10 Secrets of Success & Self-manifestation.

Please bear in mind that the views expressed here are based on my research and my personal as well as organisation's believes along with the way I/we see the world. Click here to Read my personal/organization's fundamental believes

Introduction

Very many people desire and wish for success but the reality is most people don't know the major secrets of unlimited success in life. 

Success in life, especially in the highest dimension where self-actualization is used as yard-stick for measuring it's level, requires self-manifestation. Self-manifestation refers to the process of releasing the greatness that God (our creator) has hidden within us. 

Dr. Myles Munroe once stated that

“The wealthiest place in the world is not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.” 

In this article, we will explore the ten (10) secrets of success and self-manifestation. 

These secrets mainly have to do with things you must do to release your greatness in order for you to become successful. And they also represent the areas you must develop competence to become Successful. As you go through the points you will discover why so many people go through life as failures even though they engage in doing those things that society says are good things to do. Bear in mind that people can do good things and still not end up being successful. It's not about doing right things but it's about doing the right things required to become a global success. Which is what you are going to look at. And here they are:

1. Acquire a basic academic education. Be very serious and deliberate about acquiring academic education because it enables you to effectively carry out a higher and more profitably form of education, in the next step (step 2)

2. Engage in personal development/self improvement

Romans 12:2 Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Specifically you should do the following:

• Discover your life's Purpose Purpose/Mission/Assignment
• Develop personal vision, Goals and Objectives.
• Learn about positive thinking and how to think positively.
• Develop a healthy self-esteem
• Build your level of self-confidence
• Learn life skills such as goals setting, human relations and interpersonal skills, communication skills, public speaking skills etc.
• Learn Time management 
• Develop a healthy and positive mindset towards life. You should pay attention to developing mindsets that's very conducive for business success 

2.Master your ability to offer value with your natural abilities and skills. Discover Your natural abilities. Develop yourself and Gain mastery in your area of talent. Nobody appreciates/celebrates nor pays much for a shabby, average or mediocre work.

3. Learn or study about entrepreneurship and business development and management.

It's not enough to discover purpose, develop personal vision, Self-confidence, positive mindset, learn public speaking, goal setting, human relations, and other life skills. it's also very important that you learn about the practical system or mechanism that society has developed for helping people achieve their dreams and also for releasing inner greatness/talent and your life's purpose or assignment. This is a system that enables people to turn their natural abilities to funtional assets.

You can go through life praying and fasting, casting and binding, catching rhemers of all kinds whether black or white, engaging in positive confession at every opportunity, acquiring all manner of degrees. But Without a practical system for engaging all your knowledge, skills and especially your natural abilities you wouldn't amount to much throughout your lifetime.

The name of this practical system is called entrepreneurship, business development and management.

4. Develop and perfect the ability to use your entrepreneurship and business development and management knowledge to build a business around your passion hobbies interests natural abilities and purpose/life's work/Mission/assignment

5. Build your Faith and self-confidence: Build your capacity to believe in your capability to achieve endless possibilities and build great future. Believe in your ability to create what society describes as impossibilities. Faith is our access to a world of endless possibilities. Remember to also Build your confidence. You can't achieve beyond the level of confidence you have in your ability to achieve great things. Don't allow people's opinion about you cause you to doubt your abilities and never also believe what they say about you. The proof that you are a person going somewhere and who is achieving something of value is their attack on you. Take their attacks on you as mere jealousy and envy.

6. Develop and perfect your ability to control your mind.

• Learn how to take possession of your mind
• take control of your mind by focusing it on what you want and off the things you don't want.
• Psychologists and phylosophers have found out that we become what we think about
• Whatever we put in and hold/focus our minds on is attracted to our lives.

John 1:14 says And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

7. Learn and practice time management: Perfect your ability to control how you use your time. The statement that says time management is life management is a great truth. You get older and your funeral gets closer with the passage of time. Your time is your life, you waste your time, you waste your life. 60 seconds equal 1 minute, 60 minutes becomes 1 hour, 24 hours one day, 365days 1 year, 10 years 1 decade, 100 years one century etc. And please note that to be very conscious of time and to become more productive, think of time in terms of seconds not hours, time calculations generally starts from seconds and not minutes.

8. Master procrastination, be persistent and never give up

• Don't put off till tomorrow what you should and can do today. 
• Never, ever ever ever give up. 
• Remember that "winners never quit and quitters never win".

9. Learn from the best

Have a mentor in the core areas of life. Examples are: 

• Finance, 
• purpose/life's work/Mission and assignment discovery and fulfilment, 
• Management
• Leadership 
• communication (public speaking and human relations), 
• goal setting and planning, Entrepreneurship/business development and management, 
• Marketing etc.

10 . Refuse to be influenced by negative people and systems.

Napoleon Hill said one of the greatest enemy of success is susceptibility to negative influence. This is what causes failure. More than anything else. Refuse all ideas, mindsets and strategies, philosophies that you don't believe will bring you success. From whatever field those ideas, mindsets, strategies and philosophies and paradigm are coming from; be very watchful of those from religious origin. 

For instance the belief that tithing is a secret of financial prosperity and it is not. But the truth is Prosperity, Riches and wealth come from offering value or solutions to human problems and getting financial rewards as a result. True Wealth comes from solving problems for people.

Another belief is that prayers is the secrets of success. This is also not true, we communicate with God through prayer but through the application of principles that attract success, we become successful. This is because God will not come down and do your work for you.

