How to become a star

How to become a star                                                                                                290810

            In the game of football there are people who are called stars. They have shown over time that they can perform better than the rest. They have illuminated the sports field with their artistry with the football. What is it that makes these stars to be a cut above the rest?

            To start with, stars are talented. They spend time perfecting their game until such a time they perform certain seemingly impossible tasks without effort. If you are going to be a star in any field you will need to be talented in what you do. It is futile to go into any field where you are not talented and expect to shine above the rest. If you are not talented in an area then you can forget about star status.

            A star shines even if it is alone in the sky. It does not care whether other stars shine with it or not. It keeps shining. If you are going to shine, you should forget about doing things because everyone else is doing it. If you will be different from the rest and cause the world to wonder when they look at your performance, you have to do what you know best with or without support from others.

            Stars are generally content with being different from the rest. There is no star that shines with a similar glory to that of its neighbour. Every star is a star because it specialises in being different. In a soccer star of the year contest in any particular year, you will find that there are goalkeepers, defenders, mid-fielders and strikers. There is no year when there are only defenders for soccer stars of the year. This is because as long as you do what you are good at there is a chance of being a star and shining brightly despite what every other star is doing.

            In a game of football the soccer star is the one who does the greatest number of unexpected things. In the field every striker wants to score. The best goalkeeper is the one who does the unexpected – saving when the striker thinks he has scored already. If a keeper keeps defending and concedes very few goals, he is considered a star. A defender who stops the strikers is equally a star because the striker who is employed to score goals and dribble past the defenders is expected to do this all the time. A defender who reads the moves of the strikers well and stops them more often than not is considered a star. If a striker manages to dribble past defenders and score many goals, he is a star because those who pay the goalkeeper and defenders are convinced these men will do their job well. If the striker does the unexpected he is a star in his own right.

            If you are going to be a star in whatever you do, you must be seen to be doing things that are unexpected. This comes in many different ways. If your competition in a business environment is doing the same thing that everyone expects to be done, the clients will run to you if you offer services that they do not expect you to offer. These services must be different in a good way. A player who is different because he accumulates red cards will not be considered a star even though he is doing things differently. There is a way of doing the unexpected and still keeping your clients satisfied because you insist on providing personal service to your clients. Have you ever realised that there may be many people selling tomatoes at the market but some people insist on buying from one individual all the time even though these individuals get their produce from one farmer.

            Choose to be a star in what you are doing by spending time perfecting the skills that you have. If your skills are now perfect, choose to develop a personal brand so that anyone wanting the service that you offer will think about you first. This is achieved if you choose to shine even though the environment is not good by insisting on quality when others offer quantity only.Go on to do the unexpected, doing more than you are expected to do. Go the extra mile and you will go alone. The clients love it when you go that mile for them and they will keep coming if you keep doing that.

The key factor

The key factor                                                                                                      141110

                I was a the locksmith’s workshop the other day and had the priviledge to see some of the things that he does. I was intrigued when he openned apadlock in order to make it inlockable again after the owner, who had  lost the keys, brought it in. I got to appreciate more the function of a key. I reaised that though each padlock may have a hundred keys that easily enter, only one is able to turn causing the lock to be openned.

                The key operates using a set of rods that must be aligned aright before it can turn. These ro9ds are made the exact length with the key inside so that it can tunr. Only one key can give the combination of rod lengths that will make the key turn. From the six or so rods that are used in each padlock, the chances that you get another key with the same combination is very remote indeed. This is the reason why you must have the right key before you can open your own padlock, or car or house.

                This made me think about the way the word key is used in life. Remember sentences like, ‘the key to success is hard work’. What all these statements will be saying that there is a combination of factors that have to be fulfiled before success comes. There are many keys that we can acquire in life. Some of these are harder than others. The fact remains that if you do not have the right key you are not going to open the doors that you may want to open.

                Over the years, ther are a number of things that have been observed to bring success without fail. Everyone wants to succeed but very few people want to spend time to styudy these keys and acquire them at all cost. There is no other way but to have the right keys before you can enter.

