The Truth about Prosperity

Prosperity is a Latin word, and it means “to be in the flow.”
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (6th edition) defines prosperity as “the state of being successful, especially financially.”
The two definitions above are saying the same thing, though in different wording.
When you are “in the flow”, you are lively, vibrant, and strong financially, materially, physically, spiritually, and mentally. But one who is not in the flow is like stagnant water, and is as good as dead. Anything that is not in a state of motion is stagnant. For a river to be of great significance to man, it must be “in the state of the flow.” Similarly, one cannot be of great significance to mankind and to oneself, unless one is in the flow.
Prosperity is God’s Will
The truth about prosperity is that it is God's will that you should prosper.
Some time ago, I was discussing with my tribe man who assisted me in finding an apartment to rent in Abuja. In the course of our discussion, he said: “God has done greatly for Abuja city. The resources needed to develop it are readily available. Look at rocks all around. It is these rocks that construction companies are breaking down and crushing into granites for construction of roads and building of houses.” Of course, my tribe man is right. In addition, it is relevant to note that it is not only Abuja that is blessed with resources. Every geographical region of the world is blessed with one resource or the other. Israel, though a desert land, is blessed with human resources. It is these resources that it used to transform its desert (barren land) into fertile land for agriculture.
Similarly, every person is loaded with resources, which he can use to prosper. When God created you, he deposited within you potentialities, abilities, talents, and the brain to enable you “exercise dominion over the earth.” To exercise dominion over the earth is to prosper.
If it is not God’s will that you should prosper, He would not have empowered you to have dominion over the earth.
We are poor not because God created us to be poor. We are poor because we are either ignorant of God’s rich endowment on us, or we fail to harness our God-given resources for our prosperity.
God will not send you millions from heaven, because he has given you the resources to generate the millions. Someone once said; “God will not do for you what He has given you the ability to do.”
Stop running around; all you need to prosper are already deposited within you. You only need to look inward and discover your potentialities and talents.
Prosperity is a question of Choice
The truth about prosperity is that prosperity is a question of choice. Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church (A.K.A Winners’ Chapel) said: “Success is not an issue of chance, but an issue of Choice.” This simply means if you make up your mind to prosper, you will prosper; but if you decide otherwise, there is nothing any person can do to help you out.
When a person chooses to remain poor, no amount of money given to him will make him rich. A Nigerian proverb says: “You can lead a horse to the stream; but you cannot force it to drink.”
It is the choice you make that determines your destiny. God on your side, there is no Jupiter that can trip you on your way to prosperity.
Choose prosperity today and watch yourself bulldoze your way to prosperity.
Believe You Can, and You Will Prosper
The truth about prosperity is that if you believe you can make it, you will make it.
Prosperity opens its door to those who believe; but shuts its door to the doubting Thomases.
Once upon a time, there was grievous famine in the land of Samaria. There came a man of God who prophesied that there would be surplus food the next day. Someone who had him prophesy doubted the prophecy. He said even if God opened the windows of heaven, that it could not happen. Well, the man of God replied that he would see the surplus, but he would never partake of it. The next day, it happened just as the man of God said. There was abundance. The doubting Thomas saw it, but unfortunately, he did not partake of it because he was trampled upon by the multitude.
In times of difficulties, people find it hard to believe things will turn out better. Some don’t even believe in their ability to weather the storm.
See, affliction is for a while. Anything that has a beginning must have an end. Do not despair. Never give up. Robert Schuller, president of Crystal Cathedral said: “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
You don't need a fortune teller to tell you how your future will be. You are your own prophet. Begin to prophesy prosperity to yourself today. In the midst of poverty, see prosperity and believe in prosperity. If you hold unto your belief, soon, you will begin to swim in prosperity.
Prosperity Has a Price Tag
The fact about prosperity is that prosperity has a price tag. You must pay the price to enjoy it.
A renowned publisher and importer once recanted how a man bought a copy of a manual he wrote on import business. After some time, the buyer of the manual started abusing the publisher and asked him to refund his money. A sincere and kind man, the publisher promised to refund his money, but told the man to first return the copy of the manual he bought from him. The man refused to return the manual.
Many of us behave like the buyer of the manual. We want success, but we don’t want to pay the price. Everything the man needed to succeed as an importer is already in the manual. There is nothing wrong with the manual. It is on record that of the thousands of people that bought the manual, nobody complained about the manual nor ask for refund of money, except the man.
The problem of some people is that they always blame others for their own laziness. All that the buyer of the manual needed to do to succeed as an importer was to follow the instructions in the manual – contact the suppliers, place his order, make payment for the goods, and the goods would be shipped to him. But alas! He never did that, but turned back to blame the publisher for his own laziness.
Success has a price. The price is hard work. The greatest deception is to think that you can achieve greatness by doing little or nothing. It is either you work or you starve. There is no food for lazy man.
The road to prosperity is not an easy one. That is the bitter truth. There is no guarantee of automatic success.
The road to prosperity is filled with thorns and thistles. There are giant obstacles on the road; there are also detractors who will do everything they can to frustrate you from getting there. That is why many people fall by the way side.
But you can decide never to allow any of these obstacles to trip you. He who desires success must be ready to bulldoze his way to success. You win by violence, not by gentility.
A successful person is likened to a bulldozer. Just as bulldozer clears off anything that stands on its way, so also a successful person clears off obstacles that stand on its way.
Remember that you are greater than all obstacles that stand on your way to prosperity, because God has given you all you need to conquer. Believe in God; believe in your ability to do great exploits. Get up and pay the price by giving it all it takes. Crush the rocks on your way and turn them to granites for greater accomplishment.
A Greek proverb says: “God will send us all good things at the price of labour.”

Jessica Cox: Four Lessons from a Champion in the Game of Life

In the game of life, we have three categories of people. We have the champions, the losers, and the spectators.
Champions are those who overcome and achieve outstanding success.
Losers are not necessarily those who fail or are defeated, or those who encounter setbacks. Even champions at one point in time or the other do fail, suffer defeat, or encounter setbacks. What distinguishes a champion from a loser is that while a champion never quits whenever he loses, a loser quits as soon as he loses or encounters setbacks.
Losers are, therefore, those who quit, and because they quit, they have no record of great achievement.
Spectators, on the other hand, are those who neither belong to the category of champions nor to the losers. They are simply watchers. They are there to watch the champions and the losers. When a person wins, they chant:”Hosanna! Hosanna!” and when a person quits, they chant: “crucify him! Crucify him! That is the spectators’ stock-in-trade.
The category you belong to determines your status in life. Yes, everybody wants to be a champion and the truth is, everybody can become a champion, provided everyone is willing to do what they champion do to win in the game of life.
Recently, in the course of my research into the lives of champions, I had cause to draw inspiration from the story of Jessica Cox, the first pilot without arms. What she uses to fly plane is her legs.
Jessica was born without arms. It was a “rare congenital disease”, though before her birth, her mother did series of tests which showed that there was nothing wrong with her.
In the midst of this disability, Jessica refused to yield to frustration and discouragement. She refused to become a spectator in the game of life; she also refused to quit.
And because she refused to quit, she recorded remarkable achievements, which many able-bodied men cannot achieve.
Below is a record of her exploits –
 She writes with her feet;
 She types 25 words per minute;
 She drives her car with her feet;
 She brushes her hair with her feet;
 She talks on her phone using her feet;
 She was a former dancer;
 She has a double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do;
 She has a no-restrictions driving licence;
 She is a psychology graduate;
 She is the first pilot with no arms; and
 Many more.
Here are two comments made about Jessica on the Internet –
1. “Wow what a warrior. She is amazing!”
2. “I thought we men we’re the ones with balls. She puts us to shame. Good on u girl.”
What lessons can we learn from this champion in the game of life?
Conquer the Wars within
To be a champion in the game of life, you must first conquer the wars within. The wars within are your feeling of helplessness, self-pity, despair, fear, feeling of inferiority, etc.
Jessica was faced with all these and more, yet she refused to surrender. Giving up is the easiest thing to do. This is the lot of losers, not champions.
You need to work on yourself. Cultivate your ability to handle your negative emotions. This is what emotional intelligence is all about. Stop complaining, stop pitying yourself, and stop giving excuses. Start looking inward to discover your potentialities and talents. These are what you should focus on. These are what you need to triumph in the game of life.
Have a Sense of Pride
People who have sense of pride never allow themselves to be pushed around to do what would lower their self-esteem.
I have seen able-bodied individual (persons who have arms and legs) ask for alms on the streets and motor parks. I have also seen youths who have taken to crimes. It is not the circumstances that make them to opt for criminal activities. They choose to become what they are, as an easy way out of their predicament.
Anthony Robbins, the great motivational speaker and writer, said: “People who succeed do not have fewer problems than people who fail.”
As a matter of fact, successful people have more problems to contend with than the unsuccessful ones. The bigger the problems or challenges, the bigger the success ahead. But it is your ability to overcome these problems or challenges that makes you a champion
Don’t surrender to problems or challenges, confront them. Draw upon your God-given abilities, potentialities, and talents. Have a sense of pride. Run away from anyting that will cause you to live a wretched, hopeless, and inglorious life.
Strive for noble deeds. Refuse to be a mediocre. Set great goals for yourself and strive to achieve them. When you have sense of pride, you will not place yourself beneath to be trodden upon by people.