We can see this truth being reflected In the world today, we can see that countries that are very serious about education, research and development, industrialization, manufacturing, banking and finance and large production, abiding by rule of law etc. are all wealthy and prosperous countries. They are not that way because of prayers and engaging in religious activities. Not that religious activities are bad but thinking that we can pray away our problems and the required work we need to do is an idea that serve to only bring us abundance of poverty and further establish us in the headquarters of poverty office or position we have secured in the world.

By doing all these, you life will definitely change. I've experienced it myself. So live it and experience it!

Good luck!

See you at the top!

Preparing For Success in Year 2024

Figure 1. Man working on himself like a sculptor artist works on raw log of wood or clay.

Most people desire and wish for success but a larger percentage of these people are not ready or prepared for success. The saying that "if wishes were horses, beggars would have rode better" -best describes this very ugly problem. 

In this article, we will look at one major thing you need to do to adequately prepare for success.

It's about getting into shape for success

Working on yourself like a sculptor artist works on raw wood or clay.

You can't succeed or  make Quantum leaps in your life, career/profession or business without reducing weights or excesses and getting into/in shape for success.

You need to work on yourself like a sculptor artist works on his sculpture materials 

A sculptor artist takes an ugly piece of material (log of wood or Clay) and begins working on it; he removes so many parts of the material and adds a number of other things like colours, other sub-materials different from the main Material etc. (See the picture shown in fig. 1 above)

His final product is very beautiful and magnificent to behold because of the processing and refinement he has put the raw materials through.

And it's the same for we human beings who desire success in whatever area of our lives; We must remove certain things from ourselves and add other things to our lives in order to become prepared for success.

Examples of Things to add or learn are as follows:

• Knowledge
• Skills (management, leadership etc.)
• Purpose/Self-discovery 
• Vision 
• Develop confidence 
• Good Attitudes
• Values/virtues (persistence, determination, devotion, dedication, focus, etc.)
• Principles
• Practice/Application/experience 
• Setting Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound  
• Planning 
• Strategy/strategizing etc.

Things to eliminate or remove are as follows:

• Negative mindsets
• Fear
• Procrastination
• Negative pursuits
• Indecision
• Indifference
• Lack of ambition
• A Desire to please others more than the desire to do the right thing that pleases God and helps you achieve your goals and vision.
• Susceptibility to negative influences (being easily influenced by negative people)

Do you want to discover your Life's Purpose then click here 

Click here to learn how to develop Self-confidence 

Making the most of year 2024

Consider this quote by William Shakespeare;

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” 

The message from this quote is that, opportunities that are presented to us, must never be wasted or else, we will end up in regrets (shallows, miseries and loss of our ventures, as is found in the quote)

A New Year (year 2024) is almost here and this year 2023 is already ending. If we must make reasonable progress and achieve noteworthy accomplishments in year 2024, then we must commit to doing these three things before we enter into year 2024: 

1. Reflect on this year (2023). 

It was Socrates who said “An unexamined life is not worth living.” 

He meant that the self-examination and reflection is what enables us to live relevant lives. 

In order to carry out reflection over your life you should ask yourself such questions as: 

• What did you achieve this year?
• What were the things you wanted doing that you couldn't do this year and what stopped you from achieving those goals? How are you going to overcome those obstacles to achieve those goals next year?
• What did you do wrongly or poorly this year and what's your plan to improve in those areas?,
• Who are the friends that helped you the most this year, and who were the ones that didn't contribute to your life at all? What's your plan to draw yourself closer to these very helpful friends and away from those non-contributing, non-adding, time wasting and parasitic-fake friends?
• Whose advice helped you achieve the most this year and whose advice was bad advice? What's your plan to draw yourself closer to your good advisers and away from your bad advisers? 
• And so on and so forth (use your discretion, there is no perfect formula for doing all that)

Taking your time to make this kind of reflection, prepares your mind and makes it a fertile ground for the next stage (stage 2):

2. Set goals for next year.

This is the next thing you ought to do to make the most of next year.

Goal setting is a major requirements for accomplishing record breaking achievements. The question here is what are the things you will want to achieve in year 2024.

Set goals for the following areas:

• Health and wellness.
• Career/Profession
• Family/relationships
• finances.
• passion/hobbies and interests
• life's Work/Purpose 

Write down all the goals in the aforementioned areas. Also ensure you include the balance of the goals or things you couldn't achieve in this year 2023, that you identified during your reflection time (in step 1)

3. Make a plan for achieving your goals next year. 

It is said that, " When you fail to plan you plan to fail."

Setting goals is not enough, you must plan how to achieve your goals. 

A goal without a plan is only a wish! Remember the saying; "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride"

So develop a strategy to help you realize your goals. 

The pattern for developing the plan is:

• I will do this and that to achieve this and that. It's as simple as that. 
• Use your discretion too, there is no perfect way to do it. It's  work of common sense.

Note that “The great life is never a product of laziness, indifference or fate, it is the handiwork of great levels of sacrifice.”

Conclusion

A great opportunity for increasing our status and fortune is here at our door step. We must reflect on this year and put our house in order (that is to bridge our weaknesses), set goals for the new year and plan how to achieve our goals in the coming new year or else we will repeat the mistakes of this year as well as re-experience the challenges of this year 2023 even in 2024.

The Devil's Thanksgiving Service: Things about you the devil thanks God for.

Yes the title you read is correct. The devil does Thanksgiving Service to God concerning something God gave you. And he does it everyday and every minute of the day . Read why I believe this is so below: 

It is generally believed that the kingdom of darkness is against the kingdom of light. That is Satan against God. And I agree perfectly with this but there is this area in which the kingdom of darkness is grateful to the kingdom of light for. It’s the fact that God has given WILL OR THE POWER OF CHOICE to His children (Men). The kingdom of darkness appreciates God for this because they know that ultimately this means that God has put the destinies of men in their own hands coupled with the responsibility for fulfilling them. 

