You Get Back What You Put In

You Get Back What You Put In                                                                                   150810

            A blanket does not produce heat. It just feels warm because it retains that heat that you give to it.           All clothes feel warm because of the heat you supply to them. If your blankets feel cold, it might be that you are not giving them enough heat. It would be good to find your blankets warm when you entered them on a cold night, but because they do not produce heat it is not possible. If they produced heat they would be hot by night time after gathering heat all day long. But you know that they start getting warm after you enter them, not before.

            The blankets warm you by retaining the heat that you produce in your body. That heat is lost as time goes on and blankets are poor conductors of heat so they delay the heat loss making you enjoy the heat for longer. If you have many blankets, the rate of heat loss is reduced. If you are two in the same blankets, the rate of producing heat is higher, that is the reason why you feel warm even with fewer blankets. The Bible says two are better than one because if they lie together they warm each other up.

            If for some reason the body cannot produce heat then you will feel cold despite the fact that you have ten blankets covering you. Remember the story of King David? He was so old that he could not feel warm by himself so they found him ladies to lie with him for the sole purpose of making him feel warm. He gave the blankets no heat so he could not get any heat in return. Thank God he was a king so he could make arrangements to get some other people to warm his blankets for him. The hot water bottle was not invented by then.

            Plants grow on the soil because the seeds that fall in the soil find conditions necessary to grow. If you plant maize seeds the soil can only produce a maize harvest. There is no hope of getting something that you did not put into the soil unless they are weeds. This is because the soil is not a magician to produce something out of nothing. If there is a time when the soil produced something that was not intentionally planted, it is because the weeds were given a chance to overpower the good crops. Weeds have their seeds everywhere and given a chance they will grow. This is because the soil allows anything to grow in it as long as it is a seed. You can determine the plants that will grow in your life by planting the seeds you need and then trying to destroy every other plant that is not desirable.

            A computer has been thought of as a genius because it can ‘remember’ things that humans cannot remember any more. It can carry out calculations in a short time that would usually take a long time to process if the human mind can ever do the calculation. But this machine was designed in such a way that what you get depends on what you put in. ‘GIGO’ is computer jargon for ‘garbage in, garbage out’. That means if you feed a computer with garbage it will give you exactly that as the output. You cannot get anything more than what you put in.

            Scientists have tried for years to produce a machine that produces energy for no input. They call it a perpetual machine. All efforts have yielded nothing so far.  There is no hope of that ever getting produced because the law of conservation of energy states that there has to be energy used before a desired form of energy is produced. In other words, there is no output without an input as far as energy is concerned. And again, the output is dependent on the input.

            Your life will be warmed in accordance with the amount of heat you decide to give ‘the blankets of life’. You get back what you put in. If you give very little you will get very little back. Holding back will only make you feel cold. It does not matter how many blankets you have. If you give them no heat you will remain cold. It does not depend on the conditions you live in to be comfortable, you have to put in the desired amount of energy and the same conditions will have a way of becoming comfortable for you.

            The soil does not produce the seeds that grow into fruit trees; it just provides the conditions necessary for growth and development. Your life is like the soil. You get out of it what you put in. The amount of fruit you will enjoy in your life will depend on what you will put into it. If ever there is going to be a favorable outcome, you must have put in something good. There is no output without an input. Work hard to enjoy good things in your life by sowing the required seeds.

Attitude is everything

Attitude is everything                                                                                                   120910

            There are many things that guarantee success or failure in life, depending on how you use them. Attitude is one of them. If you have a good attitude you have a way of going high and in like manner a bad attitude will guarantee your downfall.

            There are many different attitudes that we can talk about but I want to focus on two this week. These two have a way of lifting you up to heights that you may have never thought of reaching.

            The first attitude we want to focus on is the attitude of gratitude. A grateful spirit is appreciated by all. If you do something for someone and that individual comes back and genuinely say thank you, you will feel obliged to help the same person again and again. There is a good feeling that you have when someone says ‘thank you’. It makes you feel important, and that feeling is so good that if there is someone who always thanks you when you do them a favor then you will do it every time even though all you get is the same verbal thank you.

            If you have an attitude that says thank you for everything you receive then you will have many people who are eager to help you. That way you will have a support system, something you will greatly need when you get to the top where the attitude of gratitude will take you.

            Many parents bring something for their children when they come home. The children who enthusiastically show their gratitude usually get more presents. It does not mean the parents thrive on the ‘thank you’ that the child gives, but it gives them pleasure to know their little one appreciates their efforts. The children who learn this lesson quickly usually go far in life.

            When Jesus healed the ten leapers and only one came back to say thank you, he asked about the other nine. The man who came back got a blessing on top of the healing because he showed gratitude. God does not need our thanks for Him to become God. He is always the Great God whether we appreciate him or not. He however encourages us to be grateful for all the gifts He gives us. When we are grateful He takes us to a higher level and as long as we maintain an attitude of gratitude we will continually be lifted up to the next level.