Empower Yourself
In the game of life, you cannot win laurels unless you are well-prepared for the tournament.
Jessica became a champion in the game of life because she was fully prepared and contested in the game.
The starting point to becoming a champion in the game of life is empowerment. The more you empower yourself, the grater your chances of success. You can empower yourself by going to school to bag a degree in the course of your choice. If you already possess a bachelor’s degree, go for your Masters; if you are a Master’s degree holder, go for your PHD.
You can also empower yourself by going for skill acquisition training. In this ICT age, you cannot afford not to be computer literate. There are many institutes al over the placer running ICT courses. Consider computer engineering, software engineering, graphic design, web design and development. There are many other skills you can learn, depending on your area of interest, and how lucrative such skills are in your locality. So, when choosing skill to learn, consider what you are passionate about and how lucrative the skill is in your locality.
No Limitations except the Ones You Set for Yourself
Every loser in the game of life has one excuse or the other to give for his failure in life.
A champion does not give excuse for any failure or setback he suffers, because he does not believe anything can hinder him from winning in the game.
Jessica has proved that there are no limitations in the game of life. The only limitations are the ones you set for yourself. No wonder, Epictetus said: “Men are not disturbed by things but by their view of things.”
If there are limitations on your way to success, it is because of your perspective about those things that you call limitations. In practical terms, there are no limitations in the game of life. If you are limited, it is because you allow yourself to be limited by the thing you call limitation.
There is ability in disability! Jessica has proved it! The ability in you is a thousand times greater than any disability or any “limitations.”
What are those things you think are disabilities or limitations restricting you from winning in the game of life? Take a pen and a sheet of paper and write them down. Then, speak to the paper as follows: ‘From today, you are no longer limitations to my success in life. There are no such things as “limitations.” My God-given ability is a thousand times greater than you.’ After this, you tear the paper to pieces or burn it. Whenever the thought or feeling of these “limitations” comes, just ignore and refuse to believe them.
And finally, keep focusing on the thousands of things you can do and ignore the rest. Believe in your abilities and use them to the maximum.

Start Small, End Big

A Chinese proverb says: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Unfortunately, the desire of many is to start big and make the journey overnight. That is the reason many people who want to set up their businesses always complain of lack of capital.
Granted, there are businesses that require huge capital outlay. But even then, you can still start from somewhere. You need not amass or look for all the money you can before embarking on your project. People who wait to have enough resources before commencing their project always end up waiting endlessly, and in the end, they end up achieving nothing.
The truth is, if you cannot start with the little you have, even if you have millions at your disposal, you may still not be able to efficiently utilise it. Your ability to judiciously mange the little resources at your disposal is what will distinguish you from the underachievers.
To get to the top, you must start from the bottom. You must climb from the low rung of the ladder.
Starting small is not a crime; it is the normal way of starting a worthwhile venture.
When you take a quick peep at the Nollywood (Nigeria’s film industry), you will find new stars there. Now, you will be tempted to think that these new stars arrived there overnight. But that is not true. When you read their profile, interview them, or get accurate story of their life, you will realise that they did not get there overnight. They started small, they started from somewhere. They made series of effort – participated in school or church drama; went for training; applied and made themselves available for audition, role plays, and spend much time rehearsing their roles, until they finally had a breakthrough.
History is replete with stories of super achievers who started practically from the scratch, and climbed their way to the top.
Bill Gates of the Microsoft fame started from his parents’ garage. Michael Dell commenced his Dell Computer Corporation from his dorm room at the University of Texas. The power-packed booklet: “Our Daily Manna” was commenced with only 200 copies. Coca-cola Corporation, maker of the popular brand of the soft drink, Coca-cola, began with only one man, who used kettle to produce it.
Have you been waiting for favourable or have you been waiting for enough cash to embark on your project? The fact is, the favourable moment you are waiting for may not come. The big cash may not come readily, or may come too late.
Now is the right time to start. You can start from where you are. You can start with the little that you have. Your destiny is hinged on the little resources at your disposal. The resources could be money, knowledge, skill, experience, talents, material things, etc. these are all you need to climb your way to the top.
These resources are the seeds you need to sow before you can expect bountiful harvests; and not just sitting down waiting for bigger resources. Make do with what you have. That is what management principle is all about.
To start small and end big, you can practise the following instructions –
1. Stop waiting for miracle to happen; or rather while waiting, don’t sit down and fold your arms doing nothing. Even if you are expecting big money, just start with the little you have. A bird in hand is worth a million in the bush. Just get yourself busy doing something, no matter how little, to move you up gradually towards reaching your goal.
2. You need high level of discipline to start small and end big. One benefit of starting small is that it is very easy, because your overhead expenses and other expenses are minimal. The sacrifices you need to make are little; but at the same time, if you don’t exercise discipline, it very easy to call it quit, because progress may not be as fast as you may contemplate. It takes and patience to build wealth. Wealth is built the way house is built. First, you lay the foundation. The foundation must be rock-solid, or else it will collapse; after the foundation, you start building the wall, pillar, and do the decking, plumbing, roofing, wiring, etc. all these require discipline. Discipline yourself to stay put until you finish big.
Often, things may not turn out the way you plan it; you may experience disappointment, frustration, or disaster, but keep holding on. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

HOW TO MAKE A FORTUNE FROM PRINTING STARTING WITH LITTLE OR NO CAPITAL

Gone are the days when people spent 5-7 years learning printing business before they started making money from this lucrative trade.
In this jet age, it is tantamount to waste of precious time devoting such a length of time learning the trade before making money from it.
Printers of this era have reduced the number of years used in learning printing business. The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has also given its trainees two years to acquire printing skills.
But, that notwithstanding, spending two years learning printing, is still a waste of precious time. Why spend long time learning printing before making money from it when you can start making money from printing by spending just 60 minutes learning the skills required for making money from it?
The truth is that you can make millions from printing business starting with little or no capital. You don’t need to know how to operate printing machines before you can make money from printing. You don’t even need to buy printing machines before you start making money from the business. It takes millions of naira to buy printing machines. You may not have the money now, but even then, you don’t need the machines to start raking in cash.
What you need now is to acquire the basic knowledge of printing and the secret of making huge income from it constantly.
Knowledge, they say, is power. What you know that others don’t know is what will give you an edge. You can make a fortune from printing business. Any person can do printing business. Whether you are jobless, employed, or a student, you can start your own printing business right away.
All you need do is grab a copy of my eBook titled: Hot to Make a Fortune from Printing Starting with Little or No Capital.
Below are highlights of what you stand to benefit from the eBook –
 The prospect in printing business and how to position yourself for financial harvest
 The secret of starting printing business without capital
 The simple method of calculating printing costs
 How to charge for any printing job
 How to locate big printing jobs and how to corner them for yourself
 How to distinguish yourself as a professional printer and begin your climb to the top
 How to set up your own printing press
 The secrets of success in printing business which many printers don’t know
The price of this eBook is #3, 995 (naira), but if you decide to buy within 21 days, you will pay only #1, 500 (naira).
Bonus
If you pay within 21 days, you will be entitled to two of the greatest motivational books ever written. They are –
1. Think and Grow Rich
By Napoleon Hill
Valued $44.99 USD
2. The Science of Getting Rich
By W.D. Wattles
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How to Pay –
Pay the sum of #1, 500 naira into:
Bank: UBA Plc
Account Name: Adaji Sunday
Account NO: 00080520160309
OR
Bank: Zenith Bank Plc
Account Name: Adaji Sunday
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After payment, text your name, email, and teller number to 07061016859. On confirmation of your payment, the eBook and the two bonuses will be sent to your mailbox.
P S: Be informed that we can revert to the original price of #3, 000 naira anytime and the bonuses can also be withdrawn anytime.

