all the time but it id important to understand that your failures can not dictate how far you go in life. But they should serve as a tool that grooms you and develop your skills in the specific area you are failing at.

 4. Know your strengths and weaknesses
Knowing yourself will help you become realistic about your goals and it will enable you to seek for well needed help where you are weak, instead of trying to do everything yourself and compromise the quality of the thing you pursue.

5. Believe
If you believe it can be done then it will be done. Believe in yourself. Meditate and trust your abilities that God has blessed you with

It is important that if you are looking to achieve your dreams not to allow factors from the outside affect what you have in the inside. Believe that you can do it, realise the greatness you have inside you, be relentless, be assertive, be all that you want to be just because you can!

Attitude is Everything

“If you think you can or think you can’t either way you’re right” – Henry Ford (I)

It has probably been the main factor if not the only factor that differentiates one who achieved their goals from one who hasn’t. Attitude is what it’s called. What makes a difference is the attitude they have when encountering challenges.

“We have 90% of things we can control and the 10% we can’t. You’re attitude is based on how you react to the 10% of the things you can’t control” - unknown

What is the meaning of that? This means that in life we will certainly encounter things that serve as a challenge, but what actually course the real problem is how we react to the situations we don’t have control over. Attitude has everything to do with whether we succeed in life or not. It is important to have a positive attitude if you are looking to succeed in anything you are doing.

Have you ever noticed how well your day goes when you‘re feeling good? On that day the mostly likely things to upset you just don’t faze you. What courses that? It’s because when you feel good that’s the only thing that matters at that point, the other things that would set you off your mood you don’t really pay attention to. Why then can’t we live each day like day instead of paying attention to things that don’t add real value to your lives? A positive attitude has such great power in a person’s life and therefore is a necessary tool to anyone who wants to experience great success in his or her life 

How to measure success

So a business guru was at the small village in the south side of Africa he saw this farmer guy who had fine crops in his fair sized garden. A business guru complimented the farmer on his quality product ''nice crops'', farmer responds ''thank you sir''. A businessman asks ''how long did it take you to grow them?''  ''Not very long'' the farmer responded. 

The guru asked the farmer why he didn't grow more crops since he still had abundant space. The farmer responded by telling him he had enough to support his family. The guru asked him what he did with the rest of his time. The farmer responded "I sleep late, spend time with my family, go fishing with my buddies, take my wife out on dates, and sip some nice wine, I have a full busy life sir''

The guru man showing disapproval '' I'm an MBA from one of the best Universities in the world and I can help you. You should spend more time farming and with the profits then buy bigger land; eventually you will have plenty of farms. Instead of selling your crop to the middle man you'll sell directly to the processor and distribution. You will leave this small village and move to the City where you'll do business properly and expand your entity''.

The farmer then asks "but sir how long will all this take? the guru replies "15-20 years" ''but then what?'' the farmer asked. The guru giggles ''That’s the juicy part! When the time is right you would sell your company stock on public and become very rich. You would make millions''. ''Millions sir?'' he asks ''Millions'' he answered. ''Then what?'' the farmer asks. The guru responds ''Then you would retire. Move to a small village grow crops just enough for your family, sleep late, spend time with your family, go fishing with your friends, take your wife on dates, and sip some nice wine''.

The farmer, still smiling, looked up and said ''Isn't that what I'm doing right now? - Unknown Author 

How then do we measure success? Some measure success by how much they have in their bank accounts but some measure success by how much of their lives they live for the ones they love!

Small things accumulate to Big things

"If you are not willing to look like a fool, nothing great is ever going to happen to you" - Dr Gregory House.

 It is very often that when you think about being successful you think of the bigger picture, which at a great extent is good, but how often do you think about the starting point on your dream? The research done by scholars in south Africa states that the high rate of businesses failing after the first 6 years in business is due to lack of planning and business models that can't be sustained. What causes that? I'll tell you, most business owners jump in to the high horse before they can afford it. In most cases when a business model fails to be sustained it is because the business only had one source stream of income which is not realistic for a new business.

 Starting small is important to all businesses because it helps a business build a strong customer base, and they can be able to come up with a reliable business model which is suitable for the target market. When you think of the most successful people in South Africa. It's either they started selling peanuts in train stations or maybe they were assistants to taxi drivers. The well known Mr. Mamponya who is owner of the Maponya Mall also multi-millionaire and one of the most successful people in south africa started his business from his first job of selling meat at the rank, who would have thought he'd become this successful? The Blackanese sushi bar owner  Maboneng Precinct one of most popular a restaurants in Gauteng started as a car guard. No one believed in his dream but because he valued his small efforts, his vision didn't allow the circumstances he was suffering at that time to stop him from yeaning to achieve his dream. You do not zap your way to success it all starts by the small things.

 "Success and failure are not major events, they are small events which accumulate to big results" - Anthony Robbins. Most of us are caught focusing more on the result of situations without attempting to accomplish the smaller events in our lives. Truth is if you can't handle success at a small scale you can never do it on a bigger one, therefore it is more important for an individual to know these things. Yet again when you fail you start by small things as well, like not writing your goals down, not planning your business or whatever it is you want to succeed in. Be inspired and pump yourself with positive thoughts because it all starts small and it all starts as a dream until you achieve it!