The value of excellence

Excellence or excelling in everything that you do is reversed for those who are willing to give more than is required of them. You will know you are pursing excellence when you arrive at your work place 15 minutes early and leave 15 minutes late. You know you are excelling when you are a keen problem solver and always on the look out for problems to solve. You will also know you are excelling when you are willing to stretch your hand and help your colleagues.

The opposite of excellence is mediocre, average or ordinary. You will know you mediocre when you are always passing the buck back and unwilling to be blamed for what is clearly part of or wholly your responsibility. You will know you are average when you are willing to settle for the status quo and refusing to exert yourself. You will know you are ordinary when everyone you hung out with including yourself is always complaining about the some old things, blaming the some old people and disappointed with some old situations.

The quality of work I do is completely under my control. I can continue to do sloppy and inefficient work or I can learn to excel. That is entirely up to me. How do you develop excellence then? There is 8 things you need to do to develop excellence as a value. Are you ready for the 8 keep reading and turn up at the same time tommorow and you will get the first four things you need to do?

The value of being reflective

Do you sometimes stop,think and look at where you have come from? Do you sometimes stop and enjoy the smell roses? Do you sometimes stop and take the people who really matter in your life for a meal or a walk? Do you sometimes stop and cheer someone else with a word or a song? Do sometimes stop and enjoy the journey.

Looking back every now and then helps you appreciate the progress you have made, the people who made it possible and the lessons to take forward in this journey of life. The best time to reflect I have found in my own life are early morning, at the start of season (every three months) and when attempting something new.

Sometimes I will reflect on the people I know, the once who are succeeding and the once who are failing and I would idolise the characters and values of the ones who are succeeding. In the some way learn lessons I should avoid from the ones who are failing. Sometimes my reflection is not actually for me but for a friend who needs encouragement.

Take time to reflect you will be amazed how some of the answers to the problems you are facing will begin to appear.

The value of endurance

When I was in college I used to head a society and I did lots of good things with the student union. If I was to do it again I would stop and enjoy every moment of it. You see the day I finish college I felt an emptiness that I could not really explain. What was weird was that I should have been celebrating but here I was feeling empty. The lesson I learnt from this is that the process of achieving something is more important that the actual achievement.

Really and truly it is in the climb that we really find and shape our selves. It is the trials that we lose what is not necessary for the journey to gain what will be valuable for other similar or greater journeys. In Scot Anderson book “think like a billionaire, become a billionaire” he tell how he was Watching a documentary on discovery channel and it showed the process of how new chicks get out of the egg. The chick starts to peck at the shell, a little at a time. It takes forever but keeps working at it and working at it. The mama hen just stands next there and watches

You might ask “why don’t you help?” I though “just kick the stupid egg so we can get on with the next show. You could have it out in a few seconds. By the end of the show the show they had an answer to the question. If the mama hen helped the chick get out of the shell, the chick would die, because as it is pecking at the shell, it builds up its calculation. Which increases its strength, builds up its endurance; it strengthens the muscles that it will need to survive once it is out of the shell. If mom helped the chick would die.

Like the little chick we need to endure some trial, problems and people. Remember it is in an endurance that we increase in muscle and strength for larger and greater things. Will you value endurance?

The Value of giving your best to your work and others

How many of you know some extra ordinary people out there? This weekend I was involved in helping to organize a four day event, and it was the first time rather than showing up for an event I was actually helping in the setting up and my oh my. There several things I learnt from this event, for sure that there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the screens.

My purpose for writing this blog today to share a rare insight I learned this week. When you are working as a volunteer and the work that you are doing brings you satisfaction because you know you have given it your best. That is called brilliance. When you are working as a paid worker and you double check your work to ensure that everything is done correctly and neatly that’s called excellence.

In the end the person who is seen as an extra ordinary person must surely be the person who is willing to put the extra work. Nothing brightens my day more than dealing with a person who takes pride in what they do and goes the extra mile. For some reason when you are in their presence they actually seem like they want to solve a problem or give you the best of the service they are offering you. To tell you the truth i know companies would determine to pay top dollar for such a person.

