WHY I DISLIKE THE FANPAGE OF 'FINISHERS'

Every morning in Africa the gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the fastest lion in order to see another day. Every morning in Africa the Lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. Whether you are a Lion or a gazelle, when morning gets here, you had better be running!!-Quote

The good news is that we all have a race to run. The bad news is that not all are running. More bad news is that for those running, some are not running to WIN. They are running to FINISH. There is a heaven and earth difference between those two. More bizarre news is that there are those who have yet to realize that there is a race.

Running the race to finish is seriously admirable. Yet if you look closely, you realize it has less impact than running to win. I have been there. I have enlisted in that group. Our motto was that however slow we were, we were sure that we will finish. Our group is a large company whose groupthink is dictated by our own comfort zones. We have been enlightened. This was long ago. Unfortunately the process stopped...or rather, we graduated. We burnt our workbooks in celebration. We knew that the 'stress' of applying ourselves daily in discipline in order to attain our graduation was over. Now we can sit back and savor in the fruits of our labor. When we finish the race, our heartbeats will still be intact. Our muscles will not be that stretched. Our strength will not be that depleted. We will celebrate finishing the race un-challenged!

And of course it will show. Since we did not apply ourselves, we will be clueless as far as our Self Direction is concerned. We will have the proverbial golden chains in our hands....sticking it out to finish the race for the sake of our monthly dues. We will also work very hard falling into what Jay Niblic says "working hard in the dark". As a result, we will go without the trophy. No mark. No record broken. No personal best posted. No legacy left behind. All we need to do is coast around life and do the drills of life. Someone called it a 'Template'.

A new breed however rises up. These are the enthusiastic runners who are in it to WIN. Not just finish, but WIN. And of course these are those that are referred to in the song 'I hope you dance'. They have chosen not to take the path of least resistance. They are taking the path of most resistance. The key word for winners is not talent, genius or favor. The key word for those running the race to win is universal. Cuts across all the races. All the Ages. All the Religions. All creeds. All colors. All tribes. The key word for winners is INTENTION.

Nobody won without intending. Someone said, "Welcome to this way but once. We can either tiptoe through life and hope that we get to death without being too badly bruised. Or we can live a full, complete life, achieving our goals and realizing our wildest dreams". His name is Bog Proctor...am sure most people know about him.I totally agree. Running to finish is as un-inspiring as watching a snail move. It is so gray and uneventful. However, running to win is motivating, driving and adventurous. The turning point is that small operative word...INTENTION.

Due to this and that, most people simply take the road of least resistance. We all love that road. No hustles. No bustles. Lotsa comfort. Lotsa disillusionment. No drive. No satisfaction. No Legacy. No mark left in the world. Just a statistic. Just running to finish. How interesting it is that that is the route subscribed by many people...it is their fanpage. Even though it is a class above those who have not joined the run...it still robs the masses of unleashing all their God-given potential. Gazelle or Lion? Winning or Finishing? Intending or Templating? Like always, it will always be up to an individual's choices. Have a winning day wont you?

WHAT IS YOUR 'JOHN MCCAIN' SAYING??

I recently heard a very popular stand up comedian in Uganda aptly expound on the 'acronyms' of the President Of the United States names. According to Pablo, O.B.A.M.A means Original Black African Managing America. Then he added later on almost like an after thought that B.A.R.A.C.K means Born African, Raised American, Completely Kenyan! It goes without saying that the audience was left in stitches.

Barack of course had to overcome a Maverick called John McCain who likes calling everyone 'my friends', to ascend to power. One of John McCain's major detracting punches against Obama was that he was young, inexperienced and not able to take the reins of leadership.

Of the recent past, the young generation has been up in arms against the above slogan. We are basically saying that the time to lead is now...and we are tired of the 'old guard' sticking up and not willing to relinquish power. This is a controversial post, someone had to write about this anyway. There are different angles that I could take with this post. I could passionately and vehemently argue against the old guard and say that they are greedy...self centered and corrupted by power (Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely). I could argue that the old guard have failed to MENTOR the new generation to take the reins of leadership. I could also argue for the old guard by saying that the young leaders cannot be trusted...they are still green between the ears. McCain did not go far with that kind of argument.

Anyway, why do you think that state of affairs continues unabated in many quarters? Let me clarify. This is not a political column. This is a Personal Development and Personal Potential Unleashing blog. That being the case, I have observed that the reason as to why we are always talked of as 'leaders of tomorrow' is because we are YET TO MASTER OURSELVES. What do you mean by that? Simple. We still have ISSUES. The 'old guard' are looking around their shoulders to 'pass on the baton' and what do they see? 