            The opposite to the attitude of gratitude is an attitude that says ‘I deserve everything from everyone and they better give it to me fast”. With this attitude you cannot thank anyone who does a favor for you because you believe it is your right to receive the favor. The problem is that the people who do such a favor may feel it is their right to receive gratitude from you as well. In that case they will not feel great when you refuse to thank them and as a result they do not do you another favor. Unfortunately the only person who suffers in such a scenario is you because you need people to do certain things for you. This attitude is a sure way of going down quickly.

When people do what is their duty to do, it is a good thing to learn to thank them anyway. There are many instances when some people have gone out of their way to do things beyond their call of duty because someone has shown appreciation for their services. Those who feel unappreciated do not feel obliged to do any more than the bare minimum because they do not get satisfaction from their work. Those who are satisfied can do anything over and above their call of duty. All this is to the advantage of the genuinely grateful clients. This is only possible if you develop an attitude of gratitude.

The other attitude that will ensure that you keep going up is an attitude of humility. Humility is very much against human nature. This is because everyone wants to be seen as being greater than the rest. Those who are humble are, in the final analysis greater than those who refuse to be humble. It is only the great who do not feel threatened by bowing down to others. Those whose greatness in only in their minds will feel downgraded when they humble themselves.

The Bible says that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. Choosing an attitude of pride over that of humility sets you up for serious downfall, because always “Pride comes before a fall”. If you see a man going around in pride, be sure that sooner than later he will be down on his face. If the situations around fail to make that happen, the Lord God who says that he opposes the proud will make sure it is accomplished.

It is easy to be proud because it comes naturally to all of us. It is at the same time important to appreciate that a fall naturally comes after pride and if you  do not control the first, then the second comes immediately afterwards, and you do not have anything that you can do about the fall when it comes as a result of pride.

Humility and gratitude may seem like small things to an ordinary eye, but they are responsible for taking men and women higher than they have ever imagined. If you want to become great and be viewed as such by all, make an effort to remain humble and thankful. Everyone will appreciate it and the returns that you have will be more than you can ever bargain for.

Music comes at a price

Music comes at a price                                                                                                     050910

I enjoy music because it has a way of encouraging me when I am discouraged, and cheering me up when I am feeling low. I also play music when I am excited Music is one language that is understood by everyone regardless of race, colour or creed. There are many pieces of music performed in a language that I do not understand that I still enjoy. This is because musical instruments have a way of telling their story without words. This ability makes music to be appreciated by many.

                If we were to focus for a moment on the instruments that make music enjoyable, we would find that they do not produce these masterpieces without a cost. They go without certain luxuries in order for us to be entertained.

                For music to be produced, the instrument must be played in some way. This playing makes the parts of the instrument to vibrate. The vibrations are the ones that produce music. For string instruments, there are certain properties that determine the quality of the sound produced. The first one is the tension of the string. This is basically the tightness of the string. If the string is tighter, the pitch of the sound produced is higher. This is the reason why the guitar players tighten or loosen the strings when they tune the instrument. High pitched music is pleasant to listen to but it is only possible if a string is under serious stress.

                The quality of the music can also be varied by altering the length of the string. If the tension is the same, a shorter string will produce a higher pitch. This is why the lead guitarist always plays the high pitched tunes by holding the string closer to the place where he plucks the string. This short distance ensures the increase in frequency that produces the high notes that the musician will be seeking.

                The thickness of the string also matters in the quality of music. Thick strings produce low pitched sounds, the reason why a bass guitar has thicker strings compared to a rhythm or lead guitar. To produce quality music you will find that every six stringed guitar will have strings that have different thicknesses and different tensions. The length is usually the same in a guitar but for other stringed instruments this may be varied from string to string to ensure that each produces a different sound. This accompanied with the changes in length brought about by the musician’s hands produce many different notes. These, like I mentioned in the first place, produce music through vibrating.

                The other family of instruments is that of pipe instruments. These make music by causing the air inside them to vibrate. The quality of the sound, like that of string instruments, is affected by certain factors. One of these factors is the length of the tube or pipe. A longer pipe has a lower pitch, and vice versa. The width of the pipe also affects the resonant sound produced. Pipes are often used as amplifiers of the sound produced. They can also be used to alter the frequency of this sound if there is a way of changing the length of the pipe, as in trumpets.

                To understand how music is produced by pipes we can look at the marimbas. The pieces that produce high pitched sound have short and thin pipes underneath. The sound is produced by the wooden pieces that are struck by the player. These pipes intensify the sound and give it the pitch required. If you look at the baritone pieces you will find that they have bigger and thicker pipes that make the sound deeper.

                The other instruments that we can talk about are the drums. These produce sound when they are struck with hands or with a stick, depending on the type of drum. The pitch of the drum depends on the tension in the drum and also on the width and length of the cylinder of which the drum is made. The tension can be adjusted by controlling the amount of water in the skin that makes the drum. A dry drum will have a higher pitched or sharp sound while a wet one produces a deep sound. In the olden days they would prepare for an all night of singing and drumming by placing their drums by a fire so as to evaporate all the water, making the skin tighter and therefore able to produce music of high quality. In other functions where a deeper sound was preferred, water was poured on the drum to reduce tension.

