THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH

Understanding the biological makeup of a woman could be quite complex, especially when one is not into human anatomy or medical practice. However the fact that I am a woman myself has made the task somewhat easy.
In my brief study, one thing that really marveled me in the body of the woman is her reproductive role, capacity and system.
From the point of birth, the woman possesses all it takes to give life, even though it doesn’t really develop till a certain stage of her life.
Again, the womb in my opinion is the most intriguing of all the features of the female reproductive system. Its in the womb that a child is conceived, nurtured before finally brought forth.
I’m certain all this talk of biology has left you wondering, which brings me to the point of this write up.

Do you know the human mind is very similar to the female womb?

• The mind, just like the womb, is the place where ideas are conceived, nurtured, before they are brought forth.

• Conception depends on external factors; the ovum depends on sperm, while the brain depends on knowledge.

• The womb provides conducive atmosphere for gestation, and so does the mind, it provides the temperature for the development of your ideas, through its storehouse of information and experience.

• As fetus is aborted from the womb that is the same way ideas can be aborted from our minds sadly by the mother of both baby and idea.

• When gestation period is complete, the womb releases the child to the world, so does the mind, as soon as the idea has been fully developed and strategized by the mind, it releases it for implementation.

• The natural process of release mentioned above is usually painful but worth the pain, so is the effort put to actualize our plans, ideas etc

We are ALL pregnant and should be expectant, men and women alike, now whether it is with a baby or an idea, one thing we need for our wombs or mind is nourishment, and this is more so during the term of such pregnancy. The woman needs her nutrients, her diets, her exercises, while the mind needs knowledge, experience, and direction.

Lack of these usually lead to mal nourishment and the inevitable deficiency of your baby or idea.

The point of this write up again;

• Study to acquire knowledge.

• Participate to gain experience

• Inquire to receive direction.

FEED YOUR MIND!!!

The Spirit of PATRIOTISM

I remember singing the National anthem throughout my childhood years, its not like we had a choice, it was just an essential part of our education system, and I’m sure that the experience is not peculiar to me. However, what has got me thinking is the fact that I sang the anthem so many times but I never really listened to it, until recently.
Let me refresh your memory, the first stanza says; Arise O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey. Unfortunately many of us have not answered to this call, for a number of reasons. Some of us can’t hear the call because we are not listening, some others are just too busy chasing after seemingly more important things, and yet the third group is just plain angry with the country. Maybe a little understanding of who a patriot is will clarify the picture.
According to the Encarta dictionary; a Patriot is a proud supporter or defender of his or her country and its way of life. Note the word PROUD.
Question: where are all the proud Nigerians?
A true patriot has certain characteristics that I want us to look at.
•INSIGHT: the ability to see clearly into a complex or complicated situation. It’s the power of vision. A patriot is some one who doesn’t see his nation as it is but rather as what he wants it to be, when every other person sees faults and mistakes, the patriot sees only hope and possibilities.
•STRENGTH OF CHARACTER: the Patriot usually depicts a strong strength of character, little wonder it is so, every thing around him suggests to give up on his vision, on his cause and on his nation, the leaders are corrupt, and exhibit no sign of remorse but yet his level of commitment is unwavering. He is also very matured, because it takes a mentally matured man not to speak ill of his country no matter what. Imagine a scenario, where your mother is sick, and there is a possibility it is fatal, you don’t wake up every morning and cry ‘Away with you, you sick old woman’( if you are in your right senses) rather you encourage her, tell her to be strong, assure her of recovery e.t.c
•LEADERSHIP: the Patriot is a true leader in every ramification, a leader always protects his own, no matter the cost, a good shepherd is willing to die for the sheep, as also a good captain for his ship and also a good pilot for his crew. If you have ever tried to attack chicks when the mother hen is there, you will understand what I mean. She will fight you with all she has, just to keep her chicks safe and protected. A patriot will be willing to take extreme measures where necessary to protect his own nation.

Where do you and I come in? there is a divine mandate for us to leave our nation better than we met it. It’s the law of replenishing the earth, this is one platform that is begging for our attention, and it is totally free. It is called the platform of patriotism, where every one is a positive thinker and positive speaker.
What have you been saying about Nigeria? The prodigal son may have left with the loot, Judas may have betrayed Jesus, our leaders may have disappointed us, but all these should not change the cause of the mission.
Our mission is for a better Nigeria, the laborers are the patriots which are you and I, our tool is our mouth and the words we speak and our zeal will shade us from the heat.
Remember, Patriotism doesn’t mean overlooking the wrongs, but rather commitment to the mission.
Listen; can you hear the call? It says Arise O compatriots.

