Are You Failing Enough? How to Speed Up Your Success Switching to Failure Lane

I read a book some years back that changed the way I see failure. It’s titled, Fail Fast.

The truth is, most people are afraid of failure and try avoid it. Unfortunately, that’s the stuff success is made of.

You can actually speed up your success by switching to the failure lane. It makes the journey faster and…well..exciting.

For the records, this has nothing to do with a permanent resignation to an unfortunate fate. No. What I’m talking about is just an event that comes and goes.

Depending on how you see it, failure isn’t always a bad thing. It’s rather an opportunity to turn adversity to advancement.

Come to think of it, most successful people are men and women who have successfully failed their ways to greatness.

How did they do it?

Simply by recognising 3 key things about failure…

Here’s what it means to fail.

Failing means you’re making effort – trying.

These folks know that the real secret of successful lies in the consistency of their failed efforts. Those who don’t try never succeed in anything.

It means you’re learning

Those who hate learning also hate growing. Such people are on the fast lane to the graveyard.

It’s often said that the smartest way to increased earning is to increase your learning.

It shows you’re making progress.

Success is a journey. You don’t get there by wishing. The only way to get there is by taking incremental steps consistently. It’s failure that shows you’re on the way…

Of course, not all, failed attempts guarantee success. That’s when being smart comes in the picture.

Let’s see the 3 things you should do to make it count for you.

Have a game plan.

Start with a pre-defined destination in mind. That’s very important because if you don’t know where you’re going…you won’t know what it looks like…and you could end up anywhere.

Being persistent without a clue of what you are doing is simply an exercise in madness. Choose what you’ll rather fail at…and know why you’ve chosen it.

Have fun making mistakes.

Mistakes are normal part of the process, you have to welcome it as such…with excitement.

I have problems with folks who never make mistakes. I hardly trust them. The fact that they are so ‘flawless’ makes me suspicious of them.

Why? Because I’m not perfect. That’s why I’m called a human being. I guess you shouldn’t expect too much from me either.

But I make my mistakes to learn from them. You should too.

Don’t wait till you have all the information you need

That’s what leads to analysis paralysis. Of course, I understand that the purpose of information is to enhance better decision. But how often we overdo things!

We are often bombarded with irrelevant information that takes us completely away from our initial focus. The result? Information overload.

Get a relatively sufficient information necessary and…run.

Once you get these going for you, you get on the fast lane. You may hit some portholes here and there but…don’t worry. Your ability to learn and move on will see you through.

Sorry, my nephew needs my attention. Forgive me for any mistakes spotted here.

Got to go!

Get Paid to Preach

As christians, we have a command to reach out to the lost in the world… at all cost… to win them over to Christ…and to disciple them.

The Challenge…

Though Jesus told us not to, the thought of what to eat often gets in the way of this Great Mandate.

Working christians and professionals have had various challenges making it difficult for them to live out their faith in their workplaces.

Solution…

What if you don’t have to work at that job that takes you away from God and the gospel? What if you could get paid to preach.

Originally, from the scripture, there has been an arrangement where those who preach the gospel are supposed to live (feed) by the same gospel (1Cor 9:14 ).

Unfortunately, we think this is the sole right of the pastors and veteran evangelists.

But it’s our rights too.

What do you think about this?

Hit the comment button now… and let’s hear you.

Segun Dada is God’s Own Errand Boy, and Yours. He writes to relegate fluffy stuffs by promoting real Values.

Get Exactly What You Want From People Without Appearing As A Desperate Beggar.

He walked into the town thirsty, famished, and weary. Having sent his followers to buy food they’d all eat, he decided to find a place to rest.

Suddenly his eyes connected with a well that had been standing there, invitingly. With the scintillating promise he would soon quench his thirst, he moved closer and just sat there…

Hoping…

Presently the owner of the well came out to fetch some water.

“Excuse me!”

She said, asking him to move a bit. And this strange man, realising his opportunity, decided to make it verbal…

“Can I have some water to drink, please?”

And what came next became a lesson in history – a polite way of saying, “No, you can’t.”

Oh, the next move is a classic response

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

What!

That was Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman as captured in John 4. I learnt a very important lesson from this interaction. And here it is…

Never beg anyone for what you can simply have.

You ask, “how is that possible?”

I say, “how did Jesus do it?”

Know who you really are.

Here’s the truth, as christians we are kings and priests in this world, and, as far as I know, kings don’t beg for things.

Know what you are worth.

Knowing who you are is one truth, but knowing what you carry is another. You are blessed with very unique gifts to bless the world with. Those who are blind to your gifts are the ones in need, not you.

Help them see why they need you.

No, it’s not pride. Jesus wasn’t proud when he did. He simply repositioned himself. People who seem to be rich and happy often have needs and pain, the only way to get their attention is telling them what you carry is the solution.

Start with a premise.

That means, maintaining a common ground. This happens when you present your offer to fit their worldview. It could mean sharing a common story too.

Use FoMo.

FoMo simply means the Fear of Missing out. See the way Jesus used it effectively. “If you knew…and who it is…” He made her feel she was about miss a greater and better opportunity than what she was protecting.

Communicate benefits.

“Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

Benefit is what people really buy in your product. No, it’s different from the features. Every customer want a better version of himself. Not what your product does, but what they can do with.