When One Door Closes, another Opens

The uncanny hand of fate has a way of reorganizing and rearranging our lives for good, though initially this reorganization may look like a big disappointment.
Sometime ago, The News, a Nigerian weekly magazine featured the story of one of Nigeria’s greatest musician, NICE. Nice got admission to University of Lagos to study Law, but along the way, he pulled out of school due to financial constraint. In the midst of this setback, he discovered and polished his music talent. To make both ends meet, he wrote and composed songs for great musicians.
When he was ready to release his block-buster album, there were rejections here and there. However, the same uncanny hand of fate that denied him the opportunity of studying Law, opened a door of greater opportunity for him in music.
Today, Nice has amassed wealth, fame and fortune for himself the way probably he would never have been able to do if he had become a lawyer.
Dear reader, are you experiencing frustration, or disappointment at the moment? Let the success story of Nice inspire you. There is light at the end of the tunnel. What may look like disappointment is not really disappointment. It may be a blessing in disguise. There is a saying that any disappointment from God is a blessing. What this implies is that any disappointment or frustration you encounter; any seeming disaster or difficulty you face today can turn out to be a blessing tomorrow.
True, no condition is permanent. Every problem, every disappointment has a lifespan. There is a time for your lifting, and when it is your time to shine, no Jupiter can hold you back.
But before your time of lifting and during the period of disappointment, how do you comport yourself? How do you handle disappointment and rejection?
It is easy to be discouraged and give up hope in despair. But when you do that, you kill your destiny.
A man who is desirous of achieving success in life should not be discouraged by the disappointment at the moment.
Be optimistic. You are destined for success. Success is your birthright. God does not create a failure. You are not created to be overwhelmed by unpleasant situations. God creates you to weather every storm in the sea of life, to be a problem solver.
The disappointment you face today is temporary. Bigger appointments, bigger opportunities and greater successes are coming your way.
That is why you must not fold your arms. Stretch out your arms for greater opportunities. Look ahead for greater success.
Always be on the look out for big problems, they disguise big opportunities. In short, big problems bring along big opportunities. And what it takes to grab bigger opportunities is your mindset.
As Reginald Mansel said: “An optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”
And finally, I leave you with this quote: “On your way up, always remember that rejection comes before elevation.”

New Year, New Resolution

The year 2010 has come and gone but its memories will linger in our minds for some time to come.
Yes, the momories of successes we achieved and the failures we recorded.
Obviously, there were certain things we intended to achieve last year, 2010 but which we could not achieve. There may be certain habits you intended to break which you could not break over the years.
Well, those years have gone by and it is of no use crying over spilt milk. Thank God you are alive to witness another new year. That you are alive to see this New Year 2011is an indication that you still have another opportunity to achieve your desired goal or break that habit you always wanted to break.
You see, life is a product of the choice you make. There is a saying that life is what you make of it. as you make your bed, so you lie on it.
What is it you want to achieve in life? What changes do you want to make in your life? What are the resolutions you want to make this year 2011? Or you have not given thought to any of these?
Well, the year 2011 has come and it is high time you examined yourself. The great Philosopher, Socrates said: “an unexamined life is not worth living.”
Making Resolutions and getting the Results You Desire
This year 2011 must not go by without you making plans to turn around your life for the better.
Below are six steps you must take to make concrete resolutions and achieving the results you desire.
1. Take Stock of Your Life
Taking stock of your life involves you sitting down and calmly analysing every aspect of your life and taking concrete decisions that will lead to the actualisation of your yearning.
There are many issues to take stock of – unemployment, financial problem, university admission, alcoholism, smoking, laziness and what have you.
2. Write Down Your Goals
Having taken stock of your life, the next step to take is to reduce into writing what you intend to achieve. You are not yet set to achieving any great accomplishment in life until you are ready to put into writing what you wish to achieve. By writing down your goal, you are making a commitment gingers you to do all that is necessary to reach your goal.
Writing down your goals helps you achieve them faster than you ever imagine. A research was conducted in a US university some time ago. This research was carried out among groups of students. One group consisted of those who did not set goal for themselves; another group is made up of those who had a handful of goals; while the third group consisted of those who reduced all their goals into writing. After 20 years, the researchers confirmed that the group that wrote down their goals, accomplished over 90% of their goals; the group that set goals but did not put them into writing achieved about 50% of their goals; the third group that did not set goals, did not measure up to the other two groups.
What does these go to show?
There is power in goal-setting and there is greater power in writing down goals you wish to accomplish. There is determination, there is persistence, and there is in writing down goals.
3. Write Down the Steps You Will Take to Achieve Your Goal
Success is a function of calculated plan and strategy. Just as the architect cannot build a mansion without a master plan, success cannot be achieved without a concrete plan of how to go about achieving it.
It is not enough to write down your goals. Writing down your goals alone will not avail you much. You must also sit down and think of the things you need to put in place and the steps you need to take to get to your desired goal. As you brainstorm on these, endeavour to write them down.
4. Constantly Review Your Goals and the Plans for Achieving them
It is necessary to constantly review your goals and plan for achieving them to remind you of the commitment you have made. Those constant reminders are meant to ginger you to action. Reviewing your goals also affords you the opportunity of amending your strategy or adding more strategies for achieving your goals.
5. Take Action Immediately
The major problem of prospective entrepreneurs and success seekers is not really lack of knowledge of what to do. They might have acquired the necessary skills, knowledge and technical know-how. Many have attended seminars, workshops, and practical training while others have read books and manuals written by experts in the field they want to venture into, but putting into practice what they have learnt becomes difficult.
Knowledge acquired cannot put food on your table. It is what you do with the knowledge or skill you acquired that matters. Of course, there is nothing wrong in seeking knowledge. There is nothing wrong in acquiring skills in various fields. But if you want to profit from the knowledge and skill you acquired, you must be ready to put them into practice. It is possible to have an idea that can fetch you hundreds of millions of naira and still be starving, but you can never starve when you put the idea to work.
If you have written down your goals and the strategies for achieving them, I say, well done. You are very much on the right track. You are not far from achieving your goals. But you need do one thing - just one thing. And that thing is action. Take action. Do what is required to accomplish your goal. Be a man of action.
6. Never Give Up Until You Get What You Desire
That you have tried previous times without success does not mean you are a failure. God does not create a failure. A failure is a successful person who has gone off the right track. If you have failed before, you can still bounce back to the right track.
All you need do is change your orientation. As a man thinks, so is he. Begin to think of yourself as a successful person. Many are defeated most times not because they don’t have what it takes to conquer, but because of the negative opinion they have about themselves. Henry Ford, the great inventor, said: “if you think you can, you are right; if you can’t, you are right.”
All depends on you. The choice is yours. You can begin this year 2011 by making up your mind that you will never give up until you accomplish your goal. When you do this, I assure you, this year 2011 will become a memorable year. Remember: nothing can defeat a person who has made up his mind that he will never give up until he succeeds in achieving his heart’s desire.
Once again, I wish you a happy, glorious, fruitful and memorable year.

