Garbage in Garbage Out

Garbage in Garbage out

Be careful what you feed your mind on. It has a great bearing on the kind of thoughts you end up thinking. Make a habit of surrounding yourself with all the best and greatest of things. Our thoughts form mostly out of what we see, hear and experience. A combination of these determines the trajectory of our thoughts.

External stimuli for our thoughts is both negative and positive in nature and we have every reason to choose what is positive and uplifting to linger on in our minds while we discard the negative and unhelpful. It is important to make the conscious choice to think after the good we see around us as we keep under the negative. Some sages talk about there being two wolves in the same mind. The wolf you feed grows and gains a controlling stake in your mind. The wolf you starve eventually get suppressed. Practice it long enough and he dies. It is up to you to choose the wolf you want to feed.

GIGO refers to the correlation between the data you feed into a system and its final outcome. The system in many cases is never the problem. It is designed to process what is put into it and let it out on the other side. We must look at our mind as the elaborate processing system for our thoughts that it is. With this realization, we must exercise greater caution with regard to what we feed our minds with. If we become casual and let anything and everything settle, we will have no one but ourselves to blame.

There is nothing as vulnerable as the human mind to all manner of extremities of thought. It is capable of the highest thoughts just as in equal measure it can go as low as is possible. This one trait differentiates us from all of creation. Of all beings, we have the freedom to choose the trajectory of our lives. When we are much younger a lot of choices are made for us but as we grow older, we begin to take charge of our lives and the direction they take. An interesting thing to note is that failure to choose is also a choice and for me it is the worst choice you can make. Nobody likes working with a double minded fellow. If you are doing something in conjunction with others then it requires you to keep your end of the stick intact. In this matter of the mind, it is important that you choose your stimuli carefully because it determines the trajectory of your life.

I will conclude with these wise words. You cannot stop the birds from flying over your head but you sure can stop them from building a nest on it. In short, it is impossible to live without ever experiencing he temptation to sink into negativity but the ultimate choice for what we do with any negative thoughts that come our way, is our responsibility.

Choose to put quality in and you will get quality out.

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A Child at Heart Part Two

On Wednesday we started speaking about the nature of children being in us. Here is the rest of that conversation. Join in to share your thoughts in the comments. Remember to Subscrbe using the button on your right.

Why you need to remain a Child at Heart

They have fun. In today’s fast paced world, it is very difficult for people to have fun. We have become sucked into the rat race which never ends. Our worries about tomorrow keep us from enjoying today. We are so caught up chasing the future that we have no moment to enjoy today. Children remind us that today is all we have. Now is all the time we have. We cannot keep postponing our joy to a future we don’t know about or have. Remember the story of the rich fool who thought he now had everything worked out and was now ready to have fun. Little did he know that it was too late. Don’t postpone the fun you can have today for a future date. Enjoy today as you work for the future. It is the only way to live.

They are dreamers and believe all things are possible. Talk to any child and you hear them speak freely about the things they want to do. You would think they are crazy for suggesting certain things because they seem to be so out of this world. For children all things are possible. This is why it is always easier for younger generations to embrace certain possibilities that were unheard of in times past. A lot of innovation comes from young minds for this very reason. As adults, we get so used to the limitations that exist and find it difficult to dream like before. We need to recapture our ability to dream and see all possibilities to enjoy life. Remember when you believed nothing was beyond you? That was when you were real. The problem is that the world has taught you the exact opposite and told you it is real. There is need for you to reclaim that which is lost of your ability to dream.

They are impulsive. Children do not care about goals and plans. They care about what is in front of them. They do not run away from the present because they are thinking of the future. Their goal is to enjoy what is in front of them right now. They don’t stay stuck in places where their interest has waned. They do not think of any investment in any activity as too much to lose. They are not fixated on an ideal outcome. They adjust to the environment around them and make the most of what it affords them. Our challenge as adults is that we choose a certain path and as a result remain closed to any other possibility. We count the cost of what we have put into a particular activity and tell ourselves it is too great to let go. We hold on to dead horses because they once raced excellently. We have difficulty letting go of ideas that have become outdated simply because we have been doing them for so long. We are afraid of disruption and those who think out of the box. We are so comfortable in our averageness that those who dare to go on to great heights are considered abnormal. We hold on to the norm so much so that to do anything else seems to be madness.

