G. O . D. T. M

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Thursday, 1st June, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 8

Prov 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise

Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision the leader perish" emphasis added mine

#4 THE PRINCIPLE OF VISION

The ants possess the ability to see the future before it comes to being and that's vision. This is why ants gather food, energy in the summer and prepare for winter (unknown). We should never forget that the ability to see the unseen or know the unknown is a function and operation of the spirit of wisdom. Only wisdom can give vision.

Vision is so essential in leadership and it's a function of wisdom or spiritual maturity. If you've ever listen to me teach, or been reading my article or known me for the past five - six years now then you'll have observe that the central theme of my teaching is stirring young minds to discover their personal vision which activates a sense of purpose and ultimately release their leadership potential. Again I want us to look at some meaning of the term vision in the context of leadership.

WHAT IS VISION?

•Vision is a vivid imaginative conception or anticipation of the unseen or unborn future.
• Vision is an internalized mental picture of a preferable or desired future you want to feature that incorporates one's personal purpose.
• Vision is seeing the future before it comes to being. It is a preview of what you'll become.
• Vision is the ability to create, handle what exists but cannot be seen.
• Vision is the optimal desired future state - mental picture of what you want to achieve over time.
• Vision is the ability to see the invincible, believe the unbelievable, know the unknown and do the impossible.
• Vision is the bridge between the present and the future.
• Vision creates what exists but cannot be seen.

Vision is so powerful and it is a major component of leadership. Without a vision in your life, your life has no meaning, definite bearing or direction, or shape. You can't expect much from a life without a vision. Vision is what gives life a meaning, it's what makes life worth living. Vision is not only essential to leadership, it's essential to succeed in any field because it's the take off point to any significant achievement in life. Parents need vision to succeed, teachers need a vision, ministers of God need vision, business men need vision. There isn't anyone who desire to succeed that doesn't need a vision. It's the thing we're born to do. It draws on our talents, gifts, abilities, passion and personality. It appeals to our highest ideals shape. It sparks our feelings of destiny. It's inseparably linked to our purpose or original assignment in life. There hasn't been any leader both in the secular or in the religious circles without a vision. Both natural and spiritual leadership requires vision.

IMPACT OF VISION ON LEADERSHIP

So Why is Vision so Important in Leadership?

1. Vision activates your leadership potential.

Every man has the capacity or potential for leadership but not every man is a leader. The word potential simply means dormant abilities, untapped power, capped abilities, unrealized or undiscovered abilities and unused resources. Every seed has the potential to become a tree, every bird can fly but not every bird will fly. The leadership of birds is to fly but not all birds fly.

The leadership potential of a person is activated or comes alive when he or she captures his personal vision in life. Our leadership potential lies dormant until we discover a vision for our lives. This is why we often say leadership is primarily not position. Position can make you a leader (give you some influence) but it cannot give you true leadership. There are so many 21st century leaders without leadership. Leadership is birthed when a person's vision is more vivid than the experience of the past or present. When a non leader captures his or her vision, his leadership functions begins to stir. The leadership potential of Joseph was stirred when he captured his vision. He envisioned that God has created him to lead his generation despite his age. Paul captured his vision on his way to Damascus and he became one of the greatest leaders in church history. Yours need not to be dramatic like Paul's but you must capture it as true leadership is futile, unnecessary or invalid without an uncovering of a sense of unique purpose or vision because a leader primarily exist to fulfill a specific vision. Vision gives your life a meaning. It gives you hope of fulfilling your purpose in life. It explains the purpose of leadership and reason for your existence. A leader dies when there is no sense of vision.

Becoming a leader, means you must capture the vision of a future that incorporates the fulfillment of your life's primary assignment or unique purpose. God has an exciting purpose, plan, and vision for every one of His children. If you haven't found yours yet, This teaching article will help you discover and fulfill your God-ordained destiny. You're not another person,
You do not exist just to go to school and earn a degree, get married, make a living, pay rents. No! Revive your passion for living. Pursue your dream. Discover your vision--and find your true life. A strong vision inspires passion. This passion controls and transforms your life, dictates your decision and choices. Vision affects how you spend your life and resources because vision is the source  of discipline.