FOUR SIMPLE STEPS TO ERADICATING FINANCIAL HARDSHIP

Money, they say, answers all things.
You need money to pay your bills; you need money to pay your children’s school fees; you need money for your food, clothing and shelter, and of course, you need money to pay your medical bill.
Where money is lacking, poverty is not far from sight.
Unfortunately, this has been what we experience daily despite the fact that Nigeria is not a poor nation. A country that is blessed with such magnitude of unrivalled natural, human and material resources cannot be said to be a poor nation. Nevertheless, we are listed among the poorest nation in spite of our abundant resources. We mismanaged and embezzled our resources and that is the reason for our poor standard of living, so we are told times without number.
However, it is not enough to keep blaming one another. Blaming will not solve our problem. Only a collective and individual effort aimed at eradicating financial hardship will solve the problem of poverty in Nigeria.
In this article, we shall be deliberating on individual effort towards eradicating financial hardship, simply because, as a motivational writer, I strongly believe that the solution to national problem begins not with the leaders but the led. That is the gospel truth! Harry Fosdick said: “We cannot restore integrity and morality to our society until each of us – singly and individually takes responsibility for our actions.” The government cannot make everybody rich. Even US, one of the most prosperous nations on earth, cannot make all its citizens rich.
For this reason, financial prosperity should be a personal issue which every Dick, Tom and Harry must pursue vigorously and achieve.
The question now is: how do you go about achieving financial prosperity?
Below are four simple steps you can take to overcome financial hardship –
1. Have a Reliable Source of Income
As the lawyers would say, you cannot build on nothing. You cannot eradicate financial hardship in the absence of a reliable source of income. I am not unaware of the unemployment problem in the country, but the fact is, to every problem, there is a corresponding solution. That is what I teach in my Conquering Series. You are not created to complain but to conquer. You are not created to surrender but to solve.
So, if you cannot get a job, look for the solution to the joblessness. The solution to unemployment is simple: if you cannot get a job, employ yourself. Why wait endlessly for a job that may not be forthcoming? But, even as you wait, you need not fold your arms and do nothing. A little folding of arms attracts poverty.
To attract prosperity, therefore, you must find something legitimate to do. “Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” This is the number one step to take to overcome financial hardship. Find something to do. Employ yourself. There are many businesses you can start with little or no capital and yet make huge constant income. For comprehensive detail about lucrative businesses you can start with little or no capital, you can visit our website: www.enemaku.com or you can email us. Our email address is sun4luv5@yahoo.com or conqueror.adaji30@gmail.com
2. Create Multiple Streams of Income
In some professions, practitioners are not permitted to engage in all kinds of businesses or professions. They are restricted to only a few businesses. But in reality, practitioners violate these rules of professional ethics simply because the idea of having only one or few source of income does not solve their financial problem. They, therefore, observe such rules in breach rather than in compliance. The fact is: one source of income can never be enough, no matter the size of the income. Go and ask the billionaires of our generation. Our wants are insatiable. And since our wants are insatiable, we must create multiple streams of income to meet as many of these needs as possible.
So, whether you are already an income earner or you are unemployed, creation of multiple streams of income is essential for your financial prosperity. For ideas on multiples streams of income, visit our website: www.enemaku.com or email us. Our email is: sun4luv5@yahoo.com, or conqueror.adaji30@gmail.com
3. Learn the Rope
“If a man does a better job than his neighbour, the world will make a beaten path to his door even though he lives in the woods.”
What will distinguish you in your business, profession or occupation is the extent of knowledge, skill and diligence you exhibit practically. What you know that others don’t know is what will give you an edge (financial or otherwise) over them.
Whatever profession you are in or that you want enter into, you must be ready to learn the rope. Learning the rope implies that you understand the nitty gritty of the business or profession. It also implies that you be thoroughly trained, tried and tested. Don’t be a half-backed professional and don’t go into a business without arming yourself with a thorough knowledge of how the business is operated. Read books, attend seminars. Go for training. Acquire practical skills. These are the things that will catapult you to limelight. What is what doing is what doing well. If you are in a profession where advertisement of one’s services is restricted what will make you shine like the stars in the firmament is knowledge, is skill, is diligence, is performance.
Your aspiration should be to acquire the knowledge, the skill, and experience that will make you excel in your field of endeavour. Aspire to be the best in your business or profession. Aspire to be an authority in your field. In your locality, town, state or country, let people know you for the quality product or service you render. When you have reached the stage where people start trooping to you for the quality product or service you render, your financial worries are over.
4. Market Your Knowledge
Wherever you are, whatever you do and regardless of your educational qualification, there is something you know that others don’t know. You may not value that knowledge or skill of yours. It doesn’t matter. But what matters is that there are thousands of people who do not know what you know, but who value what you know. These people are looking for you to impart that knowledge or skill of yours to them.
More importantly, they are willing to pay you handsomely for it. You can change your fortune by deciding to market your knowledge and skill to people. Don’t die with your knowledge inside of you. Whether it is academic knowledge, practical skill, business experience, writing skill, music skill, singing, farming, motivation skill, counselling skill, you can market it and make a fortune from it.
If you are not moved to market your knowledge and skill, it is probably because you don’t value what you know. Until you value what you know, you will not see any need to market it. You need to value what you know. There are many people who don’t know as much as you know, but who have become rich by marketing the little knowledge that they know.
The starting-point to fame and fortune is the marketing of your knowledge and skill, no matter how little it is.
There are many ways you can market your knowledge and skill. For details, you can grab a copy of my eBook titled: 7 Ways to Market Your Knowledge and Skill.

Pray for stronger shoulder

The story is told of two princes who were to be crowned. The criterion for their coronation is that they should carry certain loads from a particular place to a certain destination.
On their way to the place where they were to lift the loads, one of the princes saw an old man carrying a load. He ran to him and helped him carry the load to the man’s destination.
When it was time to carry their loads, he succeeded in carrying his own while his other brother could not carry his. When asked how he was able to carry his own load, he replied: “By helping someone to carry his load, I found strength to carry mine.”
There lies the secret of victorious living. The prince was able to carry his own load because of the strength he summoned up while helping someone to bear his load.
Now, it is in everybody’s nature to try to steer clear of problems of all kinds. While we may succeed in doing so to some extent, it is not always possible to steer clear of problems. This is because problems are part of life. The only place where there are no problems is the cemetery. There, everything is calm.
What it takes to make the world calm, like the cemetery, is to remove all the problems, troubles, and difficulties therein.
Problems, difficulties, and stress are essential for our growth. They cannot destroy us unless we allow ourselves to be destroyed by them.
As we make effort to tackle problems, we begin to develop the mental and physical strength needed to overcome the problems eventually. “Every trouble,” says George Hodges, “is an opportunity to win the grace of strength.”
You don’t become strong by steering clear of trouble. You don’t become strong in the absence of trouble. It is in the midst of problem or trouble that power is developed.
Do you need power for victorious living? That power can be developed by learning to confront any problem that confronts you. Learn to use any problem that confronts you as a stepping stone to greatness.
Like the prince who got his strength in the course of assisting someone else in bearing that person’s load, you can develop power for victorious living by learning to confront any problem that come your way.
The problems and troubles we face everyday are opportunities to develop and strengthen us. If the trouble we face everyday are taken away from us, we would be deprived of the opportunity to develop our potentials. The consequence of this is that we grow weak, timid and die ingloriously.
The starting point for victorious living is to stop praying for a trouble-free, stress-free or problem-free life.
Now, consider this: if problems are meant to make you strong; if power is developed in the midst of problems; and if problems offer you the opportunity for greatness, why not pray for stronger shoulders?

GO IN THIS THY MIGHT

One of the factors responsible for failure in life is inferiority complex. Inferiority complex is the negative feeling a person has which makes him to conclude that he is not as good as others or that he is a “nobody.” A person suffering from inferiority complex (“suffering” because it is a terrible disease, though not incurable) does a lot of damage to his life by failing to recognise his Gog-given ability.
It is really a pity for a person wallowing in the ignorance of inferiority complex. The bible is replete with stories of heroes who initially they were worthless until God straighten them up by making them to understand that they have got what it takes to be conquerors.
Gideon is one of such heroes. When the angel of God accosted him: “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour,” he disbelieved him. When he was told to go and deliver Israel from the hands of the Midianites, he raised the objection that he came from a poor family from the minority tribe of Manasseh, and that he was the least in his father’s house.
Was that the end of the whole show? No the man who said he was a weakling and a “nobody” later became a Bible hero and one of the greatest warriors that ever lived!
Like Gideon, have you ever felt you are worthless? Then it is high time you had a rethink. That feeling of inferiority is destructive and will keep you down forever unless you change your mind set.
The truth is that family or background has nothing to do with your success in life; your tribe, religion, your position in your family, your skin colour, the language you speak, and how you feel, are not the determining factors for success in life. The determining factor is YOU! Everything you need to exercise “dominion over the earth” has been embedded in you. You are not created empty, you are created full. God has deposited within you immeasurable abilities. There is no limit to what you can do with these abilities.
Forget about other people’s abilities and exploits. Of course, you may not measure up to their exploits. God’s endowments on every person vary. There are some things you can do which others cannot do; while there are some things others can do which you cannot do. But that does not make you inferior to them, nor they inferior to you.
The starting point to great accomplishment is the conquest of inferiority complex. The first successful climbers of Mount Everest had to deal with their feeling of helplessness and worthlessness before they could achieve that feat.
Standing before the great mounting, they felt they did not have what it takes to climb it. but when it dawned on them that they could, they kept on keeping on until they reached the peak of the mountain.
After their achievement, they were asked what major problem they encountered in the course of climbing the mountain. They replied that it was the feeling they had in their mind that they could not climb the mountain.
How do you deal with this issue of inferiority complex?
1. Remind yourself that you are not created empty and that God has embedded in you unique abilities which are essential for your success on earth.
2. Whenever the feeling of inferiority comes up, ignore it. Don’t listen to your doubt and fear. Go ahead and do what it is you are afraid of. That is the way to conquer doubt and fear. Just do it, not minding the pounding of your heart.
3. Fill your life with positive thought. Speak positive thought to yourself. Any time you wake up in the morning or before you retire to your bed at night repeat the following affirmations aloud 10 times or more –
a) I am more than a conqueror because God has given me all the things I need to succeed in life.
b) I can achieve anything I want to achieve by my God-given abilities.
As you practise these affirmations, I say to you, “go in this thy might,” “thou mighty man of valour.”

