Answers To Questions On Different Aspects Of Life

Question and answer section about different aspects of life such as CAREER, LIFE, BUSINESS, FINANCE and RELATIONSHIP.

It sounds great when we find the perfect answers to the questions that have been bordering our minds. If you can take few minutes to go through these questions and answers from real people, you will find this section very useful. It can spur ideas that might be useful for you or someone close to you. The questions are from several aspects of life such as business, career, relationship, finance, and even academics. Below are the questions from real people during the question and answer section with Sam Adeyemi.

QUESTION: "I don't need to advertise my services/products on TV or radio, if they're of good quality, people will tell people" What do you think about this idea Sir?

ANSWER: That's one aspect of marketing. You need to utilize every form. That statement will not work in 2021.

QUESTION: I am a fashion designer and I can make clothes very well, but my problem is money to establishes it. How can I raise money?

ANSWER: Go and work with a bigger and better fashion designers company where you can raise money with more ideas before starting your own, to reduce your financial challenges.

QUESTION: Everything is just difficult for me, how am I going to overcome it? please help me out?

ANSWER: start by changing your thinking.

QUESTION: As a business owner (SME), how can I get tax relief?

ANSWER: Speak to your accountant or get one.

QUESTION: I am into catering as a chef working in a hotel for some years now, how can I succeed as a chef in my career?

ANSWER: You can start by using Instagram. Own a youtube channel. Show your skills and present your dishes with quality. Also, get an Instagram page and promote your work.

QUESTION: How do I know if I'm going to be rich in future?

ANSWER: Do you believe you will be rich? Change your mindset. As you think in your heart so it is. If you believe convincingly that you will be rich, yes you will!

QUESTION: How can we break from the spirit of poverty, delay and stagnation in my family? my dad and mom worked for more than 32years without a house or anything and now he is retired, he has not been paid since July this year.

ANSWER: You need to start from how you think about wealth. Your mindset has to change. You cannot use a poverty mindset to become rich. Start somewhere! No prayer can help someone who thinks differently from what God intended for you.

QUESTION: I'm a girl of 18 and I am a fashion designer, but things are not really going fine and I am slowly losing my self-esteem and confidence. I am under pressure from family just to make money and be the perfect child. I just don't know what to do because I am almost depressed trying to act all perfect. I need advice on what to do and also my Christian life is dropping drastically and everything is just weighing me down mentally. I need advice.

ANSWER: Get a mentor in this area. You need to reach out to someone who has done what you are doing before and get guidance. Show your parents a plan of what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it. Speak to them lovingly and patiently. Also, get into a group of people who are better achieving. About your Christian life; recommit to God. Get accountable to someone. Go for your goals. Do something daily that moves you to your goals. Don't get discouraged. Every time you feel discouraged, please bring out your goals and look at them. Use social media to promote your design.

QUESTION: My relationship failed recently because I always pushed the guy to become better and aim higher till he accused me of hurrying him ahead of his pace in life. Do you think I should just settle for mediocrity with him or let my determined nature push me on?

ANSWER: Men hate to feel like their women think they are not enough. The first thing in a relationship is acceptance, don't try to shape him to be what you want, if you are not okay with the way he is then you shouldn't just dive into the relationship, all a man needs from you is trust and support but if you push him too much, he would feel like you think he's not enough, you can read the book MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS BY JOHN GRAY.

QUESTION: I always find myself committing the sin I don't want to commit, no matter how I promise myself not to do it again, I kept doing it over and over again. Now I stop reading the Bible because I am still committing the sin despite reading the Bible. Please what can I do?

ANSWER: Pray to God Almighty for guardians. By His grace and mercies, He'll guide you out of this situation. But mind you, you shouldn't leave everything into God's hand alone. You need to play a vital role in this. Discipline yourself to the core. Take your mind off those sins for once. Guide your thoughts because that's where the battle is originating from. Please don't STOP reading your Bible. The devil is aware of how powerful God's word is that why he's trying to take your mind off God's words. May God Almighty see you through. (Amen)

QUESTION: I want to know how to boost the small scale business selling of building materials and paint that I just added to the work that I am doing before I became a salary earner with a small salary, please tell me what to do.

ANSWER: Get a mentor in that field, someone who has achieved the things you'd like to achieve in that field.

QUESTION: Presently I am a youth corp member in katsina and I know how to barb hair, I have saved up for the business. What should be my consideration before starting a business and what is the best way to increase sales?

ANSWER: There are lots of things you need before starting a business. First, find out very well what people are looking for and are ready to buy. Create solutions around those needs and invest your money in them. Don't go into any business without researching whether or not people are craving the product or service. This is why people fail in business; they go into business and start looking for customers. Again, there are highly recommend and sought-after Digital skills you can learn and make money online legitimately while doing your service in Katsina. Finally, get a business coach and a mentor.

QUESTION; I have a zeal to acquire Skills in ICT and explore myself in Information and Communication Technology, but the resources and material are what I don't have, sometimes I feel disappointed because I haven't started yet, I have tried so many other Jobs but non is to my satisfaction, I am still keen on that ICT desire of mine, but the way to go about achieving it is what is baffling me. I have been patient with myself, waiting for the right time. Sometimes, I think maybe God hasn't approved it for me yet, but I don't know how to fix things to archive this zeal of mine. I need Courage

Answer: Start with learning some tech skills. Like graphics, ebook creation, Digital marketing e.t.c

QUESTION: Is it a good idea for the workforce of a church in their respective department to run as a voluntary Service group in Church and as a business? E.g Media Team also running as a media company, ushering team running as a professional ushering company, worship team running also as a professional Christian music company, protocol running also a running a professional security company

ANSWER: Why not create a brand under the church that will cater for all this plus anyone who works with this brand gets paid.