They are forthright about what they want. Children do not beat about the bush when it comes to their requests. They do not frame their requests in flowery language. They do not go round in circles. If they want something they simply blurt it out. What you do with it as a parent or guardian is up to you. As far as they are concerned, they have laid down what they need. You have to figure out how to meet it for them or respond to them in a different way. How many times have you gone to God and instead of being clear about what you want, you have said a lot of things but the very thing you need?

They are a blank page. Children are a great canvas for an artist because they are blank and ready to be filled. They do not approach any lesson with preconceived ideas, prior research or bias. They keep their minds open to new information and are just as eager to learn something new today as they did yesterday. How much information and insights have you lost simply because you were closed minded? What fills your mind constantly that you have no room to learn anything new? How can you ensure that your mind is an open book for God to write new insights everyday?

They are persistent. Children can be annoyingly persistent. When they set their sights on something, it is very difficult to dissuade them. There could be two things similar to each other but children will decide to go after one and despite your attempts to make them see the similarity, they will insist on the one that caught their attention. Children can teach us to stay focused on what we are pursuing when it is important to us.

They are courageous. Children exhibit no fear in what they do. They do not shy away from challenges and difficult situations. Fear is created from experiences. Because they are free from the shackles of experience, they keep going without limit. They take on anything and anyone unless fear is instilled in them from an external source.

They are quick to forget. They do not keep a record of wrongs. They do not remember their negative experiences forever. They are quick to let go of disappointments and failures. They have no room in their hearts and minds for the past. Whether that past was great or not, they are ready to do something else today, to repeat a positive experience. To try again when it comes to experiences that did not go too well for them yesterday. Simply put, they don’t carry their history or take it too seriously. We adults on the other hand, have an established memory of all that has gone wrong including that which is not helpful. We find it hard to repeat positive experiences because we think we won’t experience anything else other than what was last time.

There are many reasons why we need to embrace the attitude and disposition of a child in our relationship with God. It is a matter of changing our mindset and outlook of things.

When Paul speaks about being transformed by the renewal of our minds in Romans 12:1-2, it is talking about the continuous process of returning to the default mindset of a child. It is the only way we can have a fruitful, fulfilling relationship with God. Elsewhere the scriptures also speak about a man who is led of the spirit. Jesus says such a man is like the wind, you can’t tell where he comes from and where he goes but you feel the impact of his passing by. There is power and effectiveness in surrendering to the sovereignty of Jesus everyday of our lives. They will be richer when we stop fighting and just allow the spirit to lead us on to where he wants us to go. Like children if only we trust him, we shall live in fantasia. Ecstasy will be the definition of our lives.

There are two things I challenge you to do. The first one is think and purpose to live your life more like a child going forward. Secondly, if you are a parent or guardian, allow your children to live like the children they are and encourage as much as possible the maintenance of this innocent state. They will be helped to stay close to who they are throughout life.

 

 

A Child at Heart

Jesus Says Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:14

He also says unless you are converted and become like a child, you cannot inherit/enter the kingdom of God. Matthew 18:3-5

What is it about children that Jesus would like us to embrace?

Definitely there are aspects of Children's character that we cannot afford to carry with us but there i s a lot we can learn from them when it comes to walking by faith which is what Jesus encourages us to do.

Children are easy to persuade. They trust and buy into ideas quickly almost with no effort. The more experience you have, the more difficult it becomes to convince and persuade you otherwise. Little children can still be influenced because of the openness of their hearts. How open is your heart before God?

Children are authentic. They live from the centre of their being. They do not know how to live a shallow life. Everything they do is sincerely from their hearts. They do not care about making impressions or appearing in a particular light. With them what you see is what you get. If they have any skeletons, they are out in the open and not hidden out of sight. Would you call your life an open book? Some of us in our minds hide ourselves from God. We try to be cute and collected before Him who sees everything.

They are easy to please. It takes very little to touch a child’s life and unleash their glow and happiness. Something as little as candy is enough to keep them excited for the whole day. The older we become, the more difficult it becomes to please us. We tend to expect people to work very hard to impress us. We find it difficult to enjoy the things that are before us in this moment and look out for that which is out of our reach. When was the last time you were grateful for ordinary, mundane, everyday stuff? For children everything is awesome.

They are easy to fascinate. Closely related to the previous point, the threshold for fascinating children is far much lower than that of any average adult. We tend to save our fascination for the very big moments of life. We have been conditioned to react and respond only to the spectacular in life. It is difficult for us as adults to embrace the fascination of simple things. We need to reclaim the ability to be fascinated by the simple stuff.

