Sabina’s Dog

Dear lovely people,

“Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed.”

Sabina’s dog was not any kind of dog, it loved adventures a lot. One day, Sabin took her dog on a promenade in the woods. Wandering too far into the bush, the dog got lost and soon encountered a very hungry and fiercely looking leopard. The dog realized he was in trouble, but, noticing a heap of some fresh bones on the ground, he settled down to chew on them, with his back to the big cat. As the leopard was about to leap, the dog smacks his lips and exclaims loudly, "Boy, boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here."

The suddenly frightened leopard stops mid-stride, and slinked away into the trees. "Phew," says the leopard, "that was close - that evil dog nearly had me. Thank the universe for good ears"

A monkey nearby saw everything and thought he'll win a favor by putting the imprudent leopard straight. The dog saw the monkey going after the leopard, and guessed he might be up to no good. When the leopard hears the monkey's story he feels angry at being made a fool, and offers the monkey a ride back to see him exact his revenge.

The dog saw them approaching and feared the worse. Thinking quickly, the dog turned his back, pretended not to notice them, and when the pair got within earshot, the dog said aloud, "Now where's that monkey gone to? I sent him ages ago to bring me another leopard..."

The monkey knew at once hell had broken loose and in a few giant leaps, was atop a nearby tree away from the furious leopards grip. The disappointed and angry leopard ran for his dear life.

By keeping yourself calm and using your brain, you turn overt dreadful situations to your advantage. Creative thinking, Quick thinking, Positive Boldness can always help you Avert a disaster whether in your private, business or public life.

Earl Monroe cautions “Just be patient. Let the game come to you. Don't rush. Be quick, but don't hurry.”

When You Shine

Dear lovely people,

 

I read from Luke 8:16 (NIV) "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”

If you read the quotation carefully, you will notice it does not talk of anyone stationed there to inform “those who come in” that the lamp is shining. When a lamp is shining, everybody sees it without being told. Imagine you are lost in the wild, it gets dark while you are struggling to find your way home. Then you see a glimpse of light from a distance. What happens? Suddenly that glimpse of light becomes you reference point, you become sort of phototropic and start moving towards the light.

In the same way in your life, you should act and be like a lamp on the lamp stand.  For that to happen, you have to generate light from within and most of the times, it requires that you set aside fear; fear that you are not good enough, not smart enough or not complete enough in order to allow your light to shine naturally. Your dreams, your processes to achieve that dream, your actions, your character, your focus and all that evolve around you and the people you interact with should be fashioned in such a way that teaches lessons; that make people want to learn from you always.

Don’t confuse this with becoming a people-pleaser! That is not what I am talking about. A people-pleaser is a play thing to external forces while a self-illuminated person operates from within. For sure, anybody would like to learn the latest techniques of becoming a successful entrepreneur but trust me, nobody will not want to learn that from people who demand a pound of flesh for every step they take in assisting them.

Just like Thalia, “I think that nothing is impossible when you want to fulfill a dream. A lot of people will tell you that you can't do it, that you don't have what it takes, but if it is in your heart and you feel it, there is nothing that will stop you. It is like the sun - you can't block it: it will shine regardless, if that is what you want.”

A lamp will shine irrespective of whether people like it or not. It will shine no matter the circumstance and even if placed at the bottom of an abyss, it will still give light there. Be a lamp in all you do and the rest of the things will take care of themselves.

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine” says Dwight L. Moody

You Have No Problems

Dear lovely people,

Exactly a year ago, I was inspired to share this message on Facebook. On its anniversary today, I was reflecting on a caption to give it when my wife shouted “You have no problems” and so I tell you as you read through this, if you thought you had problems, you still have the time to change your thinking….

“Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.” - John F. Kennedy

I get the point. So your business failed, you failed the recruitment exam, and as if that was not enough, you lost your shares in the last investment you did. Recently, your landlord sent you parking, your car was stolen and now you are telling me the contract that was awarded to you last week has been canceled? Goodness! There are times like that… hear me out…

Many more people have never had a business at all let alone a failed one. Many more have never been shortlisted for a recruitment exam. Millions of people can’t afford a share in a business and thousands are those who are homeless and can’t afford even a month’s rents. Do you know millions don’t dream of ever owning a car? Thousands are those who don’t know what a contract is let alone having an annulled one. So do you still think you have problems?

Relax, at the center of all aridity and hardship are buried lessons and opportunities. Dig deeper at such moments so you can learn the lessons, correct course, grab the opportunities and move on in a better way. “Plan with God” says the writing on a local transporter’s truck I knew years back.

While Albert Einstein points out clearly that “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it”, Voltaire concludes that “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”

Build your reservoir of courage to accept your failures so you can overcome them and grow. NEVER GIVE UP even when all around you think you are finished. Tell yourself "My God is still alive, it’s not finished until He says so.” Smile and start all over again with faith. It will be well with you.