In my former life as a teacher of English language and literature, I was always intrigued by the idiomatic expression: to take the bull by the horns.
Methinks it was coined by a man whose DNA rages with boiling blood. This desire to foolishly head into the path of a raging bull can only be as manly as one can get. Even the Spanish, whose bull fights are world renown, know better than to take the bull by the horns.
They wear it down by taunting it again and again and again. They spear it continuously. When it is bull tired and fed up with the whole spectacle of chasing after a piece of cloth with a red dot, it gathers all it's passionate energy and charges to meet its death.
The Spanish know that it is wiser to take the bull at its weakest point. If that idiomatic expression was coined by me, it would have read; hold the bull in the place where the sun does not shine. It is in that place that you will control the bull. It is also from that place that you will overcome any and all of those challenges that seem to be overwhelming you.
When you squeeze that place with all your might, your problems will yield to you. You will overcome and sing the tune that is known, by heart, by all those who surmounted seemingly insurmountable situations.
There is not a challenge on the face of this earth that does not have a weak spot. A spot where the sun does not shine. I guess that is why there is this expression in English: Every cloud has a silver lining.
Often times, we are right in the centre of the challenge. How it turns out will depend on how you perceive the challenge. Take the challenge of weight. The kind of weight gain that does not permit you to own your body.
There is an individual, whose name is known to only me. He was big. No! He was fat. He would buy trousers every other week. He had the kind of tyre extensions that are only normal if advertised by a tyre company . When his wife was pregnant, he was at the receiving end of bitter jokes.
One cool Sunday morning, on his way to church, he faced a huge challenge. There were four steps in front of him...1..2...3...4.. steps. Four steps that would get him to the church door. Four of the most agonizing steps that he had to take. He lifted one heavy foot after the other and had to sit his heavy body down on the fourth step.
His daughter then said the most innocent of things: " Daddy, you are just too fat, why don't you be like uncle Jim, our neighbor?"
That was the proverbial straw that broke this fat donkeys back. He took a hold of his health. In the silence of the night, he held onto the figure of fitness that was on his mind.
He cut out sugar from his diet. He threw out everything refined and discovered the beauty of organic foods. He made note of everything that he ate. He was determined to hold this bull in the place where the sun does not shine.
He signed up for his first 5km race. Then he run his first 10km race. Now he has fallen in love with fitness. Now his clothes fit him well. Now his eyes are set on the ultra marathon: the 89km comrades marathon...
No, there is nothing magical in what he did. He recognized the wisdom that issued out of his daughters mouth. He realized that only he had the power to turn his world around.
He decided in his mind and through action that this, his bull, had to be squeezed in that place where the sun will never shine.
Your life is in your hands.
Twitter:@ogogeo
Blog: www.gokot.blogspot.com
Monday, 13 August 2012
Thursday, 2 August 2012
The bums of an elephant
The Kikuyu, who birthed Ngugi wa Thiongo, have a fantastic saying that cements the value of unity: Turi hamwe ta matina ma Njogu'. In English it translates thus; "we are together like the bums of an elephant"
When I first heard it on a Saturday morning run with a wonderful group of fitness fanatics, I paused mid step and thought about the bums of an elephant. The more I thought about it, the more it did become clear that those bums are one unit. They are inseparable.
The world, I am sure would be different, if each individual behaved in a manner that was true to the pulsating echo of this Kikuyu saying. To perform to the maximum of our potential, it is imperative that we are in alignment with that which propels us forward.
Create, in your mind, a picture of an individual whose wall is littered with posters boasting of well sculptured human beings. Posted on his mirror is the affirmation; to be fit is to be fine. This means that every day that he is in the room and in front of the mirror, his mind is absorbing mind changing possibilities.
His behavior, on the other hand,is not aligned to his wishes. His body trembles at the sight of a huge cup of ice-cream. His body yields to common sense only when he has gulped it down and licked the side of the cup.
This individual will go out of his way to seek for fast foods.He will order for the largest pizza and wash it down with a large bottle of coke. He will then go home, slouch on the couch and dream away.
When he awakes from a fat inspired sleep, he will look at his wall and pray for the day that he can get a "killer body".
That individual in your minds eye, lacks the unity that is evident when you look at the bums of an elephant. He knows that being fit is a good thing. He knows that it is important to take care of the temple of God. He is aware of the life changing possibilities that come with having a super fit body. He just does not have the discipline to align his thinking to his behavior.
Many of us are not willing to suffer the rigorous discipline that goes into the practice of what we know in theory.
We may know how to read, but choose not to engage in the daily task of opening our minds to new and challenging ideas. This kind of behavior has given birth to the ridiculous assertion that if you want to hide anything from an African, detail it in a book.
We all know that complacency is the mother of all sorts of regret, but we still hold on to that same old job in the hope that it will give birth to a fresh perspective to life. It is Albert Einstein who reminded us that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a new result can only lead to insanity.
To be all that we can be, calls for each of us to dig deep into our reserves so as to come up with a bucket full of cement that will cement our thoughts, ideals, wishes, dreams and visions to the action that is required to actualize them.