Speak a positive word about our country today!

7even Top STRATEGIES for Winning!

Life is as much a game as It is a Race, and just like in every good game, only the players that master the rules of the game emerge consistently as winners.
Now Winning is as much a mindset as it is a Reality, whether in our academics pursuits, career, marriage and even business, most people play to win, unfortunately also, most people don’t play fair-they go as far as employing tactics such as manipulation, corruption, deceit, selfish ambition, to outsmart and out shine the others-all of which are not necessary because he who cheats to win at a game is not a winner, but a cheat who is enjoying a temporary victory in anticipation of a permanent fall.
I’ll like to share with you, seven strategies, which if properly and consistently employed will enable and empower you to win Fair and Square in all spheres of your life.

#1. OPTIMISM: Yes, having the right mindset. No sane person enters a competition or starts a race and entertains ideas that he will lose. its what I call the ‘winning spirit’. True Victory starts in your heart. I suggest that whatever project it is you want to undertake in life, embark on it with the right positive attitude, apply for that job with the right positive mentality, enter into that marriage with the right mindset, be sure that if it’s never been done before, you can always be the one to start it, If there is just one person qualified, why wont it be you? I Hope you are getting the picture.

#2. RESEARCH: always investigate, find out in advance the rules of the game, talk to people who have been there before you…this will always set you on edge over your contemporaries. I mean, we all know that if you are going to write an exam, you should study past questions? So why wont you study the history of the company that is granting you that interview? If you are smart enough not to marry some one whom you know nothing of then bear in mind that that company is smart enough not to employ someone whom knows nothing of it. This applies in every sphere of your life. It pays to ask questions!

#3. PREPARATION: this is one of the basics, matter of fact 90 % of what determines the outcome of any game or sport is the level of preparedness of the players. No matter how many questions you ask, if you don’t do your home work, you won’t win the prize. According to John Maxwell, preparation sharpens your talent, so no matter how good you are, there will always be the external factor.

#4. FOCUS: I’ll put it this way, draw a mental picture of what you want, keep your eyes fixed on it, run towards it and don’t stop till you get there. Imagine a scenario, where an athlete in a track race, who was off to a pretty good start, well prepared and ahead of his colleagues, then suddenly he hears the cheering crowd and decides to stop and wave at them-while the race is still on. Two things will happen, he will slow himself down, and his colleagues will overtake him. Unfortunately some of us are a little too much like this athlete, you started off with a picture, then you see a little success and then lose focus, all to a temporary fleeting distraction of wealth or fame. Success is not a destination, it’s a race and one that doesn’t stop till your time is up. Remember, no matter how high you think you have reached, you can still fall, so keep your eyes on the finish line.

#5: PLAY TO WIN: this is what I like to call excellence. Whatever it is you do, I want you to have an A+ mentality. As entertaining as we think sports is, the players don’t play to entertain, they play to win, because a lot is already at stake for them, after putting so much hard work, they couldn’t care less if you find them amusing or even challenging, they are there for the prize. So should you, don’t get married for the sake of it, don’t just write an exam if you think you are not ready, don’t manage anything, if its not good enough, then it is no good at all. Put your best or don’t play at all.

#6. PERSEVERANCE: Have you ever heard of an endurance walk, you are expected to walk for miles, without a necessary purpose or direction, the aim basically is to test your stamina, how much heat you are able to take.
Your stamina (whether mental, emotional or spiritual) is one thing that will definitely be tested in the race of life. Sometimes the storms of life become so unbearable and yet you are expected to bear it and even take it all in good stride. Your desire to get to the finish line, should keep you on track, no matter how long the race is, or how many hurdles you have to jump or even how strained your muscles are.

#7. TEAM SPIRIT: This I feel is the most Important, possibly for my own sentimental reasons. Remember that in the race of life, you are not the only participant, we ALL are running the same race, all members of the same team, and all running for the same but distinct prize. what do you do when you see your fellow team player down on the field? Logic will say run ahead and leave him there, but wisdom and the true spirit of championship requires you should stop and pick him up. Bearing in mind that the next fall may be yours. The ability to carry each other along is where the team spirit lies…TRUE VICTORY IS NOT HIM WHO WINS THE PRIZE, BUT HIM WHO WINS THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE! There is no sense using and exploiting people, because at the end of the day, we all need each other!