The devil knows that anything other than money given to most men and women is not valued, especially in most parts of Africa. And so placing the destiny of men along with the responsibility for fulfilling destiny in their own hands; for the devil, it meant that most men will never fulfill their destinies. They will pursue anything that can bring them money in the present but not to use their will power in fulfilling their destinies or purpose. And herein lies the devil's opportunity -the source of the devil's joy and happiness. Since men are not robot who are controlled directly by God but by their own will and power of choice. Man's greatness and fulfilment of man's destiny is subject to negotiation and he (the devil) is the master negotiator. As we saw in the begginning of creation when he skillfully negotiated life out of the hands of the first man and woman by offering them a beautiful forbidden fruit to eat against the instruction of their creator Thou shall not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; for if you do, you shall surely die! Evidence that his success at the endeavour of defeating man is or was a marvelous work of great artistry can be found in a passage of that great book when he who was identified as 'John the beloved' (of the King of Kings) Declared vehemently that "for this purpose was The Son of Man manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil". 

But there is something that makes the devil and his kingdom even much more happier and grateful to God. It’s the fact that most men are ignorant of the potential power of the power of will or choice God gave them. And so they can decieve and engage men in unprofitable schemes and activities that are geared towards keeping them in ignorance forever away from the knowledge of and use of this great power. For the Devil and His kingdom; this is a great bonus because it gives them great power to keep humanity perpetually in failure and defeat. The devil understands that anyone who doesn't use his or her will power can not amount to anything meaningful let alone achieve what has the smallest resemblance to destiny. Today we see that most people are over-dependent on other people, governments, Society etc. to help them with means of livelihood, support, encouragement, products, ideas, innovation and inventions etc. but they never turn inwards to the great person and power within them to birth these things.

All the Cars, buildings, ICT facilities and Gadgets, airplane, Bridges, Air conditioners and refrigerators, electric bulbs, and thousands of other inventions and works are products of those people’s will power and imagination. They made the choice of inventing or producing this things. And this short write up is a product of my own will and imagination. If these people (including myself) can use their will to create things by willing or deciding to do what they did or are doing, you too can do the same. 

According to Neurosurgeons, we all have brains that contains 14 billion cells. Everyone; from the witches and wizards in remotest parts of Guinea all the way to the most so called sophisticated white man whether the English man from Great Britain or the man who has origin in the United States of America. All of us!

It was Richard M. Nixon (America’s 37th President) who stated it perfectly that “Your destiny lies not in the stars but on the earth itself, even in your own heart. Your destiny offers not the cup of despair but the CHOICE of opportunity, so a wise person seizes his destiny not in fear but with gladness.

My question is what are you doing with your power of will or choice God gave you.

In summary Let’s Start using our wills so we can convert the devils Thanksgiving Service to His Mourning Service.

To trigger the power of the will, you must discover and understand what is called your life's Purpose. 

To discover your life's purpose click here

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Written By Your Servant: Baba Solomon Emmanuel 

© Thought Force int'l institute Worldwide.

Retirement Planning Part 4

This is perhaps the most vital area on the subject of retirement planning. Although it's not given as much attention as that of money or finance. Without good health everything would amount to nothing. Let's look at a few very important information to boost our knowledge on how to care for our health. 

Medical scientists have through years of research discovered that exercise and nutrition can boost overall health. Studies show that regardless of age or fitness level, making time for exercise and adjusting your diet provides some serious physical and mental benefits. In this section, we’ll give tips on how to take care of your health; for ensuring both your physical and mental well-being. Remember, it’s important to turn these healthy behaviors into habits – practice these tips regularly to make them part of your lifestyle.

Exercise

You knew that was coming, didn’t you?! Exercise has numerous benefits, including improving heart health to reduce the risk of heart disease, and mental health by reducing anxiety and depression by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise, or a combination of the two. We can easily meet these goals by exercising for 30 minutes per day, five days per week. 

Examples of aerobic exercise include running, rowing, cycling, swimming, walking, hiking, and dancing. 

Choose a Healthy Nutrition Routine

Here are some specific recommendations on eating for a healthy body and mind:

• Control Your Portion Sizes.

Fill the majority of your plate with colorful nutrient-rich, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Be realistic about how much food you’ll actually need to feel full – our eyes can get the best of us, especially when we’re at a buffet or when we’re using larger plates. You probably don’t need as much as your eyes tell you.

• Load Up on Vegetables and Fruits.

Just be sure to limit the ones that are fried, covered in thick sauces, or canned in heavy syrups.

• Select Whole, Fiber-Rich Grains.

Examples include whole-wheat or whole-grain bread, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, and buckwheat.

A simple rule is to look for “whole” as the first word on the ingredients list. Even food items labeled as “wheat” may not be “whole wheat” unless designated as such.

Limit Your Sodium (salt)  Intake.

Excess sodium contributes to high blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The AHA recommends a goal of 1,500 mg of sodium per day or less. Packaged and processed food may have surprisingly high sodium content, so make sure most of your food is fresh and unprocessed.

Limit your sugar intake

Consuming excessive amounts of sugars increases the risk of having diabetes, tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. As adults, the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake. This is equivalent to 50g or about 12 teaspoons for an adult. WHO recommends consuming less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits. You can reduce your sugar intake by limiting the consumption of sugary snacks, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Limit Unhealthy Fats.

Saturated and trans fats can raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increase your risk for unwanted disease. To avoid these fats, limit your intake of pastries, red meat, processed meats, and fried foods. Trade these for mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats, found in such foods as olive oil, avocado, almonds, cashews, salmon, and anchovies.

