THE DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE: Part 2

RESHAPE YOUR THINKING


   Ever wonder why some people are so successful in life while others struggle so much with hardly nothing to show for their efforts? Well, I also used to wonder until I discovered this amazing answer which I've chosen to share with you today. I have to warn you, this might sound strikingly odd and complicated to some of you while it might just sound so simple and insignificant to others but this simple reason is what causes a great deal of difference between the successful and unsuccessful people. In other words, this is the difference that makes all the difference. This simple reason is-  'Successful people think differently than unsuccessful people.'

   Think? Yes Think. This is something you must have heard of at one time or the other in your life. And either consciously or unconsciously, thinking is an activity we all engage in everyday of our lives be it morning, noon or night, whether we be black or white, old or young and irrespective of our shapes and sizes. And the good thing about this is that you don't have to be a genius in order to think. Speaking of which, you have approximately 70,000 thoughts per day, although most are similar thoughts revolving around in the cranial highway. Which is why you have to consciously make sure that you don't spend the larger part of that number (i.e 40,000 - 50,000) nurturing negative thoughts.



To accomplish great things,
we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.  ~Anatole France

  
Perhaps, you might be wondering how the way you think affects your level of success in life.
The fact remains that your beliefs have the power to unlock your inner genius or keep you from fully achieving your greatest potential. Hence, the nature of the larger percentage of thoughts you spend your day dwelling on (including the unconscious ones) is what makes up your life and determines who you are. This makes believing in negative thoughts the single greatest obstruction to success. And the common thing about all successful people is that they know this fact which is why they consciously think positively, they think success, they think possibilities (i.e they spend the larger part of their day nurturing positive thoughts).
   Coupled with that, Successful people mostly know what they want in life and they are able to channel not only their thoughts but also their actions towards the accomplishment of that goal.

  
You have to think positively if you want to go to the top. Mainly because:


1- "Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
The interesting thing about this world is that it's not fixed, it turns out for you the way you see it and the successful people know this. The truth is that you are literally what you think about. I.e, the quality of your life can't be better than the quality of your thoughts.
Uniquely, this was emphasized to us in the book of Romans 12:2 which says that -   Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, 'but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.' Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (NLT VERSION) It is seen here that the way to changing a man is by changing his thoughts first.


The moment you begin to consciously think success, you position your subconscious mind to do likewise and that will in turn make you see the world as a place where success is achievable, and this will programme you by default to take positive actions to achieve that. It is important to know that Life is simple, and the way you see it is the way it turns out for you. In other words, how you choose to see your circumstances has a powerful influence on what your circumstances will be. Equally important is the fact that it is impossible to reach success with a scheme of failure thoughts in your mind.
Our mind is the most valuable possession that we have.
The quality of our lives is, and will be, a reflection of how well we develop, train, and utilize this precious gift. - Brian Tracy



2- "You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." ~ James Allen
You have to think success to achieve success. Think prosperity to achieve prosperity. Most importantly, if you don't like the way your life is right now, you don't just have to desire a change; you have to consciously take steps to achieve that change starting with the conscious renewal of your thoughts.



"In order to create a better tomorrow than today, you must first create better thoughts today than you did yesterday."    ~ Celeb



When you consciously think positively, you develop an optimistic mindset and that increases your chances of seeing life opportunities that can propel you up for success. Comparatively, the major difference between a poor man and a rich man is the way they think. Rich people thinks abundance while poor people think scarcity. The unsuccessful man thinks 'If I can' while the successful man believes 'I can'. The unsuccessful man thinks and wait for opportunities to make impact while the successful man thinks and creates opportunities to do that.

   In order to become successful in whatever you do or aspire to do, you need to develop a success mentality. Determine to consciously think success always and these right thoughts will create the right attitude that creates the right actions which gives the right result.



