The Result of Hard Work... Real Life Story

Real Life Story.....®

Ezra and Thomas joined a company together a few months after their graduation from university.

After a few years of work, their Manager promoted Ezra to a position of Senior Sales Manager, but Thomas remained in his entry level Junior Sales Officer position. Thomas developed a sense of jealousy and disgruntlement, but continued working anyway.

One day Thomas felt that he could not work with Ezra anymore. He wrote his resignation letter, but before he submitted it to the Manager, he complained that  Management  did not value hard working staff, but only promoted only the favoured!

The Manager knew that Ezra worked very hard for the years he had spent at the company; even harder than Thomas and therefore he deserved the promotion. So in order to help Thomas to realize this, the Manager gave Thomas a task.

“Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”

Thomas returned and said, "yes there is someone!"

The Manager asked, "how much per kg?" Thomas drove back to town to ask and then returned to inform the Manager; "they are R13.50 per kg!"

The Manager told Thomas, "I will give Ezra the same task that I gave you. Please pay close attention to his response!"

So the Manager said to Ezra, in the presence of Thomas; “Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”

Ezra went to find out and on his return he said:
"Manager, there is only one person selling water melons in the whole town. The cost is R49.00 each water melon and R32,50 for a half melon. He sells them at R13.50 per kg when sliced. He has in his stock 93 melons, each one weighing about 7kg. He has a farm and can supply us with melons for the next 4 months at a rate of 102 melons per day at R27.00 per melon; this includes delivery.
The melons appear fresh and red with good quality, and they taste better than the ones we sold last year.
He has his own slicing machine and is willing to slice for us free of charge.
We need to strike a deal with him before 10am tomorrow and we will be sure of beating last year's profits in melons by R223 000.00. This will contribute positively to our overall performance as it will add a minimum of 3.78% to our current overall sales target.
I have put this information down in writing and is available on spreadsheet. Please let me know if you need it as I can send it to you in fifteen minutes."

Thomas was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Ezra. He decided not to resign but to learn from Ezra.

As we begin this fresh year, let this story help us keep in mind the importance of going an extra mile in all our endeavors.

You won't be rewarded for doing what you're meant to do, you only get a salary for that! You're only ​rewarded​ for going an extra mile; performing beyond expectations. 

To be successful in life you must be observant, proactive and willing to do more, think more, a more holistic perspective and go beyond the call of duty.

May you be blessed with a better perspective to your work this year.
*Greater life needs this.mentality of going an extra mile, As Husband's, mothers, children...I pray..let's go an extra mile in all our endeavour... Prospect we Love you* 
Have a blessed day

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5 Ways to Use Your Skills to Start a Side Business

