Merry Chistmas 2015

Dear loving people,

It’s Christmas season everywhere and so it is at Living Lectures.  Amidst the plethora of messages that you will be receiving from your loved ones, Living Lectures through this short message adds its voice to wish you the best and thanking you for having stood by us throughout 2015.

Lucinda Franks says it was “Christmas in Bethlehem. The ancient dream: a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the smell of incense, shepherds and wise men falling to their knees in adoration of the sweet baby, the incarnation of perfect love.”

“Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.” So says Joan Winmill Brown

W. C. Jones says “the joy of brightening other lives, bearing others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.”

In Agnes M. Pharo’s words, Christmas “is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”

Are you planning to give gifts to your loved ones, Oren Arnold has the following Christmas gift suggestions: 

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace, the gladness of Christmas give you hope, the warmth of Christmas grant you love. It's not the presents that make Christmas so special; it’s the presence of those you love. Whether they are with you in person or spirit.

Let me join Hamilton Wright Mabie in saying “blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!”

A Stainless Steel Personality - Episode 04

Dear lovely people,

 

In Episode 03, we looked at the importance of breaking down your goals to daily achievable tasks. lets now in Episode 04 to the art of being visionary...

Episode 04

You have to remain Mindful & Visionary. Stay in the present moment, taking the very next little step towards your goal. Feel it, celebrate it, be mindful and aware of it.  You are taking action. At the same time, remain visionary about where each step is getting you to.  You need to be able to combine both present mindfulness with future vision.

Episode 05 will even be more appealing, stay tuned....

Persistence is Your Magic

Dear loving people,

Most of you will agree with me that the one ingredient you’ll always need for the journey of entrepreneurship is persistence. It can take your further than any other quality alone. Probably that’s why Benjamin Franklin thinks that “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

Talking entrepreneurship, I think of a young dynamic lady Justine. It was the fifth time Justine was refused a loan at the bank. The people around her quickly figured out that her dream of owning a restaurant was gradually being eroded. She went home that afternoon, dejected, with a thousand questions in her mind and ‘why me?’ was one of them but, she was not discouraged. An idea popped up in her mind and she told herself it was not over yet. Back home, she decided to change her strategy. 

That’s how she started a maize farm as a step towards raising the needed funds for her restaurant business. At the end of the next farming season, Justine was smiling to the bank. She became so attached to her farm and having seen the rewards, she decided to put in another year at the end of which she had what she wanted.

The same bank did not only give her a loan but doubled the amount she had requested the previous years. Justine was able to start her restaurant that is flourishing today. She equally maintained her maize farm that is still feeding her bank account with the needed cash to repay her loan.

Justine’s secrete was the fact that she clearly understood that the power to keep going will conquer all other obstacles. She combined that with the energy and passion to see new ways around the challenges she was facing and thus, she achieved her goals.

Persistence is not just about hanging onto what you are currently doing even when you hit a stone wall. Persistence is equally about changing strategy when what you have going on is not yielding fruits and keeping on the right track until you attain success. 

Calvin Coolidge says “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”