Would you like to realize your goals this year? Maybe you’d like to run your own business, increase your material possessions, or succeed in an area of interest such as arts or sports. Whatever you are yearning for this year will come to pass if you find the path or key to the closely guarded secrets most achievers and wealthy people guard day and night in order to thwart people like you and me in realizing our dreams.

One thing you have to know is that there  is are various paths that lead to the pot of gold, and many people of diverse backgrounds have successfully found it. You too can find it . Whether you want to follow the ways of the great financiers, the famous politicians, or the dynamic movie stars, there are common traits of behavior each of them followed. And in many cases, they have shared their secrets so YOU CAN FOLLOW THEIR FOOTSTEPS.

“If you wish to know the road up the mountain, ask the person who goes back and forth on it,” said the ancient sage, Zenrin.  What better way is there to know the secrets than to ask those who have made it? What goals do you want to achieve? And what amount of effort can you commit?

You may want money for the extra things in life, money to build a corporate empire, or money to support yourself while you pursue the fine arts. Perhaps you’d like to take the risk to start something new in your life. You may want to open your own business, devote your energies to an artistic career such as acting, or reap the benefits of your yearly endeavors with fabulous vacations several times a year.

What will bring you happiness? The satisfaction of success takes many forms. Not only are people seeking financial fortunes, but also the ancient goal of peace of mind. Do you worry? You might be concerned about your health or your family’s well-being. You may be anxious about the added expenses of education, medical bills, or the ever increasing cost of living.

There are ways out of the endless cycles of worry, stress and anxiety. Right now, you can rise above the whirl of survival to achieve the accomplishments you dream of!.  When you’re for-real ready to put your whole effort into realizing your goals, YOU WILL SUCCEED.

Are you looking for financial security? May you are looking for money to prepare for retirement, or money for education or leisure? Riches are the overflowing abundance of material possessions-houses, cars, boats, furnishings- everything you ever wanted. Centuries ago, Horace wrote, “By right means, if you can, but by any means, make money.” For many people it is a path towards happiness, a cure for all worries and peace of mind.

For some people, riches come in the form of satisfaction and personal independence. Satisfaction comes from accomplishment in employment or attaining goals. It is that feeling of contentment and confidence from a good task well done. Riches are closely linked with success.  And with that comes fame and acknowledgment of position. Success might be the feeling of well-being from the rewards of good effort. Or the enthusiasm and vitality triggered by recognition. “Success is how well I enjoy the minutes,” said producer Norman Lear.

Throughout history, the people who lived with riches often achieved them by hard work, diligence and a belief in themselves. For some people, it took courage, genius and stamina. But for many others, it took nothing special but the desire to turn dreams into reality.

Whether you want millions of dollars, recognition as an artist, or personal freedom, you have the ability to make your life as rich as you want. Think about what you most desire. It may not be hard cash, but what it can buy. Or, it may be those feelings of inner satisfaction, from creating something beautiful or strong.

You may be looking for something meaningful and significant in life- something other than things money can buy. Whatever your goals are, and however difficult they seem to reach, you have the ability to become who you want to be provided you are willing to pay the supreme sacrifice of success which is simply HARD WORK and DETERMINATION.

Take a look can you see yourself surrounded by riches? Picture the world open and in front of you, ready to take form of your dreams, ready to stage your desires. “Why then, the world’s mine oyster,” wrote Shakespeare, “which I with sword will open.”

Watch out for part 2. May God grant you wisdom and divine knowledge to attain that goal/s you crave for this year.

God bless you!!!

It is indeed a great pleasure to return to this blog in 2011 after a one month break from the internet. Here’s wishing you a prosperous and successful 2011, may all your dreams and aspirations come to pass this year.

It is my hope and conviction that what you have set out to achieve this year will indeed come to pass.

I am particularly impressed by men and women who defied all odds to reach their goals despite encountering many obstacles in their solemn journey towards financial freedom. There is a saying by William James which says ‘the greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind’. This saying has been a driving force in my journey towards self liberation from the shackles of poverty. George Bernard Shaw summed it up when he said ‘the greatest of evils and the worst of crimes is poverty…our first duty – a call to which every other consideration should be sacrificed – is not to be poor’.

In continuation of my first article, I want to proceed by cautioning prospective entrepreneurs on the widely held view that to make it in business one needs to have a sound educational background. Yes, it is important to have some form of education. It is important to have knowledge about things, knowledge about the type of business you want to do. There are two types of knowledge, one is general and the other is specialized. General Knowledge, no matter how great in quantity or variety it may be, is of but little use in the accumulation of wealth. Knowledge cannot attract money, unless it is well organized, and intelligently applied through practical plans of action. Lack of understanding of this fact has been the source of confusion to millions of people who falsely believe that ‘knowledge is power ‘. Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end.

Remember an educated man is not, necessarily, one who has abundance, of specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has developed the faculties of his mind that he acquires anything he wants or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others. I hope I have done justice in trying to dispel this notion which has held millions of people captive for centuries. Business or entrepreneurship is all about your vision; history to me is a great teacher, if you look at Bill Gates the founder of Microsoft Corporation, he is a college drop out, Richard Branson the founder of Virgin Group is also a college drop out. These two men defied all odds and went on to establish what is today two Major Corporations rated in the top 20 Fortune 100 companies.

