How To Choose and Invest In Yourself Wisely

As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” To fulfill your destiny in life, you must find and invest your time and resources in the things and people that will help you get there. If you are going to make a difference in this life, you must get close and find out what needs your special skill set, in the same way, if you want to make a difference in someone’s life, you must get close to that person and find out about how to meet their needs before you transform their life.

You must use the methods that lead to maturity and subsequently, to productivity. We all have wishes but these do not automatically transform to the desired outcomes but by constant doing, pruning, growing, and maturing. Once you master what you need to do, you will grow in maturity and reproduce your success in the lives of others.

Your life is yours and yours alone. What you make of it is up to you, and it will go down in history as impactful or fruitless of the gifts you so freely received. The choice of who or what to invest in must be considered with utmost thought. You must set up a process that tests and refines any and everything before allowing same into your inner circle.

Here I have presented a method (feel free to adjust according to your personal style) to help your pruning and refining process.

1. Examination. As mentioned earlier, it is important that you cross-examine yourself and Find Your True Self so that you will align yourself to like-minded people and things that will propel you to your dream life. This is the most crucial step, hence, the reason it is at the top of the list. I would like to begin this with your choice of people. You have heard the saying that “You cannot choose your family, but you can choose your friends.” Here is another one “You are the average of the top five people you spend the most time with.” How about this one “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.” Ah ha, now you know why you are where you are! From the foregoing, you would agree with me that you are immensely influenced by your company, whether you are aware of this fact or not. For instance, If you associate yourself with poor (poor in this case is subjective) people, you will become poor because over 80% of what you and your friends would discuss would be things poor people talk about, the same thing as losers, gossips, people who only complain and never seek the solutions to their problems but blame every other person but themselves. On the other hand, if you befriend successful people you have better chances to become one. Winning, losing, complaining, failure, success, hate, love, is contagious. Your choices will make or mar you. You have seen how important it is to surround yourself with the type of people you wish to be like. You must, therefore, examine any and everyone who pops up in your life, do not just welcome them into your reserved space, test them against all the parameters you have set for yourself. For instance, what is his/her thought process like? How is a typical day with this person like? What type of future is this person trying to build? What are his/her belief systems, values, and principles? What is his/her purpose in life? What makes him/her thick? Only consider mingling and befriending this person if and only if all the answers to these questions align with your destination and the greater good of you both. Be careful not to be judgmental because everyone is valuable but in diverse ways and you have the free will to choose those you allow into your circle. It would be an insult to our creator for you to write someone off because they do not think like you do; be respectful and polite when you weed out the misfits.
2. Experimentation. Those whom you choose after the examination period now move to this second phase. At this phase, both parties know the core things that bring them together. This is a good stage to discuss things you would want to do and seek any collaborations. The importance of collaboration cannot be overstated, it is easy to break a stick of a broom but not a bunch. Hence, it is a win-win for those who collaborate because those who are involved bring their strengths to the table. The beauty is that another’s weakness is supplemented by the other’s strength and vice versa. The key takeaway here is to experiment and confirm your winning team.
3. Choose the best fits. Just like best friends, they are not your friends for the sake of it, but because they have proven themselves worthy. After experimentation, you should know those who deserve to be in your inner circle. Do not hesitate to call them higher, they need to know that you trust them, hold them in high esteem, and expect much from them. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you, so remember that as much as you demand, you must also give back in equal measure.
4. Remember those with whom you started. You see the human nature is very deceitful. The successful they say has many friends. When you become successful, you will be surrounded by many people who have no idea how you started and arrived at your current status. Some will come just to receive, others, to join the bandwagon and show off that they are hanging out with you, and would seek to create friction between you and your tribe. Most of these people are not committed nor loyal to what you stand for, their praises and clamor are fickle that will dwindle the moment the tides turn and your fortunes change.

Thanks for reading!

Stay Happy,

Bibobra

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Utilize The Power Of Consistency

According to research, it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. Knowing that habits translate into character and character cannot be effaced given that it is the main fabric upon which you are formed, you must give careful thoughts to the things you do on a consistent basis.

Consistency breeds productivity, and creativity as well as mastery. These can only be attained through self-discipline, determination, and your sheer will to build something that lasts.

Consistency is the achievement of a level of performance that does not change considerably in quality over time. It is required if and only if your formula is a winning one and thus improvements are recommended but not massive changes.

Be it in work-out, exercise, business, relationships, research, academics, or what have you, consistency applies in every sphere of your life if you desire excellence and success.

In this article, I will attempt to highlight the benefits of consistency and recommend clues to help you to focus on the things that you need to harness this character-building tool.

As a writer, an influencer, a Machine Learning Enthusiast, and an Engineer I know that I must balance things up to be truly happy. There were times when I was caught up in doing ML projects that I failed to write for days. The result? My creative spark and productivity with respect to writing staled, so when I resumed writing, it seemed like using a blunt sickle to harvest. It felt rusty and like I was starting this trade afresh. Recently, I started a workable daily routine which I shared in this article Building Effective Daily Routine. I use the tools “Time-Boxing” to allocate time to all my daily activities, this helps me to be accountable and consistent.

Here are some of the benefits of consistency and how you can tap into them.

