Gratitude

It's The Month End

Hurray!!!

By 00.00 hrs Greenwich Meridian Time, the month of February 2016 would have ended.

It has been a long month indeed even  though it was only 29 days.

It came with promises as usual and as usual too, it is leaving with some of the promises unfulfilled.

It is in this month that the Nigerian Naira suffered its greatest bashing in its 43 year history of existence, leaving most importers stranded including even those who do online importation.

The cost of living tripled in this month because of the scandalous dollar-naira exchange rate

But all that is going into the bin of history as February ends

And because we are human beings always filled with hope, we are looking forward to the new  month of March with renewed vigour and a zeal to overcome.

We thank the Lord for seeing us through the month of February and as we bid farewell to February, we can only ask her to say us well to January and to hasten the birthing of March

You have a wonderful day today

Let God reign Supreme

Dr. Oguzie Jerry - the First: JP

#DrJTF

It Is Not Over Until It Is Over

I know many of us are used to the title of this post because over years you have kept hearing it.

But I am certainly sure that not many of us really understand the import of that sentence because if we do, then the number of wasted dreams and abandoned ambitions would not be that high.

When the Bible asked us to be men (and women) of LONG SUFFERING, that is exactly what it meant; that we need to exercise extended patience in all our pursuits be they career inclined or property acquisition or even living a better life.

For all living beings, the only time that life is over is when death comes calling but for as long as anyone is still alive, s/he can still achieve that which s/he had set his or her heart on along the path of life.

Thomas Edison was one man who understood the concept of "it is not over until it is over" very well because it took him NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE times to find out the right way to invent the filament in a light bulb which gave us the electric bulbs that we use today.

If he had not persisted and persevered for those Nine hundred and ninety nine times, he would have been defeated and per adventure the discovery of the bulb would have taken a longer time.

Are you in dilemma right now over a choice you have made but which is not coming to fruition yet no matter how hard you have tried?

Well I have a message for you this day

"It is never over until it is finally over"

As long as the life breath still flows in and out of you, go give your idea your best push and you would be surprised!!

Let God reign Supreme

Dr. Oguzie Jerry - the First: JP

#DrJTF

Be More Productive By Embracing Laziness - Must Read

Why embracing laziness can make you more productive

If you have a smartphone, and data shows you most likely do, then you have struggled with the idea of "shutting down" after work. As you sit on your couch watching the latest Netflix original series, a voice in the back of your mind tells you that instead of being lazy, you could be on your phone cleaning out your inbox or taking notes for tomorrow's meeting.

Well, says Georgetown professor and author Cal Newport, a wide body of scientific research suggests this inability to stop working, or even the inability to do so without guilt, is harming your productivity.

If you really are dedicated to your job, then you need to learn how to be lazy, Newport writes in his new book "Deep Work," a guide to learning how to work in periods of intense focus.

"At the end of the workday, shut down your consideration of work issues until the next morning — no after-dinner email check, no mental replays of conversations, and no scheming about how you'll handle an upcoming challenge; shut down work thinking completely," Newport writes.

There will be times, of course, when you will need to put in extra hours to finish a demanding project. In that case, Newport says, stay at your desk longer and get it done rather than taking it home with you.

When it's time to shut down, do so with a shutdown ritual rather than just giving yourself a hard deadline and turning your computer off as soon as you hit it. Florida State University psychologist Roy Baumeister conducted a 2011 study in which he found that intrusive thoughts about an unfinished project are reduced or eliminated simply by devising a plan for how to eventually complete it.

Newport suggests spending at least 10 to 15 minutes at the end of each workday cataloging all of the tasks you are working on and have yet to work on, with updates on what remains and how they will be completed. He even suggests ending with a phrase that will tell your brain it's OK to let go of work (Newport uses "Shutdown complete," which he knows is cheesy but finds effective).

When you get home and take the time to watch a show, go for a jog, listen to a podcast, or read something unrelated to your job, you're not just entertaining yourself; you're giving your brain a chance to process all of the information you absorbed throughout the day.

Newport cites the work of Dutch psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis, whose unconscious thought theory (UTT) states that decisions requiring adherence to rules, like solving a math problem, require the conscious mind. Conversely, decisions dependent on large amounts of information related in a complex way, like determining which car to buy, benefit from an active unconscious mind.

