Action vs Inspired Action

Often times, a lot of us wonder why some few people are more successful in their endeavour, or seems to be very successful at whatsoever they lay their hands on. Some are even of the view that these group of people who seems to be successful in their field of endeavour, are simply more gifted or more endowed with some form of supernatural ability which is beyond the reach of the less successful people. This misconstrued perception that some people are gifted whilst others are not is something of a phantom. I believe that every human being who is on the face of this earth is gifted with some form of ability. There's no denial of the fact that we all have varying abilities. The difference in what makes some successful and others less successful isn't some supernatural or gifted ability which is beyond the rich of others.

Here's what it is, these successful people have an understanding of the law of attraction - thus they understand that the universe is working in their favour. The word action means different things to these two groups (those who are struggling/unsuccessful and those who are successful).

To those who are struggling, the word action means work. But to the more successful people, it is actually called "Inspired Action." To the first group, action means work because they are trying so hard to make things happen. They are people who probably have dreams of their own but doubt that these dreams can be lived. They fear taking risk and charting thier own course. Instead, they are more of conformists.

To the more successful people, action means hobby. They don't try had to make things happen. It happens effortlessly. "It's like a fast flowing river, moving in a certain direction. When you are trying to make things happen, it will feel as if you are going against the directional flow of the river. For inspired action, you will feel as if you are flowing with the current of the river. That's is the feeling when action is inspired

When action is inspired, time stops and you could do it all day and not be concerned about the commensurate reward because your satisfactions is in the action.

The universe, through the law of attraction, gives us this understanding and it's for us to move with this understanding. This universal phenomenon is not skewed towards any particular person or group of persons, neither does it delay. Don't second guess, don't doubt. when the opportunity is there, when the impulse is there, when the intuitive nudge from within is there, act. That is your job. And that's where the difference lies.

Lessons From The Old Girl: A Tribute to My Grandmother

Dadaa, meaning mother, as we affectionately call her, is a woman like no other. I called you mother because you possess deep-rooted virtues of motherhood. You are my mother not only because you gave birth to the woman who gave me life, but also because you nurtured me, taught me, shouted at me when necessary, but most importantly you loved me unconditionally.

At a very young age, when I was just three years old, you took me in and made me the person I am today. It was as though I was your last born child. Not once have I ever felt the absence of my birth mother, to the extent that along the way I thought you were my birth mother. We had that connection, and that's how good a mother you are. You took me along with you everywhere you went. Even when you had to travel out of town, whether far or near, you always had me by your side. I still recall some of those memories, and it feels like just yesterday. You taught me everything I know. You have taught me some invaluable lesson which I think is worth sharing. Your lessons which you have given to me, are lessons I believe anyone from any corner of the earth will give anything to receive. They are simply priceless.

Lessons From The Old Girl

My lessons from the old girl, which you could also termed philosophies, are not in any particular order, but just the way remembered them. Four of these lessons are as follow;

Believe in something

At a very young age, one of the lessons dadaa(mother) taught me which shaped my life was the need to discover something worth believing in. Dadaa was an advocate of good health and she never compromise on the need to live a healthy life. She taught us good nutrition, and she ensured that there was good nutrition for the family, and I was a beneficiary. My Dadaa would prepare some good and healthy food for us and she would as well prepare some local medicine, then she would insist that we drink it. Usually, she would say drink it, you know, if it doesn't kill us, it would save us. The end result was astonishing, absolutely incredible. She never really suffered any major illness and so too was my fate. All this was possible because she believed in something.

Now, this is a priceless lesson or philosophy for life.  You'd realized that, all over the world, the most successful people or the greatest achievers are those people who have discovered something worth believing in and they believed. forget about what people would say and believe in your discovery. Besides, people will always have an opinion, but their opinions should not stop you from believing in yourself and your dream. Believe it to fall through and it will fall through. That is why the greatest book on earth says "what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall receive them."

So it's important what you believe in, that's gonna carry you into the next chapter.

