Tuesday, January 26, 2016

The Power of Focus




The chameleon is one of the best examples that comes to mind when talking about focusing on something. This is so because one of the main characteristics of a chameleon is it's ability to change colours. So what colour is your chameleon? The truth is, it has no specified colour because of it's unique feature.
Several factors are responsible for chameleon's change of colour. It could be as a result of emotions such as fear or victory, or environmental factors like light or temperature. In all of these factors, one thing is common, that is, the change in colour. When it focus on an object, the chameleon changes to the colour of the object.
The Power of Focus is very important in our daily living today. If we focus on one thing and give it our undivided attention, I believe we can achieve a lot more than doing many things without our due attention. Apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:12-14 has this to say about focus:
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. New King James Version
The reality that confronts Apostle Paul was so glaring and he enumerated some practical lessons that we can learn from to focus. The following will certainly give you the power to focus:
  1. You are not there yet, therefore you must press on. No matter how well you wish to achieve something great, if you don't keep pressing on you will sooner or later be out of touch with it. You don't have time to waste, work daily and hold fast to your dream and God will take you there.
  2. You must forget the past if you want a new future. The past reminds us of victories or failures. No matter the degree of your past victories or failures, you must let go of it and work hard toward your new future. If you don't walk away from your past, you will begin to feel comfortable about your state and procrastination will come in.
  3. Your goal must be your focus. To hit the bulls eye in life, you must focus on the path of your goal and generate enough energy that will drive you to excellence. Make your goal your focus and that way you have nothing to distract you.
For Apostle Paul, the goal is the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What is your own goal? Whether it is a spiritual, mental, emotional or whatever goal it is, you will hit the bulls eye with the power of focus. You can still achieve the same result with these principles. I therefore call you to move forward toward your goal. I just did one of my goals by writing today.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

PICTURE YOUR FUTURE: TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE


 I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius
Are you tired of making plans without fulfilling them? or New Year resolutions and breaking your resolved to take your future seriously only for you to fail before the end of the year? Welcome on board my friend. Before we go further, let me confess that I have had  my share of the trouble of not meeting up to my resolutions or plans for two obvious reasons: Fear and Procrastination. These two defrauded me until God helped me and I found some profound truths in drawing my future with pictures.

So how do we draw our future in pictures to take control of our lives? Jesus said to Nicodemus in their conversation in John chapter three from verse one to five that if you cannot see the kingdom of God you cannot enter the kingdom of God.
   ...unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [emphasis added]

What you see is what you will go after. If you see yourself as one going to achieve a great result and planned towards it with a good mental picture sketched down, I believe you will get there.

I first learn about Mind Mapping from my writing mentor at Author Audience Academy, even though I have used the principles in the past, what I learn is so enriching. Her name is Shelley Hitz, and her advice stick such that I now have one of the many apps on Mind Mapping on my phone. The app helped me organize decisions to a logical conclusion and set datelines to achieve my goals. The experience was so exciting and the results were good. You can check for the apps on Google Store and download.

But what I want to share with you about using pictures to set plans for the future that you want to arrive at in life. These pictures will fire you up and help you to take good action steps that will yield results. Recently, I watched a talk on YouTube's one of the best TED TALKS of 2015 titled, "Draw Your Future- Take Control of Your Life", Patti Dobrowolski gave a powerful talk that consolidated the idea of picture mapping in my mind. You can watch it here.
Her advice is simple but very profound. You need a picture to set your mind on. When you see the picture and believe that you can achieve what you propose to achieve, and act on your plan it will come to pass in your life. To put it simple:
  1. SEE IT: You must draw a new picture of where you are going to in details.
  2. BELIEVE IT: You must believe that the picture is what you really want.
  3. ACT ON IT: You must act on it to Achieve the success you so desire.
I trust that your life will not remain the same again and that you will put yourself together and face the reality that the future holds for you. You can turn things for good in your life and achieve 100% success. I hope you use the information here and trust God to guide you on a daily basis.