Michael Botu's Blog

"The biggest competition is myself. I am not looking to follow others or pull them down. I am planning to test my own boundaries." ~ Rain Avoid the pitfalls of comparism, jealousy, envy and the like, You are not in competition with anyone but yourself.

See You On Top!

"Without a mentor in life, One can easily succumb to folly. Without a mentor life, one can  easily become self-centered, capricious and arrogant." ~ Anonymous One thing that this lack of respect and mindfulness age had produced is the death of Mentor ship. Our prideful hearts will not acknowledge that we need others in our journey through life. Which is an error. WHO IS A MENTOR? A Mentor is "Someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person" simply put a Mentor is "one who knows the way and shows the way" WHY DO I NEED A MENTOR? Whatever you want to do, someone has done it before and because the bitter experience of learning from mistakes is not to be desired, it pays to follow the one that has gone ahead of you. "Look to Abraham your father ........." ~ Isaiah 51:2. Paul the Apostle said "Follow me as I follow Christ" Everyone of us needs a Mentor.

The "Am a Winner mindset" is essential to victory as Henry Ford said "whether you think you can or you think you cannot, you are correct" Let's Enter 2018 with the mindset of a Victor, not a victim.

"Idle hands are the devil's Workshop; Idle lips are his Mouthpiece" ~ Proverbs 16:27 Living Bible (TLB) We cannot emphasize this enough, Many are indolent with the excuse that there are no jobs anywhere. If you can't find one, create one. If you wait for the elusive jobs promised by the Federal Government, you will wait and waste. There is a small book called "The Millionaire Next Door" the summary of it is that the most likely person to make money in an area is a visitor to the place, because the indigenes no longer see opportunities as they have become so familiar with their environment.

A wise man noted that "Idle hands make fretful minds" idleness is a killer. Be determined in the incoming year not to be the devils workshop. Today's Tip: God's Word says ".... .... ... and they prosper in all they do. Psalms 1:3 NLT

Our people have a saying that "when you chase two rats at the same time, you miss them both" Be clear about your goals and Focus only on that which maximizes your happiness.

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, it will be happier" ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson Many are in the habit of making New Year Resolutions, it does not matter that such resolutions may be broken within the first seven days of the New year. While others don't just bother. Whether you are a resolution maker or not, it's important to know that, we need to prepare mentally and physically for the incoming year.

We all need Anchors as we sail through Life WHAT IS AN ANCHOR? An Anchor is a heavy device attached to a Boat or Ship by a rope or chain, which is thrown into the Water to hold the Boat or Ship in Place. The Anchor is used to keep the Boat stable, when its idle and the engine is not running or in the event of a Storm or contrary waves. Another definition of an Anchor is “A Person or Thing that provides strength and support” As we Journey through life, we encounter storms and obstacles. Without an Anchor, it’s easy to get discouraged or give up. That which will take you through the most trying periods in the pursuit of our goals in Life is what I call Anchors. A wise man once said, “Have an Anchor so that life does not toss you around” What is that one thing or who is that person that is your support when the storms come? ANCHORS TO HOLD

GOAL SETTING “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” ~ Bill Copeland What will be, will be is a language of the indolent, what will happen will only happen if you make it happen. No one ever climbs a Tree with their hands in their pockets and life is an uphill task. If you must get anywhere in life, you have to embark on the journey. Success is swimming against the tide; it involves pushing the frontiers, breaking new grounds. It’s an inner knowing that doing what you are used to doing and expecting a different outcome is madness, its bettering your best on a daily basis. Doing that involves a little notch we call Goal Setting. Forget the mumble jumble you may have heard about Goal Setting, its simply projecting your life forward in an organized way. Whether you plan for the future or not, you will get there, why not get there prepared? Planned? Remember success is when opportunity me

THE RIGHT MINDSET "Your thoughts dictate your reality. Whatever you think about, you attract into your life  - whether you want to or not Midset is everything, so getting the right mindset is essential in achieving Success. Where you are today is a direct product of you thoughts, consciously or unconsciously. A wise man said "You will be the same person in Five Years as you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet" notice all had to do with the mind. Feed your mind with the right things and you are on your way to Gloryland. WHAT IS MINDSET Mindset is a particular way of thinking: a person's attitude or set of opinions about something. Simply put an established way of thinking. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Iron Lady) said "Watch you thoughts, for they will become actions. Watch your actions for they will become habits. Watch your habits for they will forge your character. Watch your characte