Trust your instinct 

One Friday afternoon, Dadaa and I were on our way to the farm to fetch firewood after I had closed from school,when we met one of our neighbours returning home from his farm. He looked exhausted and there was anger written all over his face. He and Dadaa took a moment to exchange pleasantries. I had to move ahead because we were taught that listening in on a conversation between adults was a sign of disrespect. The conversation lasted for just a short while, and Dadaa came to meet me. And as we continued our journey to the farm, I asked Dadaa if I could ask her a question. "Yes", ask she replied. "Did you noticed that he seemed angry, and do you know why?" I asked. "Apparently, there was a misunderstanding between him and his wife", she said in reply.

"Dadaa, tell me, how can I choose the right woman to marry so I don't encounter any problem like this man in the future?" I asked. " That is a good question my boy," she replied. I'd teach you a valuable lesson today, and I want you to listen very closely, she said.

I'm going to teach you about choice and an important natural disposition which will give you the power to make the right choice. This natural disposition that will empower you to make the right choice, this is what it is called, Instinct, she said. "Instinct, what is it?" I asked. Hold on, don't jump the gun, she said in reply. You need to understand choice first and this understanding will automatically awaken the internal power called instinct for you to know what choice to make.

Choice, she said, is the right or the opportunity to decide on the right thing to select between two different things. It is the decision to choose one thing or the other. There is either a wise choice(good choice) or an unwise choice(bad choice). What you need to know is that, the choices we make determines our destiny. What we are today is as a result of the choices we made in the past.

I want you to know that, "everyday, you'll face questions of right and wrong, and a decision about whether to take an action or stay out of the game. It is when these choices are clear that you will draw on your conscience, to follow up on your instincts and reveal your true character, she said.

Your instinct, she continued, on the other hand, is the inherent voice that tells you what action to take and what action not to take. The human instinct is the most magical or closest thing to a supernatural power possessed by all humans. Trust your instincts. It is nature's way of inspiring you to act in a particular direction. This inherent power, call it supernatural power, gives you the ability to make the right choice.

Throughout the world, people with the most success, whether in their business, in their relationships or any field of endeavour, they are people who trusted their instincts to make the right choices regardless of what the world thinks.

In her conclusion, she said, "my son, all that I want you to know is that, we all have the God given ability to make the right choices in life. It is not good enough to know the right choice to make. The whole key is to make the right choice. This you will do by trusting your instinct.

It is not what happens that determines who you become. It is what you do about what happen.

When I was in junior high school, one critical lesson Dadaa taught me was when she said "my boy, you see, it is not what happens to you that determines what or who you become. Who you become is determine by what you do about what has happened." This came on the backdrop of the fact that I had expressed my interest to join my school's athletics team that would participate in the subsequent inter-schools Athletics competitions. As usual, to become a part of the school team, you have to prove that you deserve to be on the team by first of all competing against other athletes from your school. But for some strange reason, our athletics coach thought that I was too small a boy to participate in the trials. It looked as if my hopes of running the race in the competition came crushing down. Dadaa was a food vendor at a canteen in a nearby school. She sells there because that school had somewhat a bigger population compared to ours. So after school each day, I had to pass by to eat and then help her pack the things home. That day when I got there, she could tell something was wrong with me. After I had finished eating, she asked me what the matter was. When I had finished narrating my ordeal, she held my young shoulders and asked me to sit down and she told me a personal story. Then she said, "I have learnt a valuable lesson a long time a go and today, I want you to also learn this lesson." The lesson she said , is that, "in life, it is not what happen that determines who you become. It is what you do about what happen." Then she said, "tomorrow, when you go to school, find a way to show your coach that our body size has nothing to do with your ability to participate in the competition." The following morning, I went to school with a smile on my face because I had figured out what I was going to do. Soon, it was time for practice. I quickly changed into my sports gear ready to join the 400 meters team with or without the coach's consent, and when it was time for those running the 400 meter race to take on to the field, I joined the group. The race was so competitive. It was in fact the most difficult thing I had ever done at that stage of my life. I came in a comfortable second place, at the end of the race and it was now difficult for the coach to ignore me. That was how I found my way into the school's athletics team.