Friends please determine to be an extra-ordinary person by ensuring that whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. Tomorrow I will be taking on steps to take to become an extra ordinary person.

Christian Values- The value of living by faith

“Now faith- is to be sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see” Hebrew 11:1

What are hoping to achieve in life? Have you ever thought of leaving a legacy? What areas in your life do you think you can make a unique contribution to your community and the rest of humanity? A while back I asked Jamie an Irish friend of mine these some questions and I can recall several other people I asked the some question and the answer was;

“Andrew that’s a heavy subject”

One of the things that frustrate’s me more than anything in the world in is to know people who are living their lives on autopilot. Occasionally you hear them say they want to achieve this and the other but you never see them step out in faith and following the dreams that is knocking at their door and seeking to be fulfilled through them.

Have you ever stopped and wondered if there is anything you can do to make a difference in your community? Why are you keeping your community waiting? While the community is waiting, things are not getting better, take a leap of faith do something that will impact you life and the lives of others.

The four categories of values

Today I want to take a moment and acknowledge that everything I am and everything I will ever hope to achieve, attain or accomplish. I have and do because of Jesus Christ. I cannot do anything without the help of the Holy Spirit and God and Jesus. If it were not for their help and their grace on my life it would not be possible for me to get to where I am now. I just want to say thank you for the grace extended to me to hit my 26th blog. I am humbled by the grace God has given me to write and to inform the world the desires he has put in my heart.

The values that have brought fulfilment and meaning to my life have been my Christian values. The friendship that I know I can always relay on has been with the Holy Spirit. The strength that I get to do everything I have do so far and to write is from God. The words that bring life and meaning to every problem I have faced and will face are from Jesus.

Dear reader if you will find time and begin to develop an awareness of God. I assure you, you will be opening a door to an extra ordinary life. Friend I want you to think of this as the best information I have ever shared with you. Back to my topic the four categories of values are Religious values (Christian Values), Family values, Community values and Personal values. During the coming days we will be looking into this in details.

Living by values

What are values? Values can be defined as the things which are important to us and from which we consciously or unconsciously make or base our decisions. Values determine what we are naturally drawn to, how we spend our time, what action we take, how we map our world and the world around us.

Most people in life sometimes have their values violated and you will hear them complain about bad things that people have done to them. But they will not be able to clearly tell you why they feel bad. This is because they have not taken the time to define their values or things that they hold dear in their lives. It is like having pain on your body, and not being able to tell where the pain is coming from, because you don’t know the body parts.

Over the next coming weeks I am going to focus on different values my question to you is have you discovered your values yet?

The story of Rolls Royce Part two

“Who by the works of their hands brought salvation to our country” said to workers of the Rolls Royce spitfire engine?

This tradition of perfecting products did not end when Sir Henry Royce built the first smokeless and noiseless cars. But during the Second World War By 1932 it was becoming apparent to Rolls-Royce that their best-selling engine, the 21.2 litre 745HP Kestrel was coming towards the end of its development life. A decision was made by Sir Henry Royce to develop a new engine using some of the experience of the Schneider Trophy winning 'R' engine.

The same man who had developed the first noiseless and smokeless car was now called upon to come up with a plane engine that was noiseless and smokeless. The engine went on to be used on the Spitfire which is a British single-seat used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries through the Second World War. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the war. This was because it was harder for the Germanys to detect it because it was less Smokey and noisy.

The above quote is carved at the Royce Company offices in Derby in recognition to the excellent innovation during Second World War. If you want your name to leave a lasting impact for the coming generations I provoke you to start thinking innovatively.

TAKE TIME- Be innovative (End-user/Incremental innovation)
The story of Rolls Royce Part one

Radical innovation is concerned with exploration of new technology and is fundamentally different from End-user/ incremental innovation that is concerned with exploitation of existing technology. End-user innovation involves interaction the consumers have with the products they buy and how they might improve a product they are frustrated with. The story of Henry Royce the founder of the Rolls Royce Car Company is one of the best stories I could find to illustrate End user/ Incremental Innovation. It is said that Henry Royce started making one of the world’s most luxurious cars with an investment of £30. If you can recall watching a movie set in the late 19 century early 20th century you will notice that most of the cars from that period were very noisy and Smokey.

