Success principles few people follow (2)

By Bayo Ogunmupe     Understanding success principles underlying life is critical to living the life of your dreams. Persistence is one of those success principles. How persistent are you in pursuing what you really want? A great secret of success is learning to keep moving despite your doubts. There is no better example of persistence than the story of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. He failed in business at21, lost a legislative race at age 22, failed in business again at 24 and lost a Parliamentary election when he was 34. At 45 he lost a senatorial race. He failed to become Vice President at 47. But he was finally elected President of the United States at 52 years of age.     Lincoln never quit. Every failure was a stepping stone until he finally assumed the highest office in America. This learns you not to give up too soon. As long as you are actively trying after every failure, you have not failed. Another principle of success is giving up the desire to be liked or accepted. A famous writer and man of letters Erich Hoffer once said: "A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." Wanting to be accepted is human, hence the insane pursuit of conformity. Make a conscious effort of not giving a damn. Set yourself free. This is a skill that needs to be acquired and practised. Once you truly learn how to let go; you will see the world from an entirely different perspective.     The key to the good life you are after is giving a damn about what is important to your growth, career and total well being. Stopping to give a damn about what other people think, boosts your self confidence to the rooftops than you ever imagine. You start believing in yourself and what you can offer the world. Then, you stop outside influences from meddling with your decisions. Also, never panic when your plans fail; life isn't linear, not everything goes as planned. You cannot achieve goal. You just reshuffle your goal and move on. Your best strategy when planning is making contingency or alternative plans. Your plans for the week or next month may not unfold as expected. Never attach yourself to any particular plan, adapt when necessary.     Stop worrying about what you cannot control. You can do nothing about the past, the future and the perception of others. When you spend time wishing things had been different; you stop making progress. You only need to prepare yourself for what's  ahead. You only have control over your thoughts, decisions, attitude and reactions. When you limit yourself to what's within your control, life becomes easier for you to handle. You can influence people and circumstances but you cannot for change in others. Instead of worrying about things you cannot change, focus on making impact and bigger difference in areas with mutual agreement.      If however, you what to achieve in six months what takes most people 10 years to achieve, you need to cut the learning curve. To cut the learning curve and minimize your mistakes, you need to do one thing: You need to read a lot. Reading books and articles from people who have done what you are looking for, will cut the learning curve by decades for you. Following the long conventional path in achieving your goals is the result of your not being someone who actively seeks out new ideas. This happens when you fail to read about successful people in your fi

Lessons I learned about making money

                   

 By Bayo Ogunmupe

    This testimony is about what I learned from reading "You Were Born Rich" by Bob Proctor. I was actually attracted to the book at a bend-down book vendor's stall in front of the Lagos General Post Office by the name of the author. The first time I came into contact with word 'proctor' I asked for its meaning from my English master, an English man who told me 'warden' is its synonym. Later, I discovered both words have ancient history behind them. And I have always been fascinated by Ancient History. As the first child of my father, an only son, I was spoiled with money gifts in my early life. I always had enough of it. Besides, both of my parents have always worked full time running their businesses. Moreover my mum was always ready to part with any cash to keep me and my friends near her, away from miscreants around town.

    So tending money characterized my childhood. Though I was living a great life then, I was always economical. In the political economy of my adolescence, I appreciated money, because it could buy you anything, with bicycles and servants among them. Since my friends valued me for my generosity, I became interested in making more money than people I was surrounded by. So, when I stumbled on the book: You Were Born Rich, I thought the book is only about money, it's not. It is about how to excel in life. Proctor's You Were Born Rich is one of the few books that show the scientific perspective about motivation and law of attraction and manifestation. It also teaches how to apply the laws of attraction and manifestation. Here, you will find the most powerful lessons about mindset, money, and the abundant life.

    "Success is not always 'reaching out' for something that you don't have but rather only 'reaching over' and rearranging the pieces already there." This sentence I am highlighting I found quite thought provoking. For me, reaching over and rearranging the pieces means you must reflect examine yourself. It is saying the diamond you are searching for in Sokoto is at your backyard. The passage is telling you that you are looking for outside is within you. Since you have everything, you only need to open your eyes, grab the pieces and put them together.

      Freedom isn't cheap. I believe the desire for freedom is a most prized longing. There is hardly anyone who wouldn't want to be free. The wish to live in a particular location, financial freedom, being your own boss and many others are the desires of the majority. However, all those who enjoy the perks of freedom invested heavily to get there. Sleepless nights, mounds of risks, loss of friends and empty social lives are but a few of sacrifices they needed to make. If you are going to live life the way you want it, you must pay the high price. And this doesn't come easy; although the rewards are phenomenal.

