Mourinho Must Learn With Age

First, a disclaimer: I am a Chelsea fan to the bones and Jose Mourinho is not just a sporting idol, but a great inspiration. However, events over the last one month have made this article inevitable.

Like him or loathe him, no one can deny the fact that he is a serial winner. And while his antics and methods might be divisive, his output remains successful. No manager, dead or alive could claim to have enjoyed a decade of successes in different turfs as Mourinho have. From FC Porto to Chelsea, from Inter Milan to Real Madrid, he has left with a mindas touch. He has left in gold everything he has touched in the world of football. In truth, his coaching ingenuity is in supernumerary measure that to contest his abilities will be foolhardy. In his book, 'My Autobiography' Sir Alex Ferguson described Jose as a pragmatist with a huge primary philosphy of ensuring his teams don't lose. The former United gaffer went on to admit 'Jose's managerial ability became the greatest obstacle to our rebuilding.' He is that good!

Yet, with success have come a price for almost all teams Jose have managed. Some argue that he has left a dent in the reputation of his employers. In his defence, some have maintained that Jose Mourinho has become a gigantic brand in himself that it will be sensible to now sepretate his behaviour from that of his team. True as it may sound, we know enough to understand that one man by reason of his association can damage the reputation of his institution. Without attempting to do a rehash, Jose has always been known to talk big. He surely thinks highly of himself and his powers, so highly infact that one might mistake him crossing the border line of self esteem into arrogance. Yet, football is primarily entertainment, and bullish talking is a feature. However, with age should come maturity and prudence, but Jose seem not to have evolved with time in this regard.

For the purpose of this article, citing two recent examples will suffice. He was certainly patronising when he hit back at Montse Benitez, wife of Real Madrid Boss, Rafa Benitez. Montse had stoked the fire when she remarked that her husband always has to clear Mourinho's messes. She was refering to the fact that Benitez had had to manage teams previously coached by Jose. This includes Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Mourinho's response was classic 'If she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me.' It was a comment that was both unnecessray and rude. At 52, one will expect that Jose dosent respond to all issues and take matters too personal as he has done in the past. To drag Benitez into the picture and question the effectiveness of their matrinomy is to drag rivalry and bluntness too far. On this occasion, jose was not just wrong to have responded but to also have used such derogatory choice words.

Then, only weeks ago, there was the case of Chelsea doctor Eva Carnerio and Jose Mourinho. Her sin was to run into the pitch in the insistance of the refree and attend to Eden Hazard while Chelsea playing with 10 men were being held in a 2-2 draw at home to Swansea. Jose's response after the match in the full glare of the media was smashing: “I wasn't happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game. said Chelsea manager Mourinho. “If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem. I was sure that Eden didn't have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired. My medical department left me with eight fit outfield players in a counter attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn't have enough players left.” Vintage Jose many will say.

In the face of this dual Jose's shenenigans, many have called the Chelsea gaffer a sexist and the feminists have been quick to dismiss his knowldge and adherence of chivalry. However, I think calling Jose a sexist is blowing the matter out of proportion. He is not one, and the remarks above is one he could have meted out to the young, old, male, female or even trans-gender. What is also closer to the truth is that Jose Mourinho's excesses of recent seems to be ignited from a place of subtle frustration, perhaps about the state of his team going into this season, in comparison to his main rivals.

The real issue however is that Jose have always been like this. From poking the eyes of Tito Vilanova to slandering referees, he is a classic sore loser. A decade and more has passed since Jose announced his name in the footballing stage. Today, he is an established name with noteworthy successes. He might well become the greatest or one of the greatest managers of all times. It is not too much to demand that Jose Mourinho curtail his antics and alter some of his ways. Attitude and character are not his greatest strengths, but he must now live beyond pettiness. Age and circumstances should bring maturity and even if he doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks about him, he must realise that in the final analysis, it is essentially a game. Whenever Jose Mourinho's name is mentioned, the haters will always be on the prowl. That's a given. What I simply ask is that he respects others and their opinions, that's all!

