Want it THAT bad!!!

For you to do something GREAT, something worth telling the world about, something that makes a huge impact, you need to want it that bad!! I've been looking back at the year a bit and wondering what was on my new years resolution list and wanting to make things right before the end of the year(i didn't jot anything down but there were distinct things that i wanted to change that I just knew off the top of my head. These things include 1. losing weight (I lost 18 Kg's this year) 2. Save money for a car (there's no money worth mentioning in the bank as i type this) 3.Upgrade my portfolio and make an illustration portfolio (that never happened) 4. Get my license (i got my learners earlier this year, i'm still learning, which is a move in the right direction) 5. Pay off debt (I did that this year and officially, I'm debt free, apart from gym membership which I don't even think counts as debt)

Anyway, I could go on and on about things that I wanted to do and actually ended up doing and things that I didn't end up doing and bla bla bla but the point that I'm trying to make is that whichever I deemed important, I did. And those that I thought could take the back seat did and so now on this twenty fourth day of December I can either look back and beat myself up because of all the things I didn't end up doing or I can congratulate myself and celebrate the little victories and just try that much harder next year because it will mean that much more to me next year since no one likes repeating he same mistake twice. 

Here's the idea I leave with myself and to you, the reader, is that for you to eventually get what you want or achieve what you want you NEED to WANT it THAT bad!!! If you want it that bad there's genuinely no stopping you even through the toughest times so quit making excuses!!!!

Keep your eyes on the target...

It's my first day back to work since last week... Being home made me think somewhat of what I ultimately want to do and what I have to do for now until can do what see myself doing in my dreams. 

I must admit that when the days add up and turn into weeks, months, years... It feels as though you're just not getting anywhere and that your dreams will never come to fruition... Well, it feels that way, but not everything you feel is true! In fact those feelings are a defense mechanism that your body figures is okay to protect you against what you imagine as failure (that my own theory... Lol) I believe your body means well.

This is when you have to allow the will to take control of he situation! Tell yourself to focus on the bull's eye... It's what will keep you sane, and will definitely keep you going!! It's your little pep talks to yourself that need to get louder when you're getting somewhat distracted!

Here's to keeping your eyes on the target!! 

Fighting alone

This day was quite the challenge. Last week and the week before were was tough but this week feels psychologically worse. Past two weeks were BUSY so i could at least have my mind on other things, ie. WORK, and fixing the mess that i made. Now, i'm sort of on the right track and on the straight and narrow, there's no need for me to be overly focussed on passed errors but rather to keep the pace and not forget the commitments i made to myself.

So where does the challenge come in? Well when you're putting in time, doing things differently, reading more, praying more etc. it feels as though you're alone and there's no one who cares etc. truth of the matter is you're right... hmmmm NO BODY CARES!! In fact nobody has to! Yours is to keep on going, keep on keeping on! The reason very few people are multi million and billionaires is because a lot of people are doing the common thing which is to get study, get a job and abide by the system. Don't follow the crowd... Rather walk alone. Wak on the road less travelled it bares way more rewards!

So what exactly am I saying?...

Well, you're walking alone and that's just too bad and sad but be a man and just suck it up! We'll talk about support structures and motivation some time but as it stands... TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!!

Here's to fighting alone!!

Celebrating little victories

If ever there's anyone I know who's super hard on themselves it's me! I know exactly how to beat myself up, and I know what to beat myself up about and boy do I do that often and GOOD!! 

A little lesson I've had to teach myself is that the beatings aren't always necessary!! Sometimes you have to let thins go and other times you have to celebrate even those things that haven't worked out!!! Why celebrate things that haven't worked out? Well, because thy weren't meant to be. "All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose." Rom 8:28 and now instead of ranting and raving when things don't work out or when I have made a mistake I do one or 2 of 3 things, beat myself up, give myself a pep or have a praise party and celebrate because what looks like defeat is actually victory, because I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ my Lord (Rom 8:37).

Now when things go right on the other hand there's no picking and choosing you have to celebrate even small victories, in as many ways as possible because in as much as I beat myself up for things I do wrong, I have to reward myself for even those things that don't seem to count! Small victories add up you know, they are the building blocks for big, visible victories! 

It'll be a difficult exercise if it's something you're not used to doing but it'll be well worth the try!

Here's to celebrating small victories!!

Try methods of working I've never tried before

Albert Einstein defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! 