    Meanwhile, money will have a greater influence on you

Lessons I learned about making money (2)

                    By Bayo Ogunmupe

    "Ninety five people out of a hundred settle for whatever they get, wishing they had more all the way from the cradle to the casket, never understanding that they could actually have had all they wanted." As a literary critic, I mainly work with people who are already motivated to improve themselves and create a life of excellence. And even though most of my customers are already into topics like mindset, law of attraction and abundance, the majority don't actually believe they can have it all. They would have liked to make it big in life, but they settle for whatever they get.

    But most of the time, it's out of convenience. The would have liked to achieve big results, but they can't convince themselves it would be worth giving their all, so they refuse to go the extra mile. Most people want more money than they really need; which is why they settle for a lot less than they could get. Although luck plays some part in financial success, it is never sufficient in itself. In effect, money must always be earned.

    In my researches on luck, what brings luck is preparation for success. Thus, some people were lucky enough to be born into a rich family and will probably never need to work. But then they will miss being achievers. Which is why I don't care about the lucky and their circumstances. Luck doesn't bother me inasmuch as being prepared for my opportunity. I just focus on things that I can influence or control and that is where I can seize financial success. There are no free rides in this life. The only people making money the easy way either work in the mint or are on their way to jail, if they have not already arrived there. Cases in point are some of Nigeria's state governors who are now in jail decades after leaving office.

    Confiscating  looted properties and jailing Nigerian corrupt leaders is a question of time; Providence will always provide the circumstances and the plague. When money is stolen and stashed away in a vault, it will exposed because according to Proctor, "Money is not meant to be taken out of circulation, rather, it is meant to be used, enjoyed and circulated." Looters are always afraid of using money because it will expose them immediately. Money is not meant to be locked up in a vault. It is to be invested. Money is energy which increases if you use it. If you don't use it it depreciates and fade away.

    People don't feel comfortable once they have money. But people have it because they feel confident and comfortable with it. Money is a mind game. "The best way to develop a prosperity consciousness is to start seeing yourself, in your mind's eye, already in possession of the amount of money that you desire." If you don't believe you can possess more money, you won't. Visualization is a powerful tool at our disposal, but only a tiny amount of humans use it.  I know many doubt the law of attraction and techniques like manifestation. However, it doesn't matter if you don't believe in it. Universal laws work equally for everyone, the law of attraction is one of them.

Lessons I learned about making money (2)

                   

 By Bayo Ogunmupe

    "Ninety five people out of a hundred settle for whatever they get, wishing they had more all the way from the cradle to the casket, never understanding that they could actually have had all they wanted." As a literary critic, I mainly work with people who are already motivated to improve themselves and create a life of excellence. And even though most of my customers are already into topics like mindset, law of attraction and abundance, the majority don't actually believe they can have it all. They would have liked to make it big in life, but they settle for whatever they get.

    But most of the time, it's out of convenience. The would have liked to achieve big results, but they can't convince themselves it would be worth giving their all, so they refuse to go the extra mile. Most people want more money than they really need; which is why they settle for a lot less than they could get. Although luck plays some part in financial success, it is never sufficient in itself. In effect, money must always be earned.

    In my researches on luck, what brings luck is preparation for success. Thus, some people were lucky enough to be born into a rich family and will probably never need to work. But then they will miss being achievers. Which is why I don't care about the lucky and their circumstances. Luck doesn't bother me inasmuch as being prepared for my opportunity. I just focus on things that I can influence or control and that is where I can seize financial success. There are no free rides in this life. The only people making money the easy way either work in the mint or are on their way to jail, if they have not already arrived there. Cases in point are some of Nigeria's state governors who are now in jail decades after leaving office.

    Confiscating  looted properties and jailing Nigerian corrupt leaders is a question of time; Providence will always provide the circumstances and the plague. When money is stolen and stashed away in a vault, it will exposed because according to Proctor, "Money is not meant to be taken out of circulation, rather, it is meant to be used, enjoyed and circulated." Looters are always afraid of using money because it will expose them immediately. Money is not meant to be locked up in a vault. It is to be invested. Money is energy which increases if you use it. If you don't use it it depreciates and fade away.

    People don't feel comfortable once they have money. But people have it because they feel confident and comfortable with it. Money is a mind game. "The best way to develop a prosperity consciousness is to start seeing yourself, in your mind's eye, already in possession of the amount of money that you desire." If you don't believe you can possess more money, you won't. Visualization is a powerful tool at our disposal, but only a tiny amount of humans use it.  I know many doubt the law of attraction and techniques like manifestation. However, it doesn't matter if you don't believe in it. Universal laws work equally for everyone, the law of attraction is one of them.

