Let's get Naked by Melissa Krivachek of Under30ceo

Have you ever noticed that when you have your mind set on achieving a specific goal or you’re headed in the direction of massive success your closest friends and family tend to want to get in the way?

Spending the holiday season with my family every year I realize more and more the greatest gift I can give them is the gift of proving them wrong.While their beliefs and values are incredibly different than mine and I love spending time with them I also love leaving them knowing that I can’tand won’t allow their beliefs and values to influence mine because the
distinct difference between those who are massively successful and those who aren’t is their Mindset.

I’ve heard every excuse and reason why it won’t work from my family and I’m sure you can relate.

Excuses ranging from you don’t have the tools, knowledge, resources, or the right relationships to you aren’t good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, educated enough, you don’t know what you’re doing and no one has ever done that before what makes you think that you can? And while I hear their concerns I refuse to allow their concerns to become my fears. It’s taken a long time to get from where I was to where I am today and it was no easy road in fact it can be challenging from time to time still today and we all have our off days regardless of our level of success. But the reality is we all have a choice, we all have a decision to make to allow those limiting beliefs to get in the way of our success or to focus our time, effort, and energy on what truly matters most to us that being our OWN goals, hopes, and dreams.

Yes no one in my family has been successful at owning, operating or profiting by creating their own business, no one in my family has made over 6 figures before and certainly not 7, no one in my family has gone out on a limb and risked everything to make their dream a reality, no one in my family was willing to call BS on all of the limiting beliefs, obstacles, and temporary setbacks in their way NOT because they weren’t strong enough BUT because they didn’t realize how strong they actually were.

Achieving this level of success is no easy task, moving past limiting beliefs that have been programmed into you from birth takes balls, and dedicating yourself to not quitting when things get rough is extremely difficult there is no question about that but achieving this level of success, making this level of sacrifices, committing to this many hours of personal growth, talking to thousands of people, hearing the word no over and over and over is what makes you stronger not weaker. It increases your level of knowledge and intellect and pushes you further
with every action and decision you make.

More than anything to get to this place in life you have to be coachable and vulnerable

It’s like going to the doctor’s office when he/she asks you to take off your clothes and put on that gown you listen. Do you want to do it? Absolutely not! Do you feel comfortable doing it? Absolutely not! Are you scared, nervous, panicked, insecure, annoyed, worried, terrified of course you are! There is no question about that no one goes into the doctor’s office happy, comfortable, and ready to be stripped of their clothes and examined. No one starts the journey of entrepreneurship thinking I want to get “naked” and vulnerable but in order to survive and thrive you have to. The quickest way to learn is to grow, the quickest way to grow is to be examined, and the easiest way to do that is by hiring a specialist and getting “naked”. I know what you’re thinking and hey, these are the very things no one wants to talk about but this is the reality of how the best outshine the rest.

WISDOM SERIES #2. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, Nobel Prize winner and anti-Apartheid icon passed away at his home in Johannesburg at the age of 95. By any standard, Madiba, as he was fondly referred to by those who loved him, lived a robust, fulfilling and impactful life.

Few people have had as much impact on history as Madiba had. History will remember him as one of the greatest men who ever lived – an incredibly selfless man who made so much of a sacrifice to re-write the history of generations of South Africans and the world.

During his lifetime Mandela inspired the world with his numerous words of wisdom, etched in our memories till tomorrow. And his words remain evergreen:

1. I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from
nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is
keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving
forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in
humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give
myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

2. I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the
triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel
afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

3. Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp
enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one
armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.
4. It always seems impossible until it’s done.

5. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his
people and his country, he can rest in peace.
6. Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of
their people.

7. A fundamental concern for others in our individual and
community lives would go a long way in making the world the
better place we so passionately dreamt of.

8. Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve
success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they
do.

9. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to
change the world.

10. For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to
live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

11. Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many
times I fell down and got back up again.

12. There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for
a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

13. Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.

14. We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is
always ripe to do right.

15. Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never
extinguished

16. Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill
your enemies.