ROAD BLOCKS TO WEALTH THINKING THE CAPACITY OF THE MIND : “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he………..” ~ Proverbs 23:7 The World Messianic Bible (WMB) renders that same verse as “For as he thinks about the cost, so he is……….” The New Living Translation puts it better “ They are always thinking about how much it cost………” New International Version   “For he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost………..” Our minds have infinite capacities; the creator of the universe says “This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want.” ~ Genesis 11:6b NCV speaking about the men and women who gathered to build the Tower of Babel If men of little knowledge and technology could astound the Almighty with their creative prowess, we have no excuse. WHAT ARE THE ROADBLOCKS? 1)    CONFORMITY:     Earl Nightingale said “The opposite of courage is not cowardice but conformity.” From Primary school we are taught to c

WEEKLY STIMULANTS  Tonic for Massive Action WEALTH IS A PRODUCT OF MANS  CAPACITY TO THINK AND ACT “All riches have their origin in the mind. Wealth is in ideas – not money” ~ Robert Collier Remember Basi’s motto “To be a Millionaire, think like a millionaire!”? from the sitcom written by the Late playwright and activist Ken Saro Wiwa -  Basi and Company. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THINK? For the purpose of our discussion, our working definition is “The use of one’s mind actively to form connected ideas” IS IT EASY TO THINK? Thomas Edison said “Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty – five percent would rather die than think.” George Bernard Shaw puts that figure less. Thinking is work, that’s why someone once said “If hard work is all that is needed to succeed, Truck Pushers will be the wealthiest people in the World” the new slogan is “Work Smart, not hard” put your Brain to w

YOU DON'T NEED A MAN TO SUCCEED "If you look unto man, you miss God and miss out. If you look unto God, He will send the Man" ~ Michael Botu We have in our brains something scientist call "RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM" (RAS) it's function is to filter information that is needful for you per time. That is why, until you make up your mind about a particular issue or item, it will not leave a lasting impression on your mind. F or instance; when you make up your mind to buy a particular brand of car, you notice more of that brand on the road. A lot of the success we seek is within, not without, a wise man once said "Help does not come from abroad, but above" You Plus God makes an unbeatable combination and as our Father Bishop (Dr.) David O. Oyedepo puts it "There are no mountains anywhere, every mans ignorance is his mountain" these Weekly Stimulants is meant to feed your faith and starve your doubts and spur you t

Our President is not a man known for making speeches but whenever he speaks, he attracts commendation and often opprobrium. When in his inauguration speech he made that now infamous "I belong to no one and I belong to everyone" quote, his supporters went agog online. One comment that caught my attention then was this "A Quotable Quote, something we did not get from GEJ in Six years" we now know that was not originality at work (apologies to Faze) Our President was at it again in the Launching of the "Change begins with me" campaign in what we now know was a duplicate of Barack Obama's 2008 Speech. He is also known to be frank and forthright when he answers reporters  questions, remember 95% vs 5%? It's either the Presidents intelligent speech writers do not do a thorough work before handing him a speech to deliver or prepare him adequately before he attends interviews or somebody somewhere in the Presidency wants to make a very good man look ba

In an ever more and more distracting World, its difficult to settle on a task on a consistent and  long term basis. We find ourselves bombarded by the emails, chats, television, etc, many times we loose sight of the more important things and allow ourselves to be carried away with those things that do not necessary add Value to our lives. One of such neglected good habits is the habit of Reading! Bishop David O. Oyedepo said he was challenged to read by a phrase he heard opt repeated that “If you want to hide something from a black man, put it in a book” Grocho Marx puts it succinctly; “I find television very educating.          Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." ~ Hebrews 10:36 (KJV)

"You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." ~ Charlie Jones And I dare add; and the places you have travelled to.

That we are living in very trying times is an understatement, we are in the precipice and Citizens are disillusioned and despondent, which accounts for the sudden upsurge in the rate of Suicides. It's easy for one to become hopeless as we don't see any action on the path of those we have mandated to stir the ship of state that inspires hope for a better tomorrow. The late Sage Pa. Alfred Rewane was right; "Yesterday we wept for a better tomorrow, today we weep for a better yesterday" It's easy to get caught up in the Murmuring and complaining about what is wrong with the system, even though we know murmuring and complaining never changes anything.

Successful people succeed because of mindset and failures in life fail because of mindset. If I say Basketball, it's very likely your mind will immediately go Michael Jordan, yet he retired from Basketball about Fourteen years ago. Michael Jordan is to Basketball what Mohammed Ali is to Boxing, Pele to Football etc. Jordan became such a phenomenon like all greats by overcoming challenges.Early in life he was told by students and his coach he was not good enough for the Basketball team and he was cut off from the team, that only made Michael worked harder, he said "Obstacles don't have to stop you, if you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." Jim Rohn puts it this way "If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don't, you will find an excuse." It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said "Unless you try to do something beyond what you have mastered,

