There Is Only One Of You!!!!!!

For most people, as they grow up, there is a tendency to want to be like someone else. Whenever someone is successful in life or they find the person with a lot of credibility, the tendency is to go and follow and try and mimic that person. 

Now, whilst that is ok in some areas, the whole basis where you mirror image them takes away your authenticity and so you are not able to showcase who you really are. 

The reality is that.......

No one talks like you

No one looks like you

No one acts like you

No one can ever be the same as you

They may try and ‘mimic’ you 

But

There really is no one like you

Except for you

You are unique!!!!!!

You are special!!!!!!

Be safe in the knowledge that you are one of a kind and that you don’t need to be like someone else in order to be successful. 

Behaviour - Is it learnt or are we born with it?

"Some behaviours have to be taught before you do them. These are learned behaviours. You aren't born knowing how to respond in a classroom when a teacher asks a question. Raising your hand and waiting to be called on is something you learn from your interaction with the world. Learned behaviours include things like speaking in a specific language (for example, English or Spanish) or how you should eat in a restaurant. If you weren't taught these things through your environment and experiences, you would not know how to do them." - Study.com

For some time now I've been thinking about behaviour and two concepts - Innate behaviour and learned behaviour.

When each of us was born, we were born with certain needs such as love, warmth, joy, happiness. But then what about speaking, eating, walking? All of this is done through what we see.

If we know that, when we see people acting like us, we should ask ourselves one key question - What type of example am I setting? The children of today have learnt everything from what they see and observe and I am sure that most of what we do, we have either picked it up from our parents or those that we hang around.

So, the next question is this - The behaviour that we have learnt, can we unlearn them? Beforehand, I thought that this wasn't possible but now my belief has changed. Behaviour can be learnt and unlearnt. The way we can unlearn certain behaviours is to change our environment and the people that we are associated with.

Everything we say or do is governed by what we see people do and what they say. In positions of leadership and management, we need to be careful of our actions and how we come across. People learn from us and this is why we need to ensure our behaviour influences them in a good way

Let's influence people in a positive way.

The spoken word #openthoughts

A few years ago when I was in secondary school, I set up my own events management company and every month we held our own events. As it was progressing nicely, there was something my associate said to me which was "If you always say that you are sick, you will become sick"

At that time, I didn't really pay attention to it until a few years later when I came across this scripture - Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

When a man think he is unwell, he is unwell. When a man thinks of evil in his heart, that evil spirit will manifest in his life. When a man thinks that he is an outcast and so on, you will find out that he will become an outcast.
Whenever you think of these things or you speak about these things, you are planting a seed into yourself or the person you speak it over.

A seed takes time to grow and when it grows it develops roots and then you will begin to see the manifestation of that seed.

Let's look at this a little deeper.

A few years back when I was 25, my doctor diagnosed with a condition called Hypogonadism. When my doctor gave me the news, I was knocked for six and that really set me back. I was going back and forth, taking medication and going to appointments. The more I believed I had the condition, the more I was in that cycle. It got worse because I was feeling tired, no energy and I started to become quite forgetful which led to me having a scan on my brain. The results came back negative, thank God.

As I was praying for healing, I was led to declare forth my healing and declare that I don't have that condition anymore. This went on for a matter of weeks and glory to God when I went back for my tests, it was revealed that I didn't have it anymore. The condition had dissolved itself.

Whenever the doctors would tell me something was wrong, I instantly rejected it and declared that I was healed and that I was free. It worked and today I can declare that I am free from sickness. No longer am I bound by the condition.

Let's bring it back and discover that words can have a lasting effect so it's vitally important that we reject anything that wants to come against what God has planned for our lives. There is a need for us to speak positive words over our lives. Speak positive things, Think positive things and you will see it manifest in your life.

Philippians 4:8 - For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Declare your healing today, Decree your healing today. You are free in the name of Jesus.

What words have you spoken over your life? What words have you spoken over other people's lives?What words have other people spoken over you?

The words we speak can either have a positive or negative effect. Think wisely before you speak.

I pray this has blessed someone today.  

A new Level #openthoughts

Lately, I've hated the idea of getting older and older *sighs* however that idea has now subsided and I am very much looking forward to what is going to happen next.
If you are like me, I always want to know what is happening next or what will take place so I can plan for it properly or put some contingency plan in place but lately I have just been resting in God and allowing him to take control.

I turned 29 on 1st April and I was quite excited because I had entered a new age and with that comes new opportunities but also it pushes me closer to the big age of 30.................and by this time you would expect that one would be married, have a nice house or at least be financially stable but sadly that's not the case. Pondering on that, I had a chat with God and he said that I need to trust him more and that I shouldn't worry about it too tough. With that, I am moving onto a new level and I am very excited at what God has in store.