Developing a wealth mindset is the first step towards developing an entrepreneurial spirit. Earl Nightingale said ‘you become what you consciously think about’, what this tells us is that, whatever, our mind conceives, it will surely come to pass. If our thoughts are always crowded with despair and despondence, there is no way; our thinking can come up with wealth creating strategies. Therefore, mind transformation set should take precedence over anything else in order to align our thinking. Simple steps towards aligning our thinking with our goals takes very minimal effort, it’s all about dreaming and planning….it’s a dream in the sense that you anticipate and visualize yourself in the position or status you intend to be in a given period of time. Personally I visualize myself being a group CEO of my own enterprise. I have already embarked on this dream….it’s not an event but a process. Every time I think about business, Sir Richard Branson keeps popping in my mind. He is not only my role model but somebody who inspires me to thrive and look for opportunities around us. Every Individual can do the same if we are focused and think and live our dreams.

In order to realize and actualize our dreams, you have to consciously tune your mind to positive thinking everyday. Dream and aspire of what you want to be, live the dream. One way to ensure you keep focused on your dream is to write down all the things you desire to achieve. Paste this piece of paper on your head board or wall where you can see this paper everyday. Think about how best you can achieve this dream everyday.

To round off, we need to do soul searching in order to find out what we really love to do. This should be something you are passionate about, your values and your talent. After identifying your values and talents, the next step is to turn these talents into a viable product or service into a commercial entity.

On a parting note Mark Victor Hansen said ‘Poverty is a degrading, dehumanizing, cancer-like disease of the uninformed mind…’

Reprogram your mind to overcome this evil called Poverty and live the life you  have always dreamt about.

To Your Success!!!

Have you wondered at what makes one man achieve desires of his heart, accomplishing, earning, increasing his wealth and his happiness, while another man never gets started? What is it that gives one man personal power, but leaves another powerless and ineffective? What makes one man stand out to defy all odds and see his way through any problem, find his path over stormy waters of life to the fulfillment of his dearest dreams, while another man struggles and fails dismally?

The difference between these men is the way they view their failures. It is important to note that when defeat comes, you have to accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound; it means you have to re-strategize, and start your journey towards your coveted goal. If you give up before your goal has been reached, you are a ‘quitter.’

Ralph Waldo Emerson said ‘Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail’. Always think about the bigger picture every time you stumble on obstacles. When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place. This will surely catapult you to greater heights and give you the impetus you so deserve to reach your goal.

Motivation is key to any entrepreneurial dream. I think you have heard about Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple Inc. Apple incorporated is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company’s best-known hardware products include the Macintosh computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Steve’s life story is a great inspiration. It’s a story that shows that if you belive in yourself no matter how many times you fall you will surely rise. You can watch his story here: steve jobs.

Rudy Ruettiger said  ”Never Quit. “Don’t ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn’t quitting. If you quit you’ll regret it forever.”

To your eternal success

Positive thinking is expecting, talking and visualizing with certainty what you want to achieve, as an accomplished fact.
I like the saying ‘whatever, the mind conceives, it can surely  achieve it..’ Of late i have been engrossed in a huge real estate project which is so dear to me. During initial planning phase, i had a brain storming session with my business partners over some critical funding issues. We were pondering the best funding options available for the project. During the course of this discussion, there were diverse views with regards which financing option was the best and so forth. As the discussion progressed i recall my close ally, out of the blue saying’ but guys, are we going to pull this project through’. Given the magnitude of this project, who is going to give us such an amount of money? We are up coming entrepreneurs, are the finance houses going to give us audience?

I was taken aback by my partner’s sudden change of heart over a matter we had over flogged. From conception we were all motivated by one thing – to pull off the project at any cost. We knew our shortcomings and had discussed these in detail. We had agreed on alternative financing options if the ones we were targeting did not materialize. Now my closest buddy was beginning to develop feet of clay……I looked him direct in the face and said ‘hey man, are you doubting our ability to successfully implement this project?’…he looked sheepishly and said noooo, its not like am doubting anything, i am just thinking like a human being, man this project is no small feat.’ Again he echoed his statement of doubt.

What i deduced from my partner’s feelings on this particular day was lack of focus and belief in oneself. He was seeing unsurmountable obstacles instead of opportunities. Impossibility was what he could see instead of avenues where we could use to get the project off the ground. These feelings are what separates entrepreneurs from wanna bes. If you are to embark on the journey of entrepreneurship, you need to develop and think positively.

Positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts, that create and focus energy into reality. To bring into creation a positive outcome, which you see as a benefit to yourself or others.This thought process is a powerful gift endowed to us by the almighty, which unfortunately many of us do not use for our benefit. Those who have effectively used this feelings are what we call successful people in different spheres of life.

Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of courage and determination to overcome adversity. Watch out for part two of this article as i will share in detail the traits of successful entrepreneurs.

To your success!!!!