They see us grappling with our own lives. We do not have personal Missions. We do not have Focus. We are grappling with our Personal Finances...yet they need to entrust us with National Finances. We are unruly and In-congruent. We are passionate yes, but not strategic, at least at the personal level. We hardly believe in ourselves. We are not daily working on improving ourselves. Instead, we want leadership handed down to us. In our thinking we figure that the true life will come when the old guard 'give' us the chance to lead. We have numerous Ideas that still to date go un-followed up, unimplemented. We spend our 'Salaries' on fast foods and drink the nights away. We spend our days in godless, fruitless chatter about our silly conquests of the opposite sex. We have no personal financial plans. We have no mentors or at least we do not seek to be mentored. We die in installments by procrastinating. We channel out half baked results in the smallest of assignments we are given. Leaders of tomorrow we are...and leaders of tomorrow we always will be...UNLESS....

A smart individual reading this peace will realize that I am not addressing politics here. This is the third disclaimer. I am addressing individual progress. The Old Guard depict your status quo. Career. Profession. Relationships. Finances. Business. All these guys might be looking at you and saying....'you are not ready yet...you are still green between the ears'. The greatest question to ask them is this...are their assessments correct? This is a Selah Moment.

Are the 'young Turks' ready to take the 'leadership reins'? I ask myself that question. The old guard say that I am in-congruent...is that assessment true? They say that I have no personal mission. Is it true? They say that I have passion yes, but I lack commitment and drive and that I am not strategic. Are they speaking the truth? 

What kind of leader Am I really? My guess is that Unless I rise up to address what the old guard are saying about me, about them clinging on power and never wanting to relinquish the reins of leadership....I will always be the Leader of Tomorrow. And when is this tomorrow....tomorrow always will be an eternal mirage.

No, I have to rise up and prove through Personal Leadership, Discipline, Focus, Drive and Strategy that Yes! I am young but prepared and ready. I need not to wave placards and chant in the streets for leadership to be relinquished. I need to be so thorough with myself first to the extend that the old guard will willingly vacate their lofty positions since they have identified 'POTENTIAL' not only to take over but also to do much better than they are doing.

Ladies and Gentlemen...John McCain told Obama off in a Presidential debate, insisting that he was green between the ears. My question today is this....what is your John McCain saying about you? Better yet...What are you gonna do about what your John McCain is saying? Are you tomorrow's Leader? SELAH! (Stop and Think About It)

SUCCESS MY WAY!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light and not our darkness that most frighten us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It is not just in some of us, but it is in all of us. Ad as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do what same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.

Yesterday as my wife and I and our 2 month old baby boy were watching ‘Coach Carter’, I found myself repeating the part containing the above excerpts again and again. Of course in my reading, I had read something about our light scaring us more than our darkness, so definitely, I was hooked.

This post is necessitated by that movie as well as is this morning’s excursion as I was setting up the ‘My Jog To Success’ Project.

I have been teaching of late about the Comfort Zone. We all love it. In fact, someone said that our present day comfort zones were at some point unconquered frontiers. Therefore, to me, success would effectively be defined as a continuous state of mastering challenges. Finally that word appears. Challenges. The whole post today is about challenges. By different mindsets, that word Challenge will receive varying reactions and responses.

For those who are passionate about making a change in the world and being successful, that world of challenges is a beauty. It forms the very rungs that help elevate the climber to personal success. However, to those who love their conquered frontiers and comfort zones, that word challenge denotes distress, unpleasantness and uneasiness that comes to interfere with the status quo. 

The why of this post is that I will embrace and take to challenges like a fish takes to water. They are what will shape and mould me not just to be good, but be great. Someone said “Good better, best, do not let it rest until the good is better and the better is best”. This happens in the zone of Challenge Mastery.

Some might think that the measure of success is the size of the dollar account you have. That is partly true. The whole truth for me is the measure of your mastery of challenges that inevitably makes one to continuously grow to the highest state of being-the good of others.

Challenges will always be there. In fact the moment you realize that you need to get out of your comfort zone…you already are up against a challenge. From the two events that I mentioned earlier, I came to realize that the greatest defeats are faced in the confines of our ‘conditioned’ state. For Example, when I for some reason, decide that I cannot become much, the result is inevitably dictated by that belief system and way of thinking.

