Adetola's journal

LIVE YOUR DREAMS.

2009-10-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

“A dream is just a dream, if it’s only in your head.
If no one gets to see it, it’s just as good as dead.”
Stephen Sondheim

I have always been enthralled by dreamers. People with great ideas or plan, especially those with unusual ones. And making dreams come true for myself and others is something I would like to work on.

Of late, I have been thinking seriously about where I want my life to go. Like many of you I have vision of doing something significant. I also know that many people abandon their dreams. So I promised myself that I would never give up trying, no matter what difficulties come my way.

And the difficulties did come- some of them more painful than I could have imagined, but I kept my promise and I am still keeping my promise. I have never given up and I would never give up. I have had challenges.

I was doing a research on personal development, I saw many people – good people, hard-working people, talented people – not experience the success they deserved. They weren’t failing, they were just no longer willing to go for the best that is within them. They have good intentions but somewhere along they gave up on themselves – they let their dreams slip away.

“Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die,
Life is like a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”
Langston Hughes

By investing the time and energy to get clear on our values and life purpose, by defining and articulating what we really want from all areas of our life and then consistently acting on our objectives, we will live a successful life. This kind of work isn’t easy. It requires deep thinking and honest soul searching. It is not something you do in an afternoon. It demands constant focus and attention. Unless you are the architect of your life, you cannot live your dreams.

By living our dreams, we give birth to things that never would have been, but more importantly, we become more of who we are in the process.

Don,t Tolerate, Be Happy.

2009-09-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances,

but rather a person in a certain set of attitudes”

Hugh Downs

Lately, I was thinking how much I love my life and I was feeling pretty good. Only a few months prior, my life wasn’t so great. I won’t go into all the sad and ugly details, but I wasn’t happy. Today, I am. In the course of my thinking, I began to ask myself what was the difference?

I have more fun, sure. I have a great relationship with my family and friends, yes. I am in good health, I love what I do, and I have fewer worries and fears. All this things contribute to my happiness but what stood out for me was my unwillingness to tolerate things I had previously accepted. I now expect more and better things in my life, and I don’t settle for things that I used to settle for.

Example: Someone recently spoke to me in a way I found in appropriate. Time when I would just accept it, maybe even get into it with them in a similar temper. This time, I told this individual I no longer allowed people to talk to me in that fashion and ended the conversation. Furthermore, I informed them that this type of exchange – if continued will seriously damage our relationship.

I realise we train people how to treat us, and in this case I put him to notice that the way he is speaking to me is not acceptable. Perhaps, I just value myself more than I used to. I share this with you not to brag about how well I am doing, but to encourage you to value yourself more –to tolerate less and to upgrade your life. It is easier than you might think.

It starts with becoming aware of the things you put up with that takes away your peace and saps your energy. All the little things that individually don’t seem like much but when added together create stress and stop you from experiencing your true bliss.

Today, I encourage you to determine in your heart never to tolerate. By doing this you open yourself to more of what life has to offer. Cheers

You Can...

2009-07-31T05:31:00.001-07:00

You can do it. You can be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished. You can make the most of your potentials, your talents, your skills, and your gifts. You can be who you want to be. You can be who God designed you to be if only you will be determined and strong enough to pay the price.Nevertheless,I am sure you know that the choice to pay the price is yours; no one else can make it for you. Only you can determine in your heart. I will only be helping by giving some few tips on how you can pay the price.
My dear,you can pay the price by: believing in yourself,

focusing,
pushing your limits,
setting goals, and
acting on those goals.

Believing in yourself. Before you can accomplish that goal, that dream you have always had, you need to believe in you because this is considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it, all others depend. You need to believe in yourself that you can. Believe you have got all it takes to be who you really want to be. You are only doing more harm than good if you don’t believe in yourself because you will lack the zeal to do your best. You need to understand that you have within you, right now, the ability to be, have and do far more than you have ever dreamed before.

Focusing. The fact is, if you lay hold of that which your heart desires, you can’t do it from your comfort zone. focus is the key to success because it pushes us toward that which is set before us. There is no time to distractions because what we focus on we become. What you give your attention to is what will be on your inside and what is inside you will determine the outcome of your situation. Your future is stored in your heart. Don’t get distracted; just keep pressing forward. You have got everything it takes!

