10 Facts in 2012- Lest you forget!

Here is a reminder of some facts that should keep you focused in 2012:

1. You were born with a purpose and for a purpose;
2. You are not an experiment in Planet Earth;
3. You are not an accident or a mistake in the world;
4. Your purpose for living will determine your potential to function;
5. There is a seed of greatness deposited in each human being;
6. There is provision for your vision in life;
7. God never created a nightmare; He created dreams that come to pass;
8. God never created junk;
9. Life is not a straight line from womb to tomb and;
10. The greatest tragedy is not death; it is living a life without progress.

Do not just be a spectator; Determine and commit to make at least one big goal happen in 2012.

10 Self-Motivation Tips in 2012

The best motivation is self-motivation. You are the only one who can get that 'imprisoned splendour' out of yourself. Here are some of the self-motivation tips that will keep you motivated in 2012:-
1. Be yourself without any reservations;
2. Focus on becoming;
3. Start a trend by believing in yourself if others don't;
4. There is only one person you must answer to in the end-yourself;
5. Don't let your weaknesses overshadow your strengths;
6. Do what you love;
7. When you face a Herculean task, ask yourself: 'What can i do with what i have?';
8. Cut out unnecessary negatives from your life (dwelling on bad news);
9. Everyone is good at something and;
10. Conceive and believe to achieve.

10 Ways of Improving your Creativity in 2012

Here are some of the ways you can use to be more creative in the coming year and hence make more opportunities for yourself and others:-
1. Be flexible;
2. Develop a broad range of interests;
3. Use your routine chore time to think of new ideas (while riding in the bus);
4. Surround yourself with creative people;
5. Never stop questioning the obvious;
6. Throw the conventional rules out of the window;
7. Keep a journal to jot down a multitude of ideas as they arise;
8. Give your mind the freedom and latitude to create;
9. Seek new experiences and;
10. Unlearn some of the old and unproductive things you learnt in the past.

The Stop Doing List in 2012

1. Stop procrastinating on things that must be completed;
2. Stop taking NO for an answer;
3. Stop making excuses;
4. Stop walking with the 'little chicken';
5. Stop settling for less than you deserve;
6. Stop quitting mid-way;
7. Stop blaming others for your failures;
8. Stop limiting yourself;
9. Stop comparing yourself with others;
10. Stop pursuing other people's visions and goals;
11. Stop associating with negative people and;
12. Stop looking for success in the wrong places.

12 Life Changes to make in 2012

Here is a list of a few life changes you can make in 2012:

1. Taking more lessons from the Bible;
2. Going the extra mile a little more often;
3. Detoxifying toxic people from your life;
4. Reading more motivational books;
5. Listening to more motivational DVDs;
6. Improving your personal finance literacy skills;
7. Finding your passion and focusing on it;
8. Learning from 2011 mistakes and stepping into your success in 2012;
9. Managing your personal time better;
10. Spending more of your leisure time with the less-privileged;
11. Doing something that you have been afraid to do and;
12. Taking action on your stalled goals.

Creating a better future

It is said that we inherit the past but we create the future. What happened to you in the past remains a bygone and should not influence your tomorrow. You cannot afford to open a quarrel between the your past and your future because these two are different. In fact, the future is what you have.

Your past mistakes should not deter you from succeeding in the future. It is important to understand that you are not a mistake in the world. You have a purpose that should not be jeopardized by a dark past. You have a reason to live to see your tomorrow.

You have what it takes to fashion a better future. You can meet and build rapport with great people. You can read great books from great motivational personalities. You can think great and positive thoughts. You can make a choice to make tomorrow a better day for you and for this generation.

A better future is always within reach.

Touching Lives.....my 2012 business

It will be a major de-service to my life and the lives of the youth in this nation if i do not rise up and follow my passion come 2012.  Yes, i did some good speeches in 2011 but this is not good enough. I know i can better my best.

