There is no future without the past

" Your dream is not big enough if it doesn't scare you."
Matthias Schmelz

 

As a motivational speaker, I often get approached by many people from the different spheres of life. It amazes me every time to see how easy people can take other people’s forms, and pursue to be other people.

Many young people often become ashamed to tell their friends, collegues about their background.

The big question is why?

We have absolutely no control about our place of birth, the parents we have and the kind of environment we grow up in. It has always puzzled me, how easy it is to blame either one or all of these elements when we meet with difficulty in life.

All of us, at one point or another, we have blamed our parents, where we grew up and everything else about our background.

Many people in our society are in denial of all these elements (where they grew up, their parents etc) about their past. As a result, our society today is full of people I call clones-- people in pursuit of being other people.

And once you pursue to be someone else, the maintenance becomes too high because you don’t possess resources to fulfill that person’s purpose. It goes without saying that, the end is disastrous, disappointment and dissatisfaction for the clone—the person pursuing to be someone else.

We need to learn to be satisfied with who we are. I have said this before, God gave you those two people you call parents for a reason. He knew that they possessed the right genetic make-up to make you the person He wanted you to be.

You might have grown in up in the most poorest of environments, but maybe that environment had the right type of lessons, mistakes and the right education to develop the character you will need to fulfill your destiny.

Thapelo Jonas [Your Very Own...Life Coach]

© copyright 2008. All rights reserved

How to turn your lemons into lemonade

You are the magnet that attracts your goals and success
“Wendy Nthantha”

I often hear people complain about life. Some of the comments that reside on people’s lips these days are, “Life is unfair”, it’s always life this and life that. It is an obvious truth that, life will throw dirt us, for most us that is, but the reality of it all is, in life you call the shots.

Many young people will start blaming their background, the parents they have and the size of their family’s bank account. Dr. Elijah Maswanganyi once said “There is nothing wrong in been born in a poor family but there is something wrong when you die in one”. Your parents end could be your beginning and not your end.

The question that you should be asking yourself constantly is, how can I turn my lemons into lemonade?

#1. STOP PLAYING THE BLAME GAME
The energy we put in blaming our background, parents, what could have been and should have been, tends to destruct our vision and to waste time we could be spending into strategies to employ in order to accelerate our growth and achievement of success.

#2. THINK BIG
If you don’t have a picture of a preferred future about your life, it’s impossible to work against the unknown. You must learn to dream big, think of the impossible even when you small in your own eyes. There is no big building that is erected without thorough and precise plan. What do you want out of life?

#3. MAINTAIN POSITIVE CONFESSION—ALWAYS
What you constantly say about yourself is what you eventually become. Instead of, waking up in the morning and dreading what the day holds for you—make it a habit of confessing greatness, “I am the best, I am an achiever, I wont end where my parents ended, I am a history maker”. Just remember, what gets talked about eventually gets done.

#4. ASSOCIATE WITH RIGHT PEOPLE
You probably heard it before, show me your friends and I will show you where you going. It is a simple cliché, but people we hang around with shape our thoughts, our confessions and who we eventually become. Don’t let anybody be your friend if they are not going or have not been where you going.

#5. COUNT THE COST AND TAKE STEPS
You now know what you want out of life, what will it take to reach it? How long will it take? What should I start doing today to make sure I reach my pinnacle? These are questions you need to ask yourself, and finally take small steps in the direction of your dream. Of course, patience, discipline and faith will be required along the way.


Thapelo Jonas [Motivational Speaker, author and Marketing Consultant]© Copyright 2008. All rights reserved

You failed….so what?

“Money never forgets where it has been”
Grace M

A very good friend of mine recently uttered these words to me, and it totally blew my mind. Because I wasn’t expecting it, the truth behind it got me after an hour. I started to think about those people who once tasted the joy of success and wealth, only to meet with the bitterness of poverty, bankruptcy and catastrophe soon after that.

Our God is a strategic and a brilliant designer, your destiny was beautifully crafted by an awesome designer. Our end was finished before we began...God knew our everyday before you were even formed in your mother’s womb. It is an absolute phenomenon how He created the universe— every situation we go through, no matter how painful, carries in it the valuable lesson to develop our character. Each and every one of us was created for a purpose established in heaven.

Failure has a funny way of discouraging us; it has got a way of making us feel incompetent, useless and with no means to amount to anything. The truth my friend is, you are God’s solution to the world, its not about how many times you failed but its about how long you stayed down. Failure is a friend you will meet on your way to success, and he is evidence that you are on the right path.