Prayer : Lord reveal me to me. Amen

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Monday, 29th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 7

Prov 6:6 Go to the *ant,* thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be *wise:*

Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no *vision*, the leader perish" emphasis added mine

#4 THE PRINCIPLE OF VISION

We're still considering the Leadership lessons from the ants. In the last episode we considered *preparation* and today I want to take an entire different approach by showing you some leadership traits in ants. Ants are a wise creature not only that ants are distinct in their morphology. Though ants typically have limited vision , Bulldog Ants or jumper ants can see and identify targets from about a meter away. Some ants e.g Bull ants have special kind of eyes called *compound eyes* that provide *excellent or advanced vision*. The compound eyes is specifically adapted for excellent vision. 👁👁

Why Leaders Must Have Vision 👁

True leadership always starts with vision. Every leader has a vision. You can't lead if you don't have a vision. Leadership is impossible without vision because every leader exist to fulfill a specific vision. Warren Benni's said _"Leadership is the capacity to translate a vision to reality"_ Great leaders have vision. There are very few natural visionary leaders in the corporate world. It is probably the most powerful tool in a leader’s toolbox. So what is a vision? How does it work, and how is it different from a vision statement?

Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

Oprah Winfrey, at the age of 22, was fired from her job as a television reporter because she was ‘unfit for TV.” She is now world renowned TV presenter.

Steven Speilberg was rejected from film school, not once…not twice…but three times.

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He became one of the greatest basket baller in the history of sports.

Thomas Edison failed some 10,000 times before successfully inventing the light bulb.

What led these successful leaders to continue despite failure and rejection? Vision!! Vision!!!

What is Vision?

Let's begin by defining a vision statement and a vision. A vision statement is a statement of words describing where and what an organization wants to be in the future. It usually remains unchanged for many years. There is nothing wrong with vision statements. They have their place in the organizational structure.

In contrast,

• _vision can be defined as a picture in the leader's imagination that motivates people to action when communicated compellingly, passionately and clearly_.

• _Vision is a mental picture of the future. It is an idea of what the future can hold, but has not yet happened._

• _Vision is the thing inside of us that guides us. It creates a desire to grow and improve._

• _Vision embodies our hopes and ideals. It gives us a sense of purpose. Visions brings us flashes or glimpses of what is possible._

To be a *visionary,* a leader need have nothing more than a clear vision of the future. The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. There's nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can't clearly articulate why we're doing what we're doing. Leaders have vision. They share a dream and direction that other people want to share and follow. The leadership vision goes beyond your written organizational mission statement and your vision statement. Leadership vision is an essential means for focusing attention on what matters most; what you want to accomplish in your life and what kind of leader you wish to be. A useful vision has to be rooted in your past, address the future, and deal with today's realities. It represents who you are and what you stand for.

*So why is Vision important in Leadership?
*What's the impact of vision on leadership?
*Where does vision come from?
*How does a leader develop a clear vision for the future?

We shall continue this series in the next episode. Thanks for reading.

© David Oyeleye

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Saturday, 20th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 6

#3 PREPARATION

"There be four things which are small upoun the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer." — Proverbs 30:25

"Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. - Ezekiel 38:7

“Chance favors the prepared mind."
-Louis Pasteur

I love the statement above by Pausteur. Do you agree with the great quote above? I definitely do. Instead of believing in pure luck, I believe that luck is what happens when opportunities come to those who are prepared (well trained, groomed, mature, equipped) for them.

We're still considering the subject of preparation as a major wisdom principle of the ants and I want to believe you found this piece thoughtful, helpful and inspiring. The ants prepare itself for the future. That's the point here!! Do you have any ready plans for the future?

Understanding the times and seasons is one of the key wisdom of the ants. The ants prepares itself during summer when it's supposed to enjoy, it sows seeds during the summer when it is supposed to eat. Success always come at a price. That is a lesson I learned a long time ago. It's only in the dictionary that success comes before hardwork. Work usually comes before success. You can pay now and play later, or you can play now and pay later. Either way, you're going to pay. Creating a climate for potential leaders also requires a leader to pay a price. It begins with preparation. Proper Preparation prevents poor performance. If you fail to prepare for life, ministry, marriage, career, chances are you should prepare to fail. If you don't prepare you'll have a lot of things to repair.

Many people don't think like the ants, they live in the present. They lack a insight or foresight into the future. Only few people think about tomorrow because it takes wisdom to see tomorrow. Yet tomorrow is the harvest of the seed sown today. Your preparation during summer determines your harvest. The ants teaches us that the best time to prepare for tomorrow is today. Just like the ants, are you sowing seeds for the future? Remember it's the law of sowing and reaping. What a man sows he'll surely reap. You can't feature in a future you're not adequately prepared for. The quality of your seeds determines the quality of your harvest. Sow seeds that you want to reap in the future. If you don't like your harvest, change the seeds.

