TSG

Towards 2010: Preparing to Face Our FutureTowards
The Redeemed Christian Church of God,
The Jubilee Parish
Richard O. Ikiebe

Today’s Business Environment.
Tougher today to make it in business than in previous years.
Growing population,
Fewer business opportunities .
Competition is harsh: survival of the fittest in a dog-eat-dog world.
Result: More people would do anything to make it – translation = corruption.
The call on the Christian
What are his credentials - potential, problems, promises & prospects.
He is a follower of Christ… a disciple – an understudy of Christ!
You are not of the world. IJohn 4:4-5
The world will hate you
Cannot love the world or the things of the world OR to be unequally yoked with it
Promises and Prospect
I will make you head and not tail
Greater is he that is he that is in you than he that is in the world
You will prosper where ever you go
You will have good success and your way prosperous.
You shall be blessed above all people
No man will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.
What has gone wrong?
A general lack of understanding of who the Lord says the Christian is. A confusion as to our position
Ps. 127: 1-2 In vain you rise up early and retire late to eat the bread of painful labours
God desires to have mercy. Rom 9:15-16 He says: It is not of him that wills, but of God who shows mercy.
Ps. 16:11 You will show him the path of life.
Ps. 27:14 Wait on the Lord…wait I say on the Lord. Psa 123: 2-4 Wait until he shows mercy

Myths About What Makes Business Successful
Most Christians now copy questionable worldly approach to doing and succeeding in business.
They tell us things like “greed is good”.
We see books that advocate crafty Mafia tactics in business or Guerilla PR or Machiavelli's The Prince applied to business.
The real reason for our failure today is that we are mostly mixed up. We are not clear minded about what the Bible wants and what the world dictates.
Basic Biblical Minimum.
Decide that you will reflect Christ and His standards in your Business. Prov. 3:6,32;
Provide quality product at fair price Prov 4:24
Treat your customers & employees fairly James 2:9
Be wary of the worldly spirit of materialism James 4:4; Ex 23:2
Learn industry, resourcefulness and wisdom. Prov. 6:6-9.
Make excellence your watch word, all the way.

Whose seed you carry
Problem No.1: A Lack of Goals
Most Christians are not focused and they lack direction.
(97% of people never set clear goals for themselves.)
FEAR of the unknown or of failure prevents people from setting goals.
Lack of goals produces a lack of will and motivation

Set effective goals
Dream. Vision. Identify objectives
List obstacles to the vision/dream
Identify supporters (persons or groups)
List the skills required; and the skills you have.
List benefits to you and others
Design a plan of action
Set a Deadline for achievement.
Problem No.2: A Lack of Plans
You may have been born to win, but you have to plan to win Prov. 6:6-8.
Jesus planned and expected us to win. Luke 14:28-32
Plan and prepare physically, mentally and spiritually.

Problem No.3:Fear of Change
We fear change because of self doubts rooted in the scars and failures past
Change is very stressful; but so is lack of money. Or unemployment.
Don’t hang on to the status quo: embrace change
90% of world business is small business.
Start small, you don’t have to be great to start

Problem 4: We do not THINK through
Toyota says: Good thinking, good products, how true.
King Solomon says: As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Prov 23:7
Paul the apostle says: Think on these things: whatever is of good report, noble, lovely etc,
Our thought life has a great impact on our failure or successes.
Bible says RENEW your mind.. Rom 12:1-3
THE MIND
The Undiscovered Gold Mine
The mind…
This age has been described as the age of the mind.
The only thing in the world that can take us to our goals in life is our mind,
Our effective use of it, and our follow-through on the good ideas the mind supplies.
We become or achieve what we think … and do.. and follow through CONSISTENTLY.
The mind…
Forced to work at only half its capacity, the average brain without difficulty can:
learn 40 languages,
memorize a large encyclopedia and
complete at least 12 required courses in an average university.
Most people use FAR less than 10% of their brain capacity through out life
The Power of thinking right
Living successfully is a solving the problems between where we are now and WHERE we wish to reach.
Problems are common to all people: Successful people have developed ability to solve theirs.
Man, determined has reached the moon!
No purposeful accomplishment without clear and right thinking
Renew Your Mind
Everything you have and are all the direct result of your mind.
The basis for good product or service is good planning
The basis for good planning is good thinking
The basis for good thinking is good understanding
Good Thought Killer
Fortress of the mind – worry.
Only 8% of our worries are genuine;
92% are needless worries –
40% will never happen;
30% already happened and can’t be changed;
12% needless about our health;
10% needless petty all kinds;

Real legitimate (8%) worries are of two kinds
The problems we can truly solve
Those beyond our capacity or ability to solve
Thought killers
Worry create fears
Consequences: men seeking advice from wrong places and wrong people
Apathy, care-less-ness, laziness
Reactive thinking – a critical nature -cynicism,
Strategic Thinking
Successful people are not people without problems;
They have learned to solve their problems by thinking through.
We have the mind of Christ; let’s use it!
Strategic Planning
Everything fashioned by human beings is the result of:
thinking through, and
following through in planning and action.
Do I even have a plan?
What is unique about my plan?
Is the plan feasible? Can I achieve the plan?
The Plan
What does God say about my plan?
Note: we do not have to accept market’s verdict.
We can challenge the market by putting on our God mind set. Daniel did.
Do we need to change the plan?
Or are we ready to challenge and change the market?
From Burden to Vision to Mission
Towards 2010
Personal Development Plan
YOUR BURDEN
Burdens come from:
The problems you see around you that require solution
Research (it can be word of mouth)
The issues in your immediate environment
Your ideas on how to resolve the problem
Research findings related to an overpowering idea if you are the reading type

