It's been a while, but I'm back at this. Somehow I believe it will help someone 'out there'... More on that later.
Today I just realised that part of the reason why I failed miserably in the past when I tried to save money was because I didn't really think it through.
There are a number of simple reasons why your savings plan could be dead on arrival. I'll use the seed and bread analogy from Jesus.
You're trying to save your bread. Bread is meant to be eaten. If you haven't earned enough money to feed yourself, it will be very hard to save anything.
You're trying to save seed while it's planting season. If you hold onto your seed (money, skills, etc) at the time when you should be investing, when harvest time comes (or when your bills fall due) you will end up spending that seed.
You don't know when the seasons change. This is a painful one. Distractions can keep you from knowing when your planting season or harvest season comes.
You can't tell the difference between seed, flour and bread. Seed is anything you have or know that is of value. Flour is seed that has been processed for storage and use later. Flour is a form of savings. You can save to invest later or to eat later.
You need to realise that you can save all three, but in different ways and for different periods of time.
Showing posts with label principles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label principles. Show all posts
Monday, March 13, 2017
Friday, November 30, 2012
Learning - Adult education continued
Whoa!
I am tired - and that's not the bad news or the sad part. It's just the appertif. I am allowed to be tired. I exhausted myself by trying to figure out God's next steps. I have a gift that God gave me - it is not unique to me. I believe everybody has the same ability. To see. To know truth from falsehood. If we honestly look at our lives, we'll know what we are doing wrong and what to do to get back on track. It is the will to do it that makes the difference. Part of this seeing is seeing what we need to do next. Seeing the future... detour...
Flowing from my open mind I decided to surf the internet last night and came across an article by a lady who says she had been a lesbian for decades but over the past 5 years had met a man, fallen in love, and had four kids. She admitted in the article that she knows a lot of gay people will hate her for alluding to the fact that sexuality is a matter of choice and not a genetically predetermined state. As she expected, there was a shower of responses stating just that. They are still arguing. Me, I came away from the site with a lesson: (some) people are afraid of taking responsibility for their lives and their situation and will give anything to put the blame for it any and everywhere else.
Another lesson learned is that the cost of total transparency can be so great that people have to hide behind 'usernames' and 'avatars'. Luckily the internet provides this escape for many people, even though some of the responses and advice that comes to them are 'unbudgetted for' :)
Me I have 'market to sell' so I use social media to reach out to prospects. It works just fine for me. Back to the human will.
I will be honest with myself and admit that I am often tempted to be impatient with God (that's positive confession-ese for I am impatient and compulsive), and I run ahead of him sometimes just so that things can 'move along'. I have gotten into enough messes by trying to jump-start stuff, but still I cannot stand idleness, or that 'being in-between' state. It is harrowing. I can SEE the next steps as clear as day. I know what needs to happen... So like Snappy Doo I say: "let me at it!!!" even though I may be biting off more than I can chew.
Which brings me to my dilemma. Can people really change? Would I be deceiving myself to presume that someday I will by a calculated, methodical series of 'actions' which become 'habits' which then form my 'lifestyle' transition into a patient dog, waiting for the fattest bone? How will this change occur? Is what I am trying to change really that bad? Will the bone show up in the end? Who's bringing it? Or do I simply need to by SELF-CONTROL, practise being led by the Spirit of God? Hmm...
I identify with Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn in their love of perfection and getting things done in a certain way. I learned from Joyce that some elements of what the psychs call OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder - which is a general term covering a multitude of anomalies) is embedded in her/my personality make up. I love motion, progress, symphony, order, sequence (I also love pauses, but only where they should occur and for a specified duration under certain specified conditions) :)
In trying to change myself I have found that it is impossible to unlearn what has been learned (Go and ask Adam and Eve how much they would pay to unlearn the knowledge of good and evil, or better still ask God why He didn't give them a lobotomy) rather what God has designed is that greater life, greater truth, higher laws can be learned, introduced and lived by, that elevate us from the limitations of our previous and ONLY known way of doing things (personality). So for an aggressive perfectionist, adding on NEW skills (like giving people the benefit of the doubt, empathy, listening, investing in training subordinates, etc) then using them rightly, causes the difference. So the change in a person is not that they by encountering Jesus forget how to steal or rob or bark at people, but that they learn how to create and give instead.
