YES YOU CAN.. THE SECRETS OF GREATEST LIVES (PART 3 )

‘’I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor’’           Henry David Thoreau.

When self-development experts tells us that ‘’Your destiny lie in your hands’’ do you believe them?

Do we try to think why they make such strong and deep statement? For a greater part of the existence of man on earth, it appeared that man acted based only on impulse and instincts.

Success in any field of life was therefore attribute to anything but the person initiating the successful moves. The role of man in his success was not put into consideration. Not until it was discovered that a person’s frame of mind goes a long way in shaping his destiny that the world started experiencing development by the conscious atonement of mind towards success.

Of all the things that can make a person successful, none can take a place of this two; his thought pattern or attitude and his quality of decision.

In “Awaken the giant within you” by Anthony Robbins, He wrote ‘’More than anything else, I believe it’s our decisions not the conditions of our lives that determine our destiny’’ He called decision- The pathway to power.

It's worthy to note that success belongs to the action takers and action is only possible after a decision that is powered by a strong desire, has been made.

Decisions that lead to actions are only based on strong desires. ‘’When the heart is right, the feet are swift’’. Lets take a look at the story of Late Mohandas karamachand Gandhi. 

When Mahatma Gandhi decided to free his people from the British colonialists, nobody gave him a chance. Why would they? India was then a loose union of several principalities. How on earth could that queer man rally the kind of support and unity from the people and the kings who even saw his efforts as an invasion of their territories.

Instead of supporting him, they preferred to live under the British role. The world did not give Gandhi a chance because she underestimated the power of decision. In the end, Gandhi succeeded in changing the story of India and that of the entire world forever.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the essayist said, ‘’Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen’’ this natural conspiracy does not however distinguish between a decision for the good and the one for the vile. That is why a man that decides to steal to be rich may succeed the same way as the man who decided to work hard to be rich does.  

 I think it is very pertinent to mention here that this very world we live in is built on a series of opportunity cost, which means that whenever you say yes to something you automatically say no to another. A student who says no to his studies is invariably saying yes to academic failure.

Much as every one would like to avoid pain at all cost and embrace pleasure, decision making, especially the life transforming one, is not a rosy affair.

 The bitter truth of why somebody was in the mess in the first place must be totally explored and accepted before an uplifting decision could be made. It is a blunt statement of fact that most unsuccessful people are easily given to rash decisions which they equally jettison at the earliest sign of failure.

The achievers on the other hand take their time to get a hold on the situation before making their decisions. That is why they tend to move very fast after deciding on what to do. This does not mean that some split second decisions could not be made. Everyone is in charge of his destiny because this power of decision which Napoleon Hill call ‘’The mastery of procrastination’’ is within the reach of all. I think that this statement must be sounded loud and clear into the mind of every Africans especially Nigerians who seems to be living in the Dark Ages when the Europeans so much believe in the power of the ‘’Invisible being’’ in the affairs of men. You will recall that very little success was recorded in that era by the world.

This belief system has paved the way for all manner of demagogues both in the political and religious arenas to feast on the people’s gullibility and mess up their lives, rendering a greater percent of the people who should be contributing positively to our country country’s progress with their decisions mentally and spiritually redundant in the process.

Just rid yourself of the dark veil of ignorance and commit yourself to succeeding even against all odds. Some years back, the blind Goethe said, ‘’concerning all act of initiative truth,creation: there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which destroys countless plans and splendid deeds. That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too’’. There is no demon controlling your life but your ignorance. Make the decisions this second to be successful whether you are ready or not.

Benjamin Disraeli said, "Nothing can resist the human Will that will stake even it’s existence on it’s stated purpose’’.

In the end, your burning desire and firm decision to be successful are all that matter. This resolve will be tried and tested in several ways. Never give up. Those trials are part of the process of success. You will eventually get to where you are going if only you hold on. But your decision is absolutely important. Anthony Robbins Wrote, "your life changes the moment you make a new congruent and committed decision’’. Just take this giant step forward-decide!!!!

You can move nature to crown your effort with success….


LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE=== @teamGfaze

BIG UNIVERSE... small humans

                     

Looking into the night sky, the exact number of stars are unimaginable. We

see them as tiny dots of light because they are so far away. But how far

away are they? 1,000,000,000 kilometers...a trillion? We will soon find

out. Also we will discover just how big they are and how small we are in the

vast universe.

The earth is our home, how beautiful and conducive it is. It is

massive but when compared to some stars, it may as well be just a tiny dot. Also

when we compare the sun to some stars, it is like a tennis ball.

