DON’T GIVE IT UP NOW

A Certain young man was highly frustrated, everything he laid his hand on, and nothing worked, so he concluded that the best thing for him to do was to commit suicide by hanging himself. One early morning this young man took a rope and a stool to a very far bush, when he got there, he saw an uncompleted story building, so he went inside, stood on the stool and hanged the rope on the ceiling. As he was about hanging himself, he saw a shadow that was afar off, so he decided to know what the shadow was by getting closer. To his amazement he saw a young man like him sitting on the ground, and he was shocked to his bones to see a human being in that building. He asked the young man what he was doing in the building. The young man responded by saying that he was tired of life, that was why he came to sit in the building.

The young man that was about to hang himself said, “Why didn’t you stop me from hanging myself?” The other man responded, “Why should I? My own life is more miserable than yours, but I was happy when I saw you about to hang yourself because I saw something that you have that I am in need of.” The other man answered him, “What did you see in me that you don’t care if I die?” The man responded by saying, “I regained hope when I saw you about to hang yourself.”

“Firstly, I saw a nice pair of shoes on you, while I came into this building with rubber sandal. Secondly I saw a pair of new trouser on you and I am wearing short pant. Lastly I saw a nice T-Shirt on you and I came here with a tattered singlet. So my only hope lies in you dying, because if you help me by hanging yourself and you die, all of the things you are putting on will become mine and I will leave this building a fulfilled man.”

The man who was about hanging himself now said, “So the little things that I do not value are important to someone else, he is even willing for me to die” He then decided he was not going to commit suicide anymore. The other man asked him, “Why? And he said, “Because my shirt, trousers, shoes etc are enough reasons to stay alive” He left that building with a conviction, “THERE IS SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR.”

Friend I don’t know what you are seeing about yourself right now, you might have concluded that life is not worth living, since you believe that the whole world is against you and nothing that you have tried seems to be working. Never judge yourself by what you see or by your present reality, learn to see beyond your present situation and see yourself with God’s eye; you are born a star, not to be pitied, but to be envied.

VISION IN ACTION

Friend, when I was to publish my first book I had no starting capital to even type my manuscript, but I had one thing called “VISION”. At a point I took a pen and paper and started writing down when the book would be out and the lunching date, without knowing where the fund was going to come from, I didn’t even have  a penny in the account. I fixed 14^th July as the date the book would be out of Press. Also I fixed the date of the lunching for 18^th of July. Friend, to my greatest surprise, everything started happening fast because of what I saw and wrote down, the book came out from the Press on the 12^th of July and the lunching took place on the 18^th of July.

Friend with vision anything is possible. You must understand that a vision in your heart is more powerful than money; vision is what secures and guarantees your financial destiny. Being financially destitute is not as bad as being vision destitute. A person who lacks direction in life will end up a failure no matter how much money he may start his life with. Money in itself does not guarantee success. What guarantees success is a clear vision backed by plans and consistent action.

Many people are dabbling in life because they have no clarity of direction. They dabble into whatever comes their way as long as it holds a promise of financial reward.

Friend you are not called to reach everybody, you are called for a certain niche of people, and your vision helps you to live a selective live, which makes visionaries not to be everywhere; visionaries are selective people. They choose with discretion; where to live; what to do; who to marry; number of children and so on…

YES YOU CAN

In 1994, Evander Holyfield lost his heavyweight title in a twelve-round decision to Michael Moore. He was devastated because he had worked so hard to become the heavyweight champion. In addition to losing his title, he soon found out that there was another, bigger problem. He was diagnosed with a serious heart problem and had to retire from boxing. Within a few weeks he had not one, but two major challenges.

Yet he learned to see his situation differently. It was at a revival that he had his defining moment. During a revival in Philadelphia, he was told that not only would he return to the ring but he would also have incredible success. It was in that moment that he decided to rely on his faith, and it was in that moment that he changed his life and changed the boxing industry.

He decided to concentrate on solution rather than the problem. He could have given up and retreated, but he had the heart of a champion who has learned to see any challenge in life with positive mental attitude. Most people counted him out and said he was finished, but he believed that bigger and better things were on the horizon.

Evander focused on his faith, went back to his vision, and then made the decision to make his situation a plus, not a negative. He worked on his health and continued to pray. He focused all of his energies on his health and his faith. It was not long before his heart diagnosis had changed and his heart was given a clean bill of health. Then he looked at his goal, which was to be the heavyweight champion of the world again.

He looked at what actions needed to be taken and who he had to fight. Finally, he asked himself, “How badly do I want it?” He had to ask the question because he knew in order to reach his goal he had to fight Mike Tyson, the ‘baddest,’ toughest fighter on the planet.

The fight was scheduled and all the media and all the pundits said that Evander Holyfield was going to get killed. But Evander refused to believe what people saw and said. He continued to rely on his faith. He read the story about David and Goliath over and over again and found that anytime you have God with you, you immediately become a majority. He went into the fight with a dream and great faith, while Mike Tyson was vowing to knock his head off. He fought and fought and fought, and when the fight ended, Evander Holyfield was still standing and Mike Tyson was lying on the canvas.

Friend, Evander Holyfield did the impossible. He had overcome a life threatening heart problem. And he had gone on to beat Mike Tyson, who was thought to be the toughest fighter on the earth. Nothing in life is impossible for anyone who learns to see critical situation differently. The way you see yourself i the way you see the challenges before you, you are not taller than you see yourself before your opponent.