When thought and deed are built into the foundation of that which we desire; when our ambition galvanizes us into action, we will come to the realization that unity is power.
When we have gathered the critical mass of anger and moved from the idle zone of inaction into the battle field of action, our thoughts and deeds will blend together like the bums of an elephant.
Kikuyu oyee!!!
Your life is in your hands.
Twitter:@ogogeo
Blog: www.gokot.blogspot.com
When I first heard it on a Saturday morning run with a wonderful group of fitness fanatics, I paused mid step and thought about the bums of an elephant. The more I thought about it, the more it did become clear that those bums are one unit. They are inseparable.
The world, I am sure would be different, if each individual behaved in a manner that was true to the pulsating echo of this Kikuyu saying. To perform to the maximum of our potential, it is imperative that we are in alignment with that which propels us forward.
Create, in your mind, a picture of an individual whose wall is littered with posters boasting of well sculptured human beings. Posted on his mirror is the affirmation; to be fit is to be fine. This means that every day that he is in the room and in front of the mirror, his mind is absorbing mind changing possibilities.
His behavior, on the other hand,is not aligned to his wishes. His body trembles at the sight of a huge cup of ice-cream. His body yields to common sense only when he has gulped it down and licked the side of the cup.
This individual will go out of his way to seek for fast foods.He will order for the largest pizza and wash it down with a large bottle of coke. He will then go home, slouch on the couch and dream away.
When he awakes from a fat inspired sleep, he will look at his wall and pray for the day that he can get a "killer body".
That individual in your minds eye, lacks the unity that is evident when you look at the bums of an elephant. He knows that being fit is a good thing. He knows that it is important to take care of the temple of God. He is aware of the life changing possibilities that come with having a super fit body. He just does not have the discipline to align his thinking to his behavior.
Many of us are not willing to suffer the rigorous discipline that goes into the practice of what we know in theory.
We may know how to read, but choose not to engage in the daily task of opening our minds to new and challenging ideas. This kind of behavior has given birth to the ridiculous assertion that if you want to hide anything from an African, detail it in a book.
We all know that complacency is the mother of all sorts of regret, but we still hold on to that same old job in the hope that it will give birth to a fresh perspective to life. It is Albert Einstein who reminded us that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a new result can only lead to insanity.
To be all that we can be, calls for each of us to dig deep into our reserves so as to come up with a bucket full of cement that will cement our thoughts, ideals, wishes, dreams and visions to the action that is required to actualize them.
When thought and deed are built into the foundation of that which we desire; when our ambition galvanizes us into action, we will come to the realization that unity is power.
When we have gathered the critical mass of anger and moved from the idle zone of inaction into the battle field of action, our thoughts and deeds will blend together like the bums of an elephant.
Kikuyu oyee!!!
Your life is in your hands.
Twitter:@ogogeo
Blog: www.gokot.blogspot.com
Monday, 23 July 2012
Gabriel Tyler Oloya-The living arrow of God
In 1923,Kahlil Gibran, penned these words on children in The Prophet
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backwards nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrow may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
These words echoed and continue to echo in my mind from the 6th of July 2012 when our third son, Gabriel Tyler Oloya, was born into this world.
Our lives have, for a third time, been tailored around our Gaby. He is a delight to have. Our joy, like that of countless parents out there, knows no bounds.
In the midst of the screaming, shouting, crying and yelling, that smile that steals through his innocent face, lights up any room and like a hot knife through butter, melts any heart.It is at such moments that one thinks of the future that awaits this living arrow of God.
As parents anywhere will tell you, we all want the very best for our children and will go to great lengths to ensure that they are comfortable. That the path we have chosen for them will lead them into their dream lives.
More often than not, we are the result of our parents wishes, dreams and desires. Rarely do parents decipher and construct a system that amplifies the wishes of the child. Maybe because a child's wish is like a monkey. On one tree this minute and on the next in the next second.
The parents then decide that it is best that they fashion a system that is more predictable. Sadly that system is passed on from generation to generation. It does not allow for individuality. It promotes band wagon thinking as opposed to individual brilliance. It is a system that gives life to phrases like, ...like father like son. The fruit does not fall far away from the tree. You are a chip off the old block and so on...
When you consider the words of the Lebanese sage, certain truths hit home. Only God knows what is in store for it is He who...sees the mark upon the path of the infinite...it is God, who in this particular case, has fashioned Gabriel in such a way that he will fulfil his role on this beautiful earth. As parents, we can only provide such circumstances that will permit the flowering of Gods chosen design.
We are the bows that will unleash Gabriel into the path that God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to lay in his heart.
As we bend like flexible bows that ensure that the flight of the arrow is straight and true, one cannot help but ask God to ensure that Gabriel Tyler Oloya grows up with the gentility,grace and beauty that flows in his mothers blood. May this arrow of God spread hope and joy. May his smile echo in the hearts of all.
Like that sure arrow in the quiver, may he slice through the air and land in the bulls eye of his dreams.
Friday, 20 July 2012
From which market?
In the market place of life, ideas are adorned with the most attractive clothing. The main purpose being that they attract our attention in such away that we buy and own them and enjoy them.
