We have preconceptions about every issue, based on our knowledge of the subject matter. We believe some things are risky, because we do not know the internal workings of it, and cannot comfortably predict outcomes.

The best way to be equipped to start anything, be it business, travel, venture etc is to gain all the knowledge you can. In a knowledge economy, you cannot make headway or make money if you are not knowledgeable.

The easiest way to gather knowledge is through reading. Read widely about the subject matter of interest. You may have come across a lot of folks that became experts in their field without going through any formal education formal route. They were bold enough to read up, and step out. A lot of things that seem like rocket science, if you delve deeper, you get to see that there is no big deal about it.

A lot of business ventures fail due to lack of preparation. Folks take a start eyed walk into areas they have no previous experience or have not paid the price to do their homework well. There is nothing new under the sun. Someone has walked that road before.

What you are trying to do may be unique, but the principles are timeless. Someone has been there before you. Chances are, someone has written about it or told it in story in a book or website. Search for it, and get all the information you can. These can save you a lot of energy, time and resources expended in the learning curve.

The more prepared you are before embarking on any venture, the greater your chances of succeeding. From reading and studying, especially other’s experiences, you get to know the obstacles to look out for, and how to overcome them. As you do journey on, and these obstacles do show up, you will not be taken by surprise, and you will already have a way worked out to overcome it.

This gives you confidence to proceed. There will be few surprises. Since you are already prepared, you will not give up easily. By seeing the obstacles upfront, you have the opportunity of deciding whether to proceed on the quest or not, based on the odds. You will be better equipped as you proceed, and prepared to handle setbacks that are sure to come up.

As you gain more knowledge on a subject matter, the more you become “expert” and better able to understand the inner workings. You will be better able to manage the risks involves, and better equipped to cut your losses and minimize your gains. You gain more emotional stability, and are less likely to panic under adverse scenarios, since you have a good view of the bigger picture and a firm grasp of historical antecedents.

Do you want to excel in anything you do? Study under the masters, and go for it.

To experience financial freedom, you have to be yourself. You have to resist pressures from all quarters to be someone else. Parents, more than any other set of humans on the planet, attempt to make their own children into their own image. In the attempt to bring up the child right, they muzzle their children’s identity and sometimes their dreams. They try to influence everything from your likes and dislikes, dress code, choice of friends, career and marriage. Some parents not only dictate your vocation, they get to choose where you work after graduation. You are not given enough space to be yourself.

Parents do mean well when they interfere. For sure they have a very major role in the upbringing of the child. It is their primary responsibility.

However, the line between guidance and manipulation can become blurred in the hustle and bustle of everyday living.

Sometimes one sibling is used as a benchmark to judge others, forgetting the fact that we are all unique, with a different set of strengths, weaknesses, temperaments, talents and personality. Often times, parents try to make their dreams come true through their children.

Having more than enough money and material things does not fill the void created by lack of self-fulfillment. Success cannot be equated with money, material things or position. Success is not what you have, but who you are. It is not about having, that is external. It is about being; that is internal. The external cannot satisfy in the long term. It cannot fill the void on the inside. Ultimately success will be judged by how well you became who you were born to be.

The highest form of self-actualization is to discover purpose, and fulfill it. Life outside of purpose is meaningless. For those trapped in the rat race, survival is still an issue. You definitely need to stay alive to fulfill your dreams and purpose. This is where financial freedom kicks in. it is not about money. Money cannot buy purpose. It is about freedom to pursue your dreams and purpose. Financial freedom is not a destination, but a bus stop along the way.

Financial freedom seems to be the current buzzword in the world of self-improvement. This has spawned a new industry, and alongside it, some curious schemes and fantastic claims of how to achieve financial freedom in months.

Financial freedom means different things to different people. For some, it means freedom to spend, as they want without seeing red. For others, it means freedom to do whatever it is they really want to do without finances having to dictate what, how and when. Financial freedom encompasses both, and more…

I have found that enduring financial freedom only comes about by discovering your talent and developing to mastery level. At this level, you skill commands resources effortlessly if you know how to market yourself, or get an agent to market you. You will not need to depend on questionable schemes to make you rich in months. You will get to the top and remain there if you do not go to sleep. You can go the distance because it is something you love. You make money while having fun.

If you do not have a clue what your core talent is, and go about chasing money, you will jump from one scheme to another, pursuing a mirage. Even in the event that you finally land something that makes you money, you will not last.

