6 QUALITIES TO BE ACQUIRED ON THE JOURNEY TO BETTER 'SELF' (PART 2)

4.  Be an effective communicator 

A very crucial part of achieving the journey to better self is being the best communicator there is. The man who cannot effectively pass on information shouldn't always expect positive feedbacks, and that can peg his progress in life. As a good comunicator, you know how to convey the intended meaning of your thoughts Into the minds of other people by painting mental pictures through the right gestures and appriopriate choice of words. 

One of the downsides of consuming some much knowledge, is that It leads to information overload (knowing so much on a topic or issue and not knowing how to pen down just few words or speak briefly on it). Good comunicators know how to grab attention to be heard, summarise succinctly to be clear and be brief to be appreciated. According to Bruce Burton, "Your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth, you let men look into your mind". So, you must endeavour to make good use of any time given, to address an issue or pitch an idea and lead the message in the direction you want. It will play a huge role on how other people will want to relate with you and the level at which they want to be part of your dream.

The best of communicators also know how to reframe statements to the positive, and bridge statements for everyone to focus on a particular point. In a nutshell, the content of your words will only showcase the content of information you have in your mind and give a good or bad impression of you to the souls that cross paths with you in life.

5.  Never settle for 'good'

The main defect of settling for something, is not that it limits you, but that it clouds the basis of your consideration when seeking another option or moving to another level. Most times, we get certain results and think of them as our 'final bustop' or time to take a long break, ignorant of the fact that when you settle for good, you miss out on something great. Even great results of today become normal or random stories of tomorrow. So, you have to continually strive for greater results. 

It is pertinent to set personal targets, have them written down and make sure you consciously work towards surpassing them. Remember, you are your own competition and becoming the best of you takes daily work. Don't limit yourself to your immediate environment or view things as other people see them. You have to always stand at the edge of the present, looking into the future to get hold of fantastic ideas that will keep you moving upward and forward in life. The quest for excellence is an unending one because no matter how far you have come, there is always room for more.

6.  Become familiar with the word 'NO'

The word 'no' is a noun that loosely translates to 'a negating statement', 'an answer that shows disagreement or disapproval'. It is an answer that has been dreaded since the age of the times past. When on a mission to making a request or a move to push you a step further in life, you should expect anything. On certain occasions, people needed to play vital roles In achieving the step misunderstand the entire picture or intentionally act uninterested and then turn down your idea completely. 

It is only typical to be optimistic when achieving goals but not ignorant to the chance of proposals or ideas being rejected along the line. Accepting the 'no' answer often leads to settling for a second or lesser option. You have to be resilient and persuasive, inorder to override opposing forces and win over every soul. Diana Booher's lines "the goal is not calculated behaviour and manipulation but rather awareness of the importance of presenting your best self. Set the stage to your best advantage, and then present yourself in the best light with multiple snapshots" should come into play if ever faced with an unpleasant outcome.

On the other hand, 'no' is never a bad answer if it is made out of a positive plan. You should be aware of distractions or certain people trying to fix you into their own plans and not caring about yours. It is advisable for you to exhibit the mastery of self discipline and say no to those distractions or persons, else you will most likely end up with regrets. 

In conclusion, you have to think of yourself as a success capable of becoming a better person while embarking on the voyage leading to greatness. A lot of people are going to test your patience and also test your will on the route of life. It is advisable to have perseverance, enduring faith and be fervent in prayers. According to Napoleon Hill, "when faith is blended with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into it's spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to infinite intelligence, as In the case of prayer".  The idea of giving up should never come to mind, because great results take time and quitting will not hasten the process. Your mindset should be fixed on climbing to the mountain top, not so everyone can see you, but so you can see everyone . The view is always amazing from the top, so get there, make it your foundation and aim for higher grounds. Good luck all the way.

