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Don’t say it won’t work

3/23/2023

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I can tell you without any doubt that one of the enemies of innovative thinking is experience. Don’t get me wrong. Experience is very good. Sometimes we put people in certain roles because of their experience. Organizations will not typically risk putting a rookie in some sensitive and delicate roles because they lack the experience. However, experience tends to get in the way of creativity and innovation. This is because we get so used to the normal way of getting things done, such that we do not think outside the box. Anytime you hear a well-experienced and professionally respected person say, “that won’t work”, know that they are talking from experience and not from creative or innovative thinking.

When you were a little child, you believed many things were possible. You probably believed your dad could buy you a small hot air balloon that would take you to the moon. You believed that because you were not familiar with the facts of life and the experience that would make you think otherwise. Here is the problem. As we grow up and gather experience, we lose our imaginative ability, the mindset of believing that everything is possible. I discussed that extensively in my book “Pursuit of Personal Leadership”. Unless someone continues to develop their imaginative ability and engage constantly in creative thinking, they will let their experience get in the way. That is why you find a lot of people in corporate places without the ability to think for change and channel an innovative course for the future. They tell you, “That doesn’t work”.
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One of my philosophies is that you shouldn’t say something will not work until you have tried it and tried it in different ways. People say something is impossible because of parochialism. We need to get our mindset tuned to exploring possibilities, even when we know too much about the process. In your personal and professional life, stop saying and believing that “it won’t work”. Start accepting that incredible things are possible.

Actions for the week
  1. How do you respond when someone comes up with an idea that seems too big to be realistic? Do you tend to think about it or you basically jettison the idea? Be honest.
  2. Determine to recondition your mind for imagination and creative thinking. Decide to always find way of making things work rather than accepting it is impossible.
  3. If you have a copy, read chapter 6 of my book “Pursuit of Personal Leadership”, where I discussed creative thinking in detail. 

A quote to remember
Anything is possible if a person believes. – Jesus Christ

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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Become thick-skinned, unperturbed

3/16/2023

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We face different situations in life. Some are pleasant while others are not. Sometimes the road on which we travel may be smooth while at other times we travel through rough patches. One of the situations that have become most-damaging to people is experiencing rejection, rubbishing, or reproach. This is simply because of the effect on one’s psyche. Anything that affects one’s mental health is a serious matter. No one enjoys being vilified and criticized. I am not talking about the soft, positive criticism. I am referring to damaging acts from others that want to just make us feel bad, disapproved, or unworthy. I wonder why anyone would like to do that anyway.

Meanwhile, there is no guarantee that you and I will not experience this negative criticism or disparage. Since some people have determined that it is their job to make others feel bad, then we need to find the right countermeasure to this unacceptable act. Unfortunately, it may not also be within our capacity to control or correct anyone. Therefore, our defense mechanism will include becoming thick-skinned, an attitude of those who are not bothered by the negativity and rejection from others. We must become stronger versions of ourselves and develop a stable mental attitude in the face of circumstances that will normally lead to negative emotions. Sometimes we may even need to just remove ourselves from the negative environment.
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Don’t let anyone or anything pull you down or get under your skin. Determine to believe in yourself, your own self-worth and sense of value. After all, no one can make you feel bad without your consent. Decide that you will keep standing despite the opinions of others about you. No one has the power to control your thought unless you allow them. Become thick-skinned, unperturbed no matter what.

Actions for the week
  1. Have you been negatively criticized, disparaged, rejected or disapproved recently. This about your experience how did you respond? What did you learn?
  2. Write two or three things you can do to manage negative acts from others, especially at that moment. How would you ensure that you do not go into a negative emotional outburst?
  3. Determine that you will become thick-skinned and maintain your stability in the face of disappointments.

A quote to remember
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” ― Steve Maraboli,

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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Stop being realistic. Do this instead.

3/9/2023

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What came to your mind when you first saw the title of this message? I also wonder. Let us be truthful. The extreme of being realistic is actually a form of pessimism. What do I mean by that? Think about it this way: how many times have you heard people say, “I am just being realistic,” while what they mean is “I don’t believe it is possible”? If you have a very high and steep mountain in front of you, it will be a realistic thing to say that you cannot climb the mountain. That is what most of us do. We magnify our challenges in the name of facing reality and then we wonder why we are not achieving much or changing anything. We give power to our problems and then complain that the problem is not going away.

