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FEEDING THE MIND
Hello
Ladies,
I
trust everyone is well. Despite my efforts to remain in the background- I’ve been
discovered! Much to my shock-
Kemisola approached me to write this section monthly. Not certain what
would stimulate you ladies but I’ll try to be as engaging as possible.
Feel free to offer your suggestions on articles you’ld like to
see.
My
intention is to focus primarily on development of the self- Personal
Development. I have learned
that this is a critical issue that has often been neglected.
All of us though at varying stages of life, different parts of the
world and even in different careers have one thing in common- a need to be
successful and feel fulfilled at whatever we do.
Recently, I embarked on an adventure of starting my own business.
Over the past 7 months, I have had to overcome several challenges
that I was rather unprepared for. To
my horror, I discovered that I had stopped learning and was left
unprepared for situations I had not experienced.
I had in my years as an employee moved quickly up the ranks, and
assumed that I had learned all I needed to know- joke!
All
of us at one time or another may have had some experiences which have
shocked us into reality. For example, Losing a job and dealing with little or no
savings (result of lack of
adequate knowledge on financial planning options).
I have learned that to become an entrepreneur requires not only
guts/courage, capital or even a good business idea, but most importantly
requires the ability to handle all issues that arise as a result of your
decisions. Rather than escape
back into full time employment, I decided to face the challenges squarely
by preparing rigorously! My
mentor introduced me to the works of
Jim Rohn - a Foremost Business Philospher in the States.
His works have inspired me and I’d like to share excerpts of some
of his work and those of other notable philosophers with you in the coming
months!
The
beginning of my re-orientation was a simple quote:
“You are the same today that you are going to be five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.” (Charles “Tremendous” Jones)
Lucky
for us, QCOG, we’ve commenced the association with people by staying in
contact via periodic meetings, e-mail
and via this website. But
is that enough- I ask “ Where do you all go for your Intellectual
Feast?” Read the excerpt
below and find out the importance of feeding the mind.
Excerpt for Leading an Inspired Life by
Jim Rohn
Pity the man who has a favorite restaurant, but not a favorite author. He’s picked out a favorite place to feed his body, but he doesn’t have a favorite place to feed his mind! Why would this be? Have you heard about the accelerated learning curve? From birth up until we are about eighteen, our learning curve is dramatic, and our capacity to learn during this period is just staggering. We learn a tremendous amount very fast. We learn language, culture, history, science, mathematics . . .everything! For some people, the accelerated learning process will continue on. But for most, it levels off when they get their first job. If there are no more exams to take, if there’s no demand to get out paper and pencil, why read any more books? Of course, you will learn some things through experience. Just getting out there- sometimes doing it wrong and sometimes doing it right- you will learn. Can you imagine what would happen if you kept up an accelerated learning curve all the rest of you life? Can you imagine what you could learn to do, the skills you could develop, the capacities you could have? Here’s what I’m asking you to do: be that unusual person who keeps up his learning curve and develops an appetite for always trying to find good ideas.
One way to feed your mind and educate your philosophy is through the writings of influential people. Maybe you can’t meet the person, but you can read his or her books. Churchill is gone, but we still have his books. Aristotle is gone, but we still have his ideas. Search libraries for books and programs. Search magazines. Search documentaries. They are full of opportunities for intellectual feasting. In addition to reading and listening, you also need a chance to do some talking and sharing. I have some people in my life who help me with important life questions, who assist me in refining my own philosophy, weighing my values and pondering questions about success and lifestyle. We all need association with people of substance to provide influence concerning major issues such as society, money, enterprise, family, government, love, friendship, culture, taste, opportunity, and community. Philosophy is mostly influenced by education, and education is mostly influenced by the people with whom we associate.
One
of the great fortunes of my life was to be around Mr. Shoaff those five
years. During this time he shared with me at dinner, during airline
flights, as business conferences, in private conversations and in groups.
He gave me many ideas that enabled me to make small daily adjustments in
my philosophy and activities. Those daily changes, some very slight, but
very important, soon added up to weighty sums. A
big part of the lesson was having Mr. Shoaff repeat the lessons over and
over. You just can’t hear the fundamentals of life philosophy too
often. They are the greatest form of nutrition, the building blocks for a
well-developed mind.
I’m
asking that you feed your mind just as you do
your body. Feed it
with good ideas, wherever they can be found.
Always be on the lookout for a good idea- a business idea, a
product idea, a service idea, an idea for personal improvement.
Every new idea will help to refine your philosophy.
Your philosophy will guide your life, and your life will unfold
with distinction and pleasure.
Ladies,
one cannot over-emphasize the need to keep learning.
As we read and associate more with the right people, we get exposed
to how much more we have to learn.
Comments on this article will be displayed at the end of Aug. 2002.
Watch
out for Sola's August article on "The Formula for Success and
Failure!"