What happens, when the idea that you have bought from the market place of life, holds you prisoner. Shackles your feet. Entombs you and suffocates the very life out of your frail body. Do you have the wherewithal to swim against that tide onto the shores of a new you.
Often times, in my disscussion with my friends who have unhealthy stomach extensions, they keep reminding me that they were born with a fat gene. The kind of gene that goes out of its way to seek and infuse the body with fat, fat and more fat.
They invite me to look at their parents and grand parents and true to their thinking, they are from an environment that encouraged the kind of eating habits that can only give birth to the mother of all unhealthy circumstances. In as far as they are concerned, it is a gene thing. In as far as life is actually concerned, it is a choice thing.
We are not our genes. We are the thought process that goes on each and every second of our lives. Just like the thought process that goes in our minds when we are in the market place, we determine how to live and how to make our lives better by considering what is in our mind.
If we buy into the idea that we are vessels of some gene and that, like a rudderless ship, we toss and turn according to the dictates of the waves, that we have no power to alter the course of our lives, these words should remind you that you have bought a fake product from the market place of ideas. You have been sold a huge lie!!!
It is a lie that you have no choice but to be a slave to the conditionings of your childhood. It is a lie that you can only be as good as your surrounding. It is a lie that you are destined to live as your clan mates live. It is a lie that your aspirations only stretch as far as the tip of your nose.
Those lies will hold you prisoner. Those lies will entomb you in a pot of poverty and sickness that will shock your creator. Those lies will blind you to the obvious infinite possibilites that are silently withering in you. They will gently but surely guide you onto that smelly and filthy dung heap of failure.
When you meet your maker, He will look at you in amazement. He will stand back. He will look deep into your soul and mutter under His breath: I gave you will power. I gave you a brain, my most effective invention. All you could do is live a life that is as sorry as it was painful...oh man oh man...
Truth be told, there is not a machine on the face of this earth that is as efficient, effective and powerful as the human brain. It is in the proper use of this brain that we can break free of all those chains that are holding us in. Holding us to the false assumptions of those who lived before us.
It is Lao Tzu, that Great Chinese philosopher who said: "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
That is the crux of the matter. We must let go of all those things that we are, if we are to breath life into what we might be. All that we are now, is as a result of the ideas that we bought in the market place of the live we have lived thus far.
We must let go of all those lies. We must look into the biggest market known to man. If you look very carefully in the mirror, you will see that that market rests very solidly between your ears.
Your mind is master and to paraphrase one of those exciting poems:
You are the captain of your soul
You are the master of your fate.
What happens, when the idea that you have bought from the market place of life, holds you prisoner. Shackles your feet. Entombs you and suffocates the very life out of your frail body. Do you have the wherewithal to swim against that tide onto the shores of a new you.
Often times, in my disscussion with my friends who have unhealthy stomach extensions, they keep reminding me that they were born with a fat gene. The kind of gene that goes out of its way to seek and infuse the body with fat, fat and more fat.
They invite me to look at their parents and grand parents and true to their thinking, they are from an environment that encouraged the kind of eating habits that can only give birth to the mother of all unhealthy circumstances. In as far as they are concerned, it is a gene thing. In as far as life is actually concerned, it is a choice thing.
We are not our genes. We are the thought process that goes on each and every second of our lives. Just like the thought process that goes in our minds when we are in the market place, we determine how to live and how to make our lives better by considering what is in our mind.
If we buy into the idea that we are vessels of some gene and that, like a rudderless ship, we toss and turn according to the dictates of the waves, that we have no power to alter the course of our lives, these words should remind you that you have bought a fake product from the market place of ideas. You have been sold a huge lie!!!
It is a lie that you have no choice but to be a slave to the conditionings of your childhood. It is a lie that you can only be as good as your surrounding. It is a lie that you are destined to live as your clan mates live. It is a lie that your aspirations only stretch as far as the tip of your nose.
Those lies will hold you prisoner. Those lies will entomb you in a pot of poverty and sickness that will shock your creator. Those lies will blind you to the obvious infinite possibilites that are silently withering in you. They will gently but surely guide you onto that smelly and filthy dung heap of failure.
When you meet your maker, He will look at you in amazement. He will stand back. He will look deep into your soul and mutter under His breath: I gave you will power. I gave you a brain, my most effective invention. All you could do is live a life that is as sorry as it was painful...oh man oh man...
Truth be told, there is not a machine on the face of this earth that is as efficient, effective and powerful as the human brain. It is in the proper use of this brain that we can break free of all those chains that are holding us in. Holding us to the false assumptions of those who lived before us.
It is Lao Tzu, that Great Chinese philosopher who said: "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
That is the crux of the matter. We must let go of all those things that we are, if we are to breath life into what we might be. All that we are now, is as a result of the ideas that we bought in the market place of the live we have lived thus far.
We must let go of all those lies. We must look into the biggest market known to man. If you look very carefully in the mirror, you will see that that market rests very solidly between your ears.
Your mind is master and to paraphrase one of those exciting poems:
You are the captain of your soul
You are the master of your fate.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Licked by hunger
It has been said that hunger can drive a man to the four corners of the kitchen in search of food in order to satiate his hunger pangs. Woe betide you if you stand in the way of a hungry man.You will not win. To save yourself from any harm, let him have his way.