QUESTION: I have great visions and plans but I sometimes fear that they might not come true due to some challenges. How can I deal with those fears and lack of confidence?

ANSWER: You need courage. You need to try first. If you do not give a trial, you will never know. Go for it.

QUESTION: I have two certificates in education and the only business I am sure of doing perfectly is running a school of my own, but I don't have the start-up fund. Please sir, how can I raise funds for this business?

ANSWER: Work in a very good school for some time while you save up money. If you have a space to start up daily lessons, you could add that to it as a side hustle while working.

QUESTION: I want to know what to do, in a situation when all things in my life are not working out as supposed, but as a Christian, I have tried every possible way to work it out both in hard work, prayer, and selfless service to God, but all I could observe is seeing my walls collapsing. What do I do at this point?

ANSWER: You seem to have made the problem seem bigger than it is and that would keep making it seem to be so, it is not possible for everything in your life not to be working, there may just be some few things that are not working as you want, and you need to identify them, and you haven't tried every possible way to make it work, you might have tried some things but you haven't tried everything, you have to change your mindset about the problem. That would be your first step to a breakthrough.

QUESTION: I am a type of person that whenever I attend Church program, seminar, or conference, there is this type of zeal or motivation in me when the speaker is speaking or teaching that makes me feel to do like them or even better than them. But when the Church program, seminar or conference is over, the zeal or motivation is also over.  How can I overcome such situations?

ANSWER: The challenge you're having is that after hearing all of those teachings/ motivational words, you don't FOLLOW UP WITH STRATEGIC ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY. After hearing all of those words, start taking actions that will direct you to the positive results you're looking for. Strategic action is the only thing that will bring the results, not just those words alone.

QUESTION: I have a talent of writing. I have written two books but nothing in terms of money is coming. I have envisaged a business outline but without capital. I have two manuscripts that I want to sell at a giveaway prize to raise money for the business. What can I do about this?

ANSWER: You can publish an ebook. Make money from the Ecopy to raise money for the hardcopy.

QUESTION: How can I boost my confidence back, I have been so afraid to move on due to past experience. I feel depressed and traumatized.

ANSWER: You need therapy.

QUESTION: I am a young boy of 21 years. I am currently a final year student and the first child too. With the help of the Lord, I touched money at the tender age of 16 years, but was unwise to know how to manage it and everything just went into smoke.

Apart from that, I have got pressing issues from my parents, please and even from myself.

Issues like;

1. Who am I?

2. What am I to do on Earth?

3. How do I even get to where I am supposed to be?

4. If I am called, how do I get started?

5. How can I get good financial education.

All these are some of the issues I am going through that I would love you to help me out with.

ANSWER: Get books and read, I recommend 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen covey, maximizing your potential by John Maxwell and Rich Dad poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

QUESTION: How I am going to help a depressed person because I have not experienced such before. I will appreciate your response. Thank you, Sir.

ANSWER: BY making the person engage in meaningful things that will benefit him or her, let the person continue to study the word of God, and always be around positive people with good and genuine advice.

QUESTION: I have a fan base of over ten thousand children in primary and secondary schools in two major states, how can I convert this to a stream of income.

ANSWER: Become a teen coach.

QUESTION: I am a graduate since 2018, I have been sending my CV to so many companies, I updated my CV, yet I can't get a job, what would have caused this?

ANSWER: Create a job for yourself!! Learn a skill, enrol as an apprentice, combine it with the education you got. You will be on top!!

QUESTION: I don't know why I have been finding it difficult to say 'yes to a man that has been asking for my hand in marriage for months now. Please what could be the reason?

ANSWER:  Maybe you don't feel convinced enough that he's the right choice for you, and saying you don't know why you can't say yes to him kinda feels like you don't know what you want and you need to. Know exactly what you want, so you don't end up with what you don't want because of the circumstances around it.

QUESTION: Good morning sir, I love making snacks and that is what made me venture into it fully. I started selling from small to large Quantities. But recently, I have had a little challenge with my customers, due to the high rise of recipes in the market, I have to reduce the quantity of my product, but my customers are complaining comparing it to people that do their own commercially more than I could do. It discouraged me though, what can I do?

ANSWER: As an entrepreneur, I suggest you explain to them and try to make them understand why it is that way. I know they'll threaten to leave for another vendor. However, if you think it's worth reducing the number of snacks you produce to be able to buy the complete ingredients, do it. But, if I were in your shoes, I would make it as tasteful as usual and increase the price. Some of them will buy while others will go. But with that, you can maintain your feet in the market.

QUESTION: I want to pass my WAEC and NECO without malpractice but no educational infrastructure (e.g, laboratory, e.t.c) should I get involved in cheating? because I tried for the first time and my chemistry was F9 and Physics P8.

ANSWER: No, don't get involved in exams malpractice. If the location you find yourself in doesn't have the needed academic infrastructures, search for some other place that does, then register for their tutorials. But the undiluted truth is that you'll need to work more on yourself. Make a sincere evaluation of your strength/weaknesses as a student. When you understand the basic factors that will enhance your learning abilities, passing WAEC and NECO or any other exams will be easy for you.

QUESTION: As a married woman with two kids and in the middle '20s. Do I still need to obey and heed my parents against my husbands wish since the bible said children obey your parents, Is it still applicable to me as a married woman? Especially when my husband is not in support of their idea?

ANSWER: Judge from the advice of both parties. Follow whose advice is right.