The past year had been a year of trials, tribulations and a lot of challenges. It had it's up and downs, it had it's high and lows and there was a time I thought I wouldn't even make it to the end of 2016 but God turned it around. Those times where I couldn't see a way out, God would always make a way.

As I spent time thanking God for seeing me through another year this is the word he delivered to me

Get ready to move because I am getting ready to move to you a new level. I am getting ready to elevate you, to enlarge you, to stretch you, to challenge you and to give you new visions, ideas and dreams.

I am still celebrating my birthday however so If you would like to bless me lol God will bless you also.

Thank you for tuning in and I am looking forward to the opportunities that are going to come my way. Sooo, let's network and let's build together

#openthoughts - Play it safe

it's wiser to be cautious and careful than to be hasty or rash and so do something you may later regret

So, I was riding home on the 205 bus, a thought well it's more something my mum always said to me when I was young. 

'It's better to be safe than sorry' 

Back then, I never really understood why she said that. I honestly thought it was just a cliche but years later, the reality of it hit me for six. Yes, years later and I have finally understood why she said it. 

The phrase which I can relate it to is this one - 'Obedience is better than sacrifice'........... Let me explain why

There was a time when I had learned of someone's death and so I asked why it happened. I was informed that the person was involved in an accident and then it was said that the person wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time which contributed to their death. At the time my first reaction was one of shock and then one of sympathy. 

When you get into a car, your first initial reaction would be to make sure your safe before you start moving and that would include wearing a seatbelt. I wonder sometimes that if the person had worn their seatbelt, might they of survived the ordeal? 

It's one of those situations where following instructions would be much easier than dealing with the aftermath, We live in a society where people are told to break rules and to live life on the edge and truth be told, it hasn't done them the world of good. 

There are times in life that we just have to take the word and live by it. It really is better to be safe than sorry. 

Instructions, Commands and Guidelines are there for a reason. Let's adhere to them and be safe. 

You don't want to have to apologise to someone for causing injury or harm to their loved ones. Do all you can to make sure you are safe and that everyone is safe. 

All around you, people will tell you to do things that go against what it says on the tin. You, personally, you must do what it says on the tin and get it right. 

Be wise, Be Safe and Stop living life on the edge. 

Love ya'll greatly

#openthoughts - Don't look back

'Stop looking back, look to the future'

For some time now, I've been coasting through life moving with God and following his plan for my life. There came a time when I was told this -  "Stop looking behind you, look to the front because that is where you are heading"

The old job, ex-partner, the old house, old habits............ When the going gets tough, it can sometimes be so much easier to just go back to what we know that looking ahead and going into the unknown. It's a common thing nowadays, you're looking for a job and you somehow find yourself back in the job you left some years ago. One reason is that we haven't really let go of the past, we are still looking back at it which is why we never take hold of what's to come in our future.

"Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt" - Genesis 19. As I looked at the passage alone, I froze. Lot's failed to head into the future because she looked back. She looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah and as such, she was turned into salt. She became a distant memory

As I was pondering on this, the analogy I received was this.
A house is on fire, it is literally burning down. You've gone outside but the pain of losing the house and everything inside it is too much so you decide to go back in even though everyone is telling you not to. You decide to go in but you don't make it out alive. You've been burned into ashes.

We all have problems with moving on. We just can't forget the past, it's hurt us so much that we are not ready to move on but today God is saying - "Stop looking back, look to the future"
The person may of hurt you real bad, the person may have broken you in pieces but you can't allow that to stop you from moving on. By all means, confront what's holding you back but don't stay there. Deal with it and go. You in charge of your destiny.
Look to the future...............

Ask yourself these questions - Does it have a hold over me? Am I ready to let go? Am I ready to leave the past behind?

Normally, I would prepare my blog pieces but it's been in my spirit these past few days to just write and write and just share my thoughts. As you read, I pray that you find strength and courage to take that first step and move towards the future.

#Openthoughts - Time: Use it or Lose it

It only feels like we had just entered January and skipped to February. That literally is how fast the year has gone already, it's just ticked away right before our own eyes. Do you feel like you need more time? Do you wish you had more time?

Think of it this way - You are sitting in an exam, on the paper, it says that you have 2 hours. Everybody has the same 2 hours, no more and no less. One person uses time well and answers all the questions but the other person just sits there figuring out what to do. All of a sudden the invigilator says "Time up". Both of you had the same 2 hours but one used time and one wasted time. On exam results day, it was evident to see. Do you want to be the person who uses the time to their advantage or do you want to be the person who sees time tick by?

When I was young, I had this precept that I could wait and do things the next day. It was like that for a while until I met one of my associates who said this to me - "Time waits for no man, Time doesn't respect anyone, it just goes tic toc. What you do with it is down to you"
I will admit, they were some wise words indeed, they have been lodged in my memory up until now.