In many instances, my brain just shuts down when my stomach is missing the vital life force that causes my brain to propel my body forward. I just have to find food. I will turn the fridge upside down. The pots and pans will not and cannot escape my vigilant search for that bite that will infuse me with life.
Once I am done with that angle, I can smile and look around me from a fresh perspective.
When you consider the extent to which we go to ensure that all is well in the central command post and how many obstacles we overcome to get that area in order, you can only sit back and be amazed at the power of hunger and desire. It would serve us well to translate that drive and determination into all and every area of our lives.
Many of us get too comfortable with what we have and are too plain lazy to stretch beyond ourselves, consequently we stagnate. Like a body of water that lacks continuous freshness, we become stale.
Before very long, we are irrelevant to those around us. The company will kick us out because we no longer bring value to it. Our children will look for better role models because we do not seem to flow with them. Our spouses will begin to tolerate us as opposed to love us because we are no longer interested in looking after ourselves.
Our bodies will slowly,but surely shut down because we ceaselessly fed it on unhealthy food and denied it the physical motion that lubricates it. Our minds will, like a disused muscle, lose its elasticity and like a zombie, we shall walk around with vacant eyes...
BUT, it does not have to come to this. In us is an inbuilt ability to transcend any and every circumstance. In His graciousness, God gave us the will power to decide: to wallow in pity or to take charge and move on despite the negativity that seem to overwhelm us.
Once you identify that which causes you to hunger; that which shuts your brain down; that which propels you to go through, over and around any challenge in front of you, you will have mined a priceless gem in your heart.
The youth in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya shed their blood because their hunger for freedom weighed more than the fear they had for the ruthless and corrupt leadership that steered their countries. Thankfully for most of us, we do not need to suffer at the whims of other men in order to discover that unrelenting hunger that causes a sane human being to erupt with seething passion.
The honest truth is that, when your heart is licked by the flames of hunger and your feet rock to the pulsating beat of desire, nothing is impossible.
Your hunger for a healthier and fitter body will drive you to avoid all processed foods. You will fall in love with the organic stuff that builds each and every part of your body into that which is pleasing before God.
Your hunger for a fine tuned mind will drive you into the arms of great reading books where you will intercourse with great minds. Your thinking will be amplified in ways that you once thought impossible. Your approach to life will change. Your horizon will stretch much further than your eye can see.
Your hunger for better company will force you to sieve the company that you keep. Those that weigh you down with their negativity and cloud of pessimism are best kept where they belong: in the dung heap of "should have been or could have been." As the parched earth welcomes the rains, you should embrace those that lift you up and shine a light into your possibilities.
When you are licked by hunger, there is nothing that will stop you from seeking that which will cause you satisfaction. It is just as well that hunger can only temporarily be satisfied. For every goal that you attain, there is another goal to aim for.
Gather the pieces of wood. Light them up. Stoke the fire. May the sparks join hands and erupt into a huge flame that will forever lick at your hunger.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Ran for your life
Ran for your life. If it is the last thing that you do, ran
for your life!!!
With every step that
you pound on the road, your life will smile with you and your heart will not
only be healthier, it will work with you to make you stronger, fitter and younger.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Take care of yourself
Jim Rohn, in one of his numerous inspirational news letters,
points out that the key to helping others
is to help yourself first. The echo in those words speaks to the need of taking care of the most important asset that we own: ourselves
We must have an effective strategy to live a long, long life
and to contribute to this earth so that we leave it a better place than we
found it.
We must aim to be an asset to all those around and about us,
so that we are pleasant company as opposed to being a huge burden around their
necks.
We must stand guard to the gate of our minds. All negative
thoughts should be discarded the moment they make themselves known. Negativity aids
the development of stress which in turn comes along with all sorts of darkness.
We should expose our minds to uplifting reading. We should
be around people who lift us up as opposed to tearing us down. We should avoid
relationships that are toxic in every sense of the word.
We should take care of our emotional health. Engaging in positive mental conversation is a
sure way to handle life in all its twists and turns.
Listening to good music that soothes the soul will lift our
mood. Reading the Bible will lift our hearts to the heavens. Empathy will guide
us onto the path of those we relate to. Love will open our hearts to our
passions.
We should be responsible for all that we do. You are the
only person who is answerable to your thoughts, action and habits. If what you
are doing is contributing to the toxic cloud over you, it is better that you
change it before you are overwhelmed by it.
We should take care of our bodies. Your body is a first rate
machine and it therefore requires first rate fuel.
Eat right. Exercise daily; we should endeavour to be the
fittest person that we know. Have adequate rest. Drink 2 ½ liters of water every
day, if you are a woman and 3 ½ liters if you are a man. Your body will thank
you and perform at a peak level for a longer time.
With all these things in place, sickness will be a thing of
the past. We will energetically perform to the beat of our passionate drums. We
will dance to the tunes of our grand children.
In our ripe old age, we will be an asset to ourselves and
most importantly, to those around us.
Start today. Take care of yourself.
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Burn your boats!!!