I think I'm insane, and the I'm ok with saying that because I've heard that psychologists say that the first step to recovery is admitting that there's actually something wrong with, and there you go I admitted it (•_•)

I've noticed that a lot of the reason why some of us aren't achieving our full potential is because we're afraid of trying the alternative of what we're already doing, ie. doing a task differently, trying  completely new ways of doing things. I believe our greatest fear is stepping into the unknown and actually succeeding, fear of succeeding!! You never would've thought of this right? But the reality is that there's so muh uncertainty in succeeding, and guess what? It just gets worse and worse!! But the secret is not to fear this but to embrace the possibility of a life filled with adventure!

When someone presents me with the opportunity of trying something ice never tried before, depending on what it is I will usually shun away from this, and guess what that's called? Shooting yourself in the toes because a lot of the opportunities that are presented to us are a direct call out of a comfort zone and into a place that you may just fully enjoy if you play your cards right!

If it isn't a part of your character to allow the wind to carry you all sorts of interesting directions, I suggest you start opening your mind to such possibilities if you don't want to be left behind by the rest of us who are willing to at least try!!

Here's to trying different ways of doing things!!

Put in the time...

I'm a firm believer in chilling. Some experiences have taught me that chilling is of utmost importance! You need to rest (even though you may sometimes feel guilty for taking time out), you need to have some quiet time as in time doing absolutely NOTHING! 

With the same breath, however, I'm also a strong believer in working hard! And putting in the time! I must be honest upfront and admit that I haven't been doing this very honestly lately which means I have cheated myself of 3 years that could've been used and cultivated on other skills! The idea is that whatever time you put in will not come back to you void, i.e. If you spend an hour and a half every day perfectly practicing a particular skill you'll be a pro in what will seem like no time at all!

Apparently a habit takes 21 days to form, and if you've tried to see if this is true you know that it's so hard even to get to day 5! 21 days is a HELL of a long time but you have to keep at it, if of course forming the habit means so much to you.

Experts say that it takes 10000 hours to develop an expert level of skill... That is A LOT of time!! I did some Maths to see how long this would take if you worked at your skill for 8 solid hours every single day of a 365 day year... It worked out to about 3 and a half years! Yeah, so much for 21 days hey...

We sometimes look at people that call themselves experts and wonder how they got there and according to my very little research it actually just boils down to diligently putting in the time! It's your choice. No one's promising an easy road but you'll thank yourself 10000 hours later when you can proudly call yourself expert in your field simply because you had the will to invest in yourself.

Here's to putting in the time!

Work 6 days a week...

I don't know about you, but I trust EVERYTHING that comes from the Bible, especially those things that are said to be ordained, or made holy by God Himself. God made a 7 day week, He worked for 6 days and rested on the seventh. Now this isn't  a platform to argue which day should you be resting and which days you should be working but just me pointing out that like almost everything else... This phenomenon too has stood the test of time. 

People who work the required amount of days and rest completely once a week are the most productive(my personal opinion and an open to discussion on this point). The idea is that our bodies have been beautifully created this way and you know what, when put under subjection, it obeys and you're able to complete a lot more tasks than you thought it "humanly" possible to complete.

So amongst the other things I'm giving a try I'm giving this working 6 days phenomenon idea, I bet it'll all be worth it! 

I've always been an ambassador for working smart and not hard and over time I've established that it makes better sense to work hard at first so that it's possible and sensible to work smart afterwards... So for 2 days now I've worked... And I'd like to believe that I've worked super hard and for the next let's day 2 years or so I'll be doing this so that when the seeds have been down and the manual labour has been completed, I can sit back and watch the fruits of the labour I put sprout. 

Here's to working 6 days a week (•_•)

Wake up an hour earlier...

My mother wakes up at 3am on most mornings, she reads the Bible, prays and has what we call "Quiet time, in her secret place with God". The Bible isn't specific on what time Jesus woke up, but it does say that he woke up well before dawn. Now this isn't a call to do what Jesus did, or what my mother does but rather a call to consider what the benefits of this exercise are and then through a calculated and well thought of decision consider if it's a good idea. 

Basically the basic theory isn't to wake up at 2am and 3am in the morning but rather, just 1 hour earlier than usual, so if you're normally up at 05:30 like me then you must set your clock for 04:30 and actually get up when the alarm goes off, apparently the struggle only goes on for 30 days after which the task becomes one of your daily habits. 

What does this help, with you may ask. Well, it's fairly simple, if you wake up an hour earlier:

1. You have just managed to add an hour  to your previously busy and crowded day.

2. It helps you have a bit of a head start.

3. It's quieter at this time of the day so you are able to do the things that you wouldn't usually be able to do on a regular morning. For me such things include praying, meditating, reflecting, planning for the day ahead... 