 One of my goals this year is to run the MTN Kampala Marathon (10km) under One Hour. Of course talk is cheap. I can affirm that I will make it as much as I want, however if I do not go out there and PREPARE then most probably, that goal will not be a reality. So in my preparations, I have been running a stretch of seven kilometers every other morning. When I got started, I was doing that stretch in 41 minutes. Over time, I was able to cut that to 35 minutes, then few weeks ago, I have been steadily maintaining 33 minutes. Now, any athlete out there knows how crucial a micro second is in a race. Records are normally broken at hundredths of seconds. However, do not under-estimate the work behind breaking a record in fractions of seconds.

Today, something happened that made me change my philosophy. In my developing the My Jog To Success Framework, I have been encouraging people to ‘run their own race’. That my own success cannot and should not be judged by the yardstick of other people’s races. That is absolutely true. A great visionary sits down and DECIDES their race, and the terms of their race. I have come to believe that this is one of the greatest ingredients of progress….starting with the self, and racing against yourself. In fact, if you can race against yourself and make it, you are well on course to making an impact in the global ‘race’.

So today morning, as I was sweating it out in the last stretch of my race, something new happened. From nowhere, I heard footsteps, as if someone was running after me. Then I learnt something in that instant. The moment a challenge is presented to the human soul, there is this automatic tendency to raise the bar and maintain your place of supremacy. This guy came from nowhere and zoomed past me as if he was riding a motor bike. Inevitably, my pace increased. The bar had been raised. You see, every other day as I run that stretch, there is this belief that that is the home stretch and that I need to keep my reserve energy in place. That belief was challenged right there and then. Was I able to keep up with this new comer in the race? Yes I was! And guess what? Few meters ahead, this guy got tired and started walking. I maintained my PACE, albeit increased and overtook him.

When I got back home, I had hived off a whole ONE MINUTE of my normal routine in jogging. Ladies and gentlemen, a challenge arose…a man raised the bar…and a man improved. I submit to us that challenges are a welcome ingredient to Transformational life. They should be taken positively. They come in all shapes and sizes. A new recruit at your workplace who is a wizard in what he/she does threatens your existence…a new business empire in your own niche that is doing revolutionary stuff in the market…new dispensation or technology that your ‘competitors’ are leveraging to the full… and so on. Whichever way, a challenge once taken it will leave you a better human being. It will help you post a new personal best-something that you had up to now believed was impossible.

Challenges will help you get out of your comfort zone and conquer a new frontier. It is William Gladstone, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain who said: No man ever became good or great except through many and great mistakes. My parting shot is this: Are you facing a challenge? Good! You have an opportunity to post a personal best. Are you comfortable in your conquered frontier? That is a major threat to you. You need a challenge.

You see, winners do not wait for challenges to come find them….I have learnt that to be above the pack, you take action on your ideas and let the challenges find you while you are at it. Have a challenging week, wont you?

PULL YOURSELF UP FROM YOUR GROUND ZERO

I will call him Sam. He was one of my Primary School Head Teacher's many kids. Our head teacher was a brand. His name still reverberates with awe and respect. He was a tall gentleman with a knack of disciplining people at will. He put us in line. He loved hijacking Primary 7 and 8 students early morning with mental arithmetic. He was a Genius with Mathematics.

Sam, one of his sons was not 'that' blessed. He flanked his papers. Do not get me wrong. Sam loved school. He was disciplined. He was respected. Yet he just could not for his life make it in school. Yet, there was one more thing...Sam, with no technical knowledge could single handedly repair transistor radios, watches and other electronic gadgets. He was simply a Genius at this. What path did Sam take? The school path. His talents ignored. His Genius taken for granted, because someone somewhere had said that if you do not have a degree, you are a failure in life!

The past three posts have been passionate about having no excuses. I know, I know. If we compared he who has a degree with him who doesn't, you would say that the former has 'a step in the door' as compared to the latter. That is supposedly to be true. Yet I have conducted interviews and I have seen numerous people weilding papers unable to convince me that they are up to the task. I have been on record in my past assignment to have hired an individual who did not have the said papers.

To prove that I made the correct decision, several months down the line when I was no longer involved in the project, this individual was retained and even congratulated for the good work he kept doing. Yes, the papers will give people a foot in the door as compared to those who do not have them. And Yes, we need as many people as possible to study and acquire them papers...but NO! We have no business shoving aside others that do not have papers and label them failures! We need to re-think our strategies as well as our success yardsticks.

