The Extra Degree

The Extra Degree

There is only one foundation – Jesus Christ

This weekend I had the privilege to be invited to be the guest speaker at the inaugural function of the Christian Business Fellowship. It was quite amazing to see such a demographically diversified group of believers who are ready to go all out and make an economic impact using the right biblical principles. In this microwave generation people are looking for quick fix solutions and are prepared to pay with their principles and integrity to get their way to the top; but this was a different group. It was a group that’s seeking to represent Christ in business; and I emphasized that ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3 v 11). There is no deal that is so valuable that it justifies to be signed at the expense of your character or your relationship with Christ. I shared with them some few basic business tips:

 

Don’t agonize; solutionise

If you are looking for a business idea don’t go around parading as a copycat or an intellectual thief looking to pounce on what others have already started. Don’t look for your business idea in what other people are doing; but in what they are not doing. Your business idea lies in finding a lasting solution to the existing problems. Don’t just go around interpreting dreams but provide solutions. What made Joseph indispensable to Pharaoh is that, unlike the magicians, Joseph did not just interpret the dreams of Pharaoh but also provided the solution on how to deal with the challenge. ‘And Pharaoh said, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?’ (Genesis 41v 38).

 

Be Creabolistic

Your solutions must be creabolistic; i.e. creative, bold and realistic! Don’t provide obvious, unoriginal and predictable solutions – be creative, unique and original. You must be bold in your vision. If your vision is not so big as to scare you; then it’s not good enough. If you have decided to eat a dog don’t go for a puppy but eat the bulldog!’ Be bold and go for the giants. Caleb asked for the mountains infested with the Anakims for an inheritance (Joshua 14 v 12). If Caleb had asked for the valleys or the already conquered land, his would not have been a story worth quoting. May your life be a story worth quoting because you went for the giants!

 

101 commitment

You cannot get what you've never had unless you're willing to do what you've never done. At 99 degrees Celsius water is hot; at 100 degrees Celsius it boils; and with boiling water comes steam; and the steam can power a locomotive. It is the one extra degree that makes all the difference. It is the one extra degree that separates the good from the great. That one little extra dose of commitment can spell the difference between status quo and your success. Examine yourself; you may just be in need of that extra degree to bring your life to your steam point.

 

Be healed of excusitis

"If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!" Brian Tracy says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you're most likely to procrastinate on. Most people suffer from the mind-deadening thought disease called excusitis. This is the disease of excuses; the disease of thinking in terms of impossibilities and why some things cannot be done. Excusitis explains the difference between people who are going places and those who are just holding on. Cure yourself of excusitis, the failure disease. Don’t be quick to give excuses why something cannot be done. There are a thousand excuses why anything cannot be done. You can blame it on your parents; you can blame it on your lack of finances or education; you can blame it on your gender; your skin colour or your age. There is only one reason why it can be done- because you are unique. Don’t let anyone look down upon you. No one can ever make you feel inferior without your consent. Even if everyone else has failed; you are not everyone. You have the capacity to make a difference.

 

You are destined to succeed.

 

Calvary love 

Peter Mbada

 

Don’t forget to stop by and acquire your copy of the book! 

For your copy of  'Destined to Succeed: unstoppable and unlimitable'.  Check any online bookstores or contact me directly!

 

Check other articles on: www.pmbada.org  and www.pmbada.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Don't perish for lack of the right knowledge

Don’t perish for lack of the right knowledge

 

The knowledge baggage

Last week, during a business stopover at one of the hotels in Harare, I bumped into my former ‘O’ Level maths teacher. To my surprise, even though it was my first time to see him in close to 20 years, he recognized me and my past maths exploits. He immediately asked me whether I was, in any way, making use of all that mathematics. That, of course, called for a quick recitation of my resume and an elaborate explanation of what the maths is doing for me; remember the vector equations, the Fourier’s Theorem, or for those that want it simpler - the differentiation and integration sums and their relevance to our day to day working life. Of course, unless you are in the academic or research fields, I bet, the last time you made use of those mind-cracking sums is when you wrote your last exam. Add that knowledge to the Geography, the History, and the rest of all the subjects that you have been exposed to and see how much knowledge baggage you acquired! How much of it is relevant to your mission for life? 

 

Knowledge is not power!

