Archive for March 2017

changing-your-success-in-a-heartbeat-no-pain-no-gain

We’ve all been knocked flat on our face from a life event. What I know is that you can’t let that destroy you. You were put here to do something special, and only you can unlock your potential.

This post is all about how I went from the lowest of lows (even though people think I’m Mr. Success) and worked my way back to the top again. It’s not really about me so much but how you can implement the same thought patterns and mindset to your situation.

The point to understand is that your success can change in a heartbeat. We all sometimes are tricked into thinking it takes five years to come back from a major problem but I’m living proof that it doesn’t. It can be one small change that you make to your life that brings about the abundance you’ve always wanted.

“As well as taking action you have to have an unlimited hope that no matter what, you’re going to be okay and crush your goals”

Here are the 5 lessons I learned when my success changed in a single heartbeat:

1. All it takes is a chance encounter

We all meet new people on a regular basis, and many of them seem to have no influence on our life. Then somehow, you meet someone extraordinary and buck the trend. Chance encounters are fundamental to your success changing in a heartbeat.

It’s because people, not things will change your success. People are what make you successful, and they are probably what brought you down in the first place. I was lucky enough to experience this first hand.

A mentor of mine needed me to attend an event in their place but insisted that I had to engage someone else to come with me. He left me with a very challenging problem for someone like me who at the time was at rock bottom.

How do you solve a problem so significant that only has one outcome? You embrace your fear and do what you have been putting off. The truth is that you already know the answer to almost any problem, it’s just you can’t solve the issue until you choose the solution that has significant fear attached.

So I took a risk and reached out to the person whom I knew could solve my issue. There was a high chance of failure and it could have destroyed this friendship that had formed – I did it anyway. To my surprise, the question I asked was one that I think they were always waiting for me to ask.

While I may never be sure of that, I know in my heart that it’s true. Call it a gut feeling, but I think our lives were meant to cross and we were meant to inspire each other.

“Our lives are impacted by the questions we don’t ask”

Having a sense of curiosity and asking questions that come to mind is yet another way our success can change in a heartbeat. In my situation, the worse thing that could happen is that the person said no.

If they were upset by me asking then that would have shown me that they were probably the wrong person to ask in the first place.

2. You have to hit rock bottom

For your success to change in a heartbeat, you need to experience rock bottom at least once. Coming from rock bottom will help you to appreciate what it’s like when you climb up and conquer the mountain again.

The lessons you need to learn about yourself are on the way up, not at the summit of the mountain. When I was at rock bottom I used the time to improve myself and re-educate my mind yet again. At rock bottom, I learned to survive on my own with no real help from anyone.

I got to see what it was like standing at the front of the battlefield and being right in the firing line of a sniper. Having this sniper pointing at my head forced me to change direction and re-think what I thought I already knew (I learned that I really knew nothing).

Surprisingly, it’s very crowded when you’re at rock bottom, and plenty of people want to share stories of struggle, defeat, and hopelessness. Unfortunately for them, I wasn’t having a bar of it. I knew that rock bottom was temporary and I insisted on enjoying the hardship while I could.

Once you’ve been covered in trash and booed at, while being at rock bottom, you figure out why you never want to be there again. It gives you the fuel to bounce back and say, “never again, I’m better than this and I am in control of my destiny.”

3. Passion can lift you up again

What got me back up from rock bottom was my passion. It was my passion that made my level of success change in a heartbeat. As it turns out, my passion for blogging and inspiring people is infectious. Everyone wants to be a part of something positive, and when you are at rock bottom, people can tell.

They somehow feel like they owe you something because of all the inspiration you gave them for free without asking for anything in return. We only get back what we put out. All those unused favors amounted for something, and one of my mentors saw their calling.

Their calling was to take control and create serendipity in my life and do so almost without me knowing. While I may have figured out the game plan, I’m so glad that they did what they did. Your passion is so important, and you have to let it bleed out of you.

Use your passion to inspire you when it feels like you have nothing else. Instead of being hopeless, use your passion to bring hope. It’s by you bringing hope to others that you will rediscover hope in your own situation.

4. You must be positive no matter what

Success will never change in a heartbeat unless you remain positive. Negative people fail and fail permanently until they become positive again. Unless you believe that anything is possible, you’ll never achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself.

I used a positive mindset to tell myself that winter was going to come to an end, the blizzard was going to stop, and I would get to feel the sunshine again. I became obsessed with not knowing the answer and wanting to be surprised (and boy was the result a surprise).

I knew that if I kept doing what I do and didn’t lose hope that I would get to experience happiness again. I allowed myself to be happy with the little things and not to focus on the major dramas of my life that from a distance could seem insurmountable.

Even when more challenges and problems kept being added to the pile, I used each of them has a mini-university course. By taking all the grease and dirt that was building up in my life, I was able to blast it all away with one squirt from the high-pressure hose of my mind.