I could think of a lot more things that this practice can benefit you with but it's a bit late and I have to sleep now... At this point I don't have much to lose except my pride and dignity, so I guess I'll give this a try and see how it goes. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes and the challenges that go with waking up this much earlier.

Here's to trying this morning thing!

Clear your name...

This morning I've wondering what the biggest lesson I've learned from my horrible experience at work this passed week is, and it's boiled down to this: 

When life throws you lemons, you have to make something out of them unless you're happy with the "sourness" of lousy lemons, be creative! Lemons aren't only good for lemonade! 

This passed week, my biggest challenge was waking up, putting on a big smile and not allowing anyone around me to see how bothered I was by the situation! That really helped me, made me stronger of course but also made me realise, and live the notion that not everyone has to know about your sufferings. It was tough, the week took much longer than usual but I made it out, I tried my best and made it through the week. 

Another week begins today and the challenge is to move forward confidently with my head held high. No one says I should forget what happened last week, and quite frankly I would be a fool if I'd forget (only fools disregard life lessons of the past), but the most important thing is to move forward fearlessly and do what needs to be done to come out spotlessly clean on the other side.

Funny how the road from here on out is going to be one of the hardest, but if I follow the plan through, the destination will be called success!! 

Some of the things I've planned to do is:

1. Wake up an hour earlier every morning

2. Work 6 days a week

3. Put in the time

4. Try methods of working I've never tried before

5. Work faster & more accurate

6. Go to the gym, conquer there too

7. Be excellent

8. Pray, like I've never prayed before

When time has gone by, a year from now, I want to look back on this list and share these 8 things as a fool proof way to get ahead, clear your name and be a HUGE success even when people thought you wouldn't be able to!! I'll expound more on each point as the week goes by, ultimately the key is, "never, ever ever give up!"- Winston Churchill.

It'll all be worth it at the end, so, it's not over till the fat lady sings... And she sure as hell isn't singing because I can't hear any fat lady singing!

Here's to coming out skweeky clean!!!

Choosing to be okay

I've been so busy lately, the retail industry is already preparing for Christmas so we're horribly busy. I'm not sure I enjoy being this busy, I don't feel very useful, I fact I feel vulnerable and susceptible to error! 

In this time a lot has happened and of course I have learned a lot... It would all have been in vain if I wouldn't have learned any life lesson at all!

1. No body in this world can ever care more about you than you care about yourself, if you don't care about yourself you're screwing yourself over!

2. Read worthwhile books, some of the things you read will keep you sane when no one is saying anything worth hearing.

3. Hang around people that'll uplift you... Negative people suck!

4. Don't tell everyone your business, not everyone is out there to help you out.

Finally...

5. Remember that at any given moment, you have the power to say, "this is not how the story is going to end!"

Decide that you're going to be ok, pray about it, and leave it in God's hands!

So here's to deciding to be ok

Just don't know...

I really don't know what to write about tonight, but I have a strong urge to write before I sleep. (**_) it's been such a crazy week though, I've learned so much about myself and where my breaking point lies. 

I've reckoned that even your character is something that you are able to learn to change and adjust. 

Your IQ you apparently can't change you either score high or score low and that's just that, but apparently with EQ which determines your emotional intelligence, you are able to train your brain to act and respond differently to certain things and to be resilient where need be. According to your IQ results you may be dumb but because you have trained yourself never to give up and to keep trying till you succeed, you may still turn out better than a person who had scored a higher result on their IQ testing. 

So no need to take a IQ test to see if you're clever or dumb by some man's standard... Rather work on being resiliant, working well under pressure, coping with high levels of stress, etc. things that don't seem to matter but have such a huge impact on our daily lives and whether or not we survive in THIS world.

Hmmm who would've thought that I did to know what to write about a couple of minutes ago...

Here's to not knowing but giving it a try anyway!! 

Prepared for a REAL quest...

Life is just so strange. If you're somewhat religious or at least believe in God you know who's got everything under lock down but, if you're not you may even sometimes feel lonely and a bit overwelmed. You learn new lessons each day, try jot them down so you won't forget them. You see something interesting, you read it, you try it, you taste it, you engage with it whichever way you please. You encounter new people, some you like, some you don't like, you try keep contact with the ones you like and you stay clear of the ones you don't like. And each and every day this happens and every day you make decisions different or alike to the ones you made the day before.

In fact that's what life is made up of. What you do with the the things and the people you encounter. How well you remember and use the information that you were once fed... Whether you use it in a company setup or you use that information to start your own company, it doesn't make much of a difference. 

