Are You F.A.T?

It is no secret that having loads of potentials does not always translate into being successful. Being the best student in your class or the most hard working person in your organization does not mean you are going to be the most successful or emerge as the company CEO. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, “Outliers”, observed that many people who won the Nobel Prize were not geniuses. They had just enough IQ to get them into college. Also, talent shows like the American Idol, show that the most talented artist is not always crowned the winner. This certainly shows that success is cumulative and it takes more than talent to succeed. People who succeed have a rugged and unwavering commitment to their cause. They are Focused, Available and Trainable (F.A.T)? If you’ve got talent, you may want to apply the F.A.T principle in getting to the next level. Let’s take a look at the F.A.T principle more closely:

Are you Focused? – A friend gave me an analogy one day on the power of focus – he said when you sprinkle water on the ground, it doesn’t take long for the effect to disappear, but when you pour water on a particular spot, you cannot deny the impact that was created. Similarly, when you pursue a lot of ideas and dreams at once, each one of them will only dissipate your energy and you find out that you are not outstanding in any. Think of any successful company, you will notice that what made them successful initially was a single product. For example, Coca Cola is mainly known for it’s star brand Coke. Prioritize your dreams, the success of one dream will birth all your other dreams. When you focus on your focus you will one day become the focus of the world’s admiration.

Available and Able – No matter how talented you are, you must be willingly, available and ready to put in the required hours to turn your dreams to reality. Bear in mind that it is possible to be talented and still be mediocre in performance, if you are complacent. You also need to be realistic about what your strengths and weaknesses are. Steve Jobs is a firm believer that you will excel and what you love to do. When you are putting a ton of hours, the pain you feel is the one that drives you to be better and not burned out. Malcolm Gladwell, argues that there is a very thin line in performance between ability and availability, if over 10,000 hours have been deployed to a particular craft or profession.

Trainable – Are you trainable? Are you a filled glass? It’s only a thirsty person that seeks to quench his thirst. You do not know it all. According to Michael Dell, "If you are the smartest person in the room, you are probably in the wrong room". Time and time again studies have shown that a person’s attitude can make or break, regardless of how talented you may be. If you are willing to learn, people will show up and help you get to where you need to be. There is no point in re-inventing the wheel. If you want to go up, humble yourself and ask for help from mentors. Asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness. A wise man knows what he knows and develops his weak areas by associating with people who are smarter than himself. When you stand on the shoulder of a giant you see further.

Your best days ahead of you! Stay focused. Make yourself available. Be humble – there is something you can learn from everyone. Yeah we have all made mistakes and made wrong decisions. That’s okay. Take the mishaps as your schooling period and move on. Get back on your feet. The world is waiting on you to make your impact. You are here, you are valuable and you matter! Make it count!

What do you think? I'd love to hear your views and if you like this article please do share it with others.

Photo Credits: Joe Na

Can You?

#Bring Back Our Girls

Aim High!

It is when you try to do something beyond what you have mastered that growth occurs. Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down. The difference between the ordinary and the extra ordinary is the little extra. 

Dare to be You!!!

No one ever became great by imitation. Imitation is limitation. Don't be a copy of something, when you are an original of yourself. There is no one else like you. Dare to be you. 

Let Go!

What Are You Going to Choose Today?

Everything going on in our life can be attributed to the decisions we made. Some might argue that some circumstances in life are beyond our choosing, but how  we respond to such is a choice. So choose to be a victor and not a victim, a responder and not a reactor to life, a lover and not a fighter. Choose to make peace and not war with your family, neighbors and friends. Choose to get back up after a fall. Choose to excel, love and most of all, choose to be you.

Seven Tips on Having a Great Day!

The way you start your day is a good indicator on how the day is going to end. Your day actually starts the night before. End your day on a good note and it will give leverage to starting your new day. Remember,  it is important to start the day right rather than trying to play catch up. The following are tips that have helped me have a great day:

1. Power Talk - What do you want your day to look like? You can only feature in a future you can picture. I start my day by creating it. Have a mental picture of what you want your day to look like. I say, "Today is going to be a great day". I say out loud that I am able to handle all the challenges that come my way. I remind myself that I have what it takes to pull the day off. I am a problem solver. The solution and not the problem.  I do not wait for things to happen, I make them happen. I do not need anyone to treat me a certain way in other to feel special or do my best. I am going to give today my best.
2. Priortize - Have you noticed that the little unimportant things can take up to 80% of your time and you have very little time to focus on the important things? The way out is focus on your highly important and urgent work first, and go from there.
3. Do - Do something that will make someones day better and brighter. How can you help someone on your team get closer to their goal. You will discover that the sunlight you bring out in others will shine on you too.
4. Exercise - You don't have time, you say? Why don't you take the stairs instead of the elevator or have a walking meeting? Exercise has a way of making us feel good and that enhances our productivity.
5. Schedule - Create time in your calendar to think and plan. Remind yourself of why you are doing what you are doing and what you need to do daily to get you to where you want to be. Just reacting to what your day throws at you is not a good recipe for success.
6. Connect - Relationship depth have a taken a hit; no thanks to social media. You will be surprised how a brief conversation over the phone, a thoughtful note will energize you and make you more vibrant.
7. Take a Break - You have tons to do right? If you keep working without breaks you will reach a plateau and will start loosing productivity. Short breaks even for 5 to 10 minutes can get you going again.
Bonus  - A smile adds beauty to you. So, smile! It takes a  lot more energy to frown than to smile. 

HappY New Year!

Thank you for all your support and encouragement! I'll keep doing my best to keep you updated with messages and stories that will bring about a turning point in your 2014 Journey. Watch out for 2014, it is going to be better than ever! I wish you a prosperous year and may all your dreams come true.

Why You Should Stop Recycling in 2014

                                           

I recently moved to Oregon from California and as many would imagine, the weather was a big concern moving here. Few weeks in, I am actually enjoying the Portlandia experience. I had absorbed a lot of sunshine from California that will keep me going for a while. As a former graduate student in California, we had to manage the resources we had but moving into a new place necessitated we get a few things we could afford, one of which was a sofa. I was attached to the old one but we did not have much room to keep it, so we eventually donated it ( a form of recycling). My sofa had found a new home. Recycling can be beautiful because it ensures sustainability, conserves resources and eliminates waste. This is great when we think of natural resources, products or material items. Recycling on another note has prevented a lot of people from enjoying the new because they keep recycling old hurts, negative experiences and grudges in their minds. The problem with this is that it leads to emotional congestion.  These results in lack of productivity with symptoms such as frustration, depression, low self-worth and esteem, pessimism, and the whole nine yards. Just like I had to let go of my old sofa to create room for the new, we need to bring closure to the wounds we have been recycling for a very long time. It’s time to let it go if we want to enjoy the new. Not the basement or any other storage place, let it go.

If you’ve ever put in batteries into a remote control or any gadget, the manufacturers often advice not to mix old batteries with new ones in order to get optimum performance. Similarly, harboring the past contaminates the future. For example, imagine seeing a dead fly in your glass of water. You don’t recycle it, you eliminate it.  If you truly want to have a new year and not take any excess baggage with you from the past, then you have to have look within and ask yourself, “What do I have to stop recycling in my life? What are the things I need to have closure on? Who are the people I need to forgive or give a second chance. Who are the people in my life I have to say goodbye to? I know you may have attachments to the past because you have worked so hard and invested a ton, but you never know what you may be missing until the new arrives. I hope you stop recycling the past in 2014 and start the New Year with fresh rigor and expectation.