They are trusting. Children are by nature trusting. They have complete faith in adults and life and their parents. They take you at your word and run with it. They have had no experience of disappointment to introduce doubt in their minds. Whatever you tell them, they take it as gospel truth. That is why you have to be very careful what you teach your children because it will be challenging to undo it later if it is not right. Our dealings with men have conditioned us to be wary of their promises and that is ok. Men are capable of disappointing us. The problem comes when we project our experiences with men on God. Do not confuse the unreliability of men with the faithfulness of God. If you want to experience God working in your life, like a child you must take Him at His word.

They don’t rationalize. They do not have time to sift through things before they embrace them. As adults we weigh everything we hear and take it through several layers of thought processes in our minds before we accept it. God makes a promise or he asks you to do something but you hesitate until you are sure about the move. Sometimes you fail to move and people get hurt by your inaction. With children it is different. They execute on instructions with little to no resistance. It all boils down to the faith they have on the instructor. Can you execute on God’s instructions or must you rationalize before you do?

They live in the moment. Children have no concerns for what will be happening in the evening. For them the only thing that matters is this present moment. When they are playing, it is all they are doing. When they are eating, that is all that matters. Whatever it is they are doing, they are presently present in this present moment. They do not reflect so much on the past at the expense of the present moment. If they do at all, it is in relation to how they can enjoy this moment even more. They do not also pause to think about what tomorrow will be or bring. All that matters is that they are savoring this present moment. What a beautiful life! When was the last time you just got lost in the moment and forgot all else?

They have no cares/worries. Children carry no worries around with them all they know is that someone will take care of it all. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25-34 that we shouldn’t be overly burdened with worry about the things we need. We have a father who cares for us and to whom we need to cast all our cares. They have needs like us but they don’t allow those needs to freeze their lives. They know where to cast their worries. How beautiful it would be to relate with God our Father, the way our own children relate to us. The beauty is that God the Father has no limits on his resources like we earthly fathers. This therefore means that it is not beyond Him to give us everything we need.

They have boundless energy. Children seem never to run out of energy throughout the day. If you asked them, they would go on and on and on. They only drop once their energies have run low. At this point no matter what you do, they won’t move a finger. They know when they are done and take time to refuel. As adults we are strange in the way we act. We do not expend our energy freely as though by preserving it we will be able to use it tomorrow. In the same vein, we don’t realize and accept when our bodies are worn out so that we give them time to recharge. There is so much we can learn from children in this regard.

They are not calculating and crafty. Adults are constantly thinking about their words, actions and the impact they will have. Not so with children. Children will be as open with their words as their actions. They do not know how to hide behind certain words when they mean something totally different. Adults will be stepping extra cautiously into new territory but children will have no such qualms. Invite a child to a new adventure and they will embrace it almost immediately. Do the same with an adult and the calculations will begin. How much joy do we deny ourselves courtesy of our calculations? Jesus asks, ‘who of you by worrying can add a single second to his life?’

They live unfiltered lives. The older we get the more the filters we add to our lives. Filters are about appearances. We are overly concerned about people’s perceptions of us rather than what we are. Children do not worry about such things. When they are hungry, they will make it known without apology. When they have to answer the call of nature, they don’t think about where they are. How many filters are there in your own life and how necessary is it to hold on to them? How often are you acting out to suit the expectations of people at the expense of living your life? Many of us are living for others. We are conformists who do not want to disturb the peace.

Their devotion to anything is total. Children also don’t do anything half-heartedly. When they are up for something, they go all in. they have difficulty doing anything with hands on the brake. You should see them playing out there. They do not think about anything else. How different would our lives be if we chose to go all in whatever it is we were doing? When we believe in what we are doing, there is no other way to do it but to go all in. the problem with us is we keep second guessing ourselves. This is why we will commit and let go. Children are so persuaded about the merit of what they are doing that they do not go in haphazardly. In this regard we need to be like children. 

Part two comes up This Friday. Be sure to: 

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Songs unsung, Poems Unwritten.

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Dr. Myles Munroe coined the phrase that the graveyard is the richest place on earth. He went on to say that this is because there, a song lies unsung, a poem lies unwritten, great books lie unwritten, movies lie unacted. The idea is that many people die with so much still within them.