While the facts of life cannot be denied – positive and negative things happen, we simply cannot focus on the facts alone without exercising our authority to change things and improve our situations. Whatever you call things is what they will be and remain. Whatever you believe as your fact and reality will become and remain your experience. This is not a superstitious stuff. When you hear someone say there is nothing more they can do, just know that they have stopped thinking. There is always something more that anyone can do. You cannot afford to let your current situation, facts of life, and challenges define your future. In the face of the facts, you must be ready to believe that something better and greater can happen.
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Here is how it works. The moment you convince yourself that things can be different despite your current situation, experience, or problem – the facts, your mind will start seeing possible solutions. You will see how things can change and what you can do to change them. Stop being realistic and start saying and acting the way you want things to go.

Actions for the week
  1. Assess your own thought pattern. Do you tend to be so realistic such that you find it difficult to see things differently? Do you always say, “I am just being realistic”?
  2. Examine the situation you are currently experiencing. What are the facts? Then determine where you want to be and believe that you can get there.
  3. Act based on what you believe. Keep moving forward.

A quote to remember
What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are. – Tony Robbins

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
4 Comments
 

Keep nurturing the dream of your heart

3/2/2023

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The reason some people advise against having expectations is to avoid disappointments. Well, I will rather learn to manage disappointments while maintaining a great expectation in my heart. Don’t let anyone talk you out of having expectations. Why would anyone go through life without expecting great things to happen. Here is why you must have great expectations. Expecting something big reflects the condition of your mind. Those whose minds are full of positive thoughts, whose mental faculties are dominated by success, are the ones that have great expectations.

Many of us throw away our confidence and avoid thinking about the dreams we once had because of disappointments. I get it. However, without nurturing our dreams and believing them, we would not learn to take the necessary actions toward fulfilling them. Do not let anyone or anything pull you back. You are closer to actualizing your dreams than you think. Every day presents a new opportunity to shape our dreams, act in faith and take steps forward. If you do not believe in, and nurture, your own dreams, no one else will do it for you. You must expect that your dreams will come true. You can demonstrate that by taking positive actions towards your dreams because you believe in them.

It's time to take care of, and protect, your dreams, ambitions, or aspirations. It is time to nurture those dreams to grow into something meaningful. What dream are you nurturing? What have you envisioned for yourself? Where do you see yourself next? What edifice are you constructing in your mind? You will need to continue to think about them, nurture them expectantly, until they sink into your subconscious mind (your heart). Then you will see positive circumstances aligning with your actions and vice versa, until your dreams become actualized.

Actions for the week
  1. Did you have a big dream that you have stopped thinking about? What was it? Would you still like to pursuit it? Why or why not?
  2. Write down three great things you are expecting before the end of this year. Write them in detail, describing exactly what they are and when you would like them accomplished.
  3. Then, get to work on the great expectations above. It is by doing (actions) that we bring dreams to reality.​

A quote to remember
“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.” – Douglas H. Everett

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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Surround yourself with the best people

2/23/2023

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We sometimes don’t appreciate the value of the people around us until we do not have them again. As humankind, we are naturally inclined to needing relationships. Did I hear someone ask if they necessarily need anyone at all? Well, you may need to wait until you do. Everyone needs a hand to hold. That does not mean that you cannot be happy by yourself, but it means that you can share happiness with others. You can rub your life on others and let them also rub theirs on you.

Those who surround themselves with great, kind, compassionate, and positive thinking people have created an environment for themselves that is conducive for success, health, and other good things of life. Meanwhile, forming great relationships or connecting with great people is not by happenstance. Everyone one of us would attract the kind of persons that we are. Anyone who needs a friend must themselves be friendly. It starts with us working on ourselves to be the great persons toward whom others can gravitate. After all, a great relationship is not all about finding the right person but about being the right person. Before you start looking for all the right people out there, ask yourself if you are the right person for someone else.

Anyone that wants to get surround with great people must put in the work. Like begets like. You have probably heard that the outcomes that you produce in your life would most likely be an average of the outcomes of the lives of five persons closest to you. Who are the people closest to you? Do you want the same outcomes you see in their lives? It is time for each one of us to become deliberate on our choices of association, but it starts with us first – with us becoming better versions of ourselves. When we become better, great people will drift toward our side. That’s how to surround yourself with the best people.

