Sunday, November 15, 2009
Nyasapo 29
Your past is not as important as what you do with it, and how you move on to seize the future. Your past may define your present but it shouldn’t define your future. Your past may color your future, but it shouldn’t limit what you can become. Your past may be the starting point, but it surely cannot determine the extent to which you can go. You may start from a pit but you can end up in Pharoah’s Palace.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Nyansapo 26
If you don't attempt something you haven't done before, how can you learn? If you don't tackle a new challenge, how can you grow? If you don't stretch your limitations, how can you reach beyond the skies?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Nyansapo 23
"Things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." Abraham Lincoln
Nyansapo 22
What was the tallest mountain in the world before Everest was discovered? Answer: Everest. The fact that we didn't know Everest existed didn't mean it was shorter. It still was waiting to be discovered. The fact that the blind does not see the sun doesn't mean the sun is non-existent. You are worth more than you think you know.
Nyansapo 20
"The baby is not afraid that someone will say he/she is taking baby steps and not walking in the right way. The baby is not bothered. Don’t wait to become an expert before you attempt converting your thought into action; Art Buck said 'though good may come of practice, this primal truth endures: the first time anything is done, it is done by amateurs'”. Nana A Damoah, in Through the Gates of Thought.
Nyansapo 19
In your planning, plan as if you are going to live forever; in your living, live as if you are going to die today. Prepare for tomorrow, but affect a life today. You may not have the luxury of time to do all you want to do tomorrow.
Nyansapo 17 - Colin Powell rules
I am reading Colin Powell's autobiography "The Soldier's Way" and thoroughly enjoying it. Thought I should share some of lessons learnt with you. Enjoy.
========================================
1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
14. You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.
15. Organization doesn’t accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish much either. Theories of management don’t matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved.
16. Don’t step on enthusiasm [of your subordinates].
17. If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.
18. If you get the dirty end of the stick, sharpen it and turn it into a useful tool.
19. A good commander deliberately let’s himself be ambushed during a stroll by his troops, so they can talk to him;go where your flock is.
20. When you wrestle with a pig, the pig has fun and you just get dirty.
21. [in response to picking a fight with journalists] Never get into fights with people who buy ink by the barrel.
22. Keep looking beneath surface appearances and don’t shrink from doing so because you might not like what you find.
23. An unawed wife is good for keeping your hat size constant.
24. Work hard, play hard and take the job seriously, but not yourself.
25. You cannot take a few people from one unit, throw them in with some from another, give them someone else’s equipment, and hope to come up with a top-notch fighting unit.
26. Guideline for handling disasters: Release facts slowly, behind the pace at which they are already leaking out to the public. Don’t tell the whole story until forced to do so. Emphasize what went well, and euphemize what went wrong. Become indignant at any suggestion of poor judgement or mistakes. Disparage any facts other than your own. Accuse critics of Monday-morning generalship. Finally, accept general responsibility at the top, thus clearing everybody at fault below.
27. “I set out to qualify myself as an expert gunner on an M-60AI tank. As division ADC [assistant division commander], I did not have to do this. But…” Coaches who never played lack a certain credibility.
28. Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.
29. The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting in above-average effort.
30. Being in charge means making decisions, no matter how unpleasant. If it’s broke, fix it. When you do, you win the gratitude of those who have been suffering under the bad situation.
31. You cannot let the mission suffer, or make the majority pay to spare the feelings of an individual.
32. Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.
33. Don’t be stampeded by first reports. Don’t let your judgments run ahead of your facts. And even with supposed facts in hand, question them if they do not add up.
34. Untidy truth is better than smooth lies that unravel in the end.
35. You don’t temper with perfection.
36. You can face the messiest public issue, and if you tackle it head-on and quickly, you can move a liability to the asset column. With a little imagination, you can turn a knock into a boost.
37. Loyalty means giving your honest opinion, even when you think your boss will not like it, when the issue is being discussed. Disagreement at this stage stimulates. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From this point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.
38. Bad news isn’t wine, it doesn’t improve with age.
39. The responsibility of every leader: Accomplish the mission, and look after the troops.
========================================
1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
14. You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.
15. Organization doesn’t accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish much either. Theories of management don’t matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved.
16. Don’t step on enthusiasm [of your subordinates].
17. If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.
18. If you get the dirty end of the stick, sharpen it and turn it into a useful tool.
19. A good commander deliberately let’s himself be ambushed during a stroll by his troops, so they can talk to him;go where your flock is.
20. When you wrestle with a pig, the pig has fun and you just get dirty.
21. [in response to picking a fight with journalists] Never get into fights with people who buy ink by the barrel.