TO RESEARCH/NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF YOUR BURDEN
Sources of data
Primary data (your fresh survey)
Secondary data (Existing surveys from the govt. etc)
Methods of data collection
Focus group discussions
Interviews
Questionnaires
Document reviews
Surveys
Three Critical Questions
Vision, Mission & Goals
Define a VISION of Success from your burden
Design a MISSION - What you’re wired to achieve
Determine and set your GOAL & OBJECTIVES
Design your STRATEGY How do you get there
DEFINE A VISION FROM YOUR BURDEN
Be certain of the VISION you see
Be sure your vision is from God
Be sure your vision is your vision
Do not borrow other people’s vison
Don’t carry your burden without a vision; it leads to death
A Vision
Benefits of Vision
COMPELLING VISION QUESTIONS

PERSONAL EXERCISE
Imagine and think about 2010
What would you wish to have accomplished by this time next year.
What picture do you see in your mind that represents that accomplishment?
Write a headline reporting on your accomplishments in the year 2010

MISSION
Where to Go And What to do
WHAT IS YOUR SUB-MISSION FOR 2010?
So what is your MISSION IN LIFE?
WEBSTER’SDEFINITIONS OF MISSION
A specific task that a person or group of persons is sent to perform;
The place of work of such persons, or the territory of their responsibility;
A military operational task, usually assigned by a higher headquarters;
An allotted or self-imposed duty or task or calling
MISSION STATEMENTS
Mission statements expresses purpose
A Mission Statement expresses an organization’s reason for being
It is the essence of your original intentions- what you set out to achieve at the beginning
It is needs to be concise, clear and powerful
It must communicate your values
It must shape your planning, decision making and application of resources
Critical Questions for 2010
What principles am I committed to?
What is my expected outputs?
What values doI believe in or stand for?
What are the limitations to my ideas?
What am I going to do about the limitations

DEVELOPING A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
managing changes and challenges in your working life
PDP Benefits
GETTING FOCUSED- SETTING PERSONAL OBJECTIVES
SETTING PERSONAL OBJECTIVES
WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?
A Personal Life review
PERSONAL LIFE LINE CHART RATING
CONSIDER MAJOR THEMES
CONSIDER YOUR FUTURE
CONDUCTING A PERSONAL SWOT ANALYSIS
SMART
SMART
THE SEVEN ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS IN YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
GETTING SUPPORT
START the Journey! TODAY.
Do not seek to know the end of the journey. The problems will intimidate you and you will not even begin.
Start small. BUT start.
Start where you are. But Start.
Start in Faith. In Hope
Let the Journey Begin TODAY
Disciplined Action – Natural Gift Alone is not Enough.
Research has discovered that, "no evidence supports the notion that excelling is a consequence of possessing innate gifts."
Natural talent has little or nothing to do with greatness. There’s no substitute for hard work.
Warren Buffett, is famous for his discipline of spending hours studying financial statements of potential investment targets
The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to what the researchers call "deliberate practice,"
It is to improve performance beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results and involves high levels of repetition.
Legends Who Still Work Hard
Winston Churchill, one of the 20th century's greatest orators, practiced his speeches compulsively.
Legendary Michael Jordan practiced intensely beyond the already punishing team practices.
Tiger Woods is a textbook example of what it takes to practice intensively He has never stopped trying to improve, devoting many hours a day to self conditioning and practice.
We are not hostage to some naturally granted level of talent. We can with the help of God make ourselves winners. But that idea is not popular
Purpose Drives Hard Work
Hard work becomes a necessity and easy when you live for a strong purpose,
Purpose takes you beyond fear and ego.
When you become driven by a purpose greater than yourself, you embrace hard work to achieve it; knowing that without total commitment, it’s never going to happen.
Show me a person who avoids hard work, and I’ll show you someone who hasn’t found their purpose yet;
Anyone who knows their purpose will embrace hard work. They’ll pay the price willingly
Disciplined Action – No Shortcuts
If you want to make a difference in the world, then hard work is the price. Purpose and hard work go hand in hand.
Purpose is the Why. Hard work is the How.
Purpose turns drudgery into labor of love. It transmutes the pain of hard work into the higher level pleasure of dedication, commitment, and passion.
Create a purpose for your life and many of the other success habits like hard work and working hard will fall into place automatically.
Figure out the why!
Create a purpose for your life, and live for it each day
Other success habits like hard work & working hard will fall into place naturally.
Why are you here?
Why does your life matter?
Figure out the why of national development & you’ll find the will, the what to do and the strength to do!
Thank You
May God Bless You. Have a Great & Wonderful Week

TSG

10/10/09

Towards 2010: Preparing to Face Our Future.

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