Today, we need to consider the options available to those who were never blessed one way or another to have graduated. I am a firm believer that there must be something worth-while that someone can do. The biggest mistake that people make is when they count themselves out of the path of success, significance, wealth and greatness, just because they have no papers.

I am writing a book titled 'My Jog To Success', which will be released in the next few months. In this book, I explore the options available to those who find themselves down and out. Indeed the book is not just for those without papers. In the present world, there are more and more people with Degrees who cannot find employment.In fact, in order to increase their chances, more and more people are going in for the second degree and a Masters.

Some say that there are no jobs. Others say that even if they started a business, there would be no capital to get it off the ground. What options do people have when they are totally down and out? I submit that the advent of Conscious Business Entrepreneurship is here. This is where we take 'whatever we have in our hands' and use it to the blessing of the world, thereby making a life out of it. What you have in your hand could be your talents, your gifting, your knowledge. For me, few months ago, it was a mere session of jogging that has literally changed my life and given me what I can bless the society with.

In my coaching sessions with my clients, we take a deep introspection to understand their unique advantage in life. We normally find out that there are some things that they are so strong and passionate about, yet they take them for granted. This is the biggest impediment to Conscious Business Entrepreneurship. Taking what you love for granted. Let me say this: Never Ignore or take lightly what you know, what you love, and what you are passionate about. 

My challenge is that everyone who has been a residue of the Academia should look up, square their shoulders and pull themselves up! You are not a failure. You were never born a failure. What do you have in your hand? What are you passionate about? What are your talents? Pull yourself up! Take stock on what you have. You are a Genius. All you need is FOCUS, PERSEVERANCE, and PASSION. Take action on your strengths. Stop being bogged down by today's meal on the table, and the end-months bills. They will always be there. Now is the time to pull thy humble self up...and by all means you can do it!

Yet we have already understood why many people count themselves out. It is because of the conditioning that we have gone through. The systems tell us to go to school, score high grades and get a good job. Therefore, from the onset, our yardstick of success has always been something of this nature: SCHOOL, GRADUATION, JOB, SPOUSE, KIDS, HOUSE, RETIRE. Then we faithfully pass the next generation through the same path. In all due honesty that is not the only path available to take. This thought is so crucial to the extend that the people who fail short of that said path normally consider themselves failures! There is lots of work to do to totally dismantle this stereotype.

I am not so sure, but I think I heard that one Eighty-Million-Pound worth of a football player is semi-illiterate. And there goes the label. Semi-illiterate...because the only measuring yardstick of genius is papers...like I said, there is lots of work to do. So, School, Graduation, Job, Spouse, Kids, House, Retire? What about Others? What about making an impact in society? What about leaving a legacy behind? I tend to think that this path that has been touted even before I was born is selfish, self-centered and motivated by fear. It is moved my a mindset of 'survival for the academic fittest'....and sadly, it is running out of options.

THE CORRECT WAY TO SAY 'I HAVE NO DEGREE'

A few years back, just after celebrating my first 29th Birthday (lol), I was doing my aimless rounds in the capital City of Kenya, Nairobi. You see, I had just graduated from High School with a mean grade of B-(Minus). Those days, after High School Graduation, It used to take close to a year plus for a High School Graduate to be admitted to University.

That same year, a Revolution was taking place in Kenya, as far as Education is concerned. A new way of thinking had been introduced, specifically regarding entry into the higher Institutions of learning. This new way is what was and still is called the 'Module 2'. In a nutshell, those students who were willing to pursue their studies and had not attained the cut off points to University were being offered another door of entry. The catch? Financial muscle. In short, it meant that as long as you had the money to pay for the program, even though you failed in attaining the cut off points, you still would be admitted in the Higher Institutions of learning and go ahead and obtain your degree.

Now, believe me, that move is laudable. Of course so much water has passed under the bridge since then....whereas we had only five public Universities in Kenya, there are now numerable. More and more people are exposed to these institutions of Higher learning.

That this was a positive revolution was not understood by the students who had attained the cut off points and already admitted. They inevitably took to the streets sighting betrayal....and guess what? I was caught smack in the middle of the fracas. Being a smart guy as I am, I joined the rioting University of Nairobi Students....no I threw no stone, but I was part of the crowd. It felt good to have that belonging, that 'comrade power', even though I was not yet admitted to that University. It felt good to be identified with the 'Degree people' even in their rotten state of throwing stones and causing mayhem in the city.