This is the true nature of change. We must exercise our wills to do the new things that we have learned and stop doing the wrong things we learned in the past. A distinction must be made between ABused skills and bad habits. Being particular, attentive to details and 'generally fussy' about order/arrangement of things and plans is not bad. It is a highly sought-after skill in the workplace. It can, however be misapplied or ABused, when the person NEVER allows for input from others, insists on their own way, or refuses to accommodate any 'failures' or departures from their preferred standard. Being inflexible is a bad habit that is often adopted by perfectionists.
People with OCD-ish tendencies need to submit themselves to the Spirit and to God's love. It is only in trusting God that they will find the freedom to release things into His hands and ask for His leading. We can only trust God when we become aware of His love for us... when we see just how committed He is to giving us the best life possible in spite of our imperfect selves. (Obsessive people see very well. Believe it or not, one of the things we see very very very well, is our own imperfections.) Having become a beneficiary of that love that overlooked all our imperfections and ajudged us righteous, we develop the capacity to be mellow and patient. We do not lose our sense of structure and order and propriety, but we put it in its place: under the love with which God has loved us.
The Higher Law/Way takes over from there and peace comes in to secure us in the in-betweens.
So now I can sleep better ;)
I am tired - and that's not the bad news or the sad part. It's just the appertif. I am allowed to be tired. I exhausted myself by trying to figure out God's next steps. I have a gift that God gave me - it is not unique to me. I believe everybody has the same ability. To see. To know truth from falsehood. If we honestly look at our lives, we'll know what we are doing wrong and what to do to get back on track. It is the will to do it that makes the difference. Part of this seeing is seeing what we need to do next. Seeing the future... detour...
Flowing from my open mind I decided to surf the internet last night and came across an article by a lady who says she had been a lesbian for decades but over the past 5 years had met a man, fallen in love, and had four kids. She admitted in the article that she knows a lot of gay people will hate her for alluding to the fact that sexuality is a matter of choice and not a genetically predetermined state. As she expected, there was a shower of responses stating just that. They are still arguing. Me, I came away from the site with a lesson: (some) people are afraid of taking responsibility for their lives and their situation and will give anything to put the blame for it any and everywhere else.
Another lesson learned is that the cost of total transparency can be so great that people have to hide behind 'usernames' and 'avatars'. Luckily the internet provides this escape for many people, even though some of the responses and advice that comes to them are 'unbudgetted for' :)
Me I have 'market to sell' so I use social media to reach out to prospects. It works just fine for me. Back to the human will.
I will be honest with myself and admit that I am often tempted to be impatient with God (that's positive confession-ese for I am impatient and compulsive), and I run ahead of him sometimes just so that things can 'move along'. I have gotten into enough messes by trying to jump-start stuff, but still I cannot stand idleness, or that 'being in-between' state. It is harrowing. I can SEE the next steps as clear as day. I know what needs to happen... So like Snappy Doo I say: "let me at it!!!" even though I may be biting off more than I can chew.
Which brings me to my dilemma. Can people really change? Would I be deceiving myself to presume that someday I will by a calculated, methodical series of 'actions' which become 'habits' which then form my 'lifestyle' transition into a patient dog, waiting for the fattest bone? How will this change occur? Is what I am trying to change really that bad? Will the bone show up in the end? Who's bringing it? Or do I simply need to by SELF-CONTROL, practise being led by the Spirit of God? Hmm...