Henry Royce owned one of these cars at the time, and was determined to make the first car without a noisy and Smokey engine. Cars in this period were fitted with two cylinders, but Sir Royce dreamed a way of fitting six cylinders and having a creative engine to eliminate the noise and smoke.

Royce had always worked hard and was renowned for never eating proper meals which resulted in his being taken ill first in 1902 and again in 1911. Ill health had forced his move away from Derby in 1912. In the same year, he had a major operation in London and was given only a few months to live by the doctors. In spite of this he returned to work but was prevented from visiting the factory, which had moved to larger premises, fitted out to detailed plans by Royce, in Derby in 1908. He insisted on checking all new designs and engineers and draughts men had to take the drawings to be personally checked by him, a daunting prospect with his well-known perfectionism.

If you ignore the fact that he never had proper meals and focus on his passion and determination to see improvements, then you will realize at the heart of end user innovation is passion and determination. Tomorrow I will be finishing the story of Henry Royce in the mean time I want you to think if of any products that you dislike at the moment? How might you improve it for us and you to like it?

TAKE TIME- Be innovative (Radical innovation)

Innovation throughout human history has spurred on human development, though it has always being add to pin it down as the root cause of development in business, science and policy making. But I would like to remind you that every time that they have made a breakthrough or advances say in the cure for polio, better treatment for cancer are they not implying innovative advances? I want to focus on two kinds of innovation at this time that is Radical innovation and end user innovation (incremental innovation). Radical innovations often draw on new scientific knowledge generated in universities and research organizations.

The 20th century witnessed dramatic medical inventions – a vaccine against yellow fever, Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, Salk’s development of the oral polio vaccine, Barnard’s first heart transplant. These and other discoveries have had widespread benefits unimaginable a century before and the pace of discovery shows no signs of abating. In 2005, the average UK life expectancy for men was 78 years, compared to 66 in 1950 and 48 in 1900.2 the next wave of discoveries is likely to be treatments and cures for cancers and for the diseases of ageing, such as Alzheimer’s.

In business long-term corporate success is linked to the ability to innovate. Although corporate investment in improvement to existing products and processes does bring growth, it is new game changing breakthroughs that will launch company into new markets, enable rapid growth, and create high return on investment.

But today it is inventions in electronics and communications that catch the imagination –Jobs’ and Wozniak’s development of the Apple computer, Berners-Lee’s invention of the World Wide Web and its exploitation by Page and Brin in the form of Google, and by Omidyar’s eBay. Arguably the biggest recent impact has come from the mobile phone, but here it is difficult to
Identify a single inventor. The nature of invention has significantly changed: modern inventions are largely the result of team work.

Can you radically drum up an idea, believe in yourself so much and you will literally make me write a story about you on my blog? You go out there and become a radical innovative person and together we will celebrate your achievement on this blog page.

Take time- Be innovative

Curiosity, research and determination to believe in something new and different are some of the keys to having an innovative mind. At this point in history quite a lot of money is being poured into innovation. Just stop for minute and think about some of the innovative ideals in the last 15 years? Think of the internet, social media,google, lap tops, ipods and many more,Can you see the role innovation plays in our civilization? What is innovation then?

Innovation is the process by which inventions are produced, which may involve the bringing together of new ideas and technology, or finding novel applications of existing technologies. Generally, innovation means developing new ways of doing things in a place or by people where they have not been used before. Modern innovation is usually stimulated by innovation systems and pathways.

I believe most of us have the innovative spirit within us in the next couple days I will be speaking about innovation and invention deeply. I have one favour to ask you though can you think of any product or service that you are currently unhappy with? What would need to be changed for you to like?

Take time to- think creatively take 2

Before I carry on with what I have to say today I just want to say thank you to Andrew (Canada), Emmanuel (England) and David (England) for your wonderful comments concerning this blog. I am ever so grateful for the feedback I got from you. Right, lets think creatively by looking at how substitution, Magnification, minification and rearrangement can help think more creatively.