Our solar system houses our planet with the sun as its star. But how

large is the sun compared to the earth? If the sun was to be reduced to

the size of a large volleyball, the earth would be as small as a grain

of beans and Jupiter would be like a medium-sized orange fruit. Now

our solar system is in the Orion arm of our galaxy with billions of

stars and the closest star is about 4 light years away (distance

travelled by light in 4 years) 1 light year equals 9.64×1012 km.

that means the closest star to us apart from the sun is about 3.853×

1013 km and the name of this star is Proxima Centauri. On earth's

scale, if the sun is a small grain, the nearest star would be 4km

away. Now that's far. But our galaxy, which is called the Milky Way, is

about 100,000 light years in diameter. That's 9.64×1017 km. On

earth's scale, if the sun was a cell, the galaxy would be as large as

America.

Now our galaxy is only one in many billions of other galaxies with the

Andromeda galaxy as our closest neighbor at about 2.5 million

light years away. That's about 2.41×1019 kilometers. That's so far

and, mind you, light moves at a speed of 300,000 km every second. That's

like cycling the earth 7 times in a sec.

Our universe is about 93 billion light years in distance, taking earth as the

center. Now that's about 8.9652×1021 kilometers

(8965200000000000000000 km). Now that's long. Having known that, when

you compare the sun to the universe, it's like comparing an atom to the

earth.

The sun as we know it is just an average sized star. The biggest star

in our galaxy (Canis Majoris) is thousands of times large than the

sun, and the largest star in our universe UY Scuti is so large that

when compared to the Sun, it's like a tennis ball compared to a 16

story building.

And modern studies are showing that our universe might just be a

bubble in an infinity number of other universes (multiverse). Where does

that leave humans?

But I have confidence when Brian Cox said "We are the universe made conscious.”

-Valentine O., Gfaze Team

YES YOU CAN... THE SECRET OF THE GREATEST LIVES...(PART 2 )

            

                  DESIRE...

     "Man is made so that whenever anything fires his soul, 

          Impossibilities vanishes"                                          

                                                                Jean La Fontaine.

Napoleon called it the starting point of all achievement. Jean La Fountaine saw it as the fire of the soul. I call it the hand that keep pushing the mansions up. No matter the definition we give to it. We are not talking about anything else but the ardent desire of the soul.

This desire in the heart of a man is a great fundamental principle of success because hardly ever a man makes success of that which he did not desire so much. Desire rightly presupposes the existence of a dream. Desire turns the mere longing for the fulfillment of one’s dream into an active activity. In the words of Napoleon Hill, “Success is not a product of fate, chance or luck’’, it is the result of a burning desire that knows no defeat. Everything whether good or bad that man has achieved on earth is mainly due to his desire for that. When God desired to have companions whose lives and conducts would be subject to his eternal will,He created the universe.

The desire of  Mahatma Gandhi to ensure free and peaceful Indian nation stopped the over a century old British hegemony in that land.

Martin Luther King Jnr's desire to see a land where everyone is treated equally irrespective of race or color paved the way for people like Barrack Obama and his dark skinned men to be where they are today in America.

The desire of Nelson Mandela to see a nation where everybody is treated equally irrespective of skin color put an end to the Apartheid in South Africa. 

When John D. Rockefeller desired to as he put it sanitize the chaotic America oil industry of the 19^th century, Standard oil emerged.

President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast’s huge desire for power has created a complex political situation that has so far defiled all the solution made to resolve it, leading to several loss of lives. 

My desire to touch lives in a positive way gave birth to GFAZE (Phase of Greatness)

Desire is a very potent form of energy. Without a burning desire to actualize a dream, a person is denied the force that arises from deciding to act on the dream. Easy as it is to dream, most dream do not come true due to the weakness of the desire on the part of the dreams. Merely dreaming of owing something is a simple wish; it is the strong desire of it that supplies the necessary impetus for it’s attainment.

Dreams are everywhere. The real difficulty is turning most of the dreams into reality. Most people find it difficult to dream big out of their fear of a possible failure to achieve the dreams. The problem does not lie in the dream or on how big it is. It is a matter of not having a strong desire for the object of one’s dream and the inability to create rooms for correction as we embark on our journey of success. Desire is just like fire that kindles, propels and animates the soul towards it’s stated objectives.

Dr Murdock once remarked ‘’ The saddest tragedy of life is the heart that has not caught fire’’. This fire propels man to the path of success and is present in the form of strong desire. Your desire for success in life must charge your entire being.

In respond to the question ‘’ How do I acquire Wisdom?’’ Socrates  took one his student to a river. Without letting him know, he dragged the young man into the river and held his head under the water with all his might. While the young man struggle to free himself, the master held him tight. Finally, when the young man struggle become vicious, his master freed him. With a shy smile on his face, he asked the student ‘’ while you were under the water, what did you desire most?’’ The young man spluttered ‘’ To breathe’’. ‘’ And you have it. That is how to seek wisdom’’. Socrates concluded.

Looking at the story, you will observe that the young man’s desire to breathe prompted his action. And he got what he desired in the end. The moral lesson of this is that a strong desire of something creates an enormous power which no obstacle can defeat.