Laugh More

It seems that there’s something to the age-old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Research has demonstrated that laughter has an immediate effect as a vasodilator, causing your blood vessels to dilate and decreasing blood pressure. Laughter also releases endorphins, natural chemicals in the body. Endorphins promote a sense of well-being and relieve stress.

Maintain Positive Relationships

Studies have demonstrated that people with strong social ties tend to live longer, healthier lives than those without social connections. Furthermore, those who are less lonely tend to have a more positive mental health. You can invite a friend to join your next workout or any other type of exercise.

Minimize Stress

Stress can wreak havoc on our bodies by increasing blood pressure, and putting a strain on our body both mentally and emotionally. It also weakens our immune system and makes us more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating and cigarette smoking.

Some stress-fighting activities include exercising, meditating, sleeping, laughing, unplugging from technology to relax, and enjoying good conversation with friends.

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Retirement Planning Part 3.

2. Your Relationship Strategy:

Building Quality Relationships and Investing in the Lives and Welfare of Others.

You will always need people. Both during your youthful age and your old age. When you are young, your need for people might not be too obvious because you have that much energy that is very common with young people. And you can do almost any thing for yourself but a time comes when you won't have that much energy to do most things for yourself as you were used to, by then your need for people will become very obvious. Since this is so then it's very important that you prepare strategically for that period by relating well with others (today) especially young people around you who could be of help to you tomorrow. Most people don't have knowledge about this area because most homes or families don't have ideal relationships within them, most people don't know how to relate effectively with others from home. Also note that the skill of relating well with others is a skill that doesn't come naturally to most people. So it's very important you learn how to to relate well with others. And you do that by learning what is called human relations skills. I would recommend that you read the book titled: How to Win friends and influence people. by Dale Carnegie. Founder of Dale Carnegie institute of public speaking and human Relations.

Things to note about relationship.

Relationship is about sacrifice and investing in others. This strategy involves investing in others when you are above so that one day, when you are below those you have invested in will also be of help to you. There are some people who have never helped anybody during their working years and so when they are retired and don't have much and are struggling; those who were below during their own time of sunshine and are now above or better off financially will not help them rather they would begin to mock and ridicule them. They will say: 'when you were working, you didn't help anyone, now that you are suffering no one is going to help you'.

The lesson is as said earlier: invest in others so that when it's no longer your time or turn, those who it is their own turn or time will remember you for good and help you.

What you can use to invest in others:

1. Your mouth or tongue (your words)

"Life and death are in the power of the tongue." Proverbs 18:21

Always try to say nice things to and about others. Don't be a gossip, back bitter and constant source of discouragement to others by spreading lies and rumours or by revealing the weaknesses or negative stories about others to people.

2. Your brain/Knowledge.

Teach people what you know that they don't know. Things you know will help them get ahead in their career, work or business. Today I'm now able to not only teach what I'm teaching you but I have been able to start an organization dedicated solely to teaching those things I teach about.

All these things were made possible because some people shared their brains or knowledge with me through my reading of the books they wrote. That is some people shared or invested their brains in me uptil now.

For instance:

• Napoleon Hill wrote 'think and grow rich' and taught people that the major requirement for success in life and business is possessing a definite purpose and enormous desire for achieving that purpose.
• Dr. Myles Munroe wrote on how to: discover purpose, discover and develop vision, how to become a leader, the requirements for quality marriage and relationship etc. He said his life's Mission was to turn followers to great leaders.
• Dr. David Oyedepo who has the Mission of preaching the word of faith to deliver people from all oppression of the devil. Be it poverty, defeat or failure, sicknesses, barrenness etc. His life, words and work has over the years taught me the power of having an audacious vision, massive confidence and boldness for producing mind boggling achievements. This idea is perfectly encapsulated in his statement that says "you need a lion heart to take delivery of your lion share."

Others include: Bob Gas's, Robert kiyosaki, G. Edward Griffin, Bob proctor. And so many others. I'm a product of this people's investments of knowledge into humanity.

3. Your Resources (Money or material things). I have reserved this point to this time because I'm aware that most people always think it's only with money or material things that we can use to invest in the lives of others and it's not. That's the reason why I discussed the first two first that don't have to do with money or material things.

So what do you do under this point. How do you invest in others with your resources (money/material things)

Help those in need around you.

• Those in need of food, share your food with them. Today it might be a measure of rice or two you gave, tomorrow that one or two measure can bring you one or two bag of rice.
• Today it might be a room you give to someone to lodge -tomorroh it might bring you a duplex or even an estate.
• Today it might be school fees for a term or semester you help young one's with, tomorrow it might bring you a fortune or an appointment into a government position.

Who should you invest in.

• Your children
• Young people around you whether in your immediate environment, place of worship, your place of work etc.
• Your colleagues at work. Whether those of your level or your subordinates.
• People in the community where you were born or where your parents originated from.
• Children in orphanages or motherless babies homes.
• Orphans and widows etc.

Recommended Books for developing your relationship life.

How to win friends and influence people. (By Dale Carnegie)

Go to www.PDFdrive.com to download soft copy of this book

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Retirement Planning Part 2.

 

What you should know about Retirement planning and what you should do to have a happy, prosperous and fulfilling life after retirement. 

It is said that “the best way to predict your future is to create it”. 

And that "there are two ways we learn; (1) by our own personal experiences and (2) by the experiences of other people. The best way to learn quickly to save time and resources is learning by the experiences of others."

Frequently Asked Questions About Retirement Planning.

What is Retirement Planning?       