I identify with Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn in their love of perfection and getting things done in a certain way. I learned from Joyce that some elements of what the psychs call OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder - which is a general term covering a multitude of anomalies) is embedded in her/my personality make up. I love motion, progress, symphony, order, sequence (I also love pauses, but only where they should occur and for a specified duration under certain specified conditions) :)
In trying to change myself I have found that it is impossible to unlearn what has been learned (Go and ask Adam and Eve how much they would pay to unlearn the knowledge of good and evil, or better still ask God why He didn't give them a lobotomy) rather what God has designed is that greater life, greater truth, higher laws can be learned, introduced and lived by, that elevate us from the limitations of our previous and ONLY known way of doing things (personality). So for an aggressive perfectionist, adding on NEW skills (like giving people the benefit of the doubt, empathy, listening, investing in training subordinates, etc) then using them rightly, causes the difference. So the change in a person is not that they by encountering Jesus forget how to steal or rob or bark at people, but that they learn how to create and give instead.
This is the true nature of change. We must exercise our wills to do the new things that we have learned and stop doing the wrong things we learned in the past. A distinction must be made between ABused skills and bad habits. Being particular, attentive to details and 'generally fussy' about order/arrangement of things and plans is not bad. It is a highly sought-after skill in the workplace. It can, however be misapplied or ABused, when the person NEVER allows for input from others, insists on their own way, or refuses to accommodate any 'failures' or departures from their preferred standard. Being inflexible is a bad habit that is often adopted by perfectionists.
People with OCD-ish tendencies need to submit themselves to the Spirit and to God's love. It is only in trusting God that they will find the freedom to release things into His hands and ask for His leading. We can only trust God when we become aware of His love for us... when we see just how committed He is to giving us the best life possible in spite of our imperfect selves. (Obsessive people see very well. Believe it or not, one of the things we see very very very well, is our own imperfections.) Having become a beneficiary of that love that overlooked all our imperfections and ajudged us righteous, we develop the capacity to be mellow and patient. We do not lose our sense of structure and order and propriety, but we put it in its place: under the love with which God has loved us.
The Higher Law/Way takes over from there and peace comes in to secure us in the in-betweens.
So now I can sleep better ;)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Time Travel
I see the future. I saw it yesterday. I've seen it today.
Anthropologists tell us that by studying a culture you change it. Every time I see my future, I change it. I improve it. I don't see only myself in the future. I see you. I see Nigeria.
Nigerians expect and receive service from public servants. We do not honor thieves, fraudsters or reprobate businessmen. How would we? They're all in jail; rightly dressed in garlands of ridicule.
Nigerians do not deceive themselves by believing that someone else will attend to the issues of the day. They without hesitation roll up their sleeves and get things resolved.
There is a clanishness to our communities. People know their neighbours: all of them. Irrespective of religious beliefs, all the residents come together in times of celebration or sobriety. They are honest, straightforward and transparent. They say it like it is.
There is calm in the land. It almost seems as if the city and people are laid back, but don't be fooled. These Nigerians are smart and very industrious. They've made a name for themselves on the world stage in commerce, science, sports, politics, you name it. Yet in the face of that they are so... humble.
This is one country where every citizen is allowed to blossom as they discover their talents.
What do you see when you see the future? Do you dare to create it with the word of YOUR power? You do not need to answer that question: the answer is yes.
You indeed do create it every minute of every day when you speak. Understand that nature obeys your command: it doesn't dare ask you whether you REALLY wanted what you said. It just gets it across to you.
Travel to the future. Describe it. You will live it. Have a good one.
Anthropologists tell us that by studying a culture you change it. Every time I see my future, I change it. I improve it. I don't see only myself in the future. I see you. I see Nigeria.
Nigerians expect and receive service from public servants. We do not honor thieves, fraudsters or reprobate businessmen. How would we? They're all in jail; rightly dressed in garlands of ridicule.
Nigerians do not deceive themselves by believing that someone else will attend to the issues of the day. They without hesitation roll up their sleeves and get things resolved.
There is a clanishness to our communities. People know their neighbours: all of them. Irrespective of religious beliefs, all the residents come together in times of celebration or sobriety. They are honest, straightforward and transparent. They say it like it is.
There is calm in the land. It almost seems as if the city and people are laid back, but don't be fooled. These Nigerians are smart and very industrious. They've made a name for themselves on the world stage in commerce, science, sports, politics, you name it. Yet in the face of that they are so... humble.