Chris in a training session in Lodwar, Turkana County, Kenya

The coming year will be a year like no other. The opportunities will be there and i have purposed to seize them. Nothing shall stop me from inspiring a generation that seems to lose hope every day. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, ' You may not build a future for the young people, but you can build the young people for the future.'

This is my top agenda come next year....i am already down into planning how to eat the elephant!

I am afraid to die before i make a major contribution to humankind.

The poor have something to offer

You cannot help the poor by giving them money. Last week, i visited Turkana County in Kenya. The Turkana people have suffered the brunt of poverty, cattle rustling and serious humanitarian crises year in year out.

                                                                Turkana boys selling a he-goat at KES 3,200.00

However, after visiting this area, i am convinced that people are not poor because they have nothing. People are poor because their capacity to move out of poverty is limited. In the above case, the Turkana people have large stocks of livestock at the moment, but the lack of market linkages has proven to be a perennial problem.

It is the high time donors channelled their resources to the right poverty alleviation strategies including creating market linkages for products produced by the poor.

The poor have something to offer to the market place.

You can better your good

Jim collins said that good is the enemy of the great. I have always believed that most people wallow in mediocrity because they are contented at their level. Many people do not reach greater heights because of their current satisfaction level.

You got to be willing to move from where you are to where you have never been before. What you have achieved is good but you cannot afford to stagnate at that level. Good is not good enough where better is expected.

You got to challenge yourself to bigger goals. You got to stretch yourself to achieve bigger dreams. Refuse the good and pursue the great. You were born and destined for greatness. Do not belittle your potential to become your best. Greatness is within your reach only if you are willing to surrender your good for the great.

Go the extra mile

Allow me quote the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer: It's never crowded along the extra mile. Have you developed the discipline of going the extra mile? Are you routinely over-delivering on your promises? The truth is that very few people dare to exceed expectations in order to go above the crowd.

If you want to transform your personal life, become more self-reliant, become more self-confident and become more influential with those around you, you got to give more than you are doing.

You should be willing to ask more of yourself, add more value of what you do, provide more service and improve on what you are doing. You need to put just a little more effort.

There is no traffic jam when you go the extra mile. When you do more than people expect, more opportunities will come your way. The difference between the ordinary and the extra-ordinary is that little extra. Do more than the average people.

Take the first step

They say that a traveller is the one already at the shore; it is never about the one at home. Many people have failed to achieve their full potential and maximized destiny because of their reluctance to take the first step. May be you are among the people who have never started. I am addressing you.

The only way to get ahead is to get started. If you want to see that book, you have to start writing the pages on a daily basis. If you want to see that motivational DVD, you have start speaking even if you are doing it for free. If you want to become financially free, you have to start saving from your incomes whatever little you can. Listen, you cannot cross the sea by merely staring at the water.

The legendary civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.' Don't just sit down waiting for things to happen. Stand up and get in motion. Make the first move.

How do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite. The best way to reach your destiny is to begin doing small things today that will accumulate to your cherished great future. You cannot afford to be motionless. Start moving and keep moving.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. You cannot wait any more. Start today and take a powerful step.

Discover your purpose for living!

I have sat and listened to Les Brown's audio motivational talks over the years. But one of the things that strike me is his desire to help people discover who they are and what they were born to do.

When asked who he would like to be re-born as if he would be given the chance to do so, Bernard Shaw stated that he would like to be born a man that he never was. Unfortunately, that's is the place most of the people find themselves.

Many people lead lives in a manner that does not satisfy them. They work in jobs that they hate. Simply, they have abandoned their mission on earth-our purpose for living.

The question is: How do you discover your purpose? To answer this question, i would ask your these questions:

1. What are the things that you are passionate about?
2. What are the things that you love doing?
3. What are the things that are important to you?
4. What are the things that are important to you?
5. What do you want to be remembered for?

In the answers to these questions, you will find your passion and purpose for living.

Refuse to do the common things that every Tom, Dick and Harry are doing. Pursue your passion and live your purpose.