QUESTION: I'm into Real Estate and Chief Executive Officer Of my company. what are the measures to apply in order to thrive in a rigid economic policy in a country such as Nigeria as regards to Real Estate business? I will be very glad to understand the right approach to enable my company to grow stronger.

ANSWER: if you grow, your company will grow. Get a mentor in this area(real estate) with some coaching if possible. To move your company forward you also need superstars working for you. people who are good. Check out this book (The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy.)

QUESTION: Good morning Sir, I have run a small snack business for two months now but I find out that I keep losing my capital and I have to source out money to start over again. Although I feed on the money. I need help

ANSWER: I think your expenses from the business is bigger than the income and that ain't right. Check how much you make at a particular period and how much you spend from the business. 70% of your income should go into your savings while 30% can be used for any other necessities

QUESTION: Sir, I want to write a book. How do I start?

ANSWER: Get a topic. Break down what you want to cover in that book. Do some research. Start writing.

QUESTION: How do I know the will of God for me in choosing a life partner?

ANSWER: For you to know the will of God in a relationship, you need to be dead to flesh by trying to choose for yourself, there are things you need to put into consideration. When you see the right person, you will notice the peace of mind, total conviction without any doubt, sincerity and total commitment without holding back anything, understanding, commitment to your well being and not after sex, future ambition or target.

QUESTION: I want to create a health app. I have a picture of what I want in my mind but don't know how to start. What can I do sir? I am a nurse.

ANSWER: First of all, partner with people who are into App creation, but be careful because of wrong people who will steal that idea, then do some online research to gather ideas that will lead you into that, nothing good come easy, give more time into the training every day, it doesn't matter even if you do mistake, you can still start all over again until you get what you want.

QUESTION: How do I improve my leadership and communication Skills without a mentor.

ANSWER: Work on yourself through listening to some important messages/CD, or online research. YouTube have it all. You can learn public speaking and communication through YouTube. Try it and follow a lot of communication experts, learn by observation and practice.

QUESTION: How can I become a successful businessman? Do you know any book I can read about that?

ANSWER: Start with building yourself, check out my book online; Start with what you have (Sam Adeyemi)

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The Road To Success

8 Steps To Become Successful

The Road To Success; Don't walk it in this way

Short stories with lessons - How to become successful

When I was very young, I love to practice some funny stuff. There was a day I closed my eyes and started walking to see how possible it is to cope without eyes.

It is fun, and I was enjoying it.

After about 6 to 8 steps, I quickly opened my eyes to see if I am still on the right track. Then I closed my eyes again to explore the BLIND WORLD a little bit further.

As the saying goes; "a dog that will go astray will never hear the whistle of the hunter". Although, my ancestors have whispered in my ear that "stop this thing you are doing, you young boy", but I refused and disobeyed. 

As you can guess, after another 6 to 8 steps, I hit my forehead with the wall " GBOOOS!"

Lesson from the story

1.Find your vision before setting out on your success journey.

2.Don't allow ignorance to blindfold you

3.Take advice from superior minds

HOW TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL

Success isn't about big houses, expensive cars, or any other material things. You are not created just to go to school, get good grades, get good jobs, marry a wife/husband, give birth to kids, build houses, buy huge cars, get old, retire and die. NO! True success is all about the lives you impacted,  the ability to give to the less privileged, and the legacy you left even after you are gone. Success is about pursuing things that actually make a lasting difference.

You can become successful in any area of calling, but to achieve that, you must take action. No single factor guarantees achievement to one person but prevents it for another. When you focus on your goals, take steps and have a little faith in yourself, you can achieve noteworthy success.

All great men who made history had something in common which made them attain great height, and these are the major things listed and explained below:

STEPS TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL

1. Discover Your Vision

Vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom, It can be termed as 'far-sightedness.' Your vision defines who you want to be, what you want to be known for and the set of accomplishments you aim for. Your vision helps define the goals by giving you a framework to evaluate those goals.

Vision simplifies life and it controls your choices. Once you know where you are going, you also automatically know the road that won't take you there. This will make you focus on the most important things. Vision should be your source of motivation and that is why it is an important step for you to be successful in life.

Discovering your vision is a step you must not skip. You need to have the map of where

you want to be if you want to be successful, that 'map'  is your vision.

2. Belief In Yourself

Only what you believe is allowed to happen. Positive things are not exempted. And if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. You need the right mindset to do so. You have to believe that you can do it to take the right steps toward the desired aim or plan. There are some qualities you need as an individual to position yourself for greatness in your area of calling, do not neglect the right attitudes which you need to travel your life journey successfully.

If you don't believe in your abilities you can never be successful in anything you lay your hands on. You may have been asking yourself within your mind that how can I be successful, or someone has come to you asking the question "what are the steps to become successful?" You should be aware that believing in yourself is one important factor that determines how far you can go.

3. Set Goals

Goal setting is the process of taking active steps to accomplish your desired result. Goal setting involves the development of an action plan created to motivate and guide a person or group toward a goal. Hence, setting goals means that an individual or group has committed thought, emotion, and attitude towards attaining the goal. In doing so, the goal setter has defined a desired future state which differs from their current state, thus organizing a mismatch which in turn stimulates future actions.

There are different types of goal setting, ranging from personal development goals, business goals, academic goals and other aspects of life. The bigger the goals, the more effort you will need to put forth to achieve those goals. However, do not forget the rules for goal setting which is SMARTA. The meaning of that acronym is stated below

S-SPECIFIC

M-MEASURABLE

A-ACHIEVABLE

R-REALISTIC

T-TIME BOUND

A- ALIGNMENT

Goal setting is one of the key elements of attaining noteworthy success. It is an elaborate topic that needs to be studied if you want to set achievable goals.

