LENDING OUR HANDS

Imagine yourself waking up in the morning without a sign of happiness. Your heart is filled with hopelessness, fear and despondency. How would you feel being in a state of neglect without a comforter or motivation? Such an experience is quite a bitter one and I’m sure you wouldn’t like to have a taste of that.

However, do you know that millions of people like you and I wake up and sleep without smiles on their faces everyday? Some of us live happily almost throughout our lives. Yet, we do not take time to pause and think of those without the privileges we have. Putting ourselves in their position and knowing how they feel.
It is no doubt that different things could destroy peoples’ state of mind; poverty, sorrow, pain, failure, suffering, personal/emotional problems and a host of others. These things develop into problems for such people which may end up affecting their physical and mental well being. In subsequent sections, I talked about how you can solve your problems by being positive. But what about others? We must never think of ourselves alone. We have to justify our purpose by helping others. The true essence of life is bringing essence from other’s lives. Whatever we do for others affects us directly or indirectly.

Making a positive impact in other’s lives is one of the ways of appreciating the blessings of our Creator, God Almighty. It’s not just about giving testimonies or chanting praises alone, but our attitude towards his blessings and to others. Creating a turning point in a person’s life could be as simple as putting a smile on such individual’s face. A smile is not just facial expression. It goes a long way in defining a person’s state of mind. Yes, a smile could make an individual’s day meaningful! So why not go out there make meaning in a person’s life!
Helping our fellow human beings is a very vital role as success-builders. Achievers don’t build success for themselves alone, the also build for others. One good thing about helping others is that others help us when we are in desperate need. Touching lives is not about just giving material things. But it is about giving out one simple thing which is love. The best gift one can give and receive is to love and be loved. Let’s put in our best in meeting people and identifying their problems even if they try to hide it. Let’s have a willing heart to help them even in the smallest possible way.
Sharing our happiness gives others the opportunity to acknowledge the special blessings of God. It gives us a great sense of fulfillment and crowns our achievements by creating a good record for us in the presence of our Creator and humanity. So my dear reader, why not look around to find a soul to touch with kindness? This is because what goes around definitely comes around.

LEND A HAND TODAY!

THOUGHTFULNESS: The Mr. Nice Guy Syndrome
Making success in life is not just about applying the necessary steps. One’s attitude towards people also matter a lot. Whatever we want to do or achieve, we should always know that we can’t be all-in-one. We will need people around to assist us in one way or the other. People could render assistance, advice, professional help or useful information to us. Our attitude towards them will determine how we’ll be treated in return. We have to bear in mind that we are not in this world alone. We are neither in the same condition as some other people. We could either be in a better or worse condition than them. This is why we need to stretch our hands of kindness to others. We need to consider them and give our best to them.
It’s quite unfortunate that nowadays, most people who believed to have achieved or made upward steps in their lives do not realize that without thoughtfulness, their accomplishments are insignificant. That means that they are just achievers in their own room. Their achievements read no meaning to people. In brevity, their success is valueless. A person who cannot use what he has to help his neighbor has nothing. The most provoking is that such ‘mirage-dwelling’ guys don’t have humanitarian manners. They see themselves as smarter as or better than others. They take some people as super-human and some others as inferior. This kind shouldn’t be in an achiever’s personality. Individuals that are proud and pompous fail to realize that every creation of God is important. God never creates inferior or ‘sub-standard’ human beings. We are all the same in God’s sight, regardless of family background, ethnicity, religion, education, financial status, nobility and so on. When we are assigned a leadership position, we have to treat everyone justly. If you are senior personnel in an establishment, you ought to treat everyone, junior, senior and those that even do menial jobs like cleaners. No one should be restricted from your love. What makes you think that you couldn’t have been in the same position as that laborer or cleaner on the street? It’s all by the special grace of God. That is why you need to appreciate that favor by being nice to others. You might never no what useful help that ordinary person has for you, which could even save your life. You being a pro, lawyer, doctor, or whatever does not make you smarter than a bricklayer or clerk. Though, you attained your heights as a result of your hard work and God’s grace. But you should remember that you did not do it all by yourself. There are some behind-the-scene individuals who gave their best and inspired you. Don’t prejudge or underestimate anyone. That person could be your only life saver in the future!
NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST!
However, you must take note that there are some people who take advantage of your being nice to exploit you in any possible way. You need to use your foresight and handle situations diplomatically. We don’t need to be harsh or unkind to such people. All one needs is wisdom to know when, where and how to avoid them. I hear some people say; "Mr. Nice Guy gets nothing in return". But to be honest with you, being nice pays on the long run. As John F. Kennedy said; "Don’t think of what you will receive from your nation, think of what you can give to the nation". You just play your giving part, and see what awaits you.


Moreover, we must remember that we get from life what we give to it. This is because Nice is as nice does. Also, everyone in the world is worth being nice to, because God never creates inferior human beings. Each person deserves respect and attention. We can’t lose anything by being nice. Kindness is like paying one’s dues to God and the world for the privilege given to live in this planet. In fact, kindness is charity, not just material things alone.
A MAN WHOSE HANDS ARE HELD TIGHT CAN NEVER RECEIVE ANYTHING
In conclusion, it is important to know that behaving kindly to others is a way of setting right examples for others. It’s a way of correcting ‘humanitarian culprits’ and building our leadership qualities. If we are nice to others, others respond in the same way, and we can give our best to each other and make the world more hospitable.

..............before it is too late: MAKING THE BEST OF YOUR YOUTH


Ever imagined yourself old, weak and helpless ? This is an inevitable stage every individual given the grace of long life must reach. This is when one's mental and physical capabilities reduce gradually. The only thing that counts at this stage is what a person has done behind. This is when a person reaps what he/she has initially sown, whether good or bad. As a youth, what are you sowing for your future ?
It is quite unfortunate that most youths do not ponder about thier future and end up living purposeless lives. Social vices such as gambling, violence, drug abuse, stealing etc. are found among today's youths. Little do they know that they are hastening to the land of destruction and regret. They focus on materialism and live miserable lives. Are these the future leaders ?
Moreover, we must learn to appreciate the importance of youth. It is a priviledge given to us by the Almighty to maximise our potentials and make things work right. This is a stage in which all the vigour, strenght and intellectual capability are still in our possesion. It is better to make the best out of this opportunity before it's too late. We have to do this by living our lives with purpose and using such purpose to do positive things.
"A life not spent at all is better than a life spent without purpose"
Living a purposeful life can be primarily achieved through self discovery. By knowing what you can actually do best, you are paving your way to success. Setting your goals right is another step. You must challenge yourself to achieve something great in life. Giving your commitment by being hardworking, focused and productive is also important. "Success lies on four pillars; .....FOCUS, PERSEVERANCE, DETERMINATION and PRAYER, so if you want to be an achiever, erect them well"
More importantly, the youths are very relevant in every aspect of our society; from Socio-economic to political to moral and so on. We must therefore make it a duty to acquire the tools necessary for development by developing ourselves first. This can be achived by acquiring PROPER KNOWLEDGE. Since knowledge is an antidote to ignorance, we must seek for it by constant learning through EDUCATION. We must also build our intellectual property and creativity and learn how to use them effectively to make a positive impact.
In conclusion, we youths must bear in mind that we are potential leaders. Therefore, we have to develop the right attitude to life. We must make the best use of our time and never relent in our efforts. We should aim at becoming the best we can be. My dear readers, let's live by the words of Teddy Roservelt ; "Do what you can with what you have where you are"
Above all put GOD ALMIGHTY FIRST in all you do. I wish you SUCCESS.