Sometimes in life, there are things that seem simple that we're barely aware of what to do with them and how they can affect our lives. They're not all-encompassing or super simple, but they're not just small either. They are so common that we don't think to look at them because they sound too good to be true. However, such little acts of wisdom if taken can have tremendous effects on our lives and destinies.
I have learned a lot about life from experiences down from when I was a kid and since I formally became addicted to goal setting and goal achieving over a decade ago. You might've read some of the things that have occurred to me in previous articles, and so today I share my thoughts from experiences with you. I hope you'll find them helpful.
You may be looking for ways to achieve your goals. There is a saying that "guidance is with you all the time." Here're five nuggets of wisdom that I have learned from experience that you can always keep in your pocket.
1. Your talents are God-given business startup capital
Not developing your talents and putting them to use in a business venture that could yield financial returns is to waste your God-given business startup capital.
Money-making is an art you must learn. This is something I keep drumming into any head that cares to listen. You need money to fulfill your dreams and the secret of making good money is to develop your skills, gifts, and talents and use them to solve human problems. You might get enough education that you need, but know this, everyone cannot be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, dentist, Manson, surveyor, or teacher, but everyone can be something the other cannot do without. Inside you are something that can better the lives of others. Your gift is to improve other people's lives and businesses and when you succeed in doing this, you will have money in your pocket.
2. Never fear rejection
Rejection is one thing you must fight against if you want to be successful in life. Several people gave up on their dreams too early enough because of one rejection or the other. To succeed in life you must develop a thick skull against rejection because it can come knocking on your head where you least expect it. Rejection abounds everywhere, and you must bear this in mind on your journey in life. Somebody is being rejected every passing minute, but you must be strong to not allow rejection to stop you from achieving something you dream of.
Read me very well, I have experienced rejection countless times, but those rejections were not enough to stop me from pursuing my dreams. I learnt early in life that defeat is not the worst of failure, not to have tried your best is the real failure. Men of wisdom will never allow people's attitudes to bury or steal their dreams.
No one is a failure except when you give up on your dreams. When people reject you, you haven't lost anything. It only means you have not hit the right target yet, so move elsewhere and develop your inner resources for your next shot. When you are not accepted it shows that you are needed in that place, so do yourself a favor and find where you are celebrated.
3. Don't allow people's opinions to conclude your life
No excuse is strong enough to allow people's opinions to stop you from achieving your dreams. Where you are now is a stopping point to where you will reach in life. It's not your final destination. You may give heed to people's opinions, but never allow them to be the driver of your life. The major concern in this world is not much about where we are at any particular time, but the direction we are moving. We need to take responsibility for our lives if we are going to make them worthwhile. Excuses are the trademark of not only a lazy person but a defeated man who is trying to cover up his failures.
It's only a fool that will allow people's opinion to conclude their lives. No matter how a situation may be for you, never settle on people's opinions. Learn the difference between patience and foolishness. When you live on people's opinions, you create room for inferior tendencies in life. Society is built in a way to misinform you, but you must guide your heart with all diligence. What do you do amidst people's opinions? Stay humble enough to listen to the opinion of others about you, however, never make the mistake of allowing those opinions rule your life. Stay focused on what you need and your dream for a better future. Prove them wrong.
4. You cannot please everyone
Some things are just impossible, and trying to please everyone is one of them. God didn't create us to please everyone and nobody should make you do so. Even the sun does not shine always! You should do your best for people, but never ever try to please anyone at your expense. The Holy Bible says "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."
You have to be happy with yourself in order to make progress in life, and that's why the Holy Bible also said "a sound heart is the life of the flesh."
So trying to please everyone will break your heart. Believe it or not, a happy man stays healthy. It has been scientifically proven that one of the causes of depression and frustration is when a person is not happy with himself and the quickest way to be unhappy is to try to please everyone that crosses your path. So be happy with yourself and bear in mind that there are people you will never be able to please even if you pluck out your eyeballs for them. You cannot please everyone.
5. Do not be afraid to start on your own
According to John Mason, job security, many times, is the first step towards stagnation. If you dare nothing, you should expect nothing. There is only one sure way to success, and it's the ability to be able to live life in your own ways.
Many people are working for the government and private companies with the hope of getting retirement benefits when they get old only for them to find out later on that the said benefits are not beneficial at all. People hold on to a 9 and 5 job in the name of job security even when they know so well that their job wouldn't give them their dream lives. Be wise, why you are still in your prime, don't be afraid to pull the plug. Don't stick with something out of loyalty or fear. If an honest assessment says it's time to pull the plug, pull it right then. Delay will only cost you in the end.
You need to ask yourself why did your parents labor so hard to train you in school? It couldn't just be for you to get a certificate and spend your entire life working for someone else. Think about it, and know that intelligent men weed their gardens. And scripture says He that tilleth his LAND SHALL have PLENTY. Remember that always.
Riches gravitate to men who take the risks of starting and owning a business. In that way, they make money, manage money and multiply money. That's how to make progress in life. You cannot stand all your life working for others and expect to be richer than the people you work for. Discover your abilities and see how you can convert them to seed capital. With a creative mind, you will be innovative and then you will need just a little effort to make money. If your ideas and innovations can make another man's business prosper, what makes you feel you would not succeed using the same to manage your own business. Do not spend your better years working for the prosperity of others thinking you are saving for the rainy days. Having your own business is the best way to save for the rainy day.
I am 45 years old now, however, most of my early years were tough for me because I didn't know how money can be made. I thought someone must work for someone to get money, that's what we were taught and made to believe while in school. Seven years after school I was still jobless and searching. The truth is that I was completely clueless about financial success, I was only looking for a place to earn a monthly salary that never comes by. It was after those 7 years I took the boldness to pull the plug and start a business that catches my spirit. The success of that decision continues after fifteen years of starting the business.
Before you go, keep this in mind. No one can live your life for you but you. Not your father, your friends, your spouse, your boss, your enemy, not your circumstances or your money. You. The most powerful force in the world is the person you choose to be, the choices you make to be happy, and the activities you commit to for happiness. You are what you choose to be. You don't have to take my word for it, get off the bus, and start walking to change your life today. I have no doubt about any of the points I made in this post, I only encourage you to think about them, because the choices and decisions we make today shape our future.
Have a blessed and prosperous life!
The image used is AI generated.