"Real difficulties can be overcome. It is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable." ~ Theodore N. Vail Our minds is our greatest asset and our greatest burden, you never hear a truer word. Our minds are so loaded that the Almighty God our Creator said ".......... After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!" ~ Genesis 11:6 {NLT} Compare that to this  "........ Everything is possible for the one who believes"" ~ Jesus Christ - Mark 9:23 {NIV} Napoleon Hill puts it succinctly when he said "Whatever the Human mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve" So why is it difficult for many of us to utilize this free gift generously given to us? Mindset. What is mindset? A Person's way of thinking and opinion, the established set of attitudes held by someone. These established way of thinking that had been built over the years forms invincible barriers that stops us from attaining our true po

"We believe..... that by encouraging critical thinking  and processing of knowledge, we are creating full,  well-rounded human beings... that will enable Qatar to build up its society. You cannot build a healthy society without giving your citizens a sense of ownership. otherwise, they will not share with you the responsibilities" ~ Moza Bint Nasser These are not the best of times to be a Nigerian, but Nigerians we are, Nigerians we may continue to be. For those who strongly believe that Nigeria is a "contraption" that was a mistake from inception and that we are better off divided, I share your sentiments. What we are yet to agree on is many parts will the Nation be divided into? Besides, there are no guarantees that the Injustices we see today will disappear as soon as each region or ethnic group gains independence. I hope we are in agreement on that? The mistake  of Lord Lugard    (if we agree the Amalgamation was a mistake) cannot be corrected by maki

The First Decision you need to make is that of changing your habits. Why is that so important? The Late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher popular called the Iron Lady once said “Watch your thoughts, for they will become actions. Watch your actions, for they will become habits. Watch your habits for they will forge your character. Watch your character, for it will make your destiny.” Ask Helen Adams Keller a woman who overcame being blind and deaf to become a Author, Lecturer, Activist, one of the leading 20 th century Humanitarians and co-founder of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) the first Blind/Deaf to earn a University Degree. Keller said “Character cannot be developed in ease and quite. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved” stressing the importance of Character Bishop David Oyedepo said “Character is the Covenant Block with which Great Destinies are Built”  if chara

You are where you are today because of the choices you made in the past and where you will be tomorrow is determined by the choices you make today. The Holy Bible says “…………… Choose you this day ….” ~ Joshua 24:15 As Wayne Dyer puts it “Be Miserable or Motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice” unfortunately as Neil Peart observed “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice”.

Is that not typical of Nigerians? Do you remember, during the campaigns for the 2015 General Elections many actually said former President Goodluck Jonathan was too weak and that we needed a strong man in the person of President Mohammadu Buhari, today we have the strong man in place because we don't appreciate easy things. But the Good News is: I just hope we are learning as a people? then again this page is not about politics. How do we learn? The first step to learning, to changing your life, to making a difference is to "Pay Attention" sounds simple, but it's about one of the most challenging request to demand from anyone in a world that is filled with so much distractions HOW DO WE LEARN? “Silence is not only golden; it is seldom misquoted” ~ Bob Monkhouse A woman was constantly having difficulty in her marriage as her late night keeping and drink loving husband will often come home late and when she expresses her anger over hi

I was drawn into the World of Blogging for Political Reasons as most of my articles shows. BUT Over the years I have become increasingly reluctant in Blogging politically because as they say “Politics is a dirty game” and you know, fighting with a pig in mud gets you dirty, but the pig enjoys the fight. You criticize, analyze, point out how dirty the Politicians are and they keep getting dirtier and not surprisingly the Masses enjoy the dirt in Politics and applauds it. The kind of things that happen in Nigerian Politics sounds like Tales By Moonlight ; Politicians win Elections from Prison (Even Nelson Mandela had to be released to contest and win) Politicians disobey Court Orders and they get elevated, those you assume will make a difference, gets into office and things only gets worse (Am not referring to PMB and APC). Like Late Pa Rewane rightly puts it “Yesterday we prayed for a better tomorrow, today we weep for a better yesterday” (Never get tired of quoting him)

It is said that "Adversity is a Blessing" "Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." ~ Napoleon Hill Our Present Economic woes could as well be a Blessing. It was C. S. Lewis who said "Hardship often prepares ordinary people for extraordinary destiny" Albert Einstein puts it this way; "Adversity introduces a man to himself" For those with Entrepreneurial instinct, I share this article about the traits of a terrible leader. Back in 1993 when I was employed by the Public Finance Group and trained as a cashier to work in Arewa Mortgage Finance, the first lessons we were taught was on how to defraud a Bank, our lecturer insist knowing how this crimes are committed is key to preventing them. Knowing what makes for a bad leader, will help us avoid those pitfalls. Enjoy! 15 Traits of a Terrible Leader What all managers and CEOs should fix, stat (or risk having a bad reputa