7 Signs it’s Time to Change Your Mindset

1. You see nothing but negatives.

If you were determined to get joy out of the present moment, you would learn to focus on the positive. What it takes is not paying attention to negative thoughts – yours or anyone else’s. Disregarding negative thoughts isn’t about burying your head in the sand; it’s the focused act of not allowing negativity to fog your vision and dominate your experience of the present.

This moment is never enhanced or helped in any way by negativity, even though we as human beings are programmed to think our negative thoughts, worries and fears serve some beneficial function. When we deeply examine a negative thought we see that negativity doesn’t serve any benefit. Focusing on negativity doesn’t make anyone a better person, nor does doing so help us make any bit of progress. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite.

2. You are relentlessly resisting the truth.

Watch your self-talk. See if you can catch yourself consciously or subconsciously complaining about your present life situation, what other people have said or done, your past, your surroundings, or even the weather. To complain is always non-acceptance of reality. It invariably carries with it a tremendous amount of negativity and stress.

When you complain, you transform yourself into a victim. When you proactively take positive action, on the other hand, you are in power. So if something is truly bothering you, change your situation by taking action, or consciously let it go – leave the situation or accept it. All else is foolishness.

Remind yourself, again and again if you must, when something cannot be changed you must change your attitude about it. After you have done what you can do, happiness is allowing yourself to be perfectly OK with ‘what is,’ rather than wishing for and worrying about ‘what is not.’ ‘What is’ is what’s supposed to be, or it would not be. The rest is just you, arguing with life.

3. You have a tendency to blame others.

Letting go gives us emotional freedom, and emotional freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in your heart, you still cling to anything – anger, resentment, jealously, etc. – you cannot be free. And doing so doesn’t change the heart of other people – it only changes yours. Know this.

Put down the sword and stop attacking others in your head. The strong person is not the best fighter. Rather, the strong person is the one who controls herself when she is angry, and grows from it.

4. You are passionately worried about everything.

Worrying does nothing but steal your joy and keep you busy doing nothing. It’s like using your imagination to create things you don’t want. You need to stop getting yourself into situations in your head where all your options are potentially bad.

Remember, it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. There are always two ways to address your present situation. Each way is like a brick, which can be used as a stepping-stone, or which can be picked up in a worried frenzy and used to shatter your window of hope and happiness.

The bottom line is that everything on the outside doesn’t need to be perfect or make sense right now. Stop worrying, focus within, and be mindful. In your mind you can go anywhere you imagine. And where your mind consistently goes, the rest of your life will gradually follow.

5. Your expectations are stressing you out.

Drop the needless expectations. Appreciate ‘what is’ for a moment. It doesn’t matter if your glass is half empty or half full. Just be thankful that you have a glass and that there’s something in it. Choosing to be positive and having an appreciative attitude influences everything you do. The magnitude of your happiness and success will be directly proportional to the magnitude of your thoughts and how you choose to think about things.

Nothing ever works out exactly the way you want it to. Hope for the best, but expect less. Appreciate reality, don’t fight it. Don’t let what you expected to happen blind you from the goodness happening all around. Even if it doesn’t work out at all, it’s still worth it if it made you feel something new, and if it taught you something new.

6. You secretly want a pain free life.

Pain is a pesky part of being human, but it’s vitally important. It strengthens the mind, heart and body. You can’t grow strong, brave, or successful in this world if you’ve only had good things happen to you within the safe boundaries of your own little comfort bubble. You need real life experiences, and nothing ever becomes real until you experience it firsthand.

Honestly, life is very much like a game of chess. To win you have to make a move, even when it’s tough and things before didn’t go exactly as planned. Knowing which move to make comes with insight and knowledge, by learning the unexpected and often painful lessons that are accumulated along the way.

7. You’re never satisfied with what you have.

Our stress and frustration is far greater when we have more than enough but want even more, than when we have almost nothing and want some. In other words, as human beings we are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we endlessly seem to lack but one continuously changing thing.

Details aside, the key is to want less and appreciate more.