HOW TO GENERATE IDEAS FOR GREATNESS

The mind maketh the man. Your mind is a generator of a sort – generator of ideas. That is why the book of Gog says, “guard your heart with all diligence for out of it are issues of life.” Psychologists also make us to understand that over 8, 000 ideas flow daily in our mind. What this implies is that the mind can never run dry of ideas. The mind is an inexhaustible well that cannot dry up. Orison Marden Sweet said: “The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.”
Among the over 8, 000 ideas in your mind are ideas for greatness. Just one of these ideas is enough to transform your life overnight forever! Ross Perot, the billionaire and former US presidential aspirant once said: “one single idea can make you live like a king for the rest of your life.”
What will make a person great is not money but an idea.
Many people do not appreciate the priceless gift – the mind -that God gives to them. If God were to give them a car, a bungalow or a jet, they would appreciate that better. But this ought not to be so. God would not do for you what you are supposed to do for yourself. God has given you the greatest tool you need to “have dominion over the earth.” That tool is your mind. There is no problem that confronts you that you cannot think your way through.
The major problem people have is that because they don’t value the mind given to them by the creator, they don’t trust their mind enough to generate. Even when these ideas suggest themselves or flash through their mind, they ignore them.
This is the reason for our under achievement. There is no idea that is not capable of greatness. Every idea contains the seed of greatness. It is how far you see the potentiality in the idea that matters. If you do not see any good in an idea, you are not likely going to do something positive about the idea.
For this reason, it is advisable that you have an open mind. Don’t discard any idea that comes to your mind. Welcome it. Have a notebook where you will be jotting down ideas. Jot as many ideas that come your way. Later, you can examine them critically, and when you do so, do not focus on the negative side only, consider the positive side as well. The danger of dwelling on the negative side of an idea is that it has the tendency of blinding you to the greatness that is embedded in the idea.
How narrowly people miss fortune because they fail to see the good in an idea. If you realise the potentialities embedded in a single idea, you will never discard any idea that come your way.
Do you know that importation of such seemingly insignificant item as toothpick has made some people millionaires in Nigeria? How many people ever thought that such an insignificant item can produce millionaires?
Sometime ago, I read an interview of a man who became a millionaire supplying olive oil to his church members. In the interview, he said he attended the church where olive oil was needed. An idea then occurred to him that he should be supplying the oil to his church members. Today, this man is swimming in millions.
If there is anything you must not lose sight of in this article, it is this: never ever ignore any idea that come your way without first critically examining it. Most times, there is nothing wrong with ideas that come our way; it is our perception of these ideas and what we do with them that are wrong. Now, consider this: “A wise man will make great opportunity out of the commonest situations.”
In conclusion, to generate ideas for greatness, you must –
a) Have an open mind. Be liberal in your approach to ideas that occur to you either in your mind or elsewhere. Assemble the ideas by jotting them down in a notebook.
b) Examine critically every idea that comes your way. Examine them objectively and dispassionately. Never let any idea go until you have subjected it to the cross-fire of critical examination. Examine the negative, but consider the positive aspect of an idea as well.
c) Be humble when dealing with ideas. If you are proud, you will never be in a position to see the greatness enclosed in an idea. This is because an idea that holds the seed of greatness is not obvious to the naked eye. If you are in a habit of finding fault with an idea on impulse, it is possible you might have missed a lot of opportunities for greatness. What some people despises and ignores, is what others use to surpass their contemporaries!
GREATNESS IS EMBBEDED IN LITTLE AND SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT IDEAS. ONLY THOSE WHO CAN SEE BEYOND THE INSIGNIFICANCE WILL ACHIEVE FAME AND FORTUNE.

THE MAKING OF A CONQUEROR

In the world today, we have two categories of people – the conquerors and the losers.
Who is a conqueror?
A conqueror is not a man without challenges. There is hardly anyone without challenges. Man created by God is of few days and full of troubles. A conqueror is not a man who runs away from trouble. Running away does not solve any problem. He who fights and run away, lives to fight another day. A conqueror is not a person who pretends to no have problem. A pretender is like an ostrich which buries its head in the sands when it sees danger approaching. Pretence also does not solve problems.
A conqueror is any man, woman, boy or girl, who exercises his or her God-given dominion over everything on earth, including every challenges he or she encounters. A conqueror is one who is in control of his life and succeeds in anything he lays his hands upon. He is not overwhelmed by difficulties. He may suffer defeat countless times, but he never gives up and in the end, he comes out victorious. A conqueror is one who has a record of achievement to celebrate. He celebrates victory over failure, poverty, ill-luck, frustration, ill health, defeat, etc. And that is what makes him a conqueror.
A loser, on the other hand, is not just a person who is enmeshed in defeat, frustration, ill health, or disappointment. If it were so, then everybody is a loser. A loser is one who cannot or who refuses to confront problems that come his way. If he confronts challenges and suffers defeat, he quickly gives up. A loser complains and whines whenever he meets challenges.
Are you a conqueror or are you a loser?
The truth is nobody is created a loser. You are created a conqueror. You are a creature of dominion. God expects you to lead a victorious life. God expects you to exercise dominion over the earth. He has given you the wherewithal to do so. If there is anything you lack, you don’t need that thing for your success.
It is really a pity that despite God’s rich endowment on us, we live like slaves when we are supposed to live as sons of God. Many of us are slaves to worry, disappointment, ill health and frustration.
Until you step into your God-given position of a conqueror and exercise your dominion, you can never experience a victorious life. Your victory is rooted in the exercise of your dominion over everything that confronts you. Every challenge that confronts you is ready to bow if you exercise your dominion over it. Success will not come to you until you exercise your dominion over failure.
How do you exercise dominion over problems?
Below are six steps you can take –
1. Expect Challenges
Until you start expecting challenges, every challenge that confronts you would continue to destabilize you. Life is not a bed of roses. Just when you think everything is well with you, tragedy may strike. Life, they say, is war. Success is not gotten on a platter of silver. As you strive to succeed in life, you will face many obstacles. Some of these obstacles will look insurmountable and tend to cause you to give up. You need not give up.
The fact that an obstacle looks insurmountable today does not mean that it cannot be surmounted tomorrow. Always remind yourself that problems are part of life. Problems will always come. There is nothing you can do about it. to live in this world and expects to be free of trouble, is a mere wishful thinking, a sort of day dreaming. Expect failure, disappointment, rejection, and frustration, so that when they you will not be overwhelmed.
Really, there is nothing strange in having problems, what is strange is when a person claims he has no problem confronting him. Problems are signs that you are alive. The only place on earth where there are no problems is the cemetery.
When you faced with problem from this time on, embrace them and say to yourself: “I welcome you all and I am ready to exercise my dominion over you. I am more than a conqueror.”
2. Stand Aloof
To be a conqueror, you must be ready to stand out of the crowd. More often than not, the crowd go wrong in its judgment, perception and evaluation. Many lives have been messed up by the negative influence of people.
Are you the type that allows people to decide for you what you should do or become in life? Then you better be careful.
Years ago, a young house wife, Debbie Fields, made up her mind to go into baking business. Baking has been the main thing she knew best to do. Her parents, husband, neighbours, and outsiders knew of her baking skill. But when she made her plan known to them, nobody gave her any chance of succeeding.
Her parents said: “You don’t have any business going into the cookie business.
Her husband’s reaction was even worse: “Oh Sweetie that is such a stupid idea”, said the husband. Other people predicted doom for her: “You can’t,” they said, “you will fail. It won’t work. You don’t have the business experience.” Were the right or wrong? They were wrong. Debbie Fields, against all odds, established her bakery business, starting from the scratch and eventually built a business empire. Today, she has over 2, 300 stores in over 10 countries generating nearly $1 billion dollars annually!
If you have been discouraged by what people say concerning you and your future plan, it is high time you had a re-think. Nobody knows enough as far as your future is concerned. Have you been written off as a “nobody”? Have you been despised and termed “worthless? Never believe that. It is a lie from the pit of hell! If you believe it, you are ruined. If Debbie Fields had believed the negative evaluation of her capacity to succeed in her chosen field, she would have remained a helpless housewife surviving only on the earning of her husband. But because she chose to stand aloof from the crowd, she was able to achieve outstanding success.
You too can prove the sceptic wrong, if you make up your mind to stand out of the crowd. Don’t follow people, follow your passion. If you follow people you will get lost like them, but if you follow your passion, you will definitely achieve success.
To be outstanding, stand out of the crowd. Ignore destructive criticism. The late Martin Luther King Jnr. Said: “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