                When we look at the production of sound in all these instruments, we will see that for us to enjoy music the instrument has to be constantly under pressure or tension and being struck continually to make sure the strings, the pipes or the skin is constantly vibrating. Those who are enjoying the music may never realise how much these instruments are paying for them to be entertained. It is only in the occasional case where the string gets broken where people appreciate the fact that the guitar is important for their entertainment.

                When you find yourself enjoying yourself, not necessarily because you are listening to music, it might be because there is someone somewhere who is taking the pressure so that you get to enjoy yourself in that way. Do not take such people for granted. If they stop ‘producing the music’ so to speak, you will find that they are important after all. It might actually be too late for you to recover. How much do you appreciate those who make your life what it is? The teachers; the pastors; the parents; the friends; the employees.

                It is also good to realise that you are also an instrument making music for others to enjoy. Instruments produce better music when they are playing in unison. Do not be tempted to think that you are the most important of instruments. You need others in order to be effecetive.

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 referee mentality

The referee mentality                                                                                                  220810

            Everyone recognises the man in the center of a football pitch who wears a different uniform from everyone else and seems to try and avoid touching the ball at all times. All the other men on the field kick the ball at will but this particular one is more concerned about something completely different from playing the ball.

            If a player dribbles past five players this man remains quiet and follows the proceedings silently. If, however, he tries to dribble past the sixth and accidentally handles the ball with his hand, the once unruffled man blows his whistle at highest volume to make sure no one misses what he is trying to say. It does not matter how many good things a player does on the pitch, this man does not seem to notice. A minor infringement of the rules makes him excited, however. All the time he is looking for mistakes. Let me introduce you to the man they call the referee.

To make sure the job of seeing mistakes more effective and efficient, the referee has two assistants who run along the touch line to make sure no mistake goes unnoticed. If one of the assistants notices something wrong, he waves his flags frantically and excitedly so that the man at the centre sees. You may be mistaken to think that he has discovered the cure for AIDS. No mistake goes unnoticed since these three are assisted by a fourth man who watches the game from a television screen so that anything that happens off the ball can be noticed. As a result of the determined effort of these four, every mistake that happens on the field is detected without fail.

            The referee keeps a book in his pocket where he records every mistake that takes place. If one player commits a mistake that the referee thinks is very big, he takes a yellow card from his pocket and makes sure that the offending player notices he is not happy with such behavior. If the same player makes another serious offence in the same game, the referee sends the player off the field after showing him a ed card. In as much as he seems to enjoy watching the players making mistakes, it appears he has no tolerance for those who continually make mistakes. I take it he gets tired of looking for mistakes as time goes on because he rarely dishes out these cards at the beginning of the game.

            I do not know what the referee does with the record of the offences at the end of the game but I take it if he officiate another game that involves one of these teams he may remember some of the offenders and book them early. Why else would he keep such a record?

            It is unfortunate that there are some people who have the same mentality as the referee in real life  No matter how many good things you do they do not seem to notice. They go around with a whistle waiting to blow any time you make a mistake. You can spend the whole year doing good things but they do not seem to care. You realise they are there every time you make a mistake because the noise of their whistle is so loud that you cannot miss it.

            These whistle blowing critics have perfected their art so that they have used support from other like minded people to assist them so that everything you do is scrutinised. If you make a mistake there is always one member of the team who notices and alerts the others. As a result all the mistakes made get the attention they deserve.

            If you make a mistake ten years down the line, these referees remember that it is not the first mistake and because they have an efficient recording system they remember the date on which the last offence was committed. They do not only remember the offence committed but they punish you double for both offences even if you have forgotten that you committed such an offence in the past. No matter how many good things you do, they do not cancel the single bad thing that you did a long time ago. That is why a hat-trick hero can receive marching orders from a game in which he is the man of the match.  

            The problem is that the referee is always anxious since he is trying to notice all mistakes such that as long as the game is in progress he cannot rest. He is so preoccupied with noticing mistakes he cannot enjoy his life. The same happens to those who give themselves a referee’s job in real life. They cannot enjoy themselves at all because they are worried about making sure they do not miss a mistake made.

            The referee mentality is something that you can catch easily if you live with critical people. There is no reward, however, for those who engage in this profession. All they get is frustration because as long as they are looking for mistakes they will find them. Do not be one of those who have the referee mentality. Seek for good things in all people and you will find them. Be a spectator instead. The spectators cheer those who do a good job on the pitch. There is no harm in being a cheerleader in the lives of those who are around you. They will appreciate you for the support you give them. If someone asks for your forgiveness, forgive them and try to forget. Do not bring past issues up when the individual makes another mistake. That way those you love keep having clean sheets on which to start. Every one of us makes mistakes and I am sure no one wants to be reminded of their flaws every time. Leave the referee to do what he is paid to do but do not learn from him so as to implement his profession in everyday life.

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.