The question that should be foremost on our minds right now is how our own graveyard will look like. Will we go in still holding all our treasure in our hands or will we be completely used up. Today is the day when you must make up your mind that no song of yours will go unsung. You must decide that no book of yours will die unwritten.

What holds you back when it comes to manifesting the greatness within you? For many of us, fear plays a great role in never manifesting the best of ourselves to the world. We far that we are not good enough. We fear how people will receive us and what we present or represent. We fear that we will not be as good as our heroes at what we do. We fear imperfection which is something very few of us if any can escape.

At other times, procrastination is the culprit. We keep putting of till tomorrow even the things we can do today. When we pile up enough tomorrows we are left with nothing but wasted yesterdays. I learnt from Kevin Kruse that procrastination sometimes means choosing to do the easier things first at the expense of the things that really matter. So it is not a matter of you not wanting to do anything. It happens because you can’t summon the strength and focus needed to get the job done.

Ignorance also plays a role in keeping you from exploiting who you are. After all, you can only exploit that whose existence you are familiar with. This is why getting a hold of my book Blessed to be a Blessing will be a step in the right direction because therein I explore many of the endowments you have which you can exploit to leave your footprint wherever you pass.

Right this moment you have to make up your mind that you will die having used up all of your potential or as much of it as possible. There could be many things holding you back but you have to decide that you will no longer be held captive by them. You need to fight for the release of your full potential as though your life depends on it because in reality it does. You will never live a full life if you are not exploiting the best of yourself every single day.

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Be all you can be.

Imagine what a beautiful place the world would be if we all became all we can be and did all we can do. The world is worse off because we choose to sleep on our abilities, gifts, talents and resources. I am on a mission to change as much of that as possible and this article is meant to challenge you to bring out the best of yourself and share it with the world.

Why do we settle for a life that is much less than all it can be? For whose benefit do we withhold our awesomeness and ability to make a difference? The truth is we do no one any favors by living a life that is less than all we can be.

Starting today, make it a point of understanding and embracing all you are and have. Desire to channel all of your energy into meaningful activity for your good and the good of others around you. The best time to become all you can be is not tomorrow or some date in the future. Right here and now, you have the opportunity to make a difference where you have been placed.

In Blessed to be a Blessing I explore a majority of the things you have going for you and I would love to encourage you to get yourself a copy to gain a deeper understanding of all you have. Armed with this knowledge, it is imperative that you make a point of exploiting all of your endowments in the places where they are most needed. In my own life, I have made a choice to bring out all that I am before I fly away to another place.

I love the advice of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:10.  If I would paraphrase it this is how I would put it. Be all you can be and do all you can do while you are here because in the place where you go afterwards, there is no room to do anything else. The reality of your mortality should act as motivation for you to actualize yourself before your time here is done. When we fail to actualize ourselves, we have denied everyone the opportunity to experience a masterpiece. You have been created with attributes unique to you which are meant to come out and be fully expressed while you are here. Failure to do so means the world misses out on something that will never be again. When you realize that, it should drive you enough to want to do all within your power to manifest the greatness within you.

Whatever you do, make it your aim to be all you can be and you will be glad you did it. it all boils down to stewardship of everything given to you. In stewardship, faithfulness can never be overemphasized.

What are some of the things you know you need to be in this life? How much of that are you doing? What hinders you from becoming all you can be? What help would get you doing just that? Share in the comments below and let’s help each other out.

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Securing Lasting Treasure.

As beautiful as the things of this world are, their nature is fleeting. I don’t know what your persuasion is but I am of the persuasion that there is a life to be lived beyond our time here on earth. I am also persuaded that there is more to us than just this physical body-that we are spiritual beings on a pilgrimage to a land far much better than anything we have here. There is immense beauty and pleasure in the world around us and we are by all means meant to enjoy it and take it in. However we lose out when that is all we get to enjoy. The pleasures beyond this dimension are at a totally different level and cannot be compared to what we have here.

It serves us well to invest beyond this realm by doing as much good to others as is in our power. Jesus talks about us storing up treasure in heaven where no thieves can break in and steal, no rust can destroy. Where there is no inflationary pressure. A place where the volatility of the markets has no effect on the value of your investment. During this COVID 19 crisis we know how much our investments have suffered and lost value in ways we couldn’t have imagined six months ago. This goes to show us that the world is a risky place to stake all your investment. In the investment world, we talk about diversification as a risk mitigation strategy. Few of us however take advantage of one of the most secure investment vehicles ever created. A vehicle that guarantees both immediate and eternal returns in unquantifiable amounts. Proverbs 19:17-He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given. When you make it your business to help the less fortunate, you are guaranteed a return on your investment. You can never out-give God no matter how hard you try. Beyond that which you receive in the here and now, you store up treasure in an eternal account which you will draw from forever. Who wouldn’t want an investment like that?