All of us can't complain that we don't have enough time, in fact, we have 24 hours in a day every day of the week. The only thing is what do we do with it? If you asked someone what they do with their time, this will indicate why they say 'If I only had another hour or if the day could be extended'.
How do you view time? Can you manage your time well?

I want to introduce a time management tool which will help greatly

Above is the Eisenhower matrix. It helps us identify and structure our time a lot better. When I was first introduced to this concept I found out that there are things that I do which were time-consuming, they weren't beneficial for me so I cut them out and I found that I had more time than I thought. Try it out for yourself. You will be amazed at the results. 

There are some things in life that we have to do and there are some things that we don't have to do. In between that, some balance is needed. Ask yourself this question - Do I really need to do it? I did this once and it changed my life

Time is one of our greatest investments. When you invest in yourself and spend time investing in you, you will reap the benefits. Let's start investing time into something worthwhile.

Let's stop regretting the time we have wasted. We can't get it back

Time is precious, Time is our greatest resource. 

Time.......................

'Do Today what others won't do tomorrow'

#openthoughts - Start again

Happy new year. You made it into 2017 that deserves a huge round of applause 👏👏👏👏👏. 

This year is set to a great year, it's set to be a year of expansion and also a year of revelation. 

As you ponder on how to navigate through this year, I want to encourage you with this word - Pick it up and start again. Go back to basics. 

Many of us have buried dreams, ideas, books, songs, businesses and many other things because we have decided that it's not working anymore or we don't feel 'in the mood' anymore. As I was in quiet time the pull of everything I am called to do kept on calling me so I decided to pick up where I left off and start again. 

In 2016 I attempted to start different projects but they failed. Although I was upset about it, I decided to close the book and start again on a fresh page.  I felt much better and as such, I was able to make new plans, put together new ideas and execute them. 

As you have crossed over in 2017, why not take some time to assess what worked and what didn't work and start again. Do you want to learn an instrument? Write a book? Start a business? You may even want to improve your health and fitness. Whatever it is that you want to do, there's no better time than right now to start. 

I wish you all the best for the year ahead. From myself and the Ryan's World team, have a wonderful year and we are looking to appearing at some events up and down the UK and beyond. 

#openthoughts -- Identity: Don't get Lost in the Crowd

I work in the security industry and all throughout my time as a steward, I have been taught how to manage crowd behaviour. Within crowd behaviour, there are the three d's - Dynamic, Density and Distress. Within that, we were told to watch out for people who seem to be lost within the crowd or conforming to their surroundings and also those who seem to be in distress.

If you have attended a football match before, you will be aware of the masses of people that attend on any given day. If you are not careful, you could end up getting lost in the crowd. The question we should ask ourselves is why?

It's a question that I have often asked myself and pondered for a while now. One of the things is that we can sometimes conform to our surroundings and try our utmost fit in because it's the easiest way or if we see most people acting in a certain manner, we think it's perfect to act in that way.
We can also get lost in the crowd when there are emergencies or problems, within that you're not thinking rationally and your fight or flight mode kicks in. At that moment, nobody in the crowd is thinking, they just want to get out of the exit so they can be safe.

9 times out of 10, we are like that. Whenever we face problems, we too tend to take the easy way out. We follow everybody and when we see someone heading in a direction, we will head that way also not knowing where it will lead us.
When we do this, will eventually get lost to the point of no return.

When I read the bible, I am reminded that when King David came to Ziklag, he found that all his family had been taken. At that moment you would expect him to forget everything and go after them but that is not what he did. He sat down and inquired after God. He soon got his answer and he was able to recover all that he had lost.
If King David had followed the crowd and went after them without listening to God, it could have been costly.

So, we know why we can sometimes get lost in a crowd. The next question - how can we ensure that we don't get lost?

One major key is to listen. I have found that if I ask a policeman or someone official like a steward of a response team steward, I am assured that they will tell me the best route to exit the place. Because they know the layout, I am able to find my way out if I listen and obey instructions.

The next key is to be calm. Whenever there is a crowd problem at games, there is never anything calm about the whole situation but whenever one person in the crowd is calm, it will rub off on everybody else. When you know and listen to the people in charge, you will definitely be calm about the situation. It's not going to be easy when you are in fight or flight mode but take some time out and listen to what is being said.

Another major key is to read the signs. When all else fails, follow the signs. Exit This way, Fire Exit, Emergency Exit, all of these exits will eventually help you get back to your starting place and will help you keep moving but when you don't read signs, confusion kicks in. Signs are there to guide you, signs are there to help you. Don't dismiss the signs.

It is very possible to stand out from the crowd when you know who you are and where you are. Stand out from the crowd, don't get lost. God needs you to stand out

Be blessed

#Openthoughts - There is room for everyone

Each and every day, people will rush about trying to fit in or even push people out the way so they can have space. It's a sorry sight, it's also very dangerous as people can get hurt in the process.
Trying to rush about will only delay your journey. Relax, be still, be at peace because there is room for everyone.

