NDUKA B. OJAIDE

Learn strategies on how to keep more of the money that you earn.

I don't know of any self-generated force that will do more for you than enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the expression of the dynamic vitality in your mental outlook - the way you walk, talk, and act. It is the result of your motivation and your physical magnetism and energy. It is the light in your eye, the timbre of your voice, the vigor in your handshake. It is the element that can kindle a fire under your chief aim and fan it into a burning desire. It is a quality that you must use as your march toward greatness. Enthusiasm begins with definiteness of purpose. Your goals must be so firmly entrenched that they're a part of your being. Unless you have the courage of your convictions, it is impossible to enthusiastically sell your ideas, your hopes and desires to others. Why should you want to know all you can know, learn all that you can learn, about the power of enthusiasm? Becos more than any other quality or trait of human personality, enthusiasm has been the companion of

One of the most interesting Americans who lived in the 19th century was a man by the name of Russell Herman Conwell. He was born in 1843 and lived until 1925. He was a lawyer for about fifteen years until he became a clergyman. One day, a young man went to him and told him he wanted a college education but couldn't swing it financially. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment, what his aim in life was, besides being a man of the cloth - that is. He decided to build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students. He did have a challenge however. He would need a few million dollars to build the university. For Dr. Conwell, and anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of his goal. Several years before this incident, Dr. Conwell was tremendously intrigued by a true story - with its ageless moral. The story was about a farmer who lived in Africa and through a visitor became tremendously excited about looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in ab

George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them." Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about. Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing... he becomes nothing. How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind. Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's go

At one time in his life, eighteen cents and two cans of sardines were the only thing that stood between him and starvation. He moved from one cheap Greenwich Village apartment to another - simply because he couldn't pay the rent. Twenty years of his life had already been spent in the military. While serving as a cook in the Coast Guard, he used nights and free time to write letters for fellow enlistees to their wives and girlfriends back home. Men who were either illiterate or found it too difficult to express themselves - at least on paper - became routine customers. It was during this time that he, too, fell in love - with writing. He didn't know it then, but his literary talents would eventually carry him to fame and fortune. But his success was anything but instant. Like so many things in his life, writing did not come easy. Creativity and composition were brutally difficult barriers. He labored seven nights a week for eight years before he sold his first article. When he r

One of the hardest things to do when you're communicating with someone is expressing yourself. How many times have you said something that just didn't come out the way you wanted it to? How many times have we said something that we really didn't mean, but we were too frustrated to stop it from being said? What's more, some people have a fear of expressing themselves at all. They're afraid to say something that might cost them a friendship. Or they bottle everything up tight and seize up at the mere thought of sharing their true emotions. This can be a constant struggle for people. However, it is something that can be conquered. If you are struggling to express yourself to others, or you know of someone who struggles, then read on. This article will show you what you can do to open up with others. THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION Every being on the planet communicates in some fashion. And the more complex the form of communication is, you will find more complex relati

An Old African sage, wise and influential, lived on the side of a mountain near a lake. It was common practice for the people of the village to seek his advice. The old man spent many hours sitting in front of his small hut, where he rocked in a crude rocking chair made of branches and twigs. Hour after hour he sat and rocked as he thought. One day he noticed a young African warrior walking on the path toward his hut. The young man walked up the hill and stood erect before the sage. "What can I do for you?" the old man said. The warrior replied, "I was told by those in the village that you are very wise. They said that you can give me the secret of happiness and success." The old man listened, then gazed at the ground for several moments. He rose to his feet, took the boy by the hand, and led him down the path back toward the lake. Not a word was spoken. The young warrior was obviously bewildered, but the sage kept walking. Soon they approached the lake, but did no

“My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces." - WILMA RUDOLPH The human will is the most incredible thing. I believe it is the human will that keep us going, when everyone else expects us to sit, or even quit. I have always been fascinated by the heroes and sheroes who made indelible marks in world history; and illustrated distinquished triumphs over seemingly, insurmountable adversity. I can vividly recall reading about Wilma Rudolph when I was in grade school. Her life epitomized “breaking through limitations.” Over the last three decades, I have taught about Wilma when so-called, “limitations” presented themselves in my life. I think of Wilma, and I am passionately reminded of the amazing power of the human will. Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Most of her childhood was spent in st. Bethlehem, Tennessee. There, she was bedridden as she battled doubl