Actions for the week
  1. It’s time to examine your relationships. What kinds of people do you attract to yourself? Take stock of those closest to you. Ask if those are the people you really want to associate with.
  2. Write down three areas you can improve on yourself; areas you can be a better version of yourself in words, deeds and character.
  3. Go ahead and improve in the areas identified above. You may need to develop a plan or get help.

A quote to remember
“The purpose of a relationship is not to have another who might complete you, but to have another with whom you might share your completeness.” — Neale Donald Walsch

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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Be ready to take the bull by the horns

2/16/2023

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We encounter many different situations in life. Some are easy while others are difficult. When things are easy, we feel normal about everything. There is no pressure in a time of ease. We feel like we are in charge. However, when things become difficult or challenging, we feel like we have lost control. We lose our grips, and we get disturbed at times. As it turns out, life is a succession of ups and downs. It is like going on a rollercoaster. As you reach the crests so do you plummet to the base. In difficult times do we not feel crestfallen? So, what should we do when times are rough?

Anyone who just sits, who entertains their negative feelings and wallows in their despondency during a difficult time will not change anything. Burying one’s head under the waves will not lead to swimming to shore. Sometimes we just need to brave the situation, become determined to overcome and get up on our feet when things are difficult. It sounds so easy, right? It may not be as easy as it sounds but we must face the fact – there are no other options. It is either we overcome, or we become inundated by the challenges. We must be ready to take the bull by the horns.
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In what situation are you now? Are you ready to confront your situations? In everyone’s journey to success, there will be challenges on the way, but we must be ready to confront and overcome them. In most cases, we must do what we must do. Sometimes we need to sacrifice much in order to gain much. At other times we need to take risks, and endure something unpleasant. Whatever is the case, we be determined to rise above the challenges. Be ready to take the bull by the horns.

Actions for the week
  1. Examine your situation honestly. Are there things that are weighing you down or have become challenging for you? Write down three ways you can forge ahead. Just think and let ideas flow to you.
  2. Decide not to let difficulties and challenges control you. Tell yourself that you can stand.
  3. Act on 1 above. Take the bull by the horns.

A quote to remember
"We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history." – Sonia Johnson

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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Be the advocate, and not the judge

2/9/2023

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Do you think that you have the moral power to decide other people’s cases? No, you don’t. But that is what most of us attempt to do on daily basis. We are sometimes hasty in concluding who people are, their intentions, their motives and their dispositions. We size people up, put them on our own personal scales and determine their abilities, skills and potentials. We measure people using our own yardsticks and then decide who they are, in our own minds. This attitude has been the basis of our relationships with other people – we conclude too soon. We become the judge of other people’s character, the character we ourselves cannot even measure up to. What a hypocrisy!

Meanwhile, our real assignment is to become an advocate – a person who supports, defends and promotes the interests of others. We are to stand in the gap for the people around us and become the voice for those who do not have voices. If all of us are judges, then who will plead the course of another? We don’t need judges as much as we need advocates. Imagine what the whole world would look like if we all advocate for one another. Imagine that other people are supporting and arguing your cause as you do the same for others.
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This week, I challenge you to be the advocate. There are people who need you to support them, hold their hands, plead on their behalf, speak for them, fight for them, and become a bridge for them. One’s fulfilment in life comes, not from deciding other people’s cases, but through the positive impact we make on other people. The reason some people are unhappy and unfulfilled is because they took the wrong job – a judge, instead of an advocate. Let us all resign from being the judge and accept our new roles as advocates for others.

Actions for the week
  1. Start with a self-check. Have you been a judge or an advocate? You may need to make a U-turn, stop being a judge and start being an advocate for other people instead
  2. What practical things can you do this week to stand in the gap for someone else? Think about someone specific. Write your proposed actions down and then follow through with actions.
  3. Share this message with others in your network so they too can become advocates

A quote to remember
Nothing exalts the soul or gives it a sheer sense of buoyancy and victory so much as being used to change the lives of other people. – E. Stanley Jones

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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This is how we create the future

2/2/2023

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People eventually produce what once existed in their thoughts, especially in the subconscious of their minds. People become actors in the movies once written and played in their minds.

We may say that our thoughts create our world. Everything you see today was once in someone’s thought, whether good or bad. All creations were once imaginations in the inventive minds of people. That includes both tangible and intangible things, material or immaterial things. For example, doing good for others, working for the good of the society, solving problems, creating products, etc., all originate first in the mind. Likewise, hatred, theft, killing, racism, and the likes also originate from the mind. We create the future by what and how we think.