17. I like friends who have independent minds because they tend
to make you see problems from all angles.

18. A good head and a good heart are always a formidable
combination.

19. When people are determined they can overcome anything.

Streamline your life...

There are certain things in a person’s life that really make worth living.  Your faith, your family, your career, and the positive effect you have on others, just to name a few.  These are you priorities. With each priority there are certain tasks that you do that attribute to each priority.   In the same sense, there are certain things in a job that make the biggest difference.  There are hundreds upon millions of certain task to choose from.  Imagine like a wall full of levers and you have to discern which ones to pull down to make your life work.  The problem with life is most people are overwhelmed with which lever to pull to make life worthwhile.

We want to make the biggest difference so we start pulling as many levers as possible. And we get bogged down.  Imagine your life like a computer.  You have so many things you want to accomplish so you start opening a lot of programs.  You open up a browser and start looking at websites. In fact you may open multiple tabs on that same browser.  You then open up a word processer, then excel, then a media player, then a picture viewer and before you know it your computer is running slower than you expect it to.  This is the way life works.  If you get bogged down doing too many things you become less and less effective at what is really important.

Here are three ways to STREAMLINE YOUR LIFE.

Delete it.

Sometimes it more important to say no than it is to say yes.  Say no to the things that don’t directly contribute to the priorities you find most important.  There are only a handful of things that you do that actually make a difference.  If you find yourself crunching numbers that have no ROI, delete it.  Your time is too valuable. I personally find myself double recording some things that have a easier method of tracking.

Delegate it.

What makes you valuable may not be balancing the books.  What may make you valuable is your ability to communicate with a large number of people at a time or play a musical instrument, or your skillset of selling.  If balancing the books is taking too much of your productive time, delegate it.  Give it to someone who is just as capable at doing an adequate job and give them the opportunity to take on the responsibility.  If your time is worth $100 an hour, you don’t have the time to perform a task that is worth $10 an hour.
 
Diminish it.

Sometimes you can’t avoid all nonproductive things.  Some people you still have to deal with even if you would rather not.  There may be a person you work with that has a negative attitude but his contribution is vital.  You may not be able to avoid him all together but you can diminish the time you spend with him so his negatively doesn’t rub off on you.

Six Principles of Success: Principle No. 2 - Passion

Follow your passions and success will follow you. Whether we're thinking about starting a small business, or just thinking about what career path to choose, it's important that we follow our passions. When we think about what is needed to be successful in life and in our work, we usually think about characteristics like value, talent, ambition, intellect, discipline, persistence and luck. What many of us often fail to include in this recipe for success is passion. The passion we have, or don't have, for our work should not be underestimated. Sometimes this ingredient could make the biggest difference of all.

What is Passion                                                            
When I speak of passion, I don't mean it in the romantic way. What I mean by passion is the powerful feeling of enthusiasm we all have inside of us. We are all enthusiastic and passionate about something, whether its finance, food or a favorite sport. That enthusiasm is very powerful. When we can combine it with our work, we are setting ourselves up well for achieving true success.

Why Passion Is so Important
When we are enthusiastic and proud of the work we do, the better equipped we'll be to overcome the many obstacles that will surely arise in the process of starting a business or moving up in a career. Also, the more enthusiasm we have, the more inclined we are to work harder at improving ourselves. This will allow us to continuously get better at the work we do. The better we get at our work, the better we can get paid for doing it.

Ensuring we are passionate about our work will not only provide us with a meaningful career, but it will also give us a good chance of being paid well. The passion we have for our work can be the difference between making a living or making a killing.

It's Never Too Late
For those of us who have been thinking, "I'm already following my passion" while reading this book, that's great! You should appreciate that because you're in the minority. In a developing country such as Nigeria, there is little or no information on the status of job satisfaction, however The Conference Board, a New York based private business research group said over 50% of Americans were dissatisfied with their jobs in 2010. It stated that most Americans were only working for their current employer simply because they had to. I am convinced this applies to most countries of the world.