That, ladies and Gentlemen is the stereotype that I am up against in this post. A stereotype that says people are worth the academic papers that they wield around. A stereotype that makes the victims of the system to shrink back, attempting nothing worthwhile in life after they have been made persona non grata of the academia. Whether they naturally did not make it or they were lazy is another matter.

I was on Radio few Saturday's back talking about creating Personal Strategic Plans. A listener texted in and claimed that he had great ideas BUT could not accomplish them because HE DID NOT EVEN HAVE A DIPLOMA. That is a stereotype. Society has been so crafted that it does not celebrate peoples innate talents, and strengths, but gauges them on the basis of academic performance. Now, do not get me wrong. Academia is good. If I never went to school, I probably would not be able to communicate in the Queen's Language. I probably would not know how compound Interest works and so on.

However, the business of judging all and sundry on the basis of how many degrees they have acquired must stop. In fact the business of people judging themselves and robbing themselves of Success, Significance, Wealth, and Greatness just because they  have no Degree or Diploma MUST stop!!

Spare me that Academia stereotype. There are people out there who are awesome, talented, passionate...and have no degree....but wait a minute. Do not read it that way. The correct way of looking at these people is this....instead of saying you have no degree...this is what you should say: I HAVE NO EXCUSE!!

Picture this:

• 20% of America's millionaires never set foot in College, training or Schooling.
• 21 of the 222 Americans listed as Billionaires in 2003 never got their College Diplomas, 2 never even finished High School!
• It is rumored that Bill Gates did not complete his University Education
• Did Zuckerberg drop out of University to create Facebook? I need to check that out.
• Moses did not go to High School...though he delivered one nation from another (he had excuses too)

'Yeah right....that is just American Data...' you might say. Last year I traveled with Coach Phillip Kambe of www.intelligent-performance.com to Nairobi for a motivational talk. When we asked the participants whether the richest man in Nairobi had a degree...they all burst out laughing!

It proves my point here. Let us not look down and churn away people that 'have no papers'. And by all means, let all those people shooting themselves down just because the society has branded them failures realize this: It is not that you have no degree...NO! THE CORRECT WAY TO SAY IT IS THIS: YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE!!

Phew...let me breathe now...the smoke that was coming out of my ears is now abating.We will pick this up in the next post.

Have a great day people, wont you?

LINKEDUP

Tony Robbins is a movement in the Personal Development and Human Potential Industries, no doubt. One of his most quoted quotes is "Success Leaves Clues". He speaks of the premise that the people who have made it are happy to Tell Their Stories. That is why you will find books written by such people as Robbins himself, Jack Canefield, Yoweri Museveni and so on. In fact, of late, I have been teaching and speaking passionately on the Subject of Personal Branding. I normally tell people to brand themselves in regard to where they are coming from (what they have done and achieved), and in regard to where they are going (Their passion). This branding is normally in form of stories. This is how you leave clues. There are many people out there looking for clues. In fact it is my belief that with the information age, the question that is most asked on Google starts with "HOW?".

I am an ardent believer that the easiest way to succeed is to link up with these clues that have been left behind. For example, If my passion is public speaking, the easiest way to develop this passion is through linking up with a Public Speaking Trainer. Better yet, I can attend motivational speaking events and for one hour or so, 'apprentice' myself with the motivating speaker. Mark how he moves, mark his intonations, mark his format and then go and use what I have seen as a benchmark to improving my passion.

Those staying in East Africa will be aware of Tusker Project Fame. This is a project that is geared towards unearthing East Africa's raw musical talents. At the onset of auditions, you can laugh your ribs off when people ladden with so much passion courageously show up for auditions. From people with crazy costumes (trying to duplicate Michael Jackson), to others trying to sing exactly like Lucky Dube, there is no question about the passion that is exuded by them.However, turning passion into a strength takes a process of development, mostly through 'linking up'. 

Today's message is about 'linking up' your personal life. You see, in my interactions with people, I have come to realize that the biggest trouble they have is not necessarily lack of money. The biggest trouble people have is that they are not LINKED UP IN THEMSELVES. What does this mean? Simple. Pursuant to the last post, our greatest achievements come in small degrees albeit 'linked up'. I have always looked at one's life from eight angles: Family, Relationships, Spiritual, Business, Mental, Finances, Lifestyle, and Health. 

When you meet someone who is having trouble, definitely their main area of focus is always their finances. However, in solving someone's trouble (especially for the long run), you will realize that focusing just on Finances could be a major miss. They say show a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. 