Napoleon Hill said "There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose­­­­- The knowledge of what one wants and the burning desire to possess it’’.

Why do you always fail to translate your dreams into reality? Have you stopped dreaming because of the pains of your past failures? You have to know that life itself is a lively thing. So also is success. You simply can’t make a remarkable impact in any area where your drive is not tested. ‘’Life’’ according to Helen Killer  "is a daring adventure or nothing’’.

In your quest for success, do not forget to make a chance for failure in your plan of success. Failure is an intrinsic past of success. It is the gate to the house of success. A strong desire for the object or your dream will keep you repeatedly knocking on the gate of success until it opens. Always create a compelling and an exciting vision of your future and your desire to achieve it will never be loss than it should be.

With an unbridled desire for success, no human being or circumstance can limit the height you can attain in life.

The Odyssey of the Slave Boy- 1

The year was 1657. I was in my little hamlet in the outskirts of Okija bounded by 4 rivers, but the major river was Mmiri Ajado. The name was gotten from a legend that purported that the river was sourced from a wicked widow who used the river as a means to kill people for diabolic purposes annually. I loved my residence because it was blessed with fertile land, abundant water supply, and beautiful women like Adanma, the one I was watching dance rhythmically to the sound of the ogene during the Ofala festival. I looked as her hips sway from right to left and her bosom vibrated simultaneously to the admiration of the spectators’ lustful gaze. I had always wished to lay my hands on her large bosom though I once satisfied my lust by touching them during a moonlight play but she sternly warned me not to try it again or she would tell her Mama.
That night she was the center of my thoughts and I always felt a sharp standing of attention at my lower part each time the thought of her bosom came up. After the dance I moved towards her to complement her moves but she shunned me as though I was nonexistent. I guess she still hadn’t forgiven me for the other time. I quietly left and moved on to meet my friends as they shared the pot of palm wine which was their gift for their wonderful presentation. I could not join them during their rehearsals because Mama had warned me to avoid their company as they were no good. For no apparent reason, they refused me a drink from their palm wine. Annoyed now, I briskly walked home dejected and angry at myself. Thirty minutes later, I was pounding foofoo for my dinner.
 My name is Lewis London, though I was born Iloka Nnaobi, and this is my story of how I ended up in the white man's land and with the white man's man.

Never Too Late

Someone sent this to me on Whatsapp and I just had to post it here! Please don't mind the typos... it's actually worth the read!

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

At age 5 his Father died.

At age 16 he quit school.

At age 17 he had already lost four jobs.

At age 18 he got married.

Between ages 18 and 22, he was a railroad conductor and failed.

He joined the army and washed out there.

He applied for law school he was rejected.

He became an insurance sales man and failed again.

At age 19 he became a father.

At age 20 his wife left him and took their baby daughter.

He became a cook and dishwasher in a small cafe.

He failed in an attempt to kidnap his own daughter, and eventually he convinced his wife to return home.

At age 65 he retired.

On the 1st day of retirement he received a cheque from the Government for $105.

He felt that the Government was saying that he couldn’t provide for himself.

He decided to commit suicide, it wasn’t worth living anymore; he had failed so much.

He sat under a tree writing his will, but instead, he wrote what he would have accomplished with his life. He realised there was much more that he hadn’t done. There was one thing he could do better than anyone he knew. And that was how to cook.

So he borrowed $87 against his cheque and bought and fried up some chicken using his recipe, and went door to door to sell them to his neighbours in Kentucky.

Remember at age 65 he was ready to commit suicide but at age 88 Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken Empire was a billionaire.

Moral of the story: It's never too late to start all over.

MOST IMPORTANLY, IT'S ALL ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE. NEVER GIVE UP NO MATTER HOW HARD IT GETS.

You have what it takes to be successful. Go for it and make a difference!

Fear or Respect? The Downside of African Parenting

Dedicated to every father.