22. Keep looking beneath surface appearances and don’t shrink from doing so because you might not like what you find.
23. An unawed wife is good for keeping your hat size constant.
24. Work hard, play hard and take the job seriously, but not yourself.
25. You cannot take a few people from one unit, throw them in with some from another, give them someone else’s equipment, and hope to come up with a top-notch fighting unit.
26. Guideline for handling disasters: Release facts slowly, behind the pace at which they are already leaking out to the public. Don’t tell the whole story until forced to do so. Emphasize what went well, and euphemize what went wrong. Become indignant at any suggestion of poor judgement or mistakes. Disparage any facts other than your own. Accuse critics of Monday-morning generalship. Finally, accept general responsibility at the top, thus clearing everybody at fault below.
27. “I set out to qualify myself as an expert gunner on an M-60AI tank. As division ADC [assistant division commander], I did not have to do this. But…” Coaches who never played lack a certain credibility.
28. Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.
29. The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting in above-average effort.
30. Being in charge means making decisions, no matter how unpleasant. If it’s broke, fix it. When you do, you win the gratitude of those who have been suffering under the bad situation.
31. You cannot let the mission suffer, or make the majority pay to spare the feelings of an individual.
32. Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.
33. Don’t be stampeded by first reports. Don’t let your judgments run ahead of your facts. And even with supposed facts in hand, question them if they do not add up.
34. Untidy truth is better than smooth lies that unravel in the end.
35. You don’t temper with perfection.
36. You can face the messiest public issue, and if you tackle it head-on and quickly, you can move a liability to the asset column. With a little imagination, you can turn a knock into a boost.
37. Loyalty means giving your honest opinion, even when you think your boss will not like it, when the issue is being discussed. Disagreement at this stage stimulates. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From this point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.
38. Bad news isn’t wine, it doesn’t improve with age.
39. The responsibility of every leader: Accomplish the mission, and look after the troops.
Nyansapo 15
"Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." Abraham Lincoln
Nyansapo 14
Failure is a part and fact of life even for successful people. The key is: what are you going to do with and about failure? The answer to that matters.
Nyansapo 13
"Those who win are those who think they can." Richard Bach, seen on a Bank BHP billboard at Calabar.
Nyansapo 11
If only we would treat our spouses with the same courtesy with which we handle strangers, how refreshing our homes will be.
Nyansapo 10
"Our pillows can absorb wrath. Our pillows can counsel us in our difficult times. Learn to control your temper. Don’t do anything in a rash manner. Be careful that one action in a second does not derail your life for a generation. Let your pillow be your counsellor, and by all means, let it be absorbent as well!" Nana A Damoah, in Through the Gates of Thought
Nyansapo 9
Let no one despise your youth, but become an example of the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Don’t underrate the influence you can have in your youth. Don’t think you have all the time to make a difference in this world. Recognize that both brown and green leaves fall to the ground.
Nyansapo 8
The law of inertia makes us hesitate to move with our ideas and dreams most times; but as with the strength of momentum, once we overcome inertia and put in effort, the initial effort is able to turn the wheel such that the momentum from the wheel is enough to accelerate our improvement and success.
Nyansapo 7
"Do not let your ego be so tied to your position that when you lose your position, your ego goes with it." Colin Powell. Well said. As a child, one of the songs that made an impact on me was by Akwasi Ampofo Adjei, Ghanaian highlife star, titled 'Time Changes'. Indeed, no condition is permanent.
Nyansapo 6
The ideas we have for our generations can only be remembered if they are rolled on the wheels of action. May we affect our societies for good! There is no time to waste!
Nyansapo 5
A bad marriage is like a never-healing sore; a broken relationship is a sore that got treated in time.
Nyansapo 4
The arrogance and shallowness of the modern day Charismatic. We have a lot to learn from the spiritual men of old as well as the Billy Grahams of our time. Noise, sweat, heat and passion do not make us deep. Our faith is turning into divinitions and soothsaying. God help us repent!
Nyansapo 3
What some pastors peddle in the name of christianity and what some congregations accept is appalling. We need to reinforce that we all have direct access to the Lord, right to the throne room. The fast-food mentality should stop; we should teach the virtue of working for our possessions, making time to search the scriptures, praying & pouring ourselves in prayers and supplication.
Nyansapo 2
Knowing what to do and yet not doing it, procrastinating, thinking of how to do it perfectly, yet holding back and worrying about the passage of time: that will give you a headache! Take the pill of action and welcome your relief.
Nyansapo 1
"No man is truly married until he understands every word his wife isn't saying." Culled from The Mirror (Ghana)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