Everyone is a product of their own imagination. If you imagine something negative happening, and you dwell on that thought until it sinks into your subconscious mind, you will soon attract what you envisioned. The converse is also true. If you allow the thoughts of good things to dominate your imagination, you will attract good things.

We may liken the human mind to a machine that has the capacity to both transmit and receive signals at different frequencies. It does that through the vibration of thoughts. Everything in life operates at their own frequencies, and each one of us can tune our minds to whatever frequency we allow. The results that we produce in our lives are physical equivalents of the thoughts that we transmit and receive. It is like tuning a radio to a particular channel. What frequency is your mind tuned to?
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Everyone’s future starts from what and how they think. It is your responsibility to get the vibration of your thoughts into the frequency of wholesomeness, achievement, abundance, and every good thing of life. That channel is transmitting. Just tune in.

Actions for this week
  1. Examine your thinking pattern. What kinds of thoughts dominate your mind? Are they positive or negative?
  2. Decide that you will let your thoughts vibrate at the frequency of wholesomeness, success and every good thing. Practice positive thinking. Become conscious of your thought process and take charge.
  3. Think about something good that you desire. Focus your thought on getting it – be positive. Keep a positive mind about it until it becomes your reality.

A quote to remember
"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
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The worst-case scenario is not your scenario

1/26/2023

3 Comments

 
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I tend to be very careful when people tell me that they are just being realistic. Sometimes those claiming to be realistic are actually being pessimistic but may not want to admit so. I am not saying there is no such thing as being realistic, but in most cases we fall into two categories: those who are realist-optimists or those who are realist-pessimists. Which one are you?

Are you inclined to thinking more about the worst-case scenarios, preoccupying your mind with the 1000 ways something may not work? You have probably been in planning meetings where someone quickly expresses serious concerns about a plan and tells you how the plan wouldn’t work but without any suggestion on how it may work. I hope that is not you. While the reality is obvious, great achievers do not focus on reality. They focus on possibilities instead. If you want to see how everything will play out perfectly before you start, you may as well stop trying.

What we all need is the big picture; the mental image of the best-case scenario that we are aiming for. Although we face the facts of life and the challenges (the realities) on the way to success, we do not allow them to distract us from the end-in-view. Those who focus on the worst-case scenario, who, in the name of being realistic, dwell on the negatives, will always be defeated. Success is a mindset. Whatever anyone becomes or whatever becomes the outcomes of one’s endeavour, the individual chooses them based on their state of mind.
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Anyone desiring great achievements in life must continually think positively about great things. You cannot create a future for yourself that you have never imagined. Get rid of the negative thoughts. The worst-case scenario is not your scenario. Think possibilities. Think big. Achieve big.

Actions for the week
  1. Do you need to repent from pessimism and negative thoughts? Think about your own thought process. Tell yourself to become positive.
  1. Think about an area of life where you have failed before. Adopt a positive, can-do mindset and try again.
  2. Make up your mind to dwell only on the best-case scenario side of the success equation. Acknowledge the realities but preoccupy your mind with possibilities. Be optimistic.

A quote to remember
"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools." — Napoleon Bonaparte

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
3 Comments
 

Show up when it matters the most

1/19/2023

3 Comments

 
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We go through different moments in life. We have the highs and the lows of life, and many stages in-between. When we are having the mountaintop experience, it is typical to see many people around us, who help to share the joy. Human beings are naturally inclined to sharing good times with you. When you are successful and have a lot to give, you will enjoy the patronage of most people.

However, only a few people will stay with you when the water gets troubled. The best time to know who your true friends are is a time of need, lack or trouble. Those who truly love you will stay with you and provide you their shoulders to lean on. Those who were there just for the abundantly lavish moment will vanish into thin air. They will either turn their back on you or just become passive.

Where am I going with this? It is one of my life philosophies that “you are mostly useful if you are available when you are mostly needed”. Look around you and within your circle. Are there people that you have forgotten or have withdrawn from at their times of need? The way to prove your friendship or whatsoever connection you have with others is to show up when they need you. That is when it matters the most.
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If you always show up only when things are good, rosy, and beautiful, what benefit would that be? If you give your friend a shoe when they already have five shoes, that is okay. But remember to show up with a can of milk when they do not have any. Do not turn your back on, or withdraw from, the people you have shared good times with, especially when their situation changes. Let us look for those in our lives and in our community whose hands we can hold. Show up when it matters the most.