This is one country where every citizen is allowed to blossom as they discover their talents.
What do you see when you see the future? Do you dare to create it with the word of YOUR power? You do not need to answer that question: the answer is yes.
You indeed do create it every minute of every day when you speak. Understand that nature obeys your command: it doesn't dare ask you whether you REALLY wanted what you said. It just gets it across to you.
Travel to the future. Describe it. You will live it. Have a good one.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Carrying on
I remember reading in a book that if you are picking a journal, you should pick one that you are not afraid to scribble on. It shouldn't be so plush that you can't just put down a loose or fleeting thought on it.
This write up may just be a digital version of a scribble. So please lower your expectations slightly.
I stayed home today (largely). Anyone close to me knows that that warrants a good laugh, cuz I can stay home at will. I enjoy the life of an entrepreneur. I don't go out unless I (or my customers) make me. Never apologise for your lifestyle choices. I expect a 9-5er to enjoy their day as well as I do.
One of the challenges with that is this very activity in which I am engaged. Blogging. Amongst so many other social networking related activities. If your boss or employer is a prude, finding out you've been online could translate into a CLM (career limiting move) *more laughs*
I got to sit down and watch Channels TV to see my friends (yeah, I got personal friends that are TV personalities). If you strip away the cheesy CNN-wanna-be montages (with the dude talking passionately about 'íssues', and 'making the news simple' for us to understand as opposed to NTA that does that thing they do) it actually makes good viewing.
I was happy to see my former roommate in U.I. analysing/commenting on sports. Jyde-o, I hail. I always knew there was a strong possibility he would end up an avid sports enthusiast/commentator. I guess sports don't leave you so easily. Moving forward.
Today I bless God for His faithfulness. The devil keeps getting up to be used as a floormat to line my path to victory. I guess I don't mind. Up next, Winning Ways. 100% Life Improvement... Nice series.
Keep walking with Jesus. That is the Victory. This is the end of this scribble.
This write up may just be a digital version of a scribble. So please lower your expectations slightly.
I stayed home today (largely). Anyone close to me knows that that warrants a good laugh, cuz I can stay home at will. I enjoy the life of an entrepreneur. I don't go out unless I (or my customers) make me. Never apologise for your lifestyle choices. I expect a 9-5er to enjoy their day as well as I do.
One of the challenges with that is this very activity in which I am engaged. Blogging. Amongst so many other social networking related activities. If your boss or employer is a prude, finding out you've been online could translate into a CLM (career limiting move) *more laughs*
I got to sit down and watch Channels TV to see my friends (yeah, I got personal friends that are TV personalities). If you strip away the cheesy CNN-wanna-be montages (with the dude talking passionately about 'íssues', and 'making the news simple' for us to understand as opposed to NTA that does that thing they do) it actually makes good viewing.
I was happy to see my former roommate in U.I. analysing/commenting on sports. Jyde-o, I hail. I always knew there was a strong possibility he would end up an avid sports enthusiast/commentator. I guess sports don't leave you so easily. Moving forward.
Today I bless God for His faithfulness. The devil keeps getting up to be used as a floormat to line my path to victory. I guess I don't mind. Up next, Winning Ways. 100% Life Improvement... Nice series.
Keep walking with Jesus. That is the Victory. This is the end of this scribble.
Friday, December 10, 2010
There & Back Again
Yes, it was the title Bilbo Baggins gave his story in 'The Lord of the Rings'. I thought it befitting for my return from 'there' - a hiatus I took from writing after my Father passed on earlier this year.
It's good to be back. It has been an incredible experience for me all by myself, not to talk of what the country and the world has been through in that time.
To mention a few highlights in no particular order
December 1st was my birthday. I am still absorbing the goodwill messages I received, and turning them into fuel for next year.
December 3rd was 'The Experience' - I got a chance to serve God there before returning to my regular spiritual posting in the Family Life Directorate of The House on The Rock.