A lot of people get so hung up on what they can’t have that they don’t think for a second about whether they really want it. Ask yourself: “Are these things truly better than the things I already have? Or am I just conditioned to be unhappy with what I have?”

In the end, happiness is an attitude of gratitude we act upon daily. We either make the best of the present or the worst of it. We either make ourselves miserable or happier and stronger. The amount of effort is the same.

(MarcandAngel).

EPL 2015/2016 Season: What to expect?

It’s barely days to the resumption of the buzz and razzmatazz that have become the Barclays English Premier League. And as it is typical with the dawn of any new campaign, the bookmakers and analysts are out with their permutations. It is a cliché in the English game that every season is typically tougher than the preceding one, and on the evidence of the dress rehearsals, the looming season will be no exception.

Without an iota of doubt, Manchester United have bought lavishly this summer, and go into the season as desperate favourites. In fact, they have bought so lavishly that even Wenger has accused the Old Trafford outfit of discarding ancient principles for instant success. Louis Van Gaal extravagance did not begin this season. The acquisition of Angel Di Maria last season was a British record and when one places that beside the purchase of Falcao, Blind and Rojo, then this summer’s acquisitions will seem less outrageous. The jury is still out on why Di Maria, the most expensive player in English football, didn’t quite work, but United has moved on and are ready to try other options. Amongst other reasons why Di Maria failed to make a mark last term is the imperious form of both Juan Mata and Ashley Young in the twilight of that season. However, since the days of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, United have never quite got their midfield right. Darren fletcher, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Tom Cleverly are among the long list of experiments that failed, and that is putting it mildly. It is for this reason that the acquisitions of the duo of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have made the Red devils fans bullish about their chances. The latter might be a household name in his last legs but he is still very lethal. Schneiderlin might be a less familiar name, but he is a massive talent with a sure promise. Should this duo alongside the experienced Michael Carrick click, then United will take some stopping next season. The signing of Memphis Depay from PSV also holds a great potential. However, one factor that might be telling to United’s season is the man between the posts. The big question for United will be: can they keep their best player from last season, David De Gea? And if he stays, will his heart really be in the job to replicate last season’s form?

By their extravagant standards, Chelsea have been relatively quiet in the transfer window. However, the champions still go into the new season as massive favourites. While they might have run away with the title at a canter last season, Jose Mourinho’s men might be in for a stiff challenge this term. Chelsea clearly possesses the best starting eleven in the country, but the deficiencies come in when the bench and replacements are assessed. As we saw last season, the team lost traction when fatigue set in towards the latter part of the season, and they have not bought big to stop a repeat. Rather, the blues have lost depth by the sale of Felipe Luiz and the legendary Petr Cech. The acquisition of Radamel Falcao remains a big risk that tilts more to pessimism than optimism. It will be another of Jose’s Man-management ingenuity to get the Colombian in some form again. However, the testing point for Chelsea will come if they are not so lucky with injuries next term, to the spine of their team. There will be a genuine lacuna if any of Costa, Fabregas, Matic or Terry is out for an extended period. In truth, the Blues have remained stagnant while their rivals have strengthened. They still remain genuine contenders but if last season’s championship was a stroll in the pack, next season’s campaign to retain that championship will surely be one hell of a herculean task.

As is always the case with Arsenal, optimism and renewed hope have greeted their anticipation of the new season. The capture of Petr Cech, especially from a direct rival, could well be the best piece of transfer business this summer. Cech is a serial winner and his coming into Arsenal will solve a major can of worms for the Gunners that have lingered for so long. However, while solving the goalkeeping puzzle is a mighty leap to Arsenal’s chances of winning the championship for the first time in a decade, it does not translate to uhuru for Wenger and his men. Since the departure of the prolific Thierry Henry, Arsenal are yet to aptly get another world class striker. While Giroud is a worthy goal banger, he is still not the finished article in that department. A number of names have been mentioned in the media in connection to Arsenal, but only time will tell if these talks remains in the realms of the rumour mill. However, one fact that cannot be denied is that should Arsenal acquire a striker in the mold of Karim Benzama and a midfield stalwart in the form of Claude Makelele, the team will be the overwhelming favorite for the trophy. Yet, with what it currently possess, Arsenal should mount a more worthy challenge this season better than its hitherto perennial tussle for fourth place.

