Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 02, Issue 22: Learning Self-Discipline

Anything worth attaining takes hard work and discipline. Success is not cheap; it comes with a price. One of the prices to pay for success is self-discipline. It is what makes it easier for one to make the sacrifices that are required to achieve his or her goals.

We know what we need to do to get to where we want to be. But in the absence of self-discipline, we lack the stamina to rise up and do them. We take ourselves in circles with one excuse after another and wallow is mediocrity.

A life lived with self-discipline for pre-determined results is not an easy one, but there’s none like it. Life avails us two options, to regret or to rejoice. And we get to do both. Our level of discipline determines which we live with.

Self-discipline lets us do what needs to be done irrespective of the mood. It is the ability to do what we know we should do, whether we feel like it or not. This means being able to do things that may be hard but necessary, while overcoming the natural urge to lazy around.

Self-discipline is the constant in the success equation that we cannot do without. People who make it in life, whether becoming wealthy, running successful business empires or being esteemed and respected by others have mastered the art of self-discipline. They focus their minds and energy on things that contribute to the attainment of their objectives.

Self-discipline is a personal responsibility, an act of the will. It is about conquering oneself. Self-discipline is one of the most important success skills we will ever learn. If we master it, we will become increasingly productive and able to accomplish much more in life.

Self-discipline is the key to harnessing the full potential of our gifts. It is what makes us do all that we need to do to develop our gifts. It affords us an unwavering focus in advancing our gifts, elevating us to stand a shoulder above the masses.

What do you want to be outstanding at? Develop the necessary disciplines around it. Create a routine and stick to it, and be sure to reward yourself when you do well.


Lillian Chebosi

Volume 02, Issue 21: Teaching Profits The Teacher
 
As I sit under great minds through books, conferences and other learning avenues, I am disciplining myself to take note of what I want to apply, what I want to change and what I want to teach. I figured there’s no point of interacting with life transforming information only to remain the same. It’s a waste of time.
 
The things I am learning inspire me so much, I can’t keep them to myself. A teacher yearns to share her knowledge. But I am not satisfied with just knowledge. I want change. Whenever we pick a material to read, our main objective should be nothing short of learning something to change our lives. Knowledge does not change us. It only does when we apply it.
 
Passing on our learning to others clarifies our learning and commits us to change. When you pursue knowledge with the objective of teaching others, you work harder than when you learn just to benefit yourself. In the process, you get more out of your learning.
 
We learn better when we teach. When we learn with the intent of self-change and passing our learning to others, our concentration is enhanced and the propensity to apply our learning intensified.
 
Although it is done to benefit others, teaching profits the teacher. It clarifies your learning and commits you to change more than anything else. Teaching continually lifts the teacher to a higher level.
 
Since it is hypocritical to teach what we are not applying in our lives, teaching keeps us accountable. Teaching what we know commits us to live out what we have learnt. The burden of being a credible example of the principles we promote accentuates as we teach.
 
Live with the awareness that you are here to add value to people. As you interact with people, let your attitude be to teach them something you know in order to help them come up higher.
 
Use your gifts and experience not just to accomplish your goals, but to help release a dream in someone else. Find something you are knowledgeable and passionate about and teach it to someone.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Lillian Chebosi

Volume 02, Issue 20: A Credible Example

The best gift we can give ourselves is to be who we pretend to be. It is hypocritical to teach what we are not applying in our lives. As we share our learning with others, we should be careful to live out what we teach.

Leaders bear the greatest burden for accountability. Yet most of the time, the actions and behavior of some leaders contradict their words. When you offer those you lead a credible example, you won’t have to say much. You will have a faithful following because of your example.

As teachers, people are yearning for our example more than they want our lessons. A compelling example does more than any lesson. Model what you teach. Provide a compelling example to your apprentice.

Some of us judge others too harshly. When the dramas of public personalities come to the open, we are quick to condemn them for all manner of things. But, if the limelight were to be turned on us, we probably wouldn’t look any better. Judge others by the standard you use to judge yourself. Don’t excuse yourself of what you accuse others.

Are you subjecting yourself to the same standard you expect of your protégés? Don’t be hard on others while being easy on yourself. Expect more from yourself than you expect of others. Model your expectation. We shouldn’t require qualities in others that we do not possess. Nothing is stronger in influencing people than a good example.