4. Be Disciplined

Discipline doesn't mean punishment or making ourselves do something we don’t want to. Discipline is what you may not like doing, but have the opportunity to do to get the results you would like to have.

You need the discipline to keep yourself moving forward and as well towards the life, you want to live during those times that don’t seem to be producing immediate results. Without discipline, successful life is not attainable.

Discipline is needed to back up goal-setting to accomplish the aims and objectives.

5. Develop Persistence

I am very sure that this is not the first time you will hear this statement "winners never quit", right?

You can't be aspiring to become successful and then you are afraid of failure. All successful men you see today have one or more times fail in one thing or the other, but they never give up on their dreams and that is why you see them winning today. Persistence is another thing you must have as an individual to become successful. If you try and fail, try again and again and again until you accomplish what you desired.

There are several real examples you and I know of very well, remember Abraham Lincoln, a one-time American president who tried several times before he won the elections as a president of the United States. Another man I won't do without mentioning is Thomas Edison who failed at several attempts when he was trying to create the light bulb we use today. If he did not persist, will he make it a reality? absolutely no!

6. Have Courage

You have to get courage, you need it to scale through the moments of fear of failure or danger. There are several risks you must be willing to take with the courage to get what you want. You need the courage to act outwardly on what you see inwardly. If you fail to do so you will end up regretting that you didn't take a bold step toward your desire. An how do you face challenges of life that may want you to quit due to fear? at that moment, you have to focus on your ability and not your weakness, if the I CANT mentality has overshadowed your ability, then you will not be able to take bold steps.

Courageous people are not concerned about the time it would take them to get what they want. What they are always concerned about is how to carry out their plan and other necessary things that must be put in place to give the result they want.

7. Live A Life Of Influence

If you ever want to be successful in life, you must strive to be a guide to others. If you can develop other people then you are truly a successful man or woman. Don't just build yourself and stay satisfied, build others as well and you will see your result multiplying rapidly.

What is influence?

Influence is the capacity to affect the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself. This key step of becoming successful that I  mentioned is about the positive ones. I am not talking about the negative influences that have corrupted our society today such as people who train armed robbers, kidnappers and so many other negative businesses out there. Ensure the Impact you are trying to make is a positive one, because that is another key way of becoming truly successful.

If you notice the first statement in this write-up which says; Success isn't about big houses, expensive cars, or any other material things. Success is about the lives you impacted. Success is about pursuing things that actually make a lasting difference.

8. Obey Your Creator

Who is your creator?

God right?

You need to commit yourself to your creator and listen to his voice. He knows the plan he has for your life and he alone can direct you to the right path. If you disobey Gods command, your success is not a solid one even if you ever made It. He has given us a book full of promises and commandments. The reason God gave some commandments to us is due to his love for humanity, he wants us to live in peace and comfort. If you study the holy book very well, you will discover that God intends to make us come to him and enjoy the beauty of his love. And if anyone obeys him, such a person will receive God's grace to scale through life hurdles.

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The Struggles Of Our Life

Inspirational short stories with lessons - How to advance through adversity

Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.

The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.

He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she quickly replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich flavour brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity (the boiling water). However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Lessons from the story:

1. In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to it and what you make out of it.

2. Life is all about learning, adapting and transforming all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

HOW TO ADVANCE THROUGH ADVERSITY

Challenges are bound to occur in our journey through life. You must be aware that no difficulty is permanent. For you to advance in times of adversity, you need to develop the willpower not to give up. That is the assured way to overcome, if you don't give up, you will define win.

9 STEPS TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY

When adversity occurs in an individual's life, most people tend to look for the escape route. Withdrawing from adversity is not the best step to take. Whenever disaster struck against any individual, all he/she will want to do is to find an escape and avoid the disaster. Such a response to adversity shows that the individual is weak or has not developed personally.

There are two responses to adversity

1. The first one is to exclaim, "Life is so terrible" or "why me Lord?" and most times weak individuals will say "but you don't understand what I am going through." The issue of adversity is a personal one, and that is why many feel their situation is worse than anyone else's.

2. The second one is to think positively "if I can't pay the price, then I don't deserve the prize". And then such individuals position the mind to find the perfect solution to such a situation.

We may feel like a situation is too terrible and there is no solution to it but that is not true. There are ways we can approach unavoidable situations in our life. You must refuse to be discouraged. Below are the steps to overcoming adversity:

1. SPEAK POSITIVELY TO YOUR SITUATION

Each time the fear of failing grabs you, speak positive words aloud to that situation. Here are some positive affirmations to repeat regularly:

" all is well"

"I will conquer"

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"

"This is not the end of my life"

" I am unstoppable"

"I shall not grow weary" "I am unstoppable" 

2. SELF MOTIVATION

At times, we become overwhelmed by the issues we face every day. And when stress is becoming much, it leads to depression. And to avoid breaking down in this situation, you have to brace up and encourage yourself. Take a look at the goals you set that gives you hope. Colourfully view the future and encourage yourself with what you can accomplish. It is not a bad thing to fall, you only need to get up and start moving again when you fall.

3. THINK OUT OF THE BOX

If you address the situation with an emotional state, it will keep getting worse. That is why you need to detach yourself from the situation first and then you can think of the way out. You will agree with me that it is easier to show how somebody else can change the situation they are in. You can spot the ways they can get out of a situation in which they found themselves since you are not emotionally attached to the situation, and it is easier to look at the problem from a different and better perspective.

This doesn't mean that you should throw away the box. You don't need to throw away the box, you only need to think out of it. To overcome adversity in your life, detach yourself from the situation and look at it from a different perspective. Treat it as another man's case and you will find a solution to the problem.