Manchester City provides an interesting prospect. The blue heart of Manchester has not been aloof while their rivals ramp up. The team has added the vastly talented Raheem Sterling and former Villa star, Fabian Delph to their squad. The criticism against Manuel Pellegrini’s team is that it is an aging squad. Compared to their immediate rivals, there might be a case there but re-emphasizing that point will be stretching the fact. City’s best business this summer might be their ability to keep the spine of their team. However, one area they look not to have improved in, is at the defence area, which they fell short in last term. Vincent Kompany might find form again, but age and recurring injuries means he will never become the player he once was. Eliaquim Mangala remains some sort of experiment, while Martín Gastón Demichelis is an experience in his last legs. Sterling and Aguero provides great pace and artistry going forward, but City’s supporters will hope that Yaya Toure re-emerge from the average player he was last term and replicate the amazing ingenuity we all know he possesses. Manuel Pellegrini’s men will surely be in and around the top by May next year but they go into this season for the first time in recent times as perhaps, third or fourth favorites for the championship.

Then, there is Liverpool. For all the inflated belief of their fans going into the new season, it promises to be a tough campaign for the Reds. Losing their best two players in Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling simultaneously is a big blow. As was the case last season, Brenden Rodgers has bought quantity, but it remains to be seen if this translates to good quality. The Brazilian Roberto Firmino, the Belgian Christian Benteke, and the British trio of James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne and Danny Ings are surely bright prospects but the faster they all jive into a team, the better for the Kop’s fortunes. A flashpoint to the Reds campaign will be the fitness of Daniel Sturridge. A big homegrown talent, he has been hugely unlucky with a plethora of injuries. New captain, Jordan Henderson clearly knows that he has a tough act to follow in filling Steven Gerrard’s boots. He might have endeared himself into the hearts of the fans but replicating ‘the never walk alone’ moments that were the stock in trade of Steven Gerrard will be an amazing ask for the 24 years old midfielder next season.

Then, there is the rest. Tottenham Hotspur have done well to keep last season’s revelation, Harry Kane, but the summer business in White Hart Lane suggests that they might remain on the fringes again next term. Everton needs to for once in a long while, start a campaign strong to give themselves a fighting chance of breaking into the ever competitive top four. The battle against the drop also promises to be intriguing. For AFC Bournemouth, it will be a dream campaign for them playing in the top flight for the first time in their history. However, the honeymoon will be short as this league is unforgiving to mere efforts without corresponding productivity, as Burnley found out last season. To achieve safety for the new boys, a lot will rest on the shoulders of Artur Boruc, purchased from Southampton, and Chrsitain Atsu, who came in on loan from Chelsea. Same goes for Norwich and Watford, whose priority will be to retain their premier league status by May next year. Watford boss, Enrique Sanchez Flores might be new to the EPL, but the Spaniard has a wealth of coaching experience to rely on. Indeed, next season already has the makings and trappings of a precarious and theatrical season. It is for a reason it is considered as the most exciting league in the world and the looming season might well put paid to that. Bring it on!

Buhari and The Burden of Patience

It’s approximately two months since Muhammadu Buhari took the oath of allegiance as the number one citizen of this nation at the revered Eagles Square. Perhaps, his speech is best remembered for the now famous quote ‘I belong to everyone and I belong to no one.’ However, as he might have found out, talk is cheap and in an era where it was a cloud of expectations that fanned the embers of his elections, the detractors and many Nigerians have not been impressed with his start.

It will be foolhardy to pass an assessment on the Buhari administration just yet, as one expects the jury to still be out for at least two more years or so. However, the early indications have served as pointers on what to expect.