Retirement planning is the process of determining income goals and life plans as well as decisions to achieve these goals and plans before retirement. It involves identifying and creating income sources, managing assets and achieving life plans to guarantee a financially independent and fulfilling life after retirement.

Why is retirement planning necessary?   

• Retirement planning helps individuals to avoid running out of money after retirement like most pension dependent retirees are prone to. 
• Retirement planning allows retirees to be financially independent, live comfortable and fulfilling lives after their retirement. 

Types of Retirement Planning.     

From my research, Retirement plans (as it relates to finance) are of two main types namely: 

• 1. The poor retirement plans
• 2. The retirement plans of the Rich

(1). THE POOR RETIREMENT PLAN. 

The pension retirement plan is the most common poor retirement plan. Employees and their employers whether government or private institutions are responsible for contributing to this plan during the working years of the employees that is before their retirement. It is coordinated by national pension commission PenCom. Unfortunately even though it is the most common, it is regarded by rich people as a poor retirement plan. 

Let's look at the Reasons why rich people regard pension retirement plan as a poor retirement plan.

(i) You have very little to no control over your money in the retirement account before or even after retirement. For instance you cannot just walk into your pension fund administrator’s (PFA) office straight up and withdraw any amount you want from your retirement savings account (RSA), like you do with your savings in a commercial bank. Until they feel like they are ready ‘financially'-most times your money is not available it has to be sourced for, because while you were busy working hard to make those retirement contributions to your pension account. This wicked corrupt officials were busy embezzling your hard earned money for the enjoyment of themselves, their families and friends. This could cause serious delay which means suffering for you the retiree.Please note PFA is the pension organization managing your retirement savings account) refer to the accompanying document to this write up with the title frequently asked questions about pension from National Pension Commission, PenCom. To get detailed understanding of what is meant by Pension Fund Administrator, PFA.

(ii) Even when you are lucky to start receiving your monthly pension payment, the money is very small compared to your last monthly salary before retirement, which means a painful drop in your standard of living. Hence it is incapable of financing your retirement goals and dreams like philanthropical causes and charity. Because the pension received monthly is not even enough to cater for your basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. So the question is why would any reasonable person depend on or settle for a plan that drags you into a lower standard of living? When others are forcefully increasing their standard of living by increasing their income streams. The only logical reason for this problem is ignorance, simply people think pension retirement plan is the only retirement plan there is and that it’s capable of taking care of them after retirement. After all everyone has one, it must definitely be the best and the government even has a commission the National Pension Commission (PenCom) dedicated solely to coordinating it. 

Please note: I am not against Nigeria's Pension Scheme or National Pension Commission. The Federal Government has good plans for its citizens which is why Pension Scheme and PenCom were established but they are too many corrupt officials in the system which is why it is not effective in achieving its main objective ensuring prompt payment of retiree’s pension.

(iii) Also when retirees start receiving their pension they cannot really do much with it because inflation has greatly eaten the purchasing power of the money, just as is the case with money in savings accounts in commercial banks. For instance between 9 to 11 years ago (2011 or 2012) a bag of foreign rice costs between 8,000 to 9,000 Naira. That means a person who has 100,000 Naira at that time can afford to buy ten (10) to eleven (11) bags of rice but today a bag of foreign rice is between 50,000 to 60,000 Naira and so a person having 100,000 Naira today can only buy 1 or 2 bags at most. Now imagine how much food items will cost when you and I retire (say 30 years from now) and we have very little pension stipends to depend on. How would we cope by then?. 

(iv) Another reason is that the retiree still pays income tax on the pension received monthly from his/her retirement savings account.

So you will agree with me that every one having a pension plan must invest the time, efforts and resources in the direction of creating income streams or investments that are inflation proof, that also appreciate over time and you have control over. Which now leads us to the second type of retirement plan;

(2). RETIREMENT PLANS OF THE RICH.   

This refers to all investment strategies that a person develops himself or herself and which is under the person’s direct control. It’s not in the hand of another person or institution. Anytime this person wants to use resources or money from the investment, he or she has direct access to it. No need meeting say whether PenCom, PFA or any other entity for that matter to get access to the funds or money from such investments.

This is the most important part of this work. I wish to advice that we focus on developing or building our own investments that we can control and access anytime we like; not like pension’s plans that we have to be at the mercy of PenCom or any Pension Fund Administrator or Custodian to access. But before we can be able to create our own personal investments effectively, we must acquire financial education which would teach us how to do that. Ensure to get and read the books in the books recommendations section.

Here are simple steps employees can take right now to prepare for retirement the rich peoples way:

(i) First start with cultivating the habit of saving or holding money tight. The first step for building wealth is found in the discipline of holding money, before investing there has to be something in your hand. This step helps to ensure you have something in hand which gives confidence. A good start is by opening a special savings account where you save say 10 to 20% depending on your financial situation. This effectively achieved by simply setting up an auto-transfer system with your bank, that automatically transferring the 10 to 20% of all your earnings out of your salary account into the new savings account every month. Then you can place the accumulated fund into: 

(ii) Real estate investments. Here you buy land(s) and build residential houses for rent. This fetches you rent during your working years and after. But professional guidance from those working in lands office needs to be sought because of fraudsters and 419, four- one- niners selling lands with fake land documents for multiple buyers.

(iii) Investments in agriculture or farming. This involves the following:

• Poultry farming which includes rearing chicken, turkey etc.
• Egg production
• Fish farming
• Animal husbandry or production
• Storage of Crops

(iv) Low risk investment at intervals and allow compounding interest to grow your fund. E.g. buying stocks with a strong Public Limited Company PLC.  