What I learned about making money (3)

    

If you really want to increase the amount of money you are presently earning, the first thing you must do is to stop paying attention to what others around you are saying or doing. You are to pay more attention to what that quiet voice  speaking within you, is saying. Most people who fail to accumulate enough money to live in the lifestyle of their dreams are those most easily influenced by the opinion of others. Even though you love your mum and your mum loves you; if your mum didn't achieve the financial success that you are striving for, it makes sense for you not to listen to her advice. Instead talk to someone who is already wealthy and can give you profound advice in terms of finances.

    "Thinking is the highest function a human being is capable of doing. Unfortunately, very people think. They merely trick themselves into believing they are thinking when they're exercising their faculty called "memory." You have power to think. In your exercise of that power, create a reality wilder than your wildest dreams. Use that incredible power to transform the way you think, feel and make money. As soon as you hold thoughts of prosperity and think of yourself as a wealthy, prosperous person who is surrounded  and swimming in a sea of plenty, your body and mind will instantly move to a prosperous vibration and you will begin to attract, like a magnet, everything necessary for you to become wealthy,

    You must begin to see money as an obedient, diligent servant, that you can employ to earn more money. And that you can use to provide services far beyond the service you could ever physically provide. Money is evil. Money spoils character. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. These limiting statements are the beliefs of the mediocre and impoverished. Lack and limitation can only exist when you make room for them in your mind. When you allow limiting beliefs to dominate your mind you remain small.  Your first step to live in abundance is to believe in it and focus your mind on wealth. Distant yourself from small minded people. You think and act big in order to create big results.

    It is an absolute law of life that you must have something mentally before you will ever have it physically. If you cannot imagine yourself living in abundance and financial freedom, you won't ever be able to create that reality. The law of attraction reacts both ways. You can attract wealth, but you also attract misery. It is according to your choice. Think of the things you would do with that money or executive position, and then mentally start doing them. Since your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between actuality and visualization, this exercise will quickly help you develop the prosperity consciousness. But you must understand that thinking by itself, isn't enough, you must reinforce it with action.

    One of the world's most distinguished psychologists, William James (1842-1910) concluded that the average individual uses a small portion (about 10 percent) of his potential. And so you are capable of so much more than you think. Life isn't about playing it small. It is about taking risks, learning from our mistakes in order to grow into an even better person and unleashing our full potential. You were not made to play it safe and do the same things for 90 years until you finally die. Most people live intellectually or morally in restriction. They use a small portion of their consciousness and creative resources, much like a person who uses only a finger out of his whole bodily organism.

The mindsets that build wealth

Bola Tinubu

                        

By Bayo Ogunmupe

    To succeed in life, stop playing not to lose and start playing to win. Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are always afraid to lose and they often lose. Failure is part of the process of success. When you are avoiding failure, you are also avoiding success. Robert Kiyosaki, a famous entrepreneurship expert and co-author of many books with U.S President Donald Trump says he had two dads as a child. he had his own father and the father of his best friend. These his two fathers were very different when it came to dealing with finances. Robert learned what not to do to be rich from his own dad and what to do to be rich from the other. One helped him avoid staying poor, the other helped him get rich.

    Kiyosaki's book: Rich Dad Poor Dad is a modern classic of personal finance. It's my favorite finance book which I read again and again. Through it Kiyosaki delivers his captivating lessons on finance. If it weren't so captivating, the book wouldn't have sold 32 million copies in three years. The first lesson to help you escape poverty and build wealth is that fear and greed are keeping you in the rat race, only self education will get you out of it. You are afraid to exit the rat race because you think people will brand you "weird." You are allowing fear and greed to dominate your decision making, which is why you are still sticking to the old mantra, "Go to school, get a job, play it safe, when in reality no job is safe anymore. Whenever you get a raise at your job or a manna from heaven, the wise choice would be to invest the extra money in assets that build wealth like stocks or bonds.

    Maybe you find a good stock with 60 percent chance of doubling your money  within a year; but a 40 percent chance of losing it all. However, most likely  because of your greed and fear, of playing not to lose the money altogether, you will keep yourself from investing. Instead, you might spend the extra money to improve your lifestyle, like buying a car, with payments eating up the money. This way you're guaranteed to lose 100 percent. This shows the importance of educating yourself financially. Sadly we receive neither entrepreneurship nor financial education in school or college, so it's up to you to educate yourself for life. It is for this reason that many Nigerians don't save anything for their retirement.