Undoubtedly, the biggest criticism that has trailed the early days of Buhari’s administration has been his ‘seeming’ delay in appointing his cabinet. A school of thought argues that he had since March 31st to start firming up his list but his delay indicates that perhaps he is ill-prepared for the job. However, the apologists say that he might indeed have a list but looking to clear the backlog of filth, before he gets his team on board. Moreover, they maintain, events since the election victory might have made him to have a re-think on the men and women he had earlier enlisted. However, while both sides of the divide have its merits, it is important to say that two months without a ministerial list is not a treasonable offence by the president, as some will like us to believe.

Another major criticism that has trailed the president’s first 60 days has been around his early appointments. In a nation still sharply divided across ethnic and religious lines, any of such high profile appointments by the nation’s number one citizen is bound to be subjected to such scrutiny. While meritocracy should never be sacrificed for mediocrity in the name of federal character, one expects President Buhari to know better. The best man for the job should always get the job but a caveat will suffice here: You can find the best man in no one part of the country alone. Ours is a fledgling democracy and the government of the day must recognize that it still requires adequate tendering and their actions and inactions will be telling to this development.

What is more? The EFCC under Ibrahim Lamorde since Buhari’s ascension has appeared to have found its foot again. To be fair to the renewed vigour of the anti-graft agency, it is only normal that the beehive of its activities will happen after every change of government as the immunity clause that often protects such lofty offices will then have been stripped. Juxtapose that with the ‘Fight Against Corruption’ mantra of the Buhari administration since its electioneering days, then one will expect all the anti-graft agencies to be firing on all cylinders. However, criticisms that have been meted to this fight have been one of political undertone. The PDP has been selling the dummy to anyone that cares to buy, that the ruling government has been using the EFCC to target its members. While selective judgment is never a great way to fight corruption, it evades the real question. Are those the EFCC are after guilty of the offence they are been charged with? Are they truly corrupt? Were they a party to the financial malpractice? In a democracy that is serious, that should be the discourse. It is no gainsaying that corruption in its totality has raped our nation for so long with reckless abandon. The fight against corruption must start with some people and if those persons happen to be in the opposition, it shouldn’t matter. However, going forward, the Buhari administration must recognize that Nigerians are well aware of the track records of the politicians and henchmen that surround him. It will be an incomplete fight against corruption if it is not holistic and all inclusive. It goes without saying that strengthening the anti-graft institutions in power and resources will determine how far this fight goes.

A worrying development that has snowballed since the Buhari administration commenced, and that must be cited is the enhanced bombings and killings in the North East by the Boko Haram sect. What is even more curious about this is that the previous government of Goodluck Jonathan appeared to be winning the war in the twilight of its administration, if what we read and hear in the news were anything to go by. How this administration was not able to consolidate on this seemingly victory remains a grey point. Having said that, protection of lives and properties remains the primary raison d’etre of the government, and while the method of achieving that is the prerogative of the government, all the people want is for this to be achieved. Security is everyone’s business but the government must show some effective leadership in this space.

In conclusion, some of the criticisms that have trailed the early days of the Buhari administration have been unfair and misplaced, but absolutely understandable. It was crystal clear from the onset that Nigerians would not be patient with the new government. The government was conceived under the clout of expectations and the change creed was it biggest selling point. Thus, it must grapple with that burden of expectations for as long as it remains in power. While many Nigerians will have to manage their expectations and tell themselves the home truth that this entity will take a while to be fixed, the government must show a bit of urgency in its efforts in fixing this country. The nation is bedeviled with a plethora of ills and patience is not a language best understood in this part of the world, especially in a desperate time such as this.

30 Great Movie Quotes That Will Inspire You

1. Woody once risked his life to save me. I couldn’t call myself his friend if I weren’t willing to do the same. – Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

2. You can’t live your life for other people. You’ve got to do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love. - The Notebook

3. Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten. – Lilo, Lilo and stitch

4. The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up. – Timothy Mouse, Dumbo

5. Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it. – Rapunzel,Tangled

6. You control your destiny — you don’t need magic to do it. And there are no magical shortcuts to solving your problems. – Merida, Brave

7. Oh yes the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.– Rafiki, Lion King

8. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do? Just keep swimming! – Dory, Finding Nemo