One of the best ways to increase your income and
give yourself a solid foundation by which to grow
into self-employment in the future is to start a side
business of your own.
If you choose the right business opportunity,
there's room for you to keep growing your
customer base on the side, while keeping your day
job. From there, if you take the right steps, you'll
be able to grow your side income beyond that of
your day job—and launch into the world of self-
employment.
However, before you get started, you'll need to first
understand the different ways you'll be going
about discovering and validating your ideal side
business idea.
From my conversations with aspiring
entrepreneurs, one of the most common mistakes I
see being made over and over again when people
are looking for the right side business opportunity,
is that they completely overlook their single best
resource: their existing skill sets.
As a writer and marketer by trade, I know that
with any business I get into, I'll need to engage my
core strengths of crafting compelling content and
getting it in front of a large online audience, in
order to have a chance of being successful and
competing with others in my space.
If you want to become a successful entrepreneur
within your field, you'll need to engage your
strengths. If you're still unsure about which skills
you'll be able to monetize with a side business,
take the Entrepreneur ' s Skill Assessment today.
Once you've determined which strengths you'll
plan on leveraging, here are five ways to turn
those skills into a side business.
1. Freelancing
If you've built up a set of marketable skills
throughout your career and at your day job, you
should consider the idea of starting a freelance
business on the side.
There's a rapidly expanding demand for talented
freelance help, especially in the US with over 54
million freelancers in 2015.
If your skills include writing, designing,
developing, marketing, social media management,
or another high-demand digital skill, then you're in
a great position to start bringing on freelance
clients. Start with building a high quality portfolio
website to list your skills, showcase examples of
your best work, and display reviews from past co-
workers or bosses as you get up and running.
Create a very clear picture of who your target
freelance client is going to be, and make sure
you're tailoring your website and reach out
experience to what that person is going to expect.
2. Blogging
One of my favorite side businesses, albeit a very
long term investment in my future, has been
starting a blog and building up a loyal audience of
regular readers. If you're comfortable with the
potential that it may very well take you years to
start earning a decent income from one of the
various ways to monetize a blog, and you have a
knack for building connections with people
through your writing, then this may be for you.
Be sure to start with a niche topic that'll give you
the opportunity to become well-respected within a
close-knit community, before you set your sights on
expanding into a very large market. Your
credibility platform will be of great importance
moving forward.
3. Online Coaching
If you have a marketable skill that others want to
possess or get better at, then there's a market for
being paid to coach people, one-on-one, into an
accelerated learning experience. The emergence of
easy-to-use online coaching websites like
Savvy and Clarity .fm already provide you with a
built-in community of people looking to work on
various different types of skills. The most exciting
thing about starting an online coaching business
on the side is that once you've perfected your
teaching experience, you'll be able to easily
package it into a more scalable version—an online
course.
4. Online Courses
As with online coaching, when there's a growing
demand for a skill that you possess, one of the best
ways to monetize that ability of yours, is by
creating a genuinely helpful online course for
others to go through at their own leisure. While the
setup time and upfront investments are huge (in
terms of your time) with this business model, it's
one of the most scalable online businesses out there
today. Teachable has become one of the best
resources on learning how to launch an online
course business, as well as being the premier
online course platform to power your course
content once you have it built.
5. Physical Products
Whether you have an idea for a new-to-the-world
invention, a new spin on an existing product, or
nothing more than selling a product in a new way
or to a new market, there are countless ways to
make money selling physical products on the side.
For example, take Neil Patel, an online marketer
who last year launched a challenge for himself to
create an online business from scratch, in an
industry he knows nothing about (a nutrition
blog). Just last month, he cleared over $22,000 in
sales of a product that he white labels and sells on
Amazon.
If you're willing to get creative, there are a nearly
unlimited number of ways to use your skills and
start a side business that'll have the potential to
launch you into a career of self-employment. Check
out the Launch While Working Formula for more
on how to start and grow a side business while
keeping your day job.

The 4 Most Difficult Stages of Becoming an Entrepreneur

As you go through the process of starting your own
business and training yourself to adapt to the new
(often intimidating) commitments you've signed
yourself up for, it's important to be aware of the
mental journey you're going to be traveling along,
in addition to the physical one of making your
company come to life.
There will be ups and there will most certainly be
downs along the way. If you're careful to learn
from your mistakes and minimize the negative
outcomes as much as possible, you'll stand a very
real chance for succeeding in business.
Making the definitive decision to start your own
business and create the lifestyle you want to live, is
worth any amount of hard work; mental and
physical.
In my experience starting businesses, these are the
4 most difficult mental stages of the arduous
journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
The Sacrifice.
This is by far the most mentally trying stage of the
journey. At first, everything you do (and achieve)
will feel like an immense sacrifice. When your
friends are all hanging out together on a Friday
night, you're at home working on your app, doing
freelance work, or putting the finishing touches on
your prototypes.
You're likely to frequently question yourself, doubt
the work you' re doing, and seek outside approval
to help you justify all of the time and hard work
you're putting into your fledgling business.
However, the reality is, you only have a limited
amount of time outside of the hours you already
commit to your day job, so if you want to become
successful with your new business, there's no other
choice than to utilize the time you do have.
The Grind.
Now that you've become comfortable with the
discomfort that is starting a business, learning new
skills, and sharing your ideas with the world, you
start to get into a rhythm. You'll move into a
routine that helps you maximize your productivity,
so that you're spending as much time as possible
on your new business.
During this stage, you'll start picking up
momentum and experiencing bigger wins with
more frequency than when you were just getting
started. You've eliminated the regular feelings of
self-doubt, and can focus on growing your business
idea into a valuable solution for your customers.
The Life.
Your new business is generating revenue. You
know who your customers are and how to reach
them. You've attained a good amount of traction
and you're extremely confident in your ability to
serve those customers better than your competitors
can.
If you've been launching this business while
keeping your day job, this is likely the phase in
which you'll finally meet your minimum income
criteria for quitting your day job to focus on
growing the business full-time. It's exhilarating to
be working on your passion project with all of your
time & energy.
The Freedom.
After all of your hard work, you have a lot to be
proud of.
Your business has achieved product/market fit and
you're able to scale your operations much more
quickly now that you have the time, energy, and
mental clarity to focus on your longterm vision.
You're able to step away from the business at times
and trust the systems and people you've put in
place to help keep things on track, while you enjoy
the lifestyle benefits of running your own business.
True entrepreneurs never stop challenging
themselves, pushing the boundaries, and operating
with discomfort. It's how we grow.