You have to go as far back as 207 BC and the 1520's to appreciate the value of taking a decisive step to achieve complete control over a particular set of circumstances.
It involves stepping into the dark; not knowing where you are going, but trusting your gut that there is something better out there; that the prevailing situation pales in comparison to what is deep in the belly of the darkness. That the raging fire in you will shed a bright light into the path that will lead to your dream.
It involves stepping into the dark; not knowing where you are going, but trusting your gut that there is something better out there; that the prevailing situation pales in comparison to what is deep in the belly of the darkness. That the raging fire in you will shed a bright light into the path that will lead to your dream.
In the China of 207 BC during the
great battle of Julu, Xiang's army advanced towards Julu and he sent Ying Bu and
Zhongli Mo to lead the 20,000 strong vanguard army to cross the river and
attack the Qin forces led by Zhang Ham, while he followed behind with the
remaining majority of the troops. In a decision which has become legendary in
Chinese history, after crossing the river, Xiang
ordered his men to sink their boats and destroy all but three days worth of
rations, in order to force his men to choose between prevailing against
overwhelming odds within three days or die trapped before the walls of the city
with no supplies or hope of escape. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the
Chu forces scored a great victory after nine engagements, defeating the 300,000
strong Qin army.
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Friday, 27 April 2012
The tsunami from your soul
It is laughable and annoying that me, myself and I, chanced upon Les Brown just the other day. Just the other day!!
Through facebook, a friend recommended that I watch the 2011 commencement speech by Denzel Washington on Youtube. It is in the course of his speech that Denzel quotes the wise words of Les Brown.
Intrigued, I launch into a search of Les Brown on Youtube and to my complete amazement and amusement, discover that Les Brown is considered to be the greatest motivational speaker that this world has ever seen and heard. To this moment, I ask myself whether I am a part of this world.
I have been interested in personal development for a long, long time and yet somehow, I had not heard of this magnetic passion that oozes out of Les Brown . I had not felt that tinkling sensation that cause one to dig deep, deep into ones soul and scope out pure magic.
The first Youtube posting that I watched is called, live full and die empty. It was exciting. It was inspirational. It lifted me and made me float in the air. When I finally obeyed the laws of gravity, I had gone through a very rich collection of his postings on Youtube.
If, like me, you have not yet heard of this man, you had better find him and listen to him. He does make common words fly in the face of all that you think you know.
Born on the floor of a housing project, adopted with his twin brother at six weeks, regarded as mentally retarded by the educational system, Les Brown had no hope of ever being anything in life until a teacher inspired him to burrow deep into his being to discover his gift.What a gift he has!!
Live full, die empty is a two minute and forty nine second video of a longer seminar. The segment begins by him quoting Ambrose Redmoon: Courage is not the absence of fear, courage is the judgement that what you want is more important than your fear.
I elect to resist the temptation of giving you a blow by blow account of what happens next, knowing that you will surely find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKlAAY130c I am also sure that you will draw your own conclusions from it. I also do hope that you will share your conclusions.
My humble view is that we are unable to take ourselves to the next level because in our estimation, this level provides the kind of comfort that permits us to survive. You and I know that life is not just about surviving.
Fear is a constant in life and to live fully, we must constantly battle fear, and we must win. We must be able to see beyond fear. To see the arena littered with trophies. The trophy of a fitter you. The trophy of a more religious you. The trophy of a richer you; a successful you; a world travelled you; an adventurous you: a risk taking you; a you that is true to the God that created you...
That is what must propel us to summon all the courage and energy that resides in us. We must form a resolute fist that will strike a fatal blow to the fear that has encapsulated us for this long.
As that river of frustration begins to build in you, let this question guide you: What is it that will make it worth it for you to face your fear?
May that river flow into a lake and into an ocean. May it meet with the forces of nature and form into a tsunami that will finally break down your wall of fear.
Through facebook, a friend recommended that I watch the 2011 commencement speech by Denzel Washington on Youtube. It is in the course of his speech that Denzel quotes the wise words of Les Brown.
Intrigued, I launch into a search of Les Brown on Youtube and to my complete amazement and amusement, discover that Les Brown is considered to be the greatest motivational speaker that this world has ever seen and heard. To this moment, I ask myself whether I am a part of this world.
I have been interested in personal development for a long, long time and yet somehow, I had not heard of this magnetic passion that oozes out of Les Brown . I had not felt that tinkling sensation that cause one to dig deep, deep into ones soul and scope out pure magic.
The first Youtube posting that I watched is called, live full and die empty. It was exciting. It was inspirational. It lifted me and made me float in the air. When I finally obeyed the laws of gravity, I had gone through a very rich collection of his postings on Youtube.
If, like me, you have not yet heard of this man, you had better find him and listen to him. He does make common words fly in the face of all that you think you know.
Born on the floor of a housing project, adopted with his twin brother at six weeks, regarded as mentally retarded by the educational system, Les Brown had no hope of ever being anything in life until a teacher inspired him to burrow deep into his being to discover his gift.What a gift he has!!
Live full, die empty is a two minute and forty nine second video of a longer seminar. The segment begins by him quoting Ambrose Redmoon: Courage is not the absence of fear, courage is the judgement that what you want is more important than your fear.