4. FIND OUT THE CAUSE

Most times, the hardship or problems we find ourselves in are the outcomes of our past actions. If you can investigate the source of the crisis, it will help you to get the right solution to the problem.  Because to change your situation, you need to change your thought and actions, Henry Ford said 'If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.' Wrong decisions are part of the cause of adversity in our life. You must try to figure out the cause of the problem and Look into how to change that situation. Find a way to face and surpass the challenges that are holding you back from success. Never blame other people, the system, or the government for your misfortune.

5. DEVELOP RESILIENCE

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It refers to the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Being resilient does not mean you won't experience stress, emotional upheaval, and suffering. Being able to recover readily from misfortune, tragedy, setback, or any other form of adversity. You need to be willing to try again after every fall. Instead of thinking of quitting, map out the plan of how to get back on track.

"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

― Maya Angelou

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

― Thomas Edison

6. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE

Words from other people can affect the way we see situations. If all you got around you are people who always see doom in every circumstance, it will affect your progress, it will either prevent you from moving forward or reduce your ability, making the situation look harder.

But to save yourself, never move with people who always see impossibilities in every situation.

"Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, you should focus on emphasizing the positive.” 

― Jean Chatzky

7. INVEST IN YOURSELF

This sounds like a proverb, right? You may be asking that what do I mean by invest in yourself? Investing in yourself is all about spending as little or as much money to develop yourself. 

It is the ability to gather enough information about ways you can move from point A to point B and finally reach your goal. You will surely overcome adversity if you can develop yourself for the result you desired. Here are ways you can invest in yourself:

• Discover yourself.
• Read good books.
• Read blog posts that deals with what you intend to improve on.
• Develop new skills.
• Never stop learning (That is the number one key to success, however, learn only things that are important to your journey)

8. LINK UP WITH SUCCESS

Adversity is a barrier to success, and the only way you can scale through is to find the 'ladder' or 'bridge' that will help you get to your dream. BELIEVING IN YOUR ABILITY is one of the bridges, having FOCUS is one of them, setting and accomplishing GOALS, making the right CHOICES, can be the bridge you needed.

When limits are broken, adversity vanishes. This means that when you can link up with success with the right ladder, you won't fall.

9. FIND A MENTOR

There are key steps to finding the right mentor. You need a mentor especially for rapid growth in your career/ business. A mentor will guide, motivate and even share experiences with you. The importance can never be overemphasized.

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SILENCED!

 SILENCED!

Inspirational Short Stories with lessons - How to overcome the fear of threats and break free of danger.

"Would you keep quiet you silly brat!", he yelled at me. 

I kept struggling, kicking and cursing under my breath.

Irritated by my defence mechanisms, he silenced me with a thunderous slap. I felt intense pains on my cheeks but they were nothing compared to the pains I felt in between my thighs.

He forced himself into me amidst curses. It was more painful than the rest of the days. Perhaps that was my punishment for putting up a defence.

"When would all this end?", I wept silently as he made animalistic noises.

"If someone else gets to know about this,  I would kill you. Don't even try telling your mum unless you want her dead", he warned as he zipped up his pants.

I spat at him.

"Animal! I hate you".

He grinned and whistled as he left the room.

I had so much hatred for him. I wished I could kill him. 

Mum, an American-trained barrister would come home to see my eyes swollen due to prolonged weeping. She would probe me to open up to her but his threats kept me mute.

I just wished she would figure out that her husband, my step-dad has been forcing me into immoral acts with him.

"Christy, please talk to me. Why are you sad?", Mum would ask but I couldn't say a word.

Deep down I wanted to be free from his shackles, molestations and abuses yet I couldn't say a word to voice out my pain.

His threats were like a pin fastened to my throat. It seemed like my mouth was masked up with steel tape.

I needed salvation from my step dad's torment yet I couldn't voice out my pain.

Not until I made a decision...

That night he came to me as usual with his ropes ready to bind my hands so I wouldn't hinder the penetration.

I was prepared for him. I took out my knives from the pillow and threatened to cut him in bits.

We had struggled with the knives until his manly strength overpowered mine. He had his way into me. I sustained bruises and knife cuts due to our struggle.

That midnight, I banged on the door to mum's room. She was surprised to see me half-naked as I walked into the room.

 

"Christy! What is the matter with you?"

I looked at the devil in his pyjamas sleeping comfortably on the king-sized bed and I felt like using a knife to cut off his manly organ, roast it as meat and serve it to him as a meal.

"Christy talk to me", mum shouted.

I showed her the cuts on my body, the severe injuries in between my thighs and so many more.

She screamed in fright. 

"Who did this to my daughter?"

And I told her everything.

Artwork by ParentCo

She woke him up with a slap on his face. The beast was surprised to see my mum & I shedding tears. He saw my unclad body with all bruises visible. And then he knew the river has overflown.

He was arrested that midnight and beaten mercilessly by the human rights officials. Later on, he was prosecuted and given a life sentence.

Hmm...

That was how I got my freedom. I got tired of being silenced and I voiced out.

Many of us are like me.  We find ourselves in terrible pains, situations and challenges. We cry and crave for salvation yet we never open our mouth to tell our problems to God. We expect him to see our pains and troubles and come to our aid.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; to him that knocketh it shall be opened Matthew 7:7-8 

Story Written by Julius Favour Vivian

Lessons from the story

1. Never keep mute when you are cheated. Most threats are fake, it is just to keep the victim mute.

2. If you don't ask for something, you may not receive it.

How to overcome the fear of threats and break free of danger.