Please Note: I am aware that what I’m encouraging you to do is not an easy task but be reminded that the top of the ladder of success is not crowded and nothing good comes easy. Creating a rich peoples retirement plan will really cost you but the rewards outweighs the cost by far like the distance between the earth and the stars

Sources of Capital for Investing in Building Retirement Investments of the rich

• First is systematic savings of 10-20% of your monthly salary we identified earlier.
• Contributions/Thrift (commonly called Adashi) with colleagues who have integrity at your office or place of work
• Cooperative societies
• Agricultural business loans or grants.
• Loans from commercial banks
• Loans from mortgage banks

RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON FINANCIAL EDUCATION 

Books on Financial Education by Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Company)

• Rich Dad Poor Dad.
• Cash-flow Quadrant.
• Financial IQ.
• Retire Rich, Retire Young.
• Rich Dad Guide to Investing.
• Rich Dad Conspiracy of the Rich.

Go to www.PDFdrive.com to download soft copies of these books

Read the above listed books to learn about financial management because the most important thing you need to plan your retirement is financial intelligence gotten from financial education.

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Retirement Planning Part 1.

 

This new problem that workers now face whether old or new. And How to handle it

Before you got employed or started a business, getting the job or capital was the problem. But after you cross that huddle, you then realize it's not just how to get money for providing you basic nessecities (such as food, transport, water, shelter, electricity etc) for today alone you require; a new problem begin to make it's way into your consciousness. The problem of how you would get resources to continuously provide those same basic nessecities for yourself in the future -when your working years are over; especially when you are too old to provide for yourself. At present, Your friends who are not as wise or visionary as yourself try to tell you to forget worrying about such matters; saying when you guys get to that bridge you would figure out how to cross it. Within You, you know too well that their idea is very foolish. You ask yourself such questions as: what if you got to the river and there was no bridge there? And if there is the possibility that there might not be a bridge on the river when you get to it, won't it be much better for you to start devising a strategy for Crossing the bridge, Just incase you don't find the bridge?. And if you found the bridge at least you know within yourself that you are very proactive, you didn't leave your life to fate. You decide you can't accept to leave this very important area of your life to chance or to any entity to manage for you because you understand without being told that "the best proven method for predicting your future is to create it" 

Your reasoning is further validated by your own personal observation today about most retirees; people who secured employment or got capital to start a business and after doing the work or business for years and are retired, (either due to old age or completion of 35 years of service), returned to struggling and poverty -looking for new means of livelihood, just as they did in their youthful age. At a time when they are supposed to be resting and leaving the stage for the younger generation to secure the available employment opportunities or business capital for starting their businesses. These our grandparents will always tell you that man must hustle or work. And yes young people should work and Hustle during their working age or years. Afterall a wise proverb says "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth". But hustling in old age with no reasonable difference between they who are in the night time of their lives and a person who is just starting life is A BIG CURSE and should never be celebrated or advocated for.

You then decide that without doubt you must figure out a way to ensure you don't suffer in your old age. You hear it being said in numerous occasions that planning is central to accomplishment of noteworthy achievements or results. And "he who fails to plan, plans to fail". and yet that "a plan is the bridge between you and your goals". You then decide you need a plan to help you accomplish the type of future you desire. 

You then reason that your plan would at the start focus on your finances and would have the following goals: 1. the effective utilization and maximization of all your earnings be it salary or profits from business. And 2. devoting a large percentage of all your earnings into creating income generating investments and assets for providing you financial resources both during and after your working years. 

As you begin to think further you realize that it's not only financial resources you require -no man exists in isolation of others. You need people. You need quality relationships to have a sense of belonging and for companionship or company both now and especially in the future when you won't be able do most things for yourself -like running errands and all the likes. Therefore it becomes very obvious that you need to improve your relationship life. You then decide that you have to be cautious in what you say, how you behave and what you do in the present because of the future.

You also realize that it's important that you help others who are in need today. Not only because it gives you joy and a sense of fulfilment in the present, but also because by doing so, you are sowing seeds into your future which will bring you unimaginable levels of returns from those you once helped or invested in. This would also help you to leave a lasting impact or legacy long after you are gone from the world.

The areas we ought to plan for are as follows:

1. Finance

2. Building Quality Relationships and investing in the lives and welfare of others 

3. Health, diet/nutrition and excercise

4. Mental and Spiritual Life. Building a very productive and robust Life-Outside work.

The name of the process that helps you cater for this needs or concerns is called retirement planning. 

In the next post (that is part 2.), I will be discussing retirement planning proper. My focus will be  on the aspect of financial planning. I will show you what you ought to know and do in order to have adequate supply of financial resources during your retirement years.

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The Thirty (30) Major Causes of Failure

Adapted or taken from pages 108 to 113 of the original unabridged edition of the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ written by Napoleon Hill first published in 1937

Napoleon Hill’s comments before listing the thirty (30) causes of failure 

Life’s greatest tragedy consists of men and women who earnestly try, and fail! The tragedy lies in the overwhelmingly large majority of people who fail, as compared to the few who succeed. I have had the privilege of analyzing several thousand men and women, 98% of whom were classed as “failures.” there is something radically wrong with a civilization, and a system of education, which permit 98% of the people to go through life as failures. But I did not write this book for the purpose of moralizing on the rights and wrongs of the world; that would require a book hundred times the size of this one. My analysis work proved that there are thirty major reasons for failure, and thirteen major principles through which people accumulate fortunes. 

As you go over the list, check yourself by it, point by point, for the purpose of discovering how many of these causes-of-failure stand between you and success.