I invite you to consider giving this a try with everything you’ve got and not just money. Whatever you can give, whatever you can spare, use it for the good of God’s creation and store up for yourself eternal treasure. Whenever you humbly take it upon yourself to do good to any of God’s creatures, you remain assured that you will receive God’s backing to do more of the same and also put in place a treasure trove that will never be taken away from you. Every act of kindness will receive a befitting reward from He who owns the earth and everything in it.

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The Burden of Excess

Excess is the opposite of Minimalism. It is defined as exceeding the prescribed or desirable amount. It could also be defined as lack of moderation especially when it comes to eating or drinking. An amount of something that is more than necessary, permitted, or desirable can be labelled excess.

 You live in excess when there is much baggage accompanying you around/clinging to your life. Excess keeps you from enjoying life yet it was meant to offer you that enjoyment. We live in excess when we get into the habit of amassing more and more toys with the mistaken notion that more is better. Excess is fueled by our insatiable greed to get our hands on the latest and the greatest. Couple that with the consumerism that has plagued our generation and there is a perfect recipe for excess living. This explains why consumer goods manufacturers will keep producing more and more and spending huge amounts on aggressive marketing campaigns to get us buying up more and more. Excess or large living happens when we fail to put a break on our appetites and outgrow our insatiability.

It is common knowledge that stuff does not have the ability to fulfill us and our deepest longings. Yet in that moment when we are getting our next toy, we mistakenly believe that we have reached the holy grail of satisfaction. The cycle repeats itself because after playing with it for a few days, the excitement wears off and we need something else to occupy ourselves with. King Solomon had first-hand experience of the futility of it all which made him come to the conclusion that it is all in vain. Here was a man who had the means to get his hands on all the pleasures available in his time and he did it to his fill. It is noted that he didn’t withhold anything from his eyes. He indulged all his senses in ways we probably will never do because for him there was no limit on what he could do. When such a man concludes it is vanity, he is not doing it to make himself feel good. He is speaking out of a genuine experience. When the ultra-wealthy come to the conclusion that there is more to life than acquiring stuff, it means more than when it comes from someone who has yet to make their kind of money. We do ourselves a favor when we pay attention to what those who have been there tell us because it is born out of experience. From this I bet it is clear that one of the burdens you note about living large is that you will never live large enough because greed is insatiable. You have to learn to live from a point of contentment if your life will go well.

The more you purchase, the more you have to maintain your purchases. It is wise to count the cost of what you are about to acquire to tell whether you are willing to put in the time. Cars need to be serviced regularly, extra homes need to be maintained though you live there for just a few days every year. I was watching a YouTube video on Alux.com where they were counting the cost of owning a private jet and the amounts were staggering. When you think about hiring crew for the jet, landing and parking fees, regular maintenance, deicing, fuel to name a few of the associated costs, you realize it is not a walk in the park. Well, you might not be thinking of owning a private jet but the idea I am driving t is that it is costly to maintain whatever toy or trinket you buy yourself. It is imperative therefore to ask yourself whether you really need it before you splurge on it because the cost does not end at the buying price. You have to look beyond that to get clearer picture.

Living large can also curtail your ability to be of greater service to the world around you. I know generosity is a matter of the heart and there are people who are not in the least bothered by the lack of it. My belief however is that those people are in the minority. I am persuaded that many of us want to do as much good as we possibly can. Excess living takes away from our ability to do that. This is because it not only digs deep into our pocket, it also ends up consuming more of our time than we would care to admit.

I am not against you or anybody else for that matter enjoying their lives because life is meant to be enjoyed. My concerns are directed more towards ensuring that as you enjoy the blessings bestowed on you, you spare a thought for those who are not as privileged as you are. Think about how cutting out excess will free up some resources to make a difference in someone’s life out there. Aspire to be a blessing with the blessings in your own life.

What more can you add in the comments with regard to the weights and burdens of an excess life? Go ahead and enlighten us all further. Learn more about how you can use the resources at your disposal for your good and the good of others by getting a copy of my book Blessed to be a Blessing. To order call +254725832477.

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