Substitution- Ever thought of how you might swap or substitution the thing or the material you are using for something else? If you think of say the vacuum cleaner what was there before it? A broom, someone creative substituted the broom for the vacuum cleaner. Don’t assume that because a particular thing has always been used in the past it will always be used.

Magnification- As the name suggest think big in fact when you think magnification I would encourage to think super size, clothes, meals or drinks. Large screen LCD TVs, how would making what you are thinking about big make the product better or net more profits?

Minification- Today’s market is filled with products like Ipod nano, slim mobile phones, wireless microphone and small sized laptop computers. And what do we say to all this, it has made our live less bulky and easier to manage. And who do we owe this privilege to? The creative person who was willing to think minification.

Rearrangement- Do you ever sometimes turn things up-side down, and wonder what they would look like? Say the chairs you are sitting imagine if you designed up-side down would you like the design? The other ways you can think rearrangement is by turning things upwards, downwards and maybe inside out.

Having given you the seven ways of thinking creatively I now ask you to ask yourself which of these methods do you use frequently. Which of these methods can i use to solve a problem i am currently facing? If you ask yourself these questions and answer honestly and believe in yourself and your creative ability then welcome to the creative club.

Take time to- think creatively

The key to thinking creatively, it has been said is asking questions, but not just any questions open ended questions will unlock your creative juices. Every person who tapped into their creative mind liked asking the following questions who, what, where, when, why, how and if. Each question you ask is an opportunity for you to learn something new. Apart from asking these questions the creative mind thinks in one or more of the following 7 ways when presented with a problem. Associations, combinations, Adaptation, substitution, magnification, minification and rearrangement.

Associative thinking -The mental process of making associations between a given subject and all pertinent present factors drawing on past experience. Associative is quite good in helping you remember things easier and quicker since you associate two things together. It the sort of think that would help a child recall a bus as a car as they have the association of being vehicles

Combination thinking- as the name suggests it’s combining ideals, old and new, ancient and modern, from different background i.e psychology and theology, from different cultures African and European. This kind of thinking has helped give raise to things like musical comedy, 3D films and in a general sense what is now as the global village.

Adoptive thinking- What if you already had the knowledge you needed to make a difference? What if all you had to learn was how to apply that knowledge in a new, creative and adaptive way? What if you have to use the some product in a different environment? Would you remove/add something to make it work? You are right that is adoptive thinking.

So I hope I have kick started the creative process in your life, tomorrow be prepared to learn more about Substitution, magnification, minification and rearrangement.

Take time to- Be creative –Avoid the Processionary Caterpillar Syndrome

The renowned French Naturalist, Jean-Henri Fabre, in an experiment with processionary caterpillars was able to entice them on to the rim of a large flowerpot. Processionary caterpillars move through the forest in a long procession feeding on pine needles. They derive their name from their habit of following a lead caterpillar, each with its eyes half closed and head fitted snugly against the rear end of the preceding caterpillar.

Fabre succeeded in getting the lead caterpillar to connect up with the last one, creating a complete circle, which moved around the pot in a never ending procession. He thought that after a few circles of the pot, the caterpillars would discover their predicament or tire of their endless progression and move off in another direction. But they never varied their movements.

Through force of habit, the caterpillars kept moving relentlessly around the pot at about the same pace for a period of seven days. They would have continued even longer if they had not stopped from sheer exhaustion and hunger. As part of the experiment, food had been placed close by in sight of the group, but because it was out of the path of the circle, they continued in their procession to what could have been their ultimate destruction.

In their procession around the pot, they were blindly following their instincts, habits, past experience, tradition, custom and precedent—the way they always had done things. In reality, they got nowhere. As the adage states, “It is a form of insanity to do the same things over and over and then expect different results.”

Like the caterpillars, many people follow the crowd without stopping and asking themselves why am I following the crowd? Is the person leading qualified? Am noticing any changes in myself and those around me? The creative person is the one who is bold enough to ask questions, ask yourself are you determined to be that person.