On a final note,
"The kind of thoughts you mostly nurture is a great determinant of the kinds of words you speak, which in turn affects your attitude and actions and eventually, the kind of person you become." Change your thoughts, and you'll see your life change."   ~ Celeb


By: Olaniran Olalekan (Celeb)

The difference that makes all the difference

I'll be sharing with you on some important lessons/ facts that everyone who desires all round success should and must know in a series I title 'The difference that makes all the difference'
We'll be looking into the lives of successful people in numerous fields around us and learning about some distinguishing attributes in their lives that we can also use in improving our individual lives and achieving our respective 'big dreams'.
In an article I'll be posting this week, I want us to start by looking into one of the major attributes that gives and maintains all round success: Passion
  WATCH OUT!!!
By Celeb



In the mean time,
Here are 21 inspiring quotes on passion for you:
  
Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will normally find it’s something you’re tremendously passionate about.”. — Steve Pavlina, Blogger and Author


Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.” — Denis Diderot, French Philosopher


One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” — E. M. Forster, English Novelist


Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Philosopher


Purpose may point you in the right direction but it’s passion that propels you.” — Travis McAshan, Entrepreneur and Web Strategist


My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Maya Angelou


If you don't have passion for that cause, it's going to go nowhere in the long run.


Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.  Harriet Tubman


Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don't let anyone limit your dreams.  Donovan Bailey


You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support.  Sabrina Bryan


Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.  A. P. J. Abdul Kalam


Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.  Yo-Yo Ma


With out passion you don't have energy, with out energy you have nothing.  Donald Trump


There is no fulfillment in things whatsoever. And I think one of the reasons that depression reigns supreme amongst the rich and famous is some of them thought that maybe those things would bring them happiness. But what, in fact, does is having a cause, having a passion. And that's really what gives life's true meaning.  Ben Carson


My ambition comes from my passion: finding what I love and then expanding on that.  Miranda Kerr


Whatever you want to do, do with full passion and work really hard towards it. Don't look anywhere else. There will be a few distractions, but if you can be true to yourself, you will be successful for sure.  Virat Kohli


"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.". -Oprah Winfrey


"You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you're not passionate enough from the start, you'll never stick it out.". Steve Jobs


"If you feel like there's something out there that you're supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it.". -Wanda Skyes


"If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion."  -Mia Hamm


"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." -Albert Einstein

When I was in Piazza di Spagna, in Rome, I watched (along with others) how many locals came to drink water from the fountain there. The people beside me said to each other "Oh my goodness, how disgusting, people just drink water from anywhere," while the whole time, I was thinking "Oh my goodness, how wonderful, people can drink water from anywhere." We can be in the exact same place, looking at the exact same thing, but see that thing in a completely different way. You can go around the world, and go to all the beautiful places, but never be happy, because happiness is something that you bring inside of you, it is not where you are or what you are looking at, but it is how you are and how you look at. ~C. JoyBell C.

When at first you don't succeed

"The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom."   ~ George S. Patton Jr.


   What do you do When at first you don't succeed? Do you decide to try something else? Maybe your response is to just sit down and carefully look for who to blame for the failures. Do you blame others for your failure? Rather still, you might be careful enough not to blame others but instead choose to go about sulking over your failed attempt at doing something good. Or maybe you don't sulk over unsuccessful attempts to succeed but instead decide not to try any further and choose to sit back, to give up, and quit trying.
   We all respond to failure in various ways and in the process of working on our dreams, we are going to encounter a lot of difficulties, disappointments, pain and  setbacks at some particular point in our lives. Some of you, like me, might have experienced this more than once in your life. Some of you might have been nurturing the thought of tagging yourselves a 'failure' because of the tangible number of times you've failed at one thing or the other. Well, its high time you had a change of perspective.
   I'm glad to tell you that what you perceive as failure today may actually be a crucial step towards the success you seek. So never give up because there is no failure except in no longer trying. 'One of the things I've realized about success is that the ones who make it are the ones who keep trying until they do.' Mario Andretti once said that "desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." As we seek to change our perception of failure and success, let me enlighten you on something I find quite fascinating which I believe will help us to see disappointments, setbacks or failure in a new light. I'll like to start with a short story, a popular one at that; and just in case you are familiar with this story, I would implore you to open your mind and read it like it were your first time so that you can hopefully learn something new.



"It's failure that gives you the proper perspective on success." ~Ellen DeGeneres.


