Monday, May 22, 2017
CHOICES WE MAKE MATTER
Patrick M. Powers enlightens us, ‘we are all born with
virtually unlimited potential. We all have 86,400 seconds a day. Where you end
up in life is not determined by where you start. It is what you choose to do
with the seconds you have – it is what you choose with your potential that
shapes your destiny….it is only two things that can create your dreams, your
choices and your commitment to those choices’
Make choices that will move you forward. High above all,
choose to take responsibility. Do not waste your time blaming others. Own the
problems that you encounter in life and become the solution. Learn to give;
learn to be of value to others. Tony Dovale was right, if you do not give out,
your hands are filled then you have no more space for more new things. Your
talent, your intelligence is meant to make life better for others.
Abebe Bekele complained not of the unavailability of the size
of his shoes, he run barefoot at the Olympics and eventually won the gold
medal. Achievers do not complain and they look at obstacles as opportunities to
be conquered. They deny being part of the problem but becoming a solution.
We fail because we concentrate on what we do not have. It is
what we have that makes us move forward. William Kamwamba had the passion and
drive to build a windmill. He did not concentrate on the unavailability of
materials. When you have passion and dedication all things fall in place. No
wonder he used rudimentary products. A person without arms won the China has
talent by playing piano with toes. He challenged the expected mode: playing
piano with hands. A Korean who had grown up in toilets and was a seller of gum
and sweets on the street amazed the audience with his voice at the Korea has
talent. Stop complaining, you have greatness within you.
It is appropriate that you have an open mind. Minds are like
parachutes, they only function when they are open. Challenge your thinking,
challenge your environment, and do not be satisfied. Les Brown even adds, if
you have a dream, be obsessed with you. If you are obsessed with your dream you
do not even look at any obstacles standing on your way. If you are obsessed
with a dream you stop everything and concentrate on the dream. If you are
obsessed with a dream you do the unthinkable, the crazy things that could lead
to the realisation of the dream.
It was the power of obsession that saw Phellipe Petit walk
on the rope between the twin towers of the world trade centre in New York on
August 7, 1974. It was their obsession with flying that was the Wright brothers
make an aero plane.
And in life choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice.
Happiness is not a priviledge for the rich. Anybody can be happy if only you
wish to be. Cherish the small things you have. We all start small and become big.
High above all have a positive mentality and feed it with positive thoughts.
Positive thoughts induce a positive character, thus oiling the wheels of your
courage to succeed. People that have positive character do not give up.
The secret to happiness is to start your day on a positive
note. Every morning when you wake up, read a motivation quote, or read a
scripture that will reinforce positivity in you. A better start drives you
forward with confidence. If you start your day with newspapers and television
news, you are at risk of having a bad day. Everyday media headlines are
negatives. Media headlines will give you the feeling as if life is all about
wars, failures, retrogression, and hyper inflation. The more that sinks in your
mind, the more the batteries that power you forward lose their energy. The
media pays little attention to progression, the media feeds your mind with
dosages and dosages of conflicts such that it appears as if there is nothing
good happening in the world than conflicts. In life you need a positive
orientation to move forward.
What you watch matters, what you listen to matters, our
opinions are shaped most by what we watch and what we listen to. Choose to
watch things that will challenge you to move forward. Choose to listen to stories
of achievers and then you will get inspired. Remember, it is the choices we
make that matter in life.