It's all one big quest... Made up of little quests and that's what life is. You're luckier if you're a believer in God because in that case you at least have an experienced Tour Guide, if you're not, well I reckon you should reconsider...

Here's to going on a REAL quest accompanied by The Real Tour Guide!!

"It doesn't get easier, you just get better!"-unknown

Sometimes I look at people and wonder how they do what they do.... People like Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, India Arie, Dr Ben Carson... The list just goes on and on. So if we look at the all these people there's a common trend of hard work, repeated failures and repeated getting up and trying again... It just reminds of quote by Gary player, "the harder you work, the luckier you become", so you may wonder why some people seem to have big breakthroughs and others don't seem to be getting "lucky" the answer is that SOME people don't just sit around, they're constantly preoccupied so that when the opportunities come by, they're ready to actually do something with them.

So in theory it's very possible to be counted as one of those big successful entrepreneurs... The key is to just keep working at it! You can't lose sight of the dream and you can't get distracted though, you need to focus and just keep working at it and it'll feel like it's getting easier while in the mean time you're just getting better, hmmm your "luck" will start picking up... Lemon to lemonade moment.

Here's to enjoying a nice cold glass of lemonade (**,)

Do what you are able to for now...

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don't  and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it." - Dr Seuss

Can you believe it's the silly Dr Seuss who said such wise words??

I've been troubled by so many thoughts lately, many of which are just idle "daydreams", some of which are mini brainstorms in my mind. I wake up each morning, go to work, do what i need to do, all the while fantasising about the this tornado of thoughts in my mind. 

I read this really cool post in a blog yesterday by this illustrator guy (Stephen McCranie, http://doodlealley.com/2013/10/16/get-stuff-done/) about planning backwards, he calls it reverse engineering or something fancy like that, but basically the idea is to think of your dream and physically start back dating until you get to where you are today. In other words you plan backwards so that you can start living each day according to that "dream" which has now just transformed itself into a goal.

When i read this it made me have a mini "aha" moment where it just dawned on me that:

1. Life is just way too short to be living without a well drawn out plan, and more importantly, living by that plan! You need to wake up every morning with a renewed vigor and a new spring in your step knowing that you're well on your way to making things that are in you power to change CHANGE for the better and for the fulfillment of your dreams!! 

2. LIFE is way to short to spend worrying about other people! Before you start thinking I'm a cold hearted person, hear me out... You're born with a whole lot of people around you, it's first the midwife or the doctor who helps you out of the womb, then the nurses that help you clean up, then your parents and you family. The list of people that are around you grows as you grow and get exposed to the world, soon you realise that not everyone is around you to help, love and care about you, other people, for some strange reason are there to traumatize and terrorize you as much as they possibly can. Now, this is all normal, it's normal to be loved and, believe it or not, it's normal to be hated and traumatized, that's just how people are. Guess what? Whether you worry or not, this will remain the same so just don't worry! Your job is to love the people that love and care about you and when they decide to stop loving and caring... Well?? They're loss I guess, don't waste your time worrying... Life's too short for that!!

3. IF you're handed an opportunity take it with both hands and give it your best shot! Make it count!!

Opportunities don't come by every day, but when they do come make them know how much they are appreciated, make them want to keep coming back to you! Sometimes you'll get hurt, sometimes you'll celebrate, sometimes you'll have sleepless nights... It won't all be sunny and "summery" but it'll sure as hell be worth, whether lose a loved one or a limb, whether you pass or fail, whether you gain or lose... You will learn a lesson whether good or bad, so make the most of it...MAKE IT COUNT!!

Here's to doing what I can for NOW! 

You're worth so much more than that!!

For quite a long time I've been wondering why I keep being hurt by similar circumstances? Am I dumb or something? I've just taken a step back and it has dawned on me that it's the same things that people say, it's the same emotional roller coaster rides that I commit to that land me in the same emotional ditches! But why do I keep repeating the same cycle? Am I addicted to the same kind of hurt? Apparently it's one of the many signs of madness to keep repeating the same thing while expecting different results. In plain English, you can't keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome, it just never works (I'm not sure what would possess one to think that would work to even begin with).

I spent a lot of the day on blogs, reading quotes and passages from different websites in pursuit of the answer to why I keep sabotaging myself emotionally and it all boiled down to one thing... SELF-WORTH!! You treat yourself well if you think you deserve to be treated well. You abuse yourself and intern allow other people to abuse you (emotionally) if you don't think you deserve to be treated well. If you're a princess,you're a princess PERIOD! If you don't know that you're a princess, well... That's where the error begins. When you don't know how much you're worth you're bound to sell yourself short!! (Way too short)

So I came across this quote that says, "sometimes you have to forget what you feel, and remember what you deserve!"