Normally, I give such a one an 'assessment' that determines their level of performance in each of the eight areas of life. What we normally find out is a state of INCOMPATIBILITY. They are not congruent. My advice to them is normally simple. Take some time and focus on your Congruency. Yes, you need finances right now. However, did you know that your next break in financial windfall could be through RELATIONSHIPS? What are you doing about your relationships? Better yet, what are you doing about your BUSINESS? Business here includes professional careers. The problem with focusing on solving the 'now' burning issue is that we create mirages. What we actually do is band-aiding. As long as we remain in-congruent, today's financial trouble will most definitely show up same time next year...bigger and better as sure as inflation goes up yearly!

Like we stated on the One Degree Change, a small tweak here and there in focus to your eight areas of life will be what will give you congruency and success.Believe it or not, we all operate through all the eight spheres of life that I have outlined. It is our continual daily focus on these eight areas of life that will ultimately give us BALANCE. Of course this is in assumption that a Visionary already knows his or her calling in life and is in constant state of pursuit and alignment to see that vision or calling a reality.

My challenge to people today is to take time and assess yourself. Gauge to know how you are faring on. If your finances are not in place as they should be, maybe your family and relationship spheres have been neglected. Maybe your business sphere has been neglected. Maybe your health sphere has been neglected. You see it is all about being LINKED UP.

So, are you linked up? Will you take the challenge today and seek some 'balance' in your life?

THE INCREMENTAL 'DEGREE'

This is my first blog post after taking a sabbatical of close to one month. It seems like ages ago that I was here. It will also be the first blog post that I have my own copy righted graphic. I am excited! Today, my area of focus is simple. I am focusing on Manageable Change. My greatest Nemesis in my own advancement is nothing but seeking Grandeur. I find that there are times I have an idea to effect, yet in my self absorbed attitude of perfection, I do not make the idea a reality. I find myself bogged down in fine tuning, polishing and re-polishing. Sometimes, the whole Idea of fine tuning just eats the strength out of me and causes me give up all the same. The giving up does not occur over a period of time, the giving up takes place in split seconds. In those very important moments, my mind gets filled up with the perfectionism to such an extend that the whole 'project' seems so big and unachievable.

And so, in a matter of seconds, the world is robbed of ideas, of inspiration. However, that is a consoling way of looking at things. The more grotesque picture for me actually is that the world is not necessarily robbed of my idea. Ideas never go unattended to, someone else will run with it, albeit in a lackluster fashion of 'my original'. So, in this split seconds of over analysis and perfectionism, I AM ROBBED of making a positive contribution to the world...guess by who? MYSELF!!

Thank God there is a respite to this. I am sure that I am not the only one with an unimplemented idea that will end up lackluster in the shelves of the world. There are millions out there who have been inspired but never took charge of the inspiration due to over analysis. One thing I learnt a couple of days back as I was jogging is that 'INSPIRATION HAS AN EXPIRY DATE'. This means that if an inspiration is not acted upon as fast as possible, the umph and passion with which it came in starts waning out slowly by slowly. Personal Development Coaches call this state 'The Law of Diminishing Intent'.

My message today is about Degrees. OK...here we go again!! Few weeks back, I was on a radio show talking about Designing the Kind of life that you want. A listener texted in saying that he 'only has a Diploma', and therefore he cannot implement the Ideas that has come to him.There are many people out there claiming that they cannot do this and that.....because they do not have a degree. No that is the wrong way to look at it. The truth actually is....YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EXCUSE!!

Anyway, the Degree I am talking about here is not an academic one...it is the 'One Degree' Change. A concept that says that if you make one small minute manageable positive change to the direction of where you want to go, and maintain it over time, you will accomplish much more than you would if you over-analyzed situations and fell into the trap of perfectionism.

My challenge to us today is to pick that one thing up that we can immediately implement. Examples abound: Taking eight glasses of water a day, spending thirty minutes of focused time with a significant other, reading a good book, listening to something inspirational, setting your goals, planning your day every day before, reviewing your days, taking time every day to be grateful for what you have (instead of whining of what you do not have), calling your parents, honoring your appointments on time...taking a walk in the neighborhood...improving your speech delivery...and so on.

The trick here is to stick onto that one degree change like a stamp on an envelope. Over time, people will comment you on that very thing, yet for yourself you might not remember any hassle having that victory under your belt. This is the one degree change. We all can do this can't we? We all are interested in being significant aren't we? We all get bogged down with the enormity of perfectionism sometimes don't we? So why not employ the one degree change today? It is working for me wonders!