What Is Preparation?
The word prepare is a combination of two words pre and pare. Prepare is from Latin praeparāre, from prae before + parāre to make ready]. Thus preparation in simple terms means to groom, mature, equipped, make ready, or suitable in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event. It also means to put things or oneself in readiness; educate for a future role or function. It means to undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession, ministry, career or vision.

Preparation does four basic things for us, it positions people correctly, it helps one maximise or take advantage of opportunities, it increases your level of effectiveness and competence, it increases your level of performance, productivity and results. And it is often the separation between winning and losing.

Preparation also means to put yourself in a position that makes it easier for opportunities to come. Your location is where your allocation is. Some people aren't rightly positioned and this reduce their opportunity to succeed. While four of them are very important, I think the second one is more important. Why? Because what makes the difference is whether or not you can take advantage of the opportunities. What’s the use of getting a lot of opportunities or platforms if you can’t take advantage of them?

So, because the second point is more important, I will focus on it here.

Preparation Takes Time

There is one important characteristic of preparation that you must understand: it takes time and patience. (We will consider this amazing statement in a latter episodes). You can’t prepare for something big overnight. Many people especially the 21st century youths are too hasty. One major attitude we must cultivate as young leaders is the ability of delay gratification, ability to wait and that requires patience. Some things just take time. You can't get 9 pregnant women to give birth to a baby in one month.. Sure you know It doesn't work. It takes 9 months to deliver a real baby, your 9 months could be five, six, ten to 30 years. The ant has the ability of delay gratification... It's willing to wait. You should understand that waiting time is not wasting time....You're birthing greatness.....
In fact, bigger opportunities or platforms require bigger preparation. Just think about the level of preparation it takes to go to the Olympics. Those who want to go to the Olympics must prepare themselves for years, often from an early age.

Although winter comes as no surprise, many of us are not prepared (fit, ready, mature, equipped) for its arrival. That’s why it’s important that you prepare for future opportunities. Wisdom prepares for the unknown, the unseen and the intangible. Most people live in the realm of the seen. Don’t wait for opportunities or platforms until they come before you start preparing for them. It would have been too late by then. Most people aren't prepared for the demands of leadership. Prepare yourself early and you will be ready by the time they come.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Prepare yourself early and years from now people will be amazed at how “lucky” you are.

Reflection: The size of your vision determines the level of your preparation.

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools? to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Friday, 19th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 5

#3 PREPARATION

"There be four things which are small upoun the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer." — Proverbs 30:25

"Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. - Ezekiel 38:7

The Quality Of Your Performance & Productivity is determined By The Quality Of Your Preparation.

Ants though small are wise. You think they are one of the weakest creatures, but they have wisdom that many men do not have. An ant brain has about 250,000 brain cells. A human brain has 10,000 million so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human. But what does the ant do with its little brain that we can learn from? It prepares for tomorrow. Are you prepared for the future?

Today I want to share with you the third leadership lesson I observed when meditating on the anchor verse. It's the word prepare that caught my eyes. Wisdom doesn't live in the present but prepares for tomorrow. Preparation is another crucial wisdom principle I want us to observe in the life of the ants today.

Agur, a little known figure in the Old Testament who wrote the proverbs of our anchor text, sat down with his son and daughter and took an entirely different approach. He said, "Children, I want you to imitate the ant.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:25 "....The ants prepare their food in the summer."

The word "summer" here speaks of the present while winter speaks of the future. It takes source of insight or wisdom to store up food or prepare for tomorrow that isn't tangible yet. The ant works today for tomorrow. Or, to put it another way, the ant knows and understands the time and seasons. The Bible say in Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remains, seedtime (a time to prepare for harvest) and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." This means preparation precedes harvest. The ants is so wise to ignore the summer and prepare for the winter. The ants has the ability of delay gratification... It's willing to wait. You cannot prepare yourself if you don't have the patience to wait for the harvest.

A lot of people don't know, don't understand, the time. Some live in the past. Or they live on the sins and tragedies of the past. They remember every time and every hurt that others have inflicted upon them. They can never forget and always remember the sins of their youth. Others live only in the present. They live only for today and give no thought to tomorrow or yesterday. Since yesterday doesn't exist for these sort of people, the sins and lessons of yesterday don't exist either. So they never learn, they never make amends, they never attain progress. And, of course, they never save up for a rainy day or give a thought to their future. Then there are those who live in the future. They never do today what they can do tomorrow. Their constant and favorite refrain is "after" or "later." After I get married, after I graduate, after I get promoted, after I retire, then I'll do this or that.