Take time to- Be creative

If you have a problem do you ever stop and consider different possible solutions to your problems? If you have ideas do you ever magnify them and see them bigger than what you initially thought to allow you to stretch them? If you are out shopping for clothes do you ever stop to consider how what you are about to buy will match up with what you already have? If you answer is yes to all of the above question than you have been in involve in what is known brain storming.

Brainstorming is a process for generating new ideas, a key part of creativity is brainstorming. I want to encourage you to start thinking creatively today if you have any problem bothering you right get a piece of pen and paper out and start writing down what are the possible solutions to the problem, instead of focusing on the problem determine to focus on the creative solution to your problem.

I like the process of creativity because at its very essence it connotes the creation of something new. Now I want you think of yourself driving in a country road and you see black and white cows and brown cows in the field grazing would stop and take a photo of them? Why not because that what you are used to right? The other day a friend was driving on a country road and he noticed that cars kept stop to take a look at cows grazing in field you want to know why because these cows where painted purple and pink and every thought what a sight I got stop and take a picture of this. You see the creative process will make ordinary things look extra ordinary
Just to let you know that tomorrow I will be taking about innovation as part the creative process, but for today please start being creative

Take time to- Be grateful

“The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now” Oprah Winfrey

Today i have discovered the happiest place on the internet but before i share this. I just want to say thank you for reading my blog, am thankful that you will share and encourage more people to join in. You know the fact that I can see and have good health makes me say thank you. When i think of the poverty all around the world i am grateful that i am not directly affected by it.

Gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. There are several benefits of gratitude like when you are grateful you feel healthier, it’s a motivator, it inspires success, makes you a better person and makes you sleep better. I will focus on gratitude as a motivator for good behavior

Gratitude may also serve to reinforce future pro-social behavior in benefactors. For example, one experiment found that customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a subsequent 70% increase in purchases. In comparison, customers who were thanked and told about a sale showed only a 30% increase in purchases, and customers who were not called at all did not show an increase. In another study, regular patrons of a restaurant gave bigger tips when servers wrote “Thank you” on their checks.

Now you want to know the happiest place on the internet visit

http://www.gratitudelog.com/

TAKE TIME TO- read books, attend self development seminars and listen to CD & DVD.
It is said of Abraham Lincoln that he never had much military experience during the American civil war. But as soon as the war started he consumed himself with books on military strategy and thought. Would you believe it historian have said that in most cases he became more successful at strategizing than most of the generals.

One of the key habits that the top 5% in any given society practice that separates them from the rest, is that the wealthy read on average two books a week, the wealthy know that reading and gaining understanding is the key to abundance. They have a burning desire for more information on every area of investing from real estate to stocks to business to marriage to parenting.

They constantly want to know they can get more information on most of these areas. It no wonders they climb higher in the ladder of life.

Most people think that self-help books are a last resort to fixing the problem. The wealthy see them as the start to not having a problem. I don’t know about you but i do know that it is crowded at the bottom, people are packed like sardines i am determined to hang out with the top five are you coming with me?

TAKE TIME TO- to learn from you.

If you ever met someone and for some reason you immediately felt that they can’t be trusted? Police officers often claim to observe suspects and there and then "know" that they possess a weapon or illicit narcotic substances. Often it has not been possible for them to articulate why they reacted or what prompted them at the time of the event, they sometimes retrospectively can plot their actions based upon what had been clear and present danger signals. Such examples liken intuition to "gut feelings" and when viable illustrate preconscious activity. To the lay person this is what is called Intuition?

Intuition is the apparent ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. “The word ‘intuition’ comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning ‘to look inside’ or ‘to contemplate’."Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify. Psychologist belief that intuition can encompass the ability to know valid solutions to problems and decision making. In other words some of the most initiative people are those who are constantly learning about themselves and their reactions to people, places and situations.

I have a life lessons journal and I can honestly say ever since I started keeping this journal. I am finding it is becoming easier and easier for me to know automatically what to do. It has really helped me develop my intuition. It would encourage you to have one and you will discover that self discovery is the best recovery.