For instance, if you are not salesperson material, and you join a network marketing organization, you are useless to the network and to yourself. Some promise, “no selling/recruiting required”. I wonder if the money will drop from the sky.

If you do not know who you are or what your areas of core competence are, trying to make money online or offline is a waste of time, energy and resources. You may manage some here and there, but frustration will soon set in. If you are a fish, water is the best place to be, and if you are a bird, take to the sky. Do what you love.

You need to look beyond money. If you are a slave to money, you may never attain financial freedom. For most folks, their life decisions are based on money. If you are offered three jobs same day, chances are, you will go for the one with the most generous offer. You may never stop to ponder where you are headed as a guide to what steps you take, what choices you make.

If you are addicted to money, you will lose your way. Money will lead you off your trail to a highway to nowhere. You will lose your focus completely. This is why it is critical to have clear goals and focus, in your head, heart and on paper. If you have it clearly spelt out, you will be able to withstand the temptation to derail. You will be able to keep your eyes where you are headed.

If you know where you are headed you will not jump at any offer that pops in front of your computer screen. You will judge every step you take and every move you make in the light of which direction you are headed. Your progress may seem slow, but you are moving surely and steadily towards your destination.

It is very hard to navigate your way to financial freedom from the plethora of claims and offers on the net. You have to remain true to yourself, to your core values and innate character. Do not be swayed by every whim and caprice. Chart your path and follow it through.

There is no one way to financial freedom. You have to chart your individual path. We are all unique, with a unique set of talents and temperament. There is no one on this planet like you. You alone know what you are about. You are the only one who can find your way home. Sure you need the help of others, but the buck stops right at your desk.

If you are willing to discover your talents and take it to the sky, then you are ready to fly. Be the best that you can be. Just do it. Bon voyage.

Attaining financial freedom basically entails discovering your talent and passion, and developing it to a level that it begins to attract money. You ultimately get to do what you love, enjoy and have fun doing, and make lots of money while you are at it. When you get to that level, you no longer work for money. If you learn to deploy your money in wise investments, you get money to work for you.

Faced with everyday pressures, bills and the need to put food on the table, it is very easy to believe that more money is the solution to all your money problems. If you have money problems right where you are, chances are, more money will not get you out of the hole you dug yourself into. It will make matters worse. More money will simply generate more expenses and more debt in tow. You end up becoming worse off than you currently are.

To attain financial freedom, you have to take control of your expenses and finances, and not the other way round. You have to build a quality asset base that that will bankroll you expenses and current standard of living; assets that generate cash flow even when you stop working.

To have a good snapshot of where you are, you need to step back a few steps and look at the bigger picture. Come out of your small world, and look up five years down the road you are taking.

Where will it lead you? Is that your desired destination?

Now, take a look back at where you are coming from.

Is where you are today according to plan, or you just stumbled along, led by situations and circumstances?

Attaining financial freedom is embedded in the fulfillment of your God given dreams and purpose. If you are working for money, whether under your boss or working for yourself, you are still a slave to money. Money dictates what you do, when you do it and how you do it.

To make it to the field of your dreams, you have to have a plan, focus to execute it to its logical conclusion, taking it one day at a time.

As you pursue your dreams, you still need to put food on the table. That is reality. You may need to work for money, as it may take quite a while to develop your talents and skills to the level where you begin to make good money. You may have to do some things that you don’t really love. It is for a season. It is part of the plan and process. The fact that you don’t really love what you are doing should propel you to double up effort in the direction of your dreams.

There is no highway to financial freedom. Your path is as unique as you. There is no one like you on this planet. You have to discover yourself, and on the strength of that, work out your route to freedom and your dreams. No one can do it for you. They can lay out the general principles. You have to work out your salvation. No one knows you as you do. You are the only one that can navigate your way.

There are many rivers to cross to the field of your dreams. It starts with discovering your talents and area of core competence, having a dream/goal, drawing up a plan and getting on with it.

There will be obstacles on the way. There will be setbacks. If you stay focused on your dream, delay gratification and rise up each time you fall, you will get there. It is only a matter of time.

If are ready to attain your utmost potential, then you are ready to fly. Go for it.

Within our sub conscious, we have determined our maximum estimated potential; how far we can go, based on our current set of circumstances and outlook. This covers the whole gamut of our human experiences; spirit, soul and body. This has been programmed into our subconscious. This determines how high we aim in every facet of life.

This box defines our reality.