Persistence is a quality – the iron quality of the brave, the courageous and the never-give-ups. No matter how good you are, there is no success without persistence. World War I flying ace, Eddie Rickenbacker said, “I can give you a six-word formular for success: Think things through – then follow through.” When we decide to do something - whatever it is - to make it a reality, we must follow through. In following through can we achieve. Many people like to think things through; unfortunately very few follow through. Persistence is the key to “follow through.” Some couple of years ago, I decided to engage in an exercise program. My motivation was watching Athletes on TV who ran the marathon or some long distance. I admired their staying ability. I compared it to business. You require similar staying ability to make it in business. Becos I admired this long distance athletes, I wondered where they got the energy from to run for hours non-stop. So I decided to embark on this project. M

The other day I was in the Phoenix Airport on my way to a meeting in Denver. Unsure of how long it would take to get the car parked, get the luggage checked, get through the security line, and get to our gate, we (my husband Michael and I) ended up at the airport early. Once we parked our belongings at the gate, I did what I always do when I'm early to the airport; I headed toward the News Stand for the sole purpose of staring at the tabloid magazine covers. Yes, I know, it's a nasty habit, but before you cast your stones, I should tell you I only allow myself to read the COVERS of the magazines. JUST the covers. And even in those few moments I can feel my brain cells rotting and my dislike for humanity mounting. However, on this particular trip to the News Stand I witnessed something much more fascinating, and disturbing, than any tabloid could offer. In this particular News Stand there was a friendly looking gentleman. He had a pleasant face th at was graced with a cheerful s

The word Resilience is derived from the latin word “resilire,” meaning “to leap back.” The will to survive is a natural instinct in humankind. But not many people are “up to” the rigors it takes to survive. Survival may be the fittest, but it comes with a price, which in some instance is too high for many a people to pay. Resilience is the panacea to the ailment of high price of survival, in this instance. Life is like a war with so many battles to fight. The battle to earn a decent living, the battle to be well educated, the battle to provide for self and family, the battle to have social acceptability, the battle to have the dream job, the battle to have our voice heard and count, the battle to stay healthy and strong, the battle to be your brothers keeper. The battle seems endless! Only those who are the fittest can fight the battles and win the war. Resilience is to man what carbon is to steel. Resilience is the prerequisite that we all must meet in order to win the

The earth is man’s home, but temporary. Man’s existence did not start here (earth), neither will it end here. Hence there is birth and death. I compare birth and death to sleep and an awakening. Birth to a sleep in pre-existent life, and awakening to an earth life. While death is a sleep in earth life to an awakening to post-earth life. The temporal existence seems to be the only awareness man knows of his own existence. Likely becos he is living it. His pre-earth and post-earth life he has little or no clue of, except that prescribed by scripture. Man’s approach to earth life suggest this thinking – a life lived without a purpose. Majority of mankind are engaged and stuck in the “rat race” of non-improvement in the essential facets of his existence. This induces the thinking and the believe that earth life is home, permanently. That everything begins here and ends here. That the need to strive for excellence is of little or no value and use. But the coordinate natu

G reatness is the height of achievement. We gravitate to greatness by using our potential to its peak. We become great when we do the impossible. We become great when we do the unbelievable. We become great when we discover the secret behind the magic in us and how to use that magic to influence others to dicover their own magic in themselves. When we face our greatest challenges, and we are equal to them, something great comes out of it. Greatness is the sphere of the average who do the extraordinary. It is the unleashing of that which is at our core, which in turn help others unleash theirs. Greatness is finding our VOICE and helping others find theirs. Stephen R. Covey, in this book The 8th Habit, From Effectiveness To Greatness , said: “When you engage in work that taps your talent and fuels your passion – that rises out of a great need in the world that you drawn by conscience to meet – therein lies your VOICE, your CALLING, your SOUL’S CODE.” We all can be gre

No man was born lazy. No man was born inferior. No man was born average. No man was born unintelligent. Laziness, inferiority, average unintelligence, are all qualities we adopted as we grow up. We were all born in the image of God; image reflective of God’s physique as well as his intelligence. We are all born the same, but we end up different. No human being is average. Dr Benjamin Carson, world renowned Neurosurgeon did mention and I quote: “There is no such thing as an average human being. If you have a normal brain, you are superior.” It was Buckminster Fuller that once said: “All children are born geniuses; 9,999 out of every 10,000 are swiftly inadvertently degeniusized by grownups.” The journey in achievement is within the reach of all. No one is exempted. But the apt to attain or reach high standard of performance seems to be the inclination of but a few. As latent as mans’ powers are, it seems the exclusive rights of a few to break to the limeligh