Diligence

"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill, Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance" - Samuel Johnson

Seeth thou a man diligent (skilled, passionate, hardworking) in his business?, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean (obscure, unknown) men - Proverbs 29:22

I decided to look up the word diligence in the dictionary  and found several meanings , persistence, hard work, perseverance, exertion of body and mind. I would further add that diligence is what separates you from the "average joe" the common person. Its that element that pushes you to go the extra mile. Men (and women) that have perfected their skills find that great men seek them out

David Beckham whose focus is football has found that he has been, honoured by politicians, royalty, actors, people of influence and power, his skill in one area has transcended into areas were his focus does  not lie. He has been sought out by firms to endorse there products. He has not sought out money, but money has found him because of his diligence in football. Perfect your skill, work hard and money will find you. People will fall over to pay you and seek your attention, remember diligence makes you attractive to great people and money.

Solomon the king of Israel was wiser than any man, he excelled, he was a proficient song writer, a great poet and philosopher. Men from all kingdoms came to hear his wisdom, Kings and queens came to hear his wisdom and brought tributes, he became wealthy not by pursuing it but by his diligence

...Be ye as wise (shrewd, cunning) as serpents, and as harmless as doves - Matt 10:16

"Work smarter, not harder" 

Diligence should be coupled with skill and tact to be effective. Why use an axe when you can use a chainsaw, an abacus when you use a calculator. We need to horn our skills by taking advantage of technology. Jesus found elements of the serpent admirable that he actually said be as  cunning as serpents. Read books about people who have accomplished and aim to excel, find a mentor. Work smarter

Usain Bolt the current world record holder for the 100m race has excelled his predecessors by running faster than any other human being on the planet. I guarantee you one day his record will be broken. raise the bar, think bigger.


BE THAT CHAMPION !!!In the words of Zig Ziglar- "See you at the top"

The baddest man on the planet

"You can tell what a man is made of by how much pain he can take" - Mike Tyson

I recently watched an interview on Sky with Mike Tyson being asked which was his best fight he proceeded to respond Donovan "Razor" Ruddock, Tyson was severely punished,  but eventually won. Tyson had a perforated eardrum while Ruddock had a broken jaw. When asked what drove him he responded "You have to believe that you are greater than what you actually are"

Tyson's confidence transcended the ring, every aspect of his life exhibited over confidence and excess, traits that guarantee success (but can also lead to a downfall if not focused on the right things). Inevitably pain comes with the territory. The sweeter the victory, the greater the pain.

"Pain is temporal, quitting lasts forever" - Anon

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy (Victory) set before him endured (the pain) the cross - Hebrews 12:2

Confidence is a prerequisite for victory, life has no room for the timid. Boxers and wrestlers "trash talk" to build their confidence and intimidate the opponent, we need to speak to ourselves, play the part, walk the walk, be the man. Be like Mike Tyson call yourself "The baddest man on the planet." even the Lord God calls those things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). Do not confuse arrogance and pride with confidence. Confidence displays refined ability, while pride is a boastful attitude. Be confident

"Believe in yourself and one day they  will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe in you." 

BE THAT CHAMPION!!!
  

Know thyself

For Gods gifts and his call are irrevocable - Romans 11:29

God has wired every man with gifts and desire to succeed, they are part of your genetic make up. Glimpses of your success are evident every time you reach that quiet place when your imagination runs amok plotting out your future.

The thing i aim to address is the how some established "success stories,"have failed in relation to integrity. i remember being told to be weary of 3 things in life "the 3 G's". Gold (money), Girls and Glory (pride).

Napoloeon Hill in his book "Think and Grow Rich" seeks to show that sex desire is the strongest of all human desires. Moral failure, misappropriation of funds, substance abuse seem to be the stain of our heroes and our societies. It is not because are we are not susceptible to them but to the contrary its because we are that we need to address them and deal with them.

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self "- Aristotle

.....let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely and run with endurance the race that is marked out for us  Hebrews 12:1 

Recently, a great preacher Eddie long was recently embroiled in a moral scandal that involved boys alleging inappropriate behaviour, Rick Hatton (boxer) recently hit the headlines with his drink and drug scandals. Michael Jackson also had his issues. I could go and name celebrity, after politician that have failed but all it proves is that we are all susceptible to these issues and failures

As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour- Eccl 10:1

King David was involved in moral failure which also involved murder, God forgave him but these failures had consequences and similar failures persisted in his family, with his very son sleeping with his concubines. The consequences of our sins (failures) linger on even when  the situation has been rectified. We need to sort out the issues before they are irreversible.

Even when these "greats" have proved themselves to be champions they will always been associated with their scandals some will also disappear into obscurity, never to reappear. We need to subdue our wrong desires, the body seeks instant gratification which is detrimental to our legacy and lives.

Self control is the chief element in self respect, and self respect is the  chief element in courage

Lets deal with all the toxic stuff, that might undermine the hard work we put in pursuing our goals.

BE THAT CHAMPION!!!