CONQUERING POVERTY

There is no doubt that there is lack, want and penury in the land, but this ought not to be so considering the fact that Nigeria is blessed with vast human, natural and material resources.
We are too loaded to witness poverty in our land, but sadly, this is the situation so far. There is no pretence about this.
This poverty issue must be properly addressed. Just last year, 2010, we celebrated the 50 years’ anniversary of our independence. Our independence is important to us, because no nation can aspire for greatness, if the nation is under the domination of a stronger nation. As the late Mamman Vasta said: “A lean liberty is better than fat slavery.” So, it is a good thing that for 50 years back now, we remain free from foreign domination. Politically, at least, we are free. Freedom is the springboard on which a nation any person can launch himself to greatness.
Unfortunately, however, the kind of independence we celebrate yearly is independent from foreign domination. But this is not yet real independence. Independence implies absolute freedom – freedom from foreign domination, economic freedom, political freedom, cultural freedom and of course, freedom from poverty.
What must we do to conquer poverty in our lives and in our land? The answer is simple: we must collectively and individually make up our mind to fight poverty to a standstill. It is poverty that will surrender, not us.
Collectivism
It is interesting to note that we have some modalities in place that are aimed at eradicating poverty in Nigeria. We have the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the FADAMA, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF); there also programmes set up to cater for the needs of women and children alike. It is good we have multiplicity of programmes all aimed at achieving one goal – eradicating poverty by improving the welfare of Nigerians.
This is an indication that collectively, we are making effort towards achieving our goal of improving our condition of living.
However, where we are failing is the manner in which we go about implementing these laudable programmes. We are not taking these programmes to the grassroots, and we are not funding these programmes adequately.
Let us make up our mind to take these programmes to every hamlet, village and town in the country. These programmes should be adequately funded. Let us make more effort in creating more awareness of these programmes and informing people of the benefits they stand to gain.
Let us not assume that Nigerians are aware of these programmes. Some may be aware of these programmes, but they may not realise that the programmes are meant for them.
We shall not pretend or close our eyes to the achievement recorded so far by NAPEP, NDE, FADAMA, ITF, etc.
But I also believe that grater achievement can be recorded if we do the following –
1. The programmes should be taken to every nook and cranny of Nigeria. The programmes should have their offices in every hamlet, village and town.
2. The programmes should be adequately funded.
3. There should be more awareness. People should be informed that these programmes are meant for them and no other persons. This issue of awareness is of crucial importance. Even if these programmes are taken to every part of the country and the people are seeing these offices, if they are not aware that they are meant to improve their standard of living, they may not participate; and the scourge of poverty will continue to ravage them.
Recently, it occurred to me that the Federal Government has gone a long way in encouraging small and medium scale investment in Nigeria, by encouraging the establishment of micro finance banks in the country. As at the time of writing this article, there are 612 micro finance banks and you can find their branches in many towns in the country. They may be more then that now. For a current list, you can visit: www.cenbank.org
But the big issue we have is that even though some people are seeing these micro finance banks all around in their locality, they may not be aware that they are meant for them. That is the issue. When programmes are meant to better the life of people, people should be informed so that they can participate and benefit from them. There should be no room for assumption.
Individualism
Many people have the habit of blaming the government for all their plights. But the fact is, if we are blaming the government for our plight, we are indirectly blaming ourselves, because, substantially, we are the government ourselves.
Therefore, we should not be so bothered about what the government should do for us, but we should rather think of what we can do for the country, or at least think of what we can do for ourselves.
Below are five steps you can take to conquer poverty in your life –
a. Conquer poverty mentality;
b. Conquer laziness;
c. Conquer indecision;
d. Conquer procrastination; and
e. Conquer fear.

Conquer Poverty Mentality
A poor man is not necessarily a man who has no kobo in his pocket, but who has no idea. This is because it is idea that brings the money. So, there is more hope for a man who has an idea, but has no money than a man who has money but has no idea.
Idea is the starting point of all riches. If you lack money-making ideas, poverty is close by. This blog is all about wealth building, and our focus is on helping people to generate wealth building ideas.
So, the first step to take in conquering poverty is to generate wealth-building ideas. In doing so, you must first conquer the poverty mentality within you. You are not poor because God wants you to be poor. You are not poor because you are destined to be poor. Change your mentality. Change your orientation. God wants you to be rich so that you can live a good life and so that through your riches, others will be blessed. Every man’s role is to be his brother’s keeper, but you cannot perform this role fully if you are indigent. The former British Prime Minister, Mrs. Magareth Thatcher said:”No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he only had good intentions; he had money as well.”
Conquer the poverty mentality and replace it with prosperity mentality. Think wealth. Think success. Think abundance. When the thought of wealth and prosperity dominate you mind, your life will gravitate towards prosperity.
Conquer Laziness
“A little folding of the arms and poverty will come like an armed man.
In a sense, poverty is an armed man. It destroys and keeps destroying lives. You also ought to be well armed in order to overcome poverty.
The path to prosperity has not changed. You need to work. Hard work is the weapon you need to defeat poverty. Hard work implies taking your business, occupation, vocation or profession seriously.
If there is anything that will keep a person in poverty, it is laziness. A lazy man is one who does not want to work, or who puts in less effort, but expects great returns. A wise man once described a lazy man as not just the man who does work, but who does not enjoy the idea, and reacts against anyone who is working and making it work. Such a person will have a long time battle to fight against poverty, because, there is no substitute to hard work. It is either you work or you starve.
Ottoman Bismark said: “To youth I have but one word – work! Work!! Work!!! The bokk of proverb also says: “Diligent hands will rule.”
I learnt that the average Japanese works 18 hours per day. This long hour of work is attributed to scientific and technological breakthrough recorded by Japan over the years. I believe if every Nigerian is willing to surpass the present average of 8 hours work per day, we are also going to witness a significant turnaround of our economy.
Conquer Indecision
The mark of a rich man is the ability to take decision at the right time and quickly. The ability to make up your mind quickly and take action is one of the greatest assets a person must possess. The story of the four lepers in 2 Kings 7: 3-10 is illustrative. There was famine in Samaria and they were dying slowly of famine right at the gate of the city. Instead of remaining at the gate and die there, they had two options – either to go into the city or to go out to meet the enemy forces (the Syrians). They chose to go and meet the enemy forces. Surprisingly, the enemy forces were nowhere to be found and fortunately, the landed in abundance. And by the decision of these quartets, the whole nation of Samaria was saved from famine.
The point I am making is that you should learn to take decision early. You should learn to trust your own instinct. God put instinct in you to help you avoid disaster or even death at times. Conquer indecision by learning to trust your instinct when taking decision. It was sheer instinct that saved the four lepers from dying of famine. They acted on impulse and they were saved.
Conquer Procrastination
Procrastination is a bit similar to indecision, but the difference is that, in the case of procrastination, one has already made up one’s mind on the decision to take, but taking that decision or taking the necessary action becomes a problem. The procrastinator continues to postpone the decision endlessly. Procrastination, they say, is a thief of time. Every successful man does not joke with his time. Time itself is money. If your time is stolen, it is your money that is stolen.
Have you been putting off thing you are supposed to do? It is high time you stopped that. If you don’t, you may never be able to do what you ought to do again, because you will continue to postpone it endlessly.
What decision have you taken concerning poverty? What business idea have you planned to execute lately? Have you acquired some practical skill? Have you attended a seminar where you were trained on a lucrative business, but you have still not made up your mind to execute what you have been thought? Now is the time to take action. Enough of that procrastination! Don’t put it till tomorrow what you are supposed to do today. Take action now. Be a man of action. A man of action can never be held down by poverty.
Conquer Fear
If there is anything that will keep a person in poverty for a long time, it is fear. You might have made up your mind to establish your business, but then the question keeps pounding within you: how and where do I get the customers? What if the customers don’t come to buy? That is what fear does. Fear makes us to imagine situations that are non-existent and false. The more you imagine these situations, the more you become bound by fear. In the end, you may not be able to grapple with poverty.
As you are reading this article now, make up your mind never to listen to your fears. The successful people you see today were equally confronted with one fear or the other, but they never gave in to their fears. They went ahead to execute their ideas and eventually succeeded. The fact is, the fears that confront you are not always real. That is why you must not hearken to them. Or do you think your fears are real?
Therefore, don’t be afraid to demand great things for yourself. You have got what it takes to succeed. Affirm your ability to do it and powers you never dreamed you possessed will leap to your assistance.