  This was the story of a great man who was faced by a similar challenge (failure) in the pursuit of his dream. Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He invented many devices like the phonograph, the motion picture camera and developed the electric light bulb that affects our lives greatly; but Thomas Edison's life wasn't all about success. While growing up, Thomas Edison's teachers concluded that he was ''too stupid to learn anything''. Asides that, he was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive" but as an inventor, Edison showed a great deal of perseverance when he recorded 1000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb i.e he failed 1000 times and kept on trying until he finally  achieved his goal.
   This tells me that success in life is not determined by the number of times one fails. Rather, it is determined by your reaction every time you fail. Your attitude and the actions you take when at first you don't succeed is what determines if you are going to remain at that point where you failed or succeed eventually. No wonder Denis Waitley said that "Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. FAILURE IS DELAY, NOT DEFEAT. IT IS A TEMPORARY DETOUR, NOT A DEAD END. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." When at first you don't succeed, analyze the cause of failure, learn from the experience, then try again. When a reporter asked him, "How did it feel to fail 1000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1000 times. I have successfully discovered 1000 ways to NOT make a light bulb. What a reply that was!. You've got to develop a positive mindset that sees every setbacks as a chance to learn something new and an opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.
   Some say “When at first you don’t succeed, just sit down and eat cake . . . then try again.” It might sound funny but it's true and I totally agree with that as long as you don't forget while eating cake to get back up and try again. It really doesn't matter how many times you've tried without success, you just have to get back up and try again and again believing in yourself even if you are the only one that believes in you. You also have to believe that "it's not over until you win". Even the famous Henry Ford failed and went broke two times before he successfully created the Ford Motor Company. That moment when at first you don't succeed is not the time to lose hope in that dream, instead you have to believe much more that it can be done. Like David J. Schwartz said in his book 'The Magic of Thinking Big' that "Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution."



"Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune;
but great minds rise above them"
~ Washington Irving



   We can't always be winners the first time around and we sometimes get frustrated; you may even entertain giving up because of the idea of failing. The good news is you can always go back and try again, better this time because in the process of doing that, you'll discover some things about yourself than you don't know right now. "The true measure of success is how many times you can bounce back from failure". ~Stephen Richards. As the saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." You have to be tough in the pursuit of your dream, you have to stay hungry for that course, don't get discouraged to try over and over again until you get it right and can celebrate your success.


"I don't believe I have special talents, I have persistence … After the first failure, second failure, third failure, I kept trying."
~ Carlo Rubbia, Prize winning Physicist



   Now, how about you think through these: The popular Harry Potter story book was rejected by twelve publishers before it was finally published a year after but more than 400 million copies of the book have been sold today. Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financing for creating Disney World. Micheal Jordan was dropped from his high school basketball team but he turned out to be the greatest basketball player. Bill Gates failed at his first business with Paul Gilbert, and Paul Allen but wasn't discouraged from trying again; he went ahead to cofound Microsoft with Paul Allen which turned out to be a major success. Colonel Sanders (the founder of KFC) had his fried chicken recipe rejected 1009 times before it was finally accepted by a restaurant. Steven Spielberg was
denied two times to the prestigious University of Southern California film school but he went on to direct some of the biggest movie blockbusters in history and in 1994 got an honorary degree from the film school that rejected him twice. And of course Thomas Alva Edison ended up as the greatest innovator of all time with 1,093 US patents to his name, along with several others in the UK, and Canada.


"There is something to be said for keeping at a thing, isn't there?"
~ Frank Sinatra

Life Lessons

In life, we all face problems. Problems we all run away from. Some easy to solve, others a though puzzle. When they strike, they do so from different angles and often affect one or more targets. Most problems are like twistable springs without elasticity limits. Until we ease or solve them, they just stay calm waiting for the right tilt and snap to quake all concerned borders. Some problems are emotional and bring suicidal thoughts, some spiritual and troubles the soul, some mental and results to a lost mind, some social and wreck lives, some physical causing unfair disadvantages and some financial and cause hardship. It is wise to know when and innovate deep insights into how to ease them.