I speak to audiences regularly. I would be dishonest to say that I live by everything I teach to the letter. Sometimes I am work in progress of the lessons I teach. However, I strive to reach the ideal of the lessons I teach, and I am not there yet. I realize that more than any lesson, my example counts for everything.

It’s not about perfection, but the consistency of your actions. Strive to be a credible example. The key to becoming a person worth emulating is to transform into one committed to living his or her learning. The best gift you can give to people looking up to you to be a good example.

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 02, Issue 19: Time is Enough

What is your relationship with time? Is it a blissful one or a miserable one? Do you often feel like you don’t have enough time to do the things that are important to you? The only time we have is the time we make use of.

We bear the sole responsibility for the employment of our time. We have to choose to either organize our time or agonize over losing it because once lost, it cannot be recovered.

A number of things compete for our time in any given day, leaving us with very limited personal time. Hence the urgency to plan and prioritize our time to make optimal use of it.

How much is your hour worth? Assign a value to your personal time. Sieve out tasks and activities that are of less value. See if there are tasks that you engage in that you find that as you do them, activities that would better add value to your life are neglected.

I concluded that some tasks and activities are not an optimal use of my time. They may be good, but they are not important to me. Being a morning person, early morning is a prime time for me; running errands for instance, isn’t an optimal way to invest it. So, I relegate such tasks to my least productive time, or delegate them. What is your prime time? Choose to spend your most productive time on activities that develop you.

Important tasks are tasks in line with our objectives. What are the important things in your life that you must determine to do first? Planning our time is mandatory if we are to get what is important done. We must find a practical balance in the employment of our time.

The abundance of activities does not imply effective use of time. Just because you are all over the place doesn’t mean you are productive where it matters. If you find yourself preoccupied with several activities, stop and reflect on the value you derive from them. If they don’t serve to develop you, find ways to limit them to a bare minimum.

One of the reasons we don’t achieve our goals is because we spend our time doing things that do not contribute to their attainment. Look out for what you can rightfully and effectively delegate to free up your time for important engagements. In addition, identify your time stealers and deal with them. Strengthen your boundaries. Also, other people’s activities must not distract you from your purpose.

Although time is never too much, it is never too little. But it is enough. Our aim should be to get to the point where we can confidently say that we have more than enough time to do the things that are important to us.

Time is what life is made of. If you love life do not squander time. Anthony Gitonga

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 02, Issue 18: Being on Top of Your Money

Last week we were looking at how to organize our lives so we have time for all the things that are important to us. This implies that we have to be successful at juggling many hats.

For this to work well, we have to be financially resourceful and responsible as well. As you set out to achieve your goals, you don’t want to be bogged down with financial stresses. Become the master of your money. Refuse to be ruled by impulse but rather make wise and discerning choices concerning your finances. Partner with God to create security for your future by watching how you spend today.

First, tithe 10% of your earnings to God. Let this be the first bill you pay because He is the one who gives you the ability to make wealth. The tax man asks for much more than God does, so this should not be a hardship on your attitude.

Secondly, pay yourself. Set aside 10% for investments in a savings account or other channel and purpose not to touch it. In addition to this, open another expendable savings account and put another 10% there. The objective is to establish an emergency reserve to cover about 12 months of your monthly budget in case you find yourself out of work or unable to earn an income for a season.

Some of us excuse irresponsibility for having faith in God to supply our needs. God is certainly the source of our blessings. But being financially responsible is part of the deal. God does not want us live a life of panic, running frantically to put out fires. He wants us to be able to calmly assess our situation and move forward in faith, without fear. That is why we need to have in place an emergency reserve from the resources God has already blessed us with.

If you can stretch, set aside another 10% from which you can generously contribute to the needs of those less fortunate than yourself. I must admit that I am still struggling with this part myself.

Thirdly, make an allowance for your indulgences such as holidays, treats at fancy restaurants, shopping sprees, or any other pleasures that you like. Allocate how many of them you can afford in a year and link them to a special occasion so you don’t get out of control.

Be on top of your money, from how you spend on groceries to major purchases. Prepare a budget with columns for both figures and percentages, so you know what percentage of your earnings is going to savings, and individual percentages for each expenditure item. Stick to your budget no matter what temptations bring your way. Additionally, don’t spend money at random. Be cost–conscious and look out for savings in every purchase.

Manage your money well. Aim to reach and stay at a level where your needs are met with an abundance with more than enough left over to contribute to the needs of others.

Lillian Chebosi