TAKE TIME TO-Learn from other

As I pulled my chair closer to hear what she had to say about her experiences in the past three years. I knew I was in for an evening of entertainment and humorous learning. We were particularly lucky that at 6pm Cafe de Essen was empty and this place which is normally associated with a buss of activities was as quiet as the night. I looked around me and was impressed by the class roof and its project of light that gave the whole place feeling of warmth and comfortableness that you don’t normally find in cafes like this.

“It was the best decision I ever made” she said, picking up the glass

“Really.....how come??” I replied

“For the simply reason, that I used to wait for the BBC to pay me £2000.00, but know it like I can make that within two days” she said speaking with such clarity and expression of passion that it was hard to ignore what she saying

“Do you” I said

“Yes to me I can’t understand why most people are not doing”

The above conversation I was having with a friend who decided to pack their job and set up on their own. Now they have literally went from £2000.00 every month to making it every two days. Image that they are making in a month what BBC wanted to pay them in a year; I reckon they are earning almost a 12 year BBC salary in working on their own. Literally saving time on petty office politics, draining HR meeting and demanding inconsiderate persons.

My point is she has freed herself from the system, if we take time to learn from her maybe we too free ourselves from the system.

TAKE TIME TO-Review

Over the past six days I have being taking to you about being responsible? Where I defined the meaning of responsibility as us being accountable, owning up to our own mistakes, quitting the blame game, taking a look at ourselves and managing our reputation. Today I am starting a new series called take time to? Before I tell you what’s its all about I think we should “take time to review” what we learned thus far this week.

1. Remember if it’s something you keep complaining about the same topic in different settings maybe you opt to look at you.

2. Part of anything big and significant that is waiting to happen in your life is waiting for you to put the keys to the door called responsibility. Are willing to embrace this?

3. We must first take charge or we must first be responsible and then the change we desire will follow.

4. To know how accountable you are you have to be ready and willing to accept responsibility for your decisions and behaviours.

5. Reputation management - it is managing the reputation of a person. It mainly deals with a person’s character, trustworthiness and reliability. It looks at the person past, present and future and helps the person build a firm reputation that the outside world can depend and trust on.

6. Reputation management- is made up of the following components, Building, Maintenance and recovery.

Readers take time to review and your review will reveal. It will reveal what should hold your attention and what should not. It will reveal what went well and how to improve it and what went wrong and how to discard it. So take time to review and enjoy your weekend.

Being responsible- Reputation Management take 2

I was at a meeting today and I got taking to a friend of mine who happens to own an overseas property investment company, I told him what i was going to write on my blog today, after putting his hand on his chin for ten seconds he told me that to him what reputation management meant was that he was accountable to himself (his conscious), God, those around him, general family of humanity. Well now here are the three components of reputation management explained deeply.

Building – This type of reputation management has to do with building your reputation as of now with the new friendship and the old friendship seeing yourself daily as a reliable, trustworthy and honest person. It includes building a good reputation to maintaining it for your associate. You will know you are building a good reputation when people begin to depend more and more you because they know you can be trusted. This is the component of reputation management that deals with the future.

Maintenance – Reputation management meant to just keep your good image superior in the public eye is called maintenance. This is meant for persons that are already have a good reputation established, it is the component of reputation management that deals with present.

So how does your reputation management measure up?

Recovery – If in your past you gotten a bad reputation for any reason, then the recovery portion of reputation management is for you. This component of reputation management works by getting you to own up to your past mistakes and accept responsible for them thereby releasing you to recovery the lost reputation. It like admit the bad reputation begins with a good marketing of the new you. This component deal with the past

Being responsible- Reputation Management

There is a term I feel I should introduce you to and that is reputation management. Yesterday you looked at yourself and answered the questions I had on accountability. If you begin to look into yourself with a sober mind on a regular basis you will notice that you are beginning to manage your reputation as an accountable, responsible and trustworthy person.

What is reputation management then???-The reputation management definition -Obviously, it is managing the reputation of a person. It mainly deals with a person’s character, trustworthiness and reliability. It looks at the person past, present and future and helps the person build a firm reputation that the outside world can depend and trust on. It is made up of the following components, Building, Maintenance and recovery.