WEALTH BUILDING PRINCIPLES THAT NEVER FAIL

The fact about wealth is that it has no respecter of person. Whether you are jobless or employed; rich or poor; a messenger or manager; okada rider or pilot’ teacher or trader; butcher or businessman, you can build your wealth from the scratch, using the time-tested, unfailing principles of wealth building.
The size of your income does not matter. All that matters is knowing and practising the unfailing principles of wealth building.
Below are three principles of wealth building that you can apply to build your own wealth successfully.
1. Determination
Determination is the starting point of wealth building. Determination implies that you resolve that you are going to build your own wealth; that you are ready to give it what it will take; and that you will stop at nothing to ensure that you have that wealth built. The importance of determination cannot be under emphasized. A determined person is a bulldozer. He bulldozes every obstacle that stands his way to success. A determined person is irrepressible. Nothing can hold down a person who is determined to accomplish his goal.
In his book, Success System, Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church (A.K.A. Winners’ Chapel), narrated the story of a man he knew. This man wanted to start a business, but he had no money. To raise the money, he returned to his village and began tapping palm wine, from where he made some money. He then returned to Lagos and set up his business. Today, the man has over 3, 000 men working for him.
A man who is determined will always find his way out, even in the midst of obstacles.
The first step to take in building your own wealth is to make up your mind that you are going to build your wealth; decide on the action to take; then move swiftly to take that action. Act fast. Tide waits for no one.
2. Save a Part of Your Income Constantly
Whether you are a student, low income earner, or a high income earner, you should cultivate the habit of saving a part of any income that comes your way. You need a separate bank account - savings account – for this. I call it separate because you are not expected to withdraw from this account until it has accumulated and is enough for you to invest in one business or the other.
The amount to save depends on you. You may decide to save 1/10 or 1/5 of your income regularly. Such an amount is not too much as to cause you some imbalance.
Savings is something that is easier said than done, but the fact is, it is not that difficult. One method to adopt in order to ensure you save regularly is to cut down on your expenses.
No matter the amount you earn, if you are not mindful of your spending, your income may not be enough for you. This is because human wants are insatiable and there is constant pressure within us to satisfy these wants. One way to overcome this pressure is to sit down and remove the grain from the chaff – isolate the necessities from the other needs. It is those necessities that you should spend your money buying. Example of necessities here are food; transport fare to work place or to school; house rent; clothing; medical bill, etc. All other needs like fashion, entertainment, luxury items, parties, etc are needs you need to avoid at least for the time being. When you have built your wealth, you will have enough to spend on these items. For now, if you can avoid spending on these, you will have enough to save regularly.
There are other little expenses you need to avoid, like buying of biscuit, chewing gum, minerals (refreshments), cigarette, alcohol, etc. You can do without all these for the time being. You may think the amounts you spend on them are insignificant, but when you sit down and calculate the amount you spend on them within a month and a year, you will be astonished. Benjamin Franklin said:”Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”
The point here is, cut down on your expenses and you will have enough money to save regularly. Resolve as you are reading now that you will start saving 1/10th or 1/5th of your income regularly. Resolve also that you will not go and withdraw from your savings under any circumstances. Allow the money to accumulate, so that when you feel it is enough to invest in a certain business, you can then withdraw it and invest.
In short, your purpose of running this savings account is so that you have enough money to invest.
3. Invest Constantly
Investment here implies buying assets.
What then are assets?
Asset here does not have the same meaning with what the accountants call “asset.” To the accountant, such things as your private car, furniture, generator, cable television, residential house, etc are assets. But to the investor, they are not assets so far as they take money out of your pocket. However, when these same items are made to generate money into your pocket, they become assets.
So, to the investor, an asset is anything that puts money into your pocket.
Note that an item can be an asset or a liability, depending on what that item does to your pocket. Is it taking money from your pocket? Then it is a liability. Is it putting money into your pocket? Then it is an asset.
The following can be regarded as assets when they are made to generate income: car, house, computer, motorcycle, generator, handset, etc.
Further, there are other forms of assets like owning a business, rendering services, buying of products and selling them, and stock trading. Note that your talent is also an asset. Can you sing, write, play football, do any sport, teach, speak, act (in drama), or have you acquired skill in any field? What are you doing with it? Is your talent lying dormant?
The importance of investment cannot be underemphasized. It is said that 2/3rd of Jesus’ teaching is on finance. Remember Jesus’ teaching on investment – the parable of the talent – in Matt. 25: 14 – 30. Read the passage on your own, but the point to note in respect of the passage is that keeping your money with you or keeping it without investing it (making it to yield income) is a foolish thing to do. I=according to the parable, Jesus said impliedly that if you would not invest your money in any way, at least, keep it in the bank so that it can yield interest. It is a mark of laziness not to invest and not to keep money in the bank to yield interest.
For details on businesses you can start with little or no capital, check our product list on this blog. Just click PRODUCT.