Always stay calm

There are people in the corridors of the city, towns and estates who are out to abuse, hurt, ridicule, and mock you at will. You will find them inside buses. You will find them in offices. They will not see anything good in you. They will not say anything that will inspire you.

These people are trouble-rousers looking for places to cause chaos. They are seeking for people in whom they can sow seeds negativity, hopelessness, hatred, stress, discouragement and disappointment. Remember to stay cool when people hurl insults at you. Remember not to argue with a fool since people will never notice the difference.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, ' No one can hurt you without your permission.' Even when people shout at you, never shout back. Real people keep calm; they never prove their superiority. No one will make you inferior without your permission.

Stay calm and refuse to spoil your day!

Take an inventory of your successes

Today, many people are finding it difficult to repeat their past successes because they have long forgotten of their past achievements. No wonder many people have lost the passion and reason for living. Why? They do not have an inventory of their past successes.

Even though it may not make sense to roll back your past years, it makes every sense to remember what you achieved when you were at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40....depending on your time is this wonderful world. May be at 15, you where at top of your class. At 20, your were selected to lead the scouts club. At 25, you bought your car during an economic recession. At 30, you overcame a life threatening illness. At 35, you purchase a real estate property. At 40, your life just began.....you became financially free. They are myriad; the blessings are just countless.

Trust me, it makes all the difference. When you remember the challenges you have overcome in the past and the successes you have achieved, it gives you a resurgence of energy, motivation and momentum to soar to higher heights. It is fuels your passion for action. It makes life worth living.

What is it that you have achieved in the past? Can you list 50 list of items you have achieved in your lifetime whether small or big?

Of course, you can!

What type of volcano are you?

Volcanologists will tell you that there are three types of volcanoes: Dormant, extinct and active volcanoes.

I am told that dormant volcanoes are not erupting at the moment but they have all the signs of erupting sometime soon. Sometimes they smoke and people see it. People in this category have so much potential but are not doing much to realize it. They show signs of making it happen but they make half-hearted efforts.

Extinct volcanoes have ceased from erupting and will never erupt any time in the future. They are dead. Their mission is complete. People of this type are walking corpses. They are zombies. They are dead at 30 and will be buried at 70. They produce nothing. They are just existing.

The active volcanoes are erupting. Lava is flowing from the crater. It is hot and burning everything on its way. It is taking it space on the earth's surface. Such calibre of people are proactive. They are maximizing their God-given potential. They are not spectators. They are making it happen. They are manifesting their capabilities and skills.

What type of a volcano are you? You better be the active type.

Detoxify your system

In medical circles, they call it detoxification. They also call it colon cleansing. As more and more food is consumed, there is a possibility that some of the food will not be digested. Instead, it sticks at the colon walls. In order to avoid colon cancer, the doctors will carry out detoxification.

Isn't it the case with us when we allow negative people to influence our lives to the point that we get infected with the cancer of life. We begin to die gradually. We begin to lose focus of our goals and dreams. We lose sight of the windows of opportunity that come our way.

This happens when we welcome negative people in our lives- people with a negative attitude towards life, people who have no goals to achieve, people who have nothing good to say to us apart from how difficult the economy is, people who take the energy out of us, people who dis-empower us.

You need to detoxify such people from your life. Do not open your doors for them. Keep off from the bad company; it ruins good morals. The late Jim Rohn would say, ' You are the average of five people you spend your time with.'

Keep off negative people lest you suffer from relational illness.

Success is gradual

Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in day out. It is never a smash and grab affair. You got to crawl before you begin to walk. There is never overnight success. The successful people you see today have had torrid times on their way to success.

The best way to experience and taste success is to get started and then gradually act towards your desired outcome. It is said that the best way to eat an elephant is to do it bite by bite. That is the secret to achieving goals that seem impossible at the beginning.

 

The progress of my greenhouse has taught me the secret of success- it is gradual. Be patient, be focused, act and in good time, success will come your way.

Success will come your way if you are willing to wait!

Enlarge your Dream

In my motivational speaking sessions, i have never missed the opportunity to quote the timeless words of Eleanor Roosevelt. She said that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Someone else said that you must hold onto your dreams because if you lose them, you become like a bird with broken wings- it cannot fly.