Now, obviously most of us have to work one way or another (unless you were born into riches and are completely spoiled). So, don't just quit your day job because you aren't completely satisfied. However, that doesn't mean you can't pursue another more fulfilling career-path part-time. Have you ever heard the saying, "it's never too late to be what you could've been?" Well it's true. If you have an idea of where you want to be, you can still make moves towards getting there. If you have a full-time job to support you while you make that transition that may actually be even better.

The Bottom Line
True success is much more than having a lot of wealth and fame. Enjoying the work you do is, in some ways, more important than having a large bank account. Plus, if you enjoy the work you do, there's a greater chance you will do great work and get paid (or rewarded) accordingly. If you're thinking about starting your own business, or just struggling with this in your own personal career, you may need to think about what you're passionate about. It may not be easy, but chances are it will be worth the effort.

You are a Product

The packaging of a product is sometimes more important than the product itself. Take for examples albums and cassettes. Recording companies spend more on the cover than the actual tape or CD that is, more on pictures, printing and the graphics goes into the production. The album will not sell regardless of how good it is unless it looks good.

Research have found out that people will simply buy a product because of the package it comes in, have you ever noticed how manufacturers are so extravagant with labels on cloths? Some clothe have silk labels with very elegant writing. The label could last 50 years while the clothe will just last 5 months. The packaging and label is the tool with which the manufacturers project their product into the mind of the prospective buyers.

You are a product and there is something in you that your world is so much in need of. In most cases they don’t know it’s inside of you. Here is where packaging coming in and what does that entail; put yourself together, play around your passion, strength and interest. Get information on such areas, package them into good or service! I just heard you asked ‘Is it that easy?’ Yes, because it’s worth it.  

So many young people carry crowded brains about. Crowded with inspired life changing ideas but will not do anything about it, until it expires. If for example your interest is event management, start with a street or departmental, age-group, carnival, show, concert, competition just name it. Don’t snuff yourself with writing a nationwide reality show script. Yes, that where you are going but start small to gain experience and credibility.

If your interest is dancing, it doesn’t matter if you are currently studying law in the university, join a dance group or organize one, watch steps from clips and video, offer to dancer free in some events or at low charge, read about your model dance-group or dance hero, how they came to prominence. Give time to rehearsals, and watch your diet. In short, give everything your vision deserves to see it actualized.

For professionals who want to work with an organization in their field, one of the questions you will sure get from the interview panel is ‘what can you do for us?’ indirectly they are asking what value can you add to our organization or simply put what’s your value. It is a question that also probes to know what you have done with/on yourself to make you deserve a place at the expense of others.

Most young people don’t know their value in workplace because they really don’t have much, not in terms of experience now but the initial know-how! “If I cannot proof myself my HR cannot approve,” that’s an American company’s slogan that was coined to regulate the employee-HR relationship.

There is rarely any product in the market that those not have a substitute, but packaging and quality separate buyers’ choices. Quality is quantity processed and approved. So it not only about the number of credentials you compile, it really about the result you get when it is tested in the furnace of work-place. Have you ever observed that employers are more willing to acquire products that will enhance their business than pay salaries of their employee? And in the mist of what will seem as extravagance to employee they slash salaries and owe allowances. If you present yourself as an indispensable product you’ll be treated as such. If I understand my business gets a staggering blow from losing you, and then I don’t mess with you!

I strongly, agree with Fela Durotoye who categorized labour force into The Available and The Desirable. Unfortunately most actors in work place belong to the former. True to that axiom which says, “when ‘The Desirable’ is not available ‘The Available’ becomes desirable’. So many forgetting that they are filling in the gap for someone go permanently into complacence-mood and when the next down-sizing hurricane comes they get eroded and push blames to some household enemy!

How do you command higher value with your passion and at workplace? How do you become and remain a hot cake for your employee? How do you get a pay-rise at sunrise?  

Six Principle of Success : Principle No. 1 - Purpose

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give it all it takes. Now, if finding your life purpose seems like an elusive undertaking, don't panic! You are not alone. While it's true some people seem to find their life purpose easier than others, it's also true that God really does have a plan for every single person, even if it takes a while to see what it is.