I elect to resist the temptation of giving you a blow by blow account of what happens next, knowing that you will surely find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKlAAY130c I am also sure that you will draw your own conclusions from it. I also do hope that you will share your conclusions.
My humble view is that we are unable to take ourselves to the next level because in our estimation, this level provides the kind of comfort that permits us to survive. You and I know that life is not just about surviving.
Fear is a constant in life and to live fully, we must constantly battle fear, and we must win. We must be able to see beyond fear. To see the arena littered with trophies. The trophy of a fitter you. The trophy of a more religious you. The trophy of a richer you; a successful you; a world travelled you; an adventurous you: a risk taking you; a you that is true to the God that created you...
That is what must propel us to summon all the courage and energy that resides in us. We must form a resolute fist that will strike a fatal blow to the fear that has encapsulated us for this long.
As that river of frustration begins to build in you, let this question guide you: What is it that will make it worth it for you to face your fear?
May that river flow into a lake and into an ocean. May it meet with the forces of nature and form into a tsunami that will finally break down your wall of fear.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Fear will die.
Fear is a funny thing. It can make a grown man lose control of his most important orifice. It can cause an eloquent lady to suddenly begin to mumble a lot of mambo jambo.
To those who live on the edge, fear is the starters gun that propels them forward and causes them to jump over the cliff of the known, into a dark bottomless pit that may or may not hold any promise.
The lack of satisfaction will drive you into the arms of a witch doctor. While showering you with the blood of a black lamb and spitting his slimy, smelly saliva into the palms of your hands, he will read the patten of your veins. He will stifle a chuckle. He will suffocate the laugh that is struggling to force itself out of his fat padded throat. In a voice that is foreign to his being, he will declare that you have inherited the fear of your fore fathers. That, your clan has long produced non achievers. That your situation is doomed by the hand of fate. Whatever you do will result in the failure that is the bane of your existence.
You will trudge home and head to the bathroom wondering about the blood that pulsates in your veins. As you pass that mirror on the wall you notice something about your eyes. There is this intense look that betrays your hunger for more out of life.
As you ponder on this seemingly insurmountable issue called fear, your heart beats to a different sound. Slowly, ever so slowly, your eureka moment hits you with the force of a thousand watts. The fear that you fear resides in your mind. Maybe that professor was right.
It matters not. What matters now is the realisation that you are the creator of your fear. You give birth to it; you nurture it. When it overwhelms you, you suffocate yourself and you die to your true potential.
Like that man of old, you want to ran naked in the streets, proclaiming to all and sundry that you now have the answer: Fear resides in me for as long as I give it sustenance.
That is the profound realisation that you come to. The soothing voice of Mark Twain floats in the air:Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.
We must summon the courage to face our fears otherwise we shall timidly go through life. Life was meant to be faced with boldness.
There is magic in boldness. when you approach life with boldness, doors will open and the you in you will live a full and happy existence.
Prepare your mind for the greatest battle known to man. Husband your troops.Study the battle field and declare war on fear. Let the battle cry echo in the arena. Death to fear!!! Death to fear!!!!!
Fear will die!
To those who live on the edge, fear is the starters gun that propels them forward and causes them to jump over the cliff of the known, into a dark bottomless pit that may or may not hold any promise.
To those who are comfortable in the confines of the tried and tested, fear is an immobilising agent. They get stuck in the rut. They are more than willing to complain passionately about their situation, but are unable to bring themselves to open that door into the unknown. The word 'evolution' is as strange to them as a chicken's urine is, to a poultry farmer.
What does this four letter word mean? A professor of psychology will tell you that it has something to do with your sub-conscious mind. That your mind is capable of playing tricks on you so that you begin to amplify an otherwise minute problem into a mountain of fear. She might even bring in the element of your childhood and tell you that you are fixated and are therefore unable to adventure into the dark.
The lack of satisfaction will drive you into the arms of a witch doctor. While showering you with the blood of a black lamb and spitting his slimy, smelly saliva into the palms of your hands, he will read the patten of your veins. He will stifle a chuckle. He will suffocate the laugh that is struggling to force itself out of his fat padded throat. In a voice that is foreign to his being, he will declare that you have inherited the fear of your fore fathers. That, your clan has long produced non achievers. That your situation is doomed by the hand of fate. Whatever you do will result in the failure that is the bane of your existence.
You will trudge home and head to the bathroom wondering about the blood that pulsates in your veins. As you pass that mirror on the wall you notice something about your eyes. There is this intense look that betrays your hunger for more out of life.
As you ponder on this seemingly insurmountable issue called fear, your heart beats to a different sound. Slowly, ever so slowly, your eureka moment hits you with the force of a thousand watts. The fear that you fear resides in your mind. Maybe that professor was right.
It matters not. What matters now is the realisation that you are the creator of your fear. You give birth to it; you nurture it. When it overwhelms you, you suffocate yourself and you die to your true potential.
Like that man of old, you want to ran naked in the streets, proclaiming to all and sundry that you now have the answer: Fear resides in me for as long as I give it sustenance.
That is the profound realisation that you come to. The soothing voice of Mark Twain floats in the air:Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.