The ant, in contrast, knows and understands the times and season. It has developed an instinct to prepare itself in the present. It knows it has to work in the summer to prepare for the winter. Ants love picnics, but not as a time to relax. Before you are gone the ants are carrying off the cookie and hamburger crumbs – one crumb at a time. The whole time you are eating and enjoying yourself they are busy, busy, busy – working, straining, carrying the load.

Like the ant we are to know and understand the time. Like the ant, we are to use the present in order to prepare for the future. So in the natural preparation is important. Preparation can never guarantee success, but the lack of preparation can certainly increase your propensity toward failure. As the saying goes, “ Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity ."
When leaders fail, it’s highly attributable to their lack of preparation. When an opportunity is missed, it’s often because leaders didn’t prepare themselves or their employees well enough to see and seize it. “If you want to take advantage of opportunities to use your talents, skills and giftings, then you must be prepared when the opportunities arise. Once the opportunity presents itself, it’s too late to get ready.”

“Preparation doesn’t begin with what you do. It begins with what you believe. If you believe that your success tomorrow depends on what you do today, then you will treat today differently… If you are preparing today, chances are, you will not be repairing tomorrow.”

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools? to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Thursday, 18th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 4

#2 No Excuses For Handicaps and Weaknesses

"There be four things which are little (weak) upoun the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer." — Proverbs 30:25

"Your value or worth as a true leader is not determined by your physical strength or size but by the operation of wisdom in your life."

Go to the ant is an inspired imperative to observe and learn from nature. Ants are creatures of wisdom though small yet they possess fine leadership qualities. God has a way of using the least likely to do the almighty because greatness is not measured by size. The ants teaches us that the the scope of your wisdom is not determined by your physical size or strength.

In Proverbs 30:25, the Bible says; "The ants are a people not strong." Ants are not strong!!. I want to point out another crucial point and a great leadership lesson here to you today that will change your mindset about leadership.

Great leadership does not mean we have all our acts together. Being a good leader doesn't mean you don't have some areas where you're weak or deficient. No matter how much you think you're strong you obviously know you aren't strong in some areas. We all possess weaknesses at different levels. We all struggle with one habits or the other. A danger of teaching conferences or writing great stuffs like this one is that people start to assume you're an expert who has mastered and practice everything you teach. Don't believe it. Like you, there are principles I don't do well, so I'm still working to improve my leadership. Just like you I have weakness. This is why we should never condemn people when they blow it because everyone is still a work in progress. God is not finished with me yet!!

So the lesson i want you to learn today is ants are also weak creatures yet they accomplish so much in life. They have colonised almost every landmass on earth except areas like Antartica. Ants are creature of small strength yet they thrive in most ecosystems. In fact ants are described as superorganism by zoologist. They can survive in so many environment.

Just like the ants, Leaders should not make excuses for or focus on their handicap or weakness rather they look for ways to make their handicap work for them. The ants are creatures of small strength and definitely not strong but this handicap does not stop them from achieving their goals. The ants are naturally at a disadvantage because of their size (weakness or disadvantage) but this does not hinder them from being a great leader.

The Bible say the ants are people not strong. Isn't that amazing? They do not thrive because they are strong. This teaches us that physical strength is not necessarily a requirement for leadership. It also means that God displays wisdom in the weakest people. What's that weakness in your life that you think its bigger enough to hinder you from becoming all that God has created you to be. The ants are not strong and the Bible acknowledges this. However a lack of strength does not stop them from reaching their goals. Did you observe that when God wanted to teach wisdom He didn't say we should go to the lion because the Bible say in Ecclessiates 9:16 wisdom is better than strength...even weapons of war. The most powerful animal i believe is the ants not the lion. Let me explain, Ants though they aren't a strong creature yet they are not intimidated by the size of their workload, ants can carry a load or food size that is weigh 30-40 times their individual size. Have you ever tried lifting an object that is twice your own weight? Of course you'll crash and fall. The ants can lift an object that is 30 times their original weight. The elephants and no other powerful animal possess this kind of amazing strength (wisdom). This is why I wrote that the ants are the most powerful animal on earth because they are exceedingly wise. Ants are model of wisdom and strength. Being strong doesn't mean you're wise but a wise man is indeed a strong man.

Proverbs 30:24-28 (NIV)
"Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; Coneys are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

These verses were written by Agur the son of Jakeh, he was a contemporary of Solomon’s and was considered wise enough to be included in this book of wisdom. In this text, Agur lists four things on Earth that are very small – yet, despite their size – they are wise . . . and when we study them, we can find some great lessons.