BELIEVE AND SUCCEED: Whatever Man Can Conceive and Believe Man Can Achieve

Belief is the starting point of all human achievement. The belief that you can achieve something, quickens your nerves, strengthen your muscles and empowers you to get it done. But doubt weakens a person’s ability and discourages a person from attempting to achieve one’s aim.
Years ago, many medical experts warned athletes the danger of running a mile in four minutes. They said it was impossible and any attempt to do so could result to grave consequences for the athlete. Hundreds of articles were written on this and as a result people never bothered try. But along came a lanky English medical student who did not like he could run a mile. This athlete, for the first time, set the record by running a mile in four minutes. When asked why people could not run a mile in four minutes, he replied that it was probably because people never believed it could be done. Subsequent performance by other athletes proved that he was right. Many athletes who came after him re-enacted that feat, because having heard that someone did it, that strengthen their belief that they also could do so.
In fact, the latest athlete that achieved this feat is the Moroccan athlete, El-Guerouj. El-Guerouj even did better by running a mile in less than four minutes!
The bottom-line here is that before success is achieved, before a record is set or broken, the achiever must first believe that he can do it. To succeed without first believing that you can make it is a physical impossibility. Belief is the foundation upon which success is built is built. If the foundation is not there, success cannot be built. As the lawyers used to say, “You cannot built on nothing.”
Belief is a spiritual principle endorsed by the Master, Jesus. He said: “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” This is the underlying principle behind our publication, the Conqueror. We believe that everything is possible to him who believes. We don’t believe in impossibility. We believe in possibility. And as we believe in possibility, so it is with us. All things (not some things) are possible to him that believes.
When you say: “I am more than a conqueror” and you believe it in your heart, nothing can defeat you. No Jupiter can stand your way. The world will stand aside to let you pass if you believe in yourself and your ability.
Belief is the basis of all breakthroughs in scientific and technological invention. History is replete with inventor whose master plans were thought to be an impossibility by people and even by experts, but who executed their master plan to the letter and came up with their inventions. When Graham Bell set out to invent the telephone, people laughed at him and gave him no chance of succeeding. They never believed that any invention can be made that would enable two persons living in distant locations, towns, cities, countries and continents, to communicate with each other in spite of the distance between them. But Bell believed in himself that he could bring the concept of telephone into reality and he did. The telephone you are enjoying today is a product of belief.
For Marconi, who invented the radio, his plan to design an invention that will enable messages to be transmitted and received over a long distance made people to see him as insane. His friends requested that he be taken to the lunatic. Marconi proved them wrong! He did invent the radio! Radio will continue to be the most popular electronic media the world over.
When Gustave Leven set out to establish his sparkling water business, some consulting firm did not believe water could be packaged and sold in the US. “You are foolish to try to sell sparkling water in the land of Coca-Cola drinkers,” said the consultants. Leven ignored the experts and launched Perrrier Company. The company is still thriving and many have copid his model.
Many years ago, many people never believed that packaged water business would thrive in Nigeria, but today, packaged water is a lucrative business in Nigeria.
It takes strong belief to whip discouragement, doubt and frustration. People will always say it is impossible. Experts may attack your business plan and say it is not feasible. The fact is, things will always look impossible or difficult as long as it is not yet achieved. Don’t wait for things to look feasible before you embark on achieving it. What determines the outcome of any venture is your belief, not other people’s belief and opinion. You can succeed if no one believes in you, but you cannot succeed if you don’t believe in yourself. So, what stands between you and success is your belief. Beware of the opinion of experts. The problem with experts is that they give their opinion based on precedent (previous knowledge and experience). If a concept emerges and that concept does not tally with previous or present ways of doing things, experts would kick against it. That was what transpired between Henry Ford and his team of engineers. Ford asked his engineers to produce a V8 engine. Before then, no such motor engine had ever been made. Seeing that there was no existing model to rely on or to pattern their design after, they told Ford bluntly that the V8 engine was an impossibility. Ford ignored their answer and asked them to go and produce the V8 engine. After few days, they returned and told Ford that they could not do it. Ford insisted on getting it done. When they saw that their jobs were on the line, they went back to the workshop and worked at producing the engine. Shortly after, they produced it. Ford believed it could be done. His engineers said it was impossible. Ford won. Between you and the experts and between you and the people, he person that wins is the person that believes. To the man who believes, everything is possible. You don’t need an astrologer, fortune teller, or soothsayer to foretell whether you will succeed or not. Your destiny is in your hands. That destiny is anchored on what you believe you can achieve. What you believe you can become is what you can achieve.
Getting Prepared for Success
The following steps must be taken to achieve outstanding success in life –
A. Be Creative
Your mind is given to you by the creator to help you think your way to success, victory, and prosperity. The mind is the basis of all accomplishment. Think of it. All the scientific and technological inventions - car, TV, computer, aeroplane, skyscraper, machinery, vessel, clothing, etc, are products of the imagination (mind).some people sat down to conceive the ideas, plan, and invent these products.
The fact is, there is nothing you conceive in your mind that you cannot achieve. There is no problem that confronts you today that you cannot overcome by the help of your mind. The problem with many of us is that we find it difficult to sit down and think creatively. We expect other people to do our thinking for us. It is high time you started thinking creatively. That is where success emanates. To think creatively, practise the following exercises –
1. Look for a quiet place where you can sit or lie down alone.
2. Have a pen and jotter or sheet of paper.
3. Sit down or lie down quietly.
4. For 30 or 60 minutes every day, ask your mind to offer solutions to your problems. If, for instance, you want to start a business of your own and you don’t actually know which type of business to embark upon, just ask yourself questions like –
• What lucrative business can I invest in?
• What business do I have passion for?
• What business would be convenient for me and yet earn me huge income constantly?
• What do the people need that I can supply them in return for money?
Throw these questions several times in your mind. After that, sit or lie down calmly. Allow your mind to wander aimlessly. Soon, it will start bringing to your conscious mind many ideas.
• When ideas start occurring to you, start writing them down. For now, do not discard any of these ideas. Just write them down. Again, as you go about your daily chores, ideas will prop up in your mind. Just write them down. Later, you can sit down and read through your jottings to select the business ideas you can start with.
• If you are practising this exercise for the first time and you don’t seem to get positive result, don’t give up. Just continue with the practice. It works. It is a time-tested principle. You even practice it unconsciously, though you may not realise its importance.
B. Deal With Discouragement
Once you have come up with an idea, be ready to confront your number one enemy – discouragement. Your task of dealing with discouragement becomes even higher if your idea is unique, one that has never been implemented by any person.
Discouragement can be avoided by refusing to announce your business plan until you have achieved it. But where you have already announced your plan, then you must fortify yourself against discouragement. The way to do this is to ignore negative remarks from people. Develop thick skin. Follow your own mind. The more the discouragement, the more the effort you should keep exerting towards achieving your goal.
C. Affirm Your Ability
Don’t be scared to set high goals for yourself. You have got what it takes to achieve any goal you set for yourself. Use the power of the tongue to fortify yourself. Affirm the positive. Affirm your ability to accomplish your goal. Say to yourself: “I have got what it takes to set up my business, manage it, and build a business empire out of it. Repeat it to yourself at least ten times every day to subdue any discouragement within you.
D. Hold on to Your Belief
You cannot achieve your goal if you lose confidence in your ability to achieve it. The fact that you have not achieved your goal today does not mean that you cannot achieve it tomorrow. The fact that it looks impossible does not mean that it is impossible. Nothing is impossible on this earth for any person who believes he can. You only need to persevere. Never lose hope. Never despair. Keep on trying. One more effort and behold, you are there! That is what it takes to be a conqueror.

Action: The trigger that Conquers Defeat

In their motivational book, “Positive Mental Attitude”, Napoleon Hill and William Clementstone dealt extensively at various principles for success.
One of such principles that is uppermost in my mind is the “action” principle. This action principle is to the effect that when you have set a goal you want to achieve, when you have drawn up your strategic plan, or when you make up your mind to do anything, just get up and do it straightaway.
To help readers overcome procrastination, Hill and Clementstone summarised the principle to three words: “DO IT NOW!
Are you in the habit of procrastinating? Do you keep puttings off? Or are you waiting for the right time to come before you act? Or are you waiting for the time when you will feel comfortable before you act? That time may not come. Just when that feeling of comfort starts setting in, and you make up your mind to take the necessary action, fear and doubt would set in and then, once again, you start to procrastinate and postpone the execution of your plan.
If there are two things that keep people in defeat, they are fear and doubt. As long as they duo dominate your life, success remains a mirage. The only way to get to the height you have set for yourself is to wrestle against the dominance of fear and doubt in your mind. Become the dominator.
How do you bring fear and doubt under your control? The way to do this is to confront them. The confrontation here is not a frontal attack, but outright disregard to their promptings.
Any time you make up your mind to do certain thing and fear and doubt set in as usual, ignore them. Just go ahead and do that thing you fear. Don’t listen to the doubt in your mind. “Do the thing you fear and the fear of death is certain.” That is the way to keep fear and doubt in check anytime they show up.
Be a man of action. A man of action is one who does not procrastinate. A man of action does not put till tomorrow what he ought to do today. A man of action does not listen to fear and doubt; he ignores them and just do what he ought to do to get to where he wants to go.
It takes courage to really “do it now!” that is why people who fail to summon up courage to take the necessary steps to achieving their goals, never amount to anything in life.
“Courage in danger is half the battle”, says Plautus. The kind of courage we are talking about is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of fear. The essence of courage is not that your heart should not pound, but that you defy your fear and not allow it to hold you back from achieving your goal.
Whatever the goal you have set for yourself, do it now! If you have planned to continue with your education, do it now! If you want to set up your business, do it now! If you plan to learn a trade, do it now! If you wish to be a computer literate, do it now!
Action is one of the greatest principles of success. It is the trigger that conquers defeat!

About Us

About Us
Centre for Victorious Living is set up to impact lives positively. Our teachings have their roots in the Book of God. We believe that failure can be overcome, poverty can be crushed, ill-luck can be banished, and prosperity can be achieved if only we change our mindset from the negative to the positive.
If you are a success seeker, if you desire to turn your life around for good, if you wish to acquire financial prosperity, this is the place to be. Through our free articles and resources you will find practical, time-tested principles that you can apply to achieve what you want to achieve. In addition, you can order our power-packed and life changing eBooks and manuals.
C.E.O.
Sunny Adaji is the C.E.O. of Centre for Victorious Living. He is a motivational writer and a personal development expert who is committed to impacting lives positively. He believes that failure can be overcome, poverty can be crushed, ill-luck can be banished, and prosperity can be achieved if only we change our mindset from the negative to the positive.

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Welcome to centreforvictoriousliving.com, a personal development blog designed to equip you with time-tested and practical principles for victorious living.
The good news is that you are created to exercise dominion over the earth and over all circumstances. You need not live in perpetual bondage of failure, poverty, frustration, disappointment, and hopelessness. You have got what it takes to be an overcomer. These qualities are within you and by tapping into them you are assured of success and prosperity.
Centreforvictoriousliving.com is set up to:
 Help you discover the qualities of greatness within you and to encourage you to take bold steps towards achieving your heart’s desire.
 Inspire you to be the best that God wants you to be.
 Motivate you to aspire to greater height in your chosen career
 Equip you with time-tested and practical principles for victorious living
 Help you discover and develop your potentialities
 Reveal to you the path to prosperity
 Empower you for greatness
 Reveal to you secrets of happiness and fulfilment
 Help you build solid foundation for your financial independence
These we do through our articles, resources, manuals, and eBooks. The articles you find on this blog are free and they are meant for your personal development. Avail yourself of this opportunity by reading these articles and putting into practice what you learn from them.

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For enquiry, comment, suggestions, and consultation, contact us. We will be glad to hear from you.
Our address is:
Behind Unity Guest House,
Off Mpape Market,
Abuja-FCT
Email:conqueror.adaji30@gmail.com; or sun4luv5@yahoo.com
Phone: +2347061016859