We must summon the courage to face our fears otherwise we shall timidly go through life. Life was meant to be faced with boldness.
There is magic in boldness. when you approach life with boldness, doors will open and the you in you will live a full and happy existence.
Prepare your mind for the greatest battle known to man. Husband your troops.Study the battle field and declare war on fear. Let the battle cry echo in the arena. Death to fear!!! Death to fear!!!!!
Fear will die!
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Unshackle your imagination
In you, is an imagination well that is waiting to be unleashed into the world. The education you have received thus far pales in comparison to that rich, limitless oil field that rests in your soul. In fact, you are what you are because of the education that you received in the confines of the four walls. Just imagine if your education was tweaked to include the limitless freedom of the soul. The results would be nothing short of astounding and fantastic.
Do all human beings have the capability to imagine? Well, such a well intentioned question from a well intentioned human being can best be answered by the question: Do all human beings breath? I know you are now asking yourself, how can a question answer a question? In this world of possibilities, anything is possible.
Now that we are agreed that we can all breath and therefore imagine, we need to commit to being imaginative in all the areas of our daily today lives. This will be the only door through which we shall enjoy a roller coaster of excitement in our lives. Imagination invites the prospect of excitement. It invites that inexplicable feeling of confusion and exhilaration that accompanies the butterflies that flutter in our stomachs.
Our world is a better place because it was once home and continues to be a dwelling place to those who went against the tide of the known. They choose to delve into the depths of their imagination and give to the world an orgasmic excitement: Albert Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Florence Nightingale, Issac Newton,Walt Disney, Christopher Columbus, Galileo, Shaka Zulu, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King,Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Okot P' Bitek, Pele, Steve Jobs, Barcelona FC ad infinitum.
In all fields of human endeavour, there are individuals who, because they choose to act different from what was known, preached and encouraged, have left and continue to leave foot prints in the sands of time.
You need to talk to that individual in the mirror and urge him/her to let the you in you shine. Once that you is unleashed, you will go on to perform feats that can only compare to Olympic grandeur.
It is important that you set fire to your comfort zone. Imagination cannot be held in the suffocating confines of a secure life. It is fed with risk and daring. It is fired by enthusiasm. It is oiled by the human need to be the best that there can be. While security is a feature of the safety zone, freedom is the hallmark of imagination.
When you set fire to your bottom, you will be propelled to leave the known. Do you need to go to that extreme? Yes. Otherwise you will never gather the critical mass of anger and hunger that is critical for your imaginative juices to flow.
As you step out, with baby steps, into the new world, consider the words of Albert Einstein and let them comfort you and reassure you:
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Unshackle your imagination and be the best you that you know,
Do something new,
Walk the untrodden path.
The world will follow your footsteps.
Do all human beings have the capability to imagine? Well, such a well intentioned question from a well intentioned human being can best be answered by the question: Do all human beings breath? I know you are now asking yourself, how can a question answer a question? In this world of possibilities, anything is possible.
Now that we are agreed that we can all breath and therefore imagine, we need to commit to being imaginative in all the areas of our daily today lives. This will be the only door through which we shall enjoy a roller coaster of excitement in our lives. Imagination invites the prospect of excitement. It invites that inexplicable feeling of confusion and exhilaration that accompanies the butterflies that flutter in our stomachs.
Our world is a better place because it was once home and continues to be a dwelling place to those who went against the tide of the known. They choose to delve into the depths of their imagination and give to the world an orgasmic excitement: Albert Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Florence Nightingale, Issac Newton,Walt Disney, Christopher Columbus, Galileo, Shaka Zulu, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King,Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Okot P' Bitek, Pele, Steve Jobs, Barcelona FC ad infinitum.
In all fields of human endeavour, there are individuals who, because they choose to act different from what was known, preached and encouraged, have left and continue to leave foot prints in the sands of time.
You need to talk to that individual in the mirror and urge him/her to let the you in you shine. Once that you is unleashed, you will go on to perform feats that can only compare to Olympic grandeur.
It is important that you set fire to your comfort zone. Imagination cannot be held in the suffocating confines of a secure life. It is fed with risk and daring. It is fired by enthusiasm. It is oiled by the human need to be the best that there can be. While security is a feature of the safety zone, freedom is the hallmark of imagination.
When you set fire to your bottom, you will be propelled to leave the known. Do you need to go to that extreme? Yes. Otherwise you will never gather the critical mass of anger and hunger that is critical for your imaginative juices to flow.
As you step out, with baby steps, into the new world, consider the words of Albert Einstein and let them comfort you and reassure you:
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Unshackle your imagination and be the best you that you know,
Do something new,
Walk the untrodden path.
The world will follow your footsteps.
Friday, 20 April 2012
The passionate morning kiss...
I tore myself out of bed this morning. For the first five minutes, my thoughts were on the warmth that I was leaving behind and the cold that was about to embrace me as I trudged through the morning mist.
I fought hard with the blanket and threw it aside, found my running gear and resolutely headed for the road before my body was fully awake. Each heavy step forward activated my system as the warmth that was generated was more than enough answer to the cold all around me. My steps became lighter and lighter and I was soon in fluid motion, enjoying the breeze that was kissing my face.