I got a revelation a while back, God said to me “It takes money to build wealth but it takes ME time to build a man”. The painful situations of life plays a pivotal role in shaping our character, life’s experiences are ideal to ensure that our talents and gifts never take us where our character wont keep us. We need character if we are to sustain the financial power that God is shifting on your side today.

You might have fallen dismally; life has thrown lemons your way. You didn’t expect the fall to be so painful but let me tell you my friend, life happened and you failed- but what have you learned?—let go and let God. Let him take you through every step without skipping any step, with time you will develop the character that will keep you when money begins to call you daddy/mommy.


Thapelo Jonas [Motivational Speaker, author and Marketing Consultant]
© Copyright 2008. All rights reserved

You are born to be exceptional in something…..

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose”
Robert Byrne

Our society today is surrounded by people who don’t know why they exist. Unfortunately, many people have not caught up with the fact that, living life without a purpose is like winking to girl at night. The fundamental principle that I want to demonstrate, is that each and every one of us is born for something; we have the potential to be exceptional in something.

If my Samsung mobile phone gives me a problem, I cannot take it to Nokia for them to fix it- reason being, the original purpose of every product lies with its manufacturer…wow, I know that is deep. The business that knows Samsung best is Samsung not Nokia. Let me submit to you guys that, your life’s purpose lies with God, the creator of humanity.

An intimate relationship with God will enable God to reveal to you His divine purpose for your birth- in heaven, no birth is authorized unless purpose is established—there must be a situation on earth that requires somebody with unique inherent characteristics to remedy the situation. You might not know it, but YOU are God’s solution to the world. You are born to be exceptional in something.

Everyone has at least one thing, which you are exceptional at. Let me ask you this question, if money was not an object and time was of no essence, what is the one thing you would be doing with your life? For me is speaking, I was born an eloquent speaker, if you want to destroy me in anyway—don’t let me speak because if I speak, I can get myself out of every mess….what is yours?

Our natural talents can help us a great deal in discovering our purpose—because God has endowed in us every little thing we will need to excel in our destiny. Some of us are born with exceptional singing talents, some of us are born actors, some brilliant in knowing what people need and how to meet that need, It means you are entrepreneurial my friend. Some of us possess exceptional listening skills, we enjoy that…

Our society is messed today because people are not in their positions, they have chosen wrong careers. You might not know it, but everything that is in you—is for someone else…if you are where YOU WANT to be, you have robbed somebody of their deliverance in life and you will not get maximum satisfaction until you are in your rightful place.

If you are asking yourself why you are not flourishing in your career, first look in your God given talents and gifts and ask yourself if you are totally tapping into your potential. My friend, you are born to be exceptional in something—find it and enjoy life. Remember, the original purpose of every product can be found with its manufacturer.

Thapelo Jonas [Motivational Speaker, author and Marketing Consultant]
© copyright 2008. All rights reserved

Think Big…Despite your small background

“Where you are does not determine where you can go”
Palesa Kortman

It’s often said, there is no future without the past. Unfortunately, this short-sighted statement tends to halt so many people from achieving real success in life. As a result, many people let their destiny be determined by where they come from. The truth is, you are only as successful as you think…

I recently heard a story of two salesmen, who were sent to an island where its inhabitants never wore shoes (the fact of which were never aware prior to their departure).Upon their arrival, they realized that nobody wore shoes in that island. The 1st salesman immediately sent a telegram back home: “Send me a plane ticket NOBODY WEARS SHOES HERE”, the 2nd salesman also sent a telegram home: “Send more orders EVERYBODY NEEDS SHOES HERE!”

The moral of the story…your perceived obstacle, poor background, dead-end or stronghold can in actual fact be a stepping stone to greater things. If you view your background as an obstacle, it sure is an obstacle. Thomas Carlyle once said “The block of granite which is an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, becomes a stepping stone in the pathway of the strong “PERSPECTIVE- how you view your life is important.

In my primary education, teachers taught us that Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the tallest mountains in the world. But, if you are in a plane on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, you would see it as small as a marble. The difference between the former and the latter is, the former was written from a sitting position and therefore it looked taller but the latter is rendered from the top and therefore once again we realize—the problem is not your poor background, it can not hold you down. It’s not as important how big or bad your situation is as how you choose to view your bad situation.


No matter what your dream is—you always wanted to start your own business, you always dreamt of becoming a doctor or you have always fantasized about flying that aircraft. Your background might be screaming that you don’t qualify… the people you grew up with might be saying you don’t have enough IQ to start that business. But, life is what you make my friend, you call the shots. If you can think big….despite your small background but above all take small necessary steps towards your dream, you will succeed.


Thapelo Jonas [Motivational Speaker, author and Marketing Consultant]
© copyright 2008. All rights reserved