Resolve to Make Something Happen

“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”—Thomas Edison

Today, I am glad to tell you that I have published my first book. It is entitled:

“RESOLVE TO RISE: By Learning from Dynamos Who Took Full Possession of Their Own Minds.” For now, it is exclusively available for sale on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/RESOLVE-RISE-Learning-Dynamos-Possession-ebook/dp/B07BVPTJLM/

Below is an excerpt from the book:

“Resolve to Rise” is a call to prominence and meaning. It is a prod for us to overcome the hurdles on our paths to fulfillment—whether tangible or emotional—no matter what. Inspired by the veracity of the German philosopher, Johann Gottlieb Fichte’s thought when he asserted that, “He who is firm in will molds the world to himself.” The author is thereby urging his readers to become such a person—here and now.

Resolve is essential to greatness. It is the art of taking complete possession of the mind by utilizing its powers, unremittingly, for the realization of any and all dreams. The art here is defined by Oxford dictionary as a skill that can be attained through study, practice or observation. Consequently, I believe everyone can resolve for excellence and purpose; as a weak muscle can be made strong through training and exertion; likewise, an ordinary person can become extra-ordinary via learning and application. Simply, the urge for all to do so, is the major purpose in writing this book. 

To resolve genuinely denotes making a firm decision to realize a vision; being determined to do something, solve a difficulty, or overcome a challenge, no matter what it takes; however long it takes. Resolve is the fixed condition of the mind where one is absolutely determined not to quit until one discovers precisely what one seeks. Though this may appear too hard for a common person to achieve, the amazing life stories in this book are a proof that, it can be done—by anyone. Within the book are narratives of sheer mortals who decided to take full possession of their own minds, and because of this, they were able to muster seemingly super-human spirit to do and be what the majority of people thought was impossible.

Now, this work is intended to awaken the same vital force in the life of an average person today and forever. To goad us to resolve for the best, even in the face of the most intractable of circumstances, when it may seem we have no other choice than to surrender our will to the dictates of apparently overwhelming conditions.

Undoubtedly, if we can make our will defy circumstances, we can always rise above them. On one hand, if we arouse our decisive spirit and firm resolve, nothing will be practically impossible for us. On the other hand, if we fail to achieve anything whatsoever, we must positively accept that our resolve to succeed was plainly not tough enough. To resolve to rise is to become invincible; and it means when we lose, we must never lose the lesson; it means at every reverse, we must begin resolutely again and again. And by so doing, all setbacks will fortify us to reach the summit of our quests in the end.

Whether we call it persistence, perseverance, tenacity or grit and any other word we may choose, the main thing is, at the core, the essence of all of them is: fixity, firmness of character, the rigid verve of a single-minded vision. It is that forceful state of mind definitely fixed on a purpose, and will never leave any room for neither vacillation, nor wavering in the face of challenges, difficulties and predicaments—or even insidious ease.

Furthermore, gutless resolve that may permit voluntary surrender when the going gets really overwhelming is far from the point—as in the case of Dr. Samuel Langley. This book is about that resolute firmness, which will never, ever give up on the pursuit of its keenest vision, no matter the severity of the odds. This is what genuine resolve really means, and it is what an American multi-billionaire, the co-founder of Amway, Richard Marvin DeVos Sr. was explaining when he stated: “If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence, determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying, ”Here comes number seventy-one!”

With this deeper awareness on the meaning of resolve, I hope you have choose to make a decision to make something big happen for yourself and the world—right away.

Yours Truly!

Shittu Abolore

PS: Hey! Please, don’t forget to check out my book on Amazon.com. And after reading it, I humbly ask that you make the time to rate the book and write a review to boost promotion and sales. Thanks.

Continuous Improvement by Deliberate Practice: the Key to Becoming a Master of Your Craft

 

 

“The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It's not I.Q. Instead, it's deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft.”—David Brooks 

 

 

It is almost impossible to see a valedictorian in any reputable institution of learning who didn’t go the extra-mile. For the most part, that special class of distinction comes to him or her as a result dedication and deliberately application. Every scholar attains the honour of scholarship largely due to devotion and concentration.

Likewise, becoming super successful in business would imply that you (as an entrepreneur) are far better than your competition in terms of the value you bring to the marketplace. This invariably requires some skill and unique competence.  And that exceptional skill rarely comes by chance, mostly; it comes as a result of devotion and dedication to be the best in the game. On this, Eric Butterworth the author of “Spiritual Economics” contends: “Behind every brilliant performance there were countless hours of practice and preparation.” 

Having highlighted the necessity of practice for high achievement, I still want to stress one important thing right now: an ultimate buff commits to practice far more deeply than others in the same field of study. And that’s why in the realm of uncommon merit, even legion of masters usually do have a grand master. That is, among first class students, one super-brilliant student usually stands above all others. And among blue-chip companies, one company usually stands taller than the rest. 

What I am getting at and what we want to examine today is the key secret of the most extra-ordinary performers in useful endavours of life. In other words, we want to learn how we can improve our own practice to join some of the very best in our special areas of interest. Kevin Maney, the author of “Trade-off” gets this and he writes: 

“Some people seem to have extreme natural wiring - a talent that seems to come out of nowhere. Like a music savant or prodigy. The uplifting news, though, is that many talented people don't have such natural wiring - but they forge a talent through thousands of hours of what's known as deliberate practice or deliberate performance.” This powerful skill is what we shall be studying shortly, and it is technically called: deliberate practice.