Tomorrow I will be looking into this three components deeper book you seat at the same time and i will help you manage your reputation

Be responsible-Take a Look at Yourself

How accountable are you? Does it depend on the situation, or are you always ready to accept responsibility for your decisions and behaviours? On a scale of 1-10, with 1 representing "Never" and 10 representing "Always," rank yourself on each of these characteristics of accountability. They apply equally to professional and personal situations.

1. I communicate regularly and accurately with associates.
2. If I don't understand something, I seek out information.
3. I own my own problems and circumstances.
4. When I make a mistake, I admit it.
5. I am proactive, often taking the initiative.
6. I ask for the things I need to do my job.
7. I analyze my activities and ask, "How is this contributing to organizational objectives?"
8. I analyze my activities and ask, "What more can I do?"
9. I stand and deliver when it's time to report on my actions.
10. I welcome feedback.
11. I model accountability for the people I work with and supervise.
12. I readily confront unaccountable behaviour in others.

Obviously, the higher the score, the better. Take a second look at items on which you ranked yourself at the low end of the scale. What can you do to become more accountable in those areas?

Being responsible- Be accountable stop playing the blame game

One way of measuring responsibility is accountability, but sometimes it seems like ducking responsibility has become epidemic. It is easy to pass the buck on someone these days and blame them for something we opt to be responsible for. In politics, sport, media, and our little communities everyone is playing the blame game

Accountability is a traditional idea that says you are responsible for your actions—and inactions. For the sake driving a clear point at you I am going to ask you a couple of tough questions today, are you are ready. If a questions comes up or something goes wrong, are you will to raise your hand and admit the part you played? are you open to scrutiny?

Unaccountable people are into excuses, blaming others, putting things off, doing the minimum, acting confused and playing helpless. They pretend ignorance while hiding behind doors, computers, paperwork, jargon and other people They say things like "I didn't know, "I wasn't there," "I don't have time," "It's not my job," That's just the way I am," "Nobody told me," "It isn't really hurting anyone," and "I'm just following orders." Unaccountable people are quick to complain and slow to act. In organizations, lack of accountability is a highly contagious disease.- Dianne Schilling (womens media)

If feel like I still have a lot to say about this topic so if you want to become more accountable you better be prepared for what’s on the menu tomorrow.

Being responsible- Take charge

“We must first become the change we want to see before the change comes to us” Mahatma Gandhi

Isn’t it interesting that Mahatma Gandhi went to inspire a nation of close to half a billion people to take charge and win their freedom from the British? I say interesting because he did this by advocating a non-violent way of winning this freedom. The part of his quote I really want to focus on is “we must first become” in other words we must first take charge or we must first be responsible and then the change we desire will follow.

Have you ever heard the story of this woman who woke up one morning and started complaining to her husband and kids that the house had a foul smell? If you have heard not it, here is your chance to hear it......now am told this woman said she would leave the house until her husband and kids had cleared the foul smell from the house, so she went to the hairdressers and at the hair dressers the some smell followed her. There too she complained saying;

“Can’t you buy Ambi pure for your salon or something I can’t stand that smell I am leaving until you sort out that smell?”

With frustrated look on her face off she went holding her nose saying,

“I can’t stand places that smell”

To make herself feel better she decided to buy herself a new pair of shoe and guess what at the shoe shop the same smell followed her.

You might ask how will I know when to take charge? Look at your life and ask yourself this what smell is following me around, what is the one thing or things I keep complaining about? How come it’s always everybody fault and not me? If you are ready to think this way then you are ready to take charge.

I was hoping you would leave a comment and let me know what you think of the blog so far?

Being responsible- The word?

Remember yesterday I said we were going to start taking about taking control, please see the quote below by Leo Tolstoy and ponder on what it might mean to you.....?

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but nobody thinks of changing themselves” Leo Tolstoy

There are many reasons am in love with the English Language, but the most important reason is the flexibility you have in terms of using one word to describe another word. When it comes to the word responsibility this holds true more than any other word I can think of right now. Before I can fully dive into the many words to describe responsible, will you please allow me to present you with the best definition I have found for the word responsible;

1. Liable to be required to give account, as of one's actions or of the discharge of a duty or trust.

2. Involving personal accountability or ability to act without guidance or superior authority: a responsible position within the firm.