1. Consistency Makes Getting Things Done Easier. If you are not in the habit of doing something, it will be difficult for you to do it. This also applies to writing, exercising, sharing your faith, meeting peoples needs, praying and reading the Bible, personal hygiene and the list goes on. Consistency is the recipe that trains your mind to adapt to the activities you repeatedly do hence, both your conscious and subconscious are in sync with what you must do. The result? Easier to begin, continue, and enjoy the bitter-sweet experiences on offer.
2. Every Situation Presents A Fresh Perspective. When you change your perspective, you invariably change your perception. Hold on a second, what is the difference between these two words? A perspective is a point of view (the lenses through which you look at things) which is affected by your level of education, upbringing, religion, political affiliation, and experiences of life. Perception, on the other hand, is the interpretation you give to things through your awareness. It is the way you understand and gain insights. Consistency helps you to do different things with the same principles while you seek improvements. These minor upgrades are only attained when you challenge the status quo and seek a new perspective.
3. Leads To High Productivity. This is simple. You don’t do it, you don’t get the results. You do little, you get little. Your output is a function of your input. So if you are not getting your desired outcome, ask yourself: have I given my best on a CONSISTENT basis to make sure that this thing works for me? The truth is that the more consistent you are at doing something, the better your chances of success. You must trust the process and persistently do what you must do to produce the results you want.
4. Consistency Guarantees Excellence. This point ties well with point number two. You are by nature striving for perfection, there is no stopping the human mind until it stops thinking. What then is the best way to attain excellence in any endeavor of life if not by consistently sticking to or improving a winning formula? The moment you stop to improve you head backwards. In life, there is no such thing as stagnation, you either progress or regress. Aristotle remarked “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Are you not getting the results you want? Is your life regressing? Are your relationships not working? Do you feel unmotivated and uninspired? Are you tired of life? Are things not making sense to you? Do you feel defeated after a major setback? Is self-doubt crawling into you?

The answers to these questions and many more are found within you. Maybe it is time for a fresh start, review your methods and add some improvements. I encourage you to take your mind and focus back, create a winning formula, and then nail it with CONSISTENCY.

Stay Happy

Bibobra

Building Effective Daily Routine

Recently, I began to be more deliberate with my daily routine. I decided to draw a line between the things I want to do in life and meeting the expectations of others. This is to enable me to close the gap between what I want to do and what I am doing. I have given careful thought on how to balance the world’s demands and my ambitions. These lead me to develop some clues that have served me very well, and I have decided to share them with you. Hopefully, these clues help you to be productive as you continue on your path to personal development.

1. Plan your day the night before.

   

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   I worry less about tomorrow. Hence, I never planned for its tasks in advance per say. I did this in the mornings. Of course, nothing is wrong with this approach, but it made kick starting my day a lot slower because the time I spent planning in the morning could have been used to swing into action straight up. This technique helps to prepare my mind for the tasks, ahead of time, so I go to bed happy for the day’s accomplishments, and in excitement for the things God will enable me to accomplish the next day. This has helped me to be more organized, and to anticipate any challenges I might have in the course of my routine, and prepare solutions well in advance.

2. Creative Work First, Reactionary Work Last.

   

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   I got this tip from a book am currently reading. Instead of waking up to your phone checking the number of comments and likes on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blog post, emails and every other reactionary activity, you reserve these for later, and instead focus on starting your day with prayer/reading your Bible, Meditation, workout, breakfast, work, write/study, and do some projects that interests you. This clue depends on the individual, I am a morning person, so I like to do all my creative work in the morning. You should find the best time for yourself and build your routine around it.

3. Switch Off Your Phone During Creative Work.

   

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   Alright, this is a difficult one. In an era where everything revolves around our cell phones and electronic gadgets, it is difficult to have these switched off for hours. You need to ask yourself what is at stake here because if you know WHY YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING, it will be easier to pay the price now and forego the immediate gratification because then you know that the outcome outweighs the momentary pain or self-denial. You might argue that you can still concentrate with your phone on while working, but trust me, I have been there before, the temptation to just check that one beep or vibration distracts you more than you realize.

4. Time-Boxing.

   

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   This is a technique I learned from Agile training. Assign time to your daily tasks. Each task ends once its time is up regardless of whether you finish it or not. Realistically, you must consider every little detail when choosing the time required for each task, and then do everything within your power to achieve the set goal. So try timeboxing your writing, music making, social media, emails, movies, visiting friends, studying and every other thing and watch your productivity skyrocket.

5. Train Yourself To Get Things Done.

   

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   You know that feeling of not wanting to get something done even though you know that it is important. As highlighted in clue number 3 above, you must convince yourself WHY you must do what must be done to achieve your desired results. This will in turn train your brain and mind to get things done regardless of how you feel. Productive and successful people train themselves not to give into moods but teach their minds to know it has to get down to work.

 

Stay Happy

Bibobra

The Story Of The Two Wolves: How To Manage Your Mind

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all”

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, fear, hatred, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, happiness, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed“.

Obviously the one you feed will become your reality. The choice is yours, either you find ways to manage your mind so that you can live your life more in accordance with what your own judgment says is best for you or continue to act in ways that are unacceptable to yourself without the power to exercise self-control.

Thanks for reading!

Bibobra.

Never Stop Moving Forward

The bigger your dreams the more colossal the challenges. Life will throw hits at you in direct proportion to what you are aiming to get out of it, the measure of success you are able to garner from life therefore, is a function of the chunk of challenges and obstacles you are able to conquer. Take the hits now and celebrate later or……

You may seem static at the moment but don’t stop believing, don’t stop pushing, don’t lose faith, and don’t give up. For it is with patience, perseverance, and trust that the biggest goals are attained.

Do you have a concrete process in place? Trust the process!

Have you earmarked your journey? Keep Moving!

Do you have doubters around you? Trust your guts!

Are you afraid? Trust God!

Are you tempted to quit? Remember why you started!

Are things not going in the right direction? Well ask yourself this…”have I done all that I can do to make this work for me?

Remember to review your strategy and effect necessary changes but NEVER STOP MOVING FORWARD.

Thanks For Reading!

Bibobra