Newport likens the conscious mind to a personal computer that can run processes based off programs, and he compares the unconscious mind to the way a Google search utilizes a massive data center to sort through an incredibly vast stream of information.

"The implication of this line of research is that providing your conscious brain time to rest enables your unconscious mind to take a shift sorting through your most complex professional challenges," Newport writes.

He explains how further research has shown that this rest can only happen during activities that occupy your attention just enough, without taxing it. And the activity doesn't need to be enjoyable, either. A walk through the park on a bright, warm day is just as effective in this sense as one on a bleak, cold day.

Plus, the work you'd be fitting into your leisure time doesn't usually turn out that great anyway, Newport says. When mentally and physically exhausted, those extra tasks will be done slowly and not as sharply as they could have been had they been set aside.

"When you work, work hard," Newport writes. "When you're done, be done."

So, the next time you kick back after a long day of work and sip a beer on your couch, remind yourself that sometimes it's good for your brain to be lazy.

Source:     Why Embracing Laziness Can Make You More Productive

Want to Be a Millionaire by 30? Start Planning Early. (Infographic)

In the pursuit of business success, what are some of the moves you can make when you’re first starting out to pay dividends later on?

Of course, there are those hard and fast rules for dealing with cash: start small, save your money and put what you earn into a bank account that you won’t touch for other expenses.

And remember, you don’t need flashy, big-ticket items to make an impression. Use the funds that come in from your venture to invest in yourself -- read, take classes, learn a new skill and go to events where you can meet like-minded people. What you learn and who you connect with can only help you in the future.

For more about how to think big and take calculated risks to become a millionaire, check out the infographic below (made by our friends atBusiness Insider and based on the advice of three Entrepreneurcontributors).

Source:     Want To Be A Millionaire At Age 30

5 Ways You Can Become Rich

There are many definitions of what it means to be rich.

Being rich is more of a state of mind than a dollar amount. Truthfully, the rich can be poor and the poor can be rich. For example, being rich could be a family of five who lovingly share their small piece of bread in a third-world country. Conversely, another family of five may live in a 12-bedroom home and still have strife over an unlimited first-class feast!

Moreover, being rich is really about having it all. It would be ideal to have a combination of the aforementioned situations: the happy family enjoying a delectable meal in the big house -- and it is possible. However, to achieve this kind of wealth, along with financial freedom, personal peace and happiness, you must get committed to it. 

You must also be able to enjoy your wealth. Some people put in a hundred hours per week with work but completely neglect their families in the process. Others focus on their family so much that they never really get busy at work because of their obligations. Obviously, achieving a sense of balance will allow you to possess true wealth and also be able to enjoy it. 

If you're looking to have it all in life, here are the only five ways you can become rich: 

1. Adopt the Producer Mentality

You must make a major shift from being a consumer to producer. Here are some examples: consumers eat pizza, producers make pizza; consumers watch movies, producers make movies; consumers search for jobs, producers provide jobs. Every millionaire is a producer. Only producers get rich.

The overarching goal of a producer is not to eat, but to feed people. Obviously, producers must consume at some point, but it isn't their primary goal. Instead of seeking their next meal, they're more interested in providing the next meal for someone else, knowing that they will have the chance to eat in the process. 

Whether these producers are providing heart surgeries, writing best-selling books, or building skyscrapers, they've learned how to create products and services to help those around them. If you study millionaires closely, you'll find that nearly all them provide a valuable product or service to millions of people. When you adopt a producer mentality, you will become wealthy, too. 

2. Know Your Daily Rate

How much are you worth per day? Have you calculated your daily worth? $100? $500? $1,000? There are approximately 250 working days in a year. Do you know what it would take to be a millionaire? If you earned $4,000 per day, you would reach the million-dollar mark each year.

If you're earning $100 per day, you should try to double it. Just imagine, if you did twice as much, you would earn twice as much! For instance, when I first started my business, I was worth about $200 per day. Since I didn't want to stay at that number, I sought better ways to improve myself for my clients, which gave me a tremendous boost of income.

What are you doing to improve your daily rate? If you're searching for a new job, send out twice as many resumes. If you're making 10 sales calls per day, double your number of calls to 20. If you're babysitting one child, find a way to multiply your results by opening up a day-care for 50 kids. Of course, it would be best to maintain or increase your quality of work as you pursue these endeavors. 