                In some places there are times when people who have lost their keys have vandalised the doors and found access still. Thieves tend to get access to locked places by use of force. In such cases one wonders whether there are shortcuts to success using the same violent way. It is unfortunate that the door to success is not a physical one, therefore you cannot vandalise it. You just have to get the key frst. Many have tried to cheat their way to the top and use unorthodox means to acquire wealth with the idea of being successful top on their minds. The same people learnt the hard way that wealth acquired by illegal means does not quite constitute success. At least in their own eyes. Others may think you are great and successful but you know deep down that you did not quite succeed. And you cannot cheat yourself in any case. It is better therefore to go the key route. Let me highlight a few of the keys that have been discussed in many for a for your information. These are nothing but reminders because all have heard about them one way or the other.             

                Hard work. There is no substitute for hard work if you want to succeed. I have often quoted the statement that says ‘the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary’. Simply because it has alphabetical advantage. If you will succeed, or if you will remain successful, there is no other way but to keep working.

                Passion. Those who do their work like it is something that just has to be completed without putting their passion in it will produce mediocre kind of workmanship that will not bring success. If you are assionate about what you do it is a matter of time before success comes knocking at your door. When it does everyone will notice.

The electricity effect

The electricity effect                                                                                                 031010

                Every one of us uses electricity in some form everyday. We usually take this essential form of energy for granted until the power utility cuts it off. We then realise that we need it more than we can admit. All the same electricity has different effects in different appliances. These are the effects we want to explore and learn a lesson or two from, this week.

                Electricity has a heating effect. This happens when it passes through some appliances producing heat in the process. This heat is sometimes desirable and in other cases it is a nuisance. If you want to cook a meal, or iron your clothes you need an appliance that produces heat. That is where a stove or an iron comes in. The heat these appliances produce is desirable in that for the appliance to do what it is made to do it needs to produce heat. There are other times when such heat production is not necessary or even harmful. This happens in other appliances which are not made to produce heat but they end up doing so and wasting precious energy in the process.

                This heating effect can result in an electric fire if electric cables overheat.  This heating effect occurs when the conductor carrying the electric current offers resistance to this flow of current. Every conductor has some of this characteristic but those made to produce heat are deliberately made with more resistance so that more of the electricity flowing will be converted to heat energy.

                The Appliances which are made to produce heat are not bothered by the fact that they have to be producing heat all the time. They are actually designed in such a way that they can take the heat, as much as is produced. It is the ones not cut out to be heat-producing appliances that suffer if heat is produced accidentally in them.

                The other effect that is common with electricity is the lighting effect. This is what the light bulb does best. It changes the electricity flowing in it to heat and light. Although this appliance is made specifically to produce light, it also produces heat because it also has high resistance. This heat is actually wasted energy, which makes the bulb to produce less light than it would if no heat was produced.

                Light bulbs do not produce the same amount of light even though they are all connected to the same power source. The bulbs used as security lights for use outdoors are generally brighter than those used indoors. The amount of light produced depends on the purpose of the bulb.

                The third effect is not so common. It is the magnetic effect. This is the one that is used to make electric motors work. When electricity flows through a wire it creates a magnetic field around the wire. This can be used in such a way that it can cause a turning effect. The fans and starter motors in cars use this effect. There are more effects that we do not have time to talk about at this moment. These three should suffice to put across the points I want to make.

                The effect that electricity has in each of the appliances we use depends on the appliance itself. If it has high resistance then we will have lots of heat. If we want more heat we must make the appliance have more resistance. If we want more light, we have to choose the correct material that can produce more light than heat when electricity flows.

                We are like electric appliances in more ways than one. There are many ideas that are shared with us over time that give us energy to do great things. It is amazing that when a hundred people sit down to listen to one great man/woman speak, they all come out with different ideas. They may all be inspired but what they do with the same inspiration is different. There are others who make things happen quickly. Like the stove, they use all the provided energy to produce the required results. Others waste the idea and probably use it for destructive ends. The same inspiration that says if you keep working you will reach your desired end may make one want to keep killing with the hope of being rich by robbing others. This is wasted inspiration in that it does more harm than good.