7 Lifestyle Changes to Make You a Better Entrepreneur

If there were a magic button that could instantly
make you a better entrepreneur — one that gave
you better ideas, let you make clearer decisions,
helped you communicate better with the team, etc.
— you’d almost certainly press it.
Entrepreneurs tend to desire improvement in all
areas of their lives, especially areas that will make
them better business owners. Obviously, there’s no
magic button, but there are many ongoing
strategies that can improve your leadership and
business acumen.
The Lifestyle Difference
You could undergo a training program or engage
in brainstorming sessions with peers as simple
ways to become a better entrepreneur. These
approaches focus on the acquisition of knowledge
or a new skill set.
However, there are also lifestyle factors that can be
incorporated gradually and that condition your
mind to achieve its fullest potential. These lifestyle
changes are simple, easy to adopt, and can have
powerful effects on your entrepreneurial
performance, so why not give them a shot?
1. Take more breaks. There’s no question that taking
breaks can actually increase your productivity.
Though it’s tempting to work through lunch to
squeeze in an extra few assignments, it’s better for
you in the long term to allow your mind to
decompress, and return with greater focus and
motivation. Commit to taking at least three small
breaks throughout the day, even if they’re only 10
minutes, and incorporate breaks on a larger scale
by taking an occasional vacation.
2. Get more sleep. Sleep is more important than
most people realize. That recommended “eight
hours” might seem like a pipe dream, but if you’re
getting only a few hours of sleep per night on an
ongoing basis, or if you maintain an inconsistent
and unpredictable sleep schedule, you could be
sabotaging your own potential for success.
Without enough sleep, you’ll have a harder time
concentrating, remembering things, and solving
problems … not to mention all the physical health
problems associated with long-term sleep
deprivation. Do yourself and your team a favor by
making a good night’s sleep a top priority.
3. Read every day. The benefits of reading should be
obvious; you’ll gather new information and
knowledge for starters, but you’ll also build your
vocabulary and strengthen your communication
skills. The wider range of books you read, the more
pronounced these effects will be; don’t pigeonhole
yourself into one genre, format, or subject. Expose
yourself to a wide array of perspectives, and
you’re likely to generate more creative ideas.
4. Talk to more people. Ask your team for their
thoughts on your business. Talk to competitors and
peers. Seek opportunities to discuss your field with
other professionals at networking events. Talk to
random strangers on the street. The more you
interact with people who are not part of your daily
routine, the more skilled you’ll become at
communicating … and you’ll surely pick up new
ideas and perspectives that can help you solve
problems and address individual needs.
As an added bonus, you might even meet some new
potential clients or hires.
5. Eat healthier foods. The foods you eat can have a
substantial impact on your mind and body.
Without the proper nutrition, you might not be
able to function properly. We all intuitively
experience the energy drag that junk food can
have, and we all know what it’s like to try and
work while hungry. Keep your body fueled with
healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Kale is a perfect
example. It’s low in calories, high in fiber, high in
protein, and packed with antioxidants. As a
general rule, the more fruits and vegetables you
eat, the better; and the fewer processed foods you
consume, the healthier you’re apt to feel.
6. Be willing to ask for help. Inevitably, you’ll run
into pain points as an entrepreneur, and many of
us would prefer to take on and address those
obstacles independently. However, doing this on a
steady basis almost always leads to overwhelmed
work schedules, high levels of stress, and improper
procedures (especially in the case of tackling an
objective outside your expertise). It’s important for
you to learn to ask for help from outside sources to
prevent these negative outcomes. For example, you
could delegate a task to one of your team members,
seek counsel from a mentor, or even ask a family
member for help in brainstorming.
7. Reduce your reliance on technology. You probably
use the computer or smartphone for almost every
facet of your job these days. When you get home,
you might relax with more computer-based
entertainment or TV. You might even check your
email and voicemails throughout the night.
Breaking away from technology on an occasional
basis — even for a few hours — can be beneficial
to you in the long run. It can improve your focus,
reduce your stress, and give you time for more
important things. Why not pick up a book and kill
two birds with one stone?
Some of these lifestyle changes might appeal to you
more than others, but you ought to give all of them
a fair try. Even if it seems like an impossible goal
(like getting enough sleep every night), or
uncomfortable (like stepping away from technology
on a daily basis), you should challenge yourself to
improve in these key areas.
You’ll find yourself thinking more clearly, working
harder, and most important, feeling better about
your own role.