"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." - Dale Carnegie

3. Sacrifice Everything

The great majority of people are afraid to make sacrifices because they think they'll lose something. The single mother won't buy a $20 book that will help her earn $20,000 extra dollars. She's the same mother who's afraid of the cost, but still would buy a video game for her son to make him happy. 

Before you become rich, you must become poor. Besides lottery winners and heirs who receive hefty inheritances, you must be willing to pay the price and sacrifice everything. You must be able to handle the worst if you want to expect the best. There will be many times where you'll have to delay gratification to focus on a bigger goal, which is always worth it in the end.

To approach a risk more judiciously, ask yourself two questions: "What's the worst thing that can happen if I take this risk?" Then ask yourself, "What's the best thing that can happen?" Usually, you'll find that the only reason that you wouldn't take a major risk is because money is involved. However, you should be able to sacrifice everything to become immensely rich, even if it's your last dollar. 

4. Only Do Wealthy Activities

The number one wealth killer is when a person of promise hangs out in places of poverty. Many times, people put themselves in poor places, which surrounds them with poor people. Get away from poor places if you want to avoid poor people. Dwelling along with poor people in poor places will never make you rich.

When I was a teenager, I used to play basketball with negative people in negative places. I constantly witnessed smoking, cursing, and other disrespectful behaviors every moment of the game. Even though I didn't partake in their antics, I was still a product of my environment, which deeply affected my general performance in life.

Many people tolerate negative conditions like this. They don't realize how much the subtle influence of gossip, violence, and drama impacts them. Moreover, if you're not on prosperity, your in poverty. Find out how you can partake in wealthy activities. For me, instead of playing basketball, I started visiting luxury homes and car dealerships. It changed my life. 

5. Use Your Gifts

Everyone is naturally gifted. Some people have many gifts, while others only have one. Nonetheless, you must realize your gifts and use them. Many times, people will downplay their gifts and even allow others to do it. However, you should cultivate your gifts and surround yourself with people who support it.

Finding your talents, skills, gifts, and abilities may not always be apparent. Since schools, workplaces, and religious institutions seldom encourage people to use their gifts, many people end up forfeiting them because of the financial and social pressures in our enormity of conformity. These pressures reduce the human soul to settle for "fitting in" rather than "standing out." However, at the end of your life, you will be held accountable for how you use your gifts.

For me, I personally always wanted to tell my story. However, I didn't know how to go about it. Eventually, I started to write articles and give speeches free. Because of this, I've been able to reach millions of people, despite the fact that I failed numerous English classes in school. The more you use you gifts, the happier and wealthier you'll be. Your gifts will make room for you. 

Money is being printed constantly for you right now. Make sure you take hold of yours today. Money is the tool that allows you to become more of who you are. Stop 'surviving' and start 'thriving'.There are many virtues in being rich. Be prepared to receive better homes, cars, clothes, food, and friends. You will receive much power when you commit to your wealth!

Success:     5 Ways You Can Become Rich

The Secret To Being Liked - Must Read

This behavior could be the No. 1 secret to likability

Everyone wants to be liked.

On Quora, there's a lengthy thread dedicated to sharing tips and tricks to win people over.

While reviewing the answers, we noticed a common theme: Focus less on yourself and more on your conversation partner.

Users recommend that you "create the space for others to feel heard and seen"; that you listen activelywithout trying to come up with the perfect response; and that you look to be impressed by othersrather than trying to be impressive to them.

This advice, while not necessarily widely followed, is hardly new. In fact, Dale Carnegie wrote about similar strategies in his 1936 bestseller "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

One of Carnegie's secrets to making people like you is simply to listen and encourage other people to talk about themselves. Carnegie recalls speaking to a botanist at a party and being so curious about the man's profession that he had him talking about his work all night.

Before he left, the botanist told Carnegie that he was "most stimulating" and a "most interesting conversationalist" — even though Carnegie hadn't said more than a few words. Simply being allowed to talk about himself made the botanist feel fondly toward Carnegie.

Other tips in the book include talking in terms of the other person's interests and making the other person feel important.