9. You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.” – Gusteau, Ratatouille

10. It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices. - Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

11. Fairy tales can come true. You gotta make them happen, it all depends on you. – Tiana, Princess and the Frog

12. Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something, not even me. Alright? You dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period. - Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness

13. The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” – The Emperor, Mulan

14. You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you. But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.” – Pocahontas, Pocahontas

15. You can’t force someone to like you. It takes time for friendship to grow. – Cody, Suite Life of Zack and Cody

16. To laugh yourself is to love yourself. – Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse

17. When there’s too much to do, don’t let it bother you. Forget your troubles. –Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

18. Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss. - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

19. Put your faith in what you most believe in. – Tarzan, Tarzan

20. A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference. – Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh

21. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

22. I know every mile will be worth my while. I would go most anywhere to feel like I belong. – Hercules, Hercules

23. I don’t regret the things I’ve done, but those I did not do. - Empire Records

24. Get busy living, or get busy dying. - Andy Dufresne/Tim Robbins, The Shawshank Redemption

25. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. - Bryan Mills/Liam Neeson, Taken

26. If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs. And maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And you’ll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. – Factotum

27. To find something, anything, a great truth or a lost pair of glasses, you must first believe there will be some advantage in finding it. - All the King’s Men

28. Only if you find peace within yourself will you find true connection with others. - Before Sunrise

29. Some people can’t believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first. – Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting

30. Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman – you’re perfect! – Coach Gary Gaines, Friday Night Lights

5 Things You Should Be Able to Smile About in 5 Years

1. The fact that you didn’t talk yourself out of doing your thing.

Walt Disney once said, “Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious – and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

This is one of my favorite quotes. It inspires me to write and create. And to move on to my next piece of work, even when I catch myself judging my last piece of work as “not good enough.”


“I thought this was a great article. Why aren’t people reading and sharing it?” Or I’ll feel like I fumbled through an article only to watch it receive 50,000+ shares on Facebook. Regardless of which outcome I’m dealing with, I’ve realized one thing: As human beings, we are often terrible judges of our own work. We are just too self-critical to see the truth most of the time.

And not only that, it’s not our job to judge our own work. It’s not our job to compare it to everyone else’s work, or to how we thought others would perceive it. There’s no use in doing that.

Instead, it’s our job to create. Our job is to share what we have right now in this moment. Our job is to come as we are and give it our best shot.

There are people in nearly every career field who make each day a work of art simply by the way they have mastered their craft. In other words, almost everyone is an artist in some way. And every artist will have the tendency to judge their own work. The important thing is to not let your self-judgment talk you out of doing your thing and sharing your creative and unique gifts with the world.

Just like Walt said, the key is to “keep moving forward.”

2. Memories of persevering through some of your story’s greatest challenges.

Sadly, most people give up on their life stories far too early. They come out of school or college wanting to change the world, wanting to build an enterprise, wanting to make lots of money, wanting to start a family and live happily ever after. But they get into the middle of it all and discover it’s way harder than they anticipated. They encounter many setbacks, and they can’t see anything over the distant horizon anymore. So they wonder if their efforts are moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the ones ahead are getting larger… at least not fast enough. So they take it out on their family and friends, and themselves, and they go aimlessly looking for an easier path that doesn’t fulfill them.

Don’t be one of these people.

As Winston Churchill once said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Good things don’t come easy. True strength consists of what you do on the third, fourth and fifth tries.

Know this!

Never give up on your story. Don’t ever give in. Don’t ever stop trying. Don’t ever sell out or sell yourself short. Life is tough, but you are tougher. Your journey isn’t supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to be worth it. To never struggle is to never grow. It doesn’t matter what’s happened or what you’ve done; what matters is what you choose to do from here. Accept the circumstances, learn from them, and take another step forward, every day.

3. Moments of appreciating what you have, right now, right where you are.

The universe is always talking to us… sending us little messages, causing coincidences, and serendipitous events, reminding us to stop, to look around, and to believe in something special, something more.

But this special something isn’t somewhere else. It’s right where you are.