    Two, adopt the mindset of "work to learn" instead of "work to earn." And be smart with your money. Take a job in a field you know nothing about, such as sales, customer service or communications; in order for you to develop new skills: you never know what they might be useful for in the future. Each month, make sure you buy books, attend courses and seminars on personal finance and start building your financial intelligence. The first step toward building wealth lies in the mindset of managing risks instead of avoiding them. Studies about investment will teach you that's better not to play it safe because that means missing out on big potential rewards. Start small that you can treat the money as if it's gone, so that you will worry less about losing it. Kiyosaki suggests creating an "I want" and "I don't want" list; like I want to retire at 50 or I don't want to end up broke like my poor uncle.

    Three, finally, use your money to acquire assets, not liabilities. Assets are stocks, bonds, real estate that you rent out or lease and anything that generates money that increases in value over time. Liabilities are cars, electronics with maintenance costs and periodical payments. This includes a house with a mortgage and of course debt. Anything that takes money out of your pocket periodically is a liability. There is no rush to change your situation, just stay at whatever job you're holding and "mind your own business." In this case it is your job that pays the bills and your business is what makes you wealthy. Then, build your business and use it to invest in assets which eventually become the primary source of your income. The most important thing is that you start today. As you are your own biggest asset, so the first thing you should put money into is yourself. Kudos to Kiyosaki who wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad to tell the story of a boy with two fathers to help you build a life of wealth and freedom.

How men agonize over feminism

           

      

  By Bayo Ogunmupe

    Feminism: The Agony of men is the bestselling book on spirituality written by the distinguished media guru, Michael Owhoko. Published in December 2018 by the American publishing house, Westbow Press, Bloomington, Indiana; the paperback novelette  makes compelling reading. The hundred page volume has seven chapters, an introduction, a preface and a conclusion. Most people think marriage is an easy venture, which is why they jump into it without due diligence. It is later that they realize the complexity of the institution they have committed into. To complicate men's agony, while God created marriage in a specific way, women of today now believe and claim the same  rights and authority  as the men, leading to undue unrest in marriages.

        Thus, agitation by women has forced marriages to become an institution where there are no longer definite roles for husband and wife as God intended. Feminism: The Agony of Men shows how the feminist movement which advocates equal rights, opportunity and authority between men and women, has caused unending tension between men and women both in marriages and relationships outside of marriage. The feminist agenda has left men agonizing in the world as his spouse now claims equal partnership in marriage with equal rights, privileges, authority and opportunity. Until the philosophy behind feminism is curbed, connubial friction will continue to plague marriages and this will eventually lead to the collapse of the marriage institution in the world.

    Therefore, Owhoko's Feminism is an exegesis on the agony men go through since the emergence of the feminist ideology in the world today. In the book, the author calls for restraint from women, allowing the old order to prevail. Which is why the first two chapters are devoted to marriage, and the pillars of marriage. While the author based his research on the Bible; it appears the feminists rely more on normative logic as a new epistemological system of analytical reasoning and cognition. Though the author excels in presenting the biblical points of view in marriage, there are good points to imbibe in the feminist ideology. Owhoko, here unveils the woman, the mystery behind her and the subtle contradictions between the two sexes. He blames the woman for veering away from her natural role to question the leadership the man over her.

    According to the author, Genesis 2:18 sets the tone for marriage with insight that marriage is an institution ordained by God, who has instructed us to solemnise the act. "Implicitly, God wants us to be involved in the institution of marriage as part of a commitment to fulfil its command of procreation aimed at populating the earth. God wants us to develop the earth as the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, as expressed in Psalm 24.1. Just like the way a landowner would want his property developed, God wants the earth to be developed, as He abhors vacuum. This can only be brought to pass through the institution of marriage."

    But prior to the creation of the woman, the provision of food, shelter and clothing as the basic needs of the family, was the the sole responsibility of the man. That was the order in the Garden of Eden before Eve joined Adam. However after Eve's creation, she began to play a supportive role as helper. This natural order finds premise in Ephesians 5:21-25, which says that the husband is the head of the wife even as the Christ is the head of the church and the Savior of the body. "Therefore as the Church is subject onto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it." And the father has the responsibility as a protector, provider, promoter, priest and prophet.