I don't deserve to be taken for a ride, I don't deserve to be undermined or spoken down to, I don't deserve to be seen as a sex object, I don't deserve to be seen as inferior in any way at all, I don't deserve to beg to be where I should be,... And the list could just go on and on of things that I just DO NOT DESERVE!! Sometimes I may settle because it feels good to be desired, it feels good to be emotionally strong enough to take the knocks that are shot my way, it feels good to prove a person wrong... Bla bla bla (-_-) ultimately, however, if I want the cycle to stop in it's tracks I need to REMEMBER, that I deserve a WHOLE lot better than that, because I'm worth a whole lot more than that. 

The cycle stops HERE!! If someone wants me to even give them the light of day, they need to acknowledge that I'm worth ALOT, and unfortunately, not everyone can afford all of this!

Here's to remembering what I deserve, because I'm worth so much more than that!!

Time to LIVE

I've been reading this book, "I kissed dating goodbye" by Joshua Harris, rather slowly, I guess because I'm afraid of the implication that comes with having received such information (",) in the sense that you are judged according to the truth you know... What you don't know won't get you into trouble. So it's a very easy, good read but I've been at it for quite a while.

I started the chapter, "the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing"... Haven't finished it, but I started it last night. Harris raises a very good point bout how we're always rushing to the next phase of life. When we were kids we looked forward to a time when we'd be in "big school" from big school we're looking forward to high school at high school we're in that teenage "too big for life" phase, longing for university life when we're away from home. At university we wish we were working, at work we wish we were back in university but with the money that work brings then finally, u come to terms with the fact that you're working but now you want a steady relationship, marriage, a car(if you don't already have one), a house... Basically you want the Disney thing... (Meet Prince Charming and live happily ever after)... Hmmm it never works that way just by the way. There's an important phase called "singlehood" - You're probably calling me old shool in your mind right now but that's ok. The phase is still real and I believe it's quite relevant too.

The only problem with singlehood is the negative connotations that comes with not only the word but the phase in itself... Singlehood, in my own definition is a time that you dedicate to being as free as a bird ('.') hahahaha, ok not a very good definition but that's exactly how I see it and in more words, Harris says the same thing. Basically, the concept is that in this time you're available to do what you would like to do without having to answer to anyone - such things as serving in ministry, traveling for a purpose and even things that seem easy to do while you're in a relationship like praying and fasting, reading the word etc. it's not impossible to do these things when you're in a relationship but it sure is difficult.

So those of you who are still single this is a call to just enjoy the phase. I'm guilty of not enjoying the phase and constantly looking to the next, the catch though is that once you're in the phase that you were looking to, you actually want to go back to where you were. In this case you'll get that boyfriend or girlfriend and maybe sometime during the relationship you'll wish you were single. Hmmm how ironic, but in my experience it's so true!

Well, here's to enjoying the phase (.")

A focus on what I HAVE

“Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage”

(Ecclesiastes 5:18, NKJV)

"The scripture talks about how God has given us the power to enjoy what is allotted and appointed to us. That simply means that I don’t have the power to enjoy your life. You may have more success, more money, more friends or a better job, but if you put me in your life, I’m not going to enjoy it. We are uniquely designed to run our own race. When we truly understand and embrace this, we won’t be tempted to compare or wish we had what someone else has. You won’t think, “If only I had their talent...” No, if God wanted you to have that talent, He would have given it to you. Instead, take what you have and develop it. Make the most of it. Don’t think, “If only I had her looks...” No, God gave you your looks. That’s not an accident. The life you have has been perfectly matched for you. Now, you’ve got to do your part and get excited about your life. Be excited about who you are — your looks, your talent, your ability, your personality. When you’re passionate about who you are, it brings honor to God. That’s when God will breathe in your direction and the seeds of greatness in you will take root and begin to flourish!" - Ps Ray Patrick This is the devotional Ps Ray Patrick sent to me this morning. I found it very fitting for the kind of thought's that have been going through my mind lately. Sometimes we set ourselves up for failure or doom by the thoughts that we choose to entertain. After reading this devotional it clicked that there's only one me, who's uniquely me. No one could live or handle my life the way i do it. No one has what i have in the measure that i have it and the best thing i can do for myself is make the most of it!! So here's to making the most of MY life... CHEERS!!