3. Being a source or cause.

4. Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's behaviour.

5. Able to be trusted or depended upon; reliable.

6. Based on or characterized by good judgment or sound thinking: responsible journalism.

7. Having the means to pay debts or fulfil obligations.

8. Required to render account; answerable:

Looking at the 8 line definition above, have you being a responsible person?


In the next coming days I am going to talk more about responsibilities and taking control, I feel like I ought to tell you something about myself you don’t yet know. Part of anything big and significant that is waiting to happen in your life is waiting for you to put the keys to the door called responsibility. Friend will you accept this invite?

I will be sharing the stories that I have helped me become responsible...stay tuned you don’t want to miss an episode of this........

The law of control

“I feel happy to the degree to which I am in control” Andrew Bobaa
The level you feel that you are happy in control dictates your level of happiness. Have you ever been in the passenger seat, riding with a really bad driver? They are swerving in and out of traffic, looking way too much at you while they are driving, right on the back side of the car in front of you.
While you are in the passenger seat, you are stressed out, not happy, not relaxed. This goes for life. When you are not in control of your life you are not happy you are stressed out, full of fear worry, anxiety.
When life is out of control and you are a victim to circumstances, it is impossible for you to be happy. When you feel like you have to go work, you have to do what the boss says and you have to go home to a marriage that feels like a trap, you have no control over your life whatsoever. The only time you have control is when you have control of the remote control to watch what you want on telly. This is why so many people spend so four to five hours a day watching tel-a lie-vision. You know why because it is the only time they have a sense of peace, because it is the only time of the day they feel like they are in control.
Readers, ask yourself this, what am l in control of? the remote control or my life? Stay tuned tomorrow we will embark on journey of taking control.

A test for you-take 3 on mental attitude

You know yesterday introduced you to the concept of locus of control today i have test that will tell you which one you are. Please leave a comment on the blog telling me what you thought about the test and at the end of march i will reveal something amusing about the test and locus of control......for the test follow the link below

http://similarminds.com/locus.html


In life you will find that all successful people have an internal locus of control, while the unsuccessful or average has an external locus of control. The same is true that happy people have an internal and unhappy/ depressed people external locus of control.

Look at it this way. You are riding in the car of life. If you are an external locus of control person the problem is that you are in the passenger seat. You have no control over where the car is going. If the car is headed for the trees, you have to brace yourself. If it is headed for the cliffs just hold on. There is nothing you can do apart from scream and just hope to luck out for a change.

Internal locus of control makes you have control of your life. As soon as we take responsibility for our lives they begin to change and we start have control over them. It is about time that you say, “ I have the ability to become successful, i have gifts , the talents needed to make my financial, relational or educational dreams a reality. You know out there are millionaires or successful people out there who are not as smart as me, as gifted as i am. I am turning the car around and i am headed towards my dreams, aspirations and my goals in life. I have no one to blame. Instead i take charge of my life.

I dare you to start thinking like this.....if that’s a dare you accept then start making time for the things i will be speaking about from tomorrow....I will see you then....

More talk about mind set, are you an inner or an outer person?

How many of you have heard this saying “it takes one to know one” well read on and discovery something new today. There are two types of people those with an external locus of control that is things that happen externally affect them on the inside i.e. they will blame everything that happens to them on someone else or something else you will hear them say it is the economy’s fault, it is my bosses fault, my parents or spouse fault. They have no control over life, life controls them and they feel they have to sit back and take whatever life throws at them.
Then there is the person with an internal locus of control meaning their life is controlled from the inside out. What it is in you produces itself outside of you. My external world is a mirror image of my internal world. I am in charge of my life by controlling me, my thoughts, my attitudes and my behaviours. If I change in me, I change out of me. If I take control of my thoughts, I take control of my emotions, of my attitudes. And I control my world from the inside out; this means if I don’t like something about my life I have the power to change it.
So I ask you my friend which one are you or would you rather be.....???