Threats of violence can have serious impacts on your mental health. Some of the issues it creates include anxiety, fear, self-blame and lack of concentration. When you are vulnerable to danger, you may also experience physical issues like dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, headaches, chest pains,

 and sleeplessness.

Threats can be in different forms, and each requires a different approach. You’ll often need to quickly evaluate the situation so you can determine how serious the threat is and the best way to address the issue. Any kind of threat is illegal, especially if it involves physical harm just like the story above.

Threats can either be credible or non-credible.

Credible Threat

This kind of threat is true, serious, and real. The person has the ability to carry out the threat if the victim finally discloses the matter.

Non-credible Threat

This kind of threat is not real, the person just wants to enslave the victim so as not to disclose the matter. Just like an illusion, it is false evidence appearing real.

When you are threatened by an individual close to you or even by a stranger, the way you react can vary from becoming aggressive to feeling fearful and unsure of what to do next. Be informed that the way you handle the issue can have a dangerous impact on your life.

Source: gettyimages

Here are steps you need to take whenever you want to break free of threat or you  found yourself in this kind of situation.

What To Do When Someone Threatens you

Stay calm whenever you’re dealing with a threat. When there is a problem,  it is easy to say things you shouldn’t.  and the last thing you want to do is create an evidence trail that could put some of the blame on you. Take it seriously but do not threaten back. Also, be very careful of putting any type of response in form of writing to the person.

Always think before you act, Avoid all things that can have severe, long-term consequences on you or those that are on your side.

Source: pexels

1.Have faith and believe that you will conquer

The way you see yourself in such a situation matters a lot. If you feel defeated within you, there is a problem. But if you can cheer yourself up that God will save you through an individual, you are on your way out of such a predicament. The more you allow fear to occupy your mind, the more difficult such situation will look like. Most threat based on assault is like a shield for the culprit to keep the victim mute and protect himself from punishment or loss of dignity.

2. Gather And Retain All evidence

Firm evidence is needed in this situation. To make it easier to get out of it and for people to believe you, make sure you hold onto all evidence From the moment the threat arises.

Things like messages, screenshots, and record of telephone conversation will be helpful if you need to take legal or civil action. If it happens to be a physical one, you may record the voice of such an individual if you got the opportunity to do so.

3. Tell Someone you trust

Make sure you talk to someone capable about what’s going on. Never deal with a threat on your own. Let he/she be aware of the person who is threatening you and show such person the evidence you have gathered. This should be done wisely. Once you are courageous enough to explain what has happened to someone without the knowledge of the individual who abused you, then you are at a higher edge to overcome the situation.

4. Make Peace 

If you feel the threat is a non-credible one, you may want to reach out to the person who is threatening you. See if you can resolve the issue amicably However, in many cases, this can make things worse. If you decide to take this approach, be cautious so that that step won't exacerbate the situation. Some threats can never be settled amicably due to the situation behind them.

Source: pexels

5. Take a Legal Action

But if the case is a severe one, that is a credible threat. It’s very important and highly recommend to take such threat seriously and do what you need to be on the safer side. If someone threatens you, do your best to remain calm and shrewdly report the case to the police or other law enforcement body dealing with such kind of issues.

Most times, the culprit may be arrested and such individual faces assault charges. This is usually a non-indictable offence, but if it’s serious, it could result in a jail term.

Be informed that some are threats are only empty threats and you only need to take courage and voice out to overcome the fear caused by that threat.

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The Young Female Reporter

The Young Female Reporter

Inspirational short stories with lessons; How to achieve your aim and desires

Source: Pexels

In 1995, I granted an interview with a newspaper in Singapore. The young female reporter was on time, and the interview got underway immediately. We sat in the lobby of a luxurious hotel, sipping coffee and discussing the purpose of my visit to Singapore. I was to share the platform with Zig Ziglar. He was speaking on motivation, and I was speaking on "The Secrets of the Rich."

"Someday, I would like to be a best-selling author like you," she said.

I had seen some of the articles she had written for the paper, and I was impressed. She had a tough, clear style of writing. Her articles held a reader's interest. "You have a great style," I said in reply.  "What holds you back from achieving your dream?"

"My work does not seem to go anywhere," she said quietly. "Everyone says that my novels are excellent, but nothing happens.  So I keep my job with the paper. At least it pays the bills. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yes, I do," I said brightly.  "A friend of mine here in Singapore runs a school that trains people to sell. He runs sales-training courses for many of the top corporations here in Singapore, and I think attending one of his courses would greatly enhance your career."

She stiffened.  "Are you saying I should go to school to learn to sell?"

I nodded.

"You aren't serious, are you?"

Again, I nodded.  "What is wrong with that?" I was now back peddling. She was offended by something, and now I was wishing 11 had not said anything. In my attempt to be helpful, I found myself defending my suggestion.

"I have a master's degree in English Literature. Why would I go to school to learn to be a salesperson? I am a professional. I went to school to be trained in a profession so I would not have to be a salesperson. I hate salespeople. All they want is money. So tell me why| I should study sales?" She was now packing her briefcase forcibly. The interview was over.

On the coffee table sat a copy of an earlier best-selling book I wrote. I picked it up as well as the notes she had jotted down on her legal pad. "Do you see this?" I said pointing to her notes.

Source: Unsplash

She looked down at her notes.  "What," she said, confused.

Again, I pointed deliberately to her notes.  On her pad, she had written "Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author." "It says 'best-selling author,' not best 'writing' author." Her eyes widened immediately.

"I am a terrible writer. You are a great writer. I went to sales school. You have a master's degree. Put them together and you get a 'best-selling author' and a 'best-writing author."