1. UNFAVORABLE HEREDITARY BACKGROUND. There is but little, if anything, which can be done for people who are born with a deficiency in brain power. This philosophy offers but one method of bridging this weakness -through the aid of a Mastermind Group to increase brain power by surrounding yourself with more intelligent people. This concept is also known as team building. Observe with profit, however, that this is the only one of the thirty causes of failure which may not be easily corrected by any individual.

2. LACK OF A WELL-DEFINED PURPOSE IN LIFE. There is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose, or definite goal at which to aim. Ninety-eight out of every hundreds of those whom I have analyzed, had no such aim. Perhaps this was the head of the list among the major causes of failure for most people.

3. LACK OF AMBITION TO AIM ABOVE MEDIOCRITY. We offer no hope for the person who is so indifferent as not to want to get ahead in life, and who is not willing to pay the price.

4. INSUFFICIENT EDUCATION. This is a handicap which may be overcome with comparative ease. Experience has proven that the best-educated people are often those who are known as “self-made,” or self-educated. It takes more than a college degree to make one a person of education. A person who is educated is one who has learned to get whatever he wants in life without violating the rights of others. Education consists, not so much of knowledge, but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied. Men are paid, not merely for what they know, but more particularly for what they do with that which they know.

5. LACK OF SELF-DISCIPLINE. Discipline comes through self-control. This means that one must control all negative qualities. Before you can control conditions, you must first control yourself. Self-mastery is the hardest job you will ever tackle. If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self. You may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy, by stepping in front of a mirror.

6. ILL HEALTH. No person may enjoy outstanding success without good health. Many of the causes of ill health are subject to mastery and control. These, in the main are:

a. overeating of foods not conducive to health

b. wrong habits of thought; giving expression to negatives.

c. wrong use of, and over indulgence in sex.

d. lack of proper physical exercise

e. an inadequate supply of fresh air, due to improper breathing.

7. UNFAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES DURING CHILDHOOD. “As the twig is bent, so shall the tree grow.” most people who have criminal tendencies acquire them as the result of bad environment, and improper associates during childhood.

8. PROCRASTINATION. This is one of the most common causes of failure. “Old man procrastination” stands within the shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s chances of success. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the “time to be right” to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait. the time will never be “just right.” start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

9. LACK OF PERSISTENCE. Most of us are good “starters” but poor “finishers” of everything we begin. Moreover, people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence. The person who makes persistence his watch-word, discovers that “old man failure” finally becomes tired, and makes his departure. Failure cannot cope with persistence.

10. NEGATIVE PERSONALITY. There is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality. Success comes through the application of power, and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other people. A negative personality will not induce cooperation.

11. LACK OF CONTROLLED SEXUAL URGE. Sex energy is the most powerful of all the stimuli which move people into action. Because it is the most powerful of the emotions, it must be controlled, through transmutation, and converted into other channels.

12. UNCONTROLLED DESIRE FOR “SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.” the gambling instinct drives millions of people to failure. Evidence of this may be found in a study of the Wall Street crash of `29, during which millions of people tried to make money by gambling on stock margins.

13. LACK OF A WELL-DEFINED POWER OF DECISION. Men who succeed reach decisions promptly, and change them, if at all, very slowly. Men who fail, reach decisions, if at all, very slowly, and change them frequently, and quickly. Indecision and procrastination are twin brothers. Where one is found, the other may usually be found also. Kill off this pair before they completely “hog-tie” you to the treadmill of failure.

14. ONE OR MORE OF THE SIX BASIC FEARS ALONG WITH THE 7TH BASIC EVIL. There are six basic fears, with some combination of which every human suffers at one time or another. Most people are fortunate if they do not suffer from the entire six. These fears must be mastered before you can fulfil your purpose effectively. Named in the order of their most common appearance, they are:- 

The fear of POVERTY

The fear of CRITICISM

The fear of ILL HEALTH

The fear of LOSS OF LOVE OF SOMEONE 

The fear of OLD AGE 

The fear of death 

All other fears are of minor importance, they can be grouped under these six headings. 

15. WRONG SELECTION OF A MATE IN MARRIAGE. This a most common cause of failure. The relationship of marriage brings people intimately into contact. Unless this relationship is harmonious, failure is likely to follow. Moreover, it will be a form of failure that is marked by misery and unhappiness, destroying all signs of ambition.

16. OVER-CAUTION. The person who takes no chances, generally has to take whatever is left when others are through choosing. Over-caution is as bad as under-caution. Both are extremes to be guarded against. Life itself is filled with the element of chance.

17. WRONG SELECTION OF ASSOCIATES IN BUSINESS. This is one of the most common causes of failure in business. In marketing personal services, one should use great care to select an employer who will be an inspiration, and who is, himself, intelligent and successful. We emulate those with whom we associate most closely. Pick an employer who is worth emulating.

18. SUPERSTITION AND PREJUDICE. Superstition is a form of fear. It is also a sign of ignorance. Men who succeed keep open minds and are afraid of nothing.

19. WRONG SELECTION OF A VOCATION. No man can succeed in a line of endeavor which he does not like. The most essential step in the marketing of personal services is that of selecting an occupation into which you can throw yourself wholeheartedly.

20. LACK OF CONCENTRATION OF EFFORTS. The “jack-of-all-trades” seldom is good at any. Concentrate all of your efforts on one definite chief aim.

21. THE HABIT OF INDISCRIMINATE SPENDING. The spend-thrift cannot succeed, mainly because he stands eternally in fear of poverty. Form the habit of systematic saving by putting aside a definite percentage of your income. Money in the bank gives one a very safe foundation of courage when bargaining for the sale of personal services. Without money, one must take whatever one is offered, and be glad to get it.