A careful study and implementation of these strategies will evidently make you a winner in life. Run your race as I run mine, and I do look forward to celebrating with you at the finish line!

Branding that 'New' Business!

A lot of talk about branding goes on in the corporate world, and little wonder it is so because research has proven that branding has been the source of the rise or fall of many business empires.
According to the Encarta dictionary, branding is the
identification of product with manufacturer: the use of advertising, distinctive design, and other means to make consumers associate a specific product with a specific manufacturer

It suffices to say therefore that branding is a way of playing to the sensibilities of a target market or an already existing market, in order to create a lasting impression of your product that will reflect in increased sales.
Anyway, the question is how to you create an impression/brand for a non-existing business, or better put, a business plan that is so young that it doesn’t even have a market yet? This is where I come in, I will share with you certain procedures, which are simple really and which will definitely aid you in creating a brand!
•First, we need to tell the market that we are around, how can you create an impression if they don’t even know you exist? How do we do this, ever heard of freelance? Yup! That’s the secret, make yourself free or so affordable, people are people, and free things just has its way of exciting and attracting us.

•Always deliver, the only other thing better that freebies, is when the freebies carries content. Every body wants a free doughnut but somehow everybody expects that the free doughnut doesn’t taste as nice as the ones we pay for, it’s all psych. Let them know that your doughnut is not just free, but it tastes even better. Give them for free the value they can’t get even where they pay.

•Deliver Content, but always leave them wanting more, wet their appetites, give them the impression that as good as it gets, you have more, better where it came from, always leave them curious.

•Be available, be accessible, and let your business have a personality, always apply to the sensibilities of your market. It won’t hurt to create a customer service relationship.

•Make yourself scarce, let them look for you; this must be after you are sure that you have warmed yourself into their hearts.

•Repackage yourself, not the content- at this stage, you may want to consult with an image designer of some sort, remember, don’t just create an image for impressions, but build an image that will last.

•Come out with a big bang-and name your price!

The Principle of Priority!

I have this cousin ( chidiebere) who is very dear to me, a comely fellow, focused and ambitious. OK maybe a bit too ambitious. I have to admit, he worries me a bit. Being of the Catholic Faith, he hopes to be a priest, he also wants to be a lawyer, a doctor, a professor, and then some.
It’s not that I have anything against him going after his dreams, I mean, it’s the very thing I profess. It’s also not that I doubt his competence to accomplish this feat, because I am of the opinion that human beings are created to be multifaceted, we have the capacity to do several things and play several roles-it’s all part of our intelligent makeup and it’s also one of the things that distinguish us from other animals.
Back to Chidiebere, the problem I have with him is that he is an ambitious but confused 17 year old. I have since concluded that his confusion is as a result of lack of priority, which is an evidence of the absence of goal setting.
Inasmuch as every one should Inculcate the I CAN mentality, Inasmuch as we are created to be multifaceted, Inasmuch as we want to go out there and change the world, we must understand that Excellence means setting several goals and hitting our targets, one at a time.
Now where does priority come in? Simple.Set the goals you want achieved, it doesn’t have to be something as dramatic as a career path, it could be a list of things you want to buy at the grocery store, or just plainly your to-do list. Place them in the order of their importance to you, or in the order of their immediate feasibility-we were thought in Economics that it is called, Scale of Preference.
This affords us the opportunity to focus on each target at a time, bearing in mind that general expertise is NO expertise!
The ability to prioritize is pivotal to achieving our set goals in life; unfortunately not many people know this. Over ambition is good, great in fact, but please, go after your ambitions, one after the other.
This may seem a bit difficult, especially if you are as helpless and naive as my cousin is. I’d like to help by proffering certain criteria you may like to consider in prioritizing your goals.
• Which is most important generally?
• Which is most important to you?
• Which is more feasible?
• Which is more affordable?
• Which is short term?
• Which is long term?

There is no specific mode for considering these criteria, examine them individually and consider the plan that best suits you; however I recommend that you start with the ones that can be achievable in less time. In exams we are told to always go for the easiest questions first; and I suggest you do the same!