7 Words You Need to Eliminate If You Want to Be Successful

Becoming a successful entrepreneur is as much of a mental game, as it is one of finesse and expertise.
You can be the most intelligent, talented, and
respected person within your industry, but if you
don't believe in yourself and continue to be
brutally honest as you move through the extremely
difficult stages of growing a business, your failure
is all but inevitable.
Everything from the way you feel about getting up
to head into the office each morning, to the quality
of relationships with your business partners, and
the words you use on a daily basis, will have a long
term effect on whether or not you'll become
successful.
Whether you intend to or not, if you allow yourself
to use words and phrases that convey doubt,
insecurity, and a lack of true belief in what you're
saying, you'll eventually lose faith.
Not only does this effect your own mental well-
being, but the people you're communicating with
will read into your word choice and pick up on
your sentiment & body language.
Here are the seven words you'll need to eliminate
from your vocabulary if you want to be successful.

1. "Might"
This one is my all-time least favorite word.
Anytime I catch myself using it in conversation, I force myself to first think about why I would be unsure about what I'm promising or expounding
about—especially in a business situation. "Might"
is most commonly used to highlight something that
may be a possibility. In business, you need to be very sure of yourself and the decisions you're making. If you're not, others will pick up on your insecurity and have a difficult time believing in
you.
Not to mention how often this word is misused and out of context.

2. "Usually"
In a business context, "usually" is another word that expresses doubt about a situation or set of circumstances. Its lack of definitive nature tells the
person you're conversing with, that they shouldn't
confidently believe in an outcome that happens
only most of the time.

3. "Should"
Similar to "might" and "usually," the word, "should" also conveys a general lack of confidence and
certainty in the result you're really just hoping for, rather than taking the necessary time and
preparations to make sure you execute flawlessly.

4. "Won't"
Using this word is one of the quickest ways to put someone on the defensive. Instead of using a less personal word to decline participation in an
activity, the word, "won't" has an air of stubborn
rejection to it.

5. "Likely"
If you're using the word, "likely" in a business
setting, you're really doing nothing more than
making a prediction. Not only are you clearly not confident in the results or outcome you're talking
about, but you're making clear your lack of
personal knowledge on the matter.