Anger flared from her eyes. "I'll never stoop so low as to learn how to sell. People like you have no business writing. I am a professionally trained writer and you are a salesman. It is not fair."

The rest of her notes were put away, and she hurried out through the large glass doors into the humid Singapore morning. 

At least she gave me a fair and favourable write-up the next morning.

As narrated by Robert T. Kiyosaki (Author of Rich Dad Poor Dad)

Brief Biography: Robert Toru Kiyosaki (born April 8, 1947) is an American businessman and author. Kiyosaki is the founder of Rich Global LLC and the Rich Dad Company, a private financial education company that provides personal finance and business education to people through books and videos.

Lessons from the story

1. Be open to learning

2. Don't be offended by good advice, rather think about the lessons

3. Great talent is not enough, learn as much as you can.

How to achieve your aim, goals, and desires

Source: Unsplash

Everything in life is all about the decision. If you win, it is as a result of your decision. And if you lose, it is the outcome of your decisions as well. Read on How-to- be-more_productive

1. Be teachable: If you want to be successful, you must keep growing. The best way to achieve your aim is to make yourself a continual learner. ''It is what you learn after you know it all that counts" ___John Wooden 
2. Build a great interest in learning things that will help you achieve your aims: Learning is not an activity that has a climax, it Is a lifelong pursuit. Your ego is the first thing you need to deal with if you ever want to be teachable. Feeling superior will never help matters because there is a thing you can learn from everyone whether young or old. Pride leads to a loss of desire to learn and an unwillingness to change. Pride often makes a person unteachable. And if you ever want to accomplish your aim, you must become teachable. Learn to listen to instructions, listen more than you talk. Listen openly for the truth, do not act defensive when criticized. never skip the learning process. 
3. Be disciplined: Discipline can be defined as making yourself do something when you could be doing something more pleasant. Start by taking small activities to make things better. Then you can be increasing the speed as you go on. Do the things that hurt you less, so as not to feel discouraged at first. Push yourself into discomfort a little bit, so you can get better at this over time.

   

   Source: Unsplash

   
   
4. Develop the habit of following decisions promptly: Don't try to back up your mistakes with a formidable array of excuses. A disciplined person won't neglect any issue that needs attention. "Discipline is doing what you really don't want to do so you can do what you really want to do." ___Jeff Fisher

   

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5. Work on your mindset: Make personal development a priority for yourself. This may take a little time because every individual is a product of nature and nurture. The beliefs and notions that every individual grew up with will surely affect the mindset. Your hands will only reach the things that you believe is possible. Doubts and false ideas can prevent anyone from achieving his aim. 

   

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6. Look at issues with a positive perception: Don't be an agent of doom. Instead of talking about why it cannot be done, think of ways it can be done. Your mind is the greatest tool that can help you achieve your aim. Work more on feeding it with information that will make it grow from a chicken mindset to a lion's mindset. Picture whatever you want in your mind and back it up with steadfast faith. The first determinant of your success is the mind. Once you can overcome the negative of your desire, you are 99% to getting it.
7. Be hungry for more: The greatest threat to being all you could be is satisfaction with who you are. Back to the story above, the young female reporter said "...so I keep my job with the paper, at least it pays the bills." It shows clearly that her desire to become a bestselling author didn't consume her. She just wants to play it safe. Although she was a great writer she lacks the right things to move to the next stage. She said, "everyone says that my novels are ex excellent, but nothing happens." If she wants something to happen, she must have a burning desire to achieve her aim. And if you have previous achievements, don't rely on your laurels. "Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying" ___Roy T. Bennett

   

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8. Be specific: Let your aim or goals be clear. Don't say, "I just want to make it." Pinpoint the exact thing you want. The goal statement should indicate what should be accomplished. It should be phrased using action words like "sell," "save, " "create," "build," "implement,"). If the goal is measurable and specific, you can determine if you have accomplished it. If the goal is accomplished, the project is a success. Suppose your objective is to raise capital for your proposed business. An example of a specific goal to help you meet this objective is: "I will save 240 dollars in two months by saving 4 dollars every day for 60 days.
9. Have a definite plan and deadline: You need to map out the exact way you want to do it. The step by step guides should be written down. And most importantly, create a deadline for that plan. Procrastination is one of the greatest causes of failure. Most times, it is not a lack of knowledge or skill that causes disappointment. It is a lack of focus and inability to make a prompt decision.

   

   Source: Unsplash

   
   
10. Persist: It is pertinent to understand that despite your great courage and hard work, you may need to 'refire.' The exact result you desire may not appear immediately. That should never be an excuse to stop shaking the tree of life. Persist and you will surely get down the fruit unheard of. If you keep trying, you will learn, grow and as well be whatever you want to be. If Micheal Jordan had stopped at the sight of failure when he first attempts basketball, He won't be noticed or ever called a great basketball player. He said;

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something but I cannot accept not trying" ___Micheal Jordan

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The tricky Donkey

The Tricky Donkey

Inspirational Short Stories with lessons: How to improve and grow personally to be more productive

A salt seller used to carry the salt bag on his donkey to the market every day. There was a stream they have to cross on the way to the market.

One day, the donkey suddenly tumbled down the stream and the salt bag also fell into the water. The salt dissolved in the water and hence the bag became very light to carry. The donkey was happy.

Then the donkey started to play the same trick every day.

The salt seller came to understand the trick and decided to teach the donkey a lesson. The next day instead of salt, he loaded a cotton bag on the donkey.

Again it played the same trick hoping that the cotton bag would become more lighter.

But the dampened cotton became very heavy to carry and the donkey suffered. It learnt a lesson and didn’t play the trick anymore after that day, the seller was happy about it.

