MAXIMISING THE MOMENT: Making The Most Of Every Opportunity

What the Bible Says

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go.– Ecclesiastes 9:10

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.– Ephesians 5:15-17

What the Sages Say

Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing. The supply of time is truly a miracle, an affair genuinely astonishing when one examines it. You wake up in the morning, and lo! Your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of the unmanufactured tissue of the universe of your life.

It is yours. It is the most precious of possessions… no one can take it from you. It is unstealeable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive. - Jim Rohn

In the realm of time, there is no aristocracy or intellect. Genius is never rewarded by even an hour a day. And there is no punishment. Waste your infinitely precious commodity as much as you will and the supply will never be withheld from you.Moreover, you cannot draw on the future. It is impossible to get into debt! You can only waste the passing moment. You cannot waste tomorrow; it is kept for you…

You have these twenty-four hours of daily time to live. Out of it you want to spin health, pleasure, money, contentment, respect, and the evolution of your immortal soul. Its right use, its most effective use is a matter of the highest urgency and of the most thrilling actuality. All depends on that.

Your happiness – the elusive price that you are all clutching for, my friend – depends on that. If one cannot arrange that an income of twenty-four hours shall exactly cover all proper items of expenditure, one does muddle one’s whole life indefinitely.

- Jim Rohn

We shall never have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is.

- Arnold Bennet

Time is the most precious commodity we have. Therefore, how we manage it has the most profound effect on how our lives turn out.

- Jim Rohn

Painting The Right Picture: The Power of Vision and Focus

What is a Vision?

Vision is the ability to see what is not yet, so you can create what never was.

-Doug Firebaugh

            

A blind man’s world is bounded by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world by the limits of his vision.

- E. Paul Hovey

Visions and dreams are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.

- Napoleon Hill

The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision.

– Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author and Lecturer

Aligning Goals to Your Personal Vision

do an Inventory of your skills, Abilities, Knowledge, Character Attributes/Weaknesses, and Spiritual Gifts

-      What are your God-given abilities?

-      What skills have you acquired?

-      What education do you have?

-      What are your Character strengths & weaknesses?

-      What is your Spiritual Gifting?

DrawA Life Plan

-      How does your Life Vision Statement translate into practical goals?

-      Do you have a calendar of when you will do what?

-      What tasks do you have to undertake to accomplish these goals?

-      How will you know when you have achieved your goals?

Goals must be SMART: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Time Limited.

A Career Plan:

-      What are your career goals?

-      Do you have a plan to advance in your career?

-      What experience do you need for advancement?

-      What education do you need for advancement?

Self-Development: A Major Recipe For Success

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self–crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set.

- James Allen

What is Self-Development?

Personal development is the conscious, disciplined, and sustained series of investment in the self through the acquisition of knowledge and skills, as well as the application of the acquired knowledge and skills for an enhanced lifestyle.

Areas of Personal Development

The development of the self is as composite an entity as the very nature of man. It consists of various interdependent aspects of human, which all work together to produce a better person when cultivated, or result in a debased existence when ignored.

The different aspects of man open to cultivation for development are his:

Ø  Spiritual state

Ø  Mental state

Ø  Emotional state

Ø  Physical state

Ø  Social status, and his

Ø  Professional/vocational performance

If you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. - Jim Rohn

Adding Value

TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR LIFE COUNTS

- Babatunde Oladele

You are adding value to people when your encounters with them make their eyes shine brightly, make them smile, make them say “thank you,” make them eager to talk to you or desire to be in your company.

On the other hand, you are depleting from people if every day your encounters with them make them frown, make them look or groan, “Oh no, not again!” make them say “I’m sorry” quite often, or they avoid you as much as they can.

How to Maximise your Potentials (Part 5)

SOME QUOTES ON POTENTIALS

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. - Eddie Robinson

The potential for greatness lives within each of us. The key to achieving greatness is found when we discover and then develop our dream. - John Maxwell

Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life - facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, discovering our own unique potential. - John Amatt

No one fulfills his purpose, develops his potential, or consistently help others without goals. Your goals determine your priorities – and your priorities determine whether you’ll reach your goals. - John Maxwell

Nothing is more effective when it comes to reaching potential than commitment to personal growth. - John Maxwell

Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British prime minister during WWII

I’d rather reach 90 percent of my potential with plenty of mistakes than reach only 10 percent with a perfect score. - John Maxwell

To keep moving to a higher level and reach your potential, you… have to be willing to… trade security for significance. - John Maxwell

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. - Ellen Goodman

How to Maximise your Potentials (Part 4)

MEANS OF EXPRESSING ONE’S POTENTIALS

Potentials are expressed through the following:

• Actions
• WorkOutputs
• Interactions
• Service

AVENUES FOR EXPRESSING ONE’S POTENTIALS

• The family
• The workplace
• The society
• Business ventures
• The church, associations or other voluntary societies

How to Maximise your Potentials (Part 3)

How Can You Maximise Your Potential?

¡By setting life and project goals

¡By drawing up a roadmap to achieve the set goals

¡By always taking actions – instead of idling away or procrastinating

¡By holding yourself accountable for living out your potential

¡By adopting a steward’sattitude toward your potential, knowing that you will have to give account to God on whatever potential has been besotted to you (remember the parable of the talents in the Bible)

¡By making the most of time and opportunities, and wasting none

¡By giving of yourself whenever occasion demands

¡By getting a coach, a mentor or an accountability partner who will guide or hold you accountable to your ideals