I was raised to believe that knowledge is power and so devoted myself to studying everything under the heaven that I could lay my hands on.  That increased my knowledge base but not necessarily my wisdom and my ability to influence the world that I live in. How many people do you know who know almost any subject you can raise; they are walking encyclopedias, and they have knowledge of all the current and past events; but all that has not changed their social or economic position. Knowledge is not power; but knowledge is potential power. Knowledge only becomes power when it is organized and intelligently directed, through a practical plan of action, towards a definite goal. You must make use of the acquired knowledge. Paul said to the Thessalonians ‘but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; (1 Thessalonians 4 v 11). He exhorted them to study, do their own business and use their own hands. Our normal academic system will equip you with knowledge but will not teach you how to organize and use the knowledge when you have acquired it. You must devote yourself to putting to use the knowledge you have acquired!

 

Which Knowledge?

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest; but it matters what knowledge. There are two kinds of knowledge – general knowledge and specialized knowledge. General knowledge, no matter what quantities or variety you have of it, will limit your capacity to influence. If you aspire to influence the world around you, you have to acquire specialized knowledge in whatever area you want to develop yourself in and invest time in it. Your market value increases by knowing more and doing more in that specialized area. Paul said to Timothy,  ‘study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2 v 15). Timothy was developing to be a minister of the gospel, and his success lied in him soaking himself with the knowledge of the word of God. Soak yourself in your chosen area of development. Earl Nightingale said, ‘if you will spend an extra hour each day in your chosen field you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less’. Why should you clutter your mind with general knowledge just for the sake of answering questions or of appearing knowledgeable when you can easily get that information if you require from the systems around us? Be focused and apply yourself in your chosen field. Vince Lombardi said, ‘the quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence in their field of endeavor’.

 

Educate yourself!

Education does not necessarily imply going to school or university. The word ‘education’ is based on the Latin word ‘educo’ which means ‘to educe, to draw out, or to develop from within’. Educate yourself; develop yourself from within. Education is not just about head knowledge but development of the total person from within; it means developing the faculties of your mind and knowing where to get the knowledge you need and how to organize that knowledge into definite plans of action to reach your intended goals. If you need much more specialized knowledge than you have the ability or the inclination to acquire then you can bridge your weakness by surrounding yourself with the people who have that specialized knowledge. You don’t have to know it all!     

 

‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:’ (Hosea 4 v 6) – lack of the right kind of knowledge!

 

Calvary love 

Peter Mbada

 

Don’t forget to stop by and acquire your copy of the book! 

For your copy of  'Destined to Succeed: unstoppable and unlimitable'.  Check any online bookstores or contact me directly!

 

Check other articles on: www.pmbada.org

 

 

Easter is behind us; but don't forget the message

Easter is behind us; but don’t forget the message

 

Don’t be sorry for Him; but be sorrowful for your sins

The Easter weekend is behind us and I trust that the Lord kept you safe during this important season. As I drove around in various places, particularly on Friday, I met a number of church groups marching in processions carrying crosses and singing hymns. What struck me most was how most of them looked sorrowful as they slowly marched and sang the sombre hymns. As we commemorate the events of Easter we should never forget the fact that the reason for the season is to celebrate the victory of the risen Christ and not to feel sorry for Him. He went through the pain for our sake and ‘surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed’ (Isaiah 53 v 4 – 5). He went through the pain of death so that you and I might experience the joys of life; He was made sin so that you and me ‘might be made the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5 v 21). The distinguishing factor is that He rose again. Examine your life; when you continue in sin, even though you may march sorrowfully, you despise all that which He suffered. 

 

Don’t lose sight of your eternal purpose

As you continue in the journey of life and as you continue to invest in your personal development and personal wealth and pursuing your aspirations you must never loose sight of your eternal purpose. It is important that you maintain the balance and not win this life at the expense of your eternal inheritance in Christ.  During the week preceding the Easter Holidays I had exclusive interviews with the national broadcasters in Zimbabwe on the subject of success. I was interviewed for a prime business show on radio (SFM radio station) and also for the Main News on television (ZTV) with a special focus on my book ‘Destined to Succeed – Unstoppable and Unlimitable’. During the interview I stressed the fact that success is not true success if it’s not balanced. Success is not just about making money and climbing the corporate ladder; but is holistic. Among the six dimensions that one should focus on to achieve true success is Spiritual Success. Success is not absolute success if it makes you a billionaire who is a spiritual destitute; the story of Lazarus and the rich man is a good illustration (Luke 16). I will share on the other five dimensions in the next article. After all has been said and done you must remain sure that you have a crown laid up for you in heaven. Christ laid the foundation for our salvation and our crowns when He conquered death and rose again – the Easter experience.

 

May the Lord bless you as you get back to business after the long weekend!