6. "If Only"
Nothing says that you're living in a dream world
more than talking about business situations with the ever-hopeful, "if only." Here, you're actively
stating that you don ' t have control over what ' s happening, and it gives the impression that you're
just grasping at the hope of some sort of divine
intervention.
Quit dreaming of the things you could do with all
the resources in the world, and instead, focus on
making your dream come true with the tools you do have.

7. "Really"
In a business sense, the word "really" is a very
casual expression that attempts to place extra
emphasis and importance on a particular outcome,
without really quantifying what exactly that extra
emphasis is. The word rarely adds any real value to
your conversations.
Which words are you using today, that may be
holding you back from achieving your goals?

Beyond Sunday: Wounds from the Surgeon

Beyond Sunday: Wounds from the Surgeon

by

[Editor's note: Beyond Sunday is a Monday refresher to start off your week.]

Focus Verse of the Week

For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. (Job 5:18, NIV)

Classic Commentary

For he wounds, but he binds up

The surgeon, who makes a wound even more painful by probing and opening it, does so to let out the matter and make way for his medicine. Then he lays on the plaster, and binds it up. So God causes grief and puts his people to pain, by diseases of body, or by making breaches in their families and estates, by other cutting providences. Then he binds up their breach, and heals the stroke of their wound, and in the issue makes all whole again. So it is in spiritual things - by the sharp, two-edged sword of the Word, he cuts and wounds, and gives pain and uneasiness. His Spirit lays open all the corruption of nature, and brings to repentance and humiliation for all transgressions; and then pours in the oil and wine of pardoning grace and mercy, and binds up the wounds that are made.

He shatters, but his hands heal

The same thing is meant as above, expressed by different words. The whole suggests that every afflicted man, and particularly Job, should he behave well, and as he ought, under the afflicting hand of God, would be healed, and become sound and whole again, in body, mind, family, and estate. For, though God for the present caused grief, yet he would have compassion, since he did not willingly grieve the children of men. He did not do it for his own pleasure, but for their good, as a skillful surgeon cuts and wounds in order to heal. SeeDeuteronomy 32:39, Hosea 6:1,Lamentations 3:32, andLamentations 3:33.

(Adapted from john gill's exposition of the bible, job 5:18)

A Thought to Keep

No one likes going under the knife, but we like cancer even less. God is in the business of scraping off those warts and moles that threaten to become malignant and attack our souls. He wounds so we might experience wellness in the Spirit.

SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS

SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS

(A FRIEND STORY)

A stray dog moved into the Smiths’ neighborhood the same day the Joneses moved in next door, and the dog immediately began to wreak havoc, scrounging in trashcans and tearing up flowerbeds in both yards. The Smiths were irked that the Joneses had brought such a nuisance into the neighborhood, and the Joneses found it inexcusable that the Smiths made no attempt to control their dog. For several weeks neither couple said anything to the other, while bad feelings festered on both sides. Finally Ms. Smith could stand no more and gave Ms. Jones a piece of her mind. “Oh,” Ms. Jones replied, “we thought it was your dog!”

Often the things that sour relationships are like that dog—more a matter of misunderstandings or small irritations that get blown out of proportion than actual wrongdoing on anyone’s part. Usually all it takes to set things right is better communication, but someone has to make the first move, and that’s not always easy. Both parties, convinced that they’re right or unwilling to admit that they’re not, lock themselves into their positions. Barriers go up. Relationships go bad. Everyone suffers.

Where can we find the humility to admit we’ve been in the wrong, or the love and grace to forgive and forget when we’ve been wronged? Where can we find the wisdom to turn a no-win situation into a win-win situation, the strength to buck our stubborn nature, or the courage to make the first move? All these and more are at our disposal anytime, whatever we need, when we need it, in unlimited supply, free of charge. “Every good and every perfect gift is from above.” “Ask, and it will be given you.” Like all of the other best things in life, the most successful relationships begin with the ultimate relationship—heart to heart communion with “the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” May He bless you with His very best, always and in all ways.

—

James 1:17 (ESV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Matthew 7:7 (ESV) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
1. Timothy 6:17 (ESV) As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)