 Let me start by redefining who a father is. A father is an adult male who is legally married and has given birth to a child.
In Nigeria, my country, most African parents, especially our dads have grown so controlling that they have forgotten their actual role in life. This has led their children to fear instead of respect them. Confused? Let me throw more light on this.
We will look at a critical example of a father of seven girls and one boy who always and perpetually yells at them for the slightest mistakes. When a child buys or borrows a decent movie from a neighbor or friend, it becomes a huge problem. These girls cannot even communicate freely with their parents. Any day the dad declares his intention to travel for a day, joyous shouts and celebrations are heard. "When the cat is away the mice comes to play.” I so much believe in the words of Mrs. Ngozi Chimamanda Adichie, a well known African feminist who believes in equality and communication between children and their parents.
 Imagine a father who won’t allow their children to listen to music or even browse the Internet on their phones. Sounds ancient? But its happening in our 21st century.
A girl can't greet her fellow classmate simply because he is a male? And dad would always say, “There is no sacrament between a boy and a girl!” Oh, please? I beg to differ. What sort of shallow way of thinking is that? I don't mean that there shouldn't be restriction or discipline but you do not cage a girl child- she is not a wild animal! This hideous training is not given to the boy child; why if I may ask? Dads, are you scared you might "emasculate” them?
When a female child doesn't get her place in the world, they tend to behave as they so desire. They can't wear trousers, can't make up, put on lipstick or do their nails? Really, what a myopic way of reasoning! When a father and a daughter can't have a peaceful discussion, what do you think would happen? Of course the female child will never respect but rather fear their dad. Is this the way it is suppose to be?
 Even most wives are not excluded from the prison of a house. Whenever a child, especially our female child, goes out anywhere they tend to misuse the little freedom.
 Fathers, please look into this matter, retrace your footsteps, and watch the rate of immorality and waywardness reduce to a bare minimum. This is a wake up call to everyone. Train a female child well, and you train a nation.
- Cynthia D., Gfaze Team

YES YOU CAN... THE SECRET OF THE GREATEST LIVES...(PART 1)

L

iving a life of greatness is not a mysterious something.We are meant to draw useful lessons from even the minutest things in our lives and in the lives of others.                          

                  ''My friend and I were raised to
                    believe that we could do or become anything.
                     That the only limits to our aspirations came 
                      from within. We were thought not to listen to those 
                      who said to us "NO YOU CAN'T"
                                                                Condoleeza Rice


                        "I'm stirred when someone says, "You can't do it"
                         I find the statement "You can't offensive to the human spirit.
                        We can be anything.
                       Maybe this experience is a series of lessons to learn that you can. 
                       Yes, You Can"
                                                                              Maya Angelou 

Yes you can is a call for action. We are in the generation when most people have lost track of the right path due to the absence of good role models. The generation in which people are scared of greatness. Africans especially Nigerians easily ascribe anything beyond the ken of their understanding to magical powers. How can you understand when you do not believe that you can.

This is a strong call for a new beginning.

Life's purpose: The foundation of Excellence

Everything in this life is created for a purpose. Take time and carefully look around you. What do you see? Order perfect beauty. God must be a great lover of beauty and order. Just imagine what will happen when there is no air to breath? Each acts in accordance to the divine will. The sun animates life, the air and water sustain life, while the earth support and regenerate it. With all these that silently take place, we still run around in search of miracles. Lack of sheer ingratitude Albert Einstein once said that, God does not play a dice. I believe everything on earth has a purpose for it.

If the Natural elements were made for a purpose, what of man? Has man any purpose at all in this life? 

These is the question that I have been asking myself. But I have discovered that the purpose of man is to search for and worship his maker and equally make life process easy for his fellow man. To make things easier, God blessed man with mind, time and space and put every other creation of his under man. Come to think of it, the natural elements and the animals all serve the purpose of helping man achieve his life of greatness.

For every man to be great in life,He must first of all, discover the purpose for which he was created. Rick Warren in his book ‘The purpose Driven life’, wrote the following as the benefits of a purpose-driven life.

•       Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life.

•      Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.

• .      Knowing your purpose focuses your life.

•      Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.

Extra ordinary success requires the use of extra ordinary energy. Look at the life's of people like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Abraham Lincoln, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Martin Luther King Jnr, and many more. Do you not marvel at the high level of energy they seemed to possess? Which have lead them to extra ordinary success. Leadership of whatever kind is an energy sapping activity and one of the worst things that can happen to a man is to run out of energy in the midst of challenge.

By discovering and worshiping God here does not mean religious fanatic. The world is actually leading to destruction, if we keep placing the doctrines of the different religious sect at the forefront of man’s existence. I mean living a sound spiritual life which is easily seen in everything you do.

The second part to the purpose of every man in life is to make life process easy for his fellow man. Jackie Robinson said ‘’A life isn’t significant except for it’s impact in other lives’’. You need other people to fulfill your purpose, achieve your dreams, enjoy the fruits of the dreams and give back to the society. If you desire to be an exceptional achievers, then you must learn how to develop exceptional people’s skills. When you are living your purpose, you do so with ease. Energy and ideas flow free, and your contributions must be felt by all around you. Your true passion should feel like breathing. Although discovering one’s purpose in life might not be easy. There will be so many distractions, you will even feel like imitating others but remember, only the inventor knows the purpose of his invention. So God is the starting point of in our journey to discovering our purpose on earth. You were born by is purpose and for his purpose. You can only be on the road to a great life when the inner purpose (search for God) is in line with the outer purpose (relation with other people).

It is from this unity of purpose that people like Leonardo Da Vinci, Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Cobhams Asuquo,  Malcolm X  emerged. 

If you want the world to celebrate you, your major task is to discover your purpose on earth.