Carnegie gives another example, of a bread salesman who was frustrated because he couldn't win the business of one particular hotel manager. Finally, the salesman found out about a society of hotel executives that the manager belonged to and started talking to him about that experience. Soon after, the manager reached out and made the salesman a deal.

More recently, scientists discovered that talking about yourself is inherently pleasurable; it stimulates the same reward centers in the brain that are lit up by sex, cocaine, and good food. So it makes sense that people would feel fondly toward someone who let them engage in such an enjoyable experience.

Writing on Psychology Today, psychologist Hendrie Weisinger suggests that we feel deeply connected to someone who "respects us enough to listen to our ideas."

Weisinger recommends responding to what people say instead of initiating a new topic, and showing that you understand by "paraphrasing or summarizing what you think the person is communicating."

Ultimately, these strategies should help remove some of the pressure during interactions with new people. Instead of thinking about what you should say and do to make a positive impression, you can focus instead on how the other person is feeling at the moment.

If they're in the spotlight and you're a receptive audience, chances are good they'll be happy with how the interaction is going.

Source:     How To Make People Like You

Success Is

Take Control Of Your Situation

As a human being you possess the inert ability and capability to be in charge of your situation or circumstance.

This is because you have the capacity to control the way you think, you have total control of how you perceive every situation that you are in.

It is either you accept it and make a decision to change it if you are not happy with it or you sit and feel sorry for yourself.

Change Your View

Whenever something happens the way you did not intend it to you feel either disappointed or sad, the disappointment easily turns to anger or you feel defeated and helpless, however that is one’s personal choice.

When something does not work out or something does not happen it does not mean it will never happen, it may mean that you are not ready for it and that you still need to grow and mature as a person.

It is better to always look at things differently, when you miss the bus from work or school always consider what if that bus is going to be involved in an accident, if your friends forget to invite you out for the evening do not sit and feel miserable think of all the things you wanted to do that you never had time for and go do them.

Delay is never denial and defeat is not failure, failure is not getting up to try again.

When things always happen our way it will make us selfish and self-centered, always consider that there is tomorrow and that you can always try again.

Always accept the things you cannot change that will help avoid disappointments, change the things you cannot accept by either working harder or turning to the alternative and always be careful in knowing the difference.

Appreciate the little things in life before you crave for bigger and better that way you know life can be good before all the other big changes and always expect less or nothing to avoid disappointments

Culled

Life Goes On

Have you noticed how it is that no matter what is going on, people tend to go on with their lives?

Have you ever attended a burial ceremony?

Did you notice how the attendees are only sober during the commendation service and the internment and as soon as it is time for refreshment all hell is let loose as they hustle for food and drinks?

Have you been at the scene of a road traffic accident before?

Did you notice how drivers slow down to either see the site or attend to the victims of the accident but as soon as they enter their cars again, they drive at maximum speedometer level forgetting the speed limit and the advise of FRSC to "drive to arrive alive?"

How about the victims of natural disasters?

Did you notice how those not affected continue living their lives like nothing else matters?

We can go on and on to give examples but the truth of the matter is that, whatever loss anyone suffers is really personal.

Even though people may be by your side when you have suffered a loss, but your best bet is to encourage yourself from the inside because those persons move on with their own lives with time which may actually be in hours.

And even though one may not be able to control the elements in one's life and the happenings therefrom but one can learn to allow life to go on even when the taste of living is gone

Top of the day to you

Let God reign Supreme

Dr. Jerry - the First Oguzie: JP

#DrJTF

There Will Always Be Hope

Hope gives you the strength to keep going, when you feel like giving up.

Don’t ever quit believing in yourself.

As long as you believe you can, you will have a reason for trying.

Don’t let anyone hold your happiness in their hands; hold it in your own, so it will always be within your reach.

Don’t measure success or failure by material wealth, but by how you feel.

Our feelings determine the riches in our lives.

Don’t let bad moments overcome you.

Be patient, and they will pass.

Don’t hesitate to reach out for help; we all need it from time to time.

Don’t run away from Love, but towards love; because it is our deepest joy.

Don’t wait for what you want to come to you.

Go after it with all that you are;

knowing that life will meet you half way.

Don’t feel like you’ve lost when plans and dreams fall short of your hopes.