                The effect that ideas will have on you will depend more on who you are than on what ideas you have. In the same way that electricity will have different effects in different bulbs connected to the same source, you may produce more or less light than your neighbor depending on your make-up. If you want more light, change the material you use. You cannot expect to light your house using a hot plate stove. Neither can you cook a meal using a fan, even though all these appliances use electricity. You will produce that which is in line with what you are on the inside.

                Check yourself closely for characteristics that produce the effects you want in your life. If they are not available then you have to consider changing in order to produce what you want. It is not in the ideas that you receive that you make a great impact in life. It is in who you are.

The pillars of success

The pillars of success                                                                                                      281110

                There are many who have met success in some projects but only a few have maintained that success for long periods of time. There are many things that are needed to make sure that the successes you score last long. On a very dark night with no moon to give light, there is always enough light to illuminate the way so that one does not stumble over obstacles. This is because the stars consistently produce some light though little. Once in a while the sky is illuminated by a bright light as some shooting star passes by. Its light is usually so intense that it improves visibility while it lasts. The problem is that it draws attention to itself so much that the traveler can only focus on its brightness. When it eventually fades away, the eyes are now accustomed to the light so much that the star light that was adequate beforehand becomes too little to light the way. Though its presence is appreciated, it leaves things worse than they have ever been. Such is the success of those who come onto the scene quickly and vanish equally fast. They bring hope of better things for some time only to leave the hoping people worse off than they were before. This is the reason why we all need three pillars of success to ensure that all the success we score can last.

                A house needs to be stable and pillars are used to make sure this stability is realised. If the pillars are destroyed the house cannot stand. Success also needs such pillars to make sure that it remains in our lives. These three pillars are aptitude, inspiration and the right mindset. Aptitude ensures you do things to the right standard; inspiration ensures you keep working despite all the conditions and situations you meet along the way while mind-set ensures you do things for the right reasons. Let us look at these one at a time.

                Aptitude: This is basically your abilities and talents. For you to have success in any field you have to have a certain level of competence in what you do. The greater your level of competence, the better. It is important that you keep improving your talents as far as possible in order to remain successful. As you grow in your area of business you will find that there is constant need to upgrade your skills in order to remain relevant to your clients.

                Inspiration: This is basically your motivation. The reason why you do what you do. If you do it for the right reasons you will be able to keep working despite setbacks. There are many obstacles that you meet along the path of success. Once you succeed you have to brace yourself for opposition because victory always attracts scrutiny and opposition. Remember Thomas Edison’s definition of genius? He said “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” For success you need the idea in your mind to pursue. You must be motivated enough to keep going despite what happens. All the while you must be sweating it out. Without the inspiration the perspiration is worthless. Without the perspiration the inspiration is pointless. You need both but inspiration is needed more because it precedes the perspiration in the genius equation. Stay inspired.

                Mind-set: This is basically your attitude. This determines the way you view things around you. If your attitude is wrong you will have problems staying successful because you end up putting the cart before the oxen, so to speak. Your primary task is to satisfy the needs of your clients. If you become successful and put your needs before those of your clients they will soon run away from you in search of a place where their needs are met.

                Your attitude towards other people also matters. If you see people as objects to be used then you will have serious problems sooner than later. All the people you work with either on your team or competitors need to be respected. If you do they will respect you in return. In such environments there are greater chances of success at whatever you do.

                What is your skill level in the area where you want to succeed? Is it enough to give you the success you require? Is there a way of improving your talent so that you can perform your duties at a higher level than now? Whatever it takes take time to improve yourself in this area so that you can be guaranteed success.

                What keeps you going in the area where you seek success? Is the motivation enough or you feel like giving up more often? What can you do to stay motivated and inspired?

                What is your attitude towards other people and towards the work you do. Is this attitude helping you produce the results you need to produce in order to succeed? What changes can you make to your attitude so that you can remain successful?

                  Take time to build these three pillars. You need them to safeguard your success.