May years later, I came across the same principle being taught by an extraordinary mentor, one of the most profound thinkers and mind expanding individuals, Jim Rohn. This is how he put it, "in life, like a little sail boat, it is not the blowing of the wind that determines your destination. It's the set of the sail." This is a vital principle or philosophy of life which I was taught when I was just about 12 years old, and this was expanded further after listening to Jim Rohn.

"The same wind blows on all of us. The wind of disaster, the wind of opportunity, the wind of change, the wind of ups and downs, the wind of what's favourable and unfavourable. The social wind, the economic wind, the political wind, the same wind blows on everybody. The difference in arrival, is not in the blowing of the wind but the set of the sail. And that's what life is all about, learning to determine your fate in a particular situation because you have the power, and not letting the situation determine your fate. This is an important philosophy or lesson of life which we need to understand even as kids, and Dadaa made me understood it earlier.

Therefore, it is not what happen, it is what you do about what happen, that's what makes the difference.

Learn to be of good service to people.

One Saturday, morning, an elderly man who happens to be a close neighbour walked into our house. He came to ask permission from Dadaa so that he could send me to a nearby town to collect an item for him. He offered to let me go on his bicycle, but to me, riding his bicycle wasn't an incentive enough for me to go. So I asked him what he would offer me as reward when I get back. But Dadaa intervened and said, you just go, I would have something nice for you when you get back. I was happy because when Dadaa promised you something nice, it definitely gonna be something nice. when I got back, Dadaa had prepared my favourite food in addition to an amount of money the man had left for me. Then she said, "I have something extra for you when you finish eating." I was eager to know what that extra package was but she wouldn't say a word until I finish eating. So I hurriedly went to the kitchen and ate my food. After I had finished eating, Dadaa sat me down and said "I want to talk to you about something very important." Then she asked, "do you want people to respect you, do you want recognition, and do you want to be a person of influence?" "Yes I responded." "In life, you must learn to be of good service to people. Good things come to people who serve. If you want people to respect you, care about you, if you want to have influence and be recognized, then from today, and for the rest of your life, be ready to be of service to people without expecting any reward," she said. I found out many years later that this same principle was first taught in the Bible.

Service to the people was first taught in the Bible because the question was asked, "how can we achieve recognition?" Thus how can we achieve great influence, great recpect, great self-esteem?, the master teacher was asked. And here is his formula for achieving recognition. He said, "find a way to serve people. For service to people leads to recognition and greatness."

Dadda, you are a true mother like no other. You are an ideal woman full of great values and your counsel is impeccable. Having talked about gratitude in my previous post, it is only proper to say that I'm most grateful for everything you have done for me. Thank God you are still here with us, that's why it feels even better to speak of your greatness. You've always being my hero.

Dadaa akpe na wo, mawu ne yra wo ( Thank you mother, may God bless you)

                                                                                                                                  Best Regards

                                                                                                                                  Segbornya

Gratitude Changes Everything

I became fascinated with this word, Gratitude, and so I took it upon myself to study it, and to find out why it is so important, and such a big deal for the world's greatest achievers.

So I picked up the dictionary and, Gratitude, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is a "feeling of appreciation or thanks." It is the state or quality of being grateful or thankful.

So the question was asked, why do we have to be grateful? - why do we have to show any appreciation or be thankful for anything at all?

In my mind, I wanted to know why being grateful is such a big deal so that people always talk about it, to the extent that, one of the greatest books ever written, "The Science of Getting Rich" has gratitude as its longest chapter.

Quite a number of great texts i have read made me understand that, being grateful brings so much into one's life. There's so much we can do to turn our lives around through gratitude. The obvious question then is, how do we do that?

Gratitude, I discovered, is not just a word; it's a way of life. Therefore, the very fist step to start from, is to list the things we are grateful for. Day in day out, we desire one thing or another- good health, material possession, good relationship etc. Regardless of whatever it is that we desire, we must first and foremost be grateful for those things we already have. We must learn to develop an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you. Because this singular act transpose our energy, which in turn transpose our thinking. And just as one of the greatest avatar said, "whatever we think about and thank about, we bring about."