6 QUALITIES TO BE ACQUIRED ON THE JOURNEY TO BETTER 'SELF'

There comes a time in a man's life, where he has to sit and really think about EVERYTHING. Everything in the sense of 'where he Is coming from, his current state and where he intends to go'. This feeling comes as a result of maturity (not necessarily age) and the need to be better than his present self. At this stage, he knows better than to lie to himself. The current state of things are depressing or less than the expected. He is aware of the popular saying, "change Is constant" and also aware of the fact that sometimes change occurs as matter of choice. Now, he has to decide and consciously strive to achieve the 'better self'.

The journey to better self is not a day's job and not for people lacking the enthusiasm for greatness. According to John C. Maxwell, "Greatness is never something conferred, it is something achieved. It is not something given, it is something earned. It is not an accident of birth; it is an attitude of quality; a dimension, an outlook, a way of life that is open to anyone who is willing to pay the price." The whole idea will have to surpass just becoming a new man but becoming a great man. He has to see himself as an achiever by looking past the conventional wisdom of things and understanding 'normal' as a measure of mediocrity to produce better results.

Discussed below, are some steps out of the so many steps to aid you become a better person. They are: 

1.  Have a thirst for new knowledge

The only factor that differentiates a man from the others, is the amount of information he has consciously consumed over time. It is commonly known that knowledge is potential power until it has been applied in the most appropriate manner. But then, it can only be applied when the user had acquired the knowledge before the time it was needed and used. 

The habit of reading books (hard and soft copies) must be adopted, in order to gain wise words and tap into the world of other great men. William Ellery Channing wrote: “It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds, and these invaluable means of communication are in the reach of all. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours. God be thanked for books; they are the voices of the distant and the dead, and make us heirs of the spiritual life of past ages”. The idea of learning should not be restricted to the four walls of any school. Knowledge can be drawn from anywhere and in anything, and shouldn't be limited to just academics. Infact, we all started learning before we even had a chance of attending kindergarten. 

The need to acquire new knowledge on a daily, cannot be over emphasised because it plays the key part in making a person have deeper insight into the meanings and reason behind so many things. The journey to better self can only be done by deleting useless mental files and installing useful mental files to help in the much needed direction because 'lack of direction and not lack of time is the factor that limits ignorant people. Afterall, we all have 24 hour days'. Now, it is safe to say that the limit breaker here is learning new things, understanding them and applying them right.

2.  You have to 'befriend' courage

The reason most people stay stuck in 'not so interesting' positions in life, is not because they lack imaginative thinking of how to get to better positions, but because they lack true courage in going after their much desired dreams. They are often failure conscious; filled with fear, doubts and somehow hoping courage will manifest itself someday. Stating it's importance, Murori Kiunga wrote, "Courage is not absence of fear. It is the ability to be inspired by fear, step out in faith, to launch out into the unknown and then to face the inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompany every new venture". It is a very vital mental attitude that can be developed with patience and resilience. 

Real courage Is the main ingredient needed to put most of the new knowledge into practice, it doesn't hide in the face of danger and will never bargain with doubt and uncertainty to move a person forward. Courage starts with 'bracing up' when the need arises and with constant practice, your habitual state will match your bracing up state and get to a level where people assume it to be an inborn trait. 

3.  Learn to become relevant

This is a point that one should learn and one should really become. A man craving to be seen as a great person doesn't get into a system and sit in the corner, he gets into the thick of things. He takes up space, literally. He pays attention to details, able to point out existing problems and proffer possible solutions on how to fix or work around them or take advantage of the opportunities created by the problems (strategic thinking). There is nothing as horrible as people not feeling your absence from a system, meaning that you were only an excess to the requirement and nothing close to being valuable. 

One of the fascinating things about relevance, is that it makes other people constantly see the need to enjoy whatever you are have to offer and it makes the bracing up state mentioned in the previous subhead easy to achieve. The need will only arise, when you present yourself as an active and not a passive individual. Being relevant leads to having a strong personal presence.

To be continued..............

THE MENTAL ATTITUDE OF TRUE STRATEGIC THINKERS

On a planet filled with beautiful souls, certain individuals seem to rule. The ones with the mental capacity to literally turn things around. These individuals set the pace for others to follow. They are proactive people that anticipate a better future and create good scenarios for it. They always think long term with bright visions and views of leaving an impact. More often than not, willing to analyse problems and take risks, to bring about change. These class of people come with a passion to transform the world and so, they try to modernise every part of It. 