Anytime you learn something new about yourself, or about life, you have progressed

In life, all you have to do is make progress

It's A beautiful Day

People

A new day has dawned and as usual I am grateful to none other but my God for the opportunity of being alive in the land of the living this Thursday the 25th day of February 2016.

I love every new day and the simple reason is because it affords me the opportunity to do a retrospective study and then extrapolate it to the day.

Every new day is an opportunity to do it better than yesterday. It is a new slate, all errors and mistakes have been erased and I have the freedom to start afresh.

It is akin to forgiveness of sins by God. When one has the confidence that his sins have been forgiven him, he basks in the freedom of it all.

It's Thursday, People, and our own #CourageousThursday. It surely takes loads of courage to overcome and withstand the whiles of the enemy.

So today, find courage in God and go ye and overcome

And you, how do you regard a new day?

Let God reign Supreme

Dr. Jerry - the First: JP

#DrJTF

Listen To Yourself FIRST

Are you one of those who want to please all persons?

Are you the type of person who would take the advise of another even against their own better judgement?

Are you fond of always running to a 2nd or even 3rd person before deciding on what would be good for you?

Then, you would surely benefit from this story written by an #Unknown #Author

Here is the story

"Doctor, don’t worry. I know I am going to die. I didn’t want to come here but they brought me here.

Please don’t worry about me, look at my hair, they are gone. I am so old but you are so young. 

I have learnt a lot from life, if you don’t mind I will tell you some of them before I die.

When I was 4 years, I used to think the world is about me.

When I turned 14, I wanted to rule the world. I thought I would be the greatest man that ever lived.

When I was 21, I wanted to be the richest man,

when I was 25, I wanted to find love,

when I was 40, I wanted to be helpful to everyone.

Now that I am here, I want to die.

You see, I wanted so many things at so many times.

Most importantly, I wanted to be happy. I thought the best way to be happy is to listen to others.

When I wanted to enter the University, I wanted to study Zoology but everyone said I should study Engineering that I will be a great Engineer.

So I listened to them.

I had no one to pay my fees, I had to work and also pay my fees.

In my third year, I couldn’t cope with my studies, I had to drop.

When I dropped, the same people told me "you should have studied Zoology"!

When I turned 28, everyone said I should marry.

That I needed a wife.

So I listened to them, I got married.

6 years into the marriage, I caught my wife sleeping with my neighbour.

I asked her why and she slapped me. I was angry and didn’t say anything. The next day I returned from work, she had run away with my children, now I am dying a lonely man.

At 40, I got a huge contract. My name was in the news.

The next day, all my friends and families were at my house, everyone had a serious problem.

Within one week, I spent all the money on them with the promise that they will pay back.

I could not complete the contract because they refused to return the money as promised. So I was sent to jail for 6 years. I stayed in jail and I came out. When I came out, they were nowhere.

There was one mistake I made through all this time.

Now it is clear to me.

Let me tell you about it.

I refused to listen to myself.

I ignored my own self and listened to others.

Now that I am here the only person that is with me is myself.

You see, it is very good to listen to others. It is very wise to seek advice from others.

But it is very dangerous to ignore your own self. It is very very dangerous to refuse to pay attention to your heart.

When you get home this night, sit down, take a glass of water. Close your eyes if you want or open it if you want, then talk to yourself, reason with yourself. You can walk down the road alone and as you walk, begin to talk to yourself.

The only person that can overrule yourself is God, after God, listen to yourself next.

I know it may not make sense to you now but always remember I told you LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOURSELF."

Author Unknown

Just So You Would Know

I do not know what you have passed through or what you are passing through at this moment

I do not know what your challenges are or what huddles you need to jump over to arrive at your destination

I do not know what problems your background put you into or what lack you have suffered from birth

I also do not know what gifts or talents that the Good Lord bestowed on you

But I do know some things

I do know that as long as there is life, there would always be hope

I do know that no matter how dark the tunnel may be, there would always be light at its end

I do know that no matter how pitch dark the night may be, the morning would always come with brightness

I do know that life is all about overcoming challenges and learning how to jump over huddles and obstacles

I do know that life is not a hard task Master and that she is willing to pay anyone exactly what they price themselves

I do know that if only you would believe in yourself, your future is already made

And I am bringing these your way just so you would know

Remember them always and that is ALWAYS

Let God reign Supreme

#DrJTF