Sometimes you have to stop searching, and just BE. You aren’t missing anything anywhere else. You’re missing the goodness in front of you.

Let me assure you, you could run around trying to do everything, and travel around the world, and always stay connected, and work and party all night long without sleep, but you could never do it all. You will always be missing something, and thus it will always seem like something amazing might be happening elsewhere. Focusing on this is obviously futile.

Hustle, work hard, and seek adventure, but do it with your eyes wide open and focused on your present step.

You have everything right now. The best in life isn’t somewhere else; it’s right where you are, at this moment. Notice it, and make it memorable.

4. The peace of mind that comes from letting go.

The more you talk about it, debate it, rethink it, rehash it, cross-analyze it, get paranoid about it, track it, respond to it, contend with it, complain about it, immortalize it, cry over it, kick it, insult it, gossip about it, pray over it, put it down or dissect its motives… it continues to fester and rot in your mind.

It’s time to accept that it’s over! It’s dead! It’s gone. It’s done. It’s time to bury it because it’s stinking up your life, and no one wants to be near your rotted corpse of bad memories, or your decaying attitude. Be the funeral director of your past life and bury that thing once and for all!

Holding on is being brave, but letting go and moving on is often what makes us stronger and happier in the end. Give yourself this gift so you can grow and smile again.

5. Your own acts of selfless giving.

My personal heroes are everyday visionaries and dreamers, those beautiful people among us who try to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in tiny ways or enormous ones. Some succeed, some fail, most have mixed results… but it’s the effort itself that’s heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.

I challenge you to take a page out of their book. Because, win or lose, it’s this act of fighting for something greater than yourself that makes your story an inspiring one in the long run.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The purpose of life is not to simply be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

(MARCANDANGEL).

Poem: Half-Time, Full Triumph!

Its mid-year, and time have travelled, events have unraveled, situations have happened but we have triumphed!

He told us it was going to be a year of notable success, of notable victories, of uncommon feats. We look back and true to type, it has been a myriad of unflinching success. He told us it was going to be a triumphant year, he told us it was going to be hallmarked with notable achievements, today, look at us. He told us that in the world this year we will have tribulations, but he reminded us to be of good cheer, for we won the race before we even started. We conquered before the rest of the world knew what was happening.

And as our minds wonder in hindsight, as our thoughts peruse the last six months, as our memory does a flashback, and as we reflect on what has been, we are grateful. Grateful for a triumphant half, where we have smashed records, walked on water, flew on eagles wings and defied the odds.

In the first half of the year, his word has been our fortress. We have received insights that have made us supermen! From the epoch making Fire conference to the unleashing of uncommon wealth at the 8 days of glory, he has set us on new pedestals that no man can ignore us.
And make no mistakes about it.

In these last six months, life has happened. The storms have beaten on us. People have despised us. Events have challenged our convictions. Friends have mocked at our belief. Life challenges have come in a plethora of ways. But yet, like an iroko tree who knows no fall, we have remained unshaken, unbeaten and undeterred. They marvel at us. They wonder how we can be going through diverse storms and still keep a smile, and still keep a cheerful countenance and still keep a winning heart. Some of them have said we are no ordinary men. They are right, we are no ordinary species. We are God’s finest, the ingenuities of his craft, his sublime offsprings. In short, supermen! We look back at the challenges of the past six months and we say, bring on more. For in them, our triumph has been evident to all men!

We come with a magnitude of gratitude. We come with an altitude of beatitude. We come with a vastitude of solitude. This God, our heart beats, it beats only for him. His faithfulness defiles our comprehension. The boundary of his love knows no limit, and of a truth, he has been good to us.

It’s only six months gone; yet, our mind boggles in sweet relish on what is ahead for us. For if at halftime the score line is already 7-0, imagine what will happen at fulltime. This success is more certain than the dawn of the morning. Our victory is more assured than the rising of the sun and our monumental triumph is more real than the chair you sit on. It’s half-time and it’s already full triumph. Imagine what will happen, when it is fulltime!

Written in commemoration of CE Mid-Year Thanksgiving Service!