#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 - The right time

Everybody loves to talk, in fact, they say that talking is good for the soul but what happens when you start talking too much? What happens if you say things at the wrong time?

It's a well-known fact that when people need to talk, at times it is done just so that they can respond. Are you the type of person to listen just so you can talk back?
Are you the type of person who waits for their turn and talks when they need to talk?

In life, we are required to respond to every situation but how you respond is crucial. Being silent is not an option, it may work for a while but at some stage, you will have to say something but when you say it has a significant cause to it. What you say can make or break you.

When someone declares something good about themselves, 9 times out of 10 it will come to pass but when someone says something bad or makes a decree, it will take place. No matter what stage of life you are at, you have to be careful with your words.
Your words can either kill someone or give someone life. People who work in key areas such as education, social care etc have a responsibility to be careful with their words. What they say to their students, service users can have a huge bearing on what happens to them.

Your words contain so much power, your words contain so much life, your words have meaning. People may not remember what you did but they will remember what you said. Many people will not admit that what you said either blessed or hurt them, but be assured but it did. Whenever a word has an impact on someone's life, they will always remember it.

I want to tell you that whilst you may think that what you say is not important, you have to release what you want to say. Not saying anything can cause you problems but also saying things at the wrong time can cause you problems.

 Words do more than convey information. The power of our words can actually destroy one’s spirit, even stir up hatred and violence. They not only exacerbate wounds but inflict them directly. Of all the creatures on this planet, only man has the ability to communicate through the spoken word.

There will be a right time to talk. Wait for your turn................