Most people think finding your life purpose means doing something you truly love. It's an area that just seems natural to you and things just seem to fall into place. But what if things aren't so clear for you? What if you're not sure what your gifts are? What if you haven't discovered any particular talent that makes you think it could be your true calling in life? Or what if you're working somewhere and you're good at it, but you just don't feel fulfilled? Is this all there is for you?

Don't panic. You're not alone. There are lots of people in the same boat. Take a look at the disciples. Now, there's a diverse group. Before Jesus came on the scene, they were fishermen, tax collectors, farmers, etc. They must have been good at what they were doing because they were feeding their families and making a living.

But then they met Jesus, and their true calling came into focus very quickly. What the disciples didn't know is that God wanted them to be happy—even more than they did. And following God's plan for their lives made them happy inside, where it really matters. What a concept, huh?

Do you suppose it could be true for you too? That God wants you to be truly happy and fulfilled even more than you do?

Step Out and Try It

Working with God to find your life purpose means working as a team. When you take a step, God takes a step.

·         Be willing to try some things that interest you. You will know very quickly if you've found the right thing for you. Doors will either open or slam shut. Either way, you'll know where you stand.

·         Be Patient. Wanting to know everything right this second is pretty common these days. Learning to trust that God will show you when He's ready—now that takes patience. God isn't going to show you every piece of the puzzle all at once. If he did, you'd get “knocked-out", because you'd be so overwhelmed by it all. Not to mention you'd be overly tempted to come up with a back-up plan "just in case" things didn't work out.

·         Don't waste your time on things you know aren't from God. "Get rich quick" schemes never work. Finding a Christian husband or wife won't happen if you're focused on activities and events that don't involve Christians. And participating in things you know are wrong—well, you're simply prolonging your answers.

·         Don't let the people around you talk you into things. Just because it all sounds like a good idea doesn't mean it's God's plan for you. Following God's leading sometimes means you have to say no to many well-meaning family members or friends. It comes down to the decision to follow, no matter where it leads.

·         Lastly, don't ever give up. You may not know your specific purpose today or tomorrow, but as long as you're really great at being a Christian, and your heart is open, you will find God and he will find you.

RICH YOUTH, POOR YOUTH

The urge to be financially buoyant is the dream of every youth. But not all will be. “For the poor shall never lease out of the land...” Deut 15:11. There are several young people that are willing to be rich in life, but they never know how. Mind you, there are some that get rich but still they lack the mind of success they will never succeed in life e.g. MICHAEL Tyson made $300million at the peak of his fighting career but today he his bankrupt, he lacks the mind set of success. Michael Jackson, arguable the most popular song artist and at a time made the list of top 20 richest in the world now has his wardrobe out for sales, left with almost nothing at 50 years birthday on 29 Aug 2008.
And there are two other Michaels that inspire me, so much that I feel like add Michael to my list of names. They possess or may be acquire some extra mind of success. For instance when Olympic gold medalist track star Michael Johnson ran he seems to glide across the track, his feet bearly touching the surface. His affable personality made him a crowd and media favorite, but I was struck by his humility during the 1996 Olympic games he shed fears as he crossed the line. His appreciation as he draped the American flag across his tired body for a gold-media was inspirational. He was a true champion. There is this other Michael. You know the one. The guy
who is arguable the best basketball player to ever grace the game. The one who proved that character is what you do when no one is watching. He was physically talented, yes, but his mental toughness, is legendary both of these champion left an inedible mark on their sport but it is the following two quotes that are forever engrave in my mind.
“I have missed more than none thousand shot in my career. I have lost almost three hundred games. On twenty-six occasions I have been entrusted to takes the game winning shots and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why… I succeed”
Michael Jordan (Five time MBA league MVP)
“Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter, long stretches of hard work punctured by brief moment in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best”
Michael Johnson
(200m and 400m Olympic gold model winner)
We shall draw references from the Bible as we discuss the three drives to financial accomplishment we shall discuss the following.
· Diligence
· Mind of success
· 10 commandment