Imagine that your biggest dream is to marry your childhood sweetheart, hold down a job, raise a family of two, and retire with a pension. All your efforts will be geared in this direction. For you, owning a villa in the south of France is not possible. Being invited to feature in the Oprah Winfrey show is pure fairy tale. It is outside your reality. Now here comes along a childhood friend. He has this brilliant idea for a start-up. He wants you in on it before he lets in others.

He has made a revolutionary invention and has duly patented it. He plans to commercialize it, and take the company public in five years. By that time, your share of the stock will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Your mind bounces the idea. It is not possible. It is outside your reality.

You thank him for finding you worthy to be invited and graciously decline. You are saving for your mortgage down payment. Buying a house is the biggest investment within your box. You let pass an opportunity of a lifetime.

This box/limits defines the size of our dreams, the level of our expectations and the magnitude of what we dare aim for. In some professions, your educational qualifications determine how far you can go in your career, a certain grade level. When you attain it, you know you have hit the ceiling. This box is like a glass ceiling. It is invisible. You know it exists, hence you don’t bother to go beyond it.

This box exists in our mind. We determined the boundaries. Our parentage and present circumstance play a large part, but were are the ones that ultimately get to determine the limits.

For a moment, imagine your reaction if your get presented with a suitcase containing one million dollars cash. You just saved the life of the only child of a multi-millionaire. His personal aide announces gently that stacked within is one million dollars from the grateful millionaire.

Some folks will simply faint. Some will be shell-shocked. A variety of extreme emotions will be exhibited. What has just happened is that they ran into an event outside their reality. Majority of folks will not know what to do with the money. The amount is outside their capacity to handle. Sadly, most will blow it all in less that one year, and return back to their reality.

We have to recognize that the limits were self-imposed. We are the only ones that can remove it. Some authority figures in our lives can tell us what we can, or cannot do. It is what we believe that clinches it. Nobody can impose any beliefs on us. They are self-inflicted. If you believe you cannot do it, you jolly well can’t. If you believe you can do it, you stand a good chance

Most times, our dreams exist outside our reality. To us, it is impossible, a fairy tale. Since it is impossible, we cannot attain it, and since we cannot attain it, there is no point trying. So we archive our dreams and move on with our reality.

We owe ourselves a duty to dismantle our self-imposed limits and go for our dreams. As we achieve small victories on the way, that emboldens us and strengthens our belief that our aim is achievable. What people say about us does not matter. Public opinion changes with the weather. What we say or believe about ourselves does.

Dismantle the box and break free. Believe the unbelievable, see that invisible, imagine the inconceivable and reach out beyond your wildest imagination. The future belongs to dreamers, people who can see the future before it happens.

Nobody is an accident. We are all on this planet for a purpose. Nobody is a nobody. We all have something to offer our generation. That is why we are all unique. No two people on the planet have identical DNA, finger prints and voice prints etc. We are all wonderfully and beautifully crafted by God Almighty. We are not mass produced, but uniquely custom built.

There is a reason and a purpose for each of our individual lives. Nobody is useless or purposeless. It is our duty to find out why we were born before we die. Like without purpose is like an aimless rigmarole. Like a jigsaw puzzle that forms part of a giant picture, we will always remain a misfit until we locate our slot.

You may acquire all the outer trappings of success and affluence, you may even be a role model worshipped by millions. you may have it all, but be dying on the inside. Life will lose all meaning, and sometimes, suicide is not far away…

Every being has a purpose, including plants, animals and inanimate things.

Dr Myles Munroe in his book “In Pursuit of Purpose” gives a beautiful analogy. A manufacturer determines the purpose of his product before ever starting work on product development and design. He decides what the product is to do, how it does it and builds into the product the ability to achieve purpose.

He uses uses an electric fan for his analogy. The purpose is simply to cool. The how is by circulating air thereby producing a cooling effect. To circulate air, fan blades are designed and mounted at a certain angle such that when they are rotate, they force air forward. To rotate, an electric motor is in-built into the fan assembly.

As the manufacturer goes through the product development, design and testing phases, he has the purpose firmly in his mind. To cool. Purpose drives all the process, from product development to testing. Aesthetics is by the way. It the fan does not cool, then it is not ready for release to the market place. Purpose is the main parameter, as the fan undergoes final testing. Without purpose, the fan is as good as useless. Everything is on hold until purpose is achieved

By the time the press release goes out to announce a new product launch, the fan would have been certified fit for purpose, to cool. The ability to achieve purpose has been in-built into the fan. The fan does not have to try any stunt to produce the cooling effect. It was designed to cool. It was equipped to cool. It was tested and found fit to cool. It was born to cool. End of story.