My mind was in full mode and I could not help but think of the power of the human mind. The mind is the one thing that you can control. You can decide to use it so that it brings you nought but joy. In my case, I was happy that I had tuned it away from the warmth in the bed towards facing the cold .
In emphasising the power of thought,Marcus Aurelius said: The universe is change; Our life is what our thoughts make it. At any given time, your life is what you are thinking and if you think it often enough you will establish a pattern and before you know it you have a habit. Choose to think positive and uplifting thoughts.
When you give the misty morning cold, a chance to embrace you, she will engage you in a kiss whose effects will last you a whole day. Give her a chance: you will wear that smile throughout the day.
I fought hard with the blanket and threw it aside, found my running gear and resolutely headed for the road before my body was fully awake. Each heavy step forward activated my system as the warmth that was generated was more than enough answer to the cold all around me. My steps became lighter and lighter and I was soon in fluid motion, enjoying the breeze that was kissing my face.
My mind was in full mode and I could not help but think of the power of the human mind. The mind is the one thing that you can control. You can decide to use it so that it brings you nought but joy. In my case, I was happy that I had tuned it away from the warmth in the bed towards facing the cold .
In emphasising the power of thought,Marcus Aurelius said: The universe is change; Our life is what our thoughts make it. At any given time, your life is what you are thinking and if you think it often enough you will establish a pattern and before you know it you have a habit. Choose to think positive and uplifting thoughts.
When you give the misty morning cold, a chance to embrace you, she will engage you in a kiss whose effects will last you a whole day. Give her a chance: you will wear that smile throughout the day.
Pick Yourself Up
It has been said that all challenges have an inbuilt opportunity waiting to be realised. It is well when a challenge is thrust into the face of someone you do not know. What happens when you are in the whirlwind of a testing situation?
Thomas Fuller points out that 'A wise man turns chance into fortune.' The core issue here is that one must read the challenge as a 'chance' that is spelt out as an opportunity instead of a problem. To do that, you require a sober mind.
You should be able to see through the emotions that are swelling up in your brain. All that throbbing and heart racing, finger twitching and finger pointing must be brought under control. Once your heart is beating normally and you have complete control of all your faculties, you then look for the 'chance' that can turn into 'fortune'
The first thing that you should do is to ask yourself how you got into this particular situation. Chances are that your behaviour over the days gone by is responsible for your current state of mind. If you continue along the same thinking, your 'challenge' will persist.
The challenge has therefore afforded you with the opportunity to reflect on yourself. Grab this chance with both hands and use it to 'look' at yourself through a microscope.
If you are folded up in self doubt, low esteem and generally hate yourself, then you need to slap yourself hard on the face. That will open your mind to the fact that you brought yourself to this situation and YOU need to bring yourself OUT of this situation.
The fortune that Fuller talks about is right where you are. In fact you are the fortune and the fortune is you. There is no situation that you cannot overcome if you set your mind to it.
All that is needed in any situation is for you to claim responsibility of your circumstance; to think through the thought process that brought you to 'this' moment. Once you change that thought process, you will witness a different result.
Once you have acknowledged that you are the source of your troubles, you will be able to get up, dust yourself off and move on.
You are the only person on earth who has 100% responsibility for ALL your actions. You choose to fall. You choose to stay down. You choose to get up. You choose to forge ahead. It is all up to you.
As you dwell on your responses, be aware of the undeniable fact that you were created to be better that your circumstances. You can overcome.
Thomas Fuller points out that 'A wise man turns chance into fortune.' The core issue here is that one must read the challenge as a 'chance' that is spelt out as an opportunity instead of a problem. To do that, you require a sober mind.
You should be able to see through the emotions that are swelling up in your brain. All that throbbing and heart racing, finger twitching and finger pointing must be brought under control. Once your heart is beating normally and you have complete control of all your faculties, you then look for the 'chance' that can turn into 'fortune'
The first thing that you should do is to ask yourself how you got into this particular situation. Chances are that your behaviour over the days gone by is responsible for your current state of mind. If you continue along the same thinking, your 'challenge' will persist.
The challenge has therefore afforded you with the opportunity to reflect on yourself. Grab this chance with both hands and use it to 'look' at yourself through a microscope.
If you are folded up in self doubt, low esteem and generally hate yourself, then you need to slap yourself hard on the face. That will open your mind to the fact that you brought yourself to this situation and YOU need to bring yourself OUT of this situation.
The fortune that Fuller talks about is right where you are. In fact you are the fortune and the fortune is you. There is no situation that you cannot overcome if you set your mind to it.
All that is needed in any situation is for you to claim responsibility of your circumstance; to think through the thought process that brought you to 'this' moment. Once you change that thought process, you will witness a different result.
Once you have acknowledged that you are the source of your troubles, you will be able to get up, dust yourself off and move on.
You are the only person on earth who has 100% responsibility for ALL your actions. You choose to fall. You choose to stay down. You choose to get up. You choose to forge ahead. It is all up to you.
As you dwell on your responses, be aware of the undeniable fact that you were created to be better that your circumstances. You can overcome.
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