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 Part 1

LET'S TALK ABOUT PASSION

   Powerful words come with powerful intent. Where you have passion, strength, courage, and determination you can accomplish anything! ~K.L. Toth

Passionate people are almost always ambitious, and when it comes to passion – a strong emotion of desire – there is a need to be brave enough to both acknowledge and embrace it. But the truth is that not everyone has the bravery or the opportunity to embrace their passion. Recently, while chatting with a friend, I noticed something very captivating about him; something that seems to make all the difference, And at that instant, I felt the need to share this with you. His action and words reminds me of the many lessons I've learnt and still learning from books, podcasts and videos: Lessons on the common attributes of successful people.

I have observed over time that all successful people, in their different spheres of life, have a lot in common ranging from how they think to how they work and relate with others. And starting with their passion for life, I'm looking forward to sharing some facts about this attributes with you in the series that I title 'The difference that makes all the difference'. In the course of this series, we'll be learning about those distinguishing attributes of successful people.

To start with, the main distinguishing quality of successful people is the passion they have for life and what they do in general. The drive and energy they exert in their everyday life while at work and in their relationship with men is what makes them special and outstanding in life. Their passion for the course they pursue is what keeps them going and stirs them up to greatness.

Passion which is defined as a very strong feeling about a person or thing, is an intense emotion, a compelling enthusiasm or desire for something. Passion may be a friendly or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, discovery, activity or love – to a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion, a positive affinity or love, towards a subject.

If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.” — T. Alan Armstrong

American businessman, author, and philanthropist speaker Anthony Robbins once said that 'there is no greatness without a passion to be great, whether it’s the aspiration of an athlete or an artist, a scientist, a parent, or a businessperson.' And that is very true because great people are passionate people. They all have a strong desire; a desire to see their dreams become reality even when they don't know how. They are people of action. They study and work hard in the pursuit of their goals. They are fearless in times of trial. They don't become weary at work and neither do they become tired of speaking about what they do or aspire to do. They are not discouraged when people try to dissuade them from pursuing their dreams, on the contrary they allow their passion to motivate them to achieve it.

The one thing that everyone could agree on about passion is that it is closely associated with drive, enthusiasm, limitless energy, motivation etc. It is impossible to be successful without passion because passion is what is being transformed into raw enthusiasm which is then processed into an internal drive that keeps you going at anything.

If you ever want to be great, the major thing you need is passion because without it, it becomes easy for you to be weary, discouraged or even dissuaded from achieving your dreams by smaller minds and that will make achieving greatness difficult. If perhaps you belong to that category, why don't you pick up that abandoned project you got tired of or you get back to that skill acquisition class you ran away from because it was 'boring and stressful'; or maybe you're a student and wouldn't go to class because you find the subject boring and difficult or because you probable don't like the teacher's face. How about you decide to embrace that course again, and this time around, with passion because it is passion that gives you strength to walk through when you hit a wall.
And if you haven't begun anything whatsoever at this moment, I'll urge you today to find out what you're passionate about, what you would do for free anytime, and embrace it with passion.

Another amazing thing about passion is that it gives satisfaction to the individual. Passion guarantees long lasting satisfaction. They (Passion and satisfaction) both go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness that results from it is only temporary because there's nothing to make it last. It's no wonder Nicholas Sparks concluded that 'The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all."

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” —Mark Twain

To strive for your passion is to be different others who don't. Do you have the same level of bravery to embrace your passion. Whatever your passion is, keep doing it. Don't waste time chasing after success or comparing yourself to others. Every flower blooms at a different pace. Excel at doing what your passion is and focus only on perfecting it. 'Eventually people will see what you are great at doing, and if you are truly great, success will come chasing after you.' ~Suzy Kassem

On a final note,
'Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.'
— Howard Thurman,
Author and Philosopher

EFFECTIVE LISTENING

Productive listening does not occur naturally. It requires hard work and practice.
Effective listening is challenging in part because people often are more focused on what they are saying than on what they are hearing in return. Listening seems to occur so naturally that putting a lot of effort into it doesn't seem necessary. However, hard work and effort is exactly what effective listening requires.