If you picture a typical train journey in the morning, you will see a mass of people either walking to work, getting the bus or train, taking children to school or just going from A-B. 9 times out of 10, they will all be worried about how they will get there henceforth why many people try to push past people but will find that they will end up being late and missing out.

Life will bring many demands which we will have to meet but we can negotiate those demands by being calm. Not everyone will have that same mindset but you can dictate how you react by realizing that your time will come. There will be a time when the train will be empty, when you will get a seat on the bus and when the roads are less busier than usual.

Having the 'there is room for me' mindset will ensure that you don't conform to society and the ways of the world. Failure to have this mindset will only result in frustration and then lead to the point where you copy how others react and what others do.

The key to breaking this habit is to know your identity and be confident in yourself. Be confident in what you have to offer and the impact that it will bring. You also need to know that you are unique and that you have something different. Only then will others realize that there will room for everyone to operate.

It's very possible for two strikers to play together, it's very possible for two left footers to play in one team and it is very possible for two captains to be on the pitch at the same time. Be yourself, be good to others, don't rush around and you will be able to breathe properly.

When I was young, I always thought that to be accepted by society I had to be like certain people so I can reach the top. So, that meant me trying to become a footballer or wanting to make music. Oh, how wrong was I............ I failed spectacularly but when I walked down the path of being a writer and also security I soon found out that I could walk a different path and still get to the top. This was an important lesson and one that I will never forget.

There's something a wise man used to say to me and my friends when growing up which was "You will eat, there is enough food for everyone to eat, be patient"

You will get your food and you will have enough to share with people around you. Be calm, wait your turn. There is room for me and you, There is room for everyone.

#Openthoughts - You can do it

Have you ever given yourself an excuse as to why you can't do something? Have you ever said to yourself it's too hard for me..........?
If you have then you are not alone. Many people give themselves a reason as to why something can't be done.

There's a scripture in the bible which is one that we abide to daily -

Philippians 4:13 -  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This lets me know that all things are possible so all those pre-conceived ideas as to why something can't be done is just a figment of my imagination. So, ask yourself again. Do you have any reason as to why something can't be done.

We have often found out that when we give ourself excuses we put limits on our ability so when you say things like "I can't", "It won't happen" or "I don't think I can" we are actually programming our mind to only work to a certain level and then stop.

If you can programme your mind by saying things such as "I can do it", "I am able to do it" then everything becomes a possibility. All the barriers you once thought were impossible to shift will no longer look impossible, all the things you thought that you couldn't do, you will now be able to do them. It's definitely worked for us in a number of ways.
When you declare you can and you will, you will find that you will actually begin to start doing those things i.e. Someone says I can swim 50 metres. Once they get to 50 metres, that fear has now gone and they will go further and further.

The thing that stops us is our ability to 'Do it'. You won't know you can do something until you actually do it, you won't know you can do something until you step out the comfort zone, you won't know you can do something until you enlarge your mindset and expand your thinking.

Your mouth can speak life and death to a situation. What you say can either have a positive or negative effect. Choose your words wisely

You also need to check your circle around you. Are they encouraging you to great and mighty things? Are they a constant source of encouragement? Are they providing support?
For you to achieve something, you need people who can see that you can do it and are willing to encourage you and support you.

As you read this I want you to declare this to yourself everyday

I Can
I will
I am able
Nothing is too hard for me
I am willing to try

Stay blessed

#openthoughts - Stay at the top

If you are like us, you would have noticed that the Olympics were on. During the Olympics, we saw many athletes win either Gold, Silver or Bronze.

There were two images that blew our minds. The race between De Grasse and Bolt. In that race, Bolt coasted down the field but De Grasse was focusing on Bolt as if to say, 'I want to be like you'. In this first image, i'd imagine that Bolt was saying 'I'm still number one, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best'
Right now, Bolt is at the top of the world in the 100 metres and 200 metres, if people want to take that crown, they have to beat Bolt. It's as simple as that but as long as Bolt is at the top of his game, no one is reaching the top.

Now, let's look at it for ourselves. Some of us are fighting to get the top and there will come a time where you will reach the top. Question is - Are you able to stay at the top?
Once you're at the top, you will find that there will be people who will want to challenge you each and every day, people will be looking at everything that you do. In order for you to stay at the top, you are going to have to improve yourself. I remember Usain Bolt said that he was disappointed with his time in the 200 metres final because he could have gone faster.

If you are not improving yourself and updating yourself, you risk losing everything you worked so hard for. Those that watch football will know the kind of season Chelsea had last season, it was a case that they didn't update themselves, they didn't fight to stay at the top. As a result there is a new name at the top - Leicester City.

Stay Focused, keep improving yourself, fight to stay at the top. At all costs, Stay at the top