5 TIPS FOR GETTING MUCH MORE OUT OF YOUR READING

Hello, hope your weekend was great! Welcome to a new work week. What will you be reading this week that will impact your life and career? Let me help you with some tips for getting much more out of your reading. Have an impactful week. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

                                                                  

Francis Bacon has been quoted as saying that reading makes a full man, but he gave further advice:

“Read, not to contradict or confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”

To get more out of your reading here are my suggestions:

1. RECOLLECT : This is mental recall. When you read, try to remember what you have read. The where; the who; the how and the why. Use your imagination. Picture what you’re reading.

2. REFLECT: Reading without thinking is like eating without digestion – it does no good. When you read, analyze and process the information being fed into your brain. Think!  Ponder deeply. Allow the judgment of the Holy Spirit. No author’s opinion or interpretation of scripture is final. Use the Bible and the witness of your spirit as the final arbiter before you digest any information; that’s why getting conversant with your Bible is supreme.

To enhance your thinking process, (i) you could seek the counsel or opinion of an older Christian, a mentor. (ii) You could also cross-reference or juxtapose different authors on a singular subject. Finally, be objective, not biased. Don’t fall victim of the sin of a closed mind.

3. RECITE: Recitation is part of the meditation process. The Hebrew root of the word ‘meditate’ means ‘to murmur in pleasure’. Recall to yourself the things you have learnt from the books you have read. Memorize facts. Memorize scriptures. It will help you in dire moments. “The memory is a treasurer to whom we must give funds, if we are to draw the assistance we need.”

4. RECOUNT: Share your knowledge with others. It helps retention of facts. “You will always remember what you teach.”

5. REVISE: Go back to revise and review that material. It will be well stored now. It also helps to cultivate the habit of writing down what you read. The faintest pen is always sharper than the sharpest brain. Information that is not documented will never be implemented! (Excerpts from the book, READERS AND LEADERS by Yomi Olufiade)

Please assist the bearer | Daily Times Nigeria

Please assist the bearer | Daily Times Nigeria

THE LITTLE CHAP WHO FOLLOWS ME

I should have posted this a week ago but permit me to still do it today. Seven days ago was my son Samuel’s birthday. The occasion made me reflect a lot. In three short years, the guy has taught me a lot. His birth and his growth have revealed many sides of me that I did not know existed before. I have become a better man all because of the privilege God gave me to father this “young man”.

I remembered that evening when he was born. I held him in my arms. The tiny bundle that he was, I wondered, “This is a human being, right from my very own loins.” God indeed, is awesome. When I called his grandfather, (my dad, of course, what do you think?) I cried on the phone. My voice broke and I wept. At last I’d become a father! The reality of the privilege and responsibility dawned on me and in that moment I couldn’t hold back the tears.

A boy we (my wife and I, of course) had prayed for. And a boy God had given us. He was a true answer to prayer. So we named him Samuel – “For him we had prayed”. How the boy taught me to pray. Or rather, I should say, he made me pray; the waiting period for his coming, his conception, his delivery, his first few weeks, the first year, boy, did I pray? And I’m still praying. And growing, and knowing God better as a result. That, I won’t trade for anything in the world!

He is my protégé, my friend, my playmate. And true to God’s Word, he is the beginning of my strength, the excellence of dignity and the excellence of power! As I reflect on this anniversary of his birth, this poem just about summarizes my sentiments.

A careful man I want to be,

A little fellow follows me;

I do not dare to go astray

For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes.

Whate’er he sees me do he tries.

Like ME he says he’s going to be –

That little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go

Through summer suns and winter snows,

I am building for the years to be –

That little chap who follows me.

To you, Samuel AanuOluwalofifunmi Oluwadamilola IyeOluwadamayo, Daddy, Mummy and Joyce will always love you. We are proud of you and we bless God for your life today and we celebrate you. You will grow up before the Lord and go forth like the calf of the stall, in Jesus’ name! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR WORLD!

I am releasing a book next month with the title above. It's my very first book but now in it's second edition - revised and enlarged. It would sure bless you. Here, enjoy an excerpt from the first chapter. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

You can turn your life around. Yes, you can! You can change your world from a world of defeat into a world of victory. From a world of poverty into a world of riches. From sickness to health; from breakdown to breakthroughs. You can move your world from failure to success, from survival to significance. You can change your world!

You Must Be “Born Again”!