Actions for the week
  1. Moment of truth: Examine yourself to see if you have withdrawn from anyone in your life who really needs you to be there. Decide on what you can do.
  2. This week, find someone whose hand you can hold. Can you do something for someone this week that they may not be able to do for themselves? Just go ahead and show up.
  3. Make a resolution to always show up for those you have shared good times with, whether things are well with them on not. Make your shoulders available to lean on.

​A quote to remember
“Employ whatever God has entrusted you with in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree . . . to all men.” — John Wesley

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
3 Comments
 

GPS – Goals Positioning System

1/12/2023

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You probably know that this is the time of the year when those who didn’t set their goals before the end of last year work hard at it. Some are still setting goals while others are already accomplishing them. It doesn’t matter where you are at. What matters is that that you set goals and then achieve them. Without goals, targets, aims, or ambitions, there will be no success.

Meanwhile, we don’t just set goals for goal-setting’s sake. When you are setting your goals, you need to ask yourself why you want what you want. Why did you set that goal? What is your overarching purpose for the goals your are setting? If your goal is to conquer Mount Everest this year, you may need to ask yourself why you would do that. If you are targeting a net-worth of $25 million, what would be the purpose?

It is no news that many people fall by the wayside on their journey to achieving their goals. Among many possible factors, lack of enthusiasm or loss of passion is a reason people drop out. And, you know what? People lose passion when they engage in activities that do not align with a compelling vision / dream. Someone would generally develop enthusiasm when their goals are positioned within something bigger and more meaningful.
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That makes me think that each one of us need a GPS – Goal Positioning System. The GPS is your ultimate life’s purpose or life’s dream upon which your life goals are based. When you have a compelling reason for your goals, you will develop the passion to achieve them. Update your GPS, set your goals, develop a plan, and get to work.

Actions for the week
  1. Examine yourself; check if you have a Goals Positioning System (GPS). If not, you need to start a journey of self-discovery and dreaming. It starts by asking yourself “what do I really want to achieve in life?”
  2. Set definite goals and specify when you want each of them achieved. Write them down. Then create a plan of actions. Determine how you will achieve your goals.
  3. Share this message with 3-5 people in your network.

A quote to remember
“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.”
​— Elbert Hubbard

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
0 Comments
 

Don’t start until you have finished

1/5/2023

2 Comments

 
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It is a new year. Every new day, new week, new month, or new year presents a new opportunity. Yesterday has no more power unless we empower it by refusing to move forward. We need to leave where we were and move into the new opportunities presented by the new year. However, we must set goals for the year if we are serious about harnessing the power that “today” gives to us.

I have not seen anyone achieve anything significant in their lives without setting out to achieve them. Remarkable success is not a product of an accident. It is a product of the deliberate desire, planning and effort of people who dared to achieve great things.

You will notice that I mentioned three things above – desire, planning and effort. Desire to achieve something definite, clear and time bound. We call it a goal. What are your goals for the year? Write them down. Then create an action plan for achieving the goals. No one builds an edifice without planning how to build it. Decide what you will do daily, weekly, and monthly toward your goals. Then put in the effort – get into action. Do what you must do.
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Here is the key. You must finish before starting. Think through and plan for your day, week and month before beginning them. Do not start the day until you have finished it. Do not start the week until you have finished it. Do not start the year until you have finished it. Spend a significant time planning, put in the work, and see your dreams come true throughout the year.

Actions for the week
  1. Think deeply about what you would like to achieve this year. Use your imagination. Write them down and specify the dates you want them achieved.
  2. Develop an action plan for what you have written above. What would you do first, and when. What would you do next, and when. Write out a plan for achieving your goals.
  3. Commit to your action plan daily. Put in the effort. Do the work.


A quote to remember
"If I have eight hours to cut down a tree, I will spend the first six hours sharpening the axe.
– Abraham Lincoln

Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books
2 Comments
 

Break down the walls in 2023

12/29/2022

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When change happens to you

12/22/2022

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As powerful as a network of brains

12/15/2022

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The most needed diversity

12/8/2022

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Don't lose your head over it

12/1/2022

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You may take it or leave it

11/24/2022

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It's all bright and beautiful

11/17/2022

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When your story makes no sense

11/10/2022

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