Psychologists and quantum physicist say that our thoughts have frequencies and are magnetic. So as we think and thank about something on a consistent basis, those thoughts and feelings of gratitude are sent out into the universe and they magnetically attracts like thoughts and feelings that are on the same frequency. Eventually, just like the magnet, these things return to the source, you - the one who's emitting those thoughts and feelings of gratitude.

Wallace Wattles says and I quote, "if it is a new thought to you that gratitude brings your whole mind into closer harmony with the creative energies of the universe, consider it well, and you will see that it is true." Therefore, being grateful means everything.

Now, am an amateur when it comes to the Bible, but if you really are a student of the scripture, you will agree with me that, there's a biblical perspective to this effect. You will find in the book of Psalm for example that David demonstrated gratitude through his songs of praise. Because David was grateful for even the smallest thing that happened in his life,he was able to achieve even greater things. If you can be thankful to God for everything in your life, regardless of how small it is, God will lead you to even greater things.

I can testify that, having had this understanding, my life has really changed. Not that I have everything I want, but I have an incredible inner peace. I'm so much content with life. I don't worry anymore about things that I don't have, but instead I wake up every morning and I take a moment to appreciate everything that I have.

Guess what I realized, that anytime I express a feeling of gratitude to anyone - whether my dad, my mom, brothers, or anyone else for even the smallest thing, whenever I approach with a bigger situation, they are happy to help and they have always found a way to help.

My message to you is this, whenever you wake-up, take a moment and be grateful for everything in your life including your life itself. If you can be thankful to your wife or your husband for even the smallest thing, if you can be thankful for the job, regardless of what job it is, if  you can show gratitude, your life will be meaningful.

Let gratitude be your way of life and you will see that gratitude is not just the greatest virtue, but it is indeed the mother of all virtues that can change everything.

                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                    Best Regards...

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                  Segbornya

The Beautiful Destinations

Hello, welcome once again to Gifted Mind. It's really a pleasure having you, my wonderful readers following me. As you wait for a conclusion to the Encounter, which I promise to conclude very soon, I want to bring you something inspiring which a friend shared with me, and I thought it's worth sharing with you. After all, my reader deserve quality content from me.

She chanced on this wonderful picture with the inscription, "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations", and she was so inspired that she decided to share this piece with me. I hope that you will feel inspired and excited.

Life has a way of serving up a variety of situations. Some are good, some are bad, and some are bitter. Things aren't always good and things aren't always bad either. Still some things get even more worse than bad, and those things are the things that leave us with a bitter taste, a residue of undeserved or unfair pain.

You get defeated only when you give up. The bad experience include times when you have a lot of situations that seems like ending it all. But you have to keep on keeping on, and everything you need will come to you at the perfect time.

 Believing in yourself is the first secret of success. It is said that, " it may be stormy but it will not rain forever." The stormy situations may be our story- the disgrace, the shame, pain, trials, labour and misery for now, but you must understand that the pains make you stronger, and the tears you share makes you even brave. Therefore, thank the problems for making a better person out of you. Successful people view all the experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly through the lens of purpose.
It is said that "if you don't quit, and you don't cheat, and you don't run home when troubles arrive, you can only win"- Shelley Long.

Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come. When life puts you in tough situations, don't say "why me?". Instead, say "try me", because "difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations 

 

The Encounter

Sometimes, we run away from things as a way of protecting ourselves from having to deal with them. This suddenly dawned on me the day I met Jenny.

Talking about Jenny, she epitomizes the word friendship. She's the kind of girl who, even when you forget about your own existence, she is conscious of your existence.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Cape Coast, on the outskirts of the university campus. I had come to the beach to relax and to reflect on a very tiring week.

I love music. You know, I believe that God in his infinite wisdom created music, and music is all around us. It's one place I've always found solace whenever I'm troubled. Of course, I had my favourite playlist on my phone with me that afternoon.

I sat under one of the numerous coconut trees along the beach and started to listen to my favourite genre of music (country music).