But listen, friend, you cannot change the world until your own world is changed. That is, you cannot impact your generation until your own life is changed! If you can get the ‘man’ right, you’ll get your ‘world’ right. James Allen in his all-time classic “As A Man Thinketh” said, “Man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right; and during the process of putting himself right; he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people; things and other people will alter towards him.”

Change begins with you. Without personal change there can’t be professional change. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”¹ That is to say: Except a man is changed, his world – his circumstances – cannot change. Except a man be transformed from within, he cannot see, perceive nor experience the wonderful realities of the new life in Christ. It is first within, then without. That is a fundamental law in the school of success. A man can only travel as far and as fast as he travels on his inside.

Change Your Thoughts

We live in a house made of thoughts. So start to change your thoughts. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”² Men are living magnets. We attract to ourselves per time, the sum total of our thoughts. So I can say, your thoughts determine your worth! That should tell you where the change must begin - in your heart. The thoughts of your heart determine the quality of your life.³ It was William James, the famed Harvard psychologist, that said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter the state of their lives by changing the state of their mind.” That’s true. It is first within, then without. If you change your world, the world will change for you.

Don’t waste your life trying to change the world, change yourself!

The Man Who Wanted to Change the World

That reminds me of the man who wanted to change the world. He said:

“I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was: “Lord, give me the energy to change the world.”

As I approached middle age and realized that my life was half gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: “Lord, give me the grace to change all those who came into contact with me, just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied.”

Now that I’m an old man and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is; “Lord, give me the grace to change myself.” If I had prayed this right from the start, I would not have wasted my life.”

You can change your world. You can stop to take what you have put up with thus far. You can change the quality of your lifestyle. You can improve your standard of living. You can have breakthroughs, live in health, have a decent house (even build your own) and a fulfilling career, indeed a decent life. It is possible. You can live in abundance! Jesus said, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”⁴

You may not be able to alter your past, (you can’t anyway) but you can effect a change in your future. You may not be able to do anything about where you have been but you sure can (and must) do something about where you will be. You can!

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15 SURE THINGS TO DO TO FAIL!

I’m not being pessimistic neither am I trying to be negative but at times we need a kick in the butts to get up and do something. Much has been said about what to do to succeed. And how much that has been ignored by a lot of folks. Often those who most desperately need to adjust their attitude for them to succeed are the least to heed the admonitions. So, I thought, for once let’s see what anyone needs to do to fail, maybe that would cut it. Let’s go!

1.     Plan well but don’t prioritize.
2.    Prioritize but put unimportant things first.
3.   Think, think and think. Do nothing but think, don’t take action.
4.   Always go back on your words. Renege on your promises, always and you will see how credible you become.
5. Forget to show appreciation to those who help you succeed. (They will be most eager to not help next time!)
6. Build your reputation but do not work on your character.
7.  Always be late to your business premises. Better still if you’re an employee somewhere.
8. Count nobody to be important but yourself.
9. Take your spouse for granted and put your home in disarray.
10. Please everyone at the expense of your own personal goals and agenda.
11. Be consistent at inconsistency.
12. Always have it in mind to do good but never get to doing it.
13. Know something about everything but make sure you don’t know everything about something. Be jack of all trades but be master of none.
14. Pay no attention to your health.
15. Accept every advice you are given (if you don’t know that the best advice ever given is that you don’t have to take every advice!)

Do these, my friend and you sure need nobody to curse you, to fail. Such a one who lives by these fifteen rules and others like it is already under a curse of failure. YOU WILL NOT FAIL!

I’M LAUGHING BUT THINKING ABOUT THIS…

Joseph comes up to the Cotonou border on his bicycle. He’s got two large bags over his shoulders.

The customs official stops him and says, “What’s in the bags?”

“Garri,” answered Joseph.

The Customs official says, “We’ll just see about that. Get off the bike!” the Customs official takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them but garri.

He detains Joseph overnight and has the garri analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure garri in the bags.

The customs official releases Joseph, puts the garri into new bags, lifts them onto the man’s shoulders, and lets him cross the border.

A week later, the same thing happens. The customs official asks, “What have you got?” “Garri,” Joseph answers.

The customs official does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but garri. He gives the garri back to Joseph, and Joseph crosses the border on his bicycle.

This sequence of events was repeated every day for the next three years. Finally, Joseph doesn’t show up one day and the customs official meets him in a beer parlour in Cotonou.

“Hey, my friend,” says the customs official, “I know you are smuggling something. It’s driving me crazy. It’s all I think about….I can’t sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?”