5. Enjoy the journey back to the top

When the tide changes in your favor again, it’s so important to enjoy the journey and fly your kite high again in the sky. It’s only been a few weeks since my success changed in a heartbeat and I already feel that I am not being as grateful as I need to be.

That’s why; practicing gratitude is so crucial to your success. I’ve loved the journey back to the top and the fact that I get to inspire all of you with my own struggle. I now have more strategies to help all of us succeed together, and they came from putting the rubber to the road and allowing things to get a bit out of hand.

Who knew that I would be sitting here just a few weeks ago and writing about how my success has changed again in a heartbeat. That’s right; this is the second time in a few years.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was born a Nigerian in a typical African village setup to very humble and poor parents. At the tender age of ten my elder brother took me with him to the Cameroon. He was the one who virtually raised me and the root of what I have become today.

After my high school education I could not continue immediately to the university due to lack of finance. I gained an employment as a Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics teacher with the Catholic education authority in Cameroon. After many years of teaching, I decided to continue with my education to earn a university degree. I studied Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nigeria-Nsukka, where I graduated with a first class honours degree. I came back to the Cameroon afterwards and taught for few years before moving to Europe. I still teach, though on free lance basis but a good deal of my time is dedicated to my writing. I am happily married with three wonderful children.

What do you do when you are not writing?

When I am writing, I work as a support staff to the fire fighting services, I spend quality time with family, I do a lot of reading, and I watch movies especially religious and Nigerian movies.

Do you have a "day job" as well?

Sometimes I work at night as a support staff to the fire fighting services.

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I started writing at about the age of fourteen, though at that time it was nothing other than scratching some stories on pieces of papers. I have no collection of those stories but memories of them have never left me and they form the basis of my novel.

My very first writing in print was a Chemistry pamphlet (though unpublished). It was followed by the first volume of my Physics book. All these were written before the year 2000.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I just like to tell stories especially folklore. It seems I have a preference to the ways of living in the village setup. I equally enjoy quality debates on matters of religion.

Where do you get your ideas?

Most of my ideas are inspirational. I imagine most of the things I write. I also borrowed from my own life experience, especially from the many years I worked as a teacher. My students and colleagues unknowingly provided the wonderful background to some of my stories. I remain indebted to them.

Do you ever experience writer's block?

Yes, many times of course

Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I just write as I get inspired.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I enjoyed the writings of Prof. Chinua Achebe. No Longer at Ease and Things Fall Apart were my favourite novels.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

As a new author I knew nothing about publishing. It was difficult getting into the world of publishers.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

For now I cannot tell. I think there are rooms for improvement. I will wait patiently for the comments and criticisms of those who have read the novel. There always will be something to improve about a book.

What inspired you on this book?

The urge to tell a story that have lived long in me.

What was the hardest part of creating this book?

The hardest part was trying to select from the many stories I had within me and presenting the stories in ways that would be interesting to the would-be readers.

What do you hope people gain from reading it?

People will understand better the traditional African way of life. Africa is unique with her unique set of traditions, culture, lifestyle and beliefs. Africa had a rich and proud past and only Africans can tell the true and complete story of Africa. People should after reading the novel see Africa more in a positive light.

What is your advice to people who are not excited about reading?

There are lots of pleasure to be derived from reading. It is often said that when a man stops reading, it stops growing. Reading makes a man. Treasures are hidden within the pages of books.

Why should we buy your book?

My book offers a good outlook of the African way of life. It gives a true picture and insight into the rich and diverse nature of the African culture. It tells the African story in a unique way. Sales of the book will motivate my writing and will help to finance a charity project I envisage setting up in the near future.

Where can I get a copy of your book?

Visit www.ChasedIntoHisDestiny1.com for a copy.

by Pope Francis

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Christians are asked to return to God “with all their hearts” (Joel 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship with the Lord. Jesus is the faithful friend who never abandons us. Even when we sin, he patiently awaits our return; by that patient expectation, he shows us his readiness to forgive (cf. Homily, 8 January 2016).

Lent is a favourable season for deepening our spiritual life through the means of sanctification offered us by the Church: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. At the basis of everything is the word of God, which during this season we are invited to hear and ponder more deeply. I would now like to consider the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Lk 16:19-31). Let us find inspiration in this meaningful story, for it provides a key to understanding what we need to do in order to attain true happiness and eternal life. It exhorts us to sincere conversion.

1. The other person is a gift

The parable begins by presenting its two main characters. The poor man is described in greater detail: he is wretched and lacks the strength even to stand. Lying before the door of the rich man, he fed on the crumbs falling from his table. His body is full of sores and dogs come to lick his wounds (cf. vv. 20-21). The picture is one of great misery; it portrays a man disgraced and pitiful.

