From Disappoint To Re-Appoint

Life is filled with the scheduling of appointments.

In fact, every time that you set a goal you have set up an appointment. Why? Because you have established something that you wish to achieve and have had the courage to attach a date to it.

But what if the date comes and the date goes, and nothing has changed? Don’t allow your disappointment to be your destination. Don’t set up a memorial on that deflating spot in your life. Simply reset the appointment, and reappoint the time and place that you are going to achieve that goal – and go again.

Remember this, that any great success consists of a succession of failures. Put each failure under your feet, and before you know it you will find yourself reaching that which you have dreamt of – the heights of outstanding success.

Faith As Our Currency

Throughout history the currency of many nations and its worth has fluctuated, and at times even become totally worthless. So to put your confidence in a nation’s monetary system alone is to build your foundations on shaky ground. This is where you need to invest in your faith account. And how do you do this? Well, I can only speak from personal experience.

So here are a few tips to enable you to position yourself time and time again for success.


1) Have Faith In God – I personally have faith in the Allah (The creator for the whole world) . And that faith is simply expressed in my trust and a confidence in my creator. So much so that I stake my life and my very existence on Him. In my life I have seen Him supply my greatest needs time and time again that proves to me that He is personally interested in my well being. I talk to Him as my friend and my mentor.

2) Have Faith In Your Strengths – I have consistently needed to identify my strengths and learn to operate in those strengths if I wished to walk in success and satisfaction. The first thing was to identify them. To do this I simply needed to recognize those things that I do naturally and the things that I have a passion for. And then I needed to do them on a consistent basis – ever seeking to improve along the way.

3) Have Faith In Others – Then I have at the same time learnt to delegate my weaknesses. This has been helped by gradually surrounding myself with a strong support network of people who can help me in these weak areas. Mentors are in this group. And the older I get the greater need for these is becoming more evident in my life. These individuals are strong individuals who assist, support and guide me in the daily decision and activity process that make up my life.

So no matter where I find myself in the world geographically or financially, this faith currency is the currency I use on a daily basis, and it sufficiently sustains me.

Try using it yourself, for it is of eternal value

Terminate time wasters

The one thing that all of us can be certain of is this: that we have all been given a limited amount of time to live on earth.

I have attended a number of scheduled meetings of late,for the specific purpose of gathering and sharing information, and there is nothing more annoying, or in my view downright rude, when the other party allows a mobile phone call to take precedence over our conversation.

Out of courtesy for the other party I either turn my phone off or put it on silent immediately so that the conversation can continue unabated and the other person can have my fullest attention.

But the fact remains that there are many of us who have allowed time wasters to rob us of the precious moments that could have been far better used for both work and play.

Too many people are working longer hours because they are simply not taking charge of their day. The people who are suffering are generally their family, their clients and ultimately themselves.

Time wasters are the gremlins that will steal a second here and munch on a minute there. And before you know it, hours have been hanged, days have been drowned and months have been murdered. And before you know it, years have been yanked from your life, never to be returned.

But first, before we can take charge of our future, we must identify the time wasters that are stealing the very life out of our lives.

I made a decision a long time ago to work less and make more money. Does that mean that I’m all of a sudden going soft and lazy? No, it means that I have decided to work harder when I need to work harder, and in the midst of that work, to work much smarter.

I know of someone who has set in place a plan for their retirement, so that they can take 12 months off at that momentous time that will be financed through various sources of passive income that they have put in place. And then, during that 12 month period, they will plan and prepare for the rest of their life.

But none of this can be done unless one has control of their time.

1. TAME THE TELEPHONE

Learn to control the telephone, or it will control you. Regard your telephone as a business tool and not as a social one. Make it your practice to have quick and to-the-point conversations. Write down your agenda, in your diary, before you call. Terminate long-winded conversations by simply saying ‘I’m sorry to interrupt, but I must go.’

Don’t use the telephone unless you really have to – send an e-mail. Allocate a specific time to take or make calls, particularly if you have work that requires your utmost concentration

2. VERIFY VISITORS

Schedule your meetings at a coffee shop. This then allows you to dictate when you can leave the meeting. If you don’t have time, say so. ‘No’ is a wonderful lifesaver. Re-educate those who work around you as to your new and improved time management schedule.

Set aside specific times where you can work uninterrupted and let others know of this arrangement. At the end of business, stand up. Tell the other person that you have another meeting in such and such minutes, even if it is with yourself. Walk the visitor to the door whilst saying, ‘I’ll finish this last point of our conversation as I  walk you to reception.’

3. PAPER PILES

Try to make a decision about a piece of paper as soon as you handle it. Deal with mail once and once only. What needs to go in the bin goes there directly and all other information is to be filed immediately. Does all the mail you receive need to be received? Cancel some subscriptions. Read selectively.

4. PLAN YOUR DAY

Make the diary your friend. I personally prefer a diary that provides me with one day per page. Others may prefer electronic diaries. Plan one week in advance and then plan daily. On each page I have the day’s appointments and my daily  6 point ‘to do’ list. That’s right. Just six points. The six major things that need to be done. I tick off those things that are done and then draw an arrow next to those things that still need to be done.

They are then written again on the following day or whenever they have been reassigned to be completed. I put a line through those things that no longer need doing.

Through planning you will also minimise the number of fires that you are going to have to put out throughout your lifetime.

5. ELIMINATE INDECISION

One of the easiest and time effective way I have found to remove indecision, and to allow for clear decisions, has been to take a blank page and draw a line down the middle. On the left hand side I write the positives that will result from the decision. On the right hand side I write the negatives that will result from the decision. If the positives outweigh the negatives I will act immediately. If otherwise, I will not act or say ‘no’ to whomever has asked me regarding the decision.