They see opportunities everywhere. Strategic thinkers are very curious people. They move around with an active mind, showing interest in happenings around their environment. Regardless of the economy, they often see the possibilities of creating successful businesses as a result of their critical evaluation. In their own world, everything and anything can be a means to a good or profitable end. 

· They question everything :

Always coming along with 'how?' 'why?' 'what?' 'when?', there is no stop button for the unending questions of the strategic thinker. They try not to conform to the conventional systems and even go a step further to spot problems associated with them. The observed problems lead to questions, for insights and adjustment of the systems.

· They are utter optimists:

This is one part of strategic thinkers that is most admirable. They believe in 'better days ahead', often trying over and over again with different steps to achieve an aim. Even when things seem to be going off the plan, they have a way of consoling themselves with new ideas on how things should be. They focus on ways to get what is missing, rather than sit around to worry.

· They are easily committed to a cause :

They see themselves as problem solvers and tend to personalise issues a lot. They take the matters to heart and seek to find out ways of solving them. A strategic thinker is not one to back out of any project, no matter how big. Infact, the bigger the size, the scarier the Idea, the more thrilling it is for some of them. They place a high value on the task and see the need to finish it early enough, so as to focus on something else. They also have a way of getting other people involved in a plan, to share ideas and deliver great results (exhibiting the leadership quality in them). 

· They never fail to try again :

the word 'defeat' doesn't seem to exist in their mental dictionary. They look out for lessons and opportunities created by set backs and work towards better results. They consistently research on better ways to improve and seldom dwell on the idea of the odds being against them. The answer 'no' serves as a turn on button, that ignites a passion to push further for them in life. Challenging them translates to illuminating their zeal because they will always try to prove the non strategic thinkers wrong.

 These class of people are not born with extraordinary genes. They simply observed their limitations and continously work on improving every part. They never fail to be themselves, and are often too busy looking for the next big thing, to be goofing off somewhere. Most of them experience the fear and uncertainty as every other human, but they still exhibit courage to tackle issues and move ahead. Everyone can be a strategic thinker but not everyone is willing to try. You can make the choice today and work on improving yourself, to become one of the very best around.

FEEDING THE RIGHT ENERGY

When you think about energy, the idea of strength comes to mind. The impulse behind every move, the main item that interpretes your motives and give people a better understanding of your personality. Energy is the drive you need as a person to make changes in the little and big things around. It determines the way actions are produced and thus, giving you the ideal result of the actions. The world is filled with Individuals from different backgrounds but the same dream of becoming successful in diverse fields, which makes feeding the right energy vital.

You can't talk about physical energy without bringing up the factor behind it, and that Is, your thoughts. According to Rev. Dr. Chris Oyakhilome in his book titled "the power of your mind", he described thoughts as "pictures of the mind with constructive or destructive possibilities, functioning with or within human emotions". They (thoughts) come in form of invisible waves that hit you as ideas, that you either nurture for growth and development or dispose and forget. The ones nurtured, are the ones that take your attention, affect your emotional state, thereby leading to the energy that comes out as action.

It is important that you give your attention to only thoughts that are productive. They are the ones in line with making you a better person, in tune with your goals and attracting the right people towards you. Avoid falling into the category of people that unconsciously engage in certain activities, unaware of the effect it does to their mental state. You should also be selective on the books you read, friends you keep and television programmes you view. When new ides come, ask yourself questions like;

•  Do I have to spend my time thinking further about it?
•  Is it in tune with the plans I have for my life?
• Will it attract plausible remarks from people around, if I act on it?

As humans, it is quite difficult controlling the thoughts that come into our minds. But it is definitely easy to choose the thoughts that stay, by consciously scrutinising and selecting the one that leads to mental, emotional and spiritual growth. It really takes consciousness to think on the right thing and act on it. Now, make it an effort to feed the right energy and influence others positively.

Stay Safe.........