Pushing your limits. One thing that stands out clear about success is pushing. Things will not just happen in your favor without you playing your role. You have to push. You have to leave your comfort zone and do the extraordinary. You have to understand the principle of pushing, constantly pressing forward, never being satisfied with past successes because the entire world is waiting for your new adventure. You can’t afford to live below your potentials. You have got many gift and talents, and so much more you need to maximize. Don’t get too comfortable or easily satisfied with where you are or what you have accomplished. There are many more things you haven’t experienced. There is something that only you can do, find it and push hard toward it. Give birth to the dreams and desires that God has placed in your heart. You can do this by pushing yourself.

Setting goals. You will only succeed because you know where you want to go. You must decide what you want to be and what you want to accomplish. The best is to set goals that will point you in the right direction. Goals will help you determine when you have arrived or if you have gotten off the track. You have to be specific and direct when setting goals. The goals you set must cover many areas. It is not enough to simply decide you want to earn as much as a million dollar a year or be the president of your country. You have to set goals. Set goals for your career, finances, leisure, relationships, etc.In setting goals, ask yourself what else you want in life, what changes you hope to make in yourself and your environment.

Acting on those goals. I must say it is not always easy. In order to act on those goals you set for yourself, you must have in mind a clear picture of the goal or goals you want to reach. You must visualize it clearly and you must be able to write them down. You also need to have a consuming desire to accomplish your goals, build your confidence, and set a course of action. Take time to plan, believe me you can have the highest goal possible, but if you don’t have some practical steps, it will never come to pass. You must practice it during every waking hour until it becomes a habit to greet self-doubt with self-confidence. You must have goals, develop self confidence, and know you are going to succeed.

If only you can do this, the result is mind-blowing. You will find that you have unleashed a powerful force that will allow you to achieve any goal that you set for yourself. I must also mention that it takes courage to act, it takes courage to stand up and be counted, but it takes more courage to keep standing. Be strong for yourself. I wish you all the very best.

ARE YOU PESSIMISTIC ?

2009-07-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

No one is better than you-some people are just better
developed and more knowledgeable in certain areas.

One of the worst things to do is to go through life being against yourself. Many people don’t really like who they are. They feel they are slow, undisciplined, unattractive, and untalented. They go as far comparing themselves with people. It is very important that you learn to feel good about yourself. The way you see yourself and the thought you have of yourself go a long way in determining who you are. It is also very important you ask yourself questions like, what saying to myself? What do I meditate on? Positive thoughts? Empowering thoughts? Affirming thoughts? Or do you go around thinking negative defeated thoughts, telling yourself terrible things that keep you from rising higher.
Your world may be upside down. Maybe your are far below your potentials, feeling bad about yourself, lacking confidence and wallowing in low self esteem. Have you considered that it could be a result of what you are constantly thinking of yourself? If your thought of yourself is negative. You have to change that before anything else can change.

Accept that you are where you are and what you are because
of yourself. If you don’t like it, change it!

Now, you need to keep the thoughts of yourself positive and hopeful. You should always have empowering, affirming thoughts. You have to get out of thinking negative about yourself because it will only set limits for your life. If you will think positive of yourself, you will not only enjoy your life more, but you will rise higher to a new level of confidence, a new level of boldness.
You need to get at peace with who you are. Quit allowing negative thoughts to play in your mind. May be like many people you don’t know how to turn it off. You think it is normal to go around feeling bad about yourself. No it is not. Get positive. Say to yourself everyday. I am valuable. I am attractive. I have a bright future ahead of me. As long as you stay focused on the negative, you will have war on your inside. You are not going to feel good about yourself. The only way to change this is to get your thought of you going in the right direction. Replace the negative with new, positive, uplifting messages and you will definitely rise higher. Start thinking the right thoughts about yourself today.

ITS GOOD TO BE BACK

2009-06-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Its really good to be back here.

I am writing some articles, which I will share with you all soon, but till then - please bear with me.

Adeleke Adetola.