I am not telling to keep the dreams that you have. I am not saying that you retain and maintain small dreams. No- you cannot be comfortable with mediocre and small dreams. They inspire no one. They challenge no one.

I am challenging you to move beyond your current level of dreaming. You must enlarge your dreams. If your dream is big enough, the steepness of the mountains that you meet on the pathway to your success will not matter. Think and dream big.

You too can make a difference!

The holy scriptures categorically state that the race does not go to the swift, food does not go to the wise, wealth does not go to the brilliant, favour does not go to the learned but time and chance happen to them all. Each one of us rich and poor has a chance to make a difference in life.

You are not an exception in achieving success in life. You can win the race of your life. You can achieve and surpass the financial goals that others have achieved. You can go to the next level. You can get out of your current predicament with commitment and dedication.

Do not belittle your ability, skills and knowledge to succeed. Do not put yourself down. The chance is there for you to be what you ought to be. You are never too old or too young to achieve your goals and dreams.

Plan your life

Most people lead their lives without a solid plan. They run their lives in a 'headless chicken' manner. This is dangerous because such people end up achieving mediocre results in their lives. Nothing comes out of the people who do not plan how to maximize their moments in life.

Indeed, it has been said that failing to plan is planning to fail. This is not debatable. Richard Cushing said, ' Always plan ahead; it was not raining when Noah built the ark.' Plan now for the things you want to do tomorrow.

Your future depends on your today's plans. Plan on the places you want to visit. Plan on the books you want to read and write. Plan on your career today. Planning is a key recipe to your success.

Put your plan into writing and follow it to the letter. It is your roadmap to your destination. Always remember that a good house is as good as its architectural plan.

Make it happen

It is a salient truth that nobody will change your life if you don't take the responsibility to do so. Your success or failure lies within your reach. You can choose to move out of your comfort zone or stick to it. Your stagnation in life is out of your own choice.

Someone identified three clusters of people:
1. Those who watch things happen
2. Those who mourn/wonder as things happen
3. Those who make things happen

Refuse to be a spectator in your own life. Refuse to be a mourner in life. Choose to be a real actor in life.
Make it happen!

Avoid Negative Self Talk

I am a student of Norman Vincent Peale who advocated for positive thinking and positive self talk. There are so many people who have mastered the art of speaking negatively to themselves. No wonder making any progress in life has been a real struggle.

The law of attraction is real! The more you engage in negative self talk, the more negative you become. Negative people attract total negativity in their lives. Do your research if you doubt this. Positive people attract positive things in life. They are happy, healthy, smiling, and inspired.

Statements like 'i can't afford this, it is difficult, i do not have the qualifications, and i come from a poor family' are being used in the streets. Do not join this bandwagon. Choose to be positive. Speak positive about your life.

Begin today and see the difference!

Greatness comes from within!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a timeless truth that greatness comes from within rather than from without. The people who will succeed in their lives in the present times and the future harness their God-given potential. Opinions of the world do not define how higher we can jump in life.

Do not covet what other people have because you can create much more in your life only if you made the decision to appreciate the potential in you. Comparing yourself with others will only serve to disillusion you if you choose to look down upon yourself.

Every man and woman was born to be great and greatness is a big portion of those who choose the path of greatness. The greatness enemy and obstacle to our greatness is ourselves. It is never other people. I like an African saying that says, ' If there is no enemy within, the enemy from outside can do us no harm.'

You may have read a speech by Russell Conwell entitled ' Acres of Diamonds'. The African man sold his farm and left for abroad to search for diamonds in order to become wealthy. Little did he know that the buyer of his farm would discover tons and tons of diamonds within the perimeter of the farm. The grass always looks greener on the other side. The truth is,the grass may be the greenest where you are!

Friends, greatness lies in the reservoirs of your mind and heart.

Discover your purpose for living!