6. AND THERE’S TIME FOR MORE

Prioritise your activities, set goals, delegate and  don’t allow perfectionism to stop you from starting. If I had waited for my writing to be absolutely perfect I would have never published my first post on Blogspot. Start!

Oh, and limit the amount of television you watch each week. Turn that time into study time and reading time. Your life will thank you for the rest of your days.

Goal Sweating

To write a goal is admirable.  Few do it.  But that is only the starting point.

Once you have written your goal – and I like to write it as if it has already been achieved – and attached a date to it when you wish to see it achieved, it is then that the real work begins.

So what do you do next?



1. BROADCAST – Declare your goal to those who support you – your cheer squad. That way you are positioning yourself to be accountable.  You’re committed.

2. DISSECT – Chop your BIG goals into smaller portions with progressive dates set to complete these.  Little by little you are then positioned to possess the goal.

3. PLAN – Create a plan, write it down, and break it up into weekly or even daily sub-goals that you need to achieve along the way, in order to achieve your main goal.

4. EXCEL - If you don’t achieve excellence in the small, then how on earth will you ever expect to do the BIG any better. Those who are faithful with the little will be entrusted with the BIG.

5. EVALUATE - Check yourself along the road towards your goal, and if you are not kicking small goals along the way, you may need to relook at what you’re currently doing and adjust your plan.  It may require some harder, longer or smarter work along the way.

6. PERSIST – Any worthwhile goal is worth the effort. So don’t quit as soon as you’ve left the starting gate. Push through. Surround yourself with the people and the resources to help you to stand above the crowd because of  your persistence.

7. ACHIEVE – Never forget that the sweetest taste that you can ever taste is the sweat of a goal perceived and a goal achieved.

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU TODAY: Write on a piece of paper your next 12 month goals, your five year goals and your ten year goals. Type them up, shrink the typeface, print it off, and carry it in your wallet so that you can pull them out on a daily basis to read and remind you of your commitment to yourself. ACT NOW!

Discretion Preservation

There is an ancient proverb that says: ‘When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul; discretion will preserve you and understanding shall keep you.’

When you combine both wisdom and knowledge you get common sense. But then add to that formula discretion.

Discretion means the quality of being discreet; circumspection;having judgment that is sound, being prudent, tactful;having the ability to make such judgment; individual freedom of decision or choice.

Let’s take a look at the word circumspection. Circumspection simply means to examine carefully all the circumstances that may effect a determination or a decision and of being wary,vigilant, prudent and cautious.

These are the necessary ingredients for a life lived long and a life lived well; a preserved life that rides through the storms, weathers the winds of change and is kept in good shape as one pursues their dreams.

The old proverb tells us that in being discreet we will be preserved. That means that we will be sustained and that we will be kept or saved from harm or destruction.

In this day and age, where there is so much violence, it is something that is of major importance to those of us who have families.

But what are the characteristics of a discreet life? What qualities must you develop and what habits must you adopt in order to be preserved from those things that threaten your success on a daily basis?

Here are five points that I believe will assist you in your pursuit.

1. Get The Facts

Never rely on hearsay. Go to the source and find out the facts. This relates to anything that you are involved in. Don’t rely on the reporter. Go to the reported. Whether it is investments, motivational formulas, or anything that you are interested in, make certain that you get as many viewpoints as possible and then compare notes. Do your own research and never be reliant on the so-called expertise of another without doing your own personal investigation. The reason so many of us make bad judgements is because we have been mentally lazy.

2. Find A Mentor

Mentors are available everywhere. You will be  surprised how freely information and input is available. People in general are more than willing to share information with those who have a hunger and a willingness to learn. On the internet there are forums that allow you to ask questions and it certainly provides a platform for you to discover your mentor. Once you have found them, make certain that they walk the talk. By spending time with them you will soon discover the truth behind their words and through your friendship you will discover fortunes untold.

3. The 100-1 Rule

I don’t know if it is a law or not, but I have come across this principle time and time again. I recently stumbled across it once again in an investment property book. The writer stated that if you look at 100 properties, put in offers on 10, and try arrange financing for 3, you may end up buying 1. In another industry they recommended that if you talk to 100 people you will ultimately end up with 1 person who will shine above all the rest. Success is a number’s game. Go through the numbers and you cannot but learn and succeed.

4. Be Vigilant

Don’t relax in your success. Guard it wisely. I have seen so many people who have had a taste of success and then they suddenly stop doing what got them success in the first place. They think that once they have it, it will remain forever. Not true. It requires vigilance and diligence. If before you succeeded you read a book 20 minutes a day, then don’t stop. If you attended seminars, then continue doing so. If you talked to a certain number of people each day, then increase it. Whatever it took to get you where you are, then don’t decrease. Multiply your efforts. Work harder. Renew your dream and go for it.

5. Make Your Own Decisions

If you allow others to make decisions for your life, you will wake up one day in a place that you never planned to be. Always, always, always make your own decisions for your own life. Listen to the experts, but don’t let them rule your decisions. Allow them to guide you, but become educated in the area that the experts are operating so that you can then make your own qualified decisions. Again, don’t have a lazy mind. Rather, have a learned mind.

These five discretionary qualities will assist you  in the preservation and the sustainment of a successful life. Apply them today and preserve your freedom to succeed.

Motivational Quote: Discreet lives are preserved for great achievements.