The scene is even more dramatic if we consider that the poor man is called Lazarus: a name full of promise, which literally means God helps. This character is not anonymous. His features are clearly delineated and he appears as an individual with his own story. While practically invisible to the rich man, we see and know him as someone familiar. He becomes a face, and as such, a gift, a priceless treasure, a human being whom God loves and cares for, despite his concrete condition as an outcast (cf. Homily, 8 January 2016).

Lazarus teaches us that other persons are a gift. A right relationship with people consists in gratefully recognizing their value. Even the poor person at the door of the rich is not a nuisance, but a summons to conversion and to change. The parable first invites us to open the doors of our heart to others because each person is a gift, whether it be our neighbour or an anonymous pauper. Lent is a favourable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ. Each of us meets people like this every day. Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love. The word of God helps us to open our eyes to welcome and love life, especially when it is weak and vulnerable. But in order to do this, we have to take seriously what the Gospel tells us about the rich man.

2. Sin blinds us

The parable is unsparing in its description of the contradictions associated with the rich man (cf. v. 19). Unlike poor Lazarus, he does not have a name; he is simply called “a rich man”. His opulence was seen in his extravagant and expensive robes. Purple cloth was even more precious than silver and gold, and was thus reserved to divinities (cf. Jer 10:9) and kings (cf. Jg 8:26), while fine linen gave one an almost sacred character. The man was clearly ostentatious about his wealth, and in the habit of displaying it daily: “He feasted sumptuously every day” (v. 19). In him we can catch a dramatic glimpse of the corruption of sin, which progresses in three successive stages: love of money, vanity and pride (cf. Homily, 20 September 2013).

The Apostle Paul tells us that “the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Tim6:10). It is the main cause of corruption and a source of envy, strife and suspicion. Money can come to dominate us, even to the point of becoming a tyrannical idol (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 55). Instead of being an instrument at our service for doing good and showing solidarity towards others, money can chain us and the entire world to a selfish logic that leaves no room for love and hinders peace.

The parable then shows that the rich man’s greed makes him vain. His personality finds expression in appearances, in showing others what he can do. But his appearance masks an interior emptiness. His life is a prisoner to outward appearances, to the most superficial and fleeting aspects of existence (cf. ibid., 62).

The lowest rung of this moral degradation is pride. The rich man dresses like a king and acts like a god, forgetting that he is merely mortal. For those corrupted by love of riches, nothing exists beyond their own ego. Those around them do not come into their line of sight. The result of attachment to money is a sort of blindness. The rich man does not see the poor man who is starving, hurting, lying at his door.

Looking at this character, we can understand why the Gospel so bluntly condemns the love of money: “No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money” (Mt6:24).

3. The Word is a gift

The Gospel of the rich man and Lazarus helps us to make a good preparation for the approach of Easter. The liturgy of Ash Wednesday invites us to an experience quite similar to that of the rich man. When the priest imposes the ashes on our heads, he repeats the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. As it turned out, the rich man and the poor man both died, and the greater part of the parable takes place in the afterlife. The two characters suddenly discover that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Tim 6:7).

We too see what happens in the afterlife. There the rich man speaks at length with Abraham, whom he calls “father” (Lk 16:24.27), as a sign that he belongs to God’s people. This detail makes his life appear all the more contradictory, for until this moment there had been no mention of his relation to God. In fact, there was no place for God in his life. His only god was himself.

The rich man recognizes Lazarus only amid the torments of the afterlife. He wants the poor man to alleviate his suffering with a drop of water. What he asks of Lazarus is similar to what he could have done but never did. Abraham tells him: “During your life you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus had his fill of bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony” (v. 25). In the afterlife, a kind of fairness is restored and life’s evils are balanced by good.

The parable goes on to offer a message for all Christians. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, who are still alive. But Abraham answers: “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them” (v. 29). Countering the rich man’s objections, he adds: “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead” (v. 31).

The rich man’s real problem thus comes to the fore. At the root of all his ills was the failure to heed God’s word. As a result, he no longer loved God and grew to despise his neighbour. The word of God is alive and powerful, capable of converting hearts and leading them back to God. When we close our heart to the gift of God’s word, we end up closing our heart to the gift of our brothers and sisters.

Dear friends, Lent is the favourable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his word, in the sacraments and in our neighbour. The Lord, who overcame the deceptions of the Tempter during the forty days in the desert, shows us the path we must take. May the Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need. I encourage all the faithful to express this spiritual renewal also by sharing in the Lenten Campaigns promoted by many Church organizations in different parts of the world, and thus to favour the culture of encounter in our one human family. Let us pray for one another so that, by sharing in the victory of Christ, we may open our doors to the weak and poor. Then we will be able to experience and share to the full the joy of Easter.

From the Vatican, 18 October 2016

Francis

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Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Wikipedia