Lessons from the story:

1. Luck won’t favour always.

2. Do not avoid responsibilities with tricks, rather be productive.

There are several Individuals out there pretending as a beggar, most of them have a healthy body, they are not a handicap, they just chose to be a beggar and survive life with tricks. The reason why most of these set of people engage in such trick is their laziness and inability to discover that they are powerful and can dominate their world. Most people act foolishly when they are pitied. A person who always expect people to pity him or her will likely be unproductive. And once laziness becomes part and parcel of an individual, it becomes hard for that individual to become better or productive.

Another category of people who are also suffering from laziness are those who avoid what needs to be attended to in their lives. Busy people are often the laziest, they are too busy to work on themselves. They are busy with their work, they fail to create time to work on their personal development. They stay busy as a way of avoiding something they do not want to face. They often know that something important needs to be attended to in their lives, but they prefer to stay busy as a way of avoiding it. That is the most common form of laziness. An attitude of unwillingness to change. They failed to attend to issues in their lives. They prefer to be busy watching TV, playing snooker, or even at work rather than working on themselves or increasing the quality of their lives.

Another set of unproductive people are those who feel entitled. This type of people is just like those who pretend as beggars. Theirs is done in another way. They often call several people who are close to them for support. They ask for a share of what doesn't belong to them, but they rather see it as a right. They justify themselves with words like "he is my uncle, I can ask whatever I want from him" "she is a sister to me, there is nothing wrong if she helps me." And most of the time, if the individual they looked up to was unable to help them, they see that person as wicked or not generous.

Productivity is commonly defined as a ratio between the output volume and the volume of inputs. In other words, it shows how efficient a person is, compared to the opportunities and materials an individual has at his disposal. It is the quality, state, or evidence of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth maximum value.

11 activities that can make you more productive

Have you ever asked yourself that how can I be more productive? How can I improve as an individual?, what do I need to do to be more valuable and creative?

“Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.”___Franz Kafka

How To Improve As An Individual

Our lives are a reflection of our habits more than our education. You need to make a habit out of self-improvement. Engage yourself daily in activities that contribute to your growth. Self-development is an art in itself, it is a continual process. It takes a lifetime of practice to master. The following are effective ways in which you can improve as an individual.

1. Research about the aspect of your life you want to improve: This is the first and crucial step. It is important because you will be able to select books, pieces of training, and the kind of materials you will need. You will be able to get clues of how to get started. Do you want to get better at a certain skill? or you want to be more confident and productive? Research about it to know the pieces of training or books that will be most beneficial.
2. Get the useful materials: Depending on the area of your life you want to improve on. Source for the materials that will be needed. There are books upon books that you can study. This generation is so blessed that you can get as much information you need as fast and easy as possible. Ensure you take notes as you access these materials. Get a notepad and pen for this special activity. Taking notes alone is not enough, you must take action too.
3. Find an accountability partner or people to train with: Self-improvement is more effective when it is done with others who are competent. Spend time with people who are working on similar things as you, and you'll find yourself cultivating new good habits at a faster rate than trying to do it all alone. Are you learning to play an instrument? Join other people who are doing the same and you will learn it faster and better.
   
   
   
4. Submit yourself to a mentor: A mentor is a person who has professional and life experience, who voluntarily agrees to help a mentee develop skills, competencies, or goals. A mentor is also an advisor and role model who is willing to invest in the mentee's personal growth and professional development. Most of the time there is an exchange by working in some way for or with them.
5. Reflect and measure your progress: Evaluate and see how far you have gone. Compare the previous state to the current state. No matter how intangible the thing you are working on is, you have to find some way to measure your progress. In such a way you'll know if you are progressing or not.
6. Celebrate/punish yourself: If you notice that you are progressing, celebrate yourself. You can decide to buy yourself your favourite drink. Relax and enjoy it at that moment. And if you fail to carry out the daily challenge, create a punishment for yourself, let your mentor or accountability partner hold you responsible.
7. Sincerity matters a lot: Making a decision is far easier than carrying it out. No amount of talking about it will ever initiate true change. Avoid the use of the word "I WILL" Take an immediate step and be true to yourself. Don't Deceive yourself by buying self-development books and leaving them on the table without opening them. No amount of talking will bring about change or growth, ACTION is what counts.
8. Set goals: Write clear goals about this new skill or habit you want to form down aim in your diary or journal. You can write it on a piece of small paper too and fix it beside your bed. Ensure it is not placed at a hidden place, paste it where it is easier for you to see. You must put in mind the rule of goal setting too. Your goals must follow the SMART rules.S- SPECIFIC, M- MEASURABLE, A-ACHIEVABLE, R-REALISTIC, T-TIME-BOUND
   
   
   
9. Select role models: We human beings tend to be motivated when we see others who have done what we intend to do. It is much easier to accomplish a challenge that someone else has been through. Look up to people who are a symbol of success concerning the kind of thing you want to improve on. Read about them, learn their ways of doing it and approach that aspect in your unique style. The aim of selecting a role model is just to motivate and inspire you, not to be exactly like them. Everyone has his unique style.
10. Be consistent: Don't act like a pendulum bob, swaying from one side to the other. Focus on one thing at a time and rigorously work it out into success. Be consistent, avoid having a long break in between sessions of your practice. Involve yourself regularly and dedicate yourself to getting a massive result.
    
    
    
11. Know when to relax a bit: It is not advisable to overwork yourself. Let the growth process consume you but don't let it finish you. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day. Break down your goals or aim into steps that are achievable at a go. If you are just starting, go with less speed and as you master the new skill or attitude, then you can move with full speed. I wish you the best, cheers to your life of productivity.

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