    And with the five factors, "namely God, love, money, sex and health, which I have termed the five pillars of marriage, the union is bound to experience peace. On the contrary, the absence of any of these catalysts could trigger crisis in marriage." But even then, in all of these the woman's role as helper, supporter and pillar is clear. "The woman was not created to compete for the leadership position with the man under the same roof, nor was she made to nurse an ambition to play the role of head within the same household." However, the World Conference on Women at the forefront of the fight for the emancipation of women, agitating for gender equality is propagating feminism to the detriment of family unity and world peace.

    The World Conference on Women has not been helpful "to the natural essence of womanhood on earth. Its position clearly negates the natural role and position of woman in creation. The objective of the conference has certainly crossed the naturally assigned jurisdiction in its fight for gender equality." This, certainly was not the intention of the United Nations General Assembly when it passed Resolution 3010, stating that 1975 should be celebrated as International Women's Year, which was the precursor to the first Conference on Women held in Mexico City in 1975. Though the conference asserted the contributions of women to world peace, it failed to target the home as the sphere where their efforts are needed.

    Accordingly, the author affirms that "feminism is antithetical to a peaceful marriage.....responsible for unnecessary tension resulting from gender crisis  in corporate organizations." Thus, feminism is not needed to advance the cause of women's rights and opportunities. "What women need is humility to accept the role God has given them as helper, so that the marriage institution can be preserved and enjoyed." What is needed is gender partnership that will support the common good of both the husband and wife. Working at cross purposes will only inflame passions and ruin marriages. Mankind must be rescued from feminism. It promotes discontent in the home. "Let the world move to save the marriage institution from the raging scourge of feminism."

    The author of Feminism: The Agony of Men, Michael Owhoko is a distinguished media and public relations practitioner. He earned degrees in politics and journalism and is the publisher of Media Issues, an online newspaper that can be found at: www.mediaissuesng.com. Also, he is the author of Nigeria on the Precipice and The Language of Oil and Gas which was the culmination of his work experience in banking, oil and gas. Though a globe trotter, the fear of Coronavirus has restricted him to commuting between his home state of Delta and Lagos.

How they contract coronavirus disease

                   

 By Bayo Ogunmupe

    The virus that causes covid-19 can persist in aerosol form. but the potential for transmission depends on many factors. these factors include infectiousness, dose and ventilation. Coronavirus is known to be spread via large droplets that fall to the ground. It can also be spread by smaller airborne particles. Six months into the pandemic that has claimed 5,482,799 confirmed cases in the world and with 346,100 deaths. In Nigeria, we have 7,839 cases, 2,263 discharged and 226 deaths as at the time of writing. Covid-19 has also decimated economies, sent German and Nigerian economies into recession. Sadly, scientists still lack a complete understanding of how the virus that cause it is transmitted.

    Lockdowns are already easing in Europe, Australia, canada and the United States. People are now returning to a version of work and social life. Reusable, sterilized face masks, affordable hand sanitizers approved by NAFDAC are in use as protection against the disease. According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO), Covid-19 is primarily spread by droplets from someone who is coughing, sneezing or even talking within a few feet away. But other reports hint that it could be transmitted through particles suspended in the air.

    After attending a choir practice in Washington State, USA, in early March, dozens of people were diagnosed with developed symptoms of Covid-19 even though they had not shaken hands or stood close to one another; two of them died. After dining at an air-conditioned restaurant in China in late January, three families at neighboring tables became sickened with the virus through droplets blown through the air. To address the airborne spread of the dreaded disease, it is first necessary to understand what scientists mean by "airborne." The term refers to the transmission of tiny respiratory droplets that can remain suspended in the air (known as droplet nuclei)- as opposed to larger droplets that fall to the ground within a few feet. In reality, the difference between droplets and aerosols is not clear.

    Airborne spread has been hypothesized for other deadly coronaviruses, including the one that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). A handful of studies suggest the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, can exist as an aerosol in health care settings. But much remain unknown about whether aerosolized virus is infectious and what amount of virus one needs to be exposed to in order to become sick. Even if aerosol transmission does occur, it isn't clear yet how common it is, compared with other transmission routes, such as droplets or surfaces.

    The strongest evidence of airborne transmission of Covid-19 comes from a study published in late April in Nature. In it researchers measured the virus genetic material, or RNA, in aerosols sampled in February and March at two hospitals in Wuhan, China the city where the outbreak of Covid-19 began. The researchers found low levels of airborne viral RNA in the hospitals' isolation wards and in ventilated patient rooms. But they found higher levels of airborne viruses in patients' toilet areas. They also found high levels of viral RNA in places where medical workers remove protective gear, as well as in two crowding prone locations near the hospitals. The studies proved the existence of aerosol transmission as a non negligible route from infected carriers to someone nearby.