Joseph sips his beer and says, “Bicycles”!

You would agree with me that this is very funny. (Or maybe you don’t.) But while I’m laughing I can’t help but think.

One, we must learn to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. The customs official should have known after a while that it is not garri that Joseph was smuggling. And also that contraband does not always have to be in containers. Joseph used on him what we call a smokescreen, and he didn’t see through it.

Two, LOOK BEYOND THE OBVIOUS.  What appears is not always what is. Plain and simple!

Three, WE MUST NOT JUST THINK THROUGH BUT THINK FAST.

So, while we laugh, let’s think. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

HAVE YOU HAD A CHECK-UP LATELY?

It is okay and it is recommended that you have a medical check-up – a complete physical exam at least once a year. It helps early detection of diseases and helps you stay on top of your health and physical condition. In short, it’s a strategy for keeping fit. So, let me ask you, “Have you had a check up lately?”

However, the check-up I am talking about is neither physical nor medical. The last time I checked I was and have never been a medical practitioner. The exam I talk about is attitudinal, mental and spiritual. Let’s feel your pulse:

Check your ATTITUDE to life. “Attitude” Chuck Swindoll said, “is more important than facts.” And I believe it. Your attitude to life will determine your altitude in life. QED!

Check your ASSOCIATIONS. Your friend determines your end (see Proverbs 13:20). Evil communications corrupt good manners (see 1 Corinthians 15:33). Your associations are either making you poorer or richer, making you better or worse. Check it!

Check your BELIEFS. A man would never change what he believes until his belief system cannot deliver to him the results he seeks. What you believe is what you will become. Fertility is not in the land, it is in the mind. Selah!

Check your CONFESSION. What do you say to and about yourself. You will always have what you say. Your words will become “flesh” and dwell with you.

Check your CONVICTIONS. Men are not ruled by feelings; they are governed by the depth of their convictions.

Check your DEVOTION. Are you still seeking first the kingdom of God? Half-hearted seekers of God get nowhere.

Check your ENTHUSIASM. “It is the little thing that makes a big difference.” (Matthew Ashimolowo) Are you still full of God? Haven’t you lost your zest for life and living?

Check your FAITHFULNESS. If you are faithful in little things, you’ll be trusted with bigger stuffs. That’s how God designed life to work.

Check your GROWTH. Are you growing? When last did you learn something new? True prosperity is marked by consistent growth and increase, not just accumulating possessions. When you’re through learning, you’re through! Many are growing OLD but how many people are growing UP? To grow old, you need do nothing but effort must be made if you must grow up. Selah!

Check your GIVING. The price of living is giving. What and to what are you giving? Give to God and to the people around you. The true measure of your life is not by its duration but by your donation.

Check your HABITS. You choose your habits and your habits decide your destiny.

Check your IMAGINATION. You are who you think you are and you will become the person you imagined to be.

Check your JOY level. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is a function of your circumstances but joy is a choice. Choose joy today (see Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Check your KNOWLEDGE of the truth. Are you merely assenting to or you indeed believe the truth. The Word of God is truth. Only the truth you know, can and will set you free (see John 17:17; John 8:32).

Check your LISTENING QUOTIENT. We are all guilty of this. Me too! God gave you two ears and a mouth so you can listen twice before you talk once! James 1:19 says to be swift to hear and slow to speak while Ecclesiastes 5:1 admonishes us to be more ready to hear than to speak.

Check your MEDITATION. How often do you think? It was novelist George Bernard Shaw that said, “Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.” Thinkers are winners. When you don’t think, you stink! No pun intended, that’s the pure truth.

Check your PERSISTENCE LEVEL. “Persistent people begin their own success where others quit.” (John Mason) Do you give up so easily? “You can soon determine the caliber of a man by ascertaining the amount of opposition it takes to discourage him.”(Dewey King)

Check your PRAYER LIFE. A man cannot be greater than his prayer life. When you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Do everything but be sure you are praying. Prayer is your breath (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Check your VITAL RELATIONSHIPS. Your relationship with God (James 4:8); with your spouse, if you are married, that is (1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:22-25); and with your children (Ephesians 6:4). These are the relationships that will matter when the push comes to the shove. Fail here and you’ve lost it all; your success elsewhere does not matter. You will not fail!

Check your ZEAL. Are you growing complacent and cold towards your God-given purpose? Zeal is a vital key to success. Get your vibe back. Do whatever you will but get it back.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Additions and comments welcome. YOU WILL SUCCEED!