In business, we developed a new product from concept to store-shelf. we are selling it now in six locations. In working on this I have had support from friends and strangers alike. I have also had disbelief from friends and strangers. You'll hear more about this later.
Family: In June my son turned 2 and in August my daughter turned 5. I love my kids more everyday - my study of them is also on-going.
Financials & God: I can't separate them. He has come through at every point, but like Joyce Meyer says, 'I wish He would stop doing that late-in-the-midnight-hour deliverance stuff.'
I've written a new song (You are Worthy) and I hope to get into a studio soon. By fire by force. Sunny Sparks where are you?
Trials in general: I've been reminded not to be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. He is an enemy and he is out to get you down by all means and in all areas of life. He uses human beings sometimes to get to us. In case you were wondering, stop wondering. There are people who mistakenly allow themselves get used by the devil and there are those who willingly do it. we have to be wary of the devil's human shields and puppets - shooting at them may expose the enemy, but at the cost of treasured relationships. One of my major lessons for this year is the art of sacrificing my ego to live at peace with all men. It's been an expensive lesson and I'm glad I learnt it.
It's been rough, but its been fun too. I give God the praise...
More to come
It's good to be back. It has been an incredible experience for me all by myself, not to talk of what the country and the world has been through in that time.
To mention a few highlights in no particular order
December 1st was my birthday. I am still absorbing the goodwill messages I received, and turning them into fuel for next year.
December 3rd was 'The Experience' - I got a chance to serve God there before returning to my regular spiritual posting in the Family Life Directorate of The House on The Rock.
In business, we developed a new product from concept to store-shelf. we are selling it now in six locations. In working on this I have had support from friends and strangers alike. I have also had disbelief from friends and strangers. You'll hear more about this later.
Family: In June my son turned 2 and in August my daughter turned 5. I love my kids more everyday - my study of them is also on-going.
Financials & God: I can't separate them. He has come through at every point, but like Joyce Meyer says, 'I wish He would stop doing that late-in-the-midnight-hour deliverance stuff.'
I've written a new song (You are Worthy) and I hope to get into a studio soon. By fire by force. Sunny Sparks where are you?
Trials in general: I've been reminded not to be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. He is an enemy and he is out to get you down by all means and in all areas of life. He uses human beings sometimes to get to us. In case you were wondering, stop wondering. There are people who mistakenly allow themselves get used by the devil and there are those who willingly do it. we have to be wary of the devil's human shields and puppets - shooting at them may expose the enemy, but at the cost of treasured relationships. One of my major lessons for this year is the art of sacrificing my ego to live at peace with all men. It's been an expensive lesson and I'm glad I learnt it.
It's been rough, but its been fun too. I give God the praise...
More to come
Monday, November 5, 2007
the tiredness
welcome. the tiredness would seem a strange topic to start my first blog with, but there you have it. first, a little bit about me. I am ibo. I live in lagos, nigeria. great city, great opportunities, great stress. I am writing in small letters 'cuz I'm tired.
I am also really writing this blog because maybe there's someone else out there who's like me. let me explain. I am not necessarily physically tired, because if you give me a fun challenge now, I'll take it up into the night.
this tiredness is that born of having had my fill of yet another elixir. hollow promises. big bogus stories of what could be. every now and then, we hear of one - the best kinds are financial because money makes things happen. but there are others - knowledge, research, information, ideas, technology, associations, the list is endless.
I find that in life there are lessons we ought to learn along the way, to help make the journey easier. this write up is the first is a series on one of the virtues we must acquire.
CONTENTMENT.
I am also really writing this blog because maybe there's someone else out there who's like me. let me explain. I am not necessarily physically tired, because if you give me a fun challenge now, I'll take it up into the night.
this tiredness is that born of having had my fill of yet another elixir. hollow promises. big bogus stories of what could be. every now and then, we hear of one - the best kinds are financial because money makes things happen. but there are others - knowledge, research, information, ideas, technology, associations, the list is endless.
I find that in life there are lessons we ought to learn along the way, to help make the journey easier. this write up is the first is a series on one of the virtues we must acquire.
CONTENTMENT.
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