So it doesn’t matter whether you are trying to sell, or negotiating your way for a deal, without money, these principles work.

Go try them.

Segun Dada is God’s Own Errand Boy, and Yours. He writes to relegate fluffy stuffs by promoting real Values.

How to Pick the Best Brain Alive and Be the Smartest Guru People Are Begging to Pay.

Why do some folks get paid while the majority don’t?

Any idea?

They’re smarter.

Final answer?

You’re in….

Correct! You just won…

(Sorry, I’m not Frank Edoho).

But you are right.

Those folks mostly get paid over and over again simply because they’re smarter than the rest of us.

Sad!

But here’s the good news…

You can be smarter than the smartest.

How?

By picking the brain of the smartest guy around.

Is that possible?

Absolutely.

Let’s get started right away…

Do you have a mentor?

That’s someone who is having the kind of result you desire to get. Someone you deeply respect and admire mostly for his brain, and his values. And is available.

Got that?

Good.

Then let’s see how you can literally make their brains your own.

The formula is called OPPT and is expressed as Observation, Practice, Partnering and joint problem solving, and Taking responsibility.

Now one by one…

Observation.

You might need to pay him a visit – or move in with him (joking) – to learn first-hand how he does things. How does he spend his morning hours? What about the ways he deals with colleagues, subordinates and superiors?

How does he respond to issues and crisis? Is he usually calm? Does he pray, or study? What are the books he read? His priorities? Name it. You can observe them first hand.

While you’re observing, you should remember this. The faintest ink is far better than the sharpest memory. Which is why you should have a log to record your observation.

Practice

Nothing is really learnt until it’s properly practised. I guess that’s why they say practice makes perfect.

It’s true.

Whatever you’ve learn during your observation, now it’s time for you to practise.

Look for a specific behaviour – or task – you can attempt on your own. Peter did just that when he attempted to walk on the water like Jesus did.

No,It’s okay to make mistakes. Don’t worry. That’s why it’s called practice, remember?

Partnering and joint problem solving.

I love the way Jesus did that with the disciple when he wanted to feed the multitude. It was a joint problem solving approach.

“You give them something to eat,” he told them.

Curiously that led to a miracle the disciples are proud to be part of.

How do you achieve that?

Continue to actively work with him to critically analyse and address challenging issues.

Take responsibility.

Now it’s time for you to take over an important aspect of his role, applying all you’ve learnt from him to various situations.

It doesn’t have to be a bigger part at once. You can start from the little to great, like it happened in the parable of the Talents.

Remember in Luke 10, Jesus sent them out two by two. That was actually the launch of the great commission which is a total take over.

Of course, you know the rest of the story. How these disciples were able to “turn the world upside down” with their doctrine and became terror to their terrorists.

You too can. It your turn to demonstrate your smartness by learning all you can, so you can earn all you can, to the glory of God.

On your track! Set! Launch!

Segun Dada is God’s Own Errand Boy, and Yours. He writes to relegate fluffy stuffs by promoting real Values.

Why It Might Be A Bad Idea Preaching With The Bible.

Preaching without the bible?

Sounds somehow. I know. But…hey…could you just give me a few seconds to explain myself?

Please…!

When I suggest christians should learn to preach without the bible I actually mean one thing – the world has change. And so has our audience.

Unfortunately, our approach hasn’t changed much.

First, we fail to read the handwriting on the wall…

That we are speaking to a younger generation these days. (At least more than half of our population are youth).

That in this information age, these young folks have faster access to knowledge and information than their predecessors.

That the needs of our target audience have changed and become more complex than they used to be.

How then do we reach out to these folks?

First, drop the bible for now.

That’s right, because seeing you approaching them, bible in hand, put them on the defensive. Say what you’ll they’ve already tuned you out – politely though.

Don’t load and laden them with scriptures.

Try a boat-load of love instead. Many of them have come out of abusive relationships, broken homes,and the likes, and are questioning God’s justice. The only way to show them God is love is when you demonstrate that love.

Go and live with them…

You need to really know them inside out before your message can impact them. And how do you do that? Get to know their heroes. Understand their world-views and why they embrace them. Start from their point of view. Once you’re able to do that, they’ll drop their defences for you.

Start with a story.

Stories are powerful. That’s why Jesus kept on using them over and over again. Telling them stories help in several ways. The story about you shows them you are a real person. That christianity is really about simplicity. That it’s okay to goof.

Don’t lead with holiness, please!

This might sound heretic but it’s not. Particularly when I remember that it was the ‘holiness’ folks that drove me out of faith the first time I believed. Struggling at the time with a personal sin I knew as a sin anyway. But those holier-than-thou folks weren’t helping either. The result? I concluded christianity wasn’t just for me. I quit. Only to come back ten years later.

Besides, over-emphasising holiness can encourage hypocrisy. People will tell you lies just to keep up their holiness image. We need to emphasise honesty first. When we create an atmosphere where people can be more honest, holiness automatically follows.

In case you still haven’t got me right, well…I’m not alone in this. Here’s bishop Michael Pitt saying, “Much of the church is still preaching to a generation they believe has no faith, while the problem is not a lack of faith, but the misappropriation of the faith they have. The boundaries have shifted”.

We don’t get it yet, do we?

Segun Dada is God’s Own Errand Boy, and Yours. He writes to relegate fluffy stuffs by promoting real Values.