I have sat and listened to Les Brown's audio motivational talks over the years. But one of the things that strike me is his desire to help people discover who they are and what they were born to do.

When asked who he would like to be re-born as if he would be given the chance to do so, Bernard Shaw stated that he would like to be born a man that he never was. Unfortunately, that's is the place most of the people find themselves- leading an purposeless and valueless life.

Many people lead lives in a manner that does not satisfy them. They work in jobs that they hate. Simply, they have abandoned their mission on earth-our purpose for living.

The question is: How do you discover your purpose? To answer this question, i would ask your these questions:

1. What are the things that you are passionate about?
2. What are the things that you love doing?
3. What are the things that are important to you?
4. What are the things that you are naturally good at?
5. What do you want to be remembered for?

In the answers to these questions, you will find your passion and purpose for living.

Refuse to do the common things that every Tom, Dick and Harry are doing. Pursue your passion and live your purpose.

Be present in life

When the windows and doors of opportunity open, you got to be present.

You got to be present to take up the good things that come to your life. You must be sensitive to the turning of the tide in your life. Never live like there is nothing happening around you. Do not house a don't care attitude. Refuse to be absent-minded in life. Be present!

Opportunity dances with those on the dance floor. In fact, when opportunities come knocking, be available.
You got to show up!

You can do it!

If you can conceive and believe it, you can achieve it. Nothing is impossible to the man or woman whose convictions are deep. Men and women of strong convictions are just unstoppable.

Never listen to the people who tell you that you cannot make it. At the beginning of the year, few doubted when i said i will put up a greenhouse in my rural place. I did not stop as negative people continued to speak against the idea.

Today, my readers have the opportunity to view the completed greenhouse dream.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I have the testimony.

Enlarge your vision

I am told from the Bible that when the 12 men went to spy the Promised Land, 10 of then brought a bad report. They intimated that the giant sons of Anak saw them as grasshoppers and they saw themselves the same way.

Many times, most of us belittle and make ourselves small. We question our potential and ultimately end up being average in life.

The tragedy with a majority of failures is not that their aims are too high and they miss, but that their aims are too low and they hit them every time.

Refuse to see yourself small.

New Horizons within your reach

You cannot discover new horizons unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Many times, we do not achieve our goals and dreams because we never want to start moving.

Start where you are! A powerful step made today is better than no step at all.

No one can deny you success

Majority of the people who fail in life moan and groan about how life is so unfair to them. They complain about others. They blame other people for their failures. They give excuses and kill time on the 'complaint counter.'

This happens as the people who have made up their minds to move to the next level focus on their dreams.

Rather than moan, groan, complain and blame, find a reason why you should succeed.

The greatest enemy to our success is ourselves; the enemy from outside can do us no harm.

Be part of the 5 %

Do you that 95% do not reach their goals but remain with statements of good intent?

Only 5% of the people who have good intentions , wake up and challenge themselves to achieve their goals and dreams. They refuse to give up. They work on themselves. They maximize on their potential. They do the things other people are afraid of doing. They are people of a different kind of spirit....a unique collection of people.

Choose to be part of the 5% category.

Two Motivational Books

Dear Members,

I am finalizing my two motivational books (to be converted to e-books) in the coming days. Stay tuned and download a copy of Destined for Greatness and The Mark of a Champion.

Meanwhile, you can check out the same on www.lulu.com.

I choose to live a full and fulfilling life. I trust you will do the same.

Welcome to Chris Motivational Club

I am excited by the opportunities that this blog will create for me and my members. My mission and vision is to provide a platform where men and women from all walks of life can share their experiences in life. The ultimate goal is to inspire those that think and believe that need motivation to rise up, shake off their dust and make it happen in all their spheres of life.

This club is not about the people of Africa. It is not about the people of America. It is not about the people of Europe, It is not about the people of Asia. It is not about the people of Australia. It is about you, black and white, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, privileged and less privileged, able and disabled. It is about those who seek the best out of their lives. It is also about me.

We are all destined for greatness. We are wired for success.

Subscribe today and be a member.