 

PS: If you are in Zimbabwe you can tune in to SFM Radio (ZBC) on Tuesday 14 April 2009 at 1905hrs to listen to my hour-long interview on the prime business show. A brief interview will also be aired on ZTV Main News and the Morning Live shows. We thank God for continually opening the doors. You can send me your comments on the interview on the website.  

 

Calvary love 

Peter Mbada

 

For your copy of  'Destined to Succeed: unstoppable and unlimitable'.  Check any online bookstores or contact me directly!

 

Check other articles on: www.pmbada.org

 

 

Develop your Financial IQ

Develop your Financial IQ

This weekend I was invited to speak at a Men’s breakfast meeting on ‘developing the financial IQ from a Christian perspective’. It was meant to be an interactive and practical session where I would share from my experiences as an entrepreneur, senior manager, leader and business school graduate. I am not a financial fundi or guru but the session was quite a success and many men walked out with a shifted paradigm on how they are going to make their financial decisions.

The man on top of the mountain did not just drop there!

I do not subscribe to the commercialized gospel or the gospel that promises to turn everyone that believes into an instant millionaire or a financial success story. I believe that we have a much higher calling than a calling to own jets and Ferraris. On the same note, I also believe that the fact that we have a higher calling does not exonerate us from developing a financial commonsense; the financial commonsense that will help you focus on more important things in life because the basics are well taken care of. I believe in success through diligence, commitment and focus. If that success results in material wealth, Praise the Lord, and be a good steward of the wealth. One of the chapters in my book, ‘Destined to Succeed’ is dedicated to explain that success in any dimension does not come at the press of a button. The man on the top of the mountain did not just drop there, he worked his way up. The same old formula of success through hard-work still works.

Money is not the root of all evil!

Developing your financial commonsense begins with a change in mindset on how you view money. Financial commonsense will help you manage the money that you have and the money that you make in order to give you financial freedom. The bible says, ‘for the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows’ (1 Timothy 6 v 10). It’s not the money which is the root of all evil but the love thereof. Solomon understood this and hence he said, ‘but money answers all things’ (Ecclesiastes 10 v 19). Money is like fire; if harnessed it creates the necessary warmth but if abused its completely destructive and can cause you to err from the faith and pierce you with many sorrows. It’s a needed resource. The lack thereof can limit how far you can go even in accomplishing your higher calling.

Be willing to Learn

You can never develop unless you have a teachable spirit. Be willing to learn. ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’ (Hosea 4 v 6). For many of us in Africa money is a new concept. We still have to understand how it works. We grew up in lack and our parents did not have any cash except the very little they earned which was barely sufficient to sustain them and finance our education. There was very little or no room for savings and investment. We are only the first or second generation to handle meaningful cash. But our lack of understanding on how money works is seen in our financial decisions. Most of our financial decisions are very myopic, short-sighted and are driven by the motive to show-off. Hence, the first thing on our mind when we get our first paycheck is to buy an expensive automobile and upgrade the vehicle with each promotion. There are many poor men driving expensive cars. Real material wealth is not measured but what you wear or what you drive but by how long you will survive after you come out of your current job. Learn how money works in order to develop your financial commonsense.

Live below your means

Learn to live below your means so that you can release excess resources to take advantage of opportunities around you. Don’t be quick to borrow. Debt is the greatest thief to financial freedom. It has a crippling effect. The world around us has made it easy for people to spend the money they don’t have. Debt can have long-term devastating effects. The man of God in 2 Kings 4 ended his life in debt and his sons were going to be auctioned as slaves in order to re-pay the debt. ‘Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, thy servant, my husband is dead, and you know that your servant did fear the Lord; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be slaves’ (2 Kings 4 v 1). You must develop a debt averse mentality. Stay away, unless if it’s for an appreciable asset or within your calculated means. Don’t live your life to impress others; mind your own business! Don’t have an external locus of control where your financial decisions are influenced by other people or by external circumstances but develop an internal locus of control where your decisions are influenced by your vision, ambition, objectives and goals. An external locus of control will push you to live beyond your means; which in turn will sink you deeper into debt. Take control of your life and your financial affairs.

Don’t take it for granted

Financial freedom and commonsense does not come overnight. You have to work at it and develop it. The begin point is a sense of purpose, and purpose it in your heart that you are going to take deliberate steps to manage the resources which the Lord entrusted you with. Financial commonsense is not common and obvious; don’t take it for granted. Sit back, take stock and see whether you are where you ought to be. There is still enough time to make a u-turn and take control of your finances.

Calvary love

P.M.