The Ant: (Speaks of Preparation)
What he’s not: STRONG
Wise because: He prepare for the future.

Reflection : A strong leader is not necessarily a wise leader but a wise leader is a strong leader.

© David Oyeleye

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Wednesday, 17th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 3

#1 SELF MOTIVATION

"Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

Andrew Carnegie said "People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."

Yesterday i said "If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties."
The question you're asking is: how do you motivate yourself? Here are several tips I’ve found to be effective to build self motivation:

#1 Have a purpose for living

I can’t think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause or purpose you care about. Such cause can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you do the seemingly impossible things.
While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s a spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh dose of motivation.

#2 Clarify your Vision & Dreams

Your cause is a powerful source of motivation but it’s still abstract in nature. You need to make it concrete in the form of a dream or vision. A vision is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions to do everything in your power to achieve it. A vision is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions to do everything in your power to achieve it. “Vision gives you reason to get up in the morning.” A vision leads the leader. It provides the spark that propels a leader forward. Vision activates your sense of purpose, connecting your daily work to your understanding of why you were placed on this earth. The clarity of your vision relates directly to your level of motivation. Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. Just think about people who play basketball. Will they be motivated to play if there is no basket to aim at? I don’t think so. They need a goal. You need a goal. That’s what your dream is for.
But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you. It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort zone.

#3 Be hungry

I love what Les Brown said about being hungry

"Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way."

To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger
and not just a mere wish . Having mere wish won’t take you through difficult times since you don’t want things badly enough. In many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the mediocre ones.

#4 Run your own race

Someone said I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with others.
Don’t let that happen to you. You have your own race so how other people perform is irrelevant. Comparing yourself with others is like comparing the performance of a swimmer with a runner using the same time standard. They are different so how can you compare one with the other? The only competitor you have is yourself. The only one you need to beat is you . Have you become the best you can be?

#5  Let go of the past

Always remember to forget the things that demotivate you and never forget to remember the things that inspire you. Believe it or not, one of the best demotivators is your past. Your past can drag you down before you realize it. Your past can give you a heavy burden on your shoulders. The good news is it’s a burden you don’t have to carry. Take it off your shoulder and leave it. You might make mistakes in the past. You might disappoint others with what you did. But it’s over. It’s already in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. Just don’t let the burden of the past stop you. Thanks for Sharing this article.

To be continued.....

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Wednesday, 17th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 3

#1 SELF MOTIVATION

"Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

Andrew Carnegie said "People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."

Yesterday i said "If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties."
The question you're asking is: how do you motivate yourself? Here are several tips I’ve found to be effective to build self motivation:

#1 Have a purpose for living

I can’t think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause or purpose you care about. Such cause can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you do the seemingly impossible things.
While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s a spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh dose of motivation.

#2 Clarify your Vision & Dreams

Your cause is a powerful source of motivation but it’s still abstract in nature. You need to make it concrete in the form of a dream or vision. A vision is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions to do everything in your power to achieve it. A vision is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions to do everything in your power to achieve it. “Vision gives you reason to get up in the morning.” A vision leads the leader. It provides the spark that propels a leader forward. Vision activates your sense of purpose, connecting your daily work to your understanding of why you were placed on this earth. The clarity of your vision relates directly to your level of motivation. Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. Just think about people who play basketball. Will they be motivated to play if there is no basket to aim at? I don’t think so. They need a goal. You need a goal. That’s what your dream is for.
But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you. It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort zone.

#3 Be hungry

I love what Les Brown said about being hungry

"Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way."

To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger
and not just a mere wish . Having mere wish won’t take you through difficult times since you don’t want things badly enough. In many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the mediocre ones.

#4 Run your own race

Someone said I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with others.
Don’t let that happen to you. You have your own race so how other people perform is irrelevant. Comparing yourself with others is like comparing the performance of a swimmer with a runner using the same time standard. They are different so how can you compare one with the other? The only competitor you have is yourself. The only one you need to beat is you . Have you become the best you can be?

#5  Let go of the past

Always remember to forget the things that demotivate you and never forget to remember the things that inspire you. Believe it or not, one of the best demotivators is your past. Your past can drag you down before you realize it. Your past can give you a heavy burden on your shoulders. The good news is it’s a burden you don’t have to carry. Take it off your shoulder and leave it. You might make mistakes in the past. You might disappoint others with what you did. But it’s over. It’s already in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. Just don’t let the burden of the past stop you. Thanks for Sharing this article.

To be continued.....