Whilst listening to the music and observing the vastness of the sea, and watching the waves roll up and down and then wondering about the greatness of God for this wonderful creation, I noticed a girl at the far right. She was about forty yards from where I was sitting.

 There was something unusual about her. "What could a girl so neatly dressed possibly be doing sitting in the bush?" I asked myself. Of course, I couldn't have known. For one thing, she was sitting far away from where I was, so I couldn't have asked why she was sitting in the bush. Besides, you can't just walk to a stranger and ask what she was doing sitting in the bush.

I kept watching her and wondering what in God's name she was doing there. Suddenly, she stood up and started to walk towards the water. "What is this girl up to?" Could it be that she wants to swim or she's just taking a walk? Eventually, she entered the water. And as she move further and further into the water, I was engulf with anxiety. Perhaps, having been an avid watcher of crime stories and drama, I noticed that her demeanor was consistent with that of a person who is likely to be suicidal, as usually described by psycho-analyst in such crime stories.

At that instance, all sort of thoughts joggled my mind. I still don't know how I got into the water. All I remembered was that I was in the water. Standing ten yards from her, "hey girl!" I shouted. "What a heck do you think you are doing?" I asked. "What do you care?" she replied. "Oh, no, I'm not about to commit suicide, if that's what you're worried about." "Oh yeah, so what are you up to," I asked with interest. For a while, I stood there and still looking at her. And as she turned her back and noticed me still standing behind her, she asked, "you aren't gonna leave me alone, are you?" "No, not until you get out of the water," I replied with a smile.

A few minutes passed before she finally agreed to come out of the water with me. At that very moment I realized the sort of person I was dealing with. I was so much astound with her responsiveness thereof, and though I was a stranger, she was virtually calm and receptive. My surprise was that, usually, in such situations, the average girl would have snubbed you and perhaps asked you to mind your own business. Jenny was different. As we walked back to the shore, we introduced ourselves. "It's Jenny, I mean my name is Jenny," she said. "What are you called?" she asked with a smile. Without any hesitation, I told her my name.

At the shore, we had a very meaningful conversation. It was, in fact, one of the most in-depth conversations I've had in a long time. We talked about a lot of stuff - about family, friendship, everything relationship, about education, life after school and about our plans for the future.

"So what are you doing here alone at the beach?" she asked. "You know, it's been a very tiring week and so I just came here to clear my head until I noticed something ominous about you, and that's when I decided to be nosy," I replied. "Maybe, you were being nosy, but am sure you were just genuinely concerned, and I'm glad you did. Besides, I really enjoyed talking to you," she said.

Jenny was a final year Economics student. She came to the beach that day because she needed an atmosphere that is peaceful, an environment that is friendly and conducive enough so that she could do a much deeper thinking.

Jenny's boyfriend dumped her after almost three years together, and barely four months after the demise of her mother. She was devastated, having lost the two most important people in her life. The passion with which she spoke about her ex-boyfriend tells how much she loved him. I could only imagine the pain she was going through. Her ability to keep a cool head and think of a better way out of the enormous challenge, demonstrated her maturity and strength. Having been in her presence for just a few hours, I could tell that she's really a genuine and honest person.

I took a look at my wrist watch and it was half past five. "No way," I shouted. "Is anything the matter?" she asked. "We've been talking for over four hours and it seems like just four minutes," I replied. Jenny noticed that I would want to leave any moment so she said to me, "don't go yet, let's talk some more."

Soon, it was exactly sunset. Jenny got up, and then she asked me to come with her. "Where are we going?" I asked, in a low toned voice. "Trust me," she whispered.