 

Deliberate Practice

 

 

What mainly differentiates self-made experts from the rest of us is nothing but committed, deliberate effort to improve functionality—relentlessly. On this intriguing subject, an American professor of psychology, Anders Ericsson, after decades of research wrote a book on the secret of peak performance, entitled, “Peak.” In the book, he reveals that as important as practice is to getting better at anything, he asserts that, it is not mere practice that moves aficionados to mastery and perfection but better practice is what does. 

 

 

In other words, how they practice is the real secret to their mastery, not just the hours they invested. According to Ericsson, they practiced with greater presence, more intensity, sharper focus and clearer sense of objective than many of their counterparts. And that’s why they are singularly better than the rest; they thoroughly employ the tactic of deliberate practice.

 

 

 

Consider this: many of us have been typing letters on the computers for quite a long period of time, but we are hardly professional typists, are we? In fact, some professional typists are not necessarily some of the best in their chosen business because, they are not really improving. They are only putting in the time. They are not deliberate enough in their quest to getting better. 

The above scenario is what the famous basketball player; Micheal Jordan was referring at one time. He said: 

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down (right) and the level of everything you do will rise.”

 

 

So now, since we know that practice is different from deliberate practice. Then what exactly is deliberate practice?

Simply put, it means practicing, rehearsing or working for growth with a clearly defined improvement goal in mind. 

And the simple litmus test for the effectiveness of this self-training is that after your practice session; ask yourself whether you have achieved your predetermined objective or not. If you haven’t, you have merely put in the time, and yes, you may have practiced, but you have clearly not done it thoroughly—deliberately enough.

 

 

Practical Example on Writing Well:

 

 

As a writer, you should set a goal for the month to learn and master a specific fundamental of your craft. Choose one: like a specific style or a particular punctuation. Mind you, it is easy to write for years without mastering this fundamental element of professional writing, and still consider yourself a careful writer. 

 

 

However, when rubber meets the road and you face the assessment of real pros, you will suddenly be convinced that you are merely a quack, an amateur and a dilettante. To be an authentic expert, you MUST learn and do what the true masters learn and do; there is simply no way around it.

 

 

The finest in the world have neither two heads nor anything supernatural, they have only learnt the key to becoming outstanding at what they do best. And that key is deliberate practice: thorough practice. It is the very essence of genius in all callings of value. 

 

 

Finally, it can be quite tempting for us to rest on our laurels, never opting for the discomfort of growth. But if we strive to move out of our comfort zone and commit to deliberate practice, even if it means we have to risk and redefine failure on our own journey towards mastery. We can experience the fringe rewards reserved for the truly exceptional masters of their crafts as described by the American writer, Julia McNair Wright. She concludes that: "Reaching toward perfection in any one thing should lift us higher in all things; it should beget a habit of application and thoroughness."

 

 

Living by Principles is the Closest to Being Superhuman

 

“We may make mistakes-but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principle.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt

In day to day living, your experiences are hardly the same. One day, you are on top of the world and another day, your world may be falling apart. At one moment, you are in good rapport with your best friend and at other times, both of you are having some issues settle. 

On one day, a total stranger may be very nice to you and on another day, your own neighbour, may behave towards you like a complete jerk. In the midst of these common variations, one thing never changes: the movement of time. Tick, tick, tick….it always goes forward, the same way; without a care in the world, about the changes in your situations.

I reflected on this for a while, and decided that today’s article is going to be on principles of nature. Principles are powerful and true; they are not only true, but they are also real like the Sun and the Moon.

Now I want to share their meaning and importance in day to day living. I believe this can motivate any of my readers who are oblivious of them to rethink. I also believe it will remind any conscious students of life to be firm in their adherence to principles.  

To all sublime practitioners of principles, Victor Hugo, the French novelist and poet has something to tell you: “Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”

What is a Principle? 

For our purpose today, I consulted a book, written by Ray Dalio, the billionaire investor and the founder of the most successful hedge fund in the entire human history. The book is entitled, “Principles: Life and Work.” 

In the book, Dalio reveals the secrets he has discerned and collected in over 40 years of prosperous life and business, through the experience of pain, joy and reflection.  And he defines principles for us as, “Fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behaviour that gets you what you want out of life.”

You see, principles are not theories, and they are not fantasies.  Principles are basic facts of nature, just like the law of gravity. If use them for good, you will get good and if you defy them, you will pay for it—dearly. 

To be rightly principled is to live your life in accordance with eternal laws of nature; to be rightly principled is to believe in and submit completely to God, the Creator of Nature and everything it contains; and there is no better way to live a sublime life. As a matter of fact, there is no other way, in the eternal long run. 

To base your choices, decisions and actions on principles is to build your house on a solid foundation. You can’t compare such a sturdy structure with a hut built on sandy seashore. When we understand and apply principles to our lives, we can become almost superhuman.

What are Your Principles?

The eventual quality of your life and destiny will depend on whether you live by principles and how consistent you are with them. So, I ask you now, “What are your principles?” And, I humbly expect that after reading this article, you make some time to think deeply about that question. It can make a lot of difference in your view of life.

If you want to fortify yourself against the waves of destruction, choose some principles to live by and habitually live by them. In case you are not clear on this, examples of principles are:  justice, patience, fortitude, courage, gratitude, truth and so on. 

And according to Ray Dalio, the most important thing,” from this point forward is, “for you to write down your principles.” Write down the very few that you feel really drawn towards, and own them. This step will bring greater self awareness and clarity.

Once written and clarified, then emulate the example of the clock, hold on to them with your molar teeth; never fool around with them, with the changes in your mood. On this, the third President of United States, Thomas Jefferson firmly counsels that: “In matters of style, {we can} swim with the current; in matters of principle, {we must} stand like a rock.”