Even if nobody else does, believe in you.

As the fan has a purpose before being, so are we on this planet. There is a plan and a purpose at the back of the mind of our Creator before He released us for touch down on planet earth. Your purpose is in-built. If purpose is not known, abuse (abnormal use) is inevitable. One can never find true and lasting fulfillment outside of purpose. You will be like fish out of water. An aquarium is a sad replica.

What is your purpose?

Who are you?

Until you know who you are, you can never be who you were born to be…

Most of us have not taken time out to make out our personal definition of success. We simply flow with the general conception and media propaganda. More often than not, we have no clue as to what we are after. Time after time, people we consider a success get to the zenith and wander what next. They slide into depression and in go into a lot of funny things, drugs, women, perverse lifestyle, exotic beliefs and all the works.

Some manage to hang on regardless. Some call off the sheer hypocrisy, commit suicide and call it a day. On the outside, they are the epitome of success and have it all. On the inside, they are dying slowly, crying for help. Their cries get drowned in the noise of adulation and star worship. Nobody would have believed them anyhow. They have it all.

If you are born a marathoner, you can never be fulfilled no matter how many Olympic hundred meters gold medals you win or world records you hold. Something will always be missing. You can never succeed at being someone else. Externally you can, but internally, sadly no. in the context of our existence on this planet, success is mission accomplished, being who you were born to be, finishing what you came to this planet to accomplish. There is no higher attainment than this under the sun.

This reminds me of a World War II film I watched way back in college. I have not been able to recall what the title was, but the last scene has stuck in my brain all these years.

The battlefield was North Africa. Germany’s General Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps was locked in a battle for supremacy with America’s General Montgomery’s Third Army. It was an armored tank affair. General Montgomery needed to blast through Rommel’s ring of steel to get to Libya. He had to face the dreaded German panzers, their top of the range armored tanks. Erwin Rommel was not nicknamed the desert fox for fun. The battles were fierce. The Americans were outnumbered, outclassed and outgunned. They pushed forward regardless. By sheer guts and ingenuity, the Americans ran a ring round the German panzers, boxed them in and turned the German position into a firing range.

I still remember the last scene as if it was yesterday. The tired but victorious American Colonel stood on his tank and surveyed the smoking ruins of panzers through his field binoculars. As he jumped down, he beckoned on his signals man and dictated a short message:

Report back to headquarters,
that the Germans have abandoned their tanks,
and walked back to Germany

The mission was to knock out the panzers and create a corridor for the advance on Libya. They did it. Mission accomplished. End of story…

If you believe you cannot do something, then you will not even try. You will give up without lifting a finger. When you label something impossible, you brain simply shuts down. It does not bother processing the information at it’s disposal. It is not worth the effort.

If somehow, you start to believe that it is possible, then like a shut down plant, your brain will roar back into life. Adrenaline will start pumping, and you begin to think out options and scenarios on how to solve the problem. It all happens in the mind.

A seemingly insignificant event in a new office taught me a lesson I will never forget.

I was seconded to client’s office for a period of one year. As new kid in the block, I was issued a temporary pass pending the issuance an ID. Electronic keys controlled the doors to the floors. Access way by swiping your ID across the sensor. Since my ID was not ready, I usually hovered around the doors, waiting for someone to come through, so that I can “sneak” in. Folks looked at me funny. This went on for some days. Then one fine afternoon, I hovered and hovered, no one came through. Time was going. No help was in sight. In exasperation, I used my mobile to call colleague within to come bale me out.

“Where is your temporary pass” he asked as he opened the door. I flashed it. He laughed.

“That pass opens all the doors” he said.

It was a sobering moment for me.

I felt sorry for myself, for all the embarrassing moments I hovered around the passage, waiting for someone to come through, while I had the key in my pocket.

I felt scared, and sad. I wondered how many times I’ve had the answer within, while I labored without, seeking…

It made me wonder what stuff I had within, that I had no clue about. I wondered how many times I’ve sold myself short because I knew not what stuff I was made of. I wondered if I could have gone much further in life, if only I knew.

It is not too late to believe in your self. If you have a God given dream, you have all it takes to execute it. Do not give up on yourself. Don’t allow the magnitude of the dream or the apparent obstacles to faze you. If you believe you can, chances are, you can. If you believe you can’t, then you can’t.

Do not allow negative things said about you by authority figures box you into going for mediocrity. Their opinion does not matter if you believe you can.

Even if nobody else does, believe in you.