She brought me to this side of the beach where this lover's bench was located. The view of the setting sun was amazing. "Isn't this an amazing view to behold?" she asked. "I know right!" I replied. "I use to come here with him every Friday and Saturday around this time." "Who?" I asked. "My ex-boyfriend," she said in reply. While admiring the beauty of the setting sun, Jenny said something which really struck me. "Do you know something?" she asked. "No, unless you tell me," I replied. "My mother once told me something which I never understood until now." "And what might that be?" I asked. "She told me Life will not always be beautiful, it may get ugly. The storms of life may come. They always do. But even in those storms, in the loneliest of all, one thing is sure, you're really never alone." "How did she know that there will come such a time like this in my life?" she asked. "Your guess is as good as mine. I really have no idea how they do it. All I know is that, they always do," I said to her in reply.  There's one thing I can tell you for sure though, that we have something very powerful within us. That inherent thing called instinct; mothers especially don't play with it. So, I guess instinct and personal experience would be the best explanation. "May be you're right," she said in response. Before we could noticed, it was a quarter to eight and we both agreed it was late and the need to part ways.

Unconditional

At last I made time to watch the movie "Unconditional". This movie was recommended to me back in college by my friend. She gave me the notion that it is one of the most inspiring movies she has ever watched, and that it is a must-watch movie, but it took me some time before I finally decided to watch it. Throughout the duration of the movie, the feeling was overwhelmingly sensational. And to think that this was inspired by the true life story of Joe Bradford, was for me, the icing on the cake.

                                                                                  right: Joe Bradford

This movie talk about a wonderful energetic black boy and a white girl whose path crossed at a very tender age. They were destined to become each others keeper, but life presented each of them with their share of challenges. As time passed, they grew up and they grew apart. It would be many years before they are united again.

For the girl, life is to be so beautiful, so full of magic and possibilities. She would sit for hours drawing and dreaming up of crazy stories to tell her friends.

She thought her stories would inspire the world, and make it a better place somehow. She was such a dreamer. And for a while, it seemed like all her dreams were coming true. Her husband was her world, the man of her dreams. But her dreams was quickly shattered. The killer didn't just take her husband's life. He took her's too. She soon lost her hope and will to go on. She use to dream of telling stories, but she never thought this is what would become of her own story. What use to be a hopeful little girl, became a woman with a dead soul, full of despair.
       
All young Joe wanted to do is to become a warrior and save the world. Even at that young age, he knew he was one of a kind.
For any child, to grow up without your father is an enormous challenge. That was the story of Joe, but he  found solace in the company of his grandma and new found friend, Sam.
Joe went to college and even finished top of his class in computer engineering, and had a job lined up for him in one of the famous tech companies, IBM. But before he could even graduate, Joe was handed eight years prison sentence.

It was in prison that Joe had the most powerful realization of his life. Soon enough, Joe was given forty days and forty nights in solitary confinement. In his loneliness, in the darkest place of all, Joe found God. He felt God's love in his life. His destiny, which is to be a warrior and help save the world was redefined. Joe found a purpose to live for. He started to share that love which God has give to him with the kids.

This movie really made me cry. It is such a masterpiece and it made me to deeply  reflect on God's love, friendship, and family.
A few things I have picked up from this inspirational movie;

Indeed love is the most powerful thing on earth that can do amazing things. There's truly enough love to go around if only we can begin to share.   

Secondly, we all struggle to find the right path to take in life. It is not always easy to know what that is or where it would lead us. In the end, it is the people in our lives that provide us with the right balance to help us make it through.

That the future will reach each of us in different ways. sometimes it will take your breath away. Sometimes it may be different from the version you have planned.
But through it all, it is our faith in God that open the door for God's power to work in our lives.

Tribute to a Loved One

You loved with deep colour;
With passion and with ardour;
Your love that's about real love;
When it pained today;
It was a bit more than usual.

Love that's about real love;
I don't know what has happened;
I just know;
That it's a bit more than usual;
Your love is about real love.

I wonder if it happened the same to you;
And say it happened to me more;
But the smile in your eyes tells me you care;
What we share is filled with fun and spontaneity;
That your love is real and beautiful.

As if my sleep has broken for the first time;
And I've seen the morning rubbing my eyes;
Though I keep light, but your love shone more;
Keeping brightness in me like the moon above;
Your love is about real deep love.

I don't know why;
But the fear of losing you became greater;
Which is more than just love, that kind of love;
Love with deep colour, with passion and with ardour;
Love that's about real love is my "Tribute to You".