22. LACK OF ENTHUSIASM. Without enthusiasm one cannot be convincing. Moreover, enthusiasm is contagious, and the person who has it, under control, is generally welcome in any group of people.

23. INTOLERANCE. The person with a “closed” mind on any subject seldom gets ahead. Intolerance means that one has stopped acquiring knowledge. The most damaging forms of intolerance are those connected with religious, racial, and political differences of opinion.

24. INTEMPERANCE. The most damaging forms of intemperance are connected with eating, strong drink, and sexual activities. Overindulgence in any of these is fatal to success.

25. INABILITY TO COOPERATE WITH OTHERS. More people lose their positions and their big opportunities in life, because of this fault, than for all other reasons combined. It is a fault which no well-informed business man, or leader will tolerate.

26. POSSESSION OF POWER THAT WAS NOT ACQUIRED THROUGH SELF-EFFORT. (Sons and daughters of wealthy men, and others who inherit money which they did not earn). Power in the hands of one who did not acquire it gradually, is often fatal to success. Quick riches are more dangerous than poverty.

27. INTENTIONAL DISHONESTY. There is no substitute for honesty. One may be temporarily dishonest by force of circumstances over which one has no control, without permanent damage. But, there is no hope for the person who is dishonest by choice. Sooner or later, his deeds will catch up with him, and he will pay by loss of reputation, and perhaps even loss of liberty –imprisonment!

28. EGOTISM AND VANITY. These qualities serve as red lights or flags which warn others to keep away. They are fatal to success.

29. GUESSING INSTEAD OF THINKING. Most people are too indifferent or lazy to acquire facts with which to think accurately. They prefer to act on “opinions” created by guesswork or snap-judgments.

30. LACK OF CAPITAL. This is a common cause of failure among those who start out in business for the first time, without sufficient reserve of capital to absorb the shock of their mistakes, and to carry them over until they have established a reputation and credibility with which they would secure loans from financial institutions such as commercial banks, microfinance banks, merchant as well as mortgage banks.

How many of these causes of failure are holding you back from success and what are you doing to improve your self in the identified area or areas.

Congratulations for completing your reading 

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Requirements and Disciplines Required for Fulfilling Purpose Part 10

Disciplines for Fulfilling Purpose to Keep in Mind)

They are as follows:

• Be disciplined in your habits of eating, sleeping, spending etc.
• Associate with people of like minds and vision. The attributes and character of the people you hang out with reflect on one's personality a lot. If you hang out with eagles, you're definitely going to fly but if you hang out with chickens, you're most likely to cluck. The purpose of life is not to be happy but it is to be useful and make some difference that you have lived well. One just needs direction.
• Refuse the association of anyone who discourages you in any way
• Read books by leaders in your field of endeavor or area of purpose. You should also ensure you follow their advice or counsel and improve upon their strategies.
• Cultivate and maintain enormous concentration on your life’s purpose assignment or work. 
• Refuse to be distracted by all works that only serve to give you money in the immediate but doesn’t contribute to your overall life’s purpose.
• Commence the pursuit of your vision immediately you have discovered or resolved what your life’s purpose is with whatever amount of resources you have. No matter how small; Never you despise the days of little beginnings.

Congratulations for completing this series!

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Requirements and Disciplines for Fulfilling Purpose Part 9

8. Maturity Is Required (Do Away with Envy and Jealousy)

Determine never to be envious or jealous of anyone who is successful around you. Always remember that ultimately no one will ever sing your own song, write your own books, bear or give birth to your own children etc. God has a very unique place for the life of every man or woman. God has more than enough resources to help everyone who is ready to use his or her gift/talent in actualizing their life’s vision, purpose, assignment or mission. There is therefore no need for competition. If any man in your field of endeavour proves to be more successful than you are, then learn from such and improve upon what you learnt and with time you become a star in your own right and you shine your own shine and attract your own unique celebration and reward.

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Requirements and Disciplines for Fulfilling Purpose Part 8

7. Persistence is Required. (Never, Ever, Ever Give Up)

A story about persistence, discouragement and Success.

A story was told by napoleon hill in his book out-witting the devil. In the story he said one day, the devil displayed all his work implements, instruments and equipments. A passerby saw those items and decided to ask what the devil was using all those things for; the devil replied that these are his work tools for wreaking havoc on the lives and destinies of people. But while asking this question, he observed that one of the tools on display was isolated and kept specially on very expensive packaging material appearing to be much more valuable than the others but left open as though for sale. When the passerby went further to ask why this particular equipment was kept separately in such a dignified manner and what it was used for? The devil replied that this instrument is called 'discouragement' and that it was his number one (sure bet) weapon for destroying people’s lives, dreams, purpose, mission, visions, assignment, destinies etc. ‘It’s what gives him competitive edge in his business of destruction of lives and destinies’. That it’s possible for him to sell all the other work tools but not the tool of discouragement, NEVER! To do that was to put himself out of business permanently.

The devil said he has known from his experience of destroying and stopping the destinies and vision of billions of lives that everyone can be courageous and serious about their purpose, dreams, assignments etc. in normal times when everything were in shape but during hard times, pressures and discouragement; the majority of people would fall and quit and throw away their dreams and visions from their center of focus and return to normal purposeless-survivalist existence!

Keep going, encourage yourself, and don’t ever be discouraged. By all means determine never to give up on yourself, your purpose, dream and vision. Remain consistent and persistent, over time People will come to know you for what you do and represent. So be determined and persistent in doing or carrying out your life’s work and after that, wait patiently as time does her work in bringing your dream to reality and in bringing you to limelight. 

Bear in mind that every great product or company you see